Over
the years, Dan Miller had built up a catalog
of original songs that never
seemed to fit the albums by
the other FPM bands he’s been associated
with.
He decided to record the songs himself under the name Derecho, recruiting
fellow Dishwater Psychics
band mates Chris Jones to supply the bass, and
John Wenzel to supply guitar on one song and vocals
on another. So "Dropped
at 10,000 Feet" bears some resemblance to other FPM releases -- think
burning slabs of guitar and bass, crisp percussion, dark Midwestern imagery
-- but moves in a different direction with Miller's layered production
and unique melodies.
Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, ELO and Tobin Sprout all
form reference points, as does that empty bottle of Crown in the corner
of the Germantown police
station.
Derecho
finally returns with Hear Here, the
full-length follow-up to the 2009 EP
Dropped at
10,000 Feet. Upbeat and concise compared to
its predecessor,
Hear Here proves that Dan Miller’s
song writing is only gaining momentum.
Fans of Derecho will recognize Dan’s layered electric guitars, acoustic
drums, keyboards, and sarcastic lyrics; and of course Chris’s nimble
bass lines. It all blends to create Derecho’s unique storm of lo-fi,
hi-fi, and sci-fi.
Fans of Dishwater Psychics and Upstate will rejoice
to know that John Wenzel returns to handle another
lead vocal, this time
on the song “The McKetrick
Supplicants.” FPM veteran James Focht adds his sparkling guitar grit
to several songs—an element that was lacking on the first EP. The result
is a storm that carries more momentum than ever, and this time it lasts twice
as long.
