Homebound like the rest of us over the duration of the pandemic, MacNeil has used the time where he’d usually be out on the road to instead set out on a new musical journey honing in on a sound and subject matter more personal to him than he’s ever put on record before. Simply, this is his most revealing and personally emotive work to date. “This is the most personal music I have ever released… It’s a record about my life falling apart and then trying to pick up the pieces. Dooms Children is about falling out of love, about addiction and lying awake at night wondering if you’ve made all the wrong choices” says MacNeil.
Half of the songs on the album were written during a time in which MacNeil reflects on as being a dark period. The other half were written while in rehab aside from ‘Friend of the Devil’, which is a fresh take on an original song. However the focus here isn’t on sobriety. The duality of the music on the album aims to show MacNeil’s journey from his lowest to his newfound sense of purpose, pushing through a point in his life and emerging at the other side renewed and reinvigorated.
Sonically the album is oozing with fuzzy riffs, groovy bass lines, dream-like psychedelia and infectious rhythm sections. The result is a modern take on psychedelic rock merged with hard rock. MacNeil’s harsh gravelly tone may surprise some long-term fans hearing him in this light. ‘Trip With Me; is an impressive opener whereby MacNeil’s vocals take a back seat weaving in and out of the music to give the listener a flavour of the various influences and aspects they can look forward to with the album. ‘Flower Moon’ flips the previous concept on it’s head taking a more traditional approach with the vocals back front and centre. MacNeils vocal range is given the space to stretch and show off whilst the song’s mid-section features an outrageously long 2 minute guitar solo that builds and builds with the payout being well worth the wait.
‘Psych Hospital Blues’ hits is right on the nose in terms of its lyrical content, MacNeils vocal ability again creating a melodious merging of smooth psychedelic riffs and his gruff gravelly tone to juxtapose one another. Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen come to mind in this regard. In relation, the dreamy psychedelia of tracks like ‘Skeleton Beach’ and ‘Morningstar’ help to tell the story of addiction but focus on the feeling of chemical dependency. Both tracks are spattered with winding guitar solo’s and velvety riffs that are enshrouded in the thick, exasperated psychedelia that serves the album’s central motif. What is striking with this record is the fearless creativity in some of the music on the album. ‘Lotus Eater’ is a seven minute opus which is progressive and generally one of the slower tracks on the album that builds up until the six minute mark where the listener is hit with a roaring solo to see out the track.
‘Heavy Year’ features Allman Brothers style guitar solos, two separate solo’s being played out that harmonise with one another. There is somewhat of a noticeable shift in the tone at this point of the album. “It’s been a heavy year in retrospect.“ MacNeil says in the chorus marking that reflective point and looking back on the struggles he went through having found light of the other side of the hypothetical tunnel. The documentation and MacNeils noticeable shift in where he has come from and where he is currently can be heard with ‘Chinatown Glow’, ‘Spring Equinox’ and closer ‘Stardust Lullaby’ all having a more upbeat, lighter lyrical tone.
What sets this record apart from other artist’s solo ventures is its authenticity. It doesn’t feel like a conscious effort was made to revive psychedelic rock but instead that this is the genuine product of MacNeils life experiences and creative efforts to contextualise this into an album. The accessibility of this album as well as its multiple influences, will open up new ears to his artistry as he enters this new chapter of his life and career. Don’t let this weeks release schedule allow you to put a halt on listening to this, it’s a magnificent and well-crafted debut.