An exceptional exhibition of how strong song writing, passionate performances, and a compelling concept can create an album worthy of a lot more than our humble blog’s Album of the Week “seal of approval”. Nevertheless, Theo Katzman’s Be the Wheel is this week’s pick and let me tell you, it’s a seriously good one. Katzman masterfully mingles melancholy with an undeniably positive old-school American attitude. Comprising 11 tracks that vastly differ in tempo, feel and themes, there is one thing that ties them all together: 10 Good Songs. While I wasn’t amazing at maths in school, this isn’t a calculation error on my part; 10 Good Songs is the name of his “record label”. I’m sticking this in quotations because I’m unsure of its current status; on a talk with Ari Herstand (which you should go and check out on YouTube immediately after reading this), he explained how 10 Good Songs was yet to transition into an official label. Regardless of its legal position, Katzman’s self-made label exists, and its core ethos defines the sound and composition of Be the Wheel.
One take; no track comping. That was the pitch, as Katzman and co. started recording this album. That is to say that, while they could do numerous takes and add extra tracks later, each track in and of itself is a single take. If you’re not familiar with music production in practice, this is something that has become increasingly uncommon since the time that multitrack tape desks were first introduced and has accelerated in this trend as a result of the DAW (digital audio workstation), which has made audio editing cheaper and less risky. Katzman, or I should say 10 Good Songs, has taken us back to the beginning, putting musicians in a room together and getting them to simply play and interact with one another. In doing so, 10 Good Songs puts the focus on the performance and the performer. That’s not to detract from the production behind Be the Wheel though. The engineers involved in this project – Phil Weinrobe, Nick Nagurka and Devin Kerr – have collectively created something that simultaneously offers the warm and intimate sound of a bedroom recording as well as the air-punching sound of stadium rock/pop. I don’t really know how they did it but this album is proof that it can be done!
If you’re looking for an album to make you feel invincible one minute, then make you want to go give your mum a hug the next, this is that album. If you’re new to Theo Katzman or haven’t heard him away from Vulfpeck, then this a great album to jump in to, capturing the virtuosity of his voice and its capacity to convey emotion as well his affinity for lyric writing and instrumental unity. Start from the top, the middle or the end; it doesn’t matter. Be the Wheel offers 10 good songs and an extra for good measure, and it is an album that keeps giving the more you come back to it.
Waxing Lyrical 