Religion, spirituality and the entire process of working out what you believe can be complex, particularly if the beliefs you once readily lapped up appear to be faltering. CHANNELS‘ debut single, “MOTHER,” takes those doubts and constructs an appropriately epic soundscape for them, a world where the divine has all the power and a touch of menace.
The Chicago band features Kelsey Montanez, Hannah Hovland Johnson and Jesse Greco, three singers who aim to translate weighty existential questions into rock-and-roll. The band’s list of sonic references includes Interpol, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse and Radiohead, which should help you get a sense of what kind of psycho-spiritual territory they’re treading: brooding atmospherics, muscular guitars and sounds that feel like they’re coping with an existential crisis. To be fair, rock music has always excelled at those.
“MOTHER” was built around a view of God that challenges the more familiar, traditionally masculine models of spiritual authority. At a time when many musicians would turn to tidy and safe interpretations of spirituality, CHANNELS introduces its music to the listener with all its mystery and power. And, instead of replacing an image of God with a different image of God, it makes us wonder why those images felt more natural to us to begin with.
It is an indie-rock fare, wandering into synth-heavy, atmospheric territory before effortlessly elevating to a head-bobbing musical momentum that still isn’t close enough to “background” music for you to block it out. That “thing” lies in the contrast between the atmospherics with which this track explores, with the assurance of the rock instruments giving it “somewhere to go” as it does so. It feels less like a neat, declarative statement of faith and more like a soundtrack for questioning everything you thought you knew.
As for the vocals, that brings even more to the song. Montanez’s haunting voice is beautifully complemented by Hovland Johnson’s more gritty approach, which packs a little more punch-just what you need for a tune that plays on both sensitive vulnerability and strength. Greco’s multiple-tracked guitar work sets the tone for the track’s dark, commanding momentum.
For a debut, “MOTHER” is a nice introduction to a band more interested in ideas than bringing the house down in a dark room. The theme of the record lends meaning to the mood and the fusion of hard rock and electronic textures gives the band a sound worth exploring further.
CHANNELS aren’t providing any hard and fast answers here, which is no bad thing. The odd thing about belief is not in knowing what to believe, but in finally having the space and the ability to challenge what you do.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
