WHAT STRANGE BEASTS
Washington go-getters tap into classic harmonies on their psych-soaked debut.
WHETHER SHARING LEAD vocals or building harmonies, there’s something special about a group whose members all sing together, and that’s one of the many striking qualities of new US act What Strange Beasts. Admittedly, guitarist Cat Eddie only offers the occasional vocal on their hugely promising debut, The Maestro’s Tale, but between them keyboardist Ben Ruby, bassist Aaron Kremer and drummer Jonathan Maxwell make a distinctive chorus.
“We came to that kind of organically,” says Maxwell. “The first track we started playing as a band was The Field. We had the lyrics up on the screen so we could track the arrangement, but then when the vocal part came in all of us started singing. And we were like: ‘Well, if that’s what we’re going with, that’s what we’re going with!’”
That happy accident, in July 2017, evolved into an MO. Maxwell tackles the high parts, Kremer takes the low end and de facto lead vocalist Ruby handles the middle. Inevitably there’s a touch of The Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash here, maybe Seals & Crofts and Strawbs too.
The Beasts all live in Bryn Mawr-Skyway, a small suburb south of Lake Washington. Maxwell and Kremer first met at a 2015 Halloween showing of Psycho, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra playing Bernard Herrmann’s score live to picture. They started jamming (Pink Floyd’s Money was a favourite), then
Maxwell brought in Ruby, whom he’d met via the
Seattle ‘art jam’ scene. Ruby’s a classical pianist with a background in media composition (and a Steinway grand dominating his living room), and he introduced friend Eddie to the mix. Soon the four were sinking their teeth into Maxwell’s early template for The Field.
“From the first time all four of us were together,” says Ruby, “we instantly felt like we were a band. But we had to figure out what kind of band we were. Space rock? Psych rock? Glam? But our sound started to centre around prog rock, inspired by acts like The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Marillion, Jethro Tull.”
The Maestro’s Tale is a concept album loosely based on The Hero’s Journey, the hoary, archetypal story at the heart of most myths, fairy tales and Hollywood movies. Some songs are breezily catchy
(Up In The Air, You Are Lost), others more dramatic (the eastern-spiced Eyes On The Road, contemplative closer Precipitation) and brief lysergic instrumentals amp up the psych (Sublimation, Drift, the very-Floyd
Debris). Producer Don Gunn (Death Cab For Cutie, Toyah & The Humans) has elicited pedigree performances from the quartet, and given them a clear, crunchy US rock sound.
As yet unsigned, the band plan to expand on the few live shows they’ve played, and are working on album two: an ambitious double LP called Starlight’s Castaways.“I’ve never been in a band that works this well together,” says Maxwell. “Someone will bring in an idea, we’ll all flesh it out, and it becomes a song. There’s a wonderful lack of ego. We’re all just here to help elevate each other’s music, and that’s where we get our sound from.”
”WE’RE ALL JUST HERE TO HELP ELEVATE EACH OTHER’S MUSIC, AND THAT’S WHERE WE GET OUR SOUND FROM.”