Wild by Brian Lambert is a bold and adventurous alt-rock album with clear influences from indie, synth pop, and punk music, featuring excellent vocal performances from Lambert from beginning to end, tying together layers of smooth guitars and a moody, crunchy drum beat that gives the tracks a sense of swagger.
Opening with the titular track “Wild”, Lambert gets a chance to show off his unique genre blend. Exposing us to hints of punk through an alt-rock shine, punctuated by these enigmatic vocals, that sway through the song with a raw and honest steeze. They work in tandem with gorgeous harmonies that emphasise the high end of his vocal register. To me, thematically, they symbolise the call of the wild that’s so integral to the tone of this track. The track focuses on the joy of being wild and the freedom from relinquishing society’s responsibilities, through the metaphor of being a werewolf. Sonically it reminded me a little of an alt-rock TV on the Radio, especially in the cadence of the phrase “loves how it feels to be wild”. There’s a power to the rhythm of his vocals that works cohesively with the guitars and drums, keeping the momentum high while exploring each emotion thoroughly.
“Don't Tease The Zombies” is another standout track, exploring some of the more funky, synth pops aspects of the album. It also allows the drummer to create some interesting rhythms and counter rhythms that bounce off each other building a complex and intricate yet never overwhelming beat.
The Clint Eastwood cover is also a nice touch, especially, after Don’t Tease The Zombies, clearly a very Gorillaz-inspired track.
Three Days is a personal favourite of mine, with a nice intersection of an intricate lead guitar part and the synth melodies we’ve seen on other tracks so far. It feels like a bridge that connects the album sonically.
I Just Want To Have A Good Time, the last track on the album, feels sonically very different, moving more into a disco-inspired sound, with a hypnotic and repetitive beat and lyrics that lead the composition on this psychedelic, synth-pop adventure. Although this feels like a departure from other tracks in the album, I think it’s awesome that they took a risk and included it. It works with their style and I’m interested in how they incorporate this aspect into their alternative sound in the future.
There’s a lot to love with this album and it’s impressive how cohesive it is as a whole considering the diversity between each track. More than anything though, this shows me the potential Brian Lambert has to offer and I’m excited to see what he does next.
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