Dain Norman & The Chrysalis Effect
EP Review: BACK DOWN TO EARTH
By Judy Grover
This band is about true love, living in the moment, and good music. Thene Singleton on Drums/Vox, Dain Norman on Guitar/Vox, and Noah Harvey on Bass/Vox.
The COVID quarantine has been a kind of cocoon for many artists, who have spent the time contemplating, incubating and producing new music, and growing as artists and people. Dain Norman & The Chrysalis Effect are no exception, as their new EP, “Back Down to Earth” shows great evolution of sound and spirit. Like the Beatles, Dain and the band are not afraid to venture out of the “safe zone” of their previous style and experiment with different sounds – with quite delightful results.
Dain and the band have also achieved a more refined and polished sound this EP, leaving the raw, garage-band feel of on previous albums. Overall this album sounds more professionally produced and “grown up,” – an indication of the group’s coming into its own as world-class musicians and recording artists.
The album starts with “Touchdown” – which sounds like the landing of an alien spacecraft among trees and crickets in a forest clearing, complete with classic “sci-fi” sounds straight out of the Twilight Zone.
The next track, “Fellow Man,” puts the listener’s feet on Terra Firma with the band’s signature 50’s-60’s rock sound and peace and love and equality message. “Life Goes On and On” continues in this vein, as does the redo of “Heal The Earth (and all Its People)”. This track is slower and more contemplative, with a tinny piano and high flute that highlight the harmonies and rain sounds that give it a pensive feel.
The almost 10-minute epic “Poem”version of the previously-recorded “When Will The World Be One” is the centerpiece of the EP. Here, the album breaks into psychedelic, experimental rock reminiscent of the Doors’ “The End” or the Beatles “Revolution No. 9”. It begins with a hard rock guitar and driving beat that branch out into spoken word and a chaotic and rich tapestry of background noises. In the midst of this we stop for an “ASMR” interlude with Tibetan singing bowls, scratches, clicks and rain sounds and intimate whispers that both sooth and energize the listener (anyone else get “tingles”?) Then back to the psychedelic rock jumble and driving beat, later to mellow out in a theramin/string quartet rendition of the original melody medleying into the “Fellow Man” melody, that highlights its beauty, over background sounds of distant thunder. Finally we hear church bells that (a bit ironically) remind me of Pink Floyd’s song “Division Bell”.
The next tracks, “Everybody Loves,” and “Quarantine Dream” comes back down to a lively 60’s rock sound that’s more like earlier Beatles. “Quarantine Dream” begins with some tribal-sounding drums, though, and has some of that psychedelic sound with reverse audio and jamming guitars.
“Back Down to Earth” has been described as “a concept record about getting back in touch with your roots, relaxing, and de-stressing so that we have a more clear vision of the reality of the world and life as we know it.” This is an apt description – I could listen to this album over and over – in the car, at work, at home – but of course the best way to listen (IMHO) is on headphones while laying out in nature, perhaps after partaking in some good herb to get the full effect. It is a good meditation, and I could listen many times and hear something new each time.
“Takeoff” bookends the album as our “alien spacecraft leaves the planet with only the crickets to witness their departure. Pay attention to this “sci-fi” theme as it portends scintillating future productions by Dain Norman and the Chrysalis Effect! They are currently recording another new full-length album at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, as well as working on a “story album” and I cannot wait to hear what’s next
