Of Sins Present and Past is the debut album from Alt Americana Rock musician John Aulabaugh, a man with a mission to use the healing power of music in the treatment of the bumps on life’s rocky road.
Having seen personally the life-destroying effects of alcohol and drugs on others, John has released his album with the drive to financially support the organizations he works with, such as Transitions, a non-profit that provides recovery treatment services.
While all of his tracks feature soulful vocals and varying mixes of violin, guitar and drums, there are some that stand out more for me than others. The first is “Elasticity”, a shortish track at under three minutes but one that utilises a catchy hook in the form of many lines beginning with “There’s a…” This helps the track carry the listener along, especially with the repetition of words like “It’s gone it’s gone it’s gone.” I really like this lyrical device and enjoy the way it adds heft to the words. The next track that really caught my attention was “Undone”, a track with a languid pace, echoing vocals and a dreamlike quality with lyrics like “My baby, she fell on my gun” and “She’s come undone”. An introspective track that echoes around your mind.
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” is another track full of great images conjured by the lyrics. There are more than a few nods to childhood stories like Alice in Wonderland with the lyric “Chasing little rabbits down the tiny rabbit hole”. The lyrics seem quite sad yet the song is quite upbeat in tone, to me at least. I quite like that. The final track I want to highlight is “Awake”, a track full of echoing guitar notes and a more distorted sound. I particularly enjoy the “wailing guitar” solo just after the midpoint of the track; it seems to embody the night-time funk felt in the rest of the track and hints at the strange qualities that night can sometimes contain.
I didn’t find much at all to dislike amongst the other tracks. The only thing I noticed was that in “It’s Coming”, the chorus lyrics struggle a little against the background music in volume. This is only noticeable because the majority of the tracks have a very strong chorus sound. It’s a minor difference but I would like to hear this chorus as crisply as in the other tracks.
Of Sins Present and Past is described as an anthology with themes of hope and empathy and I certainly get that from the sometimes quite dark lyrics. John is joined by Dave Krusen on the drums and Jessy Greene on the violin, the mixture of the three creating a great album containing tracks that feature a variety of pace, tone and sound but that all manage to hang together and make it an album well worth a listen.
You can visit John Aulabaugh’s website at this link for more information.
Their first album “Another Time” was released in 2012 and received some great acclaim. They have since been joined by guitarist Buddy Speir for their latest album “Half Written Story” which released in June 2015 and on which the bulk of this review will focus.
The Seattle-based band is made up of Ron Hippe, Jan Ciganik, Dennis McCoy and Chip Reno, and sites influences from artists including Pink Floyd and Chromeo. They have had a number of albums released since 2007, DigiBites being their most recent.
The main guitar riff that underpins the track in general certainly gets stuck in the ear, the pace of the notes sitting really well with the slower extended notes that surround it. The lyrics sung by Majentta’s powerful voice are no less intricate, the hook laden chorus filled with questions and lingering words that almost makes the listener feel rude not to answer her.
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Chand has created a tremendous E.P called The Solar Bliss, five tracks that revel in all that is great about the guitar. If you are a fan of the Carlos Santana school of guitar-based melody, Chand will certainly put you in mind of Carlos.
“China Man Blues” is another great track, the early plucked guitar notes soon moving into lots of vibrato as the slow beat carries it all along. “Zetetic” is a more melancholy track that has all the qualities of the end credits after a film in which the happy ending didn’t quite pan out as people had hoped. “Trouble in Paradise” is another track that made me think of TV or film, its ominous heavier undertones and distortion making me think of criminals about to do a heist. That tone did seem to shift later in the track however, the feelings turning to the prospect of things being resolved. The final track “Daydream” is a good track to end the album on with a punchy beat and a slightly heavier sound brought about by distortion and a more prominent use of the drum cymbals.
Scott Mahoney’s song “What I Want When I Want” is based on the less desirable side of relationships, the break-up, and it handles it in an upbeat way, the lyrics reveling in the freedom of separating from someone that you no longer want to be with.
Some modern rock/metal bands seem to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their music. Something that may be overlooked in their zeal is the guitar solo: sometimes short, sometimes long and meandering, but both give space in the track where someone can truly shine. Shred guitarist Xander Demos doesn’t overlook this and hearing him play reminded me of what other bands sometimes gloss over.
Sentinel tick the boxes for me when it comes to giving an opinion on a metal band. I love brutal music and harsh, shouted lyrics, but I always have a soft spot for a catchy and sweetly sung chorus. I guess I like the storm followed by the calm, before the next storm. Music without this dynamic grows a little boring and tedious for me. Sentinel avoid this pitfall and give the listener a saliva-filled gust of feeling, carried in the space that the more relaxed chorus gives.
The six-piece band from Leeds has created a fast-paced song with easy to listen to lyrics and a style that would easily complement any activity taking place in the summer sun, be it driving, bike riding or…bouncing around on an inflatable castle in someone’s back garden.
