Friday, March 22, 2024

“In My Kingdom” by The Bogmen – A Song Feature

     "In My Kingdom" offers a rare fusion of sophistication and unfettered entertainment. It possesses the ability to grab the attention of listeners, urging them to prioritize checking out The Bogmen's tour schedule immediately; the song encapsulates everything that makes a favorite among gig-goers. It's intelligent yet uncomplicated, and is substantial yet exuberant and full of life. It's akin to a 1960s muscle car that can kick into another gear (or two) even after seemingly reaching its peak performance. Those extra gears are engaged after the three-minute mark of “In My Kingdom.”
 
     The Bogmen begin the song with a recipe for Utopia. Initially, the thought might be that it’s similar to John Lennon’s “Imagine.” But “In My Kingdom” doesn’t imagine that there’s no religion. To the contrary, the intro lists personalities from various faiths whose advice would be valued, although not necessarily for their views on theology. Moreover, there is a King; however, “In my kingdom, everyone would be King for a day.” Still, this potential Utopia has no law, since there isn’t a need.
 
     The band was originally formed in 1990 by lead singer Billy Campion and bothers Billy and Brendan Ryan. By 1992, bassist Mark Wike, percussionist P.J. O’Connor, and drummer Clive Tucker were added. The Bogmen disbanded in 1998. But they are now working toward an album release in May. “In My Kingdom” is the title track. The album can be pre-ordered at via Bandcamp https://thebogmen1.bandcamp.com/album/in-my-kingdom. The Bandcamp site explains:
   This is the first ever vinyl release by The Bogmen! Written in the heart of the pandemic as a way of coping with the loss of a good friend as well as being inspired by the unusual circumstances of the world being shut down - In My Kingdom, has everything fans of The Bogmen love about them, it is melody driven, poetic and seamlessly goes from sounding old-timey and rootsy to orchestrated and electronic, Americana with an ethnic flare, lyrical themes of grief, love, rebirth and transcendence through imagination, populated by old friends, animals and colorful mythological characters yet intensely personal so people can relate to it.”
 
     Bandcamp also lists credits. Clive Tucker and Mark Wike contribute to songs on the album, but the primary contributors are:
  Billy Campion: lead vocals, guitar, baritone ukulele
  Brendan Ryan: keyboards, accordion, trumpet
  Billy Ryan: guitars, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
  P.J. O’Connor: percussion, backing vocals
  Paul Frazier: bass, backing vocals
  Mathias Bossi: drums, omnichord, marxophone     
 
     The official video for the title track is almost as entertaining as the song itself. Interesting information about the video includes:
   “The animated music video ‘In My Kingdom’ was created by Jack Powell (Opus Thimble, Hot Mustard). Musically, the song is classically Bogmen-ian, but could be considered a bold proclamation in today’s fractured times - a message of inclusion that reminds us of our universal desire for openness and kindness, one that illuminates a path forward. A path to the sacred, precious and always hard-earned love, compassion and understanding that has characterized The Bogmen’s music for more than 30 years.”
   “Jack Powell created a hypnagogic video by extracting album artist Gregory Stovetop’s artwork and turning it into animation. Campion and I discussed various religious iconographic images, natural and spiritual concepts with Gregory, as well as, like the Star Wars Bar, were all a little freaky and different. He nailed it with the album art and Jack took his work, ran with it to create this amazing phantasmic video.”- Billy Ryan


Wednesday, March 20, 2024

“Close Enough” by Stress Dolls – A Song Feature

 

      “Close Enough” embraces dualities, notably in the vocals and the lyrics. The lead vocals convey an emotional vulnerability with a passionate fearlessness in a vocal register that invites listeners to join. In comparison, the song from Stress Dolls is sprinkled with an almost angelic declaration of “I can’t keep running” in a challenging-to-join, high-register voice, where vulnerability resides in the voice, rather than the words. It’s an impressive combination from Chelsea O'Donnell.
 
     When initially focusing on the lyrics (included in this post), “Close Enough” comes across as a confession of the devotion to a romantic interest. There is a warmth in relating to the desirability of the romantic attachment, assuming it’s a mutual attraction. Then, reading the Stress Dolls’ explanation of the lyrics increases the relatability, but destroys the warmth. Celsea O'Donnell says that the song was primarily motivated by the isolation most of us experiencd during the “Covid lockdown:”
   I wrote ‘Close Enough’ in the midst of the pandemic, a period where I didn’t see some of the people who mattered most to me for weeks at a time. On a subconscious level I think that inspired the lyrics in the chorus about being “close enough” to someone, but the other half was me thinking about the process of falling in love, and how you can be so wrapped up in another person that, no matter how physically and emotionally close you are to them (“even if you were a part of me/ even if you were alive in me”), it doesn’t feel like enough to express how you feel.”
 
     The credits for “Close Enough identify O’Donnell as the providing guitar and the vocals. Other contributors are Sean Dougherty (additional guitars), Jim Wirt (bass), and Jacob Kirkwood (drums and synth). The song was produced by Jim Wirt, whose past credits include Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Fiona Apple, and Incubus. It's the fourth single from my upcoming album “Queen of No.” The album is coming out on Sun Pedal Recordings in May 2024.
 
     Stress Dolls is the moniker of Chelsea O'Donnell, a songwriter from Buffalo, New York. The band takes on several forms, including solo O’Donnell and a performance-ready “full” band.
 
     “Close Enough” by Stress Dolls

Lyrics of “Close Enough” by Stress Dolls
I can’t keep running
I can’t keep running
So we walk, we walk, we’re straddling the line
Between our thoughts and biding too much time
 
I can’t keep running
I can’t keep running
 
Stand down demons, we’re breaking even
I’ll give you my word if you hand me the knife
Twisting shoulders, we’re all getting older
 
So we walk, we walk, we’re straddling the line
Between our thoughts and biding too much time
And even if you were a part of me it would never be
Never be close enough
 
So we walk, we walk, we’re straddling the line
Between our thoughts and biding too much time
And even if you were alive in me it would never be
Never be close enough
 
Waiting softly, for someone to save me
It feels so wrong now but once I felt it was right
It only takes a second for us all to figure out
That no one’s coming and that’s what it’s all about
 
So we walk, we walk, we’re straddling the line
Between our thoughts and biding too much time
And even if you were a part of me it would never be
Never be close enough
 
So we walk, we walk, we’re straddling the line
Between our thoughts and biding too much time
And even if you were alive in me it would never be
Never be close enough
 
I can’t keep running
No I, I can’t keep, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…
 
And even if you were alive in me it would never be
Never be close enough

Monday, March 18, 2024

“All She Was” by Midwave Breaks – A Song Feature

 

     Reviews of “All She Was" have been posted, and there are comparisons to the storytelling style of classic Bruce Springsteen and modern-day Sam Fender. And we agree; there is an uncommon intelligence in the lyrical description (the lyrics are included in this post). But from the vocal and instrumental perspectives, our comparisons are to Kings of Leon and the guitarist of U2 (“The Edge”). The vocal comparison is most apparent at the start of the song from Midwave Breaks. On the other hand, the chiming timbres through echoing notes, which are perhaps most aligned with The Edge, shine through during the final 30 seconds of “All She Was.”   
 
     Midwave Breaks are a New Zealand duo generating an expansive sound. They are based in Tauranga and comprise multi-instrumentalist Bruce Conlon and drummer Paul Russell. In April 2024, Midwave Breaks will tour with Incubus. For tour information, visit https://www.facebook.com/midwavebreaks/events.

      The band explains “All She Was” as “essentially a love song from lead singer Bruce to his wife and daughter,” with a ‘positive energy, hooky chorus, and a rousing instrumental outro.” The song is one of three tracks on the recently released album “Standing Inside Out.” While the tracks may have been recorded in a farmhouse in rural New Zealand, some were mixed in the U.S by Grammy Award winning engineer Mark Needham, most notable for his work with The Killers (Mr. Brightside) and Imagine Dragons. 




Lyrics of “All She Was” by Midwave Breaks
Could you come a little closer
The streetlights here are the same
They're winding like a river moon
Coming over the horizon
 
The cascading line of people's lives weaving through
The stories told, are the difference
The difference between me and you
We're in this ember light again
 
Into your arms again
We are the storm
Could you turn it down just a little?
Just give me one more day
Cos I'm falling asleep again
 
You are the vespertine, the sophrosyne
And I could catch you in the tallest tower
Just to see you again
 
And all she was, was the best thing I ever knew
Like a tidal wave of the sun
And she never was, anything but the best to you
This ember light
We can make it home just me and you
You and me
 
Coming over the horizon
With the memories slipping back
The journey we made, making up a pattern
Sinking in like Tupac
And I won't even take it back
 
And the way home is pulling me, pulling me back
And I don't even know where I am
But I can feel, I can feel, the pull of the sun and the moon
With the gravity, gravity at my back
 
And all she was, was the best thing I ever knew
Like a tidal wave of the sun
And she never was, anything but the best to you
This ember light
We can make it home just me and you
You and me
 
We can make it home just me and you
You and me
[Repeating]
 
We can make it home just me and you