Due North

Due North is the solo debut of musician Liam Kazar, though hes far from a novice in the industry, a fact evident in its list of contributors. A onetime member of hip-hop collective Kids These Days and indie rock spinoff Marrow, his one full-length release with the former group (2012s Traphouse Rock) was produced by Wilcos Jeff Tweedy. Kazar -- aka Liam Cunningham -- went on to join the touring band for Tweedy, Jeffs duo with his son Spencer. Spencer plays drums here alongside bassist Lane Beckstrom (Kids These Days), famed pedal steel guitarist James Elkington, and backing vocalists Ohmme, among other guests. (Elkington also co-produced the album, and Ohmmes Sima Cunningham is Kazars sister.) The record was mixed and sequenced by like-minded singer/songwriter/stylist Sam Evian. With its pedigree in mind, Due North has the demeanor of a playful album rock-pop crossover act with a career well underway in the late 1970s a la artists like Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, and Robert Palmer, though Al Greens The Belle Album was cited as a spiritual influence. Kazars lyrics are anxious and insecure, even on whimsical tracks like the ultra-funky, highly processed Old Enough for You. Its sci-fi laser-like effects, filtered lead and soulful backing vocals, and closing sax solo (by Evian) may be cerebrally tempered by lyrics like Dont pass me by/I couldnt stand to cry/Anymore/Every time youre out the door, but they cant mitigate the groove. Standout track Shoes Too Tight also stars a hapless lead but nonetheless evokes earbud-clad sidewalk strutters. Melancholier songs, such as the spacy Give My World and On a Spanish Dune -- both of which weave echoing vintage keys, synths, guitar, and pedal steel to varying degrees -- better reflect Kazars sentiments, but theres an irrepressible energy and idealism in play that serves as the albums inviting through line. ~ Marcy Donelson