Wow, that’s how you kick off an album, and as a recent single, ‘Rattle Stones’ emerges out of a swirl of arabesque vibes, crashing cymbals and rising anticipation; this feels honest, authentic and just the right blend of the fresh and familiar. And indeed it is, a modern, kick-arse rock and roll salvo with a touch of the old school in the engine room. Consider me engaged. Fully engaged.
But even by song three, ‘Live Your Mind,’ a more measured slice of pop vibes and rock verve, Dylan Taganas signals that he is a lot more than a one-trick pony. ‘Talking ‘Bout Fire’ wanders between spaciousness and sonic punch, ‘Was It You Who Did That?’ reminds me somewhat of Billy Joel, if he were starting today and wielding a guitar rather than a piano and Rolling Heavy Thunder, as the title might suggest, ends on a heavy and heady foot-on-the-monitor, stadium-ready rock and roll high.
Taganas clearly knows the not-so-secret truth: pop and rock aren’t the sworn enemies people have always made them out to be; there is a sweet spot on the Venn Diagram of music where the infectiousness of the former and the groove and grind of the latter meet, where melody and muscle mix. Not many artists find their way to that sacred sonic space, but if they do, they will find Dylan Taganas chilling out there, looking like the rock-and-roll cat that got the pop cream!
