Earlier this month, I wrote about Palo Duro, the solo recording project of Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael J. Winningham, who may be best known for a his time as the frontman of indie rock act Gold Beach; however, from the hook-laden, synth-based single “Darken the Glow,” off the project’s forthcoming album Ryou Cannon, Winningham’s latest project is a decided change in sonic direction, as the track managed to be reminiscent of Big Data and others — while possessing a careful attention to craft. Interestingly, Ryou Cannon’s latest single “True Fade” reveals Winningham to be a musical chameleon, who can adapt to any particular style or genre at will as the track features a looping guitar line, propulsive percussion, an angular yet motorik-like groove, shimmering electronics and dreamy yet off-kilter vocal accents — and while possessing an art school experimentalist sheen, the song also has an infectious, soaring hook.
Tag: Palo Duro
New Video: Introducing the Breezy and Funky, Synth Pop of Austin’s Palo Duro
Michael J. Winningham is an Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who may be best known for a stint fronting indie rock act Gold Beach; however, his solo recording project Palo Duro is a radical sonic departure from his previous work with Winningham specializing in breezy, propulsive, funky, hook-laden synth pop reminiscent of Big Data and others, as you’ll hear on “Darken the Glow,” the latest single off his forthcoming album Ryou Cannon. But what sets Winningham apart from a crowded field of competitors is an deliberate and careful attention to craft paired with the swaggering self-assuredness of an old pro, who can make it look way too easy.
Edited by Cameron J. Smith, the recently released video for “Darken the Glow,” is a wild melange of Japanese television ads in which the album cover is quickly superimposed, and the result is an aesthetic that possesses the surreal logic of a fever dream while being a wildly mischievous take on commercialism and music as a prepackaged product to be marketed, bought and sold.