Soulfully detailing a troubled array of introspective experiences, Brian Lopez put out a record that combines the traditional insights of singer-songwriter music with lush and complex melodies spanning across different genres. Static Noise has traces of space rock, indie, folk, Americana, and world music, all pushing Lopez’s emotional struggles and views about the world around him. Backed by an extensive production team that has worked with artists like Radiohead, Pixies, Ben Fold, Sonic Youth and Modest Mouse, Static Noise’s sound seems to be attempt to push the limits of singer-songwriter music.
The sonic exploration begins immediately with “Mercury In Retrograde,” in which space rock is combined with emotional and somber music bearing the influence of The Cure. Right away, an elaborate and fluctuating sound is heard, as the song sways from a rock freakout to a delicate and swirling piano piece. The following track, “Modern Man,” introduces the more guitar-oriented side of this record, also heard on the jumpy indie pop number “I Don’t,” but for the most part, the album abounds in spacey and emotionally-driven hybrids, where new prog and alternative rock combine themselves with various different elements; to name, a feverish Middle Eastern rhythm on “Glass House,” a dreamy, resonant piano arrangement on the title-track, and acoustic pieces infused with Americana and folk on “Crossfire Cries” and the eerie “When I Was A Mountain.”
This record’s quality would make for an incredible listen from start to finish were it not trampled under the overwhelming weight of its unoriginality. Both in compositional style and vocal delivery, the overbearing resemblance to artists Matt Bellamy and Thom Yorke, with the exception of a few songs, is uncanny. Lopez’s talent and insight pours out of every song, but it is painfully necessary that he find his own sound. When he’s not busy imitating Muse, this new artist emanates brilliance. Here’s to hoping in a change of heart.
In A Word: Mimic
