Dosser, Joe Adhemar, & The Shed Project
Could this be a mix of punk and shoe gaze? Is it grunge or noise rock? I don’t know, but it’s a melodic wall of sound that mesmerizes my meandering mind. Deceptively infectious without feeling too repetitive, “Joy Thief” by Dosser is a force to be reckoned with. Believe me, I reckoned with its force and I am happy to report that it is your turn! Lush and loud are the guitars that spread out like a star-filled blanket of sky. So wide, in fact that I checked to make sure my cat didn’t move my speakers across the room. The sonic richness is intensified by vocalist Bret Lanahan, whose breathy-yet-powerful voice finds just the right notes to make the guitars sound even huger…er, more huge…um, really effing big! Did I mention that the rhythm section is solid and ppphat? Well, it is. As a song that deals with mental health concerns, this tune serves as a giant sonic hug for the dysfunctional brain and displaced soul. I feel seen. -Mark Grider
Joe Adhemar’s “When Our Lungs are Empty” is a slow burner; it is a mellow banger that conjures instant images of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms,” and more or less anything from The Boatman’s Call, by Nick Cave (and also, interestingly, a kind of hungover Roger Waters vibe). The truly remarkable thing is that, in spite of (or maybe because of) this cascade of musical references that smothers the listener’s senses off the bat, Joe makes it entirely his own. The production is, quite frankly, flawless and the progression is masterful and while the vocal performance is humble and understated, it is honestly the best we have ever heard from Adhemar, which, as prolific and talented as he is, is saying something… Once again, the album, About the Soul, is excellent and well worth your time, but “When Our Lungs Are Empty” is absolute proof that Joe Adhemar’s own soul is something quite special. -Lewca
Off the back of their debut album, The Curious Mind of a Common Man, the boys from Bolton, better known as The Shed Project, have released “If You Know You Know” (with the promise of more to come), and they are taking no prisoners. The production is pretty epic, and a step up from previous endeavors. The lyrics, while expressing an “everyone has something to say” theme, also evidently demand a place at the table with the big boys, and you can almost feel their frustration with the music industry in the guitar licks that ignite the song. These guys simply refuse to be left behind, but if the train leaves without them, so be it; they will burn down the entire station. -Lewca