Classic and Alt Rock with a Retro Flair
that truly takes you Out of this World
A great mix of styles and insightful lyrics can be found in the upcoming album release "Remnants" from John Hickman
There are so many struggling musicians out there working hard to make great music and get it heard. Some work harder than others. John Hickman is one such person, a singer/songwriter recently from Washington State who just relocated to Hawaii that breaks the mold by effectively “rocking out” by himself. Forget your preconceptions of a boring guy sitting alone on stage with a guitar on his lap. John shows that alternative rock can be achieved all by yourself. No excuses! Perseverance has been a good teacher, and John has plenty of that. But he admittedly had some help from a few other musicians in putting together his latest album "Remnants", that is to be released very shortly.
John Hickman got started a little late in life but has been hard at work since 2008 creating quite a diverse portfolio of music, from acoustic folk to mellow adult-alternative to full on crowd moving rock and roll. One of his early standout songs was the moody "What Would You Do?", a song that really shows all of John’s multi-talents. From haunting vocals to a driving drum beat to very interesting guitar solos, that was a complete song.
His soon to be released most recent album, "Remnants" is a unique indie album with catchy tunes, a great mix of styles, insightful lyrics, and a retro sound that truly takes you out of this world. "Hello, Hello" is a nice upbeat rock song reminiscent of the McCartney-dominated songs of the Beatles. "Escape" is a piano driven rock song at its soul with a dark feel, reminiscent of an alternative rock take on a Coldplay song. Smooth guitars and a strong note holding voice help carry the song. "Paris Is Burning" brings to life the romance of the City of Light and refers to the passion for the city that burns within for so many, while "Soiled Dove" is a romantic ballad about one of the "ladies of the night" of an Old West frontier town, and the song title is one the terms used at that time to refer to such working girls.
"What They Told Me" has easily relatable lyrics about what we have been told all our lives to accept as truth without question, and how those things may not always ring true, despite what we have always been told. "Cascade" is a tune that wonderfully delivers a spiritual message with passion in a synth-driven song with an up-tempo beat, unlike the typical mellow, light feel of most songs with that type of theme. "Talk" delivers a powerful positive message about simply helping lift each other through open communication.
"Remnants of the Human Race", the semi-title track, is a dark sci-fi track reminiscent of the style of David Bowie in which humanity is forced to flee Earth or face extinction due to some poor technological choices. "What Have You Done?", a song about the pain and angst felt at the end of a love relationship, has a nice turn near the end as the song modulates upward to allow the subject person in the song to release his final frustrations and then allow the song to smooth and mellow out and offer a more hopeful outlook for the future.
The more mellow folk type song "Passing Thru" could be played by John in a dark, smoky corner of any beer guzzling bar. He really wakes you up at the bridge with a powerful rock-out before smoothing the song back out with another low key verse. The song has its ups and downs and also has truly relatable lyrics that keep you interested throughout the 5:03 of the track. "While Everyone Was Sleeping" was actually written a few years ago, but its political commentary about the domination of the many by the few in our society still holds true today (and actually has throughout most of history). This song received a semi-finalist award in the 2011 Song of the Year contest. Finally, "Where Have You Gone?" is a nearly nine minute song about loss of family and friends that is reminiscent of the songs from the classic rock era that were only played on the AOR stations due to their length. But this one doesn't drag; it is like a two-parter, where the base of the song, the first part, is a bit different from the ending section, almost like two different songs were joined together, but joined seamlessly (like "Layla" from Derek and the Dominoes).
"Remnants" was recorded and produced at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, WA (who has had such notable clients asAlice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis) this summer 2016.
Look for the release of "Remnants" soon on CD Baby at:
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