Local Spins’ July roundup of recent releases covers a broad range of Michigan artists, from prog-pop to jazz to jamgrass to rock ‘n’ roll. Read the reviews, listen to the music.
Lush Prog-Pop: Jake Allen’s new solo album is a masterful, captivating collection. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Jake Allen
“Deviant Motions”
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Entering the mesmerizing musical universe of northern Michigan’s Jake Allen is like stepping into a lush, all-enveloping prog-pop garden – instrumentally complex yet breathtakingly fetching tracks that show off not only Allen’s jaw-dropping musicianship but whispery sweet and powerful vocals that recall the dynamics of Peter Gabriel. The multi-instrumentalist has spent plenty of time as a hired gun, touring extensively with Traverse City alt-folk heroes The Accidentals and as a drummer for The Cookies. He returns masterfully to his solo endeavors with his third album, “Deviant Motions,” a layered and complex collection of songs and his first release since 2011’s “Etherica.” It’s a winsome, winding affair filled with hope, despair, joy and pain. While the track “Bridges” comes off as a heavy-hitting foray into unique time signatures and intricate instrumentation, the captivating single “If You Fall Apart” cushions listeners with rhythmic strings, distant percussion and a keen sense for melody. Other highlights include “Troubadourial,” a bass-centic tune that grooves steadily, building in layers, as well as “Dust and Spiderwebs,” a mysterious track with eerie elements of pizzicato strings, acoustic guitar, percussion and cello. “Still” closes out the album, employing electronic drums and a myriad of other dreamy effects and synths, all highlighting Allen’s hypnotizing vocal performance. Allen’s commanding, ethereal music transports listeners to emotion-transforming, image-laden places. With “Deviant Motions,” Allen has created an intriguing body of work, and takes a bold step toward solidifying his place as an emerging solo act as worthy of attention as any Michigan-bred artist. – John Sinkevics and Ricky Olmos
Website: http://www.jakeallenmusic.com/
Upcoming Shows: Friday (July 13) for Petoskey Rocks series in Petoskey, Mich.; Saturday (July 14) with Jake Allen Band at Def Leppard/Journey/The Pretenders pre-show at Wrigley Field in Chicago; July 27 at Rollin’ on the River in Allegan (with an 11 a.m. appearance for Local Spins on WYCE 88.1 FM)
Listen: “If You Fall Apart” (Video Below)
Coffin Problem
“So Good Nothing”
Wealthy people in pre-20th Century America could purchase what were known as safety coffins. These would contain an emergency mechanism that allowed the presumed deceased to escape their graves in the event of, um, premature burial, which was startlingly common during cholera epidemics. Die poor and you could wake up underground with a serious coffin problem. This historical arcana is not specifically related to Coffin Problem, a quartet of accomplished Grand Rapids rock long-timers who play some of the weightiest, gloomiest, prettiest, shoegaziest heavy music the city has ever produced. But key moments on Coffin Problem’s second full-length beast, “So Good Nothing,” evoke the feeling of a first lung-filling gasp for a person emerging into light after a harrowing passage through old and subterranean places, and the album is brilliantly sequenced to maximize the impact of its contrasts. The one-two opening of “Prelude” and “Piece of Mind” find singer/guitarist/bandleader/songwriter Sean Stearns and guitarist Trevor Goldner patiently summoning dense, purposeful squalls while bassist Billy Bartholomew and drummer Ben Weissenborn enter like sledgehammers to the sternum. The mournful, slow-building “Old Souls” begins a captivating midsection that pairs Stearns’ vocals, always somewhat disorientingly low in the mix, with those of Hollywood Makeout’s Erin Lenau, who returns on the title track to duet with Stearns over major-key piano chords drenched in cavernous reverb while guitars haunt the song’s windswept periphery. The explosive album-closing run of “Justification,” “Dying Age” and “Abysmal End” offers a masterful display of tension-release dynamics. Recorded at Matt Ten Clay’s Amber Lit Audio studio and issued through dizzybird records, “So Good Nothing” is immersive, uncompromising, a work whose depths will take many more listens to excavate. You can still buy an emergency coffin today, but I think I’d prefer to be buried with a copy of this album. – Troy Reimink
Website: https://www.facebook.com/coffinproblem/
Listen: “Justification”
Eric Fulton
“Body in the Park”
Eric Fulton describes “’90s Kids”– the opening track to his “Body in the Park” EP – as an “anti-anthem.” That’s the right way to describe the raucous and quirky tune, but it’s an anthem nonetheless, and sets the table well for the songs that follow. Fulton wears his heart on his sleeve on “Body in the Park,” which is jam-packed with musings of nostalgia and love. Fulton writes and plays every note on the EP, which impressively jumps back and forth between fuzz-driven punk and acoustic folk. These sounds blend most seamlessly on the heavy and honeyed tune, “Cosmic Flow,” a blissful love song fueled by pounding drums and tempered with melodic guitar work. If you’re feeling contemplative on a cool summer evening, let “Body in the Park” be the soundtrack to your introspection. – Devin Anderson
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ericfultonmusic/
Upcoming Show: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (July 12) at Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford
Listen: “’90s Kids”
Suzies
“Forget Me Not”
How many years must the psych-rock renaissance last before it stops being a revival and merely becomes the ordinary state of affairs? Fortunately, it doesn’t matter. The newest Suzies album, “Forget Me Not,” is psych-rock with muscle and heart. The quintet includes former members of much-heralded Grand Rapids bands such as Haunted Leather, Heaters, Black Fruit and the Omecs and, as such, could really only have recorded at Tommy Schichtel’s all-analog Goon Lagoon Studio. The giveaways include the generous deployment of vocal-track tape delay, guitar fireworks that ascend to righteous levels of noise and a sound that is both pristine and warmly lived-in. Opener “Little Debbies” stomps Jurassically as laser-sharp guitar licks fight their way to the surface. (Scroll down for the video.) Centerpiece track “Lazy Susan” builds to a Crazy Horse-caliber display of six-string acrobatics. “No Peaksies” peaks with a weirdly affecting passage of laconic multi-tracked vocals. The anthemic closing track “Goodluck” unapologetically embraces the sincere melodic prowess teased so often throughout “Forget Me Not,” released earlier this year on dizzybird records. The Suzies are fluently rooted in the traditions of their subgenre, but unafraid to sail off the map. They capably carry the psych-rock torch, but its flames yield unexpected colors. – Troy Reimink
Website: https://www.facebook.com/suziestheband/
Upcoming Show: July 28 at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids (with Gorgeous Oranges, Lazy Genius, The Zannies)
Listen: “Lazy Susan”
Lazy Genius
“New Moon”
“Lazy” would be simply the wrong way to describe the music and trajectory of Lazy Genius. Since the release of 2017’s Jammies-nominated “Holographic,” these psychedelic rockers have amassed a healthy fanbase while gigging regularly in Grand Rapids (including a recent performance at Frederik Meijer Gardens opening for The B-52s), and the band has matured further yet with its dream-like sophomore release, “New Moon.” The six-track EP beams with trippy soundscapes and memorable melodies which might do proud the likes of Tame Impala or The Flaming Lips. Hear the droning groove to “No Worries” and the ethereal synth work on “Toothy/Monolith.” These densely layered tunes reveal more with each listen. And this effortlessly achieved washed-out, psychedelic esthetic ultimately serves the songs, which are well-crafted and rich with ideas about belief, happiness and love. “New Moon” is a solid step forward for Lazy Genius, which, at this moment, would seem anything but lazy. – Devin Anderson
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Reallazygenius/
Upcoming Show: July 28 at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids (with Gorgeous Oranges, Suzies, The Zannies)
Listen: “No Worries”
Wire in the Wood
“Live Wire Volume One”
Some bands wait years to put out a live album. Wire in the Wood isn’t one of those bands. As more established jamgrass outfits are busy releasing the vast majority of their live shows, the Ann Arbor three-piece knows there is nothing quite like a live show to truly capture the essence of what a band is all about, especially in the genre they have been busy picking away in. From the opening notes of the album-opening “Across the Broken Dam,” the self-described “prog-bluegrass locomotive” takes listeners right on down the tracks with nothing but good times ahead. The nine-song, 40-minute set (recorded Dec. 15 at Otus Supply in Ferndale and released in late April) features a fiery cover of David Grisman’s instrumental “E.M.D.” a swinging take on Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” and a mix of originals, three that appeared on the band’s debut 2017 LP “All Fall Apart” and four others that were previously unrecorded. Mastered at Willis Sound in Ann Arbor, Live Wire showcases the tight instrumentation and togetherness that fiddle player Jordan Adema, bassist Ryan Shea and guitarist Billy Kirst have found with one another over the past few years. The up-tempo “Hold” and bass-driven “Anomalous Magnetic Moment” are sure highlights and the bluesy “Money, Liquor, Women and Crime” is Kirst’s voice at its finest, showing a moody range that captures exactly what the band was after in that particular tune. The sound of this band is fuller than one would expect from a trio and notes aren’t wasted either. If you like bluegrass and this captured set is any indication, this an act worth checking out next time they roll through your town. – Ryan Boldrey
Website: http://wireinthewood.com/
Upcoming Show: Aug. 25 at Holler Fest in Jackson County
Listen: “Ash and Ember”
The Dangling Participles
“Present”
The Dangling Participles’ “Present” evokes sonic images of crowded back-alley speakeasies, smokey blues bars and exotic, faraway lands. “Quarter Till June” offers a toe-tapping, finger-snapping opener with the help of some upright bass, old-timey harmonies, and lounge-singer lead vocals. It’s an ear-catching listen, prompting the listener to continue further into the album. Drifting into tropical waters, “Renting You Space” turns a gentle ukulele strum into a breezy island jam, akin to the likes of Jason Mraz, whereas “Isabel” is an immediately freeing, exotic number. “Matisse,” meanwhile, takes a tender approach with lush vocal harmonies. Delicate lyrics serenade while mellow trumpet melodies dance around the track. “Breaking News Blues” gets super soulful with a handful of tasteful acoustic guitar licks, light percussion and a deft rhythmic awareness. Closing the album is a feel-good tune in “Slow Boogie,” a light-hearted acoustic jam anchored by upright bass and bright horns. At its heart, “Present” is a well-intentioned, genre-spanning body of work, with an inclination toward acoustic-inspired songs. – Ricky Olmos
Website: http://thedanglingparticiples.com/
Upcoming Shows: July 16 at MSU’s Abrams Planetarium in East Lansing as part of the Rest with Music series; July 10 at The Gypsy Nickel in Big Rapids; July 21 at Cranker’s Brewery in Big Rapids; July 27 at Poison Frog Brewery in Jakcson.
Listen: “Quarter Till June”
Minor Element
“Stranger Things Have Happened”
Pursuing a master’s degree at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo introduced me to a scene filled with eager musicians looking to play, collaborate and test their creative skills as musicians while connecting with audiences. With DIY spaces, Overneath Creative Collective and a strong music program at WMU, I came to know many artists I wouldn’t have heard about otherwise. One group that blew me away was Minor Element, an 11-piece jazz fusion group that instantly made an impression. Founded by keyboardist Brandon Fitzpatrick and guitarist Braulio Green, the band’s sound is similar to popular fusion acts as Funky Knuckles or Snarky Puppy, but with a distinctive sound compared with other emerging West Michigan bands. On their debut EP, recorded at Detroit’s Tempermill Studio, Minor Element showcases its sonic tool set on every track. On opening track, “Chicago Nights,” a hypnotic guitar pattern is layered against a buttery smooth keyboard harmonies, creating a mood that begs for this song to be listened while on a midnight drive through a city. Horns and synthesizer tones pierce through the texture as the drums start grooving, leaving a solid foundation for guitars and keys to solo. “The Wheel that Breaks the Butterfly” picks up speed while combining horns with synth lines to create “the wheel,” before moving into a more triumphant sound toward the end of the tune. “Soundscapes” in particular shows off the wide range of sounds the band can produce while featuring Green and Quinn Blakeney as soloists. “Sly Steve” gets right into the funk, building some tasty licks with the horn section as the rhythm section locks in tight. The track features solos from Brandon Fitzpatrick, guest tenor sax player Caleb Elzinga (Benjaman James, Blushing Monk), and Braulio Green. This send-off from the band is the perfect ending to a well-crafted EP. – Dutcher Snedeker
Website: https://www.facebook.com/minorelement/
Upcoming Shows: 7 p.m. Saturday at Flint Alley Fest in Flint; July 27 at Louie’s Trophy House in Kalamazoo (with Skyking and Chirp); July 28 at LeilaPalooza at Leila Arboretum in Battle Creek
Listen: “Sly Steve”
VIDEO: Jake Allen, “If You Fall Apart”
VIDEO: Suzies, “Little Debbies”
Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC
