It’s been two years since Ryan Van Slooten’s last album, “The Overhead Low,” came out. Van Slooten recorded and produced the album himself at his home and it turned out well for a mostly DIY recording. His newly released album, “Victory March,” picks up where “The Overhead Low” left off. Van Slooten has a long past of working with area rock bands such as Bone Appetit, Rock Brigade and the SuperTacks. Van Slooten’s solo material does have a rock edge, but it is the singer-songwriter aspects that make his sound distinct.
On this new album, Van Slooten opted to record at Sacred Heart’s studio. One of the primary differences between this album and the last is that there is more of a presence of other instruments besides the guitar, although there are plenty of riffs to go around. There are also more backing vocals going on in the mix and the result is a more full sounding album.
The album begins with the powerful pop-rock song, “The Cure.” The song gradually builds up in intensity as it starts with a clean electric guitar, subtle cymbal hits and Van Slooten’s vocals. When the bass kicks in, the song swells into the thick choruses. Duluth musician, Mary Bue, is featured on a number of the tracks and her backing vocals are first heard on this song. Lyrically, the album acknowledges a lot of internal and external conflicts and trials, but this isn’t to say the lyrics are totally negative. Overall, the album focuses on overcoming hardships.
One song that stands out on the album is the third track titled, “Crazy Earth.” The piano, soft organ and especially Bue’s vocal contributions are a nice touch to the song, but when it comes down to it, straight forward melody lines and honest heartfelt lyrics are what really makes this song shine. “Just give thanks for everyday/on this crazy earth/just give thanks for what it’s worth/you know you should/do anything you can to make it good,” goes the chorus.
The track, “It Doesn’t Matter,” is a good example of Van Slooten’s guitar work. The whole song features layers of guitar but the break down at around the 1:30 minute mark is where things get going.
One thing that is seldom heard in Van Slooten’s songs are strings. In the case of the song “Your Light’s Still On,” the backing strings aren’t real acoustic instruments but rather Van Slooten’s Yamaha keyboard. Van Slooten accredits the full tone of the strings’ sound to the openness of Sacred Heart which is a decent sized church turned into a music venue, studio and event hall.
Although piano does come up in Van Slooten’s material, the song, “Somewhere, Somebody,” is mainly driven by it. The song starts off soft and intimate with just the keys and Van Slooten’s vocals, towards the end of the song, a full arrangement of instruments creates a dramatic effect that eases back to just the solo piano as it ends. The track, “Remain,” is a sentimental song that also heavily relies on the piano. The “strings” in the song definitely add to the emotional impact of it.
A lot of the album falls somewhere in the realm of pop and rock. The track, “So What, I Say,” pulls on this but brings up hints of funk and blues. The presence of the bass on the album shifts around with the various turns from song to song. On this song the bass and Hammond organ really pop out.
Perhaps the simplest arrangement of instruments on the album is the final track, “Victory March.” An acoustic guitar and light percussion from some shakers back Van Slooten’s hopeful lyrics that end off this song. “And the light may never show you things you’ll only find when lost in the dark/and the world will not control you when your will cannot be torn apart/your course will not be swayed on your victory march,” goes the final line of lyrics. The song is a fitting end to this kind of dark but mostly hopeful album.
Adding to the choice of recording at Sacred Heart, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered by local sound engineer, Jake Larson. Larson can often be found running live sound at venues such as Pizza Luce’ and is involved in audio on everything from live performances on the radio to the television program, The Playlist.
To find out how to download or get a CD of “Victory March,” visit www.ryanvanslooten.com. Van Slooten’s next performance will be at Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior on Saturday, November 9.