ALBUM REVIEW:
"Siren Songs From Another World"
from Conduit of Humanity
(Written by Darren Douglas Danahy)
May 6, 2022
There are a number of moments at the beginnings of songs or albums that give me a sense of excitement about what is coming. An even smaller number of those can create that sense without my ever having heard the music before. Conduit of Humanity’s “Siren Songs from Another World” is such an album.
Conduit of Humanity is almost more a collective of like-minded musicians founded by “The Conduit” (Fred Jeske, a constant presence and influence in this collective from what I can tell), with a sense of community, than a rock band, born out of a mutual love for collaborative music amongst both old friends and new. “Siren Songs from Another World” (which I will often refer to as SSFAW from here on out for brevity’s sake) is the third - and perhaps best - full length release from them.
The aforementioned sense of excitement comes from the opening chiming guitar chords of “Shine Out”, which feel as though we are boarding a ship about to embark on a journey, which indeed we are. Within seconds of those chords, our ears are treated with layers of beautiful vocals supplied by Candice Latimer, harmonizing both with themselves and more guitars, causing us to float, dreamlike, upward into the clouds. Like it says in the lyric, “I can’t tell what’s real / when waking and dream lives are interleaving”, we are carried away. A psychedelic turnaround that arrives like a delightfully demented brass band from left of center (courtesy of Thymme Jones and Jeff Liebersher) shatters our reverie, and pulls us back down to earth for a moment before we return to the ethereal feeling briefly, when the brass band comes back and sets the stage (or cleanses the palate?) for the next song.
“Back to Happy” comes on like a Zappa-era Adrian Belew tune with some magnificent squealing guitars that erupt into a spectrum of different tones, weaving together in effect, producing qualities of different instruments. The lush soundscape gives way to a soulful, bluesy male vocal (Toby Butler) that quickly brings us to a very catchy chorus, which, after a quick glance at the lyric, makes me feel good on several levels - “I’m back to happy / fought my way through the pain / I’m back to happy / found my way home again”. Further, increasingly complex layers of lovely guitars respond, before delivering us to more cycles of the song - illustrated via this interplay of instrumentation and singing before these sirens bring us another song.
The exquisite “Hoaxes” opens up with with the vibrations of Bekah Kopec’s singing bowls for a few seconds before setting the tone for this deep groove that follows. More of these vocals that I am growing to love increasingly with each word sung follow shortly. Lexi Stern’s bass guitar moves around Candice’s vocal here in such a terpsichorean way that I’m almost reminded of belly dancers. As the song progresses, their voices work around each other in increasingly creative harmonic ways, to points where I cannot tell them apart, and the same goes for the layers of guitar interplay, perfectly punctuated for the second time on the album by drums from Jerry Pellizzer. Our voyage has taken quite a dream-like turn once again.
The introduction of the next track, “Our Saving Grace”, escorts the listener to an environment a closer to land than the previous, a pattern I’ve observed so far over the course of listening to SSFAW. Jazzy piano and guitar layers introduce some very smooth vocals from Monty Cullum, whom also provides a number of the other instruments on this song. We again hear horns enter the mix, but in a different way than on “Shine Out” - here they harmonize with the vocals and support the other instruments in a way that is reminiscent of Donald Fagen’s production style. Over the course of the song’s nearly 7 1/2 minutes, the interplay between the guitar and piano grows in intensity, allowing each of the players on these instruments to get a chance to show off their skills before we are joined for another chorus and the closing section of the song.
I am delighted to once again hear Candice’s voice within a few seconds as “Yellow Dye” begins playing. We are once again joined by Lexi on guitar and backing vocals, Jerry on drums, and the ubiquitous Fred on guitars, and this time, we are joined by the bass guitar by Joe Maydak. There is a palpable chemistry amongst some of these musicians that really comes through on repeated listens and glances at the liner notes. Candice’s vocals at times remind me of Tanya Donnelly a little bit (Belly, Throwing Muses, the Breeders), though more otherworldly to my ears - well suited for one of the most frequent vocal presences on this increasingly well-named album. Oscillating layers of chorused guitars and splashes of echoes come washing over us in the song’s climax, like a wave that nearly knocks sonic seamen off the deck towards the beckoning sirens and their songs.
Lexi Stern steps confidently into the spotlight on the next bit of treasure, “Another World” which indeed transports me to one in no short time. She expertly handles almost all of the instrumentation on this sparkling, Rundgrenesque gem of a song, propelled by the always-musical drumming of Prairie Prince. The vocal melody in this song is an instant ear worm, and as it progresses, this is only expanded upon and layered with the assistance of backing voices by Candice Latimer, MaryAnne Lustig, Zan McQuade, and Jordon Zadorozny. She sings “I want to live, I want the world to live / I want the world to live and everything else follows”, which is followed by a passionate, screaming guitar solo not long before fading into choirs of “na na na’s”, echoing cascading piano chords before we are once again swept away to yet another siren song, and yet another world.
The ship’s next adventure gives us a glimpse of the dark and fantastic world of wonder that awaits us in the depths below. “It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore”, driven by Trace Tedrick’s bass guitar, is a near-maniac sea shanty / waltz instrumental bouncing along the choppy waves propelled by what sounds like a gigantic djembe. Distant guitars and ghostly concertina-like sounds help paint this image seen from deck, which adds intrigue and excitement. We are again joined on drums and percussion by Prairie, as well as guitar and synthesizer supplied by Jordon, adding to this whirlpool of sound…we have truly reached another sea now.
We are guided to stranger shores still and a fresh, new sound, and some different personnel (vocals from Bob Wilcox, Fernando Perdomo on guitar, accompanied by Fred, Bruce Whetstone, Ken Shapiro, and Jerry on drums again) on “Fantastic Fires”, which I might call a “musician’s song” straight out of the gate. Everyone involved is just playing their butts off here, and nobody is holding back… yet somehow all of this works into a cohesive, rocking, dynamic tune. I’m feeling those Todd Rundgren / Frank Zappa vibes again, sort of like in “wizard”, where we get swept off from one place to the next, without losing any of the elements we’ve come to love from Conduit Of Humanity. A blistering solo at what feels like the end of the song echos into the distance, before the song returns with different vocals (Rixxo) and a completely new feel. We end up in such a different world than where we started, that I have found myself checking more than once to be certain I am still listening to the same song.
The aptly named “Sirens Sing” follows up with some rolling Rhodes piano and guitars rolling under the tide… at times reminding me of both Thrice’s “Night Diving” and the Cure’s “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” in the environment it creates. Many of the musicians we have come to know over this voyage are joined by Eileen Clark and Joy, Rich, Evan, and Amelie Randall’s voices and George Holm on the guitar. Here it feels as if the collective is almost ready to send us out to sea on our own voyage, having been taken on theirs and having “learned the ropes”, if you will pardon the expression. The sentiment here is almost one of reaching the end of an epic journey, particularly in the song’s closing guitar soloing, which almost seems to respond to itself, reflective in sections like an epilogue before we meet our singing bowls once again.
Asa Brebner is Dead (angelic remix) is a whole new world entirely, and a whole new song with new personnel to match. A tribute to Boston music scene luminary Asa Brebner, whom apart from his own solo work, cartoons, and more played with the likes of the Modern Lovers, the Grey Boys, and others. The song paints a picture not unfamiliar to frequents of ANY city’s music scene, set to the backdrop of a sort of glam / punk / new wave number with an impressive cast (John Powhida: lead vocals, Phil Thornalley: backing Vocals, keyboard, drums / percussion, with Cathy Lee Brandstetter, MaryAnne Lustig, Carolyn Siddal, and Kasim Sulton on backing vocals) This is a heartfelt dedication that touches you whether you knew the man and his work or not.
Our odyssey comes to a close with the “CyberExotic remix” of the track “Hoaxes”, which appears earlier on the album. It almost seems unfair to refer to this as a remix, since the reader may think they are being given another working of the same song, but to the listener, it feels more like a completely different song. It’s sort of like when you change which syllable you emphasize saying the same word to a different person to indicate that there are more levels to how you feel about the subject than is first detected from the literal meaning of one’s words alone. Many of the more familiar musicians present on this expedition are once again present, but in a slightly different configuration. The overall feeling from having done this with both the musicians and the material on the album is one of having watched the main character in a tale transformed by its events, and their impact on that character's life.
“Siren Songs from Another World” is a vast adventure told in sound, word, and aural hues which transports the listener from one macrocosm to the next, while also maintaining a very congruent feel - which is perhaps the ship, or “conduit”, if you will, via which we experience this trip. I would invite aficionados of almost any genre of music to join on this journey, as the accommodations on this boat are as wide and varied as the lands it takes you to.
➡️ You can check out the full EP and show your support for this album on Bandcamp.
🖊️ Review written on April 29, 2022
🖊️ Edited & posted by Marina Verdi
🖊️ More reviews at PerturbRadio.com/Articles
Conduit of Humanity is almost more a collective of like-minded musicians founded by “The Conduit” (Fred Jeske, a constant presence and influence in this collective from what I can tell), with a sense of community, than a rock band, born out of a mutual love for collaborative music amongst both old friends and new. “Siren Songs from Another World” (which I will often refer to as SSFAW from here on out for brevity’s sake) is the third - and perhaps best - full length release from them.
The aforementioned sense of excitement comes from the opening chiming guitar chords of “Shine Out”, which feel as though we are boarding a ship about to embark on a journey, which indeed we are. Within seconds of those chords, our ears are treated with layers of beautiful vocals supplied by Candice Latimer, harmonizing both with themselves and more guitars, causing us to float, dreamlike, upward into the clouds. Like it says in the lyric, “I can’t tell what’s real / when waking and dream lives are interleaving”, we are carried away. A psychedelic turnaround that arrives like a delightfully demented brass band from left of center (courtesy of Thymme Jones and Jeff Liebersher) shatters our reverie, and pulls us back down to earth for a moment before we return to the ethereal feeling briefly, when the brass band comes back and sets the stage (or cleanses the palate?) for the next song.
“Back to Happy” comes on like a Zappa-era Adrian Belew tune with some magnificent squealing guitars that erupt into a spectrum of different tones, weaving together in effect, producing qualities of different instruments. The lush soundscape gives way to a soulful, bluesy male vocal (Toby Butler) that quickly brings us to a very catchy chorus, which, after a quick glance at the lyric, makes me feel good on several levels - “I’m back to happy / fought my way through the pain / I’m back to happy / found my way home again”. Further, increasingly complex layers of lovely guitars respond, before delivering us to more cycles of the song - illustrated via this interplay of instrumentation and singing before these sirens bring us another song.
The exquisite “Hoaxes” opens up with with the vibrations of Bekah Kopec’s singing bowls for a few seconds before setting the tone for this deep groove that follows. More of these vocals that I am growing to love increasingly with each word sung follow shortly. Lexi Stern’s bass guitar moves around Candice’s vocal here in such a terpsichorean way that I’m almost reminded of belly dancers. As the song progresses, their voices work around each other in increasingly creative harmonic ways, to points where I cannot tell them apart, and the same goes for the layers of guitar interplay, perfectly punctuated for the second time on the album by drums from Jerry Pellizzer. Our voyage has taken quite a dream-like turn once again.
The introduction of the next track, “Our Saving Grace”, escorts the listener to an environment a closer to land than the previous, a pattern I’ve observed so far over the course of listening to SSFAW. Jazzy piano and guitar layers introduce some very smooth vocals from Monty Cullum, whom also provides a number of the other instruments on this song. We again hear horns enter the mix, but in a different way than on “Shine Out” - here they harmonize with the vocals and support the other instruments in a way that is reminiscent of Donald Fagen’s production style. Over the course of the song’s nearly 7 1/2 minutes, the interplay between the guitar and piano grows in intensity, allowing each of the players on these instruments to get a chance to show off their skills before we are joined for another chorus and the closing section of the song.
I am delighted to once again hear Candice’s voice within a few seconds as “Yellow Dye” begins playing. We are once again joined by Lexi on guitar and backing vocals, Jerry on drums, and the ubiquitous Fred on guitars, and this time, we are joined by the bass guitar by Joe Maydak. There is a palpable chemistry amongst some of these musicians that really comes through on repeated listens and glances at the liner notes. Candice’s vocals at times remind me of Tanya Donnelly a little bit (Belly, Throwing Muses, the Breeders), though more otherworldly to my ears - well suited for one of the most frequent vocal presences on this increasingly well-named album. Oscillating layers of chorused guitars and splashes of echoes come washing over us in the song’s climax, like a wave that nearly knocks sonic seamen off the deck towards the beckoning sirens and their songs.
Lexi Stern steps confidently into the spotlight on the next bit of treasure, “Another World” which indeed transports me to one in no short time. She expertly handles almost all of the instrumentation on this sparkling, Rundgrenesque gem of a song, propelled by the always-musical drumming of Prairie Prince. The vocal melody in this song is an instant ear worm, and as it progresses, this is only expanded upon and layered with the assistance of backing voices by Candice Latimer, MaryAnne Lustig, Zan McQuade, and Jordon Zadorozny. She sings “I want to live, I want the world to live / I want the world to live and everything else follows”, which is followed by a passionate, screaming guitar solo not long before fading into choirs of “na na na’s”, echoing cascading piano chords before we are once again swept away to yet another siren song, and yet another world.
The ship’s next adventure gives us a glimpse of the dark and fantastic world of wonder that awaits us in the depths below. “It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore”, driven by Trace Tedrick’s bass guitar, is a near-maniac sea shanty / waltz instrumental bouncing along the choppy waves propelled by what sounds like a gigantic djembe. Distant guitars and ghostly concertina-like sounds help paint this image seen from deck, which adds intrigue and excitement. We are again joined on drums and percussion by Prairie, as well as guitar and synthesizer supplied by Jordon, adding to this whirlpool of sound…we have truly reached another sea now.
We are guided to stranger shores still and a fresh, new sound, and some different personnel (vocals from Bob Wilcox, Fernando Perdomo on guitar, accompanied by Fred, Bruce Whetstone, Ken Shapiro, and Jerry on drums again) on “Fantastic Fires”, which I might call a “musician’s song” straight out of the gate. Everyone involved is just playing their butts off here, and nobody is holding back… yet somehow all of this works into a cohesive, rocking, dynamic tune. I’m feeling those Todd Rundgren / Frank Zappa vibes again, sort of like in “wizard”, where we get swept off from one place to the next, without losing any of the elements we’ve come to love from Conduit Of Humanity. A blistering solo at what feels like the end of the song echos into the distance, before the song returns with different vocals (Rixxo) and a completely new feel. We end up in such a different world than where we started, that I have found myself checking more than once to be certain I am still listening to the same song.
The aptly named “Sirens Sing” follows up with some rolling Rhodes piano and guitars rolling under the tide… at times reminding me of both Thrice’s “Night Diving” and the Cure’s “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” in the environment it creates. Many of the musicians we have come to know over this voyage are joined by Eileen Clark and Joy, Rich, Evan, and Amelie Randall’s voices and George Holm on the guitar. Here it feels as if the collective is almost ready to send us out to sea on our own voyage, having been taken on theirs and having “learned the ropes”, if you will pardon the expression. The sentiment here is almost one of reaching the end of an epic journey, particularly in the song’s closing guitar soloing, which almost seems to respond to itself, reflective in sections like an epilogue before we meet our singing bowls once again.
Asa Brebner is Dead (angelic remix) is a whole new world entirely, and a whole new song with new personnel to match. A tribute to Boston music scene luminary Asa Brebner, whom apart from his own solo work, cartoons, and more played with the likes of the Modern Lovers, the Grey Boys, and others. The song paints a picture not unfamiliar to frequents of ANY city’s music scene, set to the backdrop of a sort of glam / punk / new wave number with an impressive cast (John Powhida: lead vocals, Phil Thornalley: backing Vocals, keyboard, drums / percussion, with Cathy Lee Brandstetter, MaryAnne Lustig, Carolyn Siddal, and Kasim Sulton on backing vocals) This is a heartfelt dedication that touches you whether you knew the man and his work or not.
Our odyssey comes to a close with the “CyberExotic remix” of the track “Hoaxes”, which appears earlier on the album. It almost seems unfair to refer to this as a remix, since the reader may think they are being given another working of the same song, but to the listener, it feels more like a completely different song. It’s sort of like when you change which syllable you emphasize saying the same word to a different person to indicate that there are more levels to how you feel about the subject than is first detected from the literal meaning of one’s words alone. Many of the more familiar musicians present on this expedition are once again present, but in a slightly different configuration. The overall feeling from having done this with both the musicians and the material on the album is one of having watched the main character in a tale transformed by its events, and their impact on that character's life.
“Siren Songs from Another World” is a vast adventure told in sound, word, and aural hues which transports the listener from one macrocosm to the next, while also maintaining a very congruent feel - which is perhaps the ship, or “conduit”, if you will, via which we experience this trip. I would invite aficionados of almost any genre of music to join on this journey, as the accommodations on this boat are as wide and varied as the lands it takes you to.
➡️ You can check out the full EP and show your support for this album on Bandcamp.
🖊️ Review written on April 29, 2022
🖊️ Edited & posted by Marina Verdi
🖊️ More reviews at PerturbRadio.com/Articles