Album Review: Passafire takes us on a musical journey with their new album "Strata"

Photo courtesy of Passafire.

The creation of an album is an art form in and of itself; separate from the creation of the individual songs contained within it. Music streaming and YouTube have completely changed the way we listen to music, with their structure lending much better to the enjoyment of single songs at a time. With streaming being the dominant delivery service of music to listeners, it is surprising from a technological point of view that full-length albums are still the norm for popular artists in the majority of genres. From an artistic point of view, the continued prominence of albums is of no surprise at all. Like scenes in a movie, individual songs can make you smile, cry, learn a lesson, or see from a new perspective; but when they work together as a summed body of work their effect can be truly profound. Ask any music lover and they will give you multiple albums that they would describe as personally life-changing.

There is certainly no right or wrong way to make an album, but there are a few categories that most great albums fall into. The first are concept albums that tell an overarching story from start to finish (think American Idiot by Green Day or The Wall by Pink Floyd). These types of albums are incredible when done well, but are very difficult to execute properly and are overall less common. The second is records that consist of songs that all have a very similar vibe. Such albums are great for putting on when taking a drive, chilling out with a cup of coffee, or having in the background while hanging out with friends. The last are albums made up of songs that have varying musical feel and themes between them. When done without much thought such albums sound like a random collection of songs that really didn't need to be released together. When done well these types of records are absolutely wonderful to listen to, with each song having its own distinct flavor while still sharing enough between one another to be a cohesive body of work that is best experienced from start to finish. If you want to hear a perfect example of an album like this, you need to check out Passafire's new record Strata.

In their seventh full-length release, the reggae-rock heavy hitters of Passafire show off their musical and songwriting expertise with songs that pull influence from a multitude of genres while still having the rhythms and vibes that fans of reggae music crave. The band has long been known for its eclectic blend of reggae and progressive rock, and it's wonderful to see a group that continually strives to grow as musicians and put out their best in both their recordings and live shows. They share the work ethic of other successful artists in the reggae community, producing and mixing most of their own music in addition to the music of other musicians in the scene (for more on this check out Passafarm Recording Studio). The band's creativity is highlighted in Strata, and they are not afraid to take a step off the beaten path with songs stretching from reggae to metal, and with song lengths varying between 3:09 and 7:41 minutes.

The first song off of Strata we would like to highlight is the breakout hit "Sleepless". This track is a testament to the excellent lyricism of Passafire. "Sleepless" is a love song that feels genuine and straight from the heart and is very relatable to anyone who has been in a long relationship with somebody they truly love and cherish. The rhythm section drives the music of this song, and the fact that the bass and drums are played by brothers Will and Nick Kubley gives Passafire an unfair advantage in this regard as they are completely locked in with each other.

With "Keepin’ On" the band brings their views on the current state and outlook of the world over a heavy reggae rhythm. The production skills of the band shine on "Keepin’ On" with synths and tasteful verbs/delays pairing well with catchy guitar lines and distorted bass.

"Garden Grow" is perhaps the most beautiful song on Strata. The track begins with tasteful piano courtesy of Mike DeGuzman. The band brought in Joe Esham on pedal steel, and when this combines with tender acoustic and electric guitar lines the track begins to take on a wonderfully folky feel. Singer Ted Bowne performs exceptionally on Garden Grove, singing with just enough tenderness to touch your heart without losing any energy.

Immediately following "Garden Grow", the song "Ancient Mazes" busts out with a super heavy and distorted rock riff, letting you know that while the band may have matured over the course of their career they certainly haven't gone soft. If you like reggae rock with an emphasis on rock you won't want to skip this banger.

Strata ends with the laid-back song "Pictured Rocks". The decision to place this dreamy, pop-influenced tune was well thought out as it feels like the band is saying "until next time...farewell". "Pictured Rocks" is the perfect way to end Strata while keeping us excited for whatever Passafire cooks up next.

To check out more music and tour dates from Passafire go to www.passafiretheband.com

"Garden Grow" is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.

By Chris Lawrie.

Review originally published on November 2, 2021.