A Massive and Driving Cinematic Rock Album from Tyson Dickert
A new album release from Tyson Dickert brings with it a mighty combination of what I would consider to be alternative, progressive, and cinematic rock, all rolled into one huge LP that most certainly feels more than anthemic at times, with vast undertones and memorable, powerful riffs and guitar work through and through.
This is a big record. There's a lot to chew on and plenty of that is immense guitar tone. I feel like the guitar work across this record is key because it gives the record a massive robustness that wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.
That blend of rock genres is also something that comes through super enticingly. You can hear a slew of influences under the artist's belt and how close he holds them to his heart. A lot of those influences come through differently from song to song, but all in all, this is a powerhouse of an album.
The record is dubbed Supervoid, and it certainly doesn't waste a lot of time with its first track, "Living on the Edge of Forever."
This song is a damn near perfect way to open the door for the rest of the record because not only are you hearing some of the great staples that the full album boasts, but you're getting a feel for that spaciousness that it offers as well.
It kicks right in with this sort of bright cinematic rock riff that's super addictive and sort of heavy-hitting.
This is a widespread riff with deep-pocketing rhythm, and this is a perfect example of how that sort of Anthony tonality comes through.
One of my favorite aspects about songs like this one is the simple fact that it breaks off and branches out into different styles. There is a section throughout this track with augmented chords in it that sort of feels heavier, grungy, and harder.
He is sort of going with the flow, and by doing so, he's able to create this huge atmosphere for you to get sucked into.
"A Small Glimmer of Hope" is totally uplifted, spirited, and has this bit of fists-in-the-air live performance vibe.
Not only do you have this melodically driving feel and aesthetic, but I hear what sounds like keys along with those guitars performing these almost futuristic, filmic melodies, and I love a record with instrumental hooks.
Now, this album boasts loads of great choruses that are absolutely powerful, but I have found that in rock music of recent years, instrumental hooks have sort of gone away.
Listening to this record flipped the switch for me. I realized that that's what's been missing because there are so many great guitar hooks across this record. Some of them are as memorable as any of the vocal stuff.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the energy of songs like this can be intense. It almost feels like a live performance.
The reason that blows me away is simply because Tyson himself performs pretty much everything on this record.
It sort of boggles my mind in terms of wondering how on Earth one person can write a song and then bring the entire thing to fruition, sounding like an entire band with synergy flowing between its players.
That's a cool thing to me.
So, obviously, he's a multi-instrumentalist, but it's something that helps him write songs. That's his real craft.
He definitely loves playing guitar because I can tell the guitar work is where it all begins. He's probably a guitar player first and foremost.
However, he's in love with the craft of songwriting. That's what really lets the whole thing flow forward.
He's able to build entire songs from his ideas.
Songs like "Hold Our Heart to the Fire" absolutely showcase more of that prog rock approach. The guitar work is certainly progressive, bringing in these different-style chords and thick keys and synthesizers that really add a certain kind of texture and depth to the song.
This is what I mean when I say vast. The whole record somehow has this ambient or vast underbelly to it, and it comes through constantly.
It's part of what pulls you into its whole thing. I love the layers and attention to detail that he put into the mix of these things. I'm not sure if he mixed it himself, but if he had someone else mix these songs, they were certainly on the same page.
A mix with a record like this is super important simply because of all of those layers and being able to bring out that correct atmosphere.
The vocals across the record are awesome. I like the approach of utilizing his singing as an instrument.
The vocals come through distant at times. Like this song, for example, has a lot of reverb effect on those vocals, so they're sort of swimming through the rest of the music.
They do add that ambient effect and, at times, almost elegance to everything.
Now, some may consider this borderline shoegaze. This is simply because of that sort of deepening reverb-like effect, making certain instruments and songs feel like they're being played from deep in a cave somewhere.
It adds that sort of hollow thickness to the songs and deepens the tonality of everything.
So, when I say cinematic or filmic, which I already have a few times here, that's what I mean as well. That helps build certain elements of emotion, which feels like music that you can hear in the scene of a film.
Although songs like "Into the Night" provide loads of that and sort of gracefully performed guitar work, it's songs like this that also showcase how he's unafraid to go in whatever direction he wants to.
Sounds like this have a strange way of putting you in the moment with them.
Now, the last track on the record, "Cutting Deep," is the ultimate example of branching off. I love this because the track absolutely feels like it was influenced by '80s new wave music.
Yes, there are guitars in it, but this one is way more synth-involved.
It's danceable, fun, colorful, but still has that hint of edginess under its surface.
This was a record that brought a lot of surprises around its corners, and that's one of the reasons I suggest listening to the entire thing from start to finish, in one shot.
The whole thing is nine tracks and spends just over 40 minutes.
Jam this out with headphones if you can because that's the best way to release beautifully ambient tones and textures that are constantly coming at you. You're able to sort of swim through them when you listen with headphones. It's just a great experience.
Upon listening to this album, I certainly knew I needed to have a sit-down with Tyson to talk about where it came from, influences, and what maybe next.
So, while you listen to this album, have a read through of our interview with Tyson Dickert below.
Remember where you heard it first.
What is this record about and where did it come from?
My latest album, Supervoid, took eight months to make, from start to finish. Though that doesn't really begin to tell the whole story.
Just a few years ago, I found myself in the least motivated, least productive part of my entire life in music. I hardly picked up a guitar, with only rare moments of inspiration poking through on the occasional Sunday afternoon where I might play a little and sometimes even record a little. It wasn't until 2023 that I found a true renewed sense of desire to pursue music once again. It began with picking up and playing my acoustic guitar every day. Soon I was experimenting with non-standard guitar tunings and coming up with some interesting stuff.
This continued until June of 2024 when one night I intentionally sat down at my DAW in my home studio and plugged in my Tele. I dialed in some cosmic sounds drenched in delay and reverb and ended up recording a little guitar-based instrumental jam. I threw down some bass and synth, added some drum loops and decided it was worth releasing just for fun.
After that, I began what has by far become the most prolific creative period of my entire life. Like a man obsessed, I began writing and recording nearly every night. Though I had many years of experience recording and mixing music, I was a bit rusty. I was also moving quickly and not so much worried about chasing perfection as I once had. This allowed me to ride the wave rather than constantly second-guessing myself.
From then on, I was on a mission to continue creating, but also to continually work toward learning from my previous efforts and striving to improve upon every aspect. My writing, my playing, my recording and mixing. Just as soon as I independently released one album, I immediately began working on the next set of songs.
During this time I also found myself struggling to overcome a multitude of challenges in life that were exhausting me physically, mentally and spiritually. The music I was working on nearly every day became my therapy. A way to express what I was feeling inside.
I was also challenging myself to read more and ended up picking up and devouring some classic Russian literature such as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, but also books on topics such as Western esoteric teachings along with ancient Hindu, Vedic and Buddhist scripture. All of those things were floating around in my head while this music was being created.
Though I was physically and mentally exhausted nearly every day, I felt my muse could leave me at any time, so I had better take advantage while I could. No one knows how much time they have until it is gone.
I am certainly hearing some different approaches to this song! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
The first thing I would say about my musical influences is that there are many. Having been one to continuously seek out new music and artists, I have had many influences over the years, but classic rock was definitely where it all began.
Bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Kansas and Rush were early influences on me both as a musician and music lover. Growing up in the '80s and '90s I was also heavily into New Wave, Grunge and alternative music.
In the early 2000s I began to actively seek out more underground and indie artists. Listening to bands I would read about in underground music rags really opened me up to an entirely new range of sonic possibilities and also to the notion that one does not need to "make it" in the business to be a musician. Just because you are not on a label, it doesn't mean that your art is any less worthy as long as it is authentic.
Some of the most meaningful bands for me in this millennium would have to be The Appleseed Cast, The National, Sun Kil Moon, Angels and Airwaves, and White Lies.
How did this project start for you?
This current project really started long before Supervoid, and in some ways before I even finished my last record! That has been a recurring theme it seems. Once I get a certain amount of songs completed where I am happy with the mix and decide, "these songs are the full album," I have always had more riffs and ideas and oftentimes have even started new projects in my DAW already. Everything is really just leading into the next, with what I believe is a continuation of the same journey. Living, learning, growing and always creating.
I became very serious about writing and recording original music while I was in high school. In pursuit of that, I formed a band with some wonderful friends and we began that journey together. After a stint away in the Air Force after high school, where I continued pursuing music on my own and with some more amazing people in two different bands, I returned home and those same friends from my first band and I began anew with a new sound and name.
For the next several years we earnestly pursued writing, recording and playing as many shows as we possibly could. Those were amazing, wonderful times. We ultimately decided to retire that band due to exhaustion, I think. Playing dive bars and clubs continually for a few years and sitting around for hours waiting to play to a handful of people can become a little demoralizing. We were also getting older and looking to pursue our own interests such as college, starting families and everything else life brings with it.
After the dissolution of the band, I continued playing guitar every day and often came up with interesting musical ideas. I recorded a lot of those ideas myself at home, always thinking in the back of my mind that I would someday form another band and perhaps put some of them to good use.
About five or six years later, I found myself entering another creative peak and reached out to my oldest friend, who also played guitar in our previous band. We began meeting every week to jam, and soon the ideas were flowing again. Initially we intended to produce a full-length album and form another band to play the music live.
We even began searching for a singer. We released one of the demos and asked prospective singers to throw together some rough lyrics and record themselves singing along to the track so we could get an idea of not only how well their voice would work with our sonic vision, but whether they could write lyrics and vocal melodies as well.
The few responses we received left us a bit despondent, and eventually the pressure came off. We kept meeting every week, but instead of pursuing some lofty goal we just focused on having a good time.
Looking back, it was another wonderful time in my musical life. Without ever consciously discussing it, we entered a new era of creativity. Each week we would start jamming until something struck us as being worthy of pursuing. We would quickly record the guitar parts, take turns laying down bass, add MIDI drums and then finish the night by both putting on headphones, grabbing a mic and improvising lyrics and melodies on the spot. In the course of four or five hours, most weeks we would write and record an entire song. It was an incredibly prolific period.
Creativity and motivation can be a fickle thing though. You never know where the journey is going to lead. After close to eight years of doing that, my friend became a father and we once again took a break. That eventually led into the creative drought I mentioned earlier and, ultimately, the unexpected resurgence that began in 2023 and brought me to where I am now.
What are you performing on the record? Are you a multi-instrumentalist?
Yeah, I perform everything on the record other than the actual drum performances. As with all of my solo work, it always begins with guitar.
I typically write most of my ideas while playing my acoustic and then later begin experimenting with various guitar tones and effects in order to find the perfect sound to accompany what I had written. I'll typically double-track most of my guitar parts to really flesh out the sound, as I love nothing more than a big, powerful wall of guitars lol.
Once I have all the individual guitar tracks laid out, I'll switch to my bass guitar and figure out those parts, usually in a single day or evening. I try not to overthink things.
Once the guitars and bass are set, I work with my drum program in the DAW to lay out the drums. Most of the drum parts I use are loops but I also like to chop them up and sometimes even hammer out a part using a MIDI controller or sometimes just writing it out in staff notation.
Digging through hundreds, really thousands, of loops trying to find "the one" that was meant for each part is an exercise in patience and intentional listening. You have to feel it so you know what really and truly works and what is otherwise just sufficient. No one taps their foot or rocks out to sufficient grooves!
Once I've recorded all my guitars and bass and found the grooves to suit, it is then that the most challenging stretch lies before me. Vocals.
I have written plenty of lyrics in my life, so that is never really the problem. The challenge is that I am tone deaf! At least when it comes to singing. There is some disconnect between what I hear in my mind and what often comes out of my mouth.
Experience has shown me to trust my instincts and try to just "feel it." Most of my vocals are first or second takes. They are never perfect, but I make them work within the context of my sound.
It may be contentious for some, but I always apply a ton of effects to my vocal tracks. Autotune, delay, distortion, reverb, you name it. Sometimes I try to make them sound fairly natural and other times I am forced to lean more heavily into treating my voice as another instrument meant to sit within the mix and not out front as you would expect from mainstream music.
This was something I initially approached reluctantly. To say that I was not born with any natural singing abilities would be an understatement. But I realized that many of the songs I found myself writing absolutely were meant to have vocals. After my previous experience searching for that perfect vocalist, I wasn't willing to chance losing another era of creativity waiting for someone else. So I began trying to find my voice, or at least a way to make it work within the sounds I was crafting in my home studio.
The first few tracks were very rough vocally speaking, but I pressed on, ever growing and learning and pushing myself to do better each time. Limitations, I believe, can oftentimes be a driving force for creativity.
At that point I would say each song is around 90 to 95 percent complete. Thanks to growing up listening to prog rock, I've always loved the interesting sounds produced by synthesizers, so I usually make an attempt to see if a synth part or two may elevate the song and take it to the next level.
Are you performing any live shows, or is this a recording project?
I currently have no plans to form a band to try and play these songs live. Besides doing some creative visual work and making music videos for each song on Supervoid, I have already begun working on three new songs!
Perhaps someday, should the stars align...
Do you record at a larger studio or use a home DAW setup?
Everything is done in my home studio. All of my solo music has been written, recorded and mixed by me using my DAW setup at home.
I've spent a lot of time over the years learning recording and mixing through experience, experimentation and research. After getting back into recording seriously, I also found myself spending more and more time researching advanced recording and mixing techniques and trying to apply what I learned to each new song.
That's really been a huge part of this entire period for me. Not only continuing to create, but trying to make every new project an opportunity to get better at writing, playing, recording and mixing.
Did you self-produce this release, or did you work with an outside producer?
I wrote, performed, recorded, produced and mixed Supervoid myself in my home studio. I even mastered my first few records myself, but for Supervoid I ended up reaching out to Justin Weis at Trakworx to have the record mastered professionally.
Being the sole creative force behind these songs, for better or for worse, means everything you hear is the distinct result of the life and experiences that I've lived.
There were many times where I was struggling with a song that just wasn't coming together easily or in the way that I expected. In those moments, I often thought about how nice it must be to have a producer to bounce ideas off of or to provide a creative solution to a song that is fighting you the entire way.
In the end, I am most grateful for the experience of going it alone. To see and know what we are capable of is a challenging thing. But how else are we to grow and learn without first pushing ourselves to realize where our current boundaries are?
You mix your own stuff too, right? Was that as difficult as creating it in the first place?
Yeah, I mix everything myself as well, and I would say it presents an entirely different kind of challenge.
The creative side can be very instinctive for me. When the ideas are flowing, I try not to think too much about them. I want to feel where the song is trying to go and follow it.
Mixing requires me to shift into a much more analytical state of mind. At some point you have to stop thinking only as the person who wrote and performed the song and try to actually hear what is coming out of the speakers.
That can be difficult when you've already heard the same song hundreds of times while writing, recording and arranging it. It's easy to get lost chasing perfection.
One thing I've tried to become better at with each record is knowing that perfection isn't really the goal anyway. I would much rather preserve the feeling and energy of something than polish every rough edge out of it.
A big part of this entire process has been continually learning from whatever I did on the last record and trying to improve the next time around. The writing, the playing, the recording and definitely the mixing.
What would you say people can expect from this album?
For anyone willing to listen to Supervoid, I would say to go into it with an open mind.
Musically there are big walls of distorted guitars, quieter atmospheric passages, delay and reverb, synthesizers and vocals that sometimes sit within the music almost like another instrument. I love dynamics and contrast, so the music can move from something brooding or atmospheric into something very loud and powerful.
I would not say it is a concept album, but there are definite recurring themes throughout all of my music.
A close friend of mine used the word "brutal" in their description of it. I took that as a compliment.
I honestly believe there is a brutal nature to existence. It isn't the part we typically search for or cling to, but a part nonetheless. There is also a lot of beauty.
I try to be a conduit for all of that and to express the deepest pain and love that I have ever experienced in my life, and oftentimes try to hold those two ends of the spectrum together, in balance, simultaneously.
Before we go, what would you like to express to fans and listeners of the music?
I would thank anyone who takes the time to seek out and appreciate human-made art in any form, even if it isn't my own, as I believe art is imperative to our existence.
A window to our souls.
Supervoid YouTube Music
Comments