CD REVIEW: MYJA – MYJA

Label: Windmark Recordings

Release Date: January 12, 2018

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

Myja is a new band with some old faces and voices including Michael Marquart of A Bad Think and one of my favorite singers Jacob Bunton (still regularly spin my copy of Mars Electric’s debut release).  This self-titled disc kicks off with “Hit and Run” and that is exactly how you feel after listening to this track.  This straight-ahead rocker steers right at you from first note to last and doesn’t let off the gas until the song has your foot tapping, your head banging, and you are gearing up for the rest of the disc.  “Anniversary” is a song that leans heavily into the rock style Bunton’s vocals are made for.  The guitar work is cool and adds depth tot eh track underneath the vocals and keeps the song chugging along.  “Into Focus” has a darker sound and feel without getting to heavy musically.  The vocals and lyrical content drive the track, but the music is really the star as it gives the sound enough pop to keep it afloat.  “Just One Kiss” is a chugging rocker that delivers some great vocals and a different guitar sound… very reminiscent of an era gone by.  This song is a nice change of pace that adds a different sound and feel to the duos sound arsenal.  “Flood” is one of the tracks I cannot seem to wrap my head and ears around.  While the rhythm matches a lot of the other tracks, the verse seems to come out of left field sonically.  The guitar work at the bridge and layered vocals on the chorus rescue the track from drowning.

“Breath” is a beautiful ballad that relies on the sound of the guitars and vocals and the way they compliment each other in the mix. The simple yet solid solo at the bridge is one of the best on the disc and warrants listening to the song over and over again just to hear it.  “Hangman” is pop-rock goodness that drives right down the middle of the road and this disc, giving the listener one of the more solid tracks that showcases the different guitar sounds on the disc and swirls them into one track, from the more subdued parts during the verse to the searing leads during the chorus and bridge.  “Dear Eden” takes me back to a couple different tracks from Bunton’s past the minute I hear his vocals, but the cool guitar work underneath gives this song a Myja groove that cannot be dismissed.  While not a rocker, the song delivers on all fronts and is one of the stronger tracks on the collection.  “Plans” keeps a darker vibe woven through it that seems to detract from a lot of the poppier tracks, but actually acts as a conduit between the various songs and sounds on the disc.  This song ties together most of the songs on the disc, from darker musical elements to solid guitar work to vocals that give the lyrics the correct emotional delivery.  Disc closer “Mourning The Death” takes us down another slightly dark path musically, but somehow this song swings around and becomes another song that finishes stronger than it began and hooks you before all is said and done.  The real mourning here is that this signals the end of the disc… until I hit start all over again!

Tracklisting: Hit and Run – Anniversary – Breath – Into Focus – Hangman – Just One Kiss – Dear Eden – Flood – Plans – Mourning The Death

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Category: CD Reviews