Dave & The Ideas: “Canyon Tales” – deeply resonant qualities
David Holtzer launched Dave & The Ideas in 2018 after the realization that music can’t be categorized into a single genre. “The formation of sub-genres and its descendants merely shows that artists have that same collective thought,” says David, “and can’t or won’t categorize themselves into any particular genre, inducing them to create their own. This is what laid the foundation for Dave and The Ideas.” The group consists of David and other musicians, friends, computers, and family members who want to contribute to the project in some form or fashion. This ranges from singing, creating artwork, and even to sending an email of some noise that someone had recorded at some point in time to be used in some recording. Those contributions make up “The Ideas”.
Currently Dave & The Ideas are promoting their 12 track album “Canyon Tales”. And for lack of a better description I would call this something close to organically-driven post-rock. It’s less boring, and less repetitive than the aforementioned genre, with stronger guitar-driven melodies at the core of each track.
The music is complex enough to be interesting but not so highbrow that it leaves you feeling disaffected because the music is made to impress rather than express, an idea or emotion. There is a lot to sink your teeth into and analyze if you really want to. Otherwise you can just kick back and use this album as a soundtrack to your life’s doings.
The guitars sound wonderfully real with minimal processing, usually reverb and time based delays that keep the rhythmic components swirling into overdrive as it develops. Dave & The Ideas play simple phrasing, using guitar tones as a way of delineating segments of the music to great effect.
The guitar tones are simple and stunning, in no small part because of David’s open approach to music. It evokes powerful emotions, and images. If you are the kind of person that uses visual images in your daydreams, or imagination, I think this music will deeply interest you.
“Canyon Tales” is an album that effortlessly imbues the listener in a tide of emotional chords and notes that generate and harmonize, surrounding the listener in music that beckons to be felt as much as listened. These songs have an echoing tone of power, majesty and epic glory.
Being instrumental they are entirely free of lyrics, sticking to electric guitar plucks and picks. Every instrumental band usually gets compared to every other instrumental band, with so many circular references that you can never really figure out what any of them actually sounds like.
Though described as a potpourri of ideas, Dave & The Ideas have a cohesive and consistent throughout this album, which sounds anything but a mass of disparate intentions. From when the first track, “Sunrise” opened up I was surprised at how well-structured these songs were, and with each passing track the impact of this project just grew stronger.
Of course it would be fair to say that the guitar practically carries this entire recording on its shoulders. Presenting the listener with many highlights. From “Amethyst Dream” to “Canyon Tales” and “Desert Pulse”, onto “Retroactive”, “Foreign Substance” and my absolute favorite “Dawn”, the electric guitar reigns supreme.
The degree of emotional finesse this album exhibits is stunning, considering Dave & The Ideas mainly use the basic bass, drum, and guitar formula to create their lush sonic landscapes. The band has great dynamics and the music basically speaks for itself. At first you’ll gasp at the understated vitality of it, then you’ll begin to truly enjoy its deeply resonant qualities.
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