Isaac Diskin is an 18 year old multi-instrumentalist from Cincinnati Ohio who writes and producers all his own music. Each selection on Diskin’s self-titled debut album is steeped in a kind of 1970s mystique – this atmosphere is all encompassing from start to finish. The record does the time warp and brushes against your ear with a nostalgic bliss. Some songs are downright raw and lazy and won’t be pushed or forced to a faster pace or conclusion, which is absolutely brilliant, considering the modern day muck, racing to climb up the music charts.
Isaac Diskin is entirely comfortable in this effort which was entirely done in his bedroom. Confidence reigns supreme in his vocals and the instrumentation, and you can tell Diskin’s creatively in control. It’s a worthy effort, it’s groovy, but one which which you may not love to death on the first listen. However it will eventually, and almost certainly, set your heart on fire after multiple listens.
The album grew on me slowly because there is no sense of urgency in any of these selections. Each musical moment pauses, examines itself and reflects. Even in its most energetic or intense moments, there is a sense of ‘cool’ pervading the pieces. It’s the kind of soundtrack you play when you want to get lost in your own mind…and that of the narrator. Much like the legendary seventies albums did.
Right from the start, this album will slowly grab the listener and suck him or her into each of its musical stories. The production and recording quality courtesy of Isaac Diskin is robust and hits to the core with plenty of organic sounds like jangling acoustic guitars, and real drums, played on several tracks by Owen Berg.
Sometimes these instruments, along with the keyboards, are in your face, but incredibly warm and rich, reminding me of the well recorded classic rock records, from the 60’s & 70’s, all the while capturing a totally modern American Rock singer/songwriter.
I love the keyboards tastefully flowing through so many tracks, especially on “Nothing Seems The Same” and “Interlude Pt.1”, as well as Diskins’ guitar playing rips on “Number Four” and “Interlude Pt.2”, or both on “Silent Room”. There is an incredible depth to the songs here, with so many of Isaac Diskin influences coming to the fore.
This is really good stuff and although I can’t quite put my finger on one single thing that more than anything else attracts me to it – I liked the guitar playing, the keyboards, and the percussion, just as much as I enjoyed the melodies and the vocals. One thing is certain, Diskin certainly has a unique way of creating his own musical pallet.
His multifaceted musical style really shines in this album and doesn’t seem to range too far out in any one direction. To sum it up in 5 words: “A great way to start!” To stretch it out a bit, I’d just say that it’s really refreshing to find a young artist who thinks about conveying something real through his lyrics and music, rather than just finding neat, rhyming hooks that can be Auto-tuned to make the playlist. I had never even heard of this guy until three days ago, so I’ve probably said too much already!
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