Epic Hero | Stars

I recently read Jacob Slichter’s book about life on the road with rock band, Semisonic, poignantly titled, “So you want to be a rock star?” In the book, Slichter talks about the how grueling the day-to-day life of being in the world’s most popular band of the moment can be. Semisonic’s hit, of course, was the timeless classic, “Closing Time”. That song was written by Dan Wilson, who produced Epic Hero’s new EP, Blacking Out the Stars.

Blacking Out the Stars is a nice little EP, that has Wilson’s trademark niceties all over it.

First of all, the songs all rock. Semisonic made it’s name playing music that you can bob your head to, and Epic Hero follows suit with a string of songs that possess a powerful inertia of musical energy that is difficult to stop once the album gets rolling.

Above: Epic Hero goofs off

As it happens, the EP really gets off the ground on the second track, “Stars”, where frontman, Justin Milbradt, states:

If I had the words to describe you
I’d say you’re nature’s second sun
I know that I’m nobody’s hero
You’re a hero to everyone
I would scream it to the galaxy

The songs on the EP, all invariably about love, shared or not, between boy and girl, have a polished quality that has them ready to take on the biggies on Top 40 radio. The album flows like the Tigris River during a rainy season – smooth and powerful.

Though most of the lyrics discuss how a boy is longing for a girl to love him, there are moments of intrigue. For example, on “Jesus Wouldn’t Like It”, Milbradt scorns:

She throws rocks at the stars
Dreams of living in cars
But she won’t love me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way
She forgets how to breathe
Never knows when to leave
But she won’t call me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way

Summary: If you like polished rock music, then this is a must-listen. If you are more into the unpolished sound of indie rock bands, as I am, you might want to save your money and wait until the Chins put out their next record. Overall, this is a solid effort from Epic Hero.

Enchanted Ape – Mexico Song (live)

Enchanted Ape’s Three Ring Symphony is a foot-stomping good time. The album opens up with “Memphis, Trouble Free”, a song that pits Memphis, Tennessee as a perpetual fountain of youth. Lead singer Chris O’Brien sings:

Well I drove my troubles down to Memphis, Tennessee
They say that muddy river will keep you young indefinitely
Three days later, I was three years younger
than the man I used to be
Come Sunday I left Memphis, trouble free

From the fountain of youth, we are led to roam with the perpetual question of Why worry if fate is out of our control? on “Better Times”, where O’Brien sings:

Take this out of my hands
Let these strings keep playing, playing through my mind
Fate will help me stand
No longer must wait, wait for better times

The Ape’s sound is defined by O’Brien’s powerful vocals, which, on the album, are often doubled up by Debra G, a singer of formidable and uncompromising talent. Lead guitarist, Alec James Knutson, really doesn’t break out his chops until the album’s fifth track, “Carousel”. Though, from that point on, he raises the bar considerably.

(above: lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris O’Brien)

One such song where Knutson excels is on the album’s catchiest track, “Soulfood”, in which the lead guitarist’s fretwork compliments the vocals in a pleasurable way. It’s almost as if the guitar is singing at times, which is actually quite beautiful to hear.

On “Soulfood”, O’Brien offers advice to those worry-warts among us:

So don’t you tell me about livin’ the high life
when your heart is sinking low
Don’t you know you could never go hungry
just as long as you feed your soul

Two things stand out on this album – the band’s cohesiveness and the lyrics.

Enchanted Ape has crafted an impressive album composed of both live takes and studio overdubs. This is an astonishing feat considering how well the album flows from song to song from extreme happiness to erie sadness without losing it’s “good-times” vibe. This consistency is due largely to O’Brien’s lyrics.

He does a fantastic job tackling complex subject matter such as religion, fate, selfishness, and greed. O’Brien is an experienced songwriter, having played coffee shops and open mic’s in Minneapolis for years, and his depth of lifely understanding stands out on this album.

Summary: Three Ring Symphony is an album that, because of it’s depth, you can listen to over and over and over again.