Electric E’s music captivated me from the first. Having never heard this artist before, it was invigorating to recognize on the first listen that Electric E is working in a different area than many of his contemporaries and peers. There are clear influences in his music, you hear it on both Babylon Music and 3 Sides to Every Story, but Electric E stamps songs such as the title track on Babylon Music with an indelible identity separating it from the pack. The bass and percussion are the heart of this tune but Electric E mixes a little added flavor into the performance with a sprinkling of keyboards.
The live drums on “From Panic to Chaos” is one of its strongest attributes. A simmering spirit fuels this instrumental and Electric E skillfully builds tension during the track. I enjoyed “Next Big Thing” because of its unabashed attitude. The boisterous physicality of the performance will win over many listeners. It will be many listeners’ first opportunity to hear his lyrical talents in full effect. Electric E, a published author with four books of poetry and prose to his credit, never disappoints.
“Switch It Up” is another example of his enormous talent for composing electronic instrumentals. There’s a basketful of changes built into this cut but they lock together without fail and the overall whole is one of the best tracks of its type on either release. The in your face quality of the vocals for “Copycat Culture” might rub some listeners the wrong way, but I enjoyed the track. I only fault it for needless double-tracking; the declarative tone of his vocal would be more than enough to carry the day.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/electric-e
The Seattle based songwriter and musician scores again with the album 3 Sides to Every Story. Few artists of any genre can hope to launch an album with a song the quality of “Nitroglycerin Kamikaze” and to have it be instrumental is even more impressive. The strongest element of this song is, without question, its melody and I found myself listening to this song a few times before delving deeper into the release.
“All that Glitters (Just Might Be Gold)” is never an exhausting listening experience. Coupling the single repeated lyric with its intense musical arrangement, however, gives it a near claustrophobic feeling. The title song is an artful and controlled explosion of musical creativity that transforms itself throughout the track without ever losing its way. “Bring Yourself to Life” is one of the best instrumentals on either album thanks to its patient development and the suggestive qualities of its composition. It does sound like a paean of sorts to rebirth and will be inspiring to many.
Powerhouse drumming and endlessly inventive piano are the highlights of the first half of the album’s finale. The improbably titled “Birdman Whiplash” is a song of two parts meshing together without a hiccup and the electronic dominant second half of the song demonstrates the same restless imagination albeit with a different sound. These are albums capable of opening the minds of those who normally turn away music with heavy electronic influences and make a good case for Electric E being one of the most compelling indie musical performers writing and recording today.
Levi Colston