Saturday, October 14, 2017

MIS+RESS: The History of Fishes

Link to MIS+RESS merch, including their latest release titled Dispellers.










A long-term professional used to the comforts of his work with Electric Blue Studios in Brooklyn, this album marks a departure from the studio setting. It was recorded in Toms River, New Jersey with an electric guitar and four effects pedals in a make-shift studio he set up in his sister-in-law's abandoned childhood bedroom.

Rather than relying solely on atmosphere and texture, MIS+RESS creates songs with genuine emotional content. They are clever and intricate, dreamy yet broken. They paint a sonic canvas full of gorgeous landscapes, littered with machines languishing in obsolescence. This debut album evokes memories of a past/future you didn’t/won’t have. This is post ambient, instrumental guitar. No frills and no hiding.

This is much simpler and more direct in the sense that I utilized a very limited palette (simply guitar with a few effects). My other projects have emphasized vocals and electronics and had hundreds of layers. Electronics used to feel rebellious to superimpose on shoegaze/dreampop. Now, it is commonplace. The danger is gone. I figured I would go in the opposite direction.—Brian Wenckebach




Versatile talent like Wenckebach are unafraid to spin off into deep space in order to rediscover the universe.—indie|ssance

Thursday, February 2, 2017

James Patrick Morgan

Atlanta-based James Patrick Morgan produced a pop-rock EP stacked with several radio singles. His song list is more like a concert set encompassing numerous projects. LPs rarely contain as many good songs. Which becomes a matter of choosing which fave to call your own fave. Among other genres, soul is easier to detect, while some listeners might catch a country vibe at times. Variety is a spice of this album.

His music shines with positive light. Perhaps the love aspect from the album's title, Art + Work = Love, has something to do with that. Just as work is much easier for those who love their jobs. For example, his song titled Alone fails to cast a somber shadow. This artist must be one of those types who wakes up in a good mood every morning.

Morgan's polished pop has been perfected for radio, but listeners can also imagine entire concert halls dancing along with Expected. This artist is definitely ready for larger venues.

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