Markedly different from his “Doom Funk” output with the band Gramps the Vamp and closer, in part, to his live soundtracks to silent films for NPR/WBEZ, The Music Box Theatre, and the Chicago Park District, Maxx McGathey released his debut solo album Imaginary Eyes via San Francisco Bay Area label Nudie Records on on Friday, September 27th.
Imaginary Eyes opens with the orchestral swirl of “The Keyhole,” a track that features his accomplished piano playing alongside jazzy drumming, flute, and various other instruments that are not always associated with classical music.
The listener begins to notice that the album is telling a wordless story as the second track, “An Open Door,” unlocks a whirlwind of sounds and textures that sets up the following track (and first single) “The Staircase,” a frenetic, up-tempo thriller with somersaulting flutes, epic strings, a mind-bending guitar solo, and a heavy, unrelenting piano riff. Per the press release that accompanies the album, the title “The Staircase” was inspired by the ominous use of stairs in Hitchcock’s films.
Maxx McGathey Imaginary Eyes; Digital & 2X LP on Nudie Records: https://maxxmcgathey.bandcamp.com/album/imaginary-eyes
“Midnight” slows things down a bit and sets the stage for the album’s fifth track, “Nothing Will Be As It Once Was,” the second longest piece on Imaginary Eyes and a track that builds in pace and scope over the course of its nine plus minutes.
The album’s title track once again opens with a McGathey piano signature (a motif on Imaginary Eyes) and adds steady percussion and energetic strings to the mix, while “First Times, Last Times” (the album’s longest track at nearly ten minutes) is a study in suspense: things start out softly and build into an arresting climax.
The second single from Imaginary Eyes, “The Veil is Thinnest,” might just be the album’s most accessible track as it references popular 70’s film scores as composed by the likes of Lalo Schifrin, Jerry Goldsmith, and maybe even Isaac Hayes.
Imaginary Eyes closing track “Dark Days, Bright Nights” wraps things up quite nicely by touching on all of the musical motifs and energetic playing that make this album so special.
