Captain Highside – Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate
Captain Highside – Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate – Album Review
Mmmm – the title of this record seems like its own lifecycle or notes on how to live. Are we supposed to do things in that order? Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate? Seems like if we skipped the queue and started with the last two elements, we might not even have to go through the first two at all…just sayin.’
Anyhow! Welcome back Captain Highside. Some of you regular readers out there might remember the name & the music from this dude that we reviewed last year on his Season By Season EP. If you DO happen to remember, first & foremost congratulations on your cognitive longevity – but you’ll also be stoked to learn that three out of those five songs I was checking out on his previous EP appear here too. Captain Highside has gone the Nashville route of networking & done his best to tighten things up where things needed to be adjusted…and I suppose we’ll find out if that worked throughout the course of this thirteen-song lineup on Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate. Did he end up getting the kind of advice that will make him sound just like everyone else, as Nashville is so prone to churning out? Or was he able to preserve what made this project special and simply enhance what was working? Stay tuned to find out!
What I remember about the guy most was that he had a stellar singing voice…and personally, I love it when an artist chooses to take an alternate path to victory & challenge themselves. So to hear how naturally engaging the music was on an instrumental level as “Love On Saturn” began was quite a treat. We’ll get to Captain Highside singing soon enough – no need to rush the man. As his new album starts up, honestly “Love On Saturn” becomes quite the treat for the ears…it’s a subtle groove but a noticeable one without a doubt, and it’s a song that allows for the musicianship to stand out before we even hear a single word. Dig the guitar solo too…bonus points for the tone selection in addition to the talent on display – “Love On Saturn” doesn’t fight us for our attention, but it quickly earns it through artistic merit.
“Sweet Fever Dream” was one of the tracks that I reviewed last year on the Season By Season EP…and it’s still a good tune now without a doubt. You’ll get your first dose of Captain Highside’s vocals on this track, and you’ll get a clear sample on why he was as memorable to me as he was – dude’s got a great voice and he really commits when it comes time to record. Of course, it’s been about a year & change since I last had the pleasure of listening to this tune, so I couldn’t tell you how much or how little has been adjusted – I can only tell ya that I remember this track overall, which is certainly a good thing considering it’s been longer than 365 days since I last heard it. Tons of soul in the Captain Highside sound overall…and I think it’s highly relevant that “Sweet Fever Dream” ain’t any kind of typical song at the end of the day…it’s an innovative and expressive tune that proves he can BE the hook of any tune he creates, as opposed to creating the kind of sing-along verses & choruses that we’re all normally used to. Smart to put this song up close to the front in the set – Captain Highside’s vocals are naturally enticing.
You’ll find that his vocals remain a consistent draw & reason to listen. I think there’s probably an argument to be made that he’s shifted his sound to include a bit more accessibility than it previously had – but I’d probably push back & say that songs like “Sweet Fever Dream” and “Sunday In The Park” still wouldn’t be what the masses typically end up listening to normally in terms of structure. Closer, for sure – but still a few degrees removed in my opinion. That being said, I think that’s part of the charm if you ask me…like I said at the start, my main concern was that the Nashville touch would take all the inherently special things about his songwriting right out – and it’s tracks like “Sunday In The Park” that reveal what we love about Captain Highside’s anti-typical nature is still largely intact. He’s floating somewhere in between the realms of Soul/Blues/Pop/Jazz…seemingly drifting in and out of any of those sounds whenever the song suits it…which ultimately, gives this style a very Progressive feeling to it as well. There’s that terrifying word/genre to the masses…Progressive…but that’s the reality here – our hero Captain Highside has chosen to include a lot of diversity & versatility into the way his songs move. Having said that, he’s got a very strong hook at the core of “Sunday In The Park” when he sings the title, and once again you’ll find the musicianship is equally expressive and entertaining to listen to at all times.
I’m probably the most on the fence about “Publish Our Love” in the first half of the set. It’s definitely got a lot of things I love about it, and a few things that I felt like I questioned a bit more too. I like the way that he sings it for the most part, and there are significant highlights to be found in the vocals for sure – that’s a positive. Concept-wise…I’m not as confident I can say I really dig the idea of “Publish Our Love” in-full…it kind of has that…hmm…I don’t wanna say Nashville-trickery to it, but it’s very close to that. It feels a bit removed from the emotions that would make you wanna publish some lovin’ and more geared towards what folks tend to feel is the right way to approach songwriting…and in that respect, it’s kind of the right example to point to when I talk about having the specialness of an artist like Captain Highside removed from the work and/or threatened by new approaches and methodology. It’s a fine line to walk…you want songs to be well-written of course, but you don’t want them to feel too songwriter-y – make sense? The sincerity is the most crucial aspect to keep at the forefront of it all, at least to me – other folks would certainly argue that doing whatever it takes to get yourself to the top of the charts is much more important. I’m not saying that “Publish Our Love” doesn’t have some great things about it – it does – and most of’em are found in the verses from my perspective, not in the hooks. Music’s a bit on the full side here too…the low-end takes over the most intense spots a bit more than it probably should, and it feels like “Publish Our Love” needs a bit more space to reach its full potential.
“How?” would also be one of the original tracks I reviewed on his previous EP from last year – which, I suppose I should link ya to in case you wanna read more of my thoughts – you can check out the ol’ Season By Season EP by clicking right here. I never usually go over my old reviews or see what I previously thought, because I feel like that always sours my objectivity. I like “How?” – I’d probably be more inclined to advocate on behalf of the first three songs on Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate still, but once you trip past the two-minute mark of this track, things really start to become magical. So I guess that’s probably where I’m at with it…you might think a two-minute lead-in to a song’s most pivotal moments is a bit too lengthy, you might think that only really getting that one dose of the magic you’ll find in the second minute ain’t gonna be enough too…and I might agree with ya on the latter part of that assessment. “How?” wanders and deviates from the pieces that probably make it connect and resonate the most a little more than it should…but at the heart of it all, you can’t help but appreciate the talent of Captain Highside from his impressive voice, to the fact that he keeps you listening without typical hooks.
“Help Me Help You” works well…in some ways, it’s an update on the Captain Highside sound for sure, and in others it’s a song that borrows a whole lot from the roots of 80s R&B/Pop/Adult Contemporary too. I think the digital aspect of this track is a good way of shifting his sound towards a more relevant vibe for what’s out there on the airwaves right now…that’s effective and should assist him in finding his way onto a bunch of playlists out there, in addition to providing a sound that could very well land him on securely on the charts. Kind of reminds me a bit of Jon Secada…maybe a little bit of Tony Rich Project in there…somewhere in between those two artists & eras, which is great company to be keeping for sure. I definitely think “Help Me Help You” has some of the most straightforward hooks for the people overall.
I’d probably be inclined to say that the real single within the first seven tracks is actually “She Seems To Know” – I could see this track grabbing a lot of attention with listeners out there for the hooks that it has, and I’d go even further to say that it’s not just the hooks that make it worthwhile, it’s simply a really well-written & well-played song all-around. Beyond the obvious stuff you’ll hear in the chorus and the vocals that give “She Seems To Know” its natural appeal & tremendous accessibility, you’ll find one of my favorite guitar solos on the record, and a stunning level of Captain Highside’s attention to detail that leaves you wanting for nothing more than exactly what you get in this track. Really smart use of simple synth sounds like what’s probably an electric piano effect of some kind to accent the melody, and the lyricism also hits the mark too. Hooks-wise, I’ll be the first to admit that the dude has stumbled right into something extraordinarily addictive – the chorus of this cut is essentially irresistible in every way. You factor in the smart bass-lines underneath the sparkle on the surface & the soul in the vocals, and you’ll hear what I’ve been talkin’ about – “She Seems To Know” has everything the right place, 100%.
“Never Said Goodbye (Eulogy)” is one of those tough tracks to critique because the title pretty much gives us a glimpse into how important a cut like this probably is to Captain Highside on a personal level. I could go the nice route and tell him the idea is good, and leave it at that – or I could be as real with the guy as I always am, and let him know this song still needs a bit of extra time in the incubator. I’m not sure if it’s just a newer track to the set, not rehearsed quite as much, or simply tougher material for him to take on as it’s closer to the heart…but yeah…”Never Said Goodbye (Eulogy) doesn’t quite reach the same standards quality/execution-wise that we’ve become accustomed to on the rest of the album so far. Sometimes the most important subjects, themes, and concepts we take on as artists can be the most elusive in terms of the results we truly want for the weight of the ideas or the impacts of the influence on us…”Never Said Goodbye (Eulogy)” ain’t a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not fully up to par with the material we’ve heard so far either. Only Captain Highside is gonna know what causes the difference for sure…but could he make this track even better than it is now? You bet.
“She Knows (Reprise)” has some real potential to it…for a slower jam, it’s got a whole lot of bold parts, and real dynamics between its smoothest moments of melody and its most intense. It’s a very expressive song for how low-key the energy is overall. It’s got some of my favorite vocals and my favorite instrumentation on the record as well – and I suppose I genuinely felt like “She Knows (Reprise)” was one of this album’s most surprising tracks if I’m being truthful with ya. Usually I expect absolutely zero out of any kind of reprise to begin with, and secondly, it just seemed like “She Knows (Reprise)” wasn’t going to be as engaging as I thought it would be at first. After a couple of spins, the real weight and impact of this track starts to really sink in…it’s a song that sneaks up on you in that regard – and it puts an artist like Captain Highside somewhere between the slow jams of an artist like Terence Trent D’arby and the insightful songwriting of an artist like Zappacosta. Again – that’s great company to keep.
Having said all that good stuff so far, I still think there’s some work to be done…I’m just having a hard time putting my finger on what it would be that would help steer Captain Highside in the right direction. I listen to a performance like he’s put into “Nowhere, Home” and think it’s one of the best I’ve heard from him in the vocals & I love the layers he’s put into this track. The music has pretty much been solid throughout the distance of the whole album in terms of the instrumentation. That really only leaves us with one aspect left that would create any back & forth, and that’s the strength of the material itself and the ability for these songs to retain our interest in-full. As different as many of these songs are from each other, the approach and how Captain Highside chooses to sing them is fairly similar…and I think he could probably stand for a bit more variation like we experience with “Nowhere, Home.” In many ways, it still feels like he’s really searching for the method that’s going to work for him the best as an artist, and that sweet spot that allows him to express himself without having to compromise too much for the sake of accessibility. My gut tells me he needs just a bit more spark to the material he’s creating in order for it to catch on completely with the average everyday listeners out there. Kind of like independent votes, those are the ones you really need onboard…the dedicated fans of R&B/Soul/Jazz probably won’t have problems finding their gateway into the songs of Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate.
“Never Said Goodbye (Wake)” seems like it strikes the balance I’d be looking for if I was the good Captain here…this feels like the right mix of energy, melody, and material he’s been seeking. He’s got some seriously outstanding vocal highlights in this track, especially in the finale, that would be incredibly demanding on any singer out there in the scene, and Captain Highside seems to be able to tackle those challenges with natural ease & noteworthy talent. All-in-all, I felt like he makes it easy to get behind a track like “Never Said Goodbye (Wake)” from start to finish – and that’s kind of what we’ve been looking for from his music on this record. Ultimately, this song serves as a reminder to spend your time as wisely as you can, and make sure that every minute you get with the people you love most is well used – because you never really know when things are going to end, and you don’t want to end up being the person that “Never Said Goodbye (Wake)” – you know what I mean? You don’t want regrets when it comes to all the people you truly love in this world, so make sure you’re living life to the fullest with’em.
“Let Go” ends up being a real cathartic release and mantra of sorts…the kind of song you write so that you’ll be able to write others one day, you feel me? So…much more than the true importance of any set of lyrics can be sometimes, is the way a track is going to move your mind, body, and soul – which is really what “Let Go” does…it reaches you on several levels and hits different for all the right reasons. I’d definitely be willing to put this track right up there with the very best you’ll find on this record. Whether it’s for the way that Captain Highside sings it with such profound & tangible emotion, or the wonderfully skilled instrumentation you’ll find throughout this entire song – there’s so much to love about the way that “Let Go” came out. Not a thing about this track that I’d change…it’s powerfully moving, and the array of different instruments in the mix that makes it as fantastic as it is deserves a real shout-out for sure. From the spectacular keys you’ll find, to the horns in the air – “Let Go” is genuinely spellbinding to experience – and Captain Highside proves that quality over quantity in lyricism can be a truly great thing.
With one last track that I was familiar with at the end, “Marching On Revisited” definitely sounded like it had more life in its veins this time around for the version you hear on Mistake/Mend/Master/Meditate. Another great example of the sound I’d be aiming for if I was Captain Highside, this is the right balance between the soulful vibes he creates and the level of energy & hooks it takes to get the people onboard. He’s been wise with what he’s chosen to include from the material found on his previous EP, and as far as “Marching On Revisited” is concerned, I think he ended up leaving us all on a real highlight in his catalog that is definitely one of the tracks that makes you wanna repeat the experience all over again. Each subsequent spin you give an album like this, the more you find to appreciate about it in the depth of the lineup for sure – but it’s also moments like “Marching On Revisited” that reveal what universally accessible sound really is, and illuminates the blueprint forward for Captain Highside’s future to follow.
Find more music by Captain Highside at his official page at Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/captain-highside
Find out what we do & how we do it at sleepingbagstudios, and be the next up on our pages by clicking here!
