Westerman- Your Hero is not Dead (Partisan Records) REVIEW
by Sid Verbose, August 17, 2020
RATING: 4/5 Stars:
First off, I know this isn’t post punk. It ain’t heavy either. There’s no drumming thunder or fuzzy guitar onslaught. Imma call this 80’s psych pop. It’s like Peter Gabriel grabbed Robert Smith and Tears for Fears, stuck ‘em in a time machine just to wink at Damon Albarn. Okay, maybe the wink is a stretch, but Will Westerman is gently bold and honest on this record. This is the kind of recording that makes sense right now. I’m sure Westerman had no idea that he’d be releasing his debut long player amidst a global pandemic and a cultural reckoning. However, the songs on here float in the murk of the smudgy human condition. Further, I see Mr. Westerman posting of his record release imploring people not to buy his new offering but “reallocate” what one would ordinarily spend on his new record in order to continue the “recalibration that is centuries overdue.” In his posting, he continues to “[send] strength and hope for brighter days to come.”
Right now we need much more than merely this attitude, but you might also need to hear this record. It too offers hope and escape. The listener can fake a Christopher Cross moment and kick it with a 21st century singer-songwriter. The tracks are gently produced with detail, yet there’s no over-the-top studio tricks and gimmicks here, just wonderfully mixed instrumentation. For example, amidst the synth pads and passing lead flutters, “Blue Comanche” features a wandering melody of Westerman’s humming doubled by single note clean guitar. And it makes total sense within his dreamy musical vocabulary. All across the record you’ll take in analog synthiness, swimmy chorus guitar lines, bass lines that sneak in from Simon Gallup’s dreams. Gently snappy snare hits, sparky guitar lines from Men at Work.
I know that the readers and frequenters of this site are likely to be after the darker, heavier, or rockier vein of music, but just listen. Listening to the details here: Westerman’s dreamy, even vocal style; the instrumentation and production; the “moral and ethical grey area” themes; you may move yourself to listen more. If you haven’t yet made a bit of protest art, marched with somebody, hung a sign in your window, or donated to a cause. . .”your hero is not dead just sleeping.”
