Jason
Holstrom
The
Thieves of Kailua (Mill Pond Records)
Thirty Seconds into Jason Holstrom’s
new island-pop-masterpiece, The Thieves Of Kailua
and you’re on vacation. Much like the Hawaiian-portal
that must have opened up in his bedroom studio in Seattle,
The Thieves Of Kailua channels a colorful tropical
paradise of the past. In the album’s opener, “Crystal
Green,” sunny, melodic surf-guitar and whip-cracks punctuate
a tribal beat under a bouncing bed of ukuleles and angelic
vocal harmonies. The stage is set for a half hour island-adventure
journey that is completely different than anything else you’ll
find in music today.
Jason is better known as a founding member of Seattle stand-outs
U.S.E and Wonderful. He is also active recording other artists;
recent credits include the new Aqueduct and Dolour albums.
In the midst of two years of U.S.E tours and other recording
sessions, Jason set out to capture an older sound of Hawaii,
referencing traditional as well as modern production techniques
and diving into the catalogs of 60’s pop and old Hawaiian
and Calypso stars. He then single-handedly created a richly
textured, pop-concept record with massive layering of sound
and spirit. Unlike his previous productions, Thieves
is an entirely organic construction, completely devoid of
synthesizers or drum machines. The sound palette of the record
is rich and bright, combining layer upon layer of vocal harmonies,
ukuleles, percussion, slide-guitars, horn sections, field
recordings and more to complete each colorful song. The music
is pop by nature and remains in the listener’s head.
Whether whistling along to “Purist Tourist,” chanting
to the refrain of “Thieves of Kailua” or joining
in the hymn-like a-cappella of the album closer, “Hula-Bye,”
the music is created to be loved and enjoyed by all.
It took Jason three years of writing, recording and mixing
in his bedroom studio, affectionately entitled “The
Cabana,” to complete The Thieves of Kailua,
and although the only hand in the record is Jason’s,
the record feels larger than life.
The Thieves of Kailua’s place in modern independent
pop music is much bigger as well. Set apart from anything
else out right now, the record is as much a ukulele-powered,
Hawaiian island action adventure story as it is a love story
to life and love itself. The record was born from a trip with
Jason’s future-wife to Hawaii a few years back and draws
much of its story from those actual events. Stylistically
inspired by the myths of old Hawaii, and informed by its modern
reality, Thieves opens up a window to a fantastical
paradise. The song-to-song narrative takes the listener across
the great Pacific to a welcoming ancient land of beauty, spirit
and love. Clouds roll in and the tourists get robbed, good
prevails and they fall in love underneath a palm tree.
The Thieves of Kailua is one of the most unique musical
experiences you can find in pop music today. It is as beautiful
and catching as the islands themselves and you’ll find
yourself exploring it again and again.
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