The Oshkosh West Index - Mellonotonian musings rise from fertile West landscape

Mellonotonian musings rise from fertile West landscape

By Dellin Lorenson
posted 11:25:58 AM CST, May 24, 2007

Embracing both alternative rock and hip-hop, Oshkosh’s own Mellonote Musiq co. has released its self-titled debut album, featuring an impressive array of original tracks. The nine songs and hidden bonus track were penned and composed entirely by local musician and West alumnus Justin Zander in a grueling year-long recording process.

The songs feature an intriguing mix of hard rock, alternative rock, and acoustic ballads, with a refreshingly edgy dash of hip-hop and rap. Zander’s lyrics quietly reflect the average American life from childhood to maturity, making the collection easy for any young adult to identify with.

The album took over a year to complete as it was painstakingly recorded and produced by junior Phil Taylor. The band itself consists of many other West alumni, including drummer Mike Frank, guitarists Max Roberts and Kris Sundet, with Taylor on bass guitar.

The CD begins with the bright riffs of “Rhode Island” and shares the optimism of a live and let live lifestyle indicative of his relative youth; “I was just a kid away from home . . . and maybe some day I’ll return? / Only time will tell.”

But the contrast of the acoustic confession, “A Seahorse,” shows the careful combination of genres that spans the length of the album. The drastic conflation of musical styles represents the changing culture of the American teenager as rock ‘n’ roll takes a backseat to the rising tide of rap influence in today’s youth. Zander’s own rhymes make up the rap “Pink Lemonade,” while rapper Jerry Spencer and back-up vocalist/West student Sadie Merrill join him in his most ambitious foray into the hip-hop category.

The most intense and raw song of the collection is the punk-laced “By My Kite.” Using heavy chords and distorted vocals, the anthem steadily builds into a culminating eruption of the title lyrics, followed by a rapid breakdown into a brief punk romp, before returning to the more familiar sounds of the driving chorus. Additionally, the remarkable “Someday Soon” showcases Zander’s talents as he performs both a beat box and Clapton-esque guitar solo while the lyrics portray a painful separation and a deceptively hopeful chorus of, “Someday soon/ we’ll be together.”

Overall, the album is a consistent and strong effort; however, no work is without a few blemishes. Zander’s vocals are, at times, garbled, distant, and nearly impossible to decipher. The live performances seem to correct the error and prove even more intoxicating than the CD itself. Also, allusions to the drug culture ferned in the album may bother some conservative listeners, but appear to be more of a testament to the dangerous teenage lifestyle of urban youth than blatant and intentional advertising.

Using masterful integration of genre and lyrics to precisely describe the frustrations of a maturing generation, Zander and Mellonote Musiq co. capture a piece of musical ingenuity found in their impassioned originality. The self-titled debut is available at local music stores, at their live performances, or from Taylor. With a promising direction and a noteworthy collection of musical talent, Mellonote Musiq co. appears to be Oshkosh’s most promising new act.

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