Temporal Road Trips & Aural Memories
- coreydaneevans
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
My Review of Roads- new Music by Kris Wallace
Highways and byways have captured the creative imagination ever since mankind traveled to the same place enough times to leave a trail. No poet, musician, artist, or writer has escaped the muse that is a path or destination unknown. Kris Wallace is no exception to this, but rather than look forward, Wallace draws inspiration from backwards glances and lessons learned in his newest album, Roads.
Roads is a deeply personal album that reflects the many paths and moments that shaped my childhood. -KW
In the past, Wallace has used his music to express deep feelings of sadness and grief in order to help him process the trauma life has dealt him. Wallace's music can be heavy, emotional, and loud. The music in Roads is no exception, but the overall tone of the album is a departure from previous work. It (mostly) lacks minor key guitar riffs, dissonance, and aggressive tempos.
[Roads] is a celebration of the good times. - KW
Kris Wallace's 2022 album, Daughter of Sun, dealt with themes of death, loss, grief, and renewal. Roads is hopeful. It's primary themes are positive:
Rather than focusing on the struggles, Roads highlights the beauty in everyday life and the resilience that came from embracing my strengths.
Memory and nostalgia serve as the meta themes sonically explored, but it is not about seeing the past through rose-tinted lenses. Instead, it is about discovering the positives and appreciating the journey made, no matter how hard it may have been.
As a result, I think this album has the most of Kris Wallace in it than any of his previous efforts. The primary source of inspiration is him. The listener, if they are willing, is able to go on a journey through memory with Wallace and his guitar. For me, each track recalls a specific moment I have shared with my talented friend. Spring Days reminds me of Kris' summer birthday parties, and the bounce house his dad rented for each one, even into our teens. Roads takes me back to all the weekends we spent making heavy metal music and dreaming of sold out shows; The Sun Will Shine, for some reason, reminds me of the pizza place in our home town that isn't there anymore.
Each song on this album may seem disconnected from the next on a first listen. The mood ebbs and flows and each is disparate in terms of genre. But a through line emerges and becomes more clear on subsequent visits. The thread that ties it all together is the composer and the journey life has taken him. While the details will be fuzzy for others, listening to Roads is the closest you can get to growing up with Kris Wallace.
Roads
The album opens with a melodic banger, Where We Stand. This track is carried by exotic guitar lines that pick up after the first few bars and don't slow down until the fade out.
Spring Days is a tonal shift that is not unkind to the ears. The lead guitar is just as blazing as Where We Stand but the underlying structure is more reminiscent of a 2010's pop-punk ballad. It's a sound that feels nostalgic if you grew up listening to The Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, or Angels and Air Waves. Spring Days is one of my favorite tracks on this album for this very reason.
Wallace does something interesting with the order the songs are placed. Where We Stand is an all out heavy metal romp, Spring Days is an anthem that introduces an acoustic guitar in the arrangement, and Pretty Little Blue Bird brings the tone down even more with it's stripped rhythm section and slower leads. The tune for the third song is one that Wallace's older sister would hum while the two played together as kids, and I think the embellishments Wallace adds with his guitar are some of the more tasteful he's ever written. The listener can really feel that he cared about this one.
The tone continues it's steady walk down with The Sun Will Shine, but the emotion is far from lacking in the fourth track. The way Kris plays his guitar feels like he is belting heartfelt lyrics in front of a crowd of thousands who are singing them back.
Then we arrive somewhere unexpected. If the preceding four songs lull the listener in any way, Roads- the title track- is a straight shot of adrenaline. You'll want to crank the volume past 11 and pick up an electric guitar just to learn the opening riff. I would love to see what a gravelly vocalist and aggressive lyrics could do with this song, because I think it could be a heavy metal hit.
Unfortunately, every track, even on the greatest albums, can't be phenomenal. Dirt is the most incongruous song in this collection. I enjoy the way it starts, raw and sleazy as it's name would suggest, but its attitude wanes and ultimately fails to deliver on it's opening promise.
Light of the Day and Fields are where we find respite on this musical journey. These two tracks pair nicely at the tail end of the album, and successfully capture the closing mood Wallace was after:
[The Sun Will Shine] captures the quiet joy of early mornings, reminding us that each new day brings it's own light and peace. -KW
And Fields is an "ode to places that offer calm, escape and a place to dream." A long goodbye and a farewell hug.
Kris Wallace
You can learn more about Kris Wallace and his music at his website kriswallacemusic.com. He is a Denton based musician and very active teaching music online and in his private studio. You can purchase his music on Apple Music or listen to him on Spotify. He also has a YouTube channel where he posts videos of covers and jam sessions not available through other outlets. Kris Wallace wrote, preformed, recorded and produced every part on Daughter of Sun.
Links:
Corey D. Evans received no financial compensation in return for his review.
Comments