Justin John Scheck

Missouri-based artist Justin John Scheck has just released a new album titled "The Sparrow’s Morning War Cry," which he calls “an ode to grunge, industrial music, blues rock, and trip-hop. It’s the third of four concept albums in a series called “The Blue Collar Diaries.” Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Scheck has bounced around the Midwest ever since, working with various bands including The Cordeliers and Crooks and Children.
He’s spent the last 10 years as a musical hermit, and this album features Scheck playing guitar and keyboards by himself. He describes this album as “sometimes melancholy dance music, and sometimes nearly all string arrangements and choir sections.” Conceptually, the album deals with Scheck’s struggles with mental illness and addiction, with all proceeds donated to Hope House in Kansas City. “The Sparrow's Dreams” starts with a drumbeat seemingly created by scraping concrete (it also works as an earwax cleaner!). Single piano notes and vocal-sounding synths embrace Fripp-like fuzz guitar figures. The sprechtsang vocals are every bit as distorted as the electric guitar. Scheck’s vocal quality is similar to Bowie at his most unhinged, with the lyrics unfolding as one long, unbroken chain. Scheck’s imagery and wordplay are fascinating, though NSFW.
“Rebirth (But You)” is a mass of funereal keyboards seemingly suspended in space, shortly joined by more of that amazingly sustained fuzz lead and an occasional kick drum. The interplay between keys and guitar is a thing of wonder, and only improved with the background howling. “The Sea Is Red” has more of a plodding beat and is thick with retro keys and overloaded guitar, on top of which sits Scheck’s most avuncular and melodic vocals thus far, maybe because our humble narrator is apparently dead. “There’s nothing left to say / The Sea is red and I am dead / I’m singing from the grave.” Weirdly, this is a very pop song at heart. “Of Us From Us” startles with a funk-hip-hop arrangement that seems half made up of dub-style echoes. There are lyrics about ballroom dancing, but they sound like they’re coming from across the ballroom floor from another dead or dying singer. Nonetheless, it’s an intriguing and fun track. “It’s A Cryin’ Shame” doesn’t sound like the Velvet Underground or early Zappa but takes those kinds of chances. Again, we have the germ of a fairly conventional rock or blues track pushed to the absolute edge where the world feels dark, murky, and dangerous. It’s the blues the same way The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was the blues. I like it!
“Beneath The Waves” is built on tumbling drums, titanic synth pads, and quavery guitars supporting a pleading, otherworldly vocal from “a pile of bones and ghosts.” There’s even, I believe, a shoutout to “Helter Skelter.” “Out Of Sorts” starts with a gorgeous piano sequence atop plodding drums. In the context of this album, it feels like cocktail hour! Soon the melodic fuzz guitars and swooping synth sounds are back, along with another vocal track that reminded me of Bowie’s German Period. Weirdly, this is yet another track that could easily be commercial pop with a couple of layers stripped away. “She Said” is a guitar-fest for anyone who can’t get enough of these strangled, suffering solos (that would be me!). There’s a touch of Radiohead angst here I really enjoyed. “My Soul” concludes the album with what certainly feels like early blues with screamed vocals and a simple backbeat. Having started with vocals only, it’s interesting when the backing instruments are added, as they are almost certainly not playing anything you would have expected. It’s like an orchestral arrangement crossed with experimental rock plus a Halloween record.
The repeated imprecations of “I go down to the river to wash my sins away” is as unsettling as you’d imagine. This track certainly fits the artist’s description of “Tom Waits and Kurt Cobain go back to the 19th Century to teach pirates about music production.” Certainly a one-of-a-kind album, and a great trip for the brave among us!