Guy Grogan- Dynamite Bouquet
- Written by Julia Lamb
There’s no safer way to keep a firm grasp on your creative control than to run the whole show yourself- just ask Guy Grogan, the one-man band penning pop-sensible indie-folk songs. Hailing from Santa Fe, Grogan has produced and self-released 9 albums to date and has been likened to bands and artists such as Dinosaur Jr., Elliot Smith, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. In 2015, Groban also received several songwriting awards granted by organizations such as American Songwriting Awards, Indie International and Song of the Year.
His latest release is Dynamite Bouquet. The 10-track album kicks off with a pair of power-pop guitars strumming alongside stuttering drums on ‘My Own Way Out’. Grogan’s vocals are rough and loose, but anything else would feel out of place on this DIY record that drips rawness from every instrument. ‘Metafixation’ takes on an angsty, somewhat grunge-inspired sound that tensely builds before bursting at the seams with a cranked-to-11 guitar solo and anthemic final chorus. The album takes a breath for air on track three ‘River Like A Cry’, a cruisy pop number that bounces along coolly with a strumming acoustic guitar; as simple as it is, it’s one of the album’s catchiest tracks. ‘A Ghost Too Soon’ opens somewhat ethereally with a quilt of mandolins and droning violins, while ‘Moonbird’ sinks into jazz territory. Final track, ‘What If I Told You’ features nothing more than Groban’s voice accompanied by a ukulele, closing the album on a stripped-back, hauntingly emotional note.
Dynamite Bouquet is a DIY record done right. While most of the album leans towards indie-rock and power-pop, Groban’s strongest moments are in fact on the mellow songs where he proves most authentic.