By Jonah Robertson, Staff Writer
“Avenue”, a musical album available only online at this current time, is the result of a solo effort from a musician who goes by Red Swingline. Published in May of 2014, it is his third album to date, and is a wonderful representation of his extensive musical abilities.
Red Swingline is composed of a singular individual from Washington, D.C., but at first listen it feels as though it cannot be the work of just one musician. There is so much going on in the album, the fact that only one man composed and recorded it is truly mindblowing.
“I chose the pseudonym “Red Swingline” as a reference to Milton’s cherished stapler in the movie Office Space, because this solo music project is similarly cherished and uniquely important to me” Said the artist when asked about his odd choice of name for his project.
Musically, the album is incredibly entertaining, and any fans of technical or progressive Rock and Heavy Metal music should find it very enjoyable. It is a purely instrumental piece, but does not feel as though it lacks substance from the lack of vocals. Some standout tracks amongst the album’s 23 minute runtime are “Monmouth,” “Saratoga,” and “Memorial.”
“Monmouth” is one of the album’s most mellow and relaxing pieces. Between the acoustic guitar and the rhythmic beat track in the background, there is an atmosphere to the song that makes one think of sitting at home and resting, without a care in the world. Later in the song more elements, such as drums and a second guitar, are introduced that cause the song to take on a slightly more epic scope, while still keeping its relaxing tone. The guitar is masterfully written and played, and while certainly not the most complex song on the album, “Monmouth” might be the most aurally pleasing.
“Saratoga” is “probably the heaviest song I’ve ever written” said Red Swingline, and after a listen this is entirely believable. The song starts off with explosive guitar riffs and pounding drums, and this does not let up over the song’s three and a half minute runtime. Of all the tracks on the album, this one is the most likely to get the listener to start head banging along with it. In the very last portion a piano is introduced for some mellow background to the song’s heavier nature, and it leaves the listener yearning for more.
“Memorial” is the longest song on the album, with a runtime of six minutes, and is an absolute masterpiece. Starting off with some distorted guitars and drumming, it quickly evolves into some complex guitar riffing and various stylistic changes throughout the entire track. After the heavy intro it shifts into an acoustic section, and then returns to a soul-crushingly heavy portion of the song. This alternation between very soft and very aggressive and loud portions of the song is an incredibly stylistic choice and makes this song by far the most appealing on the album. It also shows off the artist’s technical skill the most, as all of the instrumentals throughout the song are spot-on.
There are many challenges that come from writing, recording, and producing one’s own album. “The biggest difficulties for me arise in mixing and mastering, because without opinions from other band members or studio engineers, it’s easy to over-analyze and constantly tweak the mixes” said the artist when asked about some of the difficulties he encountered while creating the album.
Red Swingline recently released a single called “Smoke and Steam” which can be found online with the rest of the artist’s work at http://redswingline.bandcamp.com
The artist draws from many Progressive Metal and Rock artists as his musical inspirations. “I draw a lot of inspiration from progressive metal bands like Animals as Leaders, Between the Buried and Me, Scale the Summit, Intervals, Russian Circles, and also numerous jazz musicians. Cloudkicker (Ben Sharp) and Misha Mansoor (Bulb, Periphery) also specifically inspire me as a solo musician, both through their music and by demonstrating that solid production can be achieved through home recording even on a limited budget with the right techniques and approaches.” Said Red Swingline.
While this album is incredibly diverse and a wonderful piece of art to listen to, there is one unfortunate flaw to a couple of the songs. While most of the album is wonderfully produced, every once in a while there are moments where it feels as though some of the instrumentals are slightly off tempo. This never lasts for more than a second, however, and does not detract from the music unless one goes out of their way to listen for them.
“Avenue” is an incredible solo album, and Red Swingline should be proud for releasing such a fantastic piece of art. It is almost impossible to pick out a single bad song on the album, as each of them is incredibly dynamic and entertaining. All in all, I would give the album a 4.5/5 and would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in this particular musical style.
