When I heard Billy Traxler’s single “Disarray” a couple of months ago, I had to admit that it was a breath of fresh air in a world of tried and tested templates, conformist songwriting, and comfort zone music. Not only was its musing on government incompetence refreshingly honest, but the music also took the singer-songwriter sound into some wonderfully adventurous territory. And it did what any advanced single should always do: it made me want to know more, and it made me want to hear the album to follow. Well, that day is upon us.
Of course, the great thing about being presented with a song that sounds wonderfully of itself, and an artist not trying to follow a fad or fashion, is that you don’t know what to expect from the album that it calls home. And that is a rare and fantastic place to find yourself. Okay…I’m going in.
“Resistance is All” opens things up, its defiant message running on some suitably soulful grooves, an echo of the awareness-raising, fist-in-the-air vibe of the Conscious Soul movement of the late ’60s and early 70s, the same powerful punch wrapped in a velvet glove.
There are more rock-driven sounds, such as the stomp and gnash, and the relentless forward momentum of “Spartan,” and the gnarly riffs that neatly contrast the mellifluous vocals of “Killer Wave,” a song about _“reacting, reactions, and the repercussions of those reactions. “Busy Being Snowflakes” is a shimmering indie piece that addresses the modern political landscape’s love of being outraged by the insignificant, and things end with the perfect mix of pop accessibility, indie cool, and rock drive, with the gorgeously groovy “Shout Out.” There is even room for a song about the dangers you face every time you take the bins out.
“Disarray” promised a great album to follow and Billy Traxler certainly delivered it.
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