My Life As A Bird “Willow”
San Jose musician Mike Keller has been keeping busy this year with two albums. March’s ‘The Cabana’ delivered an optimistic bounce that should appeal to Weezer fans, but his latest, “Willow,” takes a darker turn. After a brief intro, “Breaking Up” hits hard with fuzzy guitars, layered harmonies, and the raw emotion of a relationship falling apart. “Giving Misery” is another catchy gem, celebrating the peculiar comfort of being “in love with hating everything.” If ‘The Cabana’ is Keller’s nerdy “blue” side, ‘Willow’ feels like his heavier ‘Pinkerton.’
The bitterness runs deep, but Keller never loses his ear for melody. “Voicemail” captures the nagging feeling of trouble brewing inside your own head, while “Nicer” and “Faded Memories of Loved Ones” gradually move toward self-forgiveness. The album closes with “Little One,” a lullaby wrapped in a hazy wall of sound. Keller knows how to write a hook, but ‘Willow’ gives those hooks some emotional bruises. It’s a compelling, guitar-driven song cycle about the anger, resentment, and eventual acceptance that follow divorce. Highly Recommended.
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Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. “Hopium”
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, The Lickerish Quartet) has kept busy as an in-demand session player and producer, so finding time to make his own music is a welcome bonus for fans. His new album, ‘Hopium,’ splits its time between studio recordings and live tracks, including songs that have been brewing for years. Manning enlists a talented crew of friends, including Victor Indrizzo on drums, Steve Shane McDonald on bass, Jim Wilson on electric guitar, Ken Sluiter on mixing and mastering, and Jason Falkner on additional guitar, to bring these recordings to life.
The original material is top-notch, even if Manning occasionally lets his ideas run a little long. “Modern Dance (The After School Specials)” is a bouncy, instantly appealing single about parenthood, while “My Magic Bicycle” and “Wish Away” take the scenic route with the kind of imaginative storytelling and melodic magic heard on his ‘The Land of Pure Imagination’ album. These are the highlights, delivering the eccentric charm and sophisticated pop craftsmanship we expect from Manning. The live tracks, recorded at the 2018 International Pop Overthrow, sound great, too. ‘Hopium’ offers plenty for longtime fans to enjoy while we wait for Manning’s next round of power pop wizardry.