Gravity by Paul Mark and the Van Dorens

Gravity by Paul Mark and the Van Dorens is a strong collection of songs that pay attention to the songwriting just for the sake of song to deliver such a thing of wonder. This is a brilliant album, the 11^th release which happened to be in-the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. The album was produced by Paul Mark and mastered by Bruce Barielle, New Orleans LA. Arranged, recorded and mixed by P. Mark in NYC, with Christian Howes, Eli Bishop, Greg Byer on strings Tess Primack, Connie Laws on background vocals P. Mark - Vocals, piano, bass, guitar, organ, xylophone, drums, accordion.

PAUL MARK: https://paulmarkthevandorens.bandcamp.com/album/gravity

The songs on Gravity tend to speak for themselves, including the Yardbirds cover toward the end of the disc, and it stands up to former releases dating all the way back to the Go Big OR Go Home CD. The disc kicks off with what might as well be the title track, “Gravity Is Failing,” and it sets the tone with a narrative approach in the lyrics. But there’s a lot of things to be said about the musical arrangement as well, as it plays like a variety of everything from ragtime piano to folk music. This is a very swash buckling sort of song with an esoteric feel that combines piano and violin. 

“Forever” is the next track and once it starts you know this is a concept album with some storyline holding it together, almost as if it were written with current affairs in mind but I also sense that is a coinciding thing that Paul Mark is not alone in doing. This is a fantastic ballad, and although I have not delved much into his back catalog, I have heard enough to call this on par with what his fans expect him to deliver on. 

“I Spin When You Grin” is a more enthusiastic song with a lot of Leon Russell flair to it, in fact I am most reminded of him and Doctor John on this album, and they’re two artists anyone wouldn’t mind being compared to. In fact, it’s hard to know what is-a cover and what isn’t when something sounds very familiar like this but leave it to Paul Mark because he’s a great songwriter. And this is just as evident on every self- penned track as it continues with “The Next Fight,” which is a bit slower but just as entertaining as anything on this fine album.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Paul-Mark-Van-Dorens/dp/B086V4TDVN

By this time you’re drawn into what’s going on and the rest is gravy, starting with the very Baroque sounding “Coronation” instrumental to set up the next track “Con Man VIP” which clearly references the political climate of late. The organ work throughout this album is a highlight and no exception to this track. But the next track is a more sobering piece with a very soothing on outcome, “Friend Gone Astray” and it is another excellently played and sung tune. Also, worth noting are “You Can’t Take It With You” and a respectable version of the classic “Heart Full Of Soul” by the aforementioned Yardbirds. 

Joshua Beach

308 Ghost Train

Soft but strong enough to draw together a harmony seemingly out of thin air, the keys that we find in the new single “Bleed Over Me” from 308 Ghost Train are pivotal to the creation of a mood in this latest release from the rising rock group. 308 Ghost Train put a lot of stock into the power of melodic ribbonry here, but while “Bleed Over Me” is perhaps their most pop-friendly effort to see widespread release thus far, it’s hardly a step away from the rock n’ roll lexicon that they’ve been building their name within lately. In this single, we’re introduced to a band that doesn’t care much what you think about retro pop/rock magic - they’re playing to the fundamentals of this genre (and sounding pretty incredible in doing so).  

SOUND-CLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/user-153508539

The melodies here are supremely rich from an instrumental standpoint, but nothing feels particularly overdone at all - on the contrary, I would even say that this is a rather lean and mean composition when taking into account its being stylized as a power ballad. 308 Ghost Train are careful to stay away from the overindulgences that have brought down many of their contemporaries, and influences for that matter, in “Bleed Over Me,” but at the same time they aren’t shy about putting as much oomph into the mechanics of their performance as can be mustered from within the four walls of a recording studio. They’ve got a good handle on their depth for a group that is as fresh on the scene as they are, and I doubt I’m going to be the only critic that notes as much this summer. 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/308ghosttrain?lang=en

These string parts have a great tonality to their harmonies that really balances out the vocal parts wonderfully. Had each of the different components in “Bleed Over Me” not been given as much of the spotlight as they ultimately were afforded in this instance, I can’t be sure whether or not the single would feel as chill-inducing as it does - even after numerous listens. There’s still a lot that we need to discover within the artistry of 308 Ghost Train, but if there’s anything we can collectively take away from this most recent dispatch, it’s that they’re all about the details (no matter how seemingly small or insignificant).  

APPLE MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/308-ghost-train/1464782600?ign-gact=3&ls=1

If this is just a preview of what 308 Ghost Train are going to be bringing to the table on a regular basis in 2020 and beyond, then you can absolutely count me in for more of their work in the future. They’ve got a unique sound that is reminiscent of some serious heavyweights in the history of classic rock, but while the comparisons to the old guard will be inevitable, there’s nothing archaic about the way they’re doing business in “Bleed Over Me.” This is a modern, very mature look for their brand, and if it’s any sort of representation of who they are at their most emotional, it won’t be the last heavy-rocking ballad they deliver to critical acclaim.  

Joshua Beach