Customer Reviews

The Distance

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... and once in a while, I find an artist whose work is truly inspiring... work that encapsulates the richness and scope of independently produced music available on line.

Still is a brilliant example.

Transplanted from Alaska to the wilds of Chatsworth, California, songwriter Wade Biery injects new blood into the pop/rock genre with an impressive command of his tools: Inventive melodies, great chops, unpretentious lyrics, and arrangements that are as tight as tight can be.

The opening track, "Live in Grey", opens with a fuzzy guitar riff that is a perfect counterpoint to an ardent opening statement... "it's a whole new world... life without a reason." Biery's voice rides the melody line like a waterfall cascading over each stanza. This voice is drawn from some deep underground well that pours out cold and clear... sometimes edgy with emotion, but always authentic. The song is driven along by lyrics that might be taken as dark if you just read them... but the delivery transforms the message into an anthem of hope in a dark, dark age. Not too many people can pull off this sort of irony without sounding pompous or silly. It's quite an accomplishment.

The second verse adds a beefy, intricate bass line to a wall of buzzsaw guitars, anchored on uncommonly intelligent, deftly handled drumming. The drum track sometimes seems on the verge of exploding with an energy that's impossible to fake... dancing on the edge, but always solid and fascinating. This song has a big, big sound - not just to hammer me over the head, but for all the reasons I occasionally like to turn up the stereo real loud and dance like a fool. The track doesn't pull you in, or even drag you in....It's more like a hurricane... a force of nature that one cannot dismiss or ignore. By the time we get to the chorus, I'm completely hooked... burning with a fever and glad to be alive.

The instrumental bridge is striking. Still uses this bridge to pull back for a moment, showcasing an unexpectedly serene and quiet point of view. I particularly like the subtle keyboard pads here. Nothing is wasted... everything fits just right.

To sum up: I can't say enough good stuff about this CD. I hope lots of people get to hear it. In the jaded, predictable, beat-up world of popular music, this is the kind of material that restores faith in just how good new music can be. Listen for yourself... you'll see.

About time I find some music I like. Well composed music if I do say so myself and I do. Hope they, well Mr. Biery keeps the tunes a comin'!