Human Brother “Vision Days on the Life Ride”
JD Shultz is a multi-instrumentalist residing in Los Angeles and has had a long history with independent funk & funk/punk rock bands ever since he was a teenager. His new album is titled Vision Days on the Life Ride and on this new album, JD has slightly strayed away from his funk & punk roots to bring us a record that is full of rock and electronic bliss. JD is also credited as having written, recorded, produced and performed everything on every track (except a little vocal help from Mirage on the opening track “Floor on Fire”).
As soon as I turn on and tune in to Vision Days on the Life Ride, I immediately feel myself rise and lift out of my chair. Psychedelic & ambient beats swirl around my head and then smooth vocals come in to deliver the first verse. “Here we are, gonna take a chance. Time of your life is fading fast.” The electro beats have definitely got me hooked and then the chorus hits. An instrumental bridge follows and that’s when some funky baselines kick in. What a ride! So many different influences and genres are explored. I wonder what the other Vision Days look like?
A half an hour later and I am happy to report that they look great. I have floated back down to the sitting position in my chair and I’m ready to tell you all about the vision days that I experienced on the life ride. There is so much going on in these songs, ambience, keys, guitars (even some acoustic), synth beats, and vocals. All of this extremely catchy, and extremely well mixed! The production on this album is stellar. I am listening with headphones and I get 360 degrees of full sound. I really love a mix that makes you part of the music. I think that is the future of music, making it a little more physical, and that’s what Vision Days on the Life Ride is bringing us. Something that pleasantly surprised me about this album are little parts here and there that break into a world music styling along with sitars and hollow world influenced beats. I wouldn’t call this an experimental album, but I love to see artists incorporate less popular genres into rock and electronic music stylings. Another pleasant surprise is the dance-ability. Despite multiple genres being portrayed, I think that this is most definitely a rock record, but the electronic tones and structures of this album stand out and make me want to move. The beats per minute are calling my ears and making the rest of my body groove. This is what makes a great album.
Vision Days on the Life Ride is a nice trip for you to take. When you get back, you can thank me… and of course, JD.
Review by Kenn Deaton
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