New Music You Should Be Listening To While Hibernating: Part Three
Featuring Connecticut musicians: Stadia, Snowpiler and Chad-Browne Springer.
STADIA
“Mood Ring”
Okay...so...this music isn’t technically “new” but it is new to me. I did not know this album was out; and just as someone directed me to it, I am doing the same to you. Dylan Healy is a multi-talented musician out of Hartford, CT. After booking countless events, putting out releases with Funnybone Records and making sure every band has what they need, he is finally putting his own art in the spotlight that it deserves. Considering that Mood Ring is his debut album since it is the first thing they have put out under the name Stadia, the album is as dreamlike as its name. Short and sweet with only five songs, yet this album feels more weighted than just an EP. It has a full story, pull, and weight to it.
Dylan recently filled me in on where exactly Mood Ring comes from and it truly is freaking interesting. Track one, Dumb Birds, tells an immaculate true story about what went down on a dark night in March of 1937. I was awestruck to learn about the muse of this story, but I do not kiss and tell. You listen and tell me what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Dylan has some of the most interesting and special; descriptive and poetic lyric writing I have heard in a long, long time. My favorite lyrics are the ones that spin a story like gold, weaving in and out. They don’t slap you in the face with shock, but make you guess, and wonder and stay up all night pondering. They are what they are to you.
One of my favorite tracks on the album, “Tiny You in a Prism,” has so many special parts. Beautiful vocal overlapping, interesting synth tones, trailing piano lines, concluding in an extremely cohesive and full song. Not sounding dense or like they didn’t know when to stop adding tracks, each addition is perfectly placed- the true sign of a good musician. We can all add tracks for days, harmonies for months, and layers for weeks, but to know when to stop, to put the guitar down and be happy with the sounds takes skill- and Stadia shows an extreme precision in knowing when to walk away. No heavy hands around.
Back to the song…..This track is a nod to Bossa Nova (Brazilian music, which was developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s and is today one of the best-known Brazilian music styles abroad). Rooted in their culture, this type of new wave music finds itself scattered throughout the album, but finds its heart and home in “Tiny You in a Prism.”
My favorite section comes in at 1:26 where we experience a shift and breakdown of tempo. All of a sudden we’re pulled to a different world. Coaxing deep into our thoughts and feelings, I do repeat the song at nauseam just to hear it again and again and go to the place in my brain that is not often visited. Thank you for taking me there.
To say Stadia has some good friends work on this album with him would be a massive understatement. Featuring Daniel Carr from Greetings (Drums, Bass), Dave Bugnacki of Namesake and Pearl Sugar (Drums, Bass), Justin Holden of Eddie Jowels and Kevin Human (Synths, Organs, Sampling), Ashly LaRosa of Figurine (Harmonies) and Jack Riley of Niamh (Piano), this is a powerhouse of talent.
A lot of love went into this album, taking 3 years in total to write and record. Parts were recorded at multiple places including Hartford, Torrington, and Albany before the masterpiece utilized brothers Daniel and Tommy Carr of Blind Moose Studios (an amazing studio, an awesome space, a loveable place!!) to bring the pieces to life.
SNOWPILER
“Compiler”
We all know I am a huge Snowpiler fan. This is not a surprise. I love every single person in the band. Great hearts, extraordinary talents, and wonderful spirits, their music is who they are. This album release of “Compiler” is no different. For forever fans or new listeners, this piece deserves a few minutes out of your day.
Let's start with my favorite- Bread and Blade. I am so, so upset this song was not on Spotify earlier because I would have been making this band millions with the copious amounts of listens I have given this song. When Nick first showed me the song, I didn’t believe he had written it. It was unlike anything I had ever heard and really was my first toe dip into their sound. The sentiment still holds- their sound is untouchable, and altogether them. Immediately after the first listen, I didn’t say any praise. I didn’t say what I liked or disliked. All I said was, “Play It Again.” We listened to it a total of three times in the car ride in silence before Nick finally said enough was enough. I loved it. I was slightly obsessed with the place it took me. The rocking warmth of the beginning essence, pulling you deeper into the feeling and the place and the musicianship that is Snowpiler.
“Untitled” has always gone hand in hand with Bread and Blade for me. The way Restivo experiments with every single part of his voice is truly exciting and shows a lot of practice finding and perfecting these areas of the voice.
I will say- lots of times, Nick's lyrics fly right over my head, and I think that gives a huge nod to him as a person. He loves symbolism, metaphors, and tires easily of the straightforward lifestyle, and his lyrics encapsulate that idea. There is a reason he wrote them, and a meaning for him, sure, and you might know it. But the best thing about it, and what he offers, is an outlet for you to decide what they mean to you.
Do NOT forget to play the acoustic version of Tepid before you turn off for the night. I will say, this version, S L A P S. A loaded word without much descriptive quality. What I mean is, it puts you right into your feels. It creeps up on you so quickly and all of a sudden you're driving down the road thinking about your first EX and wondering what they're doing now. I am not saying it makes you sad, but it creeps into your hippocampus, where you stored your deepest memories away- and brings them to life with extreme revelation. I love how demure some of the guitar parts are that usually have extreme edges. (Like at 2:02). This is usually the part of the song that starts to go WHACK ( Like moshing section worthy. ) (Which-for the record-I love). BUT- this is such a nod to it. What I also love about this version, which other writers have touched on (Yes- CTverses, doing the lord's work), this isn't just some shady acoustic version, that is the description of the word- taking all parts out except guitar and vocals. This offers so much more. A 6 foot deep hole inside Restivo’s brain where this song came from. The intricacies, the special moments, and never before seen sections.
If that does not make you wanna listen, Tim Marzik and Mike Held should be a big enough draw.
Chad Browne-Springer
“Lakeside”
This. Song. Is. IT!
If the immediate timbre of Springer’s voice doesn't pull you in within the first few seconds on this song, the sensual, vibrant and fresh sounds will. Reminding me of M83’s electronic flare mixed with the immense vocal talent of Thirdstory topped with heart and soul, this is the first of many clear hits for Chad Browne-Springer.
I have seen Chad perform a few times with a Connecticut favorite, Greetings. I always loved that band but never knew Chad had a solo project, and BOY am I GLAD to finally know. This is what solo performance is all about.
The initial 20 seconds make me feel like I am in a bubble starting at the bottom of a pool of water and making my way up. On my way up, this song comes to life. The thoughts are in slow motion, coming to the listener in a digestible and lucid way, like floating. At 1:05, the listener finally surfaces to find an entirely different world filled with new instruments while Chad's voice wails over the music, gliding in and out using repetition of words and music to find a perfect blend of rhythm and blues.
I love Chad’s mix of electronic and soul throughout his entire collection.
The outro of this song is probably my favorite part of the entire song, and it is well worth the wait. As I have preached over and over again, patience is what makes or breaks a song. Chad has absolutely perfected the art of patience and it is clear in this song.
Do yourself a damn favor, and go check this artist out. Donate. Buy their music. Become their biggest fan. You won’t regret it.
Please reach out to these artists and fall in love with their music and their huge hearts. Consider donating and purchasing their albums. In a time where live music is paused, virtual presence is everything.