Lee Wilder - Sound Emporium (2024) Hi-Res

This set gets off to a smoking start with the hardy punky vocal splash on “Rollin’” & miraculously mixes an R&R timbre with a punkier vanilla extract. Nice work. The instrumentation & added vocals have circuitry with a lasting sense of personality. The tires on this musical vehicle are filled to the max with a soulful grind & an impressive mix of genres that’s never stiff. A party in your speakers.

The 10 Sound Emporium tunes on this debut by Lee Wilder was produced by Jordan Andreen with horn & string arrangements by Jesse Audelo. The material is a diversified set of gospel-tinted Americana with danceable swipes, pop yeast & grunge shavings. Plenty of energy drifts through the love & loss of old song recipes.

These performers have absorbed their rock, soul & punky lessons well. They mix the genres, stir & shake then pour it out thick with consistency & it works tastefully. “Riot,” is fairly simple but it has a Sly & the Family Stone funk, soul & rock vocal execution. Exciting. Even the effects that are added fatten the performance & make it an interesting listen as the lead guitar stabs away at the melody.

Maybe everyone in this unit listened to lots of creative ’60s melodies & performances because they have certainly loaded up their set with fluent retro material & polished it to their high sheen. Even the simple “Mess of Things,” has a steady punky vocal — never gets too grungy or aggressive. Yet, it has its vinegar. I love it.

With the inclusion of “Fever,” “Bluebird,” & “No Man’s Land,” it’s as if they plucked these from Crash Test Dummies leftovers. The vocals are perfectly in line with Brad Roberts’ deep subterranean tonality. These are cool – “Fever” stomps along with predatory charm with its hardy thick aggressive timbre & bristles with a bewitched pizzazz. Creepy? A little, but it’s an attractive creepiness. Like when you pass an accident & have to look.