Slow Gun Shogun, Slow Gun Shogun

Slow Gun Shogun is a one-man band whose first offering, a self-titled album recorded in Chicago, explores the simplicity of early country, folk, blues, and rock’n’roll. Comprised of five original songs and one cover (“Lonesome On’ry & Mean,” by Waylon Jennings), the album is a fairly standard interpretation and amalgamation of the genres mentioned above.

The first track, “Spinning Wheels,” is a song meant to drive to. The guitar riff is fuzzy, groovy, and catchy, with some grunge-tinged tips of the hat to Mudhoney (which the artist mentions as a heavy influence in his PR material). The second track, “Ace Rudy Haightley,” is a jangly, almost form-fitting sample of John Prine’s “Paradise” that rides along in a happy-folky way. The vocals sound more nasal, as well, the accent of a deeper-voiced fledgling Dylanesque cousin.

A mellower rise-and-fall pattern in chords and vocals is heard in the third song, alongside a barely audible percussive pattern and low-volume shoegazey walls of sound and guitar flutters. The overall sound has kind of a ragtag Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 vibe to it. Up next is a chug-a-lug blues song thirsty for a genre switch, the fuzziness of the first track, and some fairly priced do-the-trick Evan Williams whisky twang. The fifth track sounds a lot like all of the songs on the album so far, which all individually sound similar and different at the same time.

Lastly, the artist gives us his cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Lonesome On’ry & Mean” and confirms that his one-man sounds are aptly titled. He just takes a while to warm up and cock his “Shogun.” This is definitely the strongest track on the album, interlacing many important elements of a more noticeable song. Beginning with an AC/DC-like slow guitar buildup, the tune segues into a driving and light-blues rock tune reminiscent of a filler song on a CCR album and ends with the lone guitar solo on the album, albeit a short and fairly quiet one.

All of the songs on this self-titled debut by Slow Gun Shogun are consistently cohesive, easy to listen to, and very accessible. While catchy, they can sound repetitive and simplistic, and it’s safe to say that the album just doesn’t take many risks. That’s not necessarily a downfall, though. On his first solo go-around, the artist does a good job playing the music he loves. I’m interested to see his growth and maturation as he continues to explore these genres and learns how to mix and master his albums better.

I sense the need for more band members, most importantly a drummer/percussionist. Some intense drums would add a lot to these guitar-heavy tunes. In the future, I can see him coming into his own. His cover, the final and most successful track, suggests this: he hasn’t escaped simply re-creating what he loves yet. But this album gives us evidence that in time, he possibly can.