I’ve been following Fred Jeske’s various music projects for many years now. Might not be a household name – but he should be. I’ve long admired his (and his band members) ability to weave indie, progressive, and power pop into a mix that is at once unexpected and yet entirely welcome. One of his latest projects was born from the desire to expand and expound musical horizons. Positive messaging is an integral key to Conduit of Humanity – it isn’t just a clever name. Fred’s been releasing music at a healthy clip which seems to have coincided with a lengthy (and ongoing) website update on my part. I’ve been living with Siren Songs From Another World for a while now, and it is quite an album. It just might be the best record released to date by Fred & his cohorts.
Shine starts off the album with a power pop gem. Full of melody and sweetly sung vocals, it is a killer way to start the album. Lyrically it is finding the light in the midst of darkness. “Follow a beacon of light that’ll lead back into reality / And there’ll come a day when all of this washes away.” The song segues into Back to Happy – a killer slab of psychedelic rock. Another World has a chill easy listening 70’s vibe that builds layers as it goes. It is both comforting and riveting, not an easy thing to pull off. Lyrically fairly bleak. “And time has run out on our poor little world / Why can’t we live like we’ve learned what we heard.” A soft rock progressive masterpiece. Siren’s Song is the centerpiece of the album – a 10-minute song that challenges, changes, and enchants. Tonally, it is a fairly dark song that fully engages the listener. Instruments build on one another to create a hazy wall of sound. Great, great stuff.
You can pick the album via the band’s Bandcamp site. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Conduit of Humanity.
Verdict: Another Stunner
For fans of: Todd Rundgren, The Monkees, Pink Floyd, Sloan, Fountains of Wayne
Tracks:
- Shine Out
- Back to Happy
- Hoaxes
- Our Saving Grace
- Yellow Dye
- Another World
- It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore
- Fantastic Fires
- Sirens Song
- Asa Brebner is Dead (Angelic Remix)
- Hoaxes (CyberExotic Remix)