Ehson Hashemian – Message (Album Review)

Based in SoCal, Ehson Hashemian is no stranger to the music scene. With his contributions to the early days of The Jakes, who would later rise to fame as the alternative rock titans Young the Giant, Hashemian’s musical journey has been fruitful. As a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he is making strides while also crafting songs that will resonate with audiences at all levels. He also has been carving his way with his solo endeavors. ‘Message’ is his sixth studio album as a solo artist.

On this latest offering, Hashemian does something unique. He uses the strophic form most commonly used in older African music. According to his notes, here, we see that vocal melody changes are used to narrate the music, rather than chord structure changes. I felt this conveyed a deeper range with the vocal melodies, and depending on the fluctuation of the tone, it can give new meaning to the lyrics. I thought this was a very interesting approach.

This album seems to be heavily influenced by African music as Hashemian incorporates polyrhythmic guitar parts as well as bell-like percussion, analog synthesizers, and piano to create a live, vibrant sound in some sections. The music itself had a great live feel that I felt fans of Vampire Weekend and The Shins would love.

Thematically, it’s about “the artist’s struggles to make deep connections with others, and resorting to song to express their true feelings.” Like the production itself, Hashemian’s lyrics are uplifting. In the songs, the artist continually drives this message home: keep your hopes up; there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

You see this positive message right off the bat with the opening track “Alright.” Some tropical-flavored percussion and guitars enter the vibes as Hashemian sings with vibrancy. The music is bright and sunny. He sings: “What you’re feeling now/It’ll be alright/When you leave the ground/It’ll be alright/When you’re really sad/It’ll be alright/When you think it’s bad/It’ll be alright.” With such assurances, how can things not be alright?

More guitars and drums ignite the next track, “Anything.” The rhythms on this track just make you want to get up and dance. Here, more of Hashemian’s tonal singing comes across. But for this track, it made it hard to make out the lyrics. However, listening to this track made it an experience, which I found interesting.

“Been Through” starts off with some melancholic finger-picking on the guitar. Then some island flavor with the percussion. The vocals really ease you into the lyrics in the track, which is about taking it slow in a relationship, as the partner does some soul-searching. The drawling manner of the vocals will really pull listeners in.

Some noodling on the guitar jumpstarts “Find A Way.” The island flavors were strong here as well. Hashemian sings with feeling. The song felt very uplifting. The only thing was that I felt the fluctuation in the vocals made it a little hard to make out the lyrics. However, Hashemian’s genuine delivery tugged on my heartstrings and I felt deeply moved by what lyrics I could make out.

“Get By” really vies for your attention. I was immediately reminded of U2 here. For some reason, Hashemian’s vocals recalled Bono in my mind. It really seems Hashemian wears his heart on his sleeve as he sings with feeling on this track, which is about connections and how love can sometimes fall apart.

“Hold On” has a full-on vibe with the addition of some metallic percussion. The island flavors really rocked here, I felt. For this song, Hashemian’s singing style really reminded of Muse and The Airborne Toxic Event. The vibrating vocals and reverb from the minimal instruments sounded really great. There was something really cinematic about the vocals here. It added a sweeping element to the track.

Toward the title-track “Message” some finger-picking on the acoustic guitar starts off this track. Then, more guitars come in alongside some drumming beats and percussion. Here, Hashemian’s vocals are highlighted as the sparse arrangement complements his vocals. This felt very melodic to my ears, and I couldn’t help but feel swept away by the music.

“Move” felt very unique in its approach. Here, what sounds like the woodblock accompanies some guitars alongside Hashemian’s euphoric vocals. He constantly asks in this track: “What would make the move?” About the start of a relationship and trying to make things right, this was another track in the uplifting vein. The bouncy beats and fast tune made this a very exciting number.

Hashemian does something really exciting here. He incorporates African influences into his music, creating tonal fluctuations with the vocals. In some instances, this works really well like in “Alright,” “Been Through,” “Hold On,” “Message,” “Move,” and “When There Was You.” However, it didn’t work so well in tracks like “Anything,” “Find A Way,” “New Direction,” and “What It’s About,” which I would’ve liked more clarity with the vocals. While the shifting in vocal melodies seems to be a very cool experiment in some tracks, the execution didn’t seem to be such a hit with others.

‘Message’ is a colossal project with 15 tracks total. Hashemian seems to have a good feel for what listeners want, and to keep this album from being too heavy, he sprinkles some palette cleaners between the heavier tracks. These songs act like “breathers.” For example, the melancholy “Should Have Been” and Western sounds coming from “Something With It” were under three minutes long.

Hashemian seems to have good musical intuition overall, with a pretty good grasp on what works in a song and what doesn’t. It is his musical instincts that has gotten him this far. You can see his musical sensibilities shine on this record. He really seems to have a pulse on the music scene, knowing what will speak to listeners and what will resonate with his audience. Hashemian is a talented singer-songwriter who is willing to take his craft to newer levels. It is this level of experimentation that is something to watch out for.

SCORE/Good to Excellent: The only reason this album didn’t get a perfect score is because while I appreciated Hashemian’s experimentation on this record, not every song benefited from it. More clarity in some of the vocalizations would’ve served some of the songs better. However, the instrumentals itself were great. I had no complaints with that. Since the message itself was so important for this album, a little more clarity and fidelity with the vocals would be appreciated. Otherwise, the indie rock sensibilities on ‘Message’ really spoke to me. Ehson Hashemian has truly done something trailblazing here.

[We rank albums, EPs and singles on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]

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