PK Dwyer – Loud & Clear
PK Dwyer – Loud & Clear – Album Review
Alright…I might be able to do this!
As I listened to the way that “The End Of Time (Parts 1&2)” started up PK Dwyer’s new album Loud & Clear, I couldn’t help but think to myself that if the Blues was a lot more like this, I’d more than likely be into it. PK sounds AWESOME as this opening track gets going…it’s almost like “The End Of Time (Parts 1&2)” could be just as easily categorized as some form of Hillbilly Punk just as much as it could be considered to be the Blues/Folk combo that it is. I love artists with genuine character, and clearly PK is loaded up with a metric ton of that. Character ain’t about sitting there polishing up things until they’re shiny and bright…it’s not about making sure you’re not a millisecond off in the timing department…it’s not even really about having the easiest sound to like or about the most accessible vibes – it’s way more about a form of expression that’s unique to yourself, and being unafraid to go all in on it. Trust me folks, you’re gonna have a listen to “The End Of Time (Parts 1&2)” and you’ll know exactly what I mean – it’s rough around the edges without a doubt, but I honestly couldn’t care less about any of that. Aside from the fact that it’s likely intentional to begin with, all that technical mumbo jumbo comes in a distant second place to character & personality when it comes to the art & craft of makin’ music. PK Dwyer starts his new record sounding like the dude you probably passed by busking on the street, pouring out his heart & soul to a bunch of people at the top of his lungs, right there displaying his talent in front of everybody in the light of day, yet somehow remaining anonymous at the very same time. He’s got no problem havin’ a little fun when he’s singing and playing, and that kind of energy connects right to us.
The question is, what’s he gonna do for an encore? Could he get away with the approach you hear on “The End Of Time (Parts 1&2)” over the course of a full nine tracks? Honestly, it’s hard to say. I know he’s got my attention, and I’m interested…so we’ll see where this goes as he shifts into a more low-key, melodically-based track with “& If It’s Alright” afterwards. Again, beyond anything else, I’m impressed by the man’s confidence – it appears to be limitless when it comes time to perform and push record. He sounds like he’s got some of that natural bravado to him…like a Jack Black type of dude, you know what I mean? PK’s like…fully immersed in his own world of sound, but that actually has a wild & weird degree of appeal to it, sincerely. It’s a little ham-handed for sure…like I said from the start, the dude’s not all that concerned about a split-second on this side or the other when it comes to the metering and such, but am I the only one that feels like there’s something oddly endearing about this guy’s music? PK also has this like…grizzled wisdom & slight rasp in the way that he sings as well, which like…definitely works for me too. I’d reckon that a lot of folks out there will probably look at a song like “& If It’s Alright” as the ‘serious’ side of Dwyer’s sound…but truthfully, he’s somewhat of an expert at including a wide array of emotions and cleverness into the content he creates. “& If It’s Alright” does sound like it’s a bit more grown-up, so to speak, and I guess that’s a bit rarer of a vibe when it comes to this record overall, but at the end of the day, it also gives this track the potential to reach a few more listeners with its differences.
“Federal Way” has him slidin’ around, playin’ some harmonica for ya…you know, the quintessential ingredients you tend to expect somewhere in the Blues albums that you listen to. Important to note, everything you’re listening to is all PK Dwyer…the man is a one-man band all to himself, and he seems to have no problem handling all that’s included. It’s one of those things…when you do what you do, and you do it the way that you’d do without compromise or worrying about how someone else would do it, then you end up with your own signature style, which is exactly what Dwyer has got. Even after listening to just this one record, I can promise you this – I’d never mistake ANY other artist out there for PK Dwyer. Love him or hate him, honestly, it doesn’t affect what is clearly a one-of-one type of sound. The amount of identity this dude possesses, is freakin’ staggering…the man’s loaded with authenticity, and that’s EXTREMELY tough to achieve, especially when you’re rooted in the Blues genre as well. I like “Federal Way,” but by track three, I do start to notice that this record will probably appeal to me more when I’m in certain moods than others. Like, I don’t know that Loud & Clear is really built for everyday listening, but in the right time & place, he’ll get a lot of mileage out of these songs and people will listen. He even gets a bit political in “Federal Way,” and I dig that…we seem to be like-minded in that regard.
Things start moving a bit quicker and the songs get a lot shorter in the mid-section of this record. I listen to “Never Had A Chance” and I can’t help but smile…PK Dwyer is basically a musical madman in his own right, and he’s completely in his element. For real – this guy just goes where the music takes him, and he’s happy to take the ride…heck, I suspect he’s even happier when we’re out there taking it with him. “Never Had A Chance” is the kind of cut that actually speaks pretty strongly on behalf of the guy’s vocals – when Dwyer wants to play it all straight ahead, he sounds great, and accessible enough for the masses. There’s a very good chance that this would be up there with my favorite tracks on the album. Whenever he sings “even though you knew that it was wrongggggggg” for the first time, I pretty much can’t get enough of that moment, and I suspect that I never will. These shorter tracks really start to bring out the quirkier, innovative, and creative side of PK’s music even more than we’ve already been exposed to, which is really saying something, but it’s the gospel truth. “Never Had A Chance” is a freakin’ fantastic example of how much character and depth the man can pack into an idea through his music and vocals.
As far as “The Ode” is concerned…I mean…you know…it’s alright. Look – my job isn’t to stand up here on my soapbox and create the illusion that you’re about to stumble onto pure gold with this record – that’s not how I feel about it. Would I stop and listen to PK Dwyer rant and rave at me live from the stage or the corner of the city street? You bet your ass I would. As a performer, he’s extremely memorable. The material itself…is less so. Honestly, that’s not even a slight really – we all have our strengths, and PK’s is absolutely, 100%, inarguably his ability to perform. It isn’t like “The Ode” is some kind of massive downgrade compared to the rest of the content on the record…that’s not what I’m saying. Is it a little more forgettable? Probably. At less than two minutes in length, there’s really not too much else that could have been done with it. I suppose it’s kind of like “The Ode” didn’t have the same strength in its starting blocks, so while the execution is still at the same standards as the rest when it comes to how it’s performed & how it sounds, there’s just less space for this song to do all that much.
Oh, but there we go, he’s got the harmonies workin’ for him on “Half Naked Woman.” LISTEN to this guy go after the verses in this song will ya? I love the way he sings this song, and then the additional harmonies in the chorus actually made a huge impact in raising the stakes even higher. I’d be surprised if “Half Naked Woman” didn’t end up being a fan favorite for the people out there – it’s just genuine fun, and it felt like PK really leaned into that in how he approached recording it. LOVE the way he comes out swinging so damn hard with the vocals as “Half Naked Woman” begins…and of course, lyrically, it’s also one of the most fun you’ll find on the album as well. Cleverness reigns supreme in this set-list, and it’s what makes his best material connect to us. “Half Naked Woman” is kind of like what you’d expect to find if you were about to tune into the new Adam Sandler goes Country/Blues album…the way that PK speeds up and slows down his vocals…it’s wild stuff to listen to. He is clearly a man that takes life on at his own pace, and so that same theory, method, and approach gets applied to the music he makes.
On tracks like “You Pulled The World Out From Under Me,” you almost have to wonder if Dwyer is like, the Country/Folk/Blues cousin of Tom Waits somehow. He’s an endless oddball, and clearly proud to be exactly that…but at the same time, he’ll throw in these remarkably insightful lyrics every so often that confirm he’s by no means any kind of accidental genius. Perhaps that’s what you’ll love about listening to this album as much as I did – the intentionality that’s at work here. Right when you think PK is about to careen straight on over a cliff of craziness, he’ll reign himself in and prove he was in control the whole damn time. I don’t know much, but I know it hurts when the chair gets pulled out from under ya – so we can only imagine that PK is singing his pain out loud on “You Pulled The World Out From Under Me.” It’s a love-song of sorts, while also being a breakup tune as well…that kind of bittersweet combination that can’t hide the love, but really can’t hide the hurt either. It’s tracks like this, where I feel like you might get a bit more of a glimpse of the real man behind the music more-so than the rest of the set-list. I think tracks like “& If It’s Alright” highlight a bit of the more mature side of his sound, sure – but I also feel like there’s a raw honesty in the lyricism on “You Pulled The World Out From Under Me” that you really won’t find in any other song, even if it seems like it’d be on that same side of more mature style of sound. I like Dwyer when he’s having fun, no doubt about that – but this is probably my favorite track.
It’s like drunken music being made while completely sober…that’s the way to describe PK Dwyer’s music, yes indeed. “The Message” starts expanding the length of the final two tracks back to where the album started…it’s just the middle four or five that start to get a whole lot shorter. This entire record has really been a testament to the power of personality, and though its ingredients have been extremely minimal along the way, the tone and clarity has been superb. Many thanks to Garey Shelton, who handled the majority of the tasks from behind the studio boards as far as the mixin’ & masterin’ are concerned – but between the two of’em, you’ll “hear the message, loud & clear” from start to finish on this record. “The Message” is a gentle cut, but kind of anthemic at the same time. Like, I feel like if he were to play this song live, this would be that lighters-up moment and a highlight in the set. For as odd as his delivery can often seem (and often is), there’s something special about “The Message” that feels like it captures the real essence of what makes music move us, and brings us all together to sing it out loud. I’m all about it. As bizarre and anti-typical as so much of this record is, some of the gems that it reveals along the way are bound to be the kind of music that really means something different to each and every listener in a very individual way. Maybe it’s for the masses, maybe it’s not…honestly, I don’t really have too much of an opinion on that – PK’s on the fringe without a doubt – but I do really believe that he’s got a unique vibe of his own that sincerely connects on tracks like “The Message” and I feel like tracks like this have the power to bolster the overall appeal of his music and the way it will be received.
Wrapping it up with “Wish I Was In Paris,” PK starts musing about how he wished he was in the city eating a croissant and drinking espresso & such…and hey, why not, right? We’ve all gotta write about something. Just because it’s his LAST opportunity on this particular record to speak his mind to ya one more time doesn’t mean he should use that space to say something any more important than what he’d like to eat and drink. He’s free to do as he pleases, and rightfully so. “Is that too much to ask?” No my good man, no it is not. I truly wish everybody out there embraced their time like you’ll hear Dwyer doing on Loud & Clear…it is very far and few between that you hear someone get after it all like he does, and while I’m probably still not entirely convinced that’s gonna be the recipe to get everybody onboard, I do think there’s an intangible X-factor in an artist like PK Dwyer that makes his quirky music well worth listening to. He obviously wasn’t like the other kids in the sandbox when he was growing up, you feel me? Artists like PK have no qualms about blazing their own trails, because they honestly don’t even look at things through that lens…they’re here to do what they do, because they love doin’ it, that’s it, that’s all. If it happens to brighten your day as much as his, or you wanna sit down to have a listen for yourself, there’s plenty of space for you to do exactly that. Just make sure you do the right thing if you pass by PK Dwyer on the street performing live…if that guitar case is open wide, you know what to do.
Find out more about PK Dwyer from his official website at: https://www.pkdwyer.com
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