In a perfect world, Mitch Easter would be famous. After starting the Big Star-influenced Sneakers with friend Chris Stamey (later of dBs fame), Easter went on to release three albums and one EP fronting the influential Chapel Hill band, Let’s Active. Along the way, he also produced R.E.M.’s seminal first two albums (Murmur and Reckoning) and mixed records for a slew of more-famous indie-rock acts (Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Helium, Velvet Crush). Still, it has been 18 years since Easter last released a full album of music. Dynamico, the artist’s first-ever solo album, fills that void. Easter’s voice may be a bit worn, yet it still shines with that elfin, Robyn Hitchcock-like tone that is familiar to fans of his earlier work. Though it may be something of an acquired taste, Dynamico succeeds in its eclecticism and expert playing. “Break Through” rocks with fluid guitar and a crunchy lead lick that reminds of Black Sabbath. “Sudden Crown Drop” is all fuzzed-out, shimmering instrumentation spiked with a chiming chorus, a touch of electronic textures, and a fantastic acoustic guitar solo. “Sights Set on Heaven” features a big guitar riff, monstrous bass, and anthem-worthy chorus, and “Why Is It so Hard” finds Easter returning to the Byrds-esque jangle and harmony-inflected power pop with which he is most associated. His lyrics are, for the most part, obtuse (see “So equate me to medicine distilled from a swamp root,” from “Time Warping”), but that only works to increase the album’s intrigue. Dynamico is solid proof that Easter is still relevant and needed in today’s indie-rock scene. With any luck, we won’t have to wait another 18 years for his next album.
~ Frank Valish
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