{"id":970,"date":"2015-12-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/12\/10\/hearing-aide-twiddle-plump-chapter-one\/"},"modified":"2015-12-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T00:00:00","slug":"hearing-aide-twiddle-plump-chapter-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/12\/10\/hearing-aide-twiddle-plump-chapter-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Aide: Twiddle ‘PLUMP\u2013Chapter One’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"twiddleplump\"Becoming a highly successful jam band is not an easy task. Very few smart, thought-provoking, improvisational rooted groups\u00a0have found themselves on the path to becoming a top-tier act in the music industry. In a musical world where bands like Phish and the Grateful Dead<\/a> prove that you can stay true to your artistry and build a fan base, while acts like the Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler showcase a more commercial success side, Twiddle seems to be a band that is on everyone\u2019s radar. And their third studio album and second fan-funded record\u00a0PLUMP Chapter One, <\/em>a double-disc set, is scheduled for dual releases.<\/p>\n

Launched in January of 2015, Twiddle<\/a>\u2019s dedicated fan base pledged the $20,000 PLUMP <\/em>Kickstarter goal in less than 24 hours. And even after the goal was reached, backers\u00a0continued to elect into the campaign\u2019s rewards raising more than\u00a0$40,000 by the project’s\u00a0end.<\/p>\n

PLUMP\u2013Chapter One<\/em> is a slightly departed yet\u00a0highly fulfilling\u00a0venture for\u00a0the Vermont-based quartet. The band’s two previous studio albums were mainly composed of clever, intermingled lyrical hooks displaced among lengthy jams and instrumental tracks. The band has stepped away from that style to offer a more developed and produced sound. Only one song on the record\u00a0clocks in at longer than six\u00a0minutes. But what the album lacks\u00a0in extended jam, it succeeds in showcasing Twiddle\u2019s prowess as well-rounded songwriters.<\/p>\n

This first installment is overly ripe with earworms and radio friendly pop hooks, none of which should be a surprise to Twiddle fans, as the album contains not one previously unheard tune. If you want to understand why so many new listeners\u00a0have latched onto the band over recent years, PLUMP<\/em>\u2013Chapter One <\/em>exemplifies that attachment at its roots.<\/p>\n

\"Twiddle
Twiddle (L to R) Brook Jordan, Mihali Savoulidis, Ryan Dempsey, Zdenek Gubb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With this selection of songs, Twiddle highlights their socially conscious yet personally hopeful resonance that their followers love. Lyrically, the album is easy to swallow; it’s the tones of personal and social self-discovery that is neither preachy or melancholic. Even in more intense tracks\u00a0 like \u201cPolluted Beauty\u201d and \u201cIndigo Tigger,\u201d deeper, prophetic messages hide among sweet grooves and grunge-inspired edge.<\/p>\n

The record’s\u00a0opening track \u201cComplacent Race\u201d sets the stage for the album’s lyrical flow that reads like a beautifully written manifesto. The song, which has only been played live during a solo performance from lead guitarist and vocalist Mihali Savoulidis, is probably the most ominous of PLUMP\u2013Chapter One\u2019s <\/em>11\u00a0tracks. Even the initial burst of horns heralds in Savoulidis\u2019 slight contempt, \u201cDrowning in hypocrisy\/Doubting our democracy\/Still fighting for equality\/So you can live the way you please.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the album\u2019s most lyrically stern moments, it\u2019s Twiddle’s brand of musical fusion that drives the sheer optimism behind the music. The four-piece outfit\u00a0masterfully weaves up-tempo reggae fluidity with deep funk-driven bass lines and quirky keys to create the perfect backdrop for their variety of lyrical directness. PLUMP\u2013<\/em>Chapter One <\/em>is overflowing with tales of hope, frustration, humanitarian desire and self-awareness. Savoulidis has no problem revealing his life\u2019s truths in songs like \u201cLost in the Cold,\u201d \u201cAmydst the Myst\u201d or even the well-veiled love song \u201cFive.\u201d<\/p>\n

https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/twiddlemusic\/twiddle-lost-in-the-cold<\/p>\n

\u201cLost in the Cold,\u201d a meaningful and personal exorcism, takes on a new life through PLUMP<\/em>. Lyrically, it\u2019s the courage that comes at the end of hitting rock bottom; Savoulidis perfectly captures what it\u2019s like to be tortured by life’s complexities and the fear of moving beyond them. For fans of the song’s live version, the added horns and sleek production of the track may feel like a slight overreach. But the PLUMP <\/em>version of \u201cLITC\u201d is a shining example of how Twiddle’s music has the ability to take on a bigger, more complex sound. And it\u2019s more than likely a glimpse into\u00a0the direction that the band sees its music heading.<\/p>\n

\u201cSyncopated Healing,\u201d the band’s upbeat, music-loving anthem, serves as a solicitous reminder that the heart of Twiddle\u2019s music and fanbase is a desire to heal through music. Lyrics like \u201cRelax and dream one day at a time\/Let the beauty of the music start to heal your life,\u201d is an\u00a0example of the mantra-like cadence to which Twiddle excels. Housed right in the middle of the album, the track is a feel-good song that showcases the perfect blend of sing-along lyrics and danceable music. It also holds one of the few illustrations\u00a0into the band\u2019s jam capability, with a minor but beautifully finished guitar solo from Savoulidis.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the album is \u201cEvery Soul,\u201d which features Todd Stoops (RAQ, Oktopus). The funky yet seamless track is truly a showpiece for bassist Zdenek Gubb who drives a steady and unstoppable bass line throughout the song that stops only for a musical showdown between Gubb, Stoops and keyboardist Ryan Dempsey. While Stoops lays down his signature sound of wonk and wobble throughout the song, Dempsey counters with classical key work that sounds both studied and whimsical. Behind the kit, drummer Brook Jordan creates a supernatural disco-style rhythm that serves as the foundation for the\u00a0highly intoxicating and powerful song. It\u2019s a sound that Twiddle explores often in the live improvisational formula, but doesn\u2019t reveal often in the studio form\u2014a sign that the band has\u00a0plenty of diversity in its arsenal and room to grow musically.<\/p>\n

Saxophonist Kenny Brooks (Alphabet Soup, RatDog) makes a guest appearance on \u201cBe There.\u201d The song is an\u00a0ideal\u00a0vehicle for Brooks\u2019 warm and charming sound, and the heartfelt track is reminiscent of the vibe created in early Dave Matthews\/LeeRoi Moore collaborations. However, the beauty of “Be There” gets slightly lost in its placement, as the tender moment is sandwiched between two of the album’s heavier hitting tracks.<\/p>\n