ALBUM REVIEW: Not From England - Guest House

Not From England’s Guest House is a light-hearted collection of intentful songwriting and elaborate indie-rock production.

Reviewed by Reggie Katz, edited by Ash

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please support Not From England by streaming the album! The links to the album on all streaming services can be found here. Additionally, please check out Not From England's Linktree page, which contains links to their music videos and some prior reviews of their music!

I WAS INTRODUCED to this LP when Not From England requested that we review it, upon which I fell in love with the sound of the project. I listened to a few of their tracks at first to get a feel of their sound, and I ended up being very intrigued by the sound of the lead vocals (which can’t help but put a smile on your face), and the consistency of the high level production throughout. Their album Guest House is a great example of the California indie-rock sound. It is also a nice reminder of how satisfying it can feel to listen through a whole album in a genre such as this one. Guest House left me feeling eager for more music from Not From England.

"Instigator", the first track on the album, gives a solid preview of the rest of the album’s sound. The kick drum come in at first and then we hear a distorted electric guitar. While not necessarily a musical sound, the unpredictable distorted guitar noises add a lot of texture, which starts to get the listener hooked. The producer of this album is not shy about showcasing their talents right away. The vocal layering, panning, and different EQ’s for the lead vocals and background “oohs” are expertly crafted. Overall, I enjoyed this track. My only criticism would be that the kick drum sits a little too far back in the mix, comparatively to the second track on the album. But overall, this was a great way to introduce us to the rest of the album.

"Something To Do" is the fun and catchy second track. The stronger kick drum and overall sense of rhythm in this track helped provide a sense of stability in the track since most of the other elements are a bit more free-sounding. I found myself jamming out to this track as well. My main criticism this track is the diction of the words. It was hard for me to understand a lot of what the singer was saying, and I was really let down by that since I was reading along with the lyrics of each song. This song is nicely written, so it would’ve been nice to appreciate the lyricism of this track a little more. Other than that, all my feelings towards this track are positive. A very easy song to listen to!

The third track, "Rest Of It", is a nice juxtaposition to its predecessor track. The guitar pedalboard sounds like it was kept pretty bare-bones. The more stripped-down tracks on the album make for consistently beautiful moments that showcase Not From England’s excellent storytelling abilities. This track talks about the trouble of being trapped inside your own head and being unable to do things that you once could do Although the instrumentation in this track is rather stripped down, for me this symbolizes what it feels like to lose your mind. My only criticism of this track is the bridge. It sounded like there was supposed to be a bridge, but it wasn’t different enough from the rest of the song to be a true bridge in my opinion. Regardless of that, this is one of my favorite tracks off of the album, and made for a perfect segue into the title track.


Track four, "Guest House", is an outstanding track. I have no complaints about this track at all. The production and relationship between the bass and the drums creates a very cool push-pool that I could almost feel physically. The idea of this song was interesting as well. It tells the story of how you can lose a best friend if they stop putting in effort into the friendship. This track really resonated with me since I've been in situations that felt like one-sided friendships. The lyricism in this song was very well done and made the song especially relatable. This is one of my favorites off of the album as well.

Track five, "Red Light", keeps the energy of the album going, starting off with a nice groove. This track had some atypical production which I admire since it added a lot of personality to the song. For example, about halfway through the track, some unplugged electric guitars came in. Although the production was very creative, I personally was not a fan of this one. I was unable to understand most of the lyrics, and for me, connecting with the lyrics of a song is what makes a song special. But overall, this track is still well executed, and the production remains very unique.

"Good Morning Thieves", the eye-catching title of the sixth track of the album, is also more stripped down compared to the majority of the music we’ve been hearing. I liked the use of panning and reverb throws in this production, making us  like we’re in the studio with them. This was another song about being tired of being stuck in your head. It was a pretty good song and overall a nice track that further explores the album’s themes of feeling trapped.

The seventh track, "Nylon Pipes", shows off angelic pipes and incredible songwriting ability. This song was totally acoustic, and absolutely beautiful. Placing this track in the seventh spot was a great decision in terms of pacing, and made for a perfect break from the more uptempo & heavily produced indie rock songs that led us to this point. I’m always a sucker for acoustic, balled-esque productions since that is the kind of music I grew up listening to, so naturally, I gravitated to this track quite heavily. The little imperfections in the guitar and vocals really added to the authentic feel of the performances as well. I got chills when the backing vocals came in. "Nylon Pipes" is my favorite track off of the album.

Pictured above: A snapshot of the recording process for Guest House.

"Don’t Get Me Wrong", the eighth track on the album, starts off in a very “Mr. Brightside” kind of way: guitar panned hard left, drums panned hard right, and vocals right down the center. We’re back to more of an indie-rock feel again, but the song is nothing too heavy at the beginning. It eases us back into the vibe of the rest of the album will be. The song talks about wanting to die but being too scared to act upon those feelings. I enjoyed this track and I loved the use of the slidey vocals.

"Beach Night" is the experimental ninth track on the album. Not From England once again uses distorted guitar sounds solely for sonic elements, rather than musical elements, and for the most part, it works quite well, but I didn’t love this track for a couple of reasons. The repeating four chord pattern worked, except for the third chord in the pattern. It sounded a little too dissonant for an average listener to enjoy. I also felt like some of the guitar sounds got a little too experimental to fit in the context of the album. But as a standalone track, it is nice to listen to if you are into experimental-sounding guitar. Think of Frank Ocean’s guitar heavy tracks off of Blonde. Overall, I thought it was pretty neat to hear Not From England experiment with sounds and chord progressions that we had not heard before. So even though it wasn’t one of my favorite tracks, I ultimately respect their decision to include it.

"Bluebird" is the tenth track on the album. Some things that stood out to me in this track are the drums and groove. The drummer does a really nice job of showing off their skills while still keeping a really nice groove. I also enjoyed the little cameo at the end of one of the band members' voices. The haunting eleventh track on this album is titled "Jura". The opening lyric “I’m starting to lose my mind” just grabs you; After all of the tension and questioning in the previous tracks, they finally say it out loud, which made for a really powerful moment. It almost sounds like there is a sense of panic in this production, adding to the overall sense of going crazy. It was a nice track to add to the falling action of the album.

The final track on the album, "In Town", is an appropriate track to end the album on. I got a very warm feeling from this final song. The instrumentation almost sounds like something off an Alabama Shakes record. The track provides a sense of completeness, especially because of the repeated lyric, “another day is nothing changed.” This track was pretty enjoyable for me.

Pictured above: Not From England, performing live at the Observatory Main Stage in Orange County, California.

My overall thoughts on Guest House by Not From England are somewhat mixed but mostly positive. While I thought the songwriting was pretty well done, the majority of the tracks ended up sounding very similar as you listened through the album. It is clear by the capabilities of the musicians and producer that they are all very skilled. I hope that on their future releases, they apply their skills some more by adding some more differentiation in each of their tracks. I also was not a huge fan of not being able to understand the lyrics of the song. I understand that part of the indie-rock style is this sort of unclear and distorted vocal, but I felt like sometimes it was overdone, which sometimes took away from my enjoyment of the songs.

On the flipside, though, it’s clear that Not From England has found their sound and are sticking to it. Think of if The Rare Occasions and the Arctic Monkeys had a baby. While songs sounded similar on the album, it may very well be because this band has already found their sound and wanted to adhere to it, and I respect that. Nonetheless, Not From England’s acoustic endeavors on this album were all fantastic; their musical abilities in an acoustic context are definitely not to be underestimated! Another stand out feature of this album is the production, mixing, and mastering of this album. I have pretty much no complaints about the production quality, mixing, or mastering. I think this album's production elements could compete with any mainstream track. This album was a fun listen overall and I look forward to listening to more work from Not From England!

Personal Enjoyment Score: 7 out of 10

Standout Tracks: “Rest Of It,” “Guest House,” “Nylon Pipes,” “In Town”

ALBUM REVIEW: Ethan Crowley - Drowning in a Glass of Water

Ethan Crowley's Drowning in a Glass of Water is a tasteful showcase of vulnerability and openness. 

Reviewed by Ash

 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please support Ethan Crowley by streaming or purchasing the album. The links to the album on all major streaming platforms can be found here. Please also check out Ethan's website, which I have linked here.

 

THOSE WHO ATTENDED the most recent Collegium Seminar listening session were treated to a live playback of "In My Dreams", the lead single and third track off of Ethan Crowley's debut album, Drowning in a Glass of Water. Ethan introduced the track as a relatively low-key affair recorded with mostly acoustic instruments. He also said that all the elements totaled around seven stems in total—not that you'd ever know it from just how lush and expansive the soundscape of the track ended up being. "In My Dreams" opens with a simple yet expressive piano line that backs and understated and wonderfully vulnerable vocal performance from Ethan, who delivers lines like "Falling asleep, easier done than said/When all you've got is memories locked inside your head" with a captivating gravitas. The ascending chorus melody provides a perfect opportunity for Ethan to showcase his soaring lead vocals and excellent vocal control, and the second verse introduces some well-arranged and expertly recorded strings. The end result is an overpowering rush of pathos and emotion conveyed through tastefully restrained production and earnest songwriting. Once the track was finished playing, Ethan received some of the loudest applause of the day from the crowd of MTech students—one listener even remarked that they were holding back tears! I myself was quite moved by the track and found myself itching to hear more, this inspiring a full review of Drowning in a Glass of Water.

 

Coming off of the excellent response from the Collegium response to "In My Dreams", I was inspired to check out the full album. Released in August 2022, the full LP contains nine songs for a total runtime of just over half an hour. The album combines acoustic balladry that takes influence from modern singer-songwriters like Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi with songwriting and composition descended from the likes of Stephen Sondheim, all delivered through meticulously polished vocals and minimalist production.

 

 The LP opens with "Let's Run Away", a subdued, downtempo endeavor that sees Ethan deliver endearing lyrics over low-key piano and acoustic guitar. The track is a slow burn that builds and eventually climaxes in crunchy shoegaze guitars and soaring guitar melodies, which makes for a truly captivating opening to the album. The climax was excellent and I found myself fully swept up in the rush of emotions stirred in me by Ethan's great melodic and harmonic sensibilities. The mix is pretty well done, but I did notice some distracting buzz accompanying the guitars in some areas. However, the structure of the song itself is excellent, and I found myself really enjoying the slow build-up to the track's soaring back end.

 

The LP then takes an abrupt turn with "Stage Crush", a sub-2 minute instrumental interlude based around a climbing electric guitar motif over subtle electric pianos and crashing drums. I admittedly wasn't the biggest fan of this track, at least at its position as the second track in the tracklist; I'm not sure the album needed an interlude this early. However, "In My Dreams" follows, and in case it's not clear already, I utterly love this track, and hearing it within the context of the full record did a great deal to pull me back in again.

 

"Losing My Mind", the fourth track on the album, brings panning synthesizers, lush harmonies, and raspy vocals to the table. The melodies on this track are great and provide plenty of opportunities for Ethan to showcase his vocals, which incorporate a rougher tone and plenty of vocal fry; the overall vocal performance is reminiscent of Lewis Capaldi for me. The pitch correction on the vocals seems a bit heavier on this track though, which makes it feel a little artificial to me. I wish Ethan's voice was clearer and retained more human imperfections, but ultimately the muted drums and restrained guitar work make this track quite enjoyable for me. The track eventually expands and explodes to include huge harmonies and crunchy pop punk guitars; Ethan doesn't go big often, but when he does, on tracks like "Losing My Mind" and "Let's Run Away" especially, his mastery of song arrangement and ability to manage the dichotomy between buildup and climax really shines through.

 

 

We get another interlude with "She Upgraded", based on drums and electric keyboards under a sampled narration. The following track, "Like a Game", is a somewhat brighter and more uptempo endeavor than the other tracks we've gotten so far, anchored in pulsating '80s synthesizers and half-time pseudo-trap drums. This track isn't my favorite on the album; I wish the chorus hit a little harder, and I find myself gravitating more towards Ethan's more stripped-back acoustic endeavors. Fortunately for me, the next track, the brilliant "603", returns to a moodier and more downtempo style. We get sparkling acoustic guitar riffs alongside muted power chords during the second verse. I actually really love the variety of guitar tones and styles of playing that constantly shift throughout the track; I feel like the diversity of guitar sounds creates a really deep and continually interesting soundscape that ultimately forms an excellent instrumental foundation over which Ethan can really let the vocals rip. He sings, "you don't have to leave/'cause our future needs a story", as the track builds to its final act, when we get a subtle piano that nicely backs and bolsters the guitars, and the vocal harmonies swell to the fullest they've been on the whole album. This track is truly great and I love it more and more with each listen; it's solidly cemented itself as being in competition with "In My Dreams" for my absolute favorite track on the record.

 

"Mind and Body" is the last of the three interlude-type tracks on the album, clocking in at nearly four minutes. Even though the interludes generally aren't my favorite part of this album, this one makes for a nice meditative moment, with Ethan's moody piano riffs and reverb-heavy production underlying a vocal narration from a yoga instructor. The final track, "Time Well Spent", incorporates a simple acoustic guitar line backed with Nashville-esque guitar countermelodies that give this song a vibe that lands somewhere between folk and singer-songwriter. I could totally picture Ethan singing this with an acoustic guitar in hand, sitting by a campfire, which is a great vibe that maps to Ethan's existing style very well. The harmonies are really well-done on this track, and the message of being thankful for memories made and time spent with a former lover is a great thematic choice on which to end the album.

 

 Overall, I quite enjoyed Drowning in a Glass of Water. It's clear that Ethan had a very clear vision for the soundscape he wanted to create with his debut album, and the acoustic ballads that form the core of this LP were executed very well. The vibes were, shall we say, immaculate, and Ethan's love for his craft is clearly visible in every facet of this LP. I'm not sure three interludes were fully necessary on an album with only nine total tracks, but ultimately I respect Ethan's decision to include them in an effort to curate the listener's experience of the whole record as a cohesive unit. While there were some things I didn't love about the record—namely that I wish that the lead vocals were a little less touched-up at times, and that I wish we had more downtempo ballads—at the end of the day, Drowning in a Glass of Water is a refreshing exercise in tasteful restraint. It's clear that Ethan feels no need to overstuff these songs to the point of being overproduced, instead opting to let the strength of his vocals, songwriting, and minimalistic production carry the project. The LP is at its best when Ethan's earnest lyrics and heartfelt vocal performances can take front and center, buoyed by just the right amount of instrumental elements to form an effective foundation. In short, Drowning in a Glass of Water made for a promising debut project that shows a lot of potential! I'm very interested to see where Ethan takes his music in the future and I'm excited to see him collaborate with other students in the Music Technology program.

 

Personal enjoyment score: 7 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Let's Run Away", "In My Dreams", "Losing My Mind", "603"