Buffalo jam rock group eberwine has stepped forward with their record debut One Vision, an hourlong escapade of winding guitar riffs, invigorated drumming, and accessible melodies.
Led by vocalist and guitarist Todd Eberwine, his band of the same name is a five-piece featuring drummer Ryan Nogle, bassist Keith Lindner, backing vocalist Aaron Ziolkowski, and keyboardists Evan Laedke and Eric Crittenden.
The album, which was “six years in the making,” was preceded by single, “Worlds Away” in April, a catchy roots rock track which serves as a proper preview to One Vision.
Opener “Get On” is an eight minute piece that does the same, giving the listener a good idea of what to expect from the record with a couple verses, a couple hooks, and lots of instrumental time. A bouncy song which sticks to a traditional blues rock format, a spacy keyboard solo in the track’s first couple minutes adds an ethereal element.
Songs on the album generally touch topics of romance, such as the title track where Eberwine sings “the stars are complete in their galaxies, when they explode they become more like you and me,” alluding to the cover art’s imagery.
While Eberwine’s flashy guitar playing on display nearly every song, and Ryan Nogle’s drumming always keeps pace, and the keyboard section adds a sense of atmosphere, Keith Lindner’s bass playing is right there with them, entertainingly holding up the groove on songs like the instrumental “Real Good” And along with plenty of dazzling musicianship, Eberwine’s polished vocals help push forth songs that are primarily instrumental.
“Lies” is an album highlight, with its high tempo and funky guitar riff working well with an odd and uncomfortable melody. Eberwine’s shrieky vocals complement the moody track, with him singing “life deceived me as I’m falling down again.” This is coupled by one of the most engaging solos of the record, one which goes on for five minutes and reaches speed and intensity unique to the tracklist.
While this album knows when to heat up at the right times, it also knows when to settle down. “Lies” is fittingly followed by the subdued, solo-free “Divided,” with wistful lines such as “so the story goes but no one knows, and so we go on through the great untold.” “Fever,” the only other song under five minutes, follows up the raucous opening track with a nice blend of piano rock and acoustic guitar.
Stretches of subtlety also prove valuable on the 11-minute closer “In Flight Movie,” with Eberwine’s watery lead riff guiding the slow song to its more active moments like its exciting and powerful chorus where he sings “the moment’s okay, the moment’s gone, it makes us blind to what matters, it makes connection impossible.” The song’s nearly six-minute solo hits nicely as well, with dynamics alternating in a way to create a uniquely emotional performance here, giving a fitting end to the album.
While One Vision is eberwine’s first album, it doesn’t come short of displaying the expertise of Todd Eberwine and his band. On top of showing off plenty of mercurial musicianship, the group shows plenty of aptitude for emotional performances and stylistic versatility in a record that fills out its 68-minute runtime.
Information about future eberwine tour dates can be found here.
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