When it comes to some artists, I have considered myself a casual fan, with decisions that are deliberate to not search out a group’s music. Now while I understand the UK’s The Wombats may have over half a million fans, I sometimes find myself needing more to quench my palette. Agree or disagree, The Wombats are a good pop band and their songs are filled with catchy melodies and hooks but will you find yourself searching them out time and time again? Probably not, but again, catchy sometimes. Oh! The Ocean (AWAL) has some interesting moments. “Blood On The Hospital Floor” hits the accelerator, never allowing anyone time to catch their breath while “Can’t Say No” bouncy thump and jangly guitars are exquisite. But it’s “I Love America And She Hates Me” that grabs my attention. Not for its musicality but for the gritty reality it exposes. It may seem tongue-in-cheek but there’s truth to what the band sings about how it shatters dreams and loving it till “the bullets in my head.”

DENISON WHITMER – ANYTHING AT ALL

Some have come a long way from humble beginnings. Perseverance and continuity are important and Denison Whitmer has probably gone further than his own expectations. With a career dating back to the late 90s, he’s produced a hefty catalog of albums of 10 albums and an assortment of EPs and singles. Whitmer’s third full-length release, Philadelphia Songs has always remained his most realized work, and I write this simply because it was an album played incessantly on subway & car rides. Of course, he’d go on to record & release great music throughout the years but that album is worth its weight in gold. Now, 23 years later, life takes a turn.  

Since 2013, Whitmer’s releases have been sporadic to say the least, releasing a self-titled album, following it up 7 years later with 2020’s American Foursquare. While the wait isn’t as long as his last, today he delivers the new Anything At All (Asthmatic Kitty Records) which is a bit of a departure from his previous works. That’s partially due to his collaboration with Sufjan Stevens on this new release. Stevens’ input throughout the album is one thing you can hear, taking on the role of producer for it. Loads of rich, textured harmonies abound, beginning with the opening “A House With,” wrapping it with additional percussion and lightly played keys alongside plucked strings. It’s dreamy, like much of the album. But we can’t ignore Whitmer’s voice because that’s what’s gotten him to this point after all. On “Making Love,” although his delivery seems laid back, he sings with conviction across this stark yet expansive landscape. Again, opulent harmonies drip across the background with Whitmer’s own inviting melodies.

It doesn’t seem as if there’s any song offering much more self-reflecting as “Confessions,” and through trial and error, he tries hard to be a better person for those around him. But we all need a little help now and again. The music that runs concurrently along his words though, I don’t think you’ll be fulfilled by anything else right now. Keys, strings, and harmonies gently crescendo and by the time you realize it, you won’t have a care in the world. Then “Lost In My Head” takes a different turn as musical note patterns are handled in unison, with vocals and instruments until strings adorn the skyline and percussion & piano walk together. Even at its most sparse, the song is lush, boldly full at just about every turn with bells, strings, wind instruments(?) Maybe. Musically, things shift with the immediate bounciness of “Shade I’ll Never See.” Its catchy rhythm is accented by a variety of instrumentation, backing harmonies, and Whitmer’s voice that sometimes moves closely to a laconic delivery.

Obviously, it’s no secret that Anything At All, just a moment in Denison Whitmer’s life, is a brilliant release that allows listeners to hear a different side of him, engulfed in sprawling landscapes of sound.