Stereo Motion
Genre: Rock
Stereo Motion Bibliography: (click on each album cover to view tracks and Stereo Motion lyrics)
Stereo Motion Biography Does it ever seem like the heart of rock and roll has lost its beat? With each passing year in music history, popular bands seem to be getting further and further away from the groundbreaking ancestry of acts like Led Zeppelin and The Who, or even retro revivalists The Vines and the All American Rejects, brushing aside timelessness in favor of timeliness.
Not so for bold new foursome Stereo Motion, who not only recognize the need for a rock and roll revolution, but are ready to start it themselves. With an electrifying collision of rock's historic roots and modern alternative texturing, combined with impeccable lyrical and musical craftsmanship, the group's self-titled debut is sure to get listeners' fists in the air and ears ringing with admiration.
"A lot of people listen to music just because it's new, but a fad's not going to last forever," exclaims Stereo Motion's singer/guitarist Bryan Nance Jr. "When you first listen to a lot of pop music, it may hook you in because it sounds cool. But like bubble gum, you spit it out when the sounds get stale."
"We want to make songs that aren't just cool because they're new; we want them to be filled with so much soul and passion that they last beyond this era." More important than Stereo Motion's longevity quest, these four young men are serious when it comes to their own spiritual development, noting that musical expression brings those desires full circle. "To be honest, we're still growing, and we have a lot of questions that we're still seeking answers to in these songs," reveals Bryan. "We've dealt with everything from the politics of the music business to whims of the world as we've prepared for this project; but we've learned it's not about how you sound or look that matters in the end, it's the way you love."
Evidence of that noble pursuit can be found in ample amounts on this project, from its lyrical and compositional style to the actual recording techniques that birthed it. Immediate attention-grabbers include the gun-slinging guitars and vocal grunts of "Steal the Show," the mounting tension of "Sweetest Sound," and the explosive "Revolution Times" (certain to make AC/DC proud), all of which simultaneously indulge listeners in a nostalgic time warp and a contemporary cavalcade of stylistic superiority. It's a seamless bridging of two generations, met with equally relevant and life-affirming songwriting that rises above demographics and belief mechanisms.
"Bryan and I wrote all of the lyrics, and our goal was to deal with real world issues using a universal language, instead of just writing about the same old 'Christian' issues you've heard about time and time again," bassist Justin Keith Morgan explains. "Our faith is at the center of what we do and who we are, but we relay it through poetry or metaphors in order to really drive home our points with an audience who may or may not be Christians."
The messages come across loud and clear on the lead single "New Face" and the equally infectious "Tip of My Tongue," two bookend wake-up calls for listeners to start impacting the world around them and lift people up with love. Feelings of affection and tenderness continue on the epic acoustic ballad "Loving Every Minute," an easily relatable ode to relationships, and the dramatic darkness of "Here to Save You," which descriptively details Christ's painful experience on the cross.
"So many people can approach a record by rewriting the Psalms or rephrasing 'Jesus Loves Me,' and a lot of the time, there's nothing innovative about that," Bryan says with a sigh. "We made a point to not simply rephrase Biblical lyrics or worship phrases, but to shoot from the heart with real life honesty."
The radio-destined "Rise" is Bryan's favorite example of such openness, and one he's confident will relay Stereo Motion's desire for everyone to experience a relationship with Christ, despite life's distracting challenges. "So much can come up on a daily basis that can get in the way of someone's growth with Christ," he confesses. "I'll be the first to admit my struggles in that area, but I'll also make a point to take time out from the noisy world to find refreshment and quiet time with God."
Producer Jason Burkum (Audio Adrenaline, The Swift) stretched this budding band musically as well by recording all of the album's basic tracks live in the studio instead of leaving the project floundering amid a sea of artificial overdubs. As a result, both Stereo Motion's vocals and instrumentation can be heard with the ardor and fervency that can only be captured in the heat of the moment, rather than the stuffy and sterile studio sounds that abound in modern-day mixes.
"Recording the record live was a very cool idea to us because that's how so many of the great bands recorded in the 60's and 70's," notes Bryan. "It's a practice that doesn't happen that often anymore, and there were a lot of risky elements to the process. We had to really think and sweat through each second of each song, but that gave us the chance to pour way more of ourselves into it than if we broke up each part individually." That raw energy and spontaneous emotion Bryan speaks of so intently spews out of the disc's dozen trailblazing cuts, giving Stereo Motion instant credibility.
Beyond just talking the talk or simply seeping from the radio, the members of Stereo Motion are ready to blast straight onto a concert stage near you. "Now it's time for us to act," says Bryan, "bringing our philosophies and these songs wherever the road may take us."
|
