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“To thine own fuzz pedal be true. Just a bit of advice from this stranger,” so says, Federale’s Collin Hegna. Okay, the quote is taken out of context, but it got your attention, right? What he is really saying here is that it is up to you to live the life you want; no one else will do it for you; in fact, many will stand in your way, but it is all you can do; it is all that you MUST do. I love the sentiment. I also love the ambiguity of the title – perhaps simultaneously saying, don’t take advice from a stranger and also, take it from one who knows, i.e. him.
Here, Collin, himself a long-standing member of the illustrious Brian Jonestown Massacre, surrounds himself with the great and good of the Portland music scene, a rarified and respected bunch, sporting resumes that align them with everyone from Mission Spotlight and Rogue Wave to The Decemberists and The Lumineers, and the infamous Dandy Warhols, and given the exploritory and experimental nature of those concerned, it is understandable that there is no small amount of psychedelic-rock vibes being brought to bear here.
Fuzzed-out guitars and resonant reverb are the order of the day, indicating that it is to earlier garage rock bands such as The Pretty Things and The Electric Prunes, that Hegna looks for inspiration. But things are never that simple, and there is also plenty of Morricone-esque spaghetti western vibes drifting through, not to mention a dark, post-punk gothic chill.
Do your own thing—be who you want to be. Embrace the life you wish for. It is precisely what Federale does by making this sort of music in the modern age. So take so advice from this stranger and do the same. What’s the worst that can happen?
“Advice From A Stranger” is out on 19th June, taken from their forthcoming sixth album, Reverb and Seduction which follows on 12th July and which also marks the band’s 20th anniversary in the music making business.
Reverb & Seduction album order
Bandcamp
Apple Music
Spotify
Advice From a Stranger single order
