Monday, July 31, 2017

Quantum Split - Amercia (2017)




Written by Scott Wigley, posted by blog admin

Quantum Split is a band with something to say and a great vehicle for saying it. Their merger of soul elements, including a few drops of light funk and blues, with hard rock histrionics creates an unique hybrid in the modern music scene today. Straight rock or hard rock has been rendered a little passé by changing fashions, but Quantum Split provides a roadmap for how the genre can continue to enjoy commercial and social relevance. Led by vocalist and songwriter Soleil Laurent, Quantum Split bring massive musical firepower to bear through guitarist Adrian Read and drummer Anthony Anderson, but bassist Ivan Hardy proves an invaluable component of the band’s sound and gives them an impressive bottom end. The songwriting is nuanced, full of white-knuckle passion, and immensely musical, but a superb production job frames it all quite nicely.

The title song of the release, “America”, has direct lyrics speaking to the experience of many in our modern culture without relying on dogma or overtly political statements. It begins at a slow simmer with neatly arranged melodic lines from Read’s guitar that are spiked, ever so slightly, but a light funky bounce. Attentive listeners will hear, however, that the storm is coming. The track eventually erupts and Read’s guitar work blazes at a high temperature with the rhythm section thrashing away behind him. When this band works up a musical head of steam, they roll over listeners with all the muscle of a bulldozer. Laurent’s voice cuts through the sonic din and puts her stamp on the track with vocals dredged up from the bottom of her soul. Some might expect the band to return to the pensive opening music near the song’s end, but Quantum Split keep up the intensity throughout.

“Runaway” is a much more dynamically arranged tune with music that moves back and forth from quietly melancholy passages into a full on rock assault and back again. The alternating moods give it a different sort of richness than what we heard on the opener and Laurent’s voice does a great job filling the song with dramatic turns. The same penchant for strong melody distinguishing the opener is intact here even if it manifests itself in a distinctly darker fashion. The chorus is particularly memorable thanks to some brief pauses and Quantum Split show the same aversion to self-indulgence here that we heard on the title track. The song scarcely clocks in over the four minute mark and it provides more than enough time for each member to make their presence felt. This is a band that makes their heart clear to anyone who cares to listen. Quantum Split is engaged with life, love what they do, and every bit of that is reflected in the music they write and record.

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