Sky Orchid - Oculus (2017)

OFFICIAL: https://skyorchid.net/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/skyorchidofficial/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/skyorchidband

Written by Larry Robertson, posted by blog admin

Formed during June 2015, the two members of Sky Orchid, actually brothers, already logged 8 years of jamming together under their belts before that.  Trimming the fat from prior incarnations and attempts at this project, we are left with a lean, mean duo that knows their way around a set of songs.  The debut Oculus shows a stunning early grasp on craft and soft/loud dynamics for such a young act and it’s obvious that was honed through years of playing with one another.  Passion and emotion are crammed into every corner of this release and it’s definitely one for music aficionados to soak up for the long-term.

Gabriel Traknyak handles guitars, vocals and keyboards while his brother Daniel takes care of the drums and additional percussion used.  They make use of several different songwriting forms across the record and manage each individual one to great effect.  Opener “The River” beings with dubbed beats, distant piano and trembling vocals that crests with riveting real drumming, electric guitar and searing vocal power.  This set-up yields great results on the slightly more rock n’ roll-y “In the Fire (Part 1),” the brilliant and gorgeous “Lex,” the trippy piano/guitar shakedown heard in “Yesterday” and penultimate closer “Fortify.”  The group truly shines in these auras of blackness where driving, buried beats and trickling melody guitars give Gabriel’s lead vocals plenty of room to work and eventually reach critical points of catharsis. 

They dissemble any sense of formula by having a track like “Sneakers” kick-off like the aforementioned songs but jettison the mellow, melodic drizzle for full-on guitar rock, pounding backbeats and expressive singing that take the music down a more hard rock avenue that’s made for maximum aural impact.  “I’ll Stop the World (Part 2)” furthers this notion thanks to its dive-bombing tempos set by Daniel’s drums and it maintains a careful blend of slower, grittier chugs with fluttering higher speed rock attacks shrouded in an 80s mist.  “Wildfire” could almost past for some roots-y folk, what with its lengthy first section gloriously embellishing the acoustic guitar and Gabriel’s stern vocal pipes.  It shatters into a million pieces of space-y guitar rock as it climbs towards the finale but the first half is the star of the show without question here.  Then they abandon the more surreal, mystical shades of their sound for some fun loving, upbeat groove and swagger on the back-to-back pairing of “Breathe Easy” and “Take It All.”  So many different songwriting styles could come off as cluttered or unfocused without care, but these songs maintain poise, point and purpose throughout. 

Oculus will surely latch onto listeners looking for an experimental take on modern guitar rock that doesn’t stick to one genre or feel the need to be constantly loud.  The beauty is truly within the details of the group’s sound on this recording.  Thanks to airtight production, the whole things sounds polished and professional with just enough dirt underneath its nail to really give you a good kick in the gut; all around great work by this pair of musical siblings. 

Rhett Repko - Thnx For The Ride (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.rhettrepko.com/

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Written by Craig Bowles, posted by blog admin

Thnx For The Ride, a seven song EP, marks Rhett Repko’s second impressive release in 2017 and bears all the signs it might propel Repko to a greater renown than he has thus far experienced. It differs from his previous 2017 release, About Last Night, thanks to a much more resolute focus on being a pure, outright rock release incorporating the same singer/songwriter sensibility pervading his earlier releases. Repko makes no bones about being a classicist in some respects, but the most refreshing aspect of his songwriting and performances is how he fuses that approach with a very modern production style and a rambunctious sense of the possible. The title song embodies that. “Thnx for the Ride” mixes things up without the song ever coming off as disjointed or patched together – Repko and his band mates move from straight forward rock passages to other sections that are near reggae or ska in their approach. The lyrics are a bit unusual in the way they approach the time-tested subject matter of relationships and that individual touch on the song separates it from the pack.

“Please Don’t Laugh” keeps the bar set high for Thnx For The Ride with an equally punchy, if a bit more normalized, rock track that plays around with tempo shifts, but never to the same extent as we hear with the opener. The vocals are emphasized here a little more than before and lead guitarist Stefan Heuer excels with an impassioned guitar solo near the song’s end. Perhaps the most compelling section of the song comes near its mid-way point when the musical intensity fades a little and we’re treated to a slow, deliberate middle break that enhances the overall performance. “It Ain’t Coming From You” will be the EP’s peak for many listeners like it is for me and much of this has to do with the overall excellence of the song. There’s a strong acoustic strand underlying the song and wonderfully propulsive drumming from Tom Bryant, but the real highlight of the song comes from Repko’s vocal and another particularly tasty shift in tempo that comes near the track’s second half when the band slows things down and conjures a tasteful, thoughtful instrumental break.

“Maybe I’m Weak” elaborates on the previous song by expanding the dance between electric and acoustic guitars. Certain parts of this song may strike some listeners as choppy, but those passages are redeemed by yet one more intensely emotive Repko vocal and the rock firepower he and the band brings to bear in other portions of the tune. “And I Told Her So” has one of the EP’s best vocals with lead guitarist Stefan Heuer contributing a lot with his backing vocals. He rips loose with a biting solo, as well, during the song’s second half that underlines the potent rock power of this number, Thnx For The Ride concludes with the track “Make Me Right” and it’s a zesty closer for the EP that shows no fall off in energy from the first song. Repko has reached a new pinnacle with this release and Thnx For The Ride is chock full of great songs sure to be featured in his live set.

Joshua Ketchmark - Under Plastic Stars (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark

Written by Alonzo Evans, posted by blog admin

Illinois-bred singer/songwriter Joshua Ketchmark has built a slow and steady career on excellent musical craftsmanship and stellar guitar playing that’s spanned a dozen releases to date.  He’s brushed shoulders with Melissa Etheridge and has worked with the production teams that have brought to life recordings by Elvis Costello, Don Henley and Ryan Adams.  In a tough modern musical climate where it’s very difficult to get your own original compositions out there for the public to hear, Ketchmark has accomplished way more than most.  It’s his talent that his gotten the singer/guitarist to where he is and it’s his talent that can be heard all across his latest release, Under Plastic Stars. 

The album opens with a gentle, trotting acoustic number that’s draped in dusty folk influences and tinged of rural, back porch country jamming.  With his heartfelt lyrics detailing a passionate relationship and instrumentation that puts a production focal point on Joshua’s breathy voice and muscular acoustic guitars while the rhythm section dives into a little groove that pushes the material forward with grace and goodness.  Subtle church organ atmosphere is introduced on the twinkling, starlit magic of “Every Mystery.”  Gorgeous acoustic guitars draped in reverb and slight echo provide a launch pad for Ketchmark’s earthy, infectious vocal delivery that paints a forlorn picture of being pushed away by the one that you’re in love with.  This cut leads directly into the harder, bluesy 6-strings, dark keyboard shades and rumbling bass lines of the crunching “Let It Rain.”  An electric guitar buzz sometimes cuts through the thick, dense instrumentals and the vocals slip more into a heartbroken roar that still shows a surprising amount of melody and restraint.  Even slide guitar makes an accompaniment appearance to round out the sound on this excellent number.  

Breezy and autumnal in its aura, “Lucky at Leavin’” pairs an energetic acoustic line to smooth flowing melodies with a recording quality that leaves the impression of Josh playing alone onstage at a large concert hall.  Sweet back-up vocal harmonies from an unknown female guest provide further emotive expression to the song while lap-steel and layered keys add to a great deal of texture to the music’s many charms.  “Hereafter” returns to semi-rugged country/blues backed by a rousing drumbeat, lamenting and powerful vocals overflowing with stunning vibrato and several climactic breaks where the volume swells and the instrumental tones rise to the sky.  Hymnal organ playing and a fireball electric guitar solo renders “Get out Alive” an edge that only further mixes up the varied moods and sounds on the record.  Elsewhere the entirely acoustic “Harm’s Way” sucks the ears in from the very first note, the vocal/piano led soul tune “Sweet Surrender” really provides a showcase for Ketchmark’s gripping singing and awesome multi-instrumentalism and closer “The Great Unknown” mingles rock volume and tempos with country music’s ol’ fashioned vocal harmony standards and simplistic but hook-y guitar/rhythm shakedowns. 

Joshua Ketchmark pulls out all of the stops on Under Plastic Stars.  With excellent musical chops, stellar songwriting skills and great arrangements that blend a multitude of different instruments together, there’s not a misstep to be found on this album.  It’s certainly won over this first time listener to Ketchmark’s wonderful audio world.

Black Bluebirds - Like Blood for Music (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://blackbluebirds.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlackBluebirds

Written by Brad Johnson, posted by blog admin

Few indie rock albums start off as well as Black Bluebirds’ Like Blood for Music does with “Love Kills Slowly”. It also works ideally as an opener as the song, essentially, lays out the band’s musical identity without ever seeming like they are pushing too hard for an audience reaction. The natural slant to their performances on this ten song studio effort, especially in regards to song structure, help make it one of the most satisfying guitar-heavy releases in recent memory. “Strange Attractor” hits hard without ever coming off as heavy handed and much of that is due to the effortless swagger Chad Helmonds brings to his drumming. Daniel Fiskum’s vocals take the lead here, but Jessica Rasche’s vocals offer some unobtrusive support while stukk enriching the final result.

The vivid qualities of “Life in White” are the first indisputable peak on Like Blood for Music and Fiskum’s writing takes a decidedly poetic turn. The acoustic flourishes built into this song give it an added shot of urgency that it might otherwise lack despite its overall excellence and Fuskum’s singing imparts the right amount of seriousness to the performance. “Battlehammer” and “Soul of Wood” are the album’s two strongest rock efforts and a big reason why is Chad Helmonds’ propulsive drumming that presses on the songs with a lot of verve and attitude. The lyrics for the latter tune are particularly effective and biting.

One of the album’s more dramatic moments comes with the spectacular “House of No More Dreams” and the weaving of Fiskum’s synthesizer work and Simon Husbands’ electric guitar is often rather stunning. They deliver a distinctly theatrical experience on songs like this without ever sounding overwrought. The strong pulse guiding the song “Don’t Fall in Love” gives Fiskum and Rasche alike a chance to flex their vocal chops in slightly surprising ways. Another powerful piece of quasi-musical theater comes with the penultimate track “My Eyes Were Clothes” and it’s arguably the album’s finest expression of using music to create a narrative of sorts for your ears to follow. It’s one of the album’s finest lyrics as well and it’s notable how Fiskum maintains the same laser focus in his writing that we hear from the band’s musical imagination. The songwriting suggests things for listeners rather than spelling everything out for them and the choice deepens the listening experience for devoted music fans.

Black Bluebirds’ journey out of a classic music hub like Minneapolis is considerably aided by how individual they are. They still use a familiar idiom, however, and that helps get their intensely personal songwriting over with a potentially wide audience. Like Blood for Music is a relatively short effort at only ten songs, but the discipline and focus that goes into making these songs potent is very memorable.