Coming four years after ‘No Justice’, the world was overdue a new Federale album at the time of this release, but ‘Reverb & Seduction’ isn’t “just another Federale disc”. In the words of main man Collin Hegna, the album is “the culmination of 20 years of sonic exploration” and an attempt to bring all of Federale’s eclectic moods and influences together in one package. The result is an eclectic treat, with elements of Spaghetti Western soundtracks, indie, rock, cosmic country and dark singer songwriter moods all jostling for the listener’s attention, and without any one of those styles becoming a particular, dominant force.
The brilliant ‘Advice From A Stranger’ begins with a burst of feedback, and from within the droning sound, a steady rhythm takes a hold. Against a hefty drum beat, a loud guitar throws out occasional chords drenched in effects, giving the feeling of a Western soundtrack crossed with Chris Isaak in a bad mood, before a warm bass brings everything together. Loaded with effects, Hegna’s voice sounds hugely unnatural; his deep, echoing tones almost sound like extra instrumentation, but the reverb drenched approach is the perfect fit with the twangy guitar. “I’ve got nasty habits”, he warns, against the stark revelation that “these are days of anger”, dropping the listener into an imagined world where the bleak narratives of ‘Henry’s Dream’ era Bad Seeds meet with the unflinching tones of Amigo The Devil. Despite being an amalgam of several influences, fans will recognise this as being Federale, first and foremost, as Hegna steers everyone into a desert of noise that still has an accessible edge, despite everything being cloaked in darkness. This track gives the album a near-perfect opening statement – giving the listener a good idea of what lies ahead – but it’s fair to say that this album actually offers a couple of even stronger tunes.
One of those, ‘Dark Waters’ fuses retro rock and gothy overtones, hitting the listener with something that sounds like an overspill from The Cult’s ‘Love’ sessions. It’s great to hear Federale attacking such a simple riff, and in many ways, that becomes this rocker’s strongest hook. There are a few points of interest beyond the huge jangle, however: firstly, there’s Collin’s big voice, which although presented in a much cleaner way, still sounds as if he’s bleeding in from a different room, and there’s also a very impressive instrumental break where pointed bass notes pierce through the melody and strange whirring effects take the place of the expected – and far more traditional – guitar solo. There’s a huge wave of nostalgia attached to this melodic workout; despite being borne from the first part of 2024, it could easily have been written and recorded at any point over the previous forty years, showing how, for all of the experimental moments ‘Reverb & Seduction’ has to offer, Hegna is clearly very interested in strong melodies.
One of the record’s stand out numbers, ‘No Strangers’comes with a 90s indie jangle, but beneath the surface, it’s a track with a much older heart. Its semi-crooned vocal is a tribute to the legendary Lee Hazlewood – something that will be a recurring theme on this LP – but the retro qualities run much more deeply. The main melody is joined by a grand orchestral flourish which pays homage to a wide range of 60s chamber pop; ghostly guitar work adds an Americana flavour that’s provides a perfect counterpoint to the voice, and the well-produced, layered sound offers something different of interest on each successive play. Overall, this is a number that fits within a singer songwriter sphere, but beyond that, Federale clearly aren’t keen to be pigeonholed. As ‘Dark Water’ has already proved, there’s a strong understanding of a need to keep things accessible.
Adding more of a 60s twang to the musical canvas, ‘Gallows Gate’ sounds like an overspill from an old country rock tune reworked by Tindersticks. As you might expect, the loud, mid tempo strums and mariachi horn sounds are the perfect foil for Collin as he retells a tale of a doomed man who is “here to confess to the whole bloody mess”, before telling everyone “we don’t know the extent of [his] crimes”. For lovers of late 60s singer songwriter fare from Johnny Cash and Lee Hazlewood, this will certainly play with a very familiar tone, but that merely reinforces the feeling of Federale’s strongest work having an old heart. Familiar or not, there’s a real spirit to this performance, and the multi-layered arrangement is one of the album’s best, with the strident guitar work and soundtrack-worthy tones lending a lot of musical muscle. Presenting the flip side of that track, the more commercial ‘Heaven Forgive Me’ changes the mood for some brilliant goth-pop, augmented by Hegna’s trademark guitar twang. On first listen, it mightn’t feel as deep as a few of the other numbers, but between a hugely strong melody, a more simple hook and a great musical flow, it more than holds its own. Much like ‘Dark Waters’, it comes with an 80s feel, but that isn’t a bad thing; the vocal here is particularly strong when latching onto a light gothy flow, and its instrumental break fuses a simple melody to a strident beat, creating the kind of track that – unusually for this particular disc – can be enjoyed from the very first listen.
Another unmissable track on an already strong album, a cosmic country arrangement dominates the brilliant ‘The Worst Thing I Ever Did Was Loving You’. The track’s 60s inspired tones are augmented by a 90s style drum pattern, instantly setting up a pleasing contrast, but the track takes its sense of adventure a little further by juxtaposing a deep, reverb laden vocal with a very clean production style, and by layering a world of retro pop with some shamelessly country steel guitar sounds. All of those factors would make this a great listen, but the absolute clincher here is a second vocal supplied by Jenny Don’t. Moonlighting from her own band The Spurs, Jen sounds like a natural counterpart to Collin’s smoother style, and this creates something that sounds like a near perfect four minute update on the Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood sound for the twenty first century. The old fashioned Hazlewood-esque qualities carry the brilliant ‘Home’ too, a tune where strummed acoustic guitars bring a country-folk aspect to the table, whilst lavish strings and more horns add a greater flourish to Federale’s sophisticated sound. In many ways, the melodic hook from the brass and orchestration is just as big as the vocal; that musical element certainly provides the number’s most distinctive feature, despite Collin offering one of his stronger vocals. In a complete contrast to ‘Advice’ at the other end of the disc, this shows how clean and user friendly Federale can sound whenever Hagna allows, but by keeping a moody feel throughout, even the lighter sounds are swathed with a cool darkness that paints the musician as a true outsider.
You might think that bringing together so many influences within a forty minute package would result in something a little directionless, but Hegna’s distinctive voice and overall confidence in his material ensures that ‘Reverb & Seduction’ is a captivating listen. Unafraid to be pigeonholed but always interesting, this takes Federale’s vision of a moody singer songwriter landscape into some brilliant places. Without the desire to deliver a quick musical fix in a world of disposable sounds, this album’s slow-burning nature will certainly connect with a more mature audience – especially those who recall thumbing through racks of vinyl in the 70s and 80s. Given time, it could become a cult favourite. It’s definitely a recommended listen.
September 2024