Solaseria
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Solaseria

Orlando, Florida, United States | SELF

Orlando, Florida, United States | SELF
Band Pop Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Solaseria: Acoustical Experimentation"

http://www.examiner.com/x-1187-Orlando-Band-Examiner~y2008m11d30-Solaseria-Acoustical-Experimentation - Orlando Band Examiner: Nick Johnston


"Review of 'Grantle Fina, The EP'"

“Grantle Fina, The EP” - The In-Depth Review and Analysis.

By: Brandon Miller (BKJM)

Chase Patterson has been around the Orlando music scene for some time, starting with the post-hardcore, indie-emo rock band, Raising the Kursk, to the experimental, genre-bending hardcore bands, The Manic Masquerade and The Tree and the Machine. Musically, Solaseria takes a similar approach in a sort of acoustic-folk and experimental tinge with heartfelt lyrics and creative imagery that people like Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen would smile at.

His second release “Grantle Fina, The EP”, a follow-up to the self-titled EP, showcases some of his best work to date. Opening is the track “38 Degrees in the Middle East”. It begins with ambient and ethereal guitar work and effects which lead into a sort of country-western riff that plays under the vocals. The opening lyrics of the EP, “We eat to remember what we did to you/We drink to remember what we did to you”, are haunting, melancholy, and insightful all in one (and surprisingly immediately remind me of the Charles Dickens Classic, A Tale of Two Cities… “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”). Chase’s vocals are full and fresh with vibrato. The melody is memorable, relatively simple, and effective. After this verse plays out, an electric guitar is used tastefully to transition to the next section. What we’ve got is a musician with a lot to say and unconventional ways to say it. Where pop music is repetitive and straight-forward, Solaseria is stream-of-consciousness and nearly thorough-composed. The song slows it down to recognize that kind of weary traveler that is introduced by the title. The lyrics here are inspired as well and lead nicely into the finale of the song, a major section to oppose its minor counterparts.

“Some play their ancient pianos/And claim is nothing need be done/All hell displayed in their golden statues/All hail corruptions grip/Don’t share your health with anyone…”

The lyrics here break my heart at the most optimistic point in the song. The vocals, the use of sparring falsetto, and the guitar work all tell a story, something we don’t see a lot today with songs like “Bad Romance” and “Pokerface”:

“While we clap our hands/ We’ll paint our martyrs blood red/In the eyes of our forgiving hands/
I’m damaged beyond repair…”

Solaseria combines the story-telling elements of a Bruce-Springsteen-ian poetry with the kind of stuff out of a novel. Introductions, rising action, climaxes, expositions, and epilogues function in each of the songs. There is a personality to the music, the vocals, and the guitar playing.

Oh yeah, there are still four songs to talk about.

“Gotta Love Those Polar Bears” is reminiscent of an upbeat Jack Johnson song with a country/folk kind of tinge to it. As a remake of an earlier edition of the song, Chase picks up the tempo and changes some of the transitions. Listen for the subtle vocal track in the left adjustment. It feels like the beach and it feels good. It can be found that some of the parts have a more playful quality, opposed to the somewhat heavy subject matter of the chorus: “So count the circles on your wrist/The ones I’d love to kiss…” It can almost be taken as a new parody of itself. The ending is a wholesome amount of ambient noise over the scatted melody. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but it works well for me.

The funniest part of the song, in my opinion, is the use of the whole-tone scale/dream sequence sound to introduce God’s ironic interjection into the song, “Son you know you’re going to have an awesome life/Even though you’ll get screwed over so many times…” (Dissonant chord implies punctuation, feel free to laugh.)

“Brick” is a subtle middle-ground and centerpiece for the album. Just like the songs individually, this song functions as the rising action. Haunting and visceral, something about “Brick” is intimately personal. “Say it fast/Say it dry/ Say we… found a way to keep clean/This repertoire of vinyl shrank to CD/ You’re pathetic/You’re insulting/And demeaning…”

“You’re an extra large shirt in a vogue magazine…”

I-M-A-G-E-R-Y. Something Chase does well in a society focused more on vocals than music.

The guitar work has a somewhat minimalist quality at first glance under the troubled lyrics and woeful vocals, but the slides and picking are perfect in the kind of harmonic “unison” with the vocals. The picture is painted well. The production on the album, again in my opinion, is very good for a self-produced album. The mastering by Lee Wolfcale (of With My Bear Hands) is expert. There isn’t anything amateur about this album.

“Johnny Gibbons was a Psychonaut” is my favorite on the album. That being said let me explain why. It is perfectly placed after “Brick” and the guitar work (odd time signatures and mixed meters) is used effectively to build the image conveyed by the song:

“Bathing under deadened trees/ Bathing’s not for me!”

Laura Lewis adds wond - Brandon Miller


Discography

-Self-titled 7-song EP released in February 2007.
-1 song entitled 'Gotta Love those Polar Bears' was released through Quickstar Productions on a compilation disc called "Chill Out: East Coast" featuring just over 20 of some of the East coast's most talented musicians.
-5-song EP titled 'Grantle Fina, The EP' released May 28th, 2010.

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Bio

Solaseria is the solo project of singer/songwriter Chase Patterson. A new 5-song EP titled 'Grantle Fina, The EP' was self-released May 28th 2010 and is available on all major digital retailers including iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, etc.

The musical style of Solaseria is often described as a refreshing blend of experimental acoustic folk. Songs are often arranged in ways to cover a broad range of emotions all within one piece of music. Related artists include Chris Garneau, Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst.

Currently writing and recording first full-length concept album titled 'Brown Eyes, Yellow Devil, and the Rebirth' which will be available early 2011.