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#1
06-11-2018, 08:36 AM
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an excellent, song by song review of new Bats Brew album "Trouble"
an excellent, song by song review of new Bats Brew album "Trouble"
http://www.dogsoverlava.com/bats-bre...-album-review/ wanted to share this, because of the effort this reviewer went to cover the entire album, it's pretty cool! and maybe just enough to convince somebody to spring for a disc! heheh and for those scared of links, here's the body of the review: Bat’s Brew: Trouble – Album Review POSTED BY ROBERT GOBLE ON MAY 17, 2018 Somewhere in Lake Providence Louisiana, in an outbuilding of the Panola Pepper Corporation®, a literal stone’s throw from the Mississippi border and the mighty river, two Master Pepperists are engaged in a ritual conjuring that can only be described as Bat-Magik. Evoking the demon heat from a citrus mash of habaneros and jalapenos, they toast the Pepper Gods while reciting their final incantations. This Bat’s Brew is their signature blend of maximum fire – but that fire exists beyond heat because what it belies is a passion; a passion that soothes as much as it sears, and one that captures initiates and devotes who season life with its sacred drops till the tongue sparkles as much as the imagination. One such devotee is Louisiana born multi-instrumentalist Rob Gilliland. A Cajun heart, with roots that spread along the gulf, from Texas to the to the glades, Rob Gilliland writes and records music under the band name Bat’s Brew (inspired by his favorite hot-sauce). Rob’s signature sound has swampy Southern roots, but is equally situated in desert vistas or mountain retreats. Nowhere is this more apparent than his 2018 release: Trouble. Trouble is a beautiful guitar driven album, and its collection of songs can be enjoyed singularly or as a running narrative that is both personal and universal in theme. Like those spicy peppers grown along the fertile banks of the Mississippi, Rob’s life’s journey is equally peppered. He sings about love & loss, fire & passion, and rebirth & reconciliation with equal parts optimism and lament. His Trouble is an existential journey, and a musical tour-de-force that ultimately celebrates what it means to be alive. His lyrics are deeply personal and accessible, earnest and honest, and inspired by the wisdom of an artist reflecting on his life’s journey so-far while still at the height of his creative powers. Trouble, as a linear narrative, rewards the listener when it’s experienced in real-time, but as my feel for the journey evolved I returned to the album to listen to the songs in random order much like the cut-up poetics of the Beats. Each song stands on its own as a chapter that can be randomly stitched back into the narrative to create new stories and journeys. That’s what makes Trouble such an amazing existential experience in both form and content. Pair this with the music itself, and the quality of production, musicianship, and craft that is world class, and you have an album that rivals any I’ve heard this year. At its heart Trouble is a rock guitar inspired symphony of Southern flavor, and true to Rob’s inspiration is a virtual gumbo of influences ranging from Queen, The Sweet, Ry Cooder, & Jeff Beck, to the more diverse styling of Brand X, and bands Like ELP, Yes, and Heart. This album would be equally at home on the turntable of any classic or prog rock fan (or lover of guitar driven music) or any Southern blues inspired music fan that enjoys a solid boogie with lots of depth. Written and recorded over the course of a year, and meticulously demo’d prior to recording, Trouble came into being as current Utah resident Rob Gilliland & Texas based project drummer Brent Dacus swapped tracks back and forth until they had solid beds to work with. Rob then re-recorded the whole album; singing, playing, producing, mixing, and mastering it all himself. Sonically it sounds excellent and it’s very obvious that Rob spent a lot of time gain staging and crafting the mix. It has lots of punch and clarity, but also an incredible dynamic range that is neither exhausting or nor over-loaded. It’s a near perfectly recorded masterpiece with rich guitar tones and lots of swagger and swing, and is a testament to Rob’s creative vision and the years of work and musical training that he has behind him. Rob also designed the cover art, making him a true artist in every sense of the word. song by song descriptions here: http://www.dogsoverlava.com/bats-bre...-album-review/ I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with Trouble and Rob Gilliland’s Bat’s Brew. Early this year I decided that it was time to explore more new music for myself and I pledged to seek out music from artists that I had encountered online and in forums that had albums for sale. I wanted to try and replicate how I spent time with albums as a kid, giving the same level of time and attention to them as I did back in the day. I’ve been spinning Trouble for a month now, really digging in and trying to get to know it, and it keeps getting richer and richer for me as an experience. I’d encourage anyone to do the same with albums they purchase. It will help answer the question for many why they don’t seem to connect to music like they did growing up. The answer is more about how we’ve changed the way we listen to music. The quality and the number of amazing artists out there is better than ever – you just have to find them and put in the time getting to know them. Bat’s Brew is definitely a band that you can go all the way with. Trouble it is available for purchase on CDBaby and places like iTunes & Amazon. And if you’re into hot sauce, I’ve been told this stuff is like the elixir of life! 
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#2
06-13-2018, 01:21 PM
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the fruits of my labor of love.....
many years of reading and studying the music forums, listening to lots of other peoples work, watching vids..... learning how to mix, crafting the art of arrangement and song structure.... i've never aspired to crafting witty pop tunes.... rather, i've always wanted to write songs that were a bit unique, stuff that basically i wanted to hear.... songs with a definable sound, and style. i feel like i've mostly hit that target. 
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#3
06-18-2018, 09:44 AM
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a couple of the songs off the album,
to tie the review into https://soundcloud.com/bats-brew/bad...sing-bats-brew https://soundcloud.com/bats-brew/mel...-chauve-souris
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#4
06-22-2018, 12:11 AM
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Sounds great and very professional. Not my style to begin with, but I really enjoyed it. Love your French accent (I'm French). What makes it great for me is the ternary-swinging rythm (not sure if the word is "ternary" in English). Great job!
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#5
07-09-2018, 11:53 AM
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Quote:
thanks for listening, even if it's not your thing... that's cool. i'm not french! i just like the subject matter.....! Heheh
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