Father and son Tippin are back with a new album, The Unwakening. And where on their previous output I applauded the melancholy of the songs, here we get a different animal. Recorded during the 12 months of 2019, and with son Zach more and more finding his own feet, we see the band evolve into a much more energetic and diverse animal.
Of course elements of the moody pieces are still popping up here and there. Listen to the opening section of the almost 10 minute epic Oblivion for instance. But during playback I cannot help but notice they sometimes go full throttle and go wild on both drums and guitars. As far as I understand Ron does the drumming and the singing, and Zach plays bass and guitars. And even at his young age it is obvious a lot of talent is running in his, or better, their blood. Because the duo also self record and produce!
Which also leads to my only criticism of the album. With the core sound consisting of drums, bass and guitars, I think the production could do with a bit more depth and variation. For instance the kick drum is missing a bit of bottom, and the snare sounds a bit dry. That is a matter of taste of course. But with music that is influenced by the progrock of a band like Porcupine Tree, and grunge on the other hand, the dynamic nature of their music would benefit from a more produced and balanced sound. But maybe that’s just me.
Curious to hear where they will be going next!
