As unfair is it is, the
fastest way to loose your so-called “indie-cred” is to
pledge allegiance to Kevin Max. Well, I have pledged
allegiance since day one. I boldly call his solo debut,
Stereotype Be, one of the greatest pop records to
ever emerge from CCM. But unfortunately for Max, the hate
isn’t as much about music as it is about stereotypes
themselves. Fact: Max was in CCM supergroup dcTalk.
Forgive him and get over it. Stereotype Be was,
indeed, too great for CCM. The industry was alienated by
the release, and subsequently, K-Max was eventually
dropped or released (I’m not clear on which) from his
Forefront home. So what’s Mr. Max to do? Move to L.A. and
submerse himself in the indie-rock scene. He found
friends in the likes of Richard Swift, Andy Prickett,
Frank Lenz, Jason Martin, etc.
Before finally landing a
recording contract with California indie label Northern
Records, K-Max self released a demo EP to hold impatient
fans over until the next proper full-length. Between
the Fence & the Universe is a 6-song project that
mixes a large amount of status quo with a safe dose of
experimentalism. The inspirational and made-for-radio
“Seek” and “Irish Hymn” boast arena-rock, anthemic
qualities, yet load ammo for those who discount Kevin’s
true rocknroll marketability. If Max wanted to streamline
his fan-base and move a major amount of units, these
songs probably contain the right ingredience. But he’s
marketing himself in a very dog-eat-dog scene where
reputability is easily scarred.
Fortunately, there are 4
very innovative tracks on this demo. Max is unafraid to
wear Queen and U2 influences on his artistic sleeve, and
to great results on tracks like “21st Century
Darlings” and “Stranded 72.5”. The direction of this EP
isn’t as concise as his debut, but the raw grit is
appealing and vulnerable. Max wisely chooses abstract
arrangements to offset his greatest strength – his voice.
Is it over the top? Yes, but isn’t that what rocknroll is
suppose to be? The pair of songs that close the EP are by
far the strongest. “Golden” and “To The Dearly Departed”
are innovative, loop driven tracks that have much more in
common with Astral Werks that anything from the Forefront
community.
In short, Between the
Fence & the Universe is a great transition piece for
an artist embarking upon a new independent direction.
Have fun with this EP.
~
Garrett Johnson
Kevin Max's first solo
record, Stereotype Be, was quite a surprise the year it
was released. Most well known as 1/3 of the ultra popular
CCM love-bunny dc Talk, Kevin Max and his band mates were
either revered by fans and critics for defining and
popularizing Christian radio pop music as we know it, or
despised by others for the very same reasons. But then
the band decided to take a break, and all three members
went off to release their own solo record. As expected,
two of the first round of solo records from the trio
stuck close to the regular, accepted formulas of
Christian musicdom. But one of them didn't. Kevin's first
solo disc was an unexpectedly interesting release full of
strange song writing, poetic and personal lyrics, and
strong world music influences.
Now it's round two of the dc Talk solo releases, and as
they say, history repeats itself.
