With a highly anticipated batch of new songs slated for release, and more projects he’s produced hitting streaming platforms and record stores, Liam Bauman Is showing all the signs of a generational talent–
–And he’s just getting started.
If you are not one of the lucky people who have experienced the exhilaration of recognizing truly singular artistry–– in-person, within the range of unassisted sound––here is what you should do immediately: Stop reading this article, find out where Liam Bauman is performing next, get there early to make sure you get a seat, and see him while a small venue can still hold him.
Like the name of his debut EP, this is a phase of his career that he will be quickly “Passing Through.”
Fans in-the-know understand exactly what we’re talking about, because they have all experienced something like this:
An unassuming early-20-something year-old, with the look of a healthier Kurt Cobain, casually, if not reluctantly, makes his way on to the stage. He picks up a beautiful (looking and sounding) Harmony Acoustic guitar or relic’d cream colored Fender Telecaster (hypothetically, of course). You can’t identify what’s changed about him, but you realize you are witnessing a transformation from a seemingly reticent kid into an artist with poise, and something to say (sing, play, share). Suddenly, he’s effortlessly commanding the room with a responsiveness from his instrument that many aspire to achieve, but never do, and a voice that is both delicate and powerful. You realize that it isn’t just how he’s playing and singing, but what he’s playing and singing, that have kept you from taking your eyes or ears off of him for… You don’t even know how long it’s been. He’s hooked you, and you realize you have instantly become a fan of this up-and-comer. You realize you can’t wait to hear what he’s going to do next.
We have had that experience.
We saw Liam Bauman before we knew who he was. We were floored. Then, when we thought we had his number as a unique and special singer songwriter and acoustic player, we saw him sit in on lead guitar and melt-off an audience’s faces. Then we heard his album…
Like the scenario described above, we have found ourselves in a constant state of anticipation, waiting to hear what he is going to do next.
Photo Credit: Cat Groeber | Liam Bauman performing at The famed Hideaway Cafe.
Luckily for us, what he does next (December 2022) will be the release of a fantastic double-track EP that manages in two songs to showcase an incredibly broad spectrum of sounds, genres, and production that feel like the work of someone who has been studying songwriting and production for 30-years. He has not.
The record is not meant to be a showcase of everything Bauman is capable of, but, as both a listener and a critic of musicianship and song-craft, it is impossible not to appreciate what he’s accomplished here. This record is meant to be a cohesive listening experience, however. Taking the listener seamlessly from A-side to B-side, which we are really enjoying.
The opening track, or A-side, titled “Anyways” is a melancholically upbeat, acoustic driven song, supported by the delayed arrival of a tastefully deconstructed drum kit sitting right in the pocket, and hugged by an almost synth sounding deep bass that feels unexpected but not at all out of place. All the qualities of an early Beatles tune are there (I think he actually played a Hofner bass on this album), but they are modernized by the bass treatment and production choices that make the whole track feel equal parts familiar and fresh.
The song opens with the lyrics “I’ve been trying to waste less time— And stay motivated. But every time I even try, I lose my momentum,” launching us into a creative and sincere take on the first person narrative of someone stuck in a rut and blaming everything in sight but themselves. The verses make familiar and relatable accusations of our environments, “If time would only lend a hand, I’d be good to my friends,” crescendoing into choruses that play like a conversation where our narrator is deflecting, almost sighing through the words, “Anyways…”
It’s a sentiment we all know, and one that has certainly been mined before, but Liam Bauman has fashioned a new lens through which he interprets the world for us in a way so singular to him, but so cathartic for us all. He is blending musical emotion and lyrical expression in ways that articulate the words we didn’t know we needed, to describe exactly how we feel.
The song isn’t showy, but it’s still a very rich arrangement that presents an immersive, grooving track that, like the lyrical subject matter, resolves into a dissonant, non-committal tension that lingers into a pleasant fever dream of a soundscape. It feels like a Pink Floyd interlude but more like you’re in a warm patch of forest rather than a tornado that just ripped through a bank (like the prelude into Pink Floyd’s “Money”).
We awake from the dream, deposited in an ambiguously warm acoustic guitar sound, kicking off the B-side. “I’ve Been Hiding” is deep and percussive, almost flamenco-like, with tactile sounds and movements that flit in and out of the track. We have transitioned effortlessly into a totally different song style, with the lyrical content flipping from deflective and feigned indifference into a hauntingly melodic introspection. Where “Anyways” is ostensibly a study on blaming all the reasons a person is stagnate in life, “I’ve Been Hiding” is a somber reckoning on the little reconciliations and changes we need to make to move forward, and stop “hiding”–– presumably from the forces in our life that lift us up and deserve our participation.
The song is an audible salve and no-less catchy than the double-track opener, despite being a much calmer arrangement. Liam’s Blake-Mills’ian producer-meets musician chops are especially vibrant here too. Listeners will appreciate the depth of the wood and strings but will likely find they aren’t sure what instruments are working in symphony here; Restringing a standard nylon six-string classical guitar as a baritone is a great idea in concept, but few players can make a guitar do their bidding like Bauman. Yes, he can “shred,” but he’s equally as impressive in the open space and subtle finger picking nuance he displays with the rich acoustic layers of this tune.
I’ve been in my head today.
The lyrics of the first verse, “I’ve been in my head today” confirm what the sonic pallet of this tune has already signaled: We’re invited to join our protagonist in punching at shadows of our own design on this musical journey of reflection in the second half of this EP.
And, as listeners, we’re happily buckled in for the ride.
”I’ve Been Hiding” builds into a Jose Gonzales style lushness that leaves you wondering how a musician can do so much with what seems to be such a small amount of instrumentation. The song then dissolves like the retreating tide, back into the happy fever dream from where it came.
While Bauman is a one-man army of musical might, he hasn’t created this work on his own. Long time friend and bandmate, singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Raynor, can be heard providing the tastefully woven-in violin parts on this record. Liam also enlisted the help of another close friend, engineer and producer, Andrew Boullianne, who continues to wow us with his evolving work as an engineer and co-producer. These guys have also been performing as Bauman’s live band, rounded out by Mercy McCoy front-man, Stefan Scheuermann, on drums.
A STANDALONE WORK OF ART.
Bauman and team worked with film maker Felipe Bergson on a really fun and quirky music video for “Anyways,” that is itself a standalone work of art. The video encapsulates the authentically counter-culture inclinations of this songwriter, with a take on the story that doesn’t let us get too lost in the melancholy of the lyrics, and captivates us with a beautifully shot and colored visual. The first video will follow the EP release in November (2022).
––
Listening back on Liam’s 2020 Song Divers interview, you hear an honest, sincere, self-aware, musician, without any indication of an ego and every symptom of someone bound for a lifetime dedicated to his craft. From the sounds of this latest release, he’s clearly on the right path, and we can’t wait to hear and see where he will take us next.
If it sounds like this is a love letter to a release by a musician toward which we are clearly bias, then you are welcome to your opinions. We to would be skeptical of something that sounds too good to be true, but the truth is these people inhabit the music and pop-culture around us everyday. The difference is you already know their names.
Lucky for you, now you know his. ///
Anyways + I’ve Been Hiding, 2022
Written by Liam Buaman
Produced by Liam Bauman | Engineered and Co-Produced by Andrew Boullianne
