Ehson Hashemian – Message
Ehson Hashemian – Message – Album Review
We’re still doin’ this set-list in alphabetical order thing, eh Ehson? Right on dude, you do you.
He’s making music at a very rapid pace, and generally speaking, I know how that plays out. There’s not too much you can, or should, do to combat inspiration when it strikes, but moving quickly in the art of making music can tend to reveal a few cracks in the armor if you’re not going at a pace where you can still be as objective as you need to be. We reviewed Hashemian’s album Believe in the summer of last year, then Me Then You in November…and somehow he’s already back with another set of fifteen tunes for a new record called Message? I’m not sure how much you feel like you’re accomplishing with your own music out there, but it would seem that Ehson is making the rest out there look like they’re stuck in the creative mud. Seems a bit on the risky side to be puttin’ out so many tunes in such a short amount of time, but also impressive at the same time…I go into everything with an open mind, let’s push play.
I’ll tell ya this right off the bat, the first impression here is fantastic. “Alright” has pretty much all of the ingredients that made me dig what this dude does from the time I started listening to him – it’s unique, it’s melodic, it’s bizarre, it’s…oddly comforting? A reminder that things are gonna work out in the end no matter how rough your circumstances might seem to be right now, “Alright” is your new best friend in sonic form. “When you’re feeling down” or “when you’re really sad,” reach for this song and things will begin to feel better pretty damn quickly I bet. I can’t get enough of the music on this opening track, and I’m equally in love with the way that Ehson sings it. From the swagger he uses to his advantage in the verses, to the bold tones he sings with in the chorus, he’s found the perfect energy to accompany the music and vibe that “Alright” puts out there. Kind of like a happier version of a Beirut song, which fully works for me…there’s character, charm & charisma displayed all throughout this album’s first song.
Having such creativity loaded right up front made it SUPER TOUGH for me to make the adjustment back to the meat & potatoes of guitar, bass, drums on the following song called “Anything.” This second cut managed to practically make me break out in hives, worrying about the rest that could follow in this set-list after being so thoroughly impressed with the opening track on Message. “Anything” is remarkably ordinary, in my opinion…and the distance between why you’d love a song like “Alright” and probably feel like “Anything” is just okay, seemed insanely massive…almost to the point where you wonder how both tunes come from the same musical mind, and why he’d want these songs featured back to back in the lineup. Things don’t get easier in review here at sleepingbagstudios – they get progressively harder, and when you show the world the kind of innovative creativity and art you’re capable of, I have a total responsibility to hold you to the standards YOU set for yourself. From my perspective, Ehson slips far below the bar on “Anything” – I like the lyrics for the most part, but that’s about where it stops for me.
“Been Through” immediately felt like more of a compromise between what you hear on track one and track two…so…yeah…I didn’t feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck or the tension of resistance like I experienced in the song beforehand, though I’m still not quite convinced this fully measures up either. Look…ultimately, I’d tell you that Hashemian is basically using music making as a vehicle to get the things he wants to say to the world out into the wide open for all to hear – there’s no shame in that game, in fact, there are many artists that have a similar approach in that regard. That being said, what often happens in employing that method, is that the focus drifts from the sound of the songs, and the priority remains primarily on the words, which will really only get you so far with the listeners out there. “Been Through” ain’t a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t know that I could vouch for Ehson really doing anything here that we haven’t heard from him already, which is a bit concerning.
Gonna be real with ya Ehson, when you get things right, you really get’em right…but when you don’t, I feel like it’s hard not to notice. Like, right off the drop, the music of “Find A Way” sounded fully appealing to me, and then the vocal pattern of the verses kinda squashed my excitement for this track. Then I got to the chorus, and you had more space to sing, as opposed to the traffic jam of syllables and words you’ve got in the verses, and it felt like the spark came back a little bit to restore “Find A Way.” Here’s the thing my man…and I think I can speak on this for most listeners out there – we LOVE the sound of your voice and your music when you’re at your most inspired and really pushing yourself artistically & creatively. It practically breaks my damn heart to hear what sounds like you’re just going through the motions in the verses of “Find A Way” – not only does the pattern sound like too close of a match with the music, we’ve heard this kind of combination in countless other acts throughout music’s history, and it ain’t enough. Like I said, there’s some redemption to be found in the chorus where you give yourself more freedom to use the power and uniqueness of your voice, but you can’t help but hear the massive imbalance in what works and what doesn’t…one half of it sounds nearly bored, or at least lacking that inspirational spark that has driven so many of Hashemian’s songs when at his focused best.
Ohhh boy. I dunno Ehson – it sounds like we’re drifting further away from the mark with every track. While I know not every song under the sun is going to provoke a massively enthusiastic response to it – how could I still not hope for the kind of genuine excitement that a song like “Alright” instilled in me? As “Get By” kind of meandered around in search of what works for it, I couldn’t help but immediately want that purpose and intention that “Alright” came with, and wonder where it went. Y’all know how I feel about albums with more than twelve tracks on’em to begin with, and I already highlighted how a rapid pace of production can indicate a lack of necessary objectivity earlier in this review – I can’t help but think that “Get By” didn’t feel like it had enough in it to warrant its inclusion to this lineup of songs. I’d have spins through Message where I felt like “Get By” was alright, but it never went beyond that for me. Honestly, I think Ehson is a creative genius when it comes right down to it, so this is all a bit perplexing.
The reason WHY time away is so crucial to the music of any artist or band, is that it’ll give you different perspectives on how to go about doing things, or at the very least, stepping back from a continuous regimen of writing & record will prevent you from doing the same things over and over again. Listen to “Hold On” Ehson…tell me what you’re doing here that pushes your art and music forward from where it’s already been? I’m not saying this to be harsh – I’m pointing it out to be helpful…not enough has changed. Even in the way you’re singing it, you’re going with that familiar swagger and sway to the verses, and then predictably, you put the power into your voice in the chorus. A track here and there, it’s going to be a fine approach, and we’d probably never even fully realize the similarities between each tune – but when the same methods are essentially applied to every song, that’s artistically problematic. What I’m hearing so far on Message, is that Hashemian needs to spend more time away from making music to get that refreshed perspective, so he’ll challenge himself creatively to do more with his music. The Message on its own ain’t enough my brother; I appreciate the sentiment, but I need more outta ya.
“I just wanna get out my message to you,” he sings on the title track – and ain’t that direct evidence of what I was talking to you about before when I was pointing out how these songs really serve as a vehicle for Ehson’s words? Without realizing it, he’s putting an obstacle in between himself & his stated goals, because yep, you guessed it, he’s using the same approach and structural methods on “Message” as well. The more any artist or band is essentially doing the same thing, the easier it is for the listeners out there to tune it right the heck out…so…I mean, I’m just saying you’ve gotta put yourself in the best position you can to achieve what you’re looking to accomplish in this lifetime, and I’m not quite convinced that that’s what Ehson is doing here on this record. Personally speaking, I think he’s just so into it all right now that he’s lost the importance of perspective – right now, it feels like we all like one song by Hashemian, and that one song’s DNA continues to get recycled and repackaged to seem like it’s something new when it’s really not. Lyrically he’s got great ideas and a wonderfully positive mindset – like, I’d be the first to tell you I’d want to live in a world designed by Hashemian, but music, melody, and method-wise, I just feel like he’s not being all that mindful of how similar these songs all sound together.
Okay – “Move” came on and I could feel that inspired spark once again…the music makes an immediate impact, and it’s wonderfully inventive. I don’t know that I’ve found a ton of positives beyond that though. It’s still the same approach with how the dynamics of the verse & chorus work more or less, and to further complicate matters this time around, I just didn’t feel like this was a good representation of Ehson at his best when it came to his performance. Coloring a bit outside of the lines can be a good thing…heck, it can even be a crucial element of what endears us to the artists and bands we listen to – but it’s a fine line to walk. In my opinion, I think he’s probably gone a bit too far with how loose he’s chosen to sing this song, and the repetition of the main hook with the music becomes hypnotic in the wrong kind of way. To be truthful, I applaud the guy for even trying to work with music like he’s got here, because that’s by no means any kind of easy task…but in the end results, I think he’s still fallen short of the potential that a song this unique possesses by taking a similar approach to his vocals again.
If you really can’t hear the similarities in what you’re creating from track to track Ehson, that’s wildly problematic my friend. I was hoping for a “New Direction” when I saw the title of this song, because it’s never too late to change things up…but alas, we’re still treading water creatively. That’s not me saying I don’t like the way he sings this song, or most of them when it comes right down to it – he sings fine – but despite the different vibes you might experience in the music between tunes like “Move” and “New Direction,” so much remains the same. Like, for myself personally, every time I spun my way through “New Direction,” I was looking forward to getting to the 3:20 mark, where it’s basically just a series of vocalizations, but it’s Ehson doing something different than what we’ve already heard, and it’s SO WELCOME by this point in the record. It might seem like the tiniest of additions into a song, but he really hasn’t allowed himself to have too many moments like this where he simply lets the lyrics rest for a second, and just sings freely. To me, it was bloody refreshing…perhaps more than it should be, but that’s again largely due to how many similarities exist from song to song – doing anything different was bound to stand out here, because he’s practically got us begging for it. That being said, credit where credit is due, he gave us something extra here, and “New Direction” is likely one of the better tracks you’ll find on Message as a result of him stretching just the tiniest bit further creatively with his vocals. Bonus points for the kickass snare sound and the mellow vibes you’ll find in the music here overall too.
I like the release that comes with the chorus of “Should Have Seen,” it sounds cathartic for Hashemian. Other than that, I don’t man…what would you like me to say about this Ehson? Again, I’d ask you how a track like this made with the same approach could elicit any kind of different response from me, or more importantly, further the art and music you create? I hate to be the guy that asks the tough questions, but I think you’ve gotta take some time and reflect on what the goals really are. I get that you’re doing all you do on your own and that there can be some limitations in going that route – but most of those limitations are self-imposed as a result of moving too quickly. As in, you could do more with your music in terms of its creativity, dynamics, melody, and structure if you gave yourself more time and were a bit more willing to experiment. From the outside looking in, it’s really hard to not view Message as a fairly one-note kind of record when the variation between songs is so hard to identify, or simply non-existent. “I should have seen it coming, but I had no way of knowing, which way it was all going,” as he sings on “Should Have Seen” – and that’s kind of the truth behind the making of this whole record, because he’s so deep into what he’s doing that he’s somewhat lost the plot and lost sight of what the goals should be.
On the brightest of sides, there’s tremendous consistency in Hashemian’s music; even when the sound or style of a song changes, you can bank on him continuing to do a lot of the same things. For those that dig what they hear, or don’t need a ton of diversity in what they’re listening to or that many changes on the inside of how a song is structured, I’d suppose there are some benefits in that. I mean, identity-wise, Hashemian’s got a TON – you couldn’t possibly mistake this guy for anybody else, and of course there’s value to be found in that as well. Having said that…I don’t know that I can find much justification for a track like “Something With It.” I dig the Psychedelic-Jazz combination in the music, it reminds me a lot of what we hear in Polyphonic Exophilia’s music, but without the needed variation or dynamics after it kicks into full gear. Ehson’s made this set of tunes tougher to reach for a repeat, because they’re so repetitive by design…and man…an artist with the remarkable creative he’s capable of has gotta snap outta this! The rhyme scheme alone in “Something With It” would make me pick this song up off the cutting room floor just to chuck it outside the window and make sure that it can’t hurt anyone anymore.
Quick intro, shift into the song at its fullest, continue to repeat without establishing differences in the music from verse to chorus, and trying to compensate for that through the vocals instead…Ehson – ask yourself this…how much of what you personally listen to is constructed in a similar way? I’d be willing to bet not much, if any at all. The double-edged sword here, is that of course there’s value in going your own way and doing your own thing as an artist – I not only get that, but I respect that too. The flipside of the coin is that there’s often a valid reason as to why certain things just aren’t done in a widespread manner, and if you’re doing something that people can’t grasp or connect with, you should probably change something up. Only Hashemian knows for sure what the situation is. If people are listening and they can’t get enough, obviously I’d be the first to tell you to disregard every single thing I’ve said so far – but if they’re not…well…then maybe there’s something to what I’m saying my friend. Sometimes you can still get lucky…like, I still think the initial impact of “Alright” is brilliant for the gateway into Message, and I think the chorus of “Somewhere” is special too, even though Ehson’s arguably still employing the same methods that he started the record with in most ways. I’m not going as far as to say I love the lyrics he’s written into that chorus, because I don’t – but I do like the rhythm of the pattern he settles into very much. You take the good, you take the bad, and there you have another critic’s opinion – isn’t that how the song goes? It never matters what I say at the end of the day – if you like what you’re doing, I’m always going to tell you to keep on doin’ it…just be wary of the fact that in this particular corner of the internet, I gotta call things like I hear them. I like “Somewhere” better than most I’d say.
Ugh…nope. Nope, nope, nope! I can’t do the music on “Too Good To Be True,” like, at all. Even IF it had some additional dynamics or changed it up from its monotonous repetition somehow…if the core pattern was still the main aspect of “Too Good To Be True,” there’d still be no way I could do it. There are a few times a year where I just have to shake my head and wonder what someone was thinking when they created a song, and Ehson my man, this is indeed one of those times. I definitely think you were nuts for thinking this one would work, and at nearly six minutes in length? That’s madness bro, straight up. Listening to this song has the same effect you used to get from having a vinyl record skip back to the same part you just heard over and over and over again…I’m just not hearing any degree of legitimate accessibility here Ehson…I have no idea how listeners would be able to get into this…sorry. The main hook in the vocals…the one line at the end where you sing “if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is” works well, but at that point it’s like throwing a tenth life preserver to a drowning man. It’s definitely a case of doing way too much with way too little & still not enough at the same time.
I was thankful to get to “What It’s About” in the sense that it meant “Too Good To Be True” was finally done. Sometimes I get amused by the lower tones of Ehson’s vocals…he could be a dead ringer for Jim Morrison if he wanted to start a cover band for the music of The Doors. Umm…hmm…Ehson, I’ve gotta be honest with you dude, I think the repetition inside the songs and the similarities in what you do is starting to water down the magic of what you’re capable of. I go into listening to every record with the hope that I can be right in the corner of the artist or band I’m checking out, but I’m not hearing enough from you on Message. I want the best Ehson Hashemian music I can get, because at your best, brother you are a real creative force to be reckoned with…but it continually sounds like the inspiration we once loved in your music has gone fully stagnant. I’m not saying that to be mean, I’m saying it to be helpful. I like the pleasantness in the spirit of a song like “What It’s About,” and if it was a single, I’d be even more into it. In the context of being in a lineup where it’s surrounded by songs made with similar DNA, it’s so much tougher to appreciate that parts that might be appealing, because we’ve kinda heard everything that Hashemian is gonna do by this point in the album already. “I said enough is enough” – I felt that.
It’s easy to get discouraged…I understand that, and I’m never here with the intention of bursting someone’s bubble. It’s important to remember that he’s really only about four years into releasing his music as a professional artist online…and those of you that have been in the game much longer than that know precisely how early that is in the context of a full career. Hashemian still has so much to learn and a ton of room to evolve in the music he makes, but let’s not gloss over the fact that he’s got a style of his own and a whole bunch of positives he can build around as he moves forward with his music from here. We all get reviews we don’t like at times – myself included, I’m no different, people generally don’t have any hesitation in criticizing a critic, it comes with the territory – but it’s not about getting feedback we don’t like so much as what we choose to do with it. If it seems like it comes from a trusted or valid source, then maybe there’s something there that you want to look at. If it’s just coming straight out of left field, maybe they’re hearing something different than you, but at least they’re being honest about what they’re telling you, or the truth as they hear it. If the advice is coming from somebody that simply never likes anything at all, well…you can put those opinions straight into the trash bin as far as I’m concerned. I maintain, I want nothing but success for Ehson, because he seems like a great guy and he’s got a unique sound that I enjoy – I merely think he needs to adjust his approach to songwriting and structure, that’s all. Seems like a lot, but it’s not really…he’s got all the fundamentals down pat and he’s got the kind of talent & creative vision that could take him a long way if he’s willing to put the work into making the changes he’d need to in terms of the dynamics that songs need in order to be memorable. Right now, we’re all still bound to remember the name of Ehson Hashemian more so than any single song by name, because it’s the artist that has all the identity, and not the songs as currently constructed. Still, every now and then, almost in spite of his own approach, he’ll come up with an “Alright” or “When There Was You,” and you could easily find yourself addicted to one of his tunes, even despite their flaws. Like…I’m not saying he couldn’t put in a stronger performance with his vocals on “When There Was You” – in fact, I’m positive he could…but like I said, there’s a charm to his whole swagger and vibe that can be tremendously appealing when it hits you in just the right way, which this final track definitely did to me. So while I’ve gotta push back on the Message overall and the methods taken to how it had been made, there are still all kinds of positives to build on. “One day it’ll all work out,” like he sings on “When There Was You”…and I highly suspect he’s right about that. He knows full well what he can do and what he’s capable of – and so do I – in my opinion, he’s at that point where he really needs to challenge himself as an artist, tap back into his love for making music, and really reach for that next significant breakthrough.
Find out more about Ehson Hashemian from his official website at: https://ehsonh.com
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