Mellow rock with an electronic twist
Electropunk legend Paul Roessler released his new album in July of 2022. Known for his membership in L.A. punk bands like The Screamers. Roessler’s music career reaches back to the ‘70s. More recently embracing his solo career, The Turning Of The Bright World features 13 tracks, including the pre-released single “Maker.”
The Turning Of The Bright World opens with “Elephant Man.” A series of crisp clicks initiates an instrumental build of wandering harmonies and deep percussive hits. Like a train leaving the station, this cinematic start feels like a developing journey. The entrance of Roessler’s voice is no exception; his smooth vocals roll in slowly, creating a natural conjunction with the song’s synthy, harmonic tones. He also plays with layering his voice, which ultimately expands the vocal section. Keyboard notes sound stretched with a pedal to offer their own haunting harmonies. After its initial build, the song’s intensity seems to plateau until the final fade-out.
Following the first track, Roessler hits listeners with his voice immediately in “Maker.” He repeats “oh yeah” four times as it fades into distortion, before diving into lyrics: “Get ready to meet your maker.” The pace of this tune is more groovy than the first, captured by quicker percussive hits. These beats are more distinguishable than other instrumentation, as distorted sounds bleed into one another. The blurred tones sometimes dampen Roessler’s vocal quality, a choice that feels intentional to create swirling compositions. He also adds an interesting progression of descending notes at times with distorted, static-like tones. Singing “down” during this descent is an example of word painting, as his lyrics depict the notes’ behavior.
Throughout other pieces in The Turning Of The Bright World, Roessler electronically plays with vocal quality, sound effects and instrumentation. Sometimes his voice feels as close as a whisper like in “They,” yet in other songs, he’s a more distant echo. While his piano may be the most consistently used instrument, it seems to vary in reverberation from tune to tune. Though he experiments in quality, the core ambiance doesn’t stray from the mellow electronic rock with a hint of psychedelia. Don’t expect to headbang your way through the album, instead ready yourself for a steady sway at every listen. Overall, it’s an elegant LP as philosophical as its title.
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