Martin Crane
Physical Therapy
Reviewed by: Carlos Esqueda
Brazos lead guitarist Martin Crane has ventured onto his solo career with his debut album Physical Therapy. The album, just as its title suggests, is a blend of indie rock, 80s pop and tech, with a hint of jazz, meant to transcend mind and body after a long day. Recorded once as a live performance and as a solo record through Ableton, the creation of the album alone is a testament to the collusion between man (Crane’s indie rock background) and machine (Crane’s ventures with pop and tech)
“Amanda’s House” sets the mood for the rest of the album, with beats and sounds created by Crane himself, a taste of his production abilities are carried through the tropical jazz feel and soothing sound of his voice this first track hoists. Fooled in and out of an old school jazz feel and an indie pop take on the work of mixing and mashing up sounds, the rest of the album combines Martin Crane’s days with Brazos and his new genre ventures.
Songs like “Physical Therapy”, “Gadesco”, “Lights Out” seem to leave about a minute at the end for Crane to play around some more with haunting textures of melody and sound. “Interlude”, much like the intervening piece played during a symphony concert, once again highlights (if only for a brief 42 seconds) Crane’s game at different sounds and beats. “Waterbed” takes us back to the tropical jazz feel “Physical Therapy” gave us at the beginning of the album, making a full circle of connections between the beginning of the story and the end.
However, each song has a number of harmonies detached from the general feel the beginning of the song gives off, and even though Martin Crane made a full turn of connections between the beginning and the end of the album, the songs alone seem to harm themselves with the cacophony in mixed styles. Martin Crane is a lyrical artist, that’s for sure, but he has yet to find the boundary between stylistic blends and musical discord, I do however see him making a name for himself in the years to come.
Rating: Listenable
