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MartinSoundLabs - Bargain Epiphany

8/14/2015

3 Comments

 
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MartinSoundLabs

Bargain Epiphany
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Did you know that albums could be split into acts? I as well thought that was verbiage that was exclusively used for plays but the recent album by MartinSoundLabs entitled Bargain Epiphany is divided into three. I honestly would have never know this if it wasn’t for the fact that I was told and I am still not exactly sure why. 

Either way at nineteen songs the album is girthy and arguably could be a double album. The men behind the album are Christopher John Martin (bass), Jay Taylor Henderson (guitars/vocals) and Skip Hovorka (drums). Bargain Epiphany is an extremely eclectic album to the point that it almost feels like a compilation of different bands. The band attempts different styles and has more success with some than others. For an album with three acts not much feels consistent. That being said it gives the songs an element of surprise. 

The album starts with “Saint of the Gutter Punk” which is a hard hitting, attitude-driven straight forward rock song that has an ‘80s vibe. It dances around the topic of drug use. Henderson sings “Endorphin drip/spilt on you floor/cartoon outlaw/can’t be ignored. Fills a void/in your life/a wounded boy/and a parasite.”

“Space Helmet” is a solid track. I loved the verse; the chorus felt a bit sloppy but the instrumental breakdown right after the chorus is money. One of the highlights is “Sangfroid.” The vocal harmonies are almost Queen like. They sing “Pictures of Steve McQueen/Startle happy dream/Distance pushing destiny/Do I have more to think?”

The first deviation that sounds nothing like that came before is “Lubbock or Leave It.” It’s an open spacious song that lies somewhere between country and Americana. The song couldn’t have sounded more far away from “Saint of the Gutter Punk.” The thing is that “Lubbock or Leave It” was arguably the highlight of the album. In my opinion it contained exceptional vocals. 

Two songs later the band is rocking out with “Tenderloin.” Unfortunately, the vocal performances aren’t the standouts on the album especially the borderline humorous backing vocals when he shouts “tenderloins.” I have to say slightly better production would have helped even out the vocals. The band gets back on track with “You and Wiretaps.” It’s an infectious song, which gets stuck in your head. On top of that the lead guitar is notable. As the album progressed they were a number of other songs that stuck out. “Buried Alive” is not only one of the catchiest songs but brings up engaging existential questions while “Wired Required” is another deviation that brings funk into the mix. 

The band goes pretty much straight up country on “Mojo Dog” that has a similar vibe to “Lubbock or Leave It.” As the album comes to a close the band revisits rock and even goes ambient and mystical with “True Blue.”

I find the easiest way to enjoy Bargain Epiphany is to just view it as a collection of songs. The flow of the songs is inconsistent at best and to try and conceptualize the nineteen songs as one form of expression actually takes away from the couple of gems they do have. I encourage you to spend some time with the album. It’s not too far of a stretch for me to say that at the very least there are a couple tunes you will be happy that you found. 
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3 Comments
Jay Henderson
8/14/2015 04:35:07 am

Ted,
Thanks for giving it a listen. I appreciate your constructive comments.
Best,
Jay

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John Gallio link
8/17/2015 02:39:32 am

Hi Chris, these tunes are killer man!...great guitar work and voice! kudo's man!......John Gallio/Massachusetts

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Nick Kushner
11/4/2015 11:43:45 am

Review of Bargain Epiphany
By Nick Kushner

Saint of the Gutter Punk-Excellent rock tune. Lead vocal has cool, hollow effect. I like the guitars doubling each other and panned wide. Decent bottom end. Drums could be higher in the mix. Cool delay on the guitar.

Space Helmut-Sounds like Nirvana. Lyrics better than Kurt Cobain’s. I like the sound of the bass and drums when they come in. Love how the vocal really belts it out during the chorus. Love the progressive part after the chorus and how it resolves into the quiet verse part. Double lead works.

Sangfroid-Love the drum beat! Excellent lyrics and good vocal performance. Very cool tune. I would have called it Bargain Epiphany.

Lubbock or Leave It- Nice to hear a quieter tune at this point. Love when the guitars come in during “Darling free me”. Clean and crisp. Very memorable lyrics: “hypodermic euthanasia”. “Ballets and ballgames poison my heart”. Very powerful images. The lead vocal has a fragile quality that fits the mood of the tune. Nice clean simple solo. Nice backing vocals. I like how the drums are mixed down and the vocals are up.

Scream Kiss-Great piano vamp. I love when the bass comes in. Excellent distorted guitars come in after the piano. Like the sound of the guitar in the solo.

Tenderloin-Love the sound of the guitar in the beginning. I like riff based tunes. Very bad ass! I personally like how the drums are not too high in these mixes. It allows you to appreciate the tone of the guitars. The chorus is very punkish, especially with the answering of Tenderloin. That sound for the solo is fucking awesome. It sounds like feedback. It really grabs the listener! I like how the tune ends with the starting run.

Where Are You- Love the tabla! It is very relaxing and hypnotic. Very cool screechy sound that comes periodically. The acoustic guitar does sound a little abrupt when it comes in, but I guess it works. The riff at 1:39 is the same riff in Space Helmut. Gives some connection to the earlier part of the album.

You and Wiretaps- Love this tune! Very catchy. Love the harmonies. Interesting high endy guitars in background. I personally would have left out the percussive click thing during “Should have known you better”. The pre-recorded voice over works well. Nice drumming. Very big, cool guitar sound for the instrumental section.

Starshade-Excellent guitar groove and excellent sound for the distortion. Vocals sound very good and clear over this groove. Drums sound good here. Very original synth sound bubbling over the groove. Very catchy tune.

Burning Rain-Cool wah guitar part. Great beat and bass part. I don’t like the out of key B part. It is obviously done on purpose, but not my cup of tea. I do like the music behind the voice during that part.

How Do You Live With That Woman-I am very amused by the chorus lyric. It gives some comic relief to the album so far. Bass is more prominent in this mix, which I like.

Buried Alive-One of my favorite tunes on this album. Great vocals and harmonies. The guitar melody line is so damn catchy! The sound really grabs you. Very cool middle segue. Love the octave doubling of the vocal here at 1:58. Very catchy how the vocals are singing and laughing at the same time.

Hurt Head- Very catchy, cool tune! Love that guitar line sustaining over the chorus part. This has a very punk rock quality. Excellent short guitar solo.

Wired Required-I like the progressive guitar line! Nice tone. Fun tune.

Mojo Dog-Very cool well done country tune. “I ain’t the trooper’s friend” is very cool. I love that tele sounding solo.

Perfect Day- Upbeat tune. Very catchy hook. I was whistling it when I got my lunch.

Stalker Valentine-Creepy. Appropriate for Halloween.

True Blue- Very interesting sound to open up with. Very catchy chorus. The “true blue” sounds like it wants to be said more often in the chorus. Maybe Jay did not want to be too predictable.

Diesel Fumes-Love the piano part. Then that sound at :20 is so hypnotic and memorable. All the parts complement each other so well. When a song only has 1 part, it could benefit from a change in the mix as a sort of B part.

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