Tim Hort is a male indie-rock artist based out of Chicago. This locale might just be the perfect location to explore the unpredictable realm of musical expression. His latest album “Radio Power” is a somewhat dark-witty-melancholy but truthful collection of melodic rock that reveals all the a-typical conventions of vintage alt-rock, creating a solid yet catchy album. The first track “Tuesday” is an impressive Reggae kickoff statement. It does a great job of starting things off and gets one eager and ready for what’s around the corner, which in itself presents a stunning 13 track line-up I have to say. As the album slowly runs the gamut it has much to offer in the way of melodic music and captivating vocals, fascinating lyrics that make the listener feel like they’re in a suspenseful feature film.
Musical comparables include bands like The Mindless Self Indulgence, Sum 41, Electric Six. Also I can hear Rock embellishments like from The White Stripes and The Talking Heard.
One cannot help but admire artists with strong songwriting skills and truthful conviction all the while demonstrating a strong a level of creativity. One senses a growing ambition as this album advances. Hort’s appealing sometimes striking vocals and “on the mark” songwriting leave a lasting impression and with intellectually stimulating lyrical content providing a very real and powerful source of inspiration. Hort is one of those quintessential artists no doubt not afraid to put his toe into the truthful side of the pool shall we say. Some songs give you a sense of growth-wisdom and progressing maturity. Other dark unpredictability. The musicianship pulls out all the stops, and the overall production value tows the line. All in all a great set of songs.
Notable standouts for me include: Tuesday, World in a Day, Not Ready, and Rollercoaster
If you want a shock to the system via a somewhat striking rock staple there’s something on this record for you. Obviously many will identify with Hort, and perhaps this is what cult fans will like about him – his mysteries X-Factor style refusing to be pinned down via a first listen. Having said that this CD is for almost anyone as it caters to modern psychedelic rock listeners. Some of this plays into strong marketability for a cult fan base. Some pieces present more modern sounding overtones but despite the flavor there are still traditional Alt-Rock textures from earlier eras. This is really what makes “Radio Power” so enticing to me personally. It even has a bit of Punk and at times Hort reminds me of a modern day David Byrne. In this aspect Tim Hort is an impressive artist, and also grants you rare access to peer into the tormented soul of a gifted artist – from his brilliant perspective shall we say.
Final Rating: 8/10
URL: https://www.facebook.com/theradiohour?fref=ts
Ben Semer
