Artist: The Almost
Album: Fear Caller
By: Rebekah Weaver
Multitalented, Aaron Gillespie, takes a step back from the Christian music label and goes into more of an outside the box direction with The Almost’s newest album, Fear Caller. Between being the drummer & clean-vocalist for the metal band, Underoath, filling in as a live drummer for Paramore, writing worship music, and working with many artists of all different musical genres, Gillespie shows us his raw talent in this twelve-piece record. In a world where music can be very over-produced & cookie-cutter, Fear Caller felt like a breath of fresh air.
Starting off with the first track, Chokehold, I was instantly captivated by his soulful voice over the mellow guitar track. This piece is the perfect introduction to the escape this album brought to me. I listened through it for the third time during an hour & a half car ride, and even though it was pouring rain and the streets were foggy, this album managed to get me lost in somewhere completely different. From beginning to end, I felt like I was moving through a desert, which was a huge inspiration for Gillespie while writing this record. In a recent interview with Forbes, Gillespie talks about the inspiration behind deserts for this record.
“To me, I think the inspiration and the reason why I love it so much is because I feel like there are certain things that are not our business as humans, like the gestation of a child if you will. My son had all these issues in utero and he’s fine now, hes’ seven and he’s great, but I remember the doctor saying to me ‘life is god’s business,’ and whether or not you believe in god or a deity, or no deity, there are things that aren’t anyone’s business, and I feel like the desert is one of those things. You go out there and there’s stuff happening like if you go to Joshua Tree national park you can walk for miles or days and the landscape changes and you’ll see different things on the ground. Something is alive, breathing, and happening there but it’s no man’s business, it’s no human’s business. I think that’s the most inspiring thing for me about it, and I’m also kind of scared of it. It’s that holy fear thing, where you’re like there’s something happening here, there’s something moving and changing and I have no idea what it is.”
Forbes interview: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2019/10/17/the-almosts-aaron-gillespie-weighs-in-on-the-christian-music-industry-and-debuts-new-song-in-gods-country/
The title track, Fear Caller, was by far the most captivating piece to me. This haunting track embodies everything this album is about, and gives you an almost out-of-body type of experience. The way it fades into the next track, Why Do You Bother Me, was one of the best transitions I’ve heard on a record yet, and is the perfect come down to bring you right back into the groove that carries throughout this album. If you’re looking for raw talent with no over-production, an escape, or something as simple as a fun tune to have stuck in your head, check out The Almost’s new record, Fear Caller.
