Vicarious - Barbershop Poison

Vicarious

​Barbershop Poison
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Vicarious consists of Brad Williamson (bass/vocals), Colin Moser (guitar/vocals) and Zach Winton (drums). They  are three young dudes from Charlotte, North Carolina, who are making music. It’s a healthy activity for young men and with it brings camaraderie and skills that develop that I would argue are quite useful in case they don’t become rock stars. Let's face facts and come to the conclusion that not all young men in bands are talented. Luckily, that’s not the case here as they display on their release Barbershop Poison. 

​There is just no denying that these three kill in the technical department. The band goes from playing prog rock to jazz on some songs. On top of that the boys can sing pretty well. Who knew Charlotte had such talented musicians? I kid Charlotte, I kid.

The get into it with “Floatation Device.” Right off the bass player superfluously displays his slapping ability before the song gets going. The song rocks and is pretty upbeat and funky as well. They plow through a couple of timing transitions with a guitar solo to boot. 

The guys nail it when it comes to naming their songs. “Overwhelmed” has lyrics that make sense with the title. The vocalist sings “Could you please repeat? You see I'm running low on sleep The days keep getting longer, But the hours growing short” as if he could read the thoughts of everyone stuck in factory jobs at General Motors or Starbucks. What’s going on with the jazz section? Who cares….I loved it and Ironically it was quite relaxing to listen to after a stressful week at the office. 

“Only Man “ continues to displays the band's technical talent. The song also weaves in related genres like ska and reggae. Killer vocals on this track. “Raaa” was another success along with the closer “Figure It Out.” 

These guys did a great job on the album. As someone who has a couple years on them I have some words of wisdom. If you’re going to be a full-time musician don’t forget to do your taxes and brush your teeth.

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