An “Unquiet” Storm

Blaze Eisner
An Unquiet Mind
Self-Released, 2011
Reviewed by Kent Manthie

Just came across this unique album by local guy, Blaze Eisner, entitled An Unquiet Mind. The album was put together with no label support, which, nowadays, is almost irrelevant. It’s a project that was done with two other people: Darla Hawn on drums and Rick Sybrandy on bass, while Blaze does the singing and plays guitar.

The seven songs on this release are all written by Blaze Eisner, thus have a personal touch to them. The album is a laid-back, pop-ish set of tunes and I don’t mean “pop” in a pejorative sense, but rather a broader type. I suppose if you found this at a record store it would definitely be tucked away in the “rock” section, but of course, record stores have a pretty limited number of genres they catalog for their wares: there’s “rock”, “country”, “classical” and maybe, if you’re at a better one, something else like “new age” or “spiritual”, etc. But, at least for now, don’t expect to find this at your local Sam Goody store or even one of the only two or three indie stores left in the San Diego area.

The mellow, but captivating tunes on An Unquiet Mind are closest, in my mind, as far as comparing, to Chicago’s genius, Owen (aka Mike Kinsella, brother of Joan of Arc’s Tim Kinsella), whose 6 or so CDs, which include an EP or two (with a new CD out this fall!). They both have similar hushed tones, acoustic-based tunes that are introspective in nature and at the same time pull the listener right in from the first listen.

Some of the songs that serve well as examples include the opener, “Just For You”, “Subtle Imperfections” and the closing track, “Home”. But the whole album is one of those rare discs that are worth listening to from beginning to end; it’s not too long and each song is a gem in itself so, as long as you have the time, you might as well listen to the whole thing.

Also worth mentioning is Darla Hawn’s drumming. She does a terrific job, with a powerful punch to those skins. It really accentuates the songs without overpowering them but is quite noticeable for its hard-hitting, time-keeping beats. She helps pull things together in a way that helps Blaze to emote without changing what he is doing: a subtle thing, but definitely noticed.

Altogether, An Unquiet Mind is a nice blend of mellow, charm and wit. Plus it’s a welcome change from the typical “Emo” crap that gets played on commercial radio in heavy rotation, just one more reason to be excited about it. Since you probably won’t hear it on your local Clear Channel commercial radio station (which is a good thing, since it doesn’t need to be commercialized), if you are interested in finding out more about An Unquiet Mind go to http://blazeeisner1.bandcamp.com, you’ll be happy you did.

 

-KM

1 thought on “An “Unquiet” Storm

  1. Took a listen in, pleasantly surprised. It is very obvious that this guy has poured his heart and soul into all his music. I enjoy the simplicity of the music because it highlights the magic in the lyrics. It’s not very often you find an artist who’s focus seems to be his lyrics and the heart of the song rather than trying to create the next hit. Overall a great job. I did find he had a slight problem in tempo, a few times it was as if he were trying to fit in all the words, but having it be his first EP (amazing there was no record backing to it) I am very pleased!! Very refreshing to see someone who cares. Nice to know there are still young (and attractive) guys out there trying to produce songs not aimed at getting crunk in da club… That means there is hope yet for girls like me! Good job, I hope to meet you one day.

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