Rick Shaffer just released his latest album, Rites and Stories, which holds ten songs that will take you to a grunge rock concert, where you would want to lose yourself in an atmosphere that is gritty and full of tension.
Rick Shaffer is a well-established artist, known for his music career as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is also the founding member of the Philadelphia-based band, The Reds. His music and recordings are critically acclaimed, having worked in both the film and music industries.
The whole album carries the same mood– it has a ritualistic feel that makes you feel like you are at extremes, but in the best way possible. The guitar work is mean and gritty, the drums throw beats that urge something primal, and the vocals are deeply emotive and echo in the space created by the songs. The storytelling in the album feels like it’s in fragments. It gives you pieces of a puzzle, and leaves it to you to form a whole picture.
‘Pleasure’ is a track at the heart of the album, with an unflinching energy that lets you sink into the album. The guitar work is shimmering, and Shaffer’s vocals are deep and raspy, truly creating a mood for you to let yourself lose and let the song surround you.
‘True Religion’ is a track that enters with unapologetic energy, and you can’t help but let the tension of the track wash all over you. It’s distorted, but at the same time has an ethereal quality because of the atmosphere that the guitar work creates. The song also has an underlying aggression that makes the track emotionally rich.
‘Dark Disguise’ also plays out much like ‘True Religion’, but it takes time to build its atmosphere. The jangling guitars sound like being played to put you in a trance. The song feels like it is being played live, letting the instrumentation take centre stage. The lyrics in this track are pretty sparse, giving time for the instrumentation to shine truly. Like ‘True Religion’, this track is also very ethereal. It is rhythmic, and the bass broods, giving the track depth.
‘Pressure Point’ is a tight, rhythmic track that has a very psychedelic quality. It’s fragmented, yet a very well-rounded track, using loops and distortions to create the intensity. All the songs in the album are intense and open a world of their own. It’s not for the light-hearted, but it’s for the people who want to be moved and amazed by the power of good music.
You can listen to the album ‘Rites & Stories’ by Rick Shaffer on popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube. To know more about him, you can visit his website, ‘www.tarockmusic.com/rick_shaffer/’
You can also listen to the album here:
