As big of a fan as I am of Allen Epley’s bands Shiner and The Life and Times, I have to admit that I’ve never been totally sure what set them apart, besides the names of the other folks in the credits. So when I heard that the space rock legend was releasing a solo record, I expected—in a good way—more of the same. Big guitars, slow tempos, and Epley’s lackadaisical drawl.
And while the second two are certainly present, Everything, his debut solo record, has a much more nuanced sonic palette than either of his primary projects. Acoustic guitars jangle lazily in place of fuzz pedals. Electric pianos, strings, and lap steels hang in the air in lieu of searing lead guitars. The volume rarely rises beyond a gentle roar.
He calls it “space country,” and it is simply delightful.
The idea for this project has a deceptively ancient history. When writing musical cues for a TV show, Epley realized how many of those ideas referenced songs that he first heard as a child while poring over his parents’ record collection: James Taylor, Carol King, Three Dog Night, Bread, and others. And while those might not be the hippest acts for an alt-rocker to cop to loving, there isn’t an ounce of self-consciousness here. Instead, those influences are lovingly filtered through his long career of loud, atmospheric songs.
It has an undeniable kinship with albums like Thurston Moore’s Demolished Thoughts or Beck’s Sea Change, the former being itself a hushed solo album by another artist known for their noisy guitars. Also, how have I never realized how much Epley’s voice sounds like Beck’s? But like those albums, Everything reveals a more delicate songwriting sensibility beneath Epley’s songwriting that’s always been the beating heart of his projects. But due to the whirlwind of feedback and guitar distortion that’s surrounded it, it’s easy to take that for granted.
Oftentimes, when someone in a loud band pulls back the arrangements to put their songwriting in the spotlight, the light’s a bit less flattering than expected. Awkward rhymes, nonsensical couplets, cliches, and more stick out like warts. No such deficit is found here. Even with the lush gauze of synthesizers and spacious atmospheres softening the light, the songwriting remains the main event.
At the end of the day, that’s what drew us all to the mellow AM Gold of 70s soft rock in the first place. Despite the lack of rock and roll energy or punk rebellion, the songs themselves touched something deep inside of us that we could neither explain nor escape. And on Everything, Allen Epley has channeled that energy into something special.
Everything is out now through Spartan Records.
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