A New Release From Blunt Objects
Bill Owens, with his project entitled Blunt Objects, has delivered an utterly unique experience with Shady Shadows, a psychedelic electronic rock odyssey. There’s nothing better than an album which opens with a powerful intro which makes it abundantly clear what to expect from the record as a whole. You’ve got to grab the listener in those ever-important opening seconds, and Bill Owens does a fantastic job of that on the opener, “My Best Friend.” Driven by distorted, effects-washed, sitar-esque guitar twangs, there are punchy tom-toms on an electronic drum kit and huge swelling synths which honestly transported me to another universe. It’s a soothing journey, but it’s also a fascinating one — Bill Owens has some impressive skills as a producer, and there’s no doubt about that.
His singing voice also suits the style of the instrumentation perfectly. His soft, delicate, husky-voiced style melds with the washed-out, electronic, floaty instrumentation of his tracks. On “I’m Going to Hell,” which seems like it might be a haunting tune with such an intense title, Owens delivers another gentle, psychedelic trip. I love the vocal hook in the chorus, and there’s a satisfying synth chord progression. The blips and bleeps of the sharp lead synth riff really meshed well with the atmospheric foundations of the track, surprisingly. Nothing felt harsh or clunky about this song. Every note is exactly as intended, as is every instrument. Again, Owens really flexes his production skills on this track.
There are some fantastic tracks on the back-end of this joyous, ethereal record too. “Need to Be” is driven by muted, tom-tom-heavy electronic drumming and twanging, flanger-washed electric guitar chords. There’s a lovely chord progression to this track; an element of melancholy slips through the cracks, here and there. Perhaps, at moments, the melody even seems haunting. But Owens always returns to a contented vibe, and the psychedelia never wavers for a second. That’s what I love about his latest release. It’s consistent. Every track is clearly part of the same piece of art, and yet they each stand on their individual merits. A brilliant album.
