Michigan artists have made a big splash in 2023, not just with much-hyped tours and award announcements, but with fresh studio recordings.
With holiday shopping season well under way, we’re spotlighting some albums by Michigan artists that could entice the music lovers on your gift list.
Greta Van Fleet, “Starcatcher” — When taken as a whole, it can take time for an album to sink in and show its true colors. Such is the case with Michigan rock heroes Greta Van Fleet and “Starcatcher.” In today’s singles-driven, pop-enamored world, the idea of a conceptual collection of tracks has become rare — and rarer still when it comes to ’70s-style hard rock in 2023.
While GVF will never completely shake its Led Zeppelin sheen, it’s also clear that the Frankenmuth-bred outfit has embraced its own glam- and prog-rock-hued approach with soaring vocals and impressive guitar shredding.
“The Falling Sky” and “Sacred Thread,” for instance, pack a one-two punch that mesh a dreamy milieu with Josh Kiszka’s astonishing vocal range – followed by the full-throttled “Runway Blues” starring brother Jake’s searing guitar work.
Like some earlier bands of their ilk, the members of GVF sometimes get caught up in their own image-propelled pretenses, but that’s also part of what makes them such a dynamic and popular spectacle on stage.
Straddling that fence can be tricky, but GVF never fails to intrigue or tantalize both fans and critics with its bombastic charm. “Starcatcher” keeps the GVF train rolling in slick, retro-leaning, instrumentally formidable fashion represented in epic tracks such as “Meeting the Master.”
Website: gretavanfleet.com
Seth Bernard, “Unrest and Rest” — Experiencing an album by northern Michigan’s Seth Bernard is akin to having an intimate conversation with family members.
His songs unfurl a wide range of emotions and travails (hence, “Unrest and Rest”), touch on the sort of political discussions that lay out inner motivations and philosophies (hence, “Think Outside the System”), and ultimately resonate with the sort of peace and comfort that one finds in the familiar surroundings of home (hence, “Return to Love”).
Backed by an all-star cast of musicians strutting their stuff at Ian Gorman’s La Luna Recording & Sound in Kalamazoo, the 11-song collection encapsulates Bernard’s robust career as a Michigan music icon and Earthwork Music collective founder while covering a lot of ground musically, from soothing, harmony-enhanced ballads to muscular rock ‘n’ roll – all of it encased in a sort of brotherly hug. As Bernard insightfully declares on the second track, “Music Reminds Us” of so many important things – of peace and love and brotherhood, the sorts of things that aren’t schmaltzy in the least as he expresses them in vibrant, sincere fashion.
Indeed, the closing track “Universal Energy” bristles with so much energy, you can feel it – and much joy – easing through the speakers.
Website: samuelsethbernard.com