When I was a teenager I used to work in model homes. My mom was a lucrative real estate agent, so it was a bit of nepotism, if you can call it that, at such a young age. But there was a boatload of free time and being the budding musician that I was, I brought my acoustic guitar along with me some days. A formative memory for me was learning “Nowhere Man” by the Beatles in the hallways one of those empty houses. I had just the right voice for it, and the chords were easy enough. I discovered that day the power of music in a way I never had before.
On Wax Mekanix’s new album, Psychotomimetic, a seven track album that clocks in at 22 minutes, but is jam packed with sonic adventurousness, he opens the album with a Beatles’ riff, one of their more Eastern sounding songs. About twenty percent of the album, in fact, is just Wax doing covers of Beatles’ songs, one of which is the formative (for me) “Nowhere Man.” Now, if Wax had the audience that he deserves, he would be making boat loads of money off another’s creation. But as it is, it is a fitting tribute to the power of music, with a man who is his own powerhouse.
“Follow stardust / Inspire us,” he starts the album, on “Pillars of Creation.” “Canaan is near / Eden is here.” His often prophetic, Biblically allusive rock ’n’ roll is larger than life, and he knows just how to utilize his dynamic voice to get the most drama from each vowel and consonant. There are blues influenced songs, like “Two Left Feet” (“I hear the devil’s got two left feet / Take back all your sin and face your God and begin again”), there are hints of Sabaath, Rush, many classic rock bands, showing both his influences and his older age.
It’s mature rock ’n’ roll that deals in truisms and fables, alike. “The less you know, the better you’ll be / Unless you want to quibble in a Shrew’s fiddle.” Both the lyrical storytelling and the intricate song construction, makes it a fascinating listen, from start to finish. There are a great deal of dynamics on the album, from prog cock rock to the finishing song, which is a ballad sung over a simple piano part. “With feet beneath you, your faith much higher / Than any steeple, flag, or spire.”
The juxtaposition with some of the Beatles’ best refrains is a bold move. Both because it teeters on plagiarism and because it pits his own songwriting against the very best ever written. And surprisingly, his own super unique style considered, his songwriting holds up with the greats. It is a quick album, but you feel like you have travelled a long distance with Wax, in his epic rock ’n’ roll hero shoes. I loved this album, even more than his previous record, Mobocracy (which you should check out as well), and applaud his bravery, his originality, and his tribute to the greats, and the great in us and in God and in rock ’n’ roll.
Prism Reviews 