REVIEW: He Who Never - Timing EP

*Published for Spires Magazine (1/2/13)

Social networking hasn’t just boosted interactivity between musicians and fans in the “I LUFF U CAN I GET AN RT PLZ?” sense; it’s done much more than that. Facebook and Twitter enable artists to link fans to fundraising recording campaigns, which means dreams of a new record can become a reality.

This is precisely what Aaron Rosell, aka He Who Never, has done for his second EP, Timing. Rather than asking friends to dedicate an inconceivable of amount of unpaid time to help him record his latest efforts, he set up an Indiegogo campaign to pay them back.

Appropriately, this do-gooder from Minnesota has made an entirely open and honest record in Timing. Lyrics detail relationships thwarted by distance, the uncertainties of growing up, memories, hopes, regrets and redemption.

Lead single ‘Pardon’ is one polished and powerful piano ballad. The galloping drums and clean keys do well to keep up with Rosell’s absolutely stunning recording voice, helping transform the track from docile beginnings to a tectonic-shifting blow-out.

The next few tracks open with those same, vacant piano chords and you begin to worry what similarities the rest of the EP will harness. Thankfully, ‘Mirrors feat.Metasota’ presents something altogether different: a dark, minor note driven track full of menacing echoes, skittish guitar harmonics and mechanical drum patterns. It’s not unlike something Muse would pen in their early days, save for the rather incongruous but impressive rap from Metasota.

‘Fault Lines’ jolts back to the calmness of EP opener, ‘Oars’, but finally forces full expression out of Rosell. Breathy falsettos welcome in a seven minute build-up, while bottleneck guitars and heavyweight drums flesh out the song’s beautifully sombre piano notes.

Timing lacks the variation that would make it a sure-fire hit, but the remarkable songwriting and solid production behind it do more than make it an enjoyable listen. Timing proves that Rosell has undeniable talent, and a whole host of people who believe in it.

4/5

Click below to read the review in Spires Magazine...