Blunt Objects – Shady Shadows
Blunt Objects – Shady Shadows – Album Review
Blunt Objects…Blunt Objects…I feel like I should be able to place that name…
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………oh RIGHT! Blunt Objects – the project from Bill Owens that I’ve basically written about all year – THAT Blunt Objects. Got it. It has indeed been a month…let’s get back to it.
“Things change and sometimes have to end” – don’t get my sarcasm and strange sense of humor fool ya – Bill’s wisdom and music is always welcome here on these pages of ours. As I listened to the opening track on his latest record Shady Shadows, called “My Best Friend,” I couldn’t help but think about my own situation with my…hmm…I suppose probably my last best friend? I mean…I’m freakin’ forty-three now…I don’t really see myself forming a bond with another person like I used to have with this dude “whose name I’ve since forgotten” ever again, and because things do indeed change, I’m not sure there’s any going back to the way things used to be back when we were close either. You get more comfortable with the idea of being alone the older you get I think…maybe that changes, maybe it doesn’t, I don’t know. The perspective I’ve got on it all right now is very much the whole Que Sera, Sera of it all…whatever will be will be…I ain’t here to force anything, nor do I need to. I’ve “been through this before” and from the sounds of things, perhaps Bill has too. “My Best Friend” is an interesting opener, as per the Blunt Objects standards set in the past…it’s got an entirely different vibe than R.E.M.’s “Why Not Smile” when it comes to the fundamentals…yet it really reminds me a lot of the feeling you get when you listen to that song too. It might seem like a small moment in music, but tracks like these pack a potent punch. In behind all the digitalized madness that Owens has goin’ on throughout “My Best Friend” in what we hear closest to our ears, there’s a beautiful melody at the core of this tune. If this track was stripped right down to its bare bones, you’d hear that…as it stands right now, that’s pretty tough to get to, but I’m not opposed to all the fun stuff he’s got added into this song swirling through it.
He’s got this tagged as “Art Pop” – I like that! It’s honestly the perfect description for the kind of music that Bill’s been making, and since he doesn’t really fit into any other box I can think of, “Art Pop” it shall be from henceforth! “I’m Going To Hell” shows him trying some pretty neat stuff…I like that he’s giving the singing thing a legitimate shot. I’m probably more partial to the natural low tones of his voice, but I appreciate that he’s given this song a bit more diversity with the falsetto moments added to it. It’ll help make “I’m Going To Hell” a bit more memorable for folks in the long run. He might have a genre all to himself, but in that very same respect, a lot of Bill’s approach, sound, and style could potentially sound very similar to folks having a passing listen. Those of us puttin’ in the time to get to know his tunes will be able to recognize the more distinct differences…but yeah…I suppose it just depends on who ya wanna cater to. The masses would have a more challenging time separating the material, that’s what I’m saying I guess. What always impresses me about Blunt Objects is how much SOUND Bill likes to add to his tunes. I don’t know how old the guy is, but I know he’s on the older side of young at this point in his life…and usually, the older ya get, the more inclined the human race has been to strip things back to a single fucking violin or piano or whatever. It makes me smile to hear him clearly rebelling against that. Regrets? Sounds like he’s got a few. And for those, he feels like he’s on his way down to the dude with the pitchfork & flames and all that…”I’m Going To Hell” along with him I’m sure – Bill, I’ll buy you a beer.
Musically, I really like what he’s got goin’ on with “Uphill Climb.” Vocally, I think when he heads into the main hooks of the chorus, he finds his strongest moments…I’m probably a bit neither here nor there with the verses. To be honest with ya, “Uphill Climb” ends up presenting a much more straightforward design than you typically get with Blunt Objects…and it could definitely end up being one of the fan favorites out there as a result of that choice. I like the ideas here. I’m always real with Billiam though…I think the performance is a bit uneven in the vocals overall, but he’s got some significant breakthrough moments in this song as well. I’m not sure if it’s that I feel like he could give a stronger performance in something like, say the first verse…or if it’s a matter of the effects on his vocals making him sound a bit too distant in the mix to sound as confident and strong as he perhaps should…but yeah…he could likely play around with this tune a bit more and find new ways to approach it. Which I’m sure that he will! If you’ve read reviews on his music here in the past, you know his material in Blunt Objects often shows up in his other band DID NOT! as well, and vice versa…so you just never know, there might be another version being prepared at this very moment while you’re reading this! I think it’s the atmospheric spin on the vocal sound that’s throwing me a little…I guess when the melody-line of the vocals is as strong as this one is, it strikes me that you’d wanna pair that with a confident, upfront performance to match that. Could just be me. I’d take the reverb on outta this one though, and bring those vocals forward. In doing that, he might end up with a genuinely single-worthy tune outta “Uphill Climb” – it’s a possibility.
I feel like I’d probably advise Bill to calm’er down just a bit. I get the tendency to want everything in the mix all at once…but that’s not always gonna lead ya to the strongest results, and the last thing you want is that wall-of-sound effect that causes eyes and ears to glaze over. Like on “Time” for example, he’s got about four different elements that could all be considered the lead competing for your attention at once – and that’s honestly a heck of a lot for most folks. The drums are one thing, the synth melody another, the guitar (? Could also be synth) is another, and the vocals too of course…and that’s not even counting the extra additions in the atmosphere of this tune too…and it’s not that they don’t somewhat complement each other – they do – but they’re also on a level that has them directly in competition too. So the effect for most people, is to actually tune out as opposed to tune in…there’s simply too much goin’ on to process for the average everyday listener, and when they can’t decide which element is supposed to be the main focus, it’s tough for them to love the experience. Like, even as a VETERAN LISTENER…which I am…I couldn’t tell ya what the most dominant element of “Time” is…everything is on one real even keel here, and it’s difficult to separate the dynamics as much as you’d likely assume. I’m gonna give the vocals the edge, but we’re talkin’ by a mere fraction or a hair at best. Lyrically, I like what he’s got to say about “Time” and the observations he’s making throughout this track, going on to explain the precious commodity that the clock truly is…it’s insightful stuff when it comes right down to it – and that’s pretty much why I’m always on the side of Bill making sure he gets his words actually heard. When they say that ‘sometimes less is more’ and whatnot, this is the perfect example of what they’d mean…I feel like Owens set up a whole bunch of obstacles in between his words and his audience here.
Case in-point…when you’ve got a melody that is intentionally dominant like the one we hear on “Picturesque Decay,” we don’t tend to worry about the rest as much…because our ears again, know what to focus on and where the real main hooks are to be found. Bill’s vocals are much more buried into this tune…to the point where you probably won’t even catch every word he’s singing – but rather than that be detrimental, in the case of this track, his voice actually becomes a supporting part of the melody instead – make sense? Think of it kind of like how harmonies work in that regard. If every harmony we sang was on the same level like the elements of a track like “Time” are, we wouldn’t notice any of’em individually…we’d hear it all as one big block of sound. With “Picturesque Decay,” the shifting of the dynamics between how the power goes to the music and the vocals end up supporting what we hear there, has the elements of this song working towards one common goal as opposed to competing with each other. We still on the same page here? Am I getting too nerdy about all this? Probably. Anyhow. I’d be willing to say that “Picturesque Decay” is without a doubt my favorite track of the first five on Shady Shadows for sure…the hooks in the music aren’t just unique, they’re straight up irresistible if you ask me – and as far as Bill’s vocals are concerned, they’re essential to those hooks coming through as strong as they do. Like I said, we might not be able to hear every single word this time around, but in trade, we end up with a melody that has real connection, heart & allure to it – we FEEL this song instead.
From the moment that “She’s Going Away” began, I knew there would be elements I’d love about it. It’s a great dose of the Pop part of his “Art Pop” sound…and that’s the main aspect I dig most. I’m gonna put this somewhere right in the middle of how I felt about “Time” and “Picturesque Decay” – and when it comes to “She’s Going Away,” I think I’m gonna narrow it down to the drums not needing to be so much of a factor all the time. In my opinion, Bill’s just gotta be a bit more brutal and objective when it comes to assessing his material…he’s gotta have a listen and decide – ‘what do I WANT to play the starring role?’ And then ask himself if that’s what the case really is. Because he’s got a few cuts on this record like “Time” and even this one in “She’s Going Away” where you’d swear it’s the drums he wants you to hear the most…and is that what you want there sir? I’m not saying that can’t be the situation every now and again – sometimes it IS the thing you create a song and decide should be its main draw – but in each example, whether it’s “Time” or it’s “She’s Going Away,” I’d argue the drums aren’t the real hook or what we should be as focused on. Bill’s got some straight up remarkable stuff happening with his vocals on this tune that shouldn’t be missed…and don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that it will be as it stands right now – “She’s Going Away” very much has that whole vibe that The Strokes tend to pull off so perfectly…again, these aren’t songs where you’ll catch every word so much as feel’em. Personally I actually really dig “She’s Going Away” and if this is the way I get it, then so be it! Do I think there’s a potentially more advantageous mix of this track that could exist? You betcha! That too. But just like the Stones so aptly put it long ago, “you can’t always get what you want” – and that’s how music is to the nth degree…shifting things around in the mix to make ME happy is just gonna upset the balance for someone else. So YOU do YOU Bill…and my advice is the same to all of YOU out there makin’ music – if YOU dig on listening to what YOU made the way YOU made it, then good game, mission accomplished! I’m just here givin’ Bill things to consider for his music going forward is all…at the core of the melody in his words & vocals, I think he’s got something genuinely special goin’ on at the heart of this song, 100%.
One of the deeper cuts on this record that you’ll find, is “Where Do You Go” – you’ll know exactly what I mean when you hear it for yourself. I ain’t sayin’ it’s gonna be the main draw on the record – that’s different – but tracks like “Where Do You Go” consistently provide a consistency you rely on each time you push play. Examining the end of a moment in time…of relationships…of what we feel is important – and moving on I suppose…”Where Do You Go” is by no means any kind of happier tune, it’s a track that has no problem diggin’ on into the dark of despair to see what kind of emotion, feelings & thoughts are livin’ there. All-in-all, it’s a much more subtle vibe comparatively to so many of the Blunt Objects tunes on this record…but like I was tellin’ ya earlier on, we seem to be able to get that much more out of it as a result. This is Bill and what he sounds like when he’s left the kitchen sink outta the mix, and given you what the moment & what the song are truly calling for. It’s also fair to point out that he’s accomplished that without having some kind of crazy beat goin’ on too…the drums in this track play a much more percussive role, and accent the rest of this vibe as opposed to dominating it…and that’s a good thing. I don’t think “Where Do You Go” will necessarily be THE track of all tracks Bill’s fans are flocking to on this record, but I wouldn’t honestly rule it out either; his songwriting depth really shines through on this one.
“I don’t need much, I just need to be,” sings Bill on “Need To Be” – and that dear readers, dear friends, sure seems to be the truth as far as I can tell. I think right now that as long as our good man here has some kind of access to all his music instruments, and a button that says record, he’ll be doin’ just fine. I think there’s a very large part of me that wonders whether or not I become Bill Owens one day…maybe I do…maybe you do…maybe we all do in some way. I think we’d be lucky to reach the point of clarity he’s found…the peaceful discovery of who he is & what’s important to him…the embrace of art…he might not “ask for much these days,” – but ain’t that the reality of being comfortable with who you are and what you’ve got? I look at things like consumerism and commerce and fame and fortune and all that kind of stuff, and I usually just end up kind of fascinated by it all – not because it seems cool to me, but because of how much people think they NEED these things, you know? Bill somewhat expresses a lot of how I feel on “Need To Be” – it’s really a song that examines what enough actually is…and while he tends to describe himself as “not terribly observant,” I stand by the things I’ve always said about him – he’s way more insightful and connected to what really matters on this planet than so many folks I’ve crossed paths with in life. “Need To Be” is further confirmation of that if you ask me…it’s partly a song, and partly a plea or prayer of sorts…a mantra almost…a reminder of how little is really required to make any of us happy when we’re doing the things that we love to do. “To be or not to be,” is not really the right question, and it never has been – sorry Shakespeare. We should all be, and we should certainly want to be – but what do you “Need To Be?” That’s a much more relevant question…and how much? I’m a firm believer that we should all be murdered by our own passions & art…by living our truth, no matter the cost…so if you’re asking me, do I want to be? YES. But I “Need To Be” even MORE, you dig? This is a good tune…thought provoking…inviting to listen to…solid mix between the music & vocals & whatnot…it’s probably not gonna be the single from Shady Shadows, but it’s a really darn good song.
“Falling Apart” seemed like the right way to end this latest album by Blunt Objects. Part of it’s designed to be fun, and when he doesn’t think you’re looking, listening, and paying your full attention, Owens will slip the wisdom into his words and gently offer some insight into how we can handle them final days with a lil’ dignity and grace, even if we’re “Falling Apart” by the end of it all. Because we’re all dying, aren’t we? Sure, there’s a much more immediate path to that light at the end of the tunnel for far too many people out there, but the reality of life is very much one we share right across the board – we’re all gonna die. We’re all slowly “Falling Apart” and “hoping for a slow dissolve” rather than a fast one. Ain’t no shame in the game, as they say…it’s just the way things are…it’s the circle of life as The Lion King taught us…but hopefully, during the time you got to spend on this floating rock we call home, you found that you didn’t just want to be here for a while, and that you felt like you needed to be. That way, as far as I can tell, you can somewhat enjoy the process of “Falling Apart” too…because it’s all a part of the experience overall. Great final track on this record there Mr. Owens my friend…I really thought this song came out great, and made for a pretty upbeat & uplifting finale even while it’s basically all about our disintegration and…well…our eventual demise. Wonderful melody, excellent storytelling and details – if this was Bill’s last song ever, I’m sure that the irony of that would probably make him smile in those final moments. Rest assured, this man is far from done…there’s so much more to be accomplished Bill my good man…and I look forward to “Falling Apart” along with ya while you continue to do exactly what ya wanna, exactly like you have been lately, over these next several years ahead good sir – long may you run.
Find out more about Blunt Objects from the official links below!
Main site: https://bluntobjects.bandzoogle.com
Bandcamp: https://bluntobjects.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-66925869
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqYesGaa113aMsxAdVw1j
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blunt_objects_tucson
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