Andrew Chae’s debut album “Layers†is a collection of 13 striking guitar instrumentals. The title of the album is indicative of the overall nature of the album; a majority of the songs were done with guitar parts layered over each other. Throughout the album, Chae draws from a myriad of influences, including Phil Keaggy, Laurence Juber, Kenny Burrell, and Victor Wooten. From the Keaggyesque “Night Sky†to the funky “Chimpanzee Parts 1 & 2â€, Chae draws in the listener with guitar parts that are sometimes complex, but never to the point of sacrificing musicality in favor of displaying technical prowess.
It is likely that the two songs on the album most people will take notice of are Chae’s renditions of “Super Mario Bros.†and “Stand By Me.†While the majority of the album was done with multiple layers of guitars, these are two of the four songs in which there was no overdubbing at all. Chae’s take on Mario, which goes through various levels of the game, will cause listeners to fondly remember their childhood days when they played the video game for hours on end. His version of the pop classic “Stand By Me†was arranged in such a way that it sounds as though there are three guitars being played at once, with the bass line, melody, and fills all being played in real time.
Chae is a young guitarist (he just graduated from college) with plenty of years ahead of him to record more albums, and “Layers†will surely be the standard by which his future albums are going to be judged.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.andrewchae.comTrack List:
1. Night Sky
2. Layers
3. Chimpanzee Part 1
4. Chimpanzee Part 2
5. Sunny Day
6. Nomad
7. Rain
8. Super Mario Bros.
9. Portrait
10. Quiet
11. Toys
12. Playground Years
13. Stand By Me
Other Genres:
