ALBUM REVIEW: C.W. Franz – C.W. Franz IX

Though I came in a year too late to the beginning of C.W. Franz’ self-titled album series (forgive me, my Fiverr gig didn’t exist back then), my official introduction to Franz’s music came in the form of 2020’s “C.W. Franz II”, an instrumental evocation of memories related to the American Midwest. From there, I’ve covered every “C.W. Franz” installment up to this point, experiencing and pretty much documenting the unique concepts, various emotions and degrees of musical experimentation along the way.

“C.W. Franz III” and “C.W. Franz VI” are currently my top two favorites, the former being an elegy for the traditional American restaurant whose release during the second year of the pandemic made the experience of listening to it all the more heartbreaking, and the latter being a bleak, epic, existential journey where time and space were ripped apart in an attempt to find meaning within the banality of modern-day life. Back when I reviewed “VI” and interviewed C.W. himself on my podcast, I assumed there was nowhere else for this series to go. And then “C.W. Franz VII” and “VIII: Adrift and Hoping” dropped, bringing things literally back down to Earth. Acting as two sides of the same coin – day and night, if you will, given their contrasting album covers – “VII” and “VIII” saw C.W. moving optimistically forward in his life through a new relationship, leaving behind a dark path of broken hearts and unforgivable mistakes.

Now we have “C.W. Franz IX”, the ninth chapter of this ongoing series, once again boasting an eclectic cast of guest performers and a striking album cover designed by KM Designs. And in order to describe the experience I had with this record prior to writing this review, I have to talk about that cover.

With the first few listens I gave the album, my mind kept zeroing in on two things: the production and that cover. Bear in mind that I was simply basking in the sound and tuning into the vibe of the record, without thinking too much about what was going on thematically and lyrically. But I felt there was something missing, or at least something that didn’t grab me during those first few listens. I went back to that cover and then I noticed something I didn’t before: two birds, each perched on a tree on opposite sides of the forest portrait serving as the album art. And THAT was when the album finally clicked for me!

Playing almost like a ‘threequel’ to “VII” and “VIII”, “C.W. Franz IX” is a breakup record, which is admittedly nothing new in C.W.’s expansive discography.  And yet with the more listens I gave it after that ‘mind-blowing’ reveal of the birds in the album art, I couldn’t help but see it as a turning point in C.W.’s musical career, where he takes all of the stylistic practices and thematic fascinations that he’d been honing and pondering on for the past five years and combining them into a stunningly cohesive whole!

It begins with the first of two two-parters (technically, there’s three – but more on that later) “Flying Over Home (Thinking of You) / Permanent Affection”. The first half opens with an archival recording of the “Steamboat Bill” refrain made famous through the iconic Disney cartoon “Steamboat Willie”. Not only does that sample reflect C.W.’s deep interest in American history and the reverberations of its past upon modern society (“C.W. Franz II”, “C.W. Franz V” and “American Republic in Crisis” come to mind), but it sets up the album’s main symbol: a bird. Now you’re probably asking yourself: “But isn’t it an animated mouse who does the whistling?” My response to that is: “Isn’t that cartoon now accessible through the public domain?” On a side note, it’s funny how this album takes us off the yacht from the album cover of “VIII” and onto a metaphorical steamboat in a matter of seconds.

Anyway, “Flying Over Home (Thinking of You)” kick-starts with some gentle strumming courtesy of C.W.’s beloved Texaco Oil Can-o-Caster, which evolves into a warm, pleasant duet with guest artist Michael Wookey on Marxophone. Going back to the album cover, this moment feels like the musical backdrop to a cinematic establishing shot involving the forest from the album art. Roughly around the 2:45 mark, C.W. starts singing, and as short of a verse he gives in this first half, it packs a lot of emotional punch. The album’s premise is laid out: three days have passed, and his romantic partner has left the “temporary nest” with no indication of returning. C.W. mentions “Steamboat Willie” in the third bar, which I interpreted as him expressing how he feels the complete opposite of how carefree Mickey Mouse was in that cartoon.

In the “Permanent Affection” half of the track, we get another fantastic duet between C.W. and Michael, with some Ebow use from the latter in the background. C.W. returns to the bird metaphors, singing about how the “audacious starling and chickadee flies over home to the nest where they feel they should be”. He ends the verse with a tear-inducing farewell of sorts to his former partner, effectively setting up the record’s poignant tone.

The following track “No Worries” opens with a soft duet between C.W. and classical guitarist Naythen Wilson. C.W.’s undulating pace creates this weird sense of dread as if he fears the reminiscence he’s about to embark on in this track will hurt him. And yet he receives some much-needed support from Naythen, alongside guest pianist Neemias Teixiera on the Yamaha P-95. All three instrumentals combine into a stirring soundscape which takes up the rest of the song. During that section, C.W. delivers a short and genuinely heartwarming recollection of specific memories, evoking the mental retreats into “happier times” prevalent on “C.W. Franz III” and 2023’s “American Byways” featuring The Big Bluestems. And in those happy, burden-free moments of “No Worries”, C.W. had “nowhere somewhere else to be” (God, I LOVE that line) and “didn’t worry enough then” of his own limitations, imperfections and, in an emotionally captivating moment, his “own self”.

Up next is the second two-part track “Got Troubles/ Got Mine”, whose first part begins with what sounds like a bluegrass-like melody made up of C.W.’s vibrant strumming and The Big Bluestems’ own Rodnell Matos’ playful plucking of the mandolin, with some six-string fretless electric bass support from guest bassist Hexifice. Another memory, just as vague as the ones on “No Worries”, is brought up in song, but it’s clear that C.W.’s singing about his ex. Here, he recalls a moment where he was deathly afraid of something and she was there at that time to support him.

Afterwards, C.W’s Can-o-Caster playing slows down to a crawl, then picks back up to signify the start of the track’s second half (“Got Mine”). The bluegrass-like melody restarts, this time in a slightly different pitch, then slows down after a while for C.W. to finish his story. A callback to one of the main themes of “C.W. Franz VII”, C.W. reminds himself of how he emotionally mistreated his former partner. Perhaps out of fear of his own future, he proceeded to shut her out of his life, ultimately resulting in their separation. And in the track’s final moments, he summarizes that outcome in both a regretful and indifferent manner by saying “some things don’t last”.

Similar to the sonic experimentation on “C.W. Franz II” and “C.W. Franz V”, C.W. incorporates some non-American instruments into “IX” via the following track “Shaker Symmetry”. Thanks to Maryan Banan on oud and longtime collaborator Reinaldo Ocando on darbuka, finger cymbals and vibraslap, percussion is FINALLY added to the album’s instrumental palette. Throughout this track, we’re treated to this exotic and slightly sensual mix of Can-o-Caster, darbuka, finger cymbals, vibraslap, oud and Hexifice’s electric bass guitar. Seemingly intoxicated by the vibe of the production, C.W. starts praising his former partner’s external and internal beauty. I especially LOVE how the oud makes its introduction in the final line of the first verse between “addressing” and “unjust policy”. In the second verse, he confesses that he still finds her perfect in his eyes, “encircled and flanked by other perfect ones”. The following lines add some depth to his perspective on their past relationship: “I give so much to you / That I don’t think enough for myself”. And similar to the opening lines of the track “Northern California Blues” off his recently-released “Solo Again” record, C.W. closes this song with this self-aware couplet (“It’s all the same tune, in a similar mode / It’s been that way as long as I can remember”).

We then get the two-part, two-track final act and album highlight “Auk and Chickadee” (i.e. the two birds on the cover. I Googled their names to make sure, by the way). Part 1 opens with two repeated notes from C.W.’s Can-o-Caster, amplified for a few seconds with a droning reverb before settling into a fully fleshed-out melody. In a moment of pure brilliance, a double bass from guest artist Bruno De La Rosa creeps into the mix, establishing the sweeping, epic feel this particular song will treat us to. After the 3:10 mark, C.W. delivers a SUPERBLY written first verse centered on mending a broken heart whilst “selling hearts” on Valentine’s Day that is nothing short of heartrending. Ajayi Desai, who appeared on “C.W. Franz V”, adds some tabla to the second verse, right where C.W. mentions how she found that his words had beauty. And then in a truly powerful moment, C.W. looks inward and declares that he’ll open his heart out to her so she can see what she knows: “heavenly moments”. Instead of bottling them up, he’ll express these moments to her through song. And from that revelation, C.W.’s strumming increases, building into a heavenly crescendo alongside the tabla and double bass. And then out of nowhere, guest performer Jose David shows up on timpani to guide the song into this wondrous climax! This bird is going to sing his heart out, with the hope that his former mate flies towards his nest at just the right time to hear him.

And just when your tear ducts have had enough, Part 2 begins, and I love how it just STARTS with no buildup or hesitation. Energized by the exuberance of Part 1, C.W. and Hexifice perform this joyous duet, with some support from the midpoint onward by Rodnell Matos who delivers a GORGEOUS solo via his mandolin. C.W. proceeds with a final tribute to his ex (revealed at this point to have auburn-colored hair), appreciating the memories they’ll continue to hold close to their hearts. And on the ambiguous closing line (“The rest is for ourselves to claim”), driven by the soothing sounds of Reinaldo Ocando’s marimba (Is this meant to represent the xylophone mentioned in that “Steamboat Willie” line on “Flying Over Home (Thinking of You)”?), we’re left with the hope that these two birds will continue to be a part of each other’s lives, regardless of the nest they each call home. And speaking of birds, the album’s outro involves a field recording – reminiscent of the ones used in “C.W. Franz IV” – of nature sounds presumably from a forest similar to the abovementioned album art.

On the Bandcamp liner notes, C.W. states that this album was “recorded in three days and then meticulously thought about for three months”. Initially, he was going to release it with just his voice and improvised Can-O-Caster compositions, but something told him to sit with it for a while. And I can safely say that it was a great thing he did, because the end result is arguably the BEST entry in the “C.W. Franz” series  and, dare I say it, his BEST ALBUM thus far!

Also according to the liner notes, “C.W. Franz IX” is described as a “labor of love” – and it ABSOLUTELY shows! From the artwork and the lyrics to the mood and sound of each song, EVERYTHING feels thoughtful and emotionally-driven! But the two standout aspects of this album are its themes and overall musical execution. Drawing from his collaborations with other artists on “American Byways”, his “Orange Diamond” and “Wells House” jam sessions and some of his previous “C.W. Franz” records, C.W. managed to get the best out of his long-distance musical collaborators. You can tell they deeply UNDERSTOOD the album’s themes of heartbreak, forgiveness and moving forward and as a result, they projected that understanding into every note they played. And I will make the argument that even if you’ve never listened to a C.W. Franz album before, self-titled or otherwise, the themes are so relatable and the music is so refined and well-conducted, you can easily get into the vibe of this record. 

I guess for me, great things really do come in threes – or in multiples of three – because now “C.W. Franz IX” stands tall as my top favorite in this self-titled series, with “VI” and “III” in the second and third spots respectively! And like “VI”, I REALLY don’t know how or if it’s possible for C.W. to top what he did on this latest installment! I guess we’ll see when “X” is released, and if it’s one thing we’ve learned from a successful movie franchise with nine entries (see “The Fast and the Furious” – and in the case of this point being made, “Hobbs & Shaw” doesn’t count), there will inevitably be a Part 10. But for now, “C.W. Franz IX” is one of this year’s best albums and it gets my highest recommendation!

OVERALL RATING: 10 out of 10

Now available on Bandcamp and Spotify

SINGLE REVIEW: Flowers for Juno – Without Love

For this review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on “Without Love”, the new single from Newcastle upon Tyne gothic rock / metal band Flowers for Juno and their latest release since their debut EP “Be My Bloody Valentine”. With that project, vocalist Benjó James and musician Jack Wilson created a strange, Lynchian-like mood piece that seemed to embrace the lyrical stylings of ballroom-centric pop ballads of the 1960s to 1980s – whether it’s Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (which Benjó did a delightfully creepy version of on that record) or Tears for Fears’ timeless “Head Over Heels” – and yet forcibly REJECTED their promise of true, ‘endless’ love between romantic partners. In the loose narrative of the EP, Benjó loses a romantic interest, gains another, loses her and succumbs to the fates of loneliness and, assumedly, death.

This single consists of the title track on Side A, labelled the “7” Deadly Sins Mix”, and two remixes of the EP’s second single “It’s Not My Fault” on Side B. Along with being an addendum to “Be My Bloody Valentine”, “Without Love” bears a similar tonal structure to its predecessor. It starts off with a menacing bang, tapers off into a deceptively ethereal vibe and concludes on an incredibly bleak note. Another similarity between single and EP is the use of dead air, lessened in volume at the start and end (with the exception of the track “Without Love”) of each song compared to the EP’s opening track “Dead Air” but still present in the background. A reminder that what you’re about to hear is anything but ordinary.

With the Side A solo track “Without Love” being the only ‘new’ composition in this short collection of songs, Benjó James returns to his heartbroken viewpoint on love that made “Physical Culture” off the “Be My Bloody Valentine” EP such a highlight. He describes love as this missing puzzle piece of sorts that, once attained, SHOULD make him emotionally and mentally whole. There’s an air of melancholy present throughout this song, especially in the combined instrumentation of Jack Wilson’s energetic guitar riffs and drum solo and Benjó’s warped keyboard melody, the latter of which appears during the bridge.  

Side B opens with “It’s Not My Fault (In the Nightcore Eclipse Remix)” which …. you guessed it …. is a nightcore version of the original song. And while I’m not the biggest fan of nightcore (I’m more of a slowed / slowed-and-reverb type of guy), I must confess this version sounds GREAT! The simple tweaks to the instrumental’s pitch and Benjó’s vocals make this version sound livelier and – dare I say – more blissful! The original was already the most heartfelt track on “Be My Bloody Valentine” and here, this particular remix is the bright spot on this single.

And then we get to the final track “It’s Not My Fault (Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil Remix)” where, similar to the “Physical Culture” remix that closed off “Be My Bloody Valentine”, Flowers for Juno gives guest producer Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil free reign to turn their original song into a soundscape lifted straight out of a horror movie! Compared to the “Physical Culture” remix, this remix to “It’s Not My Fault” is surprisingly the more accessible of the two. The reverbed vocals, kept in the same pitch and speed they were on the original version, aren’t overpowered by the production’s less abrasive but still harsh combination of crushing bass and clanking industrial noises. Even Benjó’s pitch-shifted outro vocals remain intact which, to me, adds a bit of pitch-black humor to the entire track. I truly hope that this isn’t the last collaboration between Flowers for Juno and Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil as I believe he can add more nightmarish detail to the band’s weird and ominous musical world. 

Overall, I really enjoyed “Without Love”! I can see fans of “Be My Bloody Valentine” thoroughly enjoying this single and newbies into the style and sound of Flowers for Juno entertained and intrigued enough to check out that EP. With their singles and debut record, this band seems to be making a name for themselves in the goth rock and metal scene. Here’s hoping they keep that momentum going with their next release!

Flowers For Juno’s “Without Love” is now available on all popular streaming platforms

ALBUM REVIEW: C.W. Franz – Solo Again

Previously on “Solo”: “On a surface level, it is admittedly a collection of mostly-incomplete song ideas that, most likely, were fleshed out into complete, released songs. But as a rare, emotional look into C.W.’s creative process, “Solo” delivers!”

That, of course, was the conclusion to my 2022 review of C.W. Franz’s record “Solo”, whose “one-man show” approach to its material was subsequently replicated on his 2023 albums “The Cubensis Session” and “A C.W. Franz Christmas”. This month in particular has been a rather busy and creative one for C.W., with the releases of three generative music projects – the latter being the carefully considered yet immediate “Four Generative Quarter Tone Pieces” – and his provocatively political album “American Republic in Crisis”. Now he caps off the first half of March with the surprise sequel to “Solo”, aptly titled “Solo Again”.

Unlike its predecessor, which was basically a collection of loose demos that may or may not become fully fleshed-out songs later on in C.W.’s discography (more on that later), “Solo Again” has a clear, specific throughline. And despite the stream-of-consciousness approach to the songwriting and spur-of-the-moment approach to the instrumentation, there is a genuinely strong theme holding this album’s five tracks together.

The theme in question is human connection, specifically the bond between family, friends and lovers. The throughline, however, is how C.W. deals with both sudden and eventual disconnections from previous romantic partners and, to a lesser extent, friends and family. Replacing his Texaco Oil Can-o-Caster from “Solo” with a custom acoustic cigar box tenor guitar, C.W. ruminates on the failed relationships that continue to fuel his music while constantly reminding himself that everything, good and bad, will inevitably conclude.

The opening track “Nothing’s Promised” brilliantly sets up the album’s appropriately somber tone. There’s a slight intensity to C.W.’s strumming during the song’s slow yet soothing build-up. Around the 3:10 mark, C.W. officially kicks off the song itself, delivering his vocals in the soft, hushed register he clearly favors when working on his string-based musical compositions. The album’s theme is set up through a few harsh truths C.W. drops on the fleeting nature of life (“Go in for a check-up, and you go under / Start your retirement, and your heart gave out”). After a roughly minute-long period of moderate strumming, C.W. sets up the album’s throughline with the disheartening and incredibly relatable final verse (“Lovecan fall by the wayside too / Even if you’re careful, that sad sack might be you / At some point”).

The following track “Northern California Blues” features the most self-aware lyrical moment on the record. Around the 2:10 mark when the song begins, C.W. opens it with what is clearly a reference to his existing discography (“I sung similar blues over the years / Well now I’m gonna sing ‘em again”). Additionally, this song features the second instance of California (“Images of the Northern California sun got me down”) as the first line of “Nothing’s Promised” also mentions the “California sun”.

Perhaps California is where this relationship ended, and though we aren’t given any information on what happened, we are given ideas on how C.W. approached that relationship and dealt with the outcome. He genuinely wanted to be there for this person and not solely base their partnership on his needs being met. Between two passages of turbulent strumming, we get the final verse which suggests that C.W’s dissatisfaction in the outcome of the relationship resulted in him turning his back on some of his loved ones who probably saw the end coming before he did.

The inevitability of the end is explored in the next track “The Oregon Trail” whose title isn’t in relation to the actual Oregon Trail but the VIDEO GAME of the same name! Leave it to C.W. to put me on to a game I didn’t even know existed! Anyway, there’s an odd, unexpected sense of humor to the song’s opening lines (“Played the Oregon Trail the other day / Still remember the Apple II in third grade”). But then as the song progresses, you realize that he’s using the game as a metaphorical setup to describe yet another failed relationship.

Incorporating the strategy-based gameplay of “The Oregon Trail”, C.W. establishes a farm, buys and hunts for food and keeps a party of settlers safe from danger. And in one couplet near the tail end of the second verse, he gives a brief description of how that ‘level’ played out (“Didn’t go so well / Everyone in the party died”). But it’s the last line that’s the most intriguing and ambiguous. C.W. sings “But you weren’t among the names”, suggesting that either his ex in this scenario had already left him or wasn’t there amongst the party of settlers in the first place. In other words, he played by the rules and still lost the game.

We then get the most revealing and emotionally moving track on the album: “Elliot”. Right out of the gate – lyrically, that is – we get this brief, unequivocally romantic introduction to this particular story (“We met, two strangers / Through the ether / Tryin’ to right our ships”). From here, C.W. describes the empathy his ex had towards his ailing father even though his parents mistreated him in the past. Also, the “small hints as to his misery” he gives his father alludes to the first verse of “Nothing’s Promised”.

On the second verse, he sings about how the judgment of his friends and family (perhaps the ones he turned his back on in “Northern California Blues”) towards C.W.’s former partner added to the strain their relationship was already undergoing. When the relationship itself comes to an end on the next verse, C.W. ponders whether he was the root cause of its failure or if his parents told him to end it. And yet on the final verse, he wishes him all the best and moves on. There’s a nice bit of alliteration in that verse when he sings “Deciphering signs for the silent”. Despite the downer of a conclusion this song contains, its final three bars are admittedly sweet, heartwarming and optimistic (“Fill up your cup / Show love / Let it worry about the rest”). As a whole, it’s a true album highlight and one that I imagine will leave some listeners teary-eyed.

And speaking of the “collection of loose demos that may or may not become fully fleshed-out songs” I mentioned earlier with my brief take on “Solo”, “Solo Again” concludes with a demo that BECAME a fully fleshed-out song! “Red Dress”, which kicked off the album centerpiece “Red Dress / Bad Bill of Goods / Better Than / Red Dress Revisited”, is now re-interpreted from what I STILL assume is a commentary on socio-economic change to a heartbreaking look at post-breakup regrets. The vocal melody and establishing verse are different from what we heard on “Solo”, and we’re treated to an actual storyline centered on the lead character with the titular ‘red dress’.

What holds this version back, however, is the noticeable flaw in its recording. If you’re familiar with C.W.’s home recordings, you’ll easily realize that he recorded this album at the “Orange Diamond Studios”. But there are a few moments in this track where you can hear indiscernible voices outside, most likely from a TV. I really wish C.W. re-recorded this track when the area was quieter but I guess, like the one-man show “Solo” was, he was creatively ‘in the moment’ at the time of this recording.

Anyhoo, on “Red Dress”, we get a sense of the painful heartache he’s enduring, sparked by the revelation that his ex left him for her old boyfriend. He desires some sort of reconciliation but doesn’t think it’s worth the risk, as he states at the end of the second verse (“Wish I could’ve made the five-hour drive, but that would’ve been too much”). Interestingly, C.W sings on the fourth verse about how his ex, at the time they were together, was reasonable towards his inner demons and flaws. 

Now I could be wrong, but I assume this is a reference to his “C.W. Franz VII” record which was centered on trying to move forward into a new relationship from a dark past. The line “on a place filled with charlatans and liars” may very well be the “Devil Town” C.W. sang about in the Daniel Johnston cover that opened the album. The final couplet of that verse finds him picking himself back up, wishing his ex all the best and moving forward yet again (“I still appreciate what you did / And I hope you think of me once in a while”). The cycle of loneliness starts all over, bringing a sad conclusion to the album.

Ultimately, “Solo Again” is an effectively poignant follow-up to its predecessor with heartfelt lyrics, stirring instrumentation and thematic resonance. Though it isn’t designed to answer its underlying existential questions regarding the transience of life and human connection, the message one should take from this record is how these unforeseen disconnections can shape us into becoming better people. But to get to those realizations, we need to be by ourselves and with ourselves. And in the case of this “Solo” duology of records, it doesn’t hurt to have a musical instrument nearby.

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on Bandcamp

EP REVIEW: Flowers for Juno – Be My Bloody Valentine

For the first rock / metal review in the history of my Fiverr gig (FINALLY!!), I’ll be sharing my thoughts on “Be My Bloody Valentine”, the debut EP from Newcastle upon Tyne gothic rock / metal band Flowers for Juno. Released on…..you guessed it…..Valentine’s Day, this project is the brainchild of band members Benjó James (vocalist) and Jack Wilson (musician).

The EP’s cover and promotional artwork for its singles “Physical Culture” and “It’s Not My Fault” involve these old portrait photos of female models with a hot pink gradient applied to them. Like the decrepit building at the center of many gothic horror stories, these photos are reminders of the past, a simpler time when relationships weren’t as complex and complicated as they usually are now. And this distinct colour gradient represents Flowers for Juno’s warped, cynical and intriguingly fatalistic perspective on love that is the literal beating heart of this project.

On the subject of gothic horror and decrepit buildings, you can picture Flowers for Juno performing their three songs (yes, I know this is a six-track EP, but more on that in a bit) within the interior of an archaic – haunted, if you will – mansion or castle. There is a ‘performance’ element to this EP, as after the intro “Dead Air” which starts with 23 seconds of…. you guessed it….DEAD AIR and concludes with a Greenwich Time Signal, we’re treated to what sounds like an underground radio broadcast of a Valentine’s Day-themed performance from the band hosted by an unnamed MC.  

The band’s ‘set’ begins with the first single “Physical Culture” and I love how the song builds for a few seconds near the end of the MC’s introduction and EXPLODES with a barrage of thunderous guitars and tense synths! Utilizing some creepy vocal inflections and genuinely dark lyrics, Benjó James effectively sets the tone and themes of the EP. He states that our human desire for love and affection will inevitably lead to our demise, citing the current heartbreak he’s experiencing and inability to move on as a major example (“Broken trust fills endless graves / Deep buried by the pain”). The only solution he can come up with is to run away from that innate desire and live out the rest of his days in loneliness guised as emotional safety. And yet he seeks the meaning behind the breakup he’s pining over or at least a confirmation that some sort of reconciliation is possible, as emphasized on the song’s catchy hook.

The past and the present coalesce on the following song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” which, if you know your ballads, is exactly what you think it is. Over a moody instrumental driven by spacey, 80s retro synths, Benjó sings a brief cover of the timeless Elvis Presley song. The minor scale he uses for his vocal delivery and the slight distortion added to his voice add to the already-creepy vibe of the song. In a remarkably cynical way, this cover shows how the sentiment of that song back when it was recorded in 1961 – and to an extent, the EXCELLENT UB40 cover back in 1993 – is practically non-existent in this strange world Flowers for Juno inhabit. A part of me wishes the song could’ve continued on for a bit longer, incorporating the chorus and third verse, but I do admire how crystal clear its sardonic message is throughout its short runtime.

Segueing beautifully from “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is the second single “It’s Not My Fault”, whose soaring opening synth lead and cinematic-sounding combination of guitars and drums create this sense of hope beaming into the life of Benjó at this point on the record. On this track, the desire for love he condemned earlier is enveloping him in this warm light and though he fears the fleeting nature of this sensation, he wants to stay in that light – and in the care of this new romantic partner of his – a bit longer. The only complaint I have about this track is the filter added to Benjó’s vocals on the hook which make them sound a bit indiscernible over the rousing production. But as the EP’s most heartfelt and optimistic song, “It’s Not My Fault” ABSOLUTELY WORKS!

And just when you think everything’s going to be okay for our lovelorn anti-hero, we get the last two tracks “Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist, wrapped in blood!” and “Physical Culture (Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil Remix)”. After the MC closes off Flowers for Juno’s performance at the end of “It’s Not My Fault”, the penultimate track begins with this soothing, almost heavenly instrumental which blankets the same dead air sound effect from the EP’s intro. Here, the band makes a radical switch from gothic rock to experimental and ambient music, beginning with this track’s surreal production and continuing with a repeated couplet, delivered in a forward-reverse-forward manner that should sound familiar to those who remember the classic TV series “Twin Peaks” (if not, look up the “Red Room”). It’s certainly a weird change of pace on the record and one that I imagine will polarize some listeners. But thanks to its purposefully morbid title, I came out of this track with two interpretations. The first is Benjó finally letting go of the past and embracing his desire to be with his new partner. However, there’s a blink-and-you-miss-it sound effect near the end of the track that reveals a dark and DEEPLY unsettling layer hiding in plain sight! And while I won’t reveal what that sound effect is (you’ll just have to vibe out to this track until you hear it), I will say – and this is my second interpretation – that this newfound love, or the lack given or received, leads to Benjó’s downfall on the record.

And this leads to the closing track “Physical Culture (Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil Remix)” which not only hints at the FATE of Benjó’s character but returns to the EP’s thematic merging of past and present elements. Guest producer Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil delivers the polar opposite of the ethereal production of “Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist, wrapped in blood!”, with a bleak, sparse and incredibly unnerving soundscape. Through some masterful mixing, we hear the echoed vocals of “Physical Culture” faintly in the distance, constantly overpowered by the rumbling distortion of Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil’s instrumental. The ambiguity of this track is BRILLIANT as many interpretations can be pulled from it. Two came to my mind: Benjó is finally in the place where those who gave themselves completely into love, desire and lust ultimately find themselves (call it hell or purgatory) or his desire to be loved has now become a faint memory, a relic of the past, now immortalized in the recording of a Flowers for Juno performance played on an underground radio station every Valentine’s Day.

Despite the few flaws I mentioned, I really enjoyed this EP! In addition to being a highly entertaining showcase of the multi-talented Flowers for Juno, it presents themes and concepts that I imagine will be explored even further in their future discography. For one, I would love to see that radio show/station concept expanded upon as it was such a great foundation for this EP to build itself from. And even though Valentine’s Day 2024 has already ended, that doesn’t mean you can’t dive into this record when the need for dark, twisted musical examinations of love and heartbreak arises. In short, open your heart – literally and/or figuratively – to “Be My Bloody Valentine”.

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

Now available on all popular streaming platforms

TRACK & MUSIC VIDEO REVIEWS: Echo Strike – Rabbit Hole, Not Going to Follow, Hit or Miss, Infection & Running on Empty

For the first time on my blog, I’ll be reviewing a literal handful of promotional singles and their accompanying visuals for an upcoming studio album. The album in question is “Wonderland” from international pop rock / alt indie pop band Echo Strike, a follow-up to their breakup-themed record – and one of my favorite albums of 2022 – “Can’t Do Anything Right”. As you may have guessed, “Wonderland” is inspired by the beloved children’s novel “Alice in Wonderland” and like its predecessor, a concept album of sorts.

Based off the tones and sounds presented on these five singles, in addition to the final moments of my album breakdown of “Can’t Do Anything Right” with Echo Strike’s lead vocalist Randy Van Gelder from last year, I can report that “Wonderland” will be a substantially upbeat record. And though it will undoubtedly explore similar themes of love, heartbreak and moving forward from said heartbreak, the vibe will be mostly, if not entirely, dancefloor oriented thanks to the electro-pop sounds utilized by Echo Strike on this album.

Expanding on the “visual album” approach of “Can’t Do Anything Right” where a majority of tracks were given distinct visual treatments, these five music videos play out like narrative short films. Two of them are practically experimental films, which is funny since they’re both animated. For me, the incorporation of animation into the promotion of this album proves that Echo Strike’s music video for “Never Too Late” off the “Can’t Do Anything Right” record wasn’t a one-and-done attempt at using animation to articulate their lyrics and themes. And with the exception of one video, the Echo Strike band members appear in some shape or form in this anthology / visual EP of sorts.

I’ll kick things off with “Rabbit Hole”, the first of the two animated videos and the beginning of this journey into Echo Strike’s Wonderland. Like Alice’s descent into the rabbit hole led by the White Rabbit, this song involves the protagonist (portrayed as a lonely young man in the video) exiting his humdrum reality through a literal leap of faith. The song’s piano-driven electronica beat and expressive lyrics (“Come now, heart is pumping / Blinding lights, get jumpin’ / This place, got to know / Call it the Rabbit Hole”) help convey the sense of excitement and euphoria the protagonist feels along the way and upon arrival at this mysterious, extraordinary world.

Given the cyberpunk aesthetic of the music video, you can picture Randy on the track as this Morpheus-like character – who just so happens to do gigs at this nightclub which serves as the centerpiece of the video – beckoning the protagonist and the listener to take that life-altering plunge. On the subject of Randy, the AI technology used to craft this genuinely stunning video is so impressive, I assumed upon first viewing that the shots of Echo Strike performing were REAL! And speaking of “The Matrix”, I couldn’t help but be reminded of, yes, the nightclub scene from that film but also the premise of “Kid’s Story”, a standout segment from the “Animatrix” animated anthology film. Of all these videos, “Rabbit Hole” exhibits the perfect blend of sound, tone and visual in the sense that the video looks exactly the way the song sounds and feels like! Already, this is one of my favorite tracks off the record and I imagine it’ll be the same for many people who hear this song and watch its video.

In addition to one’s escape from reality, another theme established on “Wonderland” is resilience against the harshness of one’s environment. The live-action music video “Not Going to Follow” delivers a delightfully colorful take on rebelling against the external forces meant to destroy one’s individuality. In a dull, sepia-colored town, one of its citizens, played by a flamboyantly-dressed Randy, leaves his home and magically spreads color to the lives of his fellow townspeople. The end result is a joyous outdoor celebration that perfectly matches the song’s vibrant, sunny instrumental. The lyrics to this song are appropriately self-empowering as they encourage us to follow our own life paths and reject the man-made ones that go against our values and beliefs.

During my first listen and viewing, I admittedly felt a sense of thematic dissonance hearing these lyrics and seeing Randy’s Pied Piper-like character working his magic. But if you dig deeper into the video and song, you realize that Randy ISN’T a Pied Piper at all. Like Neo in “The Matrix”, Randy’s character broke out of his mental and emotional prisons and influences the townspeople to do the same. Of course, not everyone will understand, let alone take that leap, and that’s where you get a climactic moment in the video involving a bearded man resisting Randy’s magical charms via a hilarious dance-off. In short, the video is irresistibly fun but the lyrics, which I suspect will relate to a particular moment or song earlier in the tracklist, demand a little extra focus.

Sticking with live-action a bit longer, we have “Hit or Miss” which, from a production standpoint, is a continuation of Echo Strike’s occasional dabbles into decade-defined genres and sounds, like the disco throwback “1978” off their “Dirty Clean Sexy Mean” record. In this case, we’re treated to a gleefully retro synth pop anthem that, if it was recorded in the 1980s, would’ve fit nicely over an energetic film montage like the “Scarface” sequence set to Paul Engemann’s timeless “Push it to the Limit” for example (the sonic influence of which I couldn’t help but notice – as a huge “Scarface” fan – on this track).

Funny enough, the song and video actually owe a lot to classic, pop-driven combat sports films of the 80s, the three most notable being “The Karate Kid”, “Rocky III” and “Rocky IV” (Sorry, “Raging Bull” doesn’t count! I said POP-DRIVEN!). The video, filmed entirely in Argentina, begins with a prizefighter bribed to take a dive in his upcoming match by a gangster played by a Marsellus Wallace-channeling (sans the bald head) Randy Van Gelder. And like Bruce Willis’ character in “Pulp Fiction”, our hero ignores the bribe and focuses on the match and the pride his loved ones will feel if he wins it.

Lyrically, Randy (not the gangster) is facing an opponent of his own: the insecurity he feels over losing his recent love interest. Driven by the song’s warbly synths and throbbing percussion, he gets into training montage mode on the pre-hook (“I gotta run, run, run / Gotta catch the sun / So I light the fire, to take it higher”) and, adopting the courage and focus exhibited by many a boxer in the squared circle, makes a valiant effort to reclaim this girl’s love on the RIDICULOUSLY CATCHY chorus! The second verse adds an extra layer of depth to what could’ve been a simple ‘give love a try again’ song. Randy recalls his first bout with regret at the age of 5 and how, over the years, he learned to cope with regret through confidence and determination to do and be better. And thanks to the message of the aforementioned “Not Going to Follow”, the hook on “Hit or Miss” takes on a more self-affirmative meaning.

Which leads to the BEST live-action video in this package, “Infection”. If “Hit or Miss” involves a second chance at love, “Infection” deals with the enamored feeling that, depending on how you deal with heartbreak (more on that in a bit), may spur someone to try again – or try at all – at the game of love. Using a zombie-creating virus as the driving theme of the video and song is PURE GENIUS! As the title states, Randy’s INFECTED by this woman, and not only is he incapable of shaking her off his mind, but he’s changing into someone completely different. In zombie terms, swap the word “brain” with “heart” and you’ll know exactly what this song is getting at!

Randy wisely keeps the intent of this lovesick man open-ended, as we’re left to ponder whether his attraction towards this potential love interest is healthy or not. This is reflected in the subtly salacious tone of Randy’s songwriting and vocal delivery, particularly in the song’s bridge where he sounds rather……hungry for this woman. But despite the ‘undead’ imagery woven into the lyrics, the song’s main theme of infatuation is universally relatable, which in turn adds to the magnetic appeal this song has and will continue to garner. As I stated, “Infection” boasts the best live-action music video in this collection, and that’s due to the loving homage to the zombie genre it delivers from start to finish. From the IMPRESSIVE zombie makeup and simplistic, post-apocalyptic setting (think of the events leading up to “The Walking Dead” or “The Last of Us”) to the references to memorable zombie moments in film, like the iconic “Thriller” dance to the zombie/human love story presented in the 2010 zom-rom-com “Warm Bodies” (take note of the final shot before the end credit / blooper reel sequence).  And you can tell that everybody, zombie and human, had a BLAST on-set and it shows in this delightful, witty and entertaining-as-hell video!

And last but not least, we have my top favorite song and music video of the five: “Running on Empty”. This is where this brief journey into and across Wonderland veers into the dark territory of heartbreak. Over an airy, immersive, vaporwave beat, Randy sings from the perspective of a man who unapologetically turns his back on his ex after a frustrating roadblock in their relationship. The verses are delivered in this low register, consisting of brief phrases meant to sound like indifferent responses during a heated argument (“Tough shit, you’re mad / It’s rough, I ain’t sad”, “Now you need to know / What it’s like to sleep on the floor”). The key to truly understanding this song comes in the form of the melancholic vibe hovering over the hook. Yes, he sings “You, you’re running on empty / You gotta be lonely without me”, but you can tell that through all the nose-turning and chest-puffing he does on the verses, he’s actually concerned for his ex’s emotional stability. And despite the ‘toxic’ nature of the lyrics, the song itself isn’t about who’s right or wrong but how we feel, post-breakup, about the other person even if we were wronged in some way.

The animated visuals for “Running on Empty”, presented in a side-scroller video game style, are masterful in their simplicity and effectiveness. Throughout the video’s runtime, we follow a white, cardboard cutout-looking character wearing red shoes running through a series of brightly-colored landscapes. During the second verse where Randy mentions “sleeping on the floor”, the character runs into one of its kind lying on the ground, ignorant at how tired our lead is feeling at this point. After a transitional wipe, it continues running – all alone with no endpoint in sight. And while I won’t spoil what happens to it during the video’s final moments, it’s one of the most emotional and unforgettable conclusions you’ll see to a music video all year!

And to think this collection of songs and videos is but a taste of what’s in store with “Wonderland”. Sonically and visually, these five chapters of Echo Strike’s fantastical journey into electro-pop left me highly entertained and genuinely excited for their upcoming album. Like “Can’t Do Anything Right”, I won’t be surprised if we get more versatile visuals for some, if not the rest, of the other tracks. But for now, these delightful and enjoyable singles and videos should keep us satisfied until the final product drops!

“Rabbit Hole”, “Infection” and “Running on Empty” are now available on Spotify and YouTube. “Not Going to Follow” and “Hit or Miss” are scheduled for release on both platforms.  

ALBUM & EP REVIEWS: Shabriz – Vybz & Fall Into Vybz (EP)

For this review, I’ll be covering the 2021 album “Vybz” and 2023 EP “Fall Into Vybz” from Trinidad-born, Houston-raised rapper, singer and songwriter Shabriz. In distinguishing the genre these projects belong to, Shabriz himself stated that it’s “considered World Music, but I like to think of it as OutKast meets Vybz Kartel”. And with the more spins I gave these records, the more I understood and respected his creative, X-meets-Y high concept pitch.

Categorizing “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” as world music or afro-fusion (the latter of which the majority of beats presented on these records fall under) makes sense. But lyrically and vocally, it’s pretty difficult to fit these projects into those boxes. And that’s where we get to the undeniable talent Shabriz brings to the table. He’ll start a song off in one genre and then, at the drop of a dime, switch into another! The album and EP contain elements of hip hop, dancehall, reggae and R&B, all of which Shabriz adjusts to by selecting the right flow and cadence and performing them with American, Jamaican and Trinidadian accents. Of course, this isn’t entirely new in the world of urban music but very rarely have I heard an artist who can switch tones and flows so effortlessly on the same track (not in an overblown way, mind you), especially on beats where the vibe is so consistent, there’s no real need to do any vocal switch-ups.

But the idea behind these projects is not to overthink things like flows and accents. At 24 minutes and 5 minutes respectively, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” are meant to….well…..vibe to. The production consists of smooth, mid-tempo instrumentals designed to make your head nod and, for the most part, get your hips moving. And it’s this production that drives Shabriz to tap into the right vibes each song brings and enhance them vocally to the listener.

I’ll start with the longer project first, which boasts a strong opener and closer. The title track “Vybz” sets the tone of the record brilliantly, with a hazy, irresistibly laid-back instrumental and a truly impressive performance from Shabriz. Off his first verse alone, I get the sense that this song and album are meant to act as both an introduction and re-introduction to his music (Think of Ludacris’ “Back for the First Time” as an example, which was both his second studio album and major label debut). Adopting his American accent in the first half, he sounds rejuvenated as he raps about how his life experiences at that point shaped him into the artist we’re hearing on this track. There’s a great moment where the beat stops and resumes a few seconds later, giving Shabriz the opportunity to show off his lyrical dexterity through a Trini-accented dancehall flow. I will LOVE to see this song performed on-stage, and I can picture the audience losing their collective shits during that second verse! The response would be even greater if it were a Trinbagonian audience, as Shabriz spends the entirety of that verse repping his country of birth.

On the closing track “Intro (Flowers for Lukhanoo)”, Shabriz selects the mellowest beat out of the album’s bag of instrumentals and uses that to drop the most introspective bars I’ve heard in this two-project lineup. Sticking with a rap vocal style, he pays tribute to his Trinidadian friend Lukhanoo who held him down through his ups and downs, and continues to support him even though he doesn’t permanently reside in Trinidad. There’s a genuinely heartfelt moment where after the first verse, Shabriz recalls a phone call where Lukhanoo encouraged him to push his music and Caribbean roots forward. A part of me wishes that we had more introspective moments like this on “Vybz”. They would’ve fleshed out Shabriz’s character and personality on this record even more.

With the exception of the opening, penultimate and closing tracks, the vibe of the other five songs is primarily party-oriented. And the songs themselves are all designed to get bodies moving on dimly-lit dancefloors and brightly-lit strip club stages (more on that in a bit) – which is actually a good thing!

The quintet of party jams begins with “Steel Drum” which you might assume is all about Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument. But alas, no! For you conservatives reading this, it’s really about the title of rapper Foxy Brown’s debut album! Anyway, this song features a relaxed, afro-fusion beat driven by a spacey keyboard chord progression, a lyrical blend of hip hop and dancehall, a CATCHY-ASS hook and tons of braggadocio and sexuality oozing out of its lyrics! Shabriz sticks to his Trinbagonian roots on this track by centering it on the attraction he feels for a Trinidadian woman he spotted at a Carnival festivity.

Things get steamy on the following tracks “Bruk Out” and “Sugar Cane”, both of which are NOT based on the respective 1998 and 2010 dancehall riddims of the same name. The former is an undeniable mood-setter of a bedroom song, complete with a sensual, nocturnal instrumental, a deft lyrical mix of dancehall and R&B, and some of Shabriz’s most sexually-charged bars. “Fuck fi spite, don’t fuck fi war, fuck fi life” is one of those lines you’ll remember long after you’ve heard it on this track! On “Sugar Cane”, Shabriz moves the party out of the bedroom and back onto the dancefloor, where he proceeds to tell this girl he just hooked up with that she can get more of his “sweet sugar cane”. And if you know a thing or two about soca music and sugar (I mean, Patrice Roberts sung TWO songs about sugar in her career, one about a sugar boy and the other about a sugar cane!), then you should know exactly what he’s talking about. Though it would have benefited from a second verse instead of the one verse and two instances of chorus we get here, “Sugar Cane” is still a salaciously satisfying track!

Bringing some Southern flavor into the mix is the aptly-titled strip club anthem “Slide”. Over some R&B / hip hop production (the guitar solo in particular has this 90s-styled bedroom music vibe to it), Shabriz channels his inner T-Pain and expresses his love – oops, I meant to say sexual attraction – towards a certain stripper doing her thing right in front of him. The truly impressive thing about this track is how he plays with the listener’s expectations on this song, giving us rap on the first verse, R&B on the hook and out of the blue, dancehall on the second verse! You won’t associate the latter lyrical style with a beat like this and yet, somehow, it WORKS!

Shabriz changes the order of those three lyrical styles on the following, and dare I say, BEST track on the record: “Uno”. Here, we’re treated to this hypnotic, afro-fusion beat with a backing drum pattern that interestingly sounds very 90s dancehall-inspired. Shabriz drops his wittiest, eyebrow-raising double entendres, with standouts like “You have de coldest waist like Toronto / Leg and thigh, I want de 2-piece combo” and “Kinda wine turn meh sister into ah auntie / Fi de food, gyal, I willing to raid yuh pantry”. The hook, or should I say the execution of it after the first verse, is FANTASTIC as the line “You may be the one for me” is delivered in a slower fashion after the first instance. The third and final instance helps segue the song into a hi hat-driven beat that beautifully maintains the previous instrumental’s hazy and hypnotic tone. Of course, with a beat switch like this, Shabriz has no choice but to rap, and he uses his cocky bars and laid-back delivery to literally GLIDE his way to the end of the track! And speaking of ‘end’, is that a Sampha sample playing through the song’s final seconds? I would love to know!

Closing off the “Vybz” section of this review is the penultimate track “I Know”. The production on this track is the most textured on the album, with its downbeat R&B/hip hop grooves, shimmering keyboard chords, bluesy electric guitars and soulful organs. Shabriz capitalizes on this hip hop and R&B fusion with a brilliantly-sung hook and a first verse where he adds a little poetry to his sexual suggestiveness (“And I know your shrubbery’s sweeter than bowls of potpourri / I’m a Hardy boy, but baby, this ain’t no mystery / Had to save me from witches trying to kill the Cedric Digg (dick)-ory”). On the second verse, however, he starts off with dancehall for a bit (four lines to be exact), then reverts to rap. Thematically, while this song follows the same throughline as the previous four songs where Shabriz sees a girl and is determined to win her heart, I’d make the argument that it relates the most to the opening track, where it seems as if he had to ‘find himself’ first before making this life-changing commitment to stay with his current love interest. The song’s closing line “I bet you wonder where I’ve been” alludes to that as well.

The “Fall into Vybz” EP serves as a continuation of the “Vybz” album with only two tracks to keep the…well….vibes going. The first in this duo is “Anything” which features a seductive, head-nodding beat and a lyrical structure similar to the aforementioned track “Vybz” where Shabriz starts with rap and ends with dancehall. This song also shares tonal resemblances with “I Know” as it involves Shabriz assuring his partner that he’ll always be there for her, and includes a mix of poetry and sexual innuendo on the first verse and direct, unapologetic requests for intimacy on the second verse.

By comparison, “Pum Pum” is a fun, raunchy dancehall song clearly inspired by the many dancehall songs of the 90s and 2000s that got away with revealing their ‘findings’ on that particular topic over the airwaves. Over a groovy afro-fusion instrumental laced with harp-like strings, Shabriz spits a series of raw, sex-fueled dancehall bars sprinkled with witty one-liners (“Now yuh slide down de vine like Tarzan did to Jane”), the second verse of which is cut short by a brief rap segment set to some dramatic piano keys in the background.  

As a showcase of Shabriz’s songwriting and genre-specific vocal skills, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” delivers the goods and more! His ear for mood-inducing beats and lyrical ability to make the absolute use of those beats are on full-display on both projects. And overall, they left me excited for the next “Vybz” session Shabriz will hopefully bless our ears with the near-future. But in the meantime, if you like your urban music with the genre-fusing bravery of a group like OutKast and the lyrical brashness and bravura of an artist like Vybz Karel, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” are definitely worth checking out!

‘VYBZ’ RATING: 8 out of 10

‘FALL INTO VYBZ’ RATING: 6 out of 10

“Vybz” is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.

“Fall into Vybz” is now available on Spotify.