Imagination Head by Bonnie Heath
A review of Imagination Head’s debut “ON/OFF”
Imagination Head is a five piece outfit from my old home of Atlanta(-ish), Georgia; led by singer/songwriter J.R. Wicker and buoyed by a talented group of performers including Erin Wicker, Vincent Gray, Nick Belafonte, P. I. Navarro, and Kara Strauss.
When I started listening to this record I didn’t want to like it at all. It’s one of those that just doesn’t grab you right out of the gate, so maybe that’s a part of the problem for me. After a dozen listens I’ve decided I like about half of the album while the other half I skip over. Some of the effects and the chicanery (sitars, cheesy synth stuff) are unnecessary and get in the way of my listening to some of the songs. I’m not averse to those types of flourishes when it’s done well on records, but when used in excess it can create a muddled mess that actually detracts from the core of a solid song. I feel this happens too often in the sound scape that is On/Off.
Wicker and crew remind me, at their best, of the now defunct San Francisco pop experts 20 Minute Loop, but the album is an uneven listen for me. I think the band would be better suited choosing a direction and sticking with it: psychedelic pop or folk band. ”You Are Everywhere” is a perfect Beatle-esque pop gem while “Customer Sunshine” is The Monkees lite. Songs like “Summer Sky” have a Hank Williams feel to it which goes back to the band’s singer/songwriter, roots rock vibe that is present as well. Then you get a curve ball thrown at ya with “Every Sun’, a Cocteau Twins type of jam that never quite hits its potential.
Wicker’s lead vocal delivery meanders through Colin Meloy’s Vocal Fun House as if it’s trying to decide whether it wants to continue down the Off-Yellow Brick Road of Fashionable Hipster Trends or find that sweet spot that he manages to hit sometimes, closer to the Kevin Barnes Early Era Of Montreal Gingerbread House. Erin Wicker doubles much of the time behind J.R. (I’m assuming they are married) yet never steps out front to take the lead throughout an entire song, which honestly, was a bit of a disappointment.
I love Meloy and Barnes, but I’m turned off by a current rash of outbreaks attributed to Vedder Syndrome, an affliction in which a particularly unique vocal inflection or style of singing becomes popular. Hence spawning a parade of degenerate imitators and musical charlatans, who then proceed to parlay said affliction into a career that lasts about 14 minutes too long for the artist and the listener. (Staind, Puddle of Mudd, anyone?) Wicker is walking the fine line throughout On/Off and I fear that if gone undiagnosed, he might fall to the effects of Vedder Syndrome. Luckily there’s help, just listen to this five times a day and call me in the morning.
Preview On/Off on iTunes and pick what you like before you buy. From what I hear, they’re a solid live act; so the songs may translate differently in that setting. Go check them out and tell me in the comments below how they are live. Their next gig is in Atlanta at Picaflor Studios on Friday, March 18th for an Atlanta Bloggers Showcase.
