Channeled - EP Review: Perception
As I have said previously, 2020 was a
breakthrough year for Channeled, as Ben Ruegg recorded the second album and
formed an operational live band to make it more than just a studio project.
They made it through to the final of the Ding Dong Lounge Battle of the Bands
and set up a headline show at the same venue with Cafe Fistfight and Mariner
as support to celebrate the release of I Heard Penelope Sing, but then
disaster struck with Ben being rushed to hospital following a Grand Mal seizure.
He was close to dying that night and he has now shared that story in various
forums, including a video on YouTube where he discusses what happened as well
as this EP. He and I have spoken about this event often over the past year, and the impact
it has had on him in so many ways. As with anyone who has been through a life-threatening
event, and here I am also speaking from personal experience, it causes a total
re-evaluation of what they have been doing, and sometimes even raises deep
philosophical debate. That is what happened with Ben, and everyone was amazed
at just how quickly he was back in the studio earlier this year when he
released the EP Interpretation. Now he has returned with what he sees
very much as the second part of the project, Perception, where again he
has provided most of the instrumentation and vocals, with bassist Michelle
Anderton just coming in for some takes.
The four tracks are just under fifteen minutes long in total, with opener Internalization being a short repetitive guitar-led riffing instrumental designed to get us into the mindset. This leads us into Your Love, a bass led number where he asks questions such as “why do I even exist?”. This is incredibly personal as he tries to come to terms with what happened to him, and how did he survive? Obviously in some ways it is down to the actions of his wife, that their neighbour is a paramedic, and that they live close to Ardmore and their emergency team, but why did this happen to him and how come he is out the other side? The intensity of the chorus where he riffs hard and cries to the heavens is immense. He then returns with In The Interest of the Quantum Realm, which is mostly an instrumental, plenty of riffs and a voice saying, “Everything in this world is made up of matter”. It may not have any vocals as such, but again this is driven by intensity as Ben drives hard into the guitars, trying to make sense of it all.
The abrupt ending catches us by surprise as we then turn to the longest song on the EP, and easily the most complex Ben has released to date, the title cut itself. At more than 5 ½ minutes in length, here we again find Ben asking questions, and although it starts just with electric guitar it soon becomes a full band sound (the bassline on this is warm and deep), moving in and out of different styles. Ben told me he believes this is one of the most ambitious pieces he has ever written, and it certainly has everything going for it, with stacks of emotion combining with the intensity, yet always being held in check with tremendous control. Ben has been through a great deal, but with these two EP’s he is sharing that with us, taking back control, and moving on. The future is bright, both for him, and for Channeled.
About Channeled
The new album is truly a sign of the changes that have taken place in Ben’s life. Just listen to tracks like A Conversation With You, Is That Glass? or I Can’t Quite Put My Finger On It and you will know what we are talking about here. In fact, those who heard the album before it’s release were all surprised with the direction the new music went.
The name of the album is semi-inspired by his love of people not being afraid to sing their hearts out. Music is about the experience; one best shared. It's inspiring to hear others write songs and sing them because they love it. So many of us do this in our own homes.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Channeled
Releases
Other Reviews By Kev Rowland
07 Jul 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was down to Tuning Fork for the first night of the second Crushfest festival. Tonight was going to be Wellington and Auckland bands, and then some of the same will be playing at the second night in Wellington next month.
Read More...
Rain - Single Review: Love and War
15 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
It has been quite a while since I last heard from Wellington-based singer songwriter Cathy Elizabeth, and back then Rain was seen solely as a studio project with Cathy being accompanied by Thomas Te Taite, who provided all the instrumentation including digital drums. Now they are a full band who have been performing live, and it is the first time they have recorded as such, with Thomas now, just providing acoustic guitar (plus engineering and producing etc.
Read More...
Lost Vessels - Single Review: All This Time
01 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I must admit I was not that impressed when I first saw Lost Vessels play at Crushfest, something they later admitted to me was the worst gig of their career, but since then they have improved in leaps and bounds. This has been noticed by others on the Auckland circuit as they are getting more opportunities with better support slots, and I was not at all surprised when they won the Ding Dong Lounge Battle Of The Bands in November last year.
Read More...
Unwanted Subject - Single Review: Sons of Savages
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I have caught Unwanted Subject in concert a few times over the last couple of years, and while they have been getting better each time I have seen them, I must admit that nothing prepared me for this, which right from the off is a monster. I have never heard them quite this is aggressive, nor as polished, and this multi-sectioned single sounds almost like a different band as they have pushed their metal roots to the max in this metalcore beast which sees them mixing and blending different genres to create something quite special.
Read More...
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland - 26/05/2023
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was back to Ding Dong Lounge on a Friday night for one of their infamous Emo nights, which tonight was a three-band bill with Stray Dogs having an extended set, supported by Altaea and then up first we had Blindr, a band new to me. Blindr are a quartet featuring Bill Caldwell (vocals, guitar), Blake Woodfield (lead guitar), Jack Power (bass), and Charlie McCracken (drums).
Read More...
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland - 27/05/2023
27 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Back up to Auckland Guide Centre in Mount Eden tonight for my second consecutive gig (Sol suggested it was a turkey sandwich as I am at Vader tomorrow) to see Taranaki’s finest, Turkey The Bird at The Ministry of Folk. Before that we of course had Hoop, who are Al Baxter (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo, mandolin), Nick Edgar (vocals, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica), Emily Allen (violin, viola), Glenn Coldham (bass) while tonight Gary Hunt was filling in for drummer Rusty Knox.
Read More...
This Silent Divide - Single Review: Beautiful Creature
25 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Here we have the latest single from Wellington-based melodic hard rock quartet This Silent Divide, entitled Beautiful Creature. I really enjoyed their Tall Stories EP, and they played a great gig at Dead Witch towards the end of last year, and this would have been recorded at about the same time.
Read More...
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe - 24/05/2023
24 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Earlier this week I had a message from Emily Rice asking me if I lived in South Auckland. When I responded I did, she asked if I would be interested in coming along to an event she was putting on in a coffee shop in Pukekohe to celebrate the release of her new single, Warenoa.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
