FRIDAY JAN 26, 2018
529 Presents:
529 & Irrelevant Music Present:
Michael Myerz
Shepherds (LP Release Show!)
Delorean Gray | Palm Sunday
Michael Myerz
Shepherds (LP Release Show!)
The healing hand and surgeon’s scalpel are intertwined on Shepherds’ new album Insignificant Whip. The art-rock masterpiece encases the band’s vulnerable wisdom in flighty melodies that burn with intimacy and fragility as singer/lyricists Jonathan Merenivitch and Adrian Benedykt Świtoń address everything from toxic masculinity and Catholic guilt to Youtube comments and Tupac Shakur. Since their 2011 EP Holy Stain, the band have received accolades for their taut analyses of social ills and the resulting strain on body and mind, but even the skeletal no-wave that defined their early sound was bound with, in the broadest sense of the word, soul. The band’s ability to confront their deepest insecurities and doubts is more than simple catharsis, it serves to illuminate deeper questions of existence and identity, and frame them in context of systemic oppression, discrimination, and isolation.
The minimalism which guided Shepherds’ earlier work has evolved into lush, expansive compositions thanks to founding bassist Peter Cauthorn, who helped flesh out the LP’s identity as a core contributor to the album’s instrumental textures. Vocalist and drummer Świtoń also took on a central role in the recording process, contributing his voice and songwriting talents to the the album’s pensive hue, while new additions Ryan York (drums), May Tabol (guitar, keyboards), and Vinny Restivo (bass) round out the live band. Moments on Insignificant Whip recall everything from Felt to Josef K, but Shepherds have a keen ability to write post-punk which is modern and prescient rather than a simple homage to a particular era of underground music. The martial rhythms still echo with the proletariat fever of their 2015 LP Exit Youth, but now the lyrics are delivered over thrilling saxophone melodies and deliberative chords, making them all the more haunting, thanks to production from Drew Vandenburg (Toro Y Moi, Mothers, Of Montreal).
Throughout Insignificant Whip, the introspective nature of Shepherds is amplified by a holistic understanding of what it means to be human. The anxieties of adulthood, the teenage desires deferred, and the crushing weight of evil in the world are forged into vulnerable psalms. It’s precisely in these tear-stained moments that the album surpasses the encroaching anxiety as Shepherds invite the listener into a community which tempers the surrounding darkness and pushes back against oppression with resolute empathy.
The healing hand and surgeon’s scalpel are intertwined on Shepherds’ new album Insignificant Whip. The art-rock masterpiece encases the band’s vulnerable wisdom in flighty melodies that burn with intimacy and fragility as singer/lyricists Jonathan Merenivitch and Adrian Benedykt Świtoń address everything from toxic masculinity and Catholic guilt to Youtube comments and Tupac Shakur. Since their 2011 EP Holy Stain, the band have received accolades for their taut analyses of social ills and the resulting strain on body and mind, but even the skeletal no-wave that defined their early sound was bound with, in the broadest sense of the word, soul. The band’s ability to confront their deepest insecurities and doubts is more than simple catharsis, it serves to illuminate deeper questions of existence and identity, and frame them in context of systemic oppression, discrimination, and isolation.
The minimalism which guided Shepherds’ earlier work has evolved into lush, expansive compositions thanks to founding bassist Peter Cauthorn, who helped flesh out the LP’s identity as a core contributor to the album’s instrumental textures. Vocalist and drummer Świtoń also took on a central role in the recording process, contributing his voice and songwriting talents to the the album’s pensive hue, while new additions Ryan York (drums), May Tabol (guitar, keyboards), and Vinny Restivo (bass) round out the live band. Moments on Insignificant Whip recall everything from Felt to Josef K, but Shepherds have a keen ability to write post-punk which is modern and prescient rather than a simple homage to a particular era of underground music. The martial rhythms still echo with the proletariat fever of their 2015 LP Exit Youth, but now the lyrics are delivered over thrilling saxophone melodies and deliberative chords, making them all the more haunting, thanks to production from Drew Vandenburg (Toro Y Moi, Mothers, Of Montreal).
Throughout Insignificant Whip, the introspective nature of Shepherds is amplified by a holistic understanding of what it means to be human. The anxieties of adulthood, the teenage desires deferred, and the crushing weight of evil in the world are forged into vulnerable psalms. It’s precisely in these tear-stained moments that the album surpasses the encroaching anxiety as Shepherds invite the listener into a community which tempers the surrounding darkness and pushes back against oppression with resolute empathy.
Delorean Gray
Escapism has always formed the connective tissue between songwriter Jacob Chisenhall’s music. His last release under the Delorean Gray moniker, Star Tropics, dealt in dreamy sonic reveries, chronicling his protagonist’s interstellar journey to combat the nefarious Aristonauts. Similarly, the bulk of his previous band Fake Flowers’ output — including an unreleased full-length — carved out surreal soundscapes where deep-seeded sorrows and anxieties could go to hide. On his latest album as Delorean Gray, though, the longtime Atlantan sets a course straight for the heart of the struggle, confronting his troubles head-on and shedding the skin of a once apprehensive songwriter. On Otaku Punk, his third release as Delorean Gray, Chisenhall lays bare a tumultuous fallout in his most direct and mature work to date, all wrapped up in the sci-fi sheen of his protagonist’s own adventure.
Otaku Punk was crafted as a contrast piece to Star Tropics, both musically and narratively. The storyline tells of a winter spent in near isolation, mirroring Chisenhall’s own bout with depression, during which he finally came to terms with the dissolution of Fake Flowers. As Delorean and his crew head towards the Aristonaut’s hideout, they enter hibernation chambers to pass the time. Locked into a reality simulation called The Frontier, the team bask in a neon-teamed city devoid of laws and consequence — until the Aristonauts get wise to their plan and hack into their defenseless minds, that is. Now stranded in a hostile virtual wasteland, Delorean must find his crew and escape back to the waking world.
In a landscape full of immaculately crafted digital sounds, Otaku Punk takes a more deconstructive approach, utilizing old-school music gear like Synth Saxophones and digi-drums to create new sounds by recycling older instruments and samples. In comparison to the last album’s lush, low-key gauze, Otaku Punk features more up-tempo tunes filled with glittery synths, channeling influence from new wave, R&B, and even metal. Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure were all sources of inspiration.
On top of Chisenhall’s own new approaches to songwriting, frequent collaborator Freeman Leverett and recent Delorean Gray addition Jason Bronson are now fixtures in the live band, and as such, their influence on the album is unmistakable, lending Otaku Punk a more expansive and collaborative feel. The album also features guest appearances by Jake Aron of Moloq, Meredith Law of Palm Sunday, and Noah Kittinger of Bedroom.
Escapism has always formed the connective tissue between songwriter Jacob Chisenhall’s music. His last release under the Delorean Gray moniker, Star Tropics, dealt in dreamy sonic reveries, chronicling his protagonist’s interstellar journey to combat the nefarious Aristonauts. Similarly, the bulk of his previous band Fake Flowers’ output — including an unreleased full-length — carved out surreal soundscapes where deep-seeded sorrows and anxieties could go to hide. On his latest album as Delorean Gray, though, the longtime Atlantan sets a course straight for the heart of the struggle, confronting his troubles head-on and shedding the skin of a once apprehensive songwriter. On Otaku Punk, his third release as Delorean Gray, Chisenhall lays bare a tumultuous fallout in his most direct and mature work to date, all wrapped up in the sci-fi sheen of his protagonist’s own adventure.
Otaku Punk was crafted as a contrast piece to Star Tropics, both musically and narratively. The storyline tells of a winter spent in near isolation, mirroring Chisenhall’s own bout with depression, during which he finally came to terms with the dissolution of Fake Flowers. As Delorean and his crew head towards the Aristonaut’s hideout, they enter hibernation chambers to pass the time. Locked into a reality simulation called The Frontier, the team bask in a neon-teamed city devoid of laws and consequence — until the Aristonauts get wise to their plan and hack into their defenseless minds, that is. Now stranded in a hostile virtual wasteland, Delorean must find his crew and escape back to the waking world.
In a landscape full of immaculately crafted digital sounds, Otaku Punk takes a more deconstructive approach, utilizing old-school music gear like Synth Saxophones and digi-drums to create new sounds by recycling older instruments and samples. In comparison to the last album’s lush, low-key gauze, Otaku Punk features more up-tempo tunes filled with glittery synths, channeling influence from new wave, R&B, and even metal. Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure were all sources of inspiration.
On top of Chisenhall’s own new approaches to songwriting, frequent collaborator Freeman Leverett and recent Delorean Gray addition Jason Bronson are now fixtures in the live band, and as such, their influence on the album is unmistakable, lending Otaku Punk a more expansive and collaborative feel. The album also features guest appearances by Jake Aron of Moloq, Meredith Law of Palm Sunday, and Noah Kittinger of Bedroom.