The Pelican’s Perch

The guys in Stark Raving Calm have been good friends of mine for years now, having met them all in the dorms. They lived a floor above me and there were plenty of great memories that came with those days. Back in the early dorm days, I was just beginning my songwriting career with a lack of any real vocal talent and cheesy love songs. I still write cheesy love songs, but four years of practicing my singing and songwriting and I’ve turned out alright. But back then these guys were already established, playing around town, and had chemistry that any band would love to have. Add to that the fact that each of the four members were some of the best musicians at their particular instrument I’d seen locally.

So, they released two albums in between then and now, both being ambient, Tool sounding affairs that everyone loved, but I always knew they had some pent up energy in them that if they’d just release it, the music they’d create would be something special. Well, with this new album they did exactly that. The album, entitled Flesh_Nectar_Asphalt_Adrenaline, is Stark Raving Calm at their best, and more importantly, it’s them having the most fun playing music they’ve ever had, and you can hear it on the album, and it’s especially see it when they play the songs live.

The stand-out track in my mind is “Systematic Collapse”, which is a showcase of everything new with Stark Raving Calm’s music. Brad and Prater’s Morello-esque toggle switching, Keith’s phenomenal drumming, Nick’s driving bass, and Brad’s improved vocals. “Glitch” and “Shine in the Evolution” are probably my other top songs on the album. Even though the new album is only seven songs, it’s still their best yet. Most my regular readers might find this music a bit out of the norm for me, but I’ve always been a fan of good hard rock music. I just don’t find much out there I truly like, so most times I stick to the melodic indie rock. But every now and then a hard rock album comes along that I simply can’t ignore and end up loving. Stark Raving Calm’s new one is just that.

I couldn’t be more proud of the guys in SRC and wish them the best of luck in the future. A few of them are moving to Seattle, so who knows what’ll come of the band, but whatever happens, I hope they get the attention they deserve with this new album. Way to go guys.

1. Glitch
   
2. Shine in the Evolution
   
3. Post Millennium Tension
   
4. Flesh_Nectar_Asphalt_Adrenaline
   
5. Untitled
   
6. A Systematic Collapse
   
7. Into the Bloodrush
   

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