The High Strung – Ode to the Inverse of the Dude – Album Review

Park the Van Records is one of our favorite little bluesy hippie labels, and maybe it’s because we featured three or four of their bands in the last week of April that we really fell behind on our listening pile.  Detroit trio, The High Strung, dropped Ode to the Inverse of the Dude quietly on April 21st and, regretfully, we weren’t here to get the word out ahead of time.  There’s an old adage in the world of education that proposes any mistake or flaw can easily be corrected the next day in the classroom.  We’ll side with this philosophy and review the record a few weeks after its release because, bluntly, it’s that good.

Ode to the Inverse is a rich and textured journey of eclectic folk and and sing-a-long classic rock extremely worthy of grabbing if you haven’t yet.  The trails of classic rock have been worn a ton, especially recently, but the entire ethos of the record traps just about everything cool, heartwarming, and fun from those old records Dad passed down.  The first track of the album establishes a motif not abandoned for the remainder. “Standing at the Door of Self Discovery” is retro, the entire band singing along, popping with life and old-timey jangle.  Chad Stocker’s strummy guitars and mild dives into psychedelic 70’s modes sit behind it all.  The vocals are the central focus but diversity of instrumentation signifies talent.  Many tracks aren’t easily shaken from the membrane and require repeat listens.  It’s important to note that there are no patents listed on great music and The High Strung is well aware. The sound is rooted in old school good times and campfire revelry.   Slowed down acoustic folky tunes like “I Got Your Back” are staples on the record.  ”When the edges of sleep surround you, Baby, I got your back.”  Endearingly positive in tone, the lyricism of tracks like this will lift your spirits and mesh beautifully with the changing spring weather.  This is an album you so desperately want to hear at this time of year, as the band doesn’t rely on sludgy distortion to get the vibe across to listeners.  If the Mamas and Papas were still around, they’d be signed with Park the Van and they’d be touring with The High Strung.

There are flashes of late 70’s disco and super large arrangements throughout the record, as well. “Real Stone” is a track getting multiple plays for me and it’s disco infused classic rock includes a wildly unique vocal delivery with dissonant but palatable hooks.  A soft and simple drum machine cadence keeps time and rocks this out.  There are splatters of some of our most timeless 60’s and 70’s memories bolted together with coolness.  In the above mentioned song and “Out of Character,” early Roger Daltry and the Who (minus the loud power chords) are not far-fetched references. “Bad with my Hands” is the peak of the record, fleshed out as a large sprawling and shifting opus with synthesizers, drummer Derek Berk’s huge cymbal crashes, triangles, and beautifully delivered vocals by Josh Malerman.  There’s a big nod to The Walkmen here with regards to large, orchestral kettle drum sounding rock, but imagine that concert hall sound with a more tightly arranged structure.

Producer David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene) had the band record the album in a church-turned-studio and the brilliant mixing and recording jolts listeners from top to bottom.  The largeness mentioned in the previous paragraph is by design, of course, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to digest that this album is rooted deeply in emotional delivery and artistic expression.  Park The Van’s website describes this as The High Strung’s most expansive record to date and we’re in complete agreement with that choice of vocabulary.  Large and epic choruses, lots of instrumentation, and charged lyrical content get tumbled together into a great rock record.  Spend time connecting with this thing emotionally rather than critically examining all of its parts and you’ll be catching all the right pieces Newfeld and the folks in the band intended.

It’s no secret to anyone in our biz, but this is going to be a huge Summer for great music, and the last few weeks have seen this blossom begin.  The late April and early May releases are setting an early tone that will be difficult to keep pace as we move through the Summer months.  There’s a lot to get into with Ode to the Inverse of the Dude and we even took a few weeks to fully wrap our brains around it.  Check out “Bad With My Hands” below and pick this one up.  In Cleveland, spring doesn’t come all at once, but when it does, it hits like a train.  In the last track of the album, vocalist Malerman sings, “You told me I was the most lively guest at your party.  Don’t you know I’ll be there again?”  This is an excellent sentiment.  I know the record will sit in my playlist all season.

The High Strung – “Bad With My Hands”