By Ben Palmer
Future Lane principal Dr. Christopher Dignam has captured the heart and sound of a classic pre-CD era with his new album Pure Virgin Vinyl, which will be available on iTunes and Amazon this summer.
Dignam’s third album presents an even deeper breadth of sounds, ranging from country to pop to classic rock. While the album is unfinished, the completed tracks sound impressive already.
It should be noted that Dignam performs every instrument that appears every song — in his free time. He masters the tracks between organizing AP tests and managing Lane’s Alpha program, producing songs that even the least busy artists would struggle to make.
XXX3 is an incredible instrumental track on the album, and the first I was lucky enough to hear before its official release. The track clearly draws from Dignam’s previous albums and their hard rock rhythms. Interweaved between the guitars is a mysterious eastern-sounding motif that adds a dynamic touch to what would otherwise be a typical rock song. The entire song is like a five minute hard core guitar solo, and is complete with Dignam’s signature riffs and runs. The skills of this man are frightening considering his day job.
The next track on the album, Flipside, is more rhythm based than the other instrumental. That being said, it still brings me back to listening to my dad’s classic rock CDs on a road trip. This song would have fit in perfectly in that scenario, speaking to Dignam’s uncanny ability to compose music fitting any era. Even more, Flipside and its semi-psycadellic tones could fit in just as easily on an alternative rock station as it could on an oldies station.
Complete with fantastic vocals by the returning Erik Martinez, I Cry 4 U was the first track to diverge from Dignam’s usual rock themes. The song started off one part country, one part pop, and two parts awesome. What’s incredible about I Cry 4 U is the fact that it doesn’t sound strained at all; it is clear that Dignam has no problem recording in any genre. In the middle of the country pop explodes a very rockish guitar solo, which is a beacon of classic rock in the otherwise modern song. The track honestly was stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and may be my favorite of the few I heard.
The final track I heard was Feel the Pain, a return to the hard rock sound which Dignam seems accustomed to. The second of the two vocal tracks, Feel the Pain made use of an under-appreciated instrument, the triangle. It dinged in just before the chorus, which contained more vocals than guitar. The absence of a guitar solo was made up for by the song’s building rhythm, which culminated in an exotically climactic ending. While listening to the song, images of a thousand bizarre performers popped into my head before I remembered I was listening to a high school administrator.
Adding to the old feel of the album, Dignam mixed in old sound bites from instructional videos and children’s records. The sounds and the beginning of each song teleported me back to the days of listening to my dad’s old 45rpm records and I became instantly nostalgic.
As if Dignam weren’t cool enough already, he set a bottle of OJ on the table where I sat listening when he heard me sniffling due to a cold. Not only is he a hardcore rocker, he is also a provider of juice. So he’s even more awesome.
Visit www.chrisdignam.com for more information on Chris Dignam’s music.
