Phased Out is Rob Munk's comeback album and his first new music in 20 years or so, since his bands Thudpucker and Tinsel came to an end. The album was recorded with Ray Ketchum at Magic Door Recording studio in New Jersey with Daniel London and Joe Ventura among others.
The album opens with Heavy Shoes (To Kill The Blues) that has some startling imagery in the lyrics, as the stop start indie rock, indebted to Teenage Fanclub, draws you in, as he promises to kiss your scars under the moonlight tonight.
The Ghosts Of San Francisco is a tale of drug sodden times in San Francisco, that sails across the bay like an old Tullycraft song twisted through Boyracer, this is a closely observed indie drug drama slowly emerging from the fog, as this song grows on you with every listen as you stagger through the Tenderloin.
Homemade is slow forlorn yet full of hope having travelled to pastures new, while being happy and content to have a good home to return too, with jangly guitars emphasizing the love they have, compared to their childhood experiences, how lucky they are to have found each other as the year's drift by.
Amazon is about climate change, hopes for renewal while realizing how futile that might be at this stage, as well as intertwining it with scenes from life, reunion tours, pressing forwards, with guitars jangling as they try to control the weather.
Eyes Of God is a hushed acoustic hymnal, with religious imagery as you wait for God to pay attention to you, as the almost marching band style percussion work against the phased guitar.
Youth has scenes from normal youthful experimentation, with a tune that's one away from Kill Your Sons, but with the glam stripped out, as he makes clear how truthful it is that Youth is wasted on the young, yep go get wasted and have a damn good time while you can.
Slumber the recent single is upbeat sounding in a Teenage Fanclub or Sebadoah way, with compelling guitar lines as the apologies flow, as he begs to go back to the good old innocent days with you.
Outbound Track has country-tinged slide guitar to accompany him on a train trip out of town on a glorious summer's day.
Run! Is for those days when the only way to escape from life's noise is to go out and Run! With an insistent beat to keep your heart pumping at a good clip as you let some of your worries fall away.
Hey Batta Batta is acoustic and angry at the idiots running the world, making a mess of things, that only the gentlest power pop songs can help solve, Like an early 70's hopes springs eternal folk pop tune.
Phased Out is chilled out yet full of despair for everything that's happened in the last few years, so tired of being angry and sad, trying to figure out how to make things better more honest and equal to allow us to all live better lives.
Brand New Buick is a slow strummed ad for the latest model, making sure you know it's better than a Dodge Vegomatic, this song offers positraction for a way forwards, as you glide out on the highway in that shining car, here's hoping it's a hybrid at least, as he claims he was born to drive a Buick.
The album closes with the Radio Edit of Youth that doesn't sound that different to the earlier version, maybe I missed some allegedly bad words, as Youth is still wasted on the young, go on go out and get wasted and don't forget to buy a copy of this album first.
Find out more at https://robmunk.bandcamp.com/album/phased-out https://linktr.ee/robmunkmusic https://www.facebook.com/magicdoorrecordlabel/
