3 distinct new rock releases from Columbia's Galbraith, Hang Your Hate, Zircona
Columbia's music scene keeps springing forward, offering its own blooms. Here's a look at three recent projects by artists stationed along the local rock spectrum.
John Galbraith, 'J.G.'
It's time to place the word "unsinkable" before John Galbraith's name. The skilled, steady-on Columbia songwriter deals in isolation, lost love, embarrassment and broken promises, but his songs always rise to the surface with a guitar riff or melodic turn that keeps Galbraith — and his listeners — hopeful and in motion. His newest set lives on the rock side of a multi-genre dial, the steady rhythm of his progress leading to yet another high-water mark.
Galbraith ushers listeners into the jangle on opener "I Suppose," one of the songwriter's signature bittersweet college-rock joints — this is the contemporary and the classic colliding. "All the Above" arrives next, searing and sealing its roadhouse stomp with filthy organ and rhythmic punctuation.
"Suddenly Sunday" bridges gaps between the sonic sides of Galbraith, and offers one of his best guitar solos — this time something spritely on the acoustic. Another early highlight, "Everybody Needs a Friend" weds the Stones' primal heartbeat to Crowded House's melodic posture.
"Still" might be the most beautiful track Galbraith has released, which says something considering the man has released literally hundreds of songs. A warm sunburst, a sustained expression of curiosity, a confession of love and all its implications — the cut resonates and only keeps doing so.
The layered, almost fugal vocals driving "Every Good Boy Does Fine" split the difference between heartland gospel music and a Queen passage, giving the cut a lift. Closer "Try" turns up the sunny side of mixed feelings and signs the final lines of an album that shows a real local standout operating at a high, high level.
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Hang Your Hate, 'Sharp Pains'
LIghtning-bolt guitars crackle through the opening measures of the latest single from Hang Your Hate, currently one of Columbia's most reliably heavy bands.
Thunder arrives in short order as the band surrounds vocalist Garrett Curry with a forward-moving, chaos-harnessing groove. Verses establish a state of disaffection as Curry describes a severing and the space left between people; lyrics grasp for an untold way to deal with the hurt still endured ("Can I blame it on God? / Is that trick too old now?" Curry sings).
The song's chorus never lets up, eventually opening into a screaming guitar solo, still surrounded by the storm. "Sharp Pains" is radio ready but also a 3 1/2-minute exercise in catharsis, right down to the last stutter-step drum hits.
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Zircona, 'A Critical Dive'
Zircona, the project from Columbia singer-songwriter Eric C., lines up behind a certain kind of artist. On the Zircona Bandcamp page, the songwriter expresses debts to the likes of a young Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and Warren Zevon. Indeed, "A Critical Dive" — the third and newest Zircona record — lives in and around power-pop spaces, sometimes handling dark subject matter with a wry gaze. Riding the line between primitive pop and compelling narrative detail, "A Critical Dive" also evokes Daniel Johnston with a darker sensibility.
Songs like "Kelly" pay homage to manic pixie choirgirls while bridging the gap between early 1950s rock and the gait of an indie act like Parquet Courts. Subsequent cuts like "Lost in the City," "Three Dollar Dress" and "Married at the Mall" dig around stories of childhood innocence lost, and the limits of materialism as some sort of saving grace.
Eric C. folds in the vocals of partner Leia Brooks on several tracks; none more effective than the tender sounding, deceptively tragic acoustic ballad "Miss Fortune."
The truest highlight here, "Shopping for Bibles," takes its personality from piano chords and finds its narrator in the market for some apocalyptic soul insurance. Elsewhere, "Up the Dosage" foregrounds a terrifically riotous opening riff and the story of self-medication across the generations.
"I've got me a bad habit / That leads me to the medicine cabinet," Eric C. sings often, later tossing out the title line like some kind of incantation. These little moments bring out the true heart of the Zircona project and offer audiences a dynamic listen.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Hear new releases from Columbia's Galbraith, Hang Your Hate, Zircona
