1. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (2)
2. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (3)
3. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (1)
4. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (4)
5. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (6)
6. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (5)
7. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (8)
8. GHOST – Badflower (9)
9. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (11)
10. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (15)
11. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (16)
12. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (7)
13. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (14)
14. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (13)
15. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (18)
16. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (10)
17. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (12)
18. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (21)
19. PANIC – Agency Panic (23)
20. TIDAL WAVE – Portugal.The Man (24)
21. BODY TALKS – The Struts (25)
22. SHE’S KEROSENE – The Interrupters (26)
23. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (20) 50th week on chart
24. IN MY MIND – Draft Evader (27)
25. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Childish Gambino (28)
26. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (22)
27. SUPERWOMAN SWAY – Brett Vogel (30)
28. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (17) 19th week on chart
29. UNWIND – John Defeo (19) 23rd week on chart
30. LOADING ZONES – Kurt Vile (N)
Tag: Draft Evader
Top 30 Songs for September 16-22, 2018
1. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (1)
2. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (2)
3. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (4)
4. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (5)
5. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (3)
6. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (8)
7. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (7)
8. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (11)
9. GHOST – Badflower (12)
10. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (6)
11. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (16)
12. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (10)
13. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (15)
14. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (17)
15. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (18)
16. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (19)
17. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (9)
18. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (20)
19. UNWIND – John Defeo (13) 22nd week on chart
20. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (14) 49th week on chart
21. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (21)
22. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (24)
23. PANIC – Agency Panic (25)
24. TIDAL WAVE – Portugal.The Man (27)
25. BODY TALKS – The Struts (29)
26. SHE’S KEROSENE – The Interrupters (N)
27. IN MY MIND – Draft Evader (30)
28. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Childish Gambino (N)
29. LUCKY YOU – Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas (N)
30. SUPERWOMAN SWAY – Brett Vogel (N)
Top 30 Songs for September 9-15, 2018
1. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
2. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (3)
3. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (1)
4. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (6)
5. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (7)
6. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (5)
7. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (9)
8. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (11)
9. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (4)
10. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (8)
11. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (13)
12. GHOST – Badflower (14)
13. UNWIND – John Defeo (10) 21st week on chart
14. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (12) 48th week on chart
15. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (17)
16. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (20)
17. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (18)
18. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (19)
19. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (21)
20. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (24)
21. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (25)
22. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (15)
23. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (16) 22nd week on chart
24. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (27)
25. PANIC – Agency Panic (28)
26. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (22)
27. TIDAL WAVE – Portugal.The Man (30)
28. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (23)
29. BODY TALKS – The Struts (N)
30. IN MY MIND – Draft Evader (N)
DRAFT EVADER – EP Review: “Heel Turn”
As a blogger, I’ve gotten to know a great many indie artists and bands, a number of whom I’ve featured on this blog. It’s a real pleasure to follow them on their musical journeys, keeping up with new music they produce over time. And it’s especially heartening for me to watch the younger artists and bands get better and better as they mature and gain more experience. One such young artist is Draft Evader, an earnest singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Chicago who plays rock music with rock’n’roll and punk overtones. Draft Evader is the artistic name for the music project of Ryan Loree, who writes the songs, plays guitar and sings all vocals, with assistance by his good friend Joe Scaletta on bass and drums.
Following up on his last single “The Devil’s Disguise,” which he released in October 2017 and I reviewed, he’s just released a new EP Heel Turn. “The Devil’s Disguise” is a fine, well-crafted single, but he really ups his game on Heel Turn. His song melodies are more fully developed, the instrumentals more expansive and complex, and the production values tighter. But the biggest improvement is in his vocals, which sound really great on the EP.
Heel Turn contains four new tracks that deal with darker themes like insecurity, depression and problematic relationships. He told me “I don’t write love songs, I write hate songs.” And what a songwriter he is, penning such relevant lyrics that perfectly express the pain and anguish he – and many of us – have felt at one time or another. The first track is “Warpath,” a powerful song about not wasting any more time dealing with duplicitous backstabbers who drive you crazy, and making the decision to just let them go. “…to speak my mind is a waste of time. Light up one more cigarette. We’ll walk the hall of hypocrites. And I will bite my nails to the skin. Burn all my fingertips. / A heel turn’s the only way.” The gritty riffs, thunderous bass and pounding drums powerfully convey the raw emotion expressed in the biting lyrics and vocals. I like the little piano riff that appears late in the track, and the strummed electric guitar in the outro that seems to symbolize the sense of sad resignation.
“Complaints” is a terrific hard-driving song that was released as a single in March. The track’s arrangement and production are pretty close to perfection, and Ryan’s guitar work and vocals sound fantastic, as is Joe’s drumming. The lyrics speak of being an overly negative person, unable to see the good in anyone or anything and always complaining (something I’m sorry to admit I’ve been guilty of a few times myself):
Tell me all your secrets
Now I know too much
Don’t know what I’m thinkin’
or what I’ve become
I’ve got nothing better to say
Just constant complaints
Hell bent on a mission
Objective self-destruct
I’ve got nothing better to say
Just constant complaints
On “Stutter” he addresses insecurities that cause him to stutter in just about every life situation, except when he’s alone with himself or singing:
Well I stutter when I’m nervous
Well I stutter when I’m stoned
Well I stutter giving bad news
I don’t stutter when I’m alone
Well I stutter when I’m happy
And I stutter when I’m weak
Well I stutter in good company
I don’t stutter when I sing
The poignant rock ballad “Petty” is my favorite of the four tracks. Not only are the instrumentals stunning from start to finish, but Draft Evader’s heartfelt vocals are wonderful, with a raw vulnerability that makes the painful lyrics seem all the more powerful. It’s a gorgeous song. The lyrics are from the point of view of a person saying a final goodbye to someone who just doesn’t want to be with them any longer:
You are so different these days
I hope that the old you remains
Mistaken for friends, means to an end
I know things cannot stay the same
Petty that’s how you make me feel
Mending my wounds, need time to heal
Petty can’t hide, here’s something real
I’m ready, now serve my final meal
Though brief, with only four tracks, Heel Turn is monumental in scope. All four tracks are outstanding, powerful and flawlessly executed on every level. I’m so proud of Draft Evader, and look forward to hearing more awesome music from him!
Connect with Draft Evader: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music on Spotify and Apple Music
Purchase on Bandcamp or itunes
DRAFT EVADER – Single Review: “The Devil’s Disguise”
One of my objectives in writing this blog is giving exposure to indie artists and bands, many of whom are struggling to get their music heard by a wider audience. Today I feature the young singer/songwriter Ryan Loree, who goes by the artistic name Draft Evader. Following up on his debut single “Blue Lies,” which he released in June 2017, he dropped a new single “The Devil’s Disguise” in October.
Based in Chicago, Draft Evader plays straight-up rock’n’roll with a hint of punk. When I asked him about his moniker, he explained the he was not happy about our current President (neither am I) and “the name ‘Draft Evader’ was kind of like a middle finger to the whole system, kind of like ‘you can’t tell me what to do.’ So in a sense it means freedom. Freedom to be who you are and do what you love, no matter what anyone says.”
He writes his songs and records them with his good friend Joe Scaletta. He explained their process in developing songs: “I write all the songs by myself at home, so I’ll come into the studio with lyrics and rhythm guitars done and from that we’ll lay down the base of the song. Then we start working on the drums together (there’s a shortage of drummers around here so unfortunately we write them together using the computer). Next we’ll take care of the bass, and Joe happens to be a bassist so I let him take the reigns on that unless I know exactly what I want the bass to do. After that we’ll add some guitar leads or maybe I’ll improvise a solo in the bridge of the song. Then I’ll jump in the vocal booth and try to sing/scream to the best of my ability. Very simple stuff until I get a full band going.”
“The Devil’s Disguise” is a hard-hitting rock song with biting lyrics about suffering from personal turmoil and demons that have caused him to commit violence, and wanting an escape from the environment he inhabits, hoping it might help him change:
I’m turning my back on sweet home Chicago
Packed up too fast and blew out my ankle
I’m letting go of all the get to know
I’m stuck in place staring out the window
There’s blood on the streets of downtown Chicago
There’s death in the air and holes in the windows
There’s ghosts in my head digging a deep hole
There’s demons inside slowing my blood blow
The devil’s disguise hiding in plain site
Seein’ through evil eyes
Live my life in disguise
Pushin’ through trying times
Shedding my disguise
Musically, the track is well-crafted, with some excellent riffs of shredded guitars, anchored by a solid buzzing bass line and crisp percussion. Draft Evader’s vocals are earnest, with a hint of melancholia that befits the dark lyrics. All in all, a fine effort from a young artist who I believe has a lot of promise. He writes thoughtful and compelling lyrics, has a good grasp on song structure and production, and plays a mean guitar.
Connect with Draft Evader: Twitter / Instagram
His songs may be streamed on Spotify and purchased on Bandcamp or itunes
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 