Champ de Mars

 Champ de Mars is a group founded by singer-songwriter David Emerick, who has been an active front-man of various alternative and indie bands in the California area since the the nineties. The most successful of his groups, Bellstar, worked the bay area for a solid eight years and released two albums. After Bellstar, Emerick moved to the east coast and focused on solo material. He has since released two additional albums and has written a novel titled, The Silent Year. This project, Champ de Mars, which takes its name from a park located in the center of Paris, is somewhat of a creative compilation between musicians that Emerick has worked on and off with over the years. Their debut EP titled “Back From The West” was released at the start of 2016 and is available for free on the band’s website. Emerick currently resides in Washington D.C.

One of the first things that can be appreciated about this project and Emerick’s tendencies as a musician is that he is not afraid to take risks, do things that are a bit strange, or create song structures that are unorthodox and even somewhat unbalanced. The exemplification of Emerick’s style and musical brand can be demonstrated from the track layout. Of the five songs on “Back From The West”, the third and the fourth (Evaporate/American Static) are probably the most accessible and straightforward (hesitant to use the term, poppy), while the first, second, and fifth tracks are a little more experimental and original. Normally, it might have been a safer move to lead with the more hooky, accessible tracks instead of the shake-up tunes, but Emerick decided to do the opposite and lead with the challenging tracks. Not only is this very brave, but it should also garner a lot of respect from listeners; here is a musician that is clearly comfortable with his style and knows what sort of messages he wants to communicate. That being said, the lead track, “All Hail The Has Beens” is quite good. Emerick has a unique and tactful approach to melody when it comes to guitar work, his material always has a sense of movement, nothing is ever static and just bumping along to vocals. Throughout songs like “All Hail The Has Beens”, “X Marks The Citizen”, and “The Gospel of Dystopia” listeners will get flashing guitar lines and sprawling melodies that sometimes dare to delve into artistic dissonance. The end result is a very creative and signature play style that puts this album miles above aspiring teenage indie bands that play out of their parent’s garage. Tracks one, two, and five will give listeners a good idea of Emerick’s more experimental side, but the uniqueness of his instrumentation can even be demonstrated in more straight ahead tracks like “Evaporate”, which has a very fresh and contemplative modal guitar solo. David Emerick as a singer (from a vocal standpoint) and guitarist seems to be a cross between Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins and Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth.

The music from Champ de Mars really isn’t for everybody. Generalizations are never good things to claim, but it may be beneficial to point out that the average person isn’t a fan of dissonance in music, which Emerick seems to play with relatively frequently in his melodies. Like most “classic” fringe alternative rock (Sonic Youth), Champ de Mars represents a sound that is pretty much an acquired taste. The semi-whiny vocals, “broken” sounding guitars, strange interludes, and non-linear song structures will probably wear on the average joe somewhat quickly.

“Back From The West” is a collection of five good tunes, provided that listeners are into alternative rock and understand what music like this does. However, even if parts of this album aren’t be for everyone, the third and fourth tracks probably have the most universal appeal. It is very likely this material could do well on a college radio station. “Back From The West” is a solid alternative album that will do well provided it gets the right audience. 

Artist: Champ de Mars

http://boomboomchik.com/2016/01/ep-champ-de-mars.html

Album: Back From The West

Label: Fathom One Records

Website: www.champdemars.net

Genre: Alternative Rock

Sounds Like: Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth

Technical Grade: 7/10

Production/Musicianship Grade: 7/10

Commercial Value: 7/10

Overall Talent Level: 7/10

Songwriting Skills: 7/10

Performance Skills: 7/10

Best Songs: Evaporate, American Static

Strengths: Interesting and fresh instrumentation

Weaknesses: Songs may be too dissonant and niche for general audience

7/10 Stars

~Owen Matheson