Today marks the iTunes release of my friend’s first full-length studio album. While digital copies have been available for a few weeks on the Aquafight Records website and that hard copies will soon follow, I wanted my blog post to coincide with the release on a more popular platform, and use the opportunity to give some of my thoughts on the album and the artist himself.
Jonathan Blanchette is a multi-instrumentalist and song-writer with an AEC in sound engineering. He plays a wide variety of instruments and also sings. He played and sang every sound of “In the Brawl”, and the recording, under Aquafight Records–his studio–was done entirely on his own as well. His major influences come from the old rock scene with bands like Aerosmith, Scorpions, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard and many more. He also favors the use of vintage sound and equipment for his recording. Aquafight Records has also been accepting contracts since early 2012, and while it’s not overflown, it’s seen local activity and even one or two international work already.
The album itself takes many influences from old Rock bands, the most important being Pink Floyd and the psychedelic story-album “The Wall”. In the Brawl blends various styles within the Rock genre, and so there should really be a song in there to please any Rock fan. My personal favorite is the instrumental song “Mélancolie” which blends a complex guitar line with an overly simple one with the result being a strangely homogenous, yet polarized sound, but a great and unique all the same. Other songs like “Greed” have thought-provoking lyrics or bizarre musical tracks.
Still, even putting my biases aside, I believe In the Brawl to be a worthwhile purchase. I also want to congratulate Jonathan for bringing this album to completion and wish him the best for the success of In the Brawl and all future projects.
LNocto 