Review: Johnston album is personal experience

How to download “Source Materials and Sorcerer Materials” for free Chad Thomas Johnston has put his album “Source Materials and Sorcerer Materials” online for anyone to download for free. Anyone interested in downloading the album can visit the direct download link at noisetrade.com/chadthomasjohnston. Johnston also has details about each of the songs of the album available on his website at chadthomasjohnston.com and can also download the album directly from this site. Although Johnston accepts donations, the album is free for anyone to download on either of the two websites.

By Rachel Ambelang
Staff Writer

Technology has generated a new era in the music industry. Today anyone with a computer can become a musician by using their computer as an instrument or simply as their recording studio. Chad Thomas Johnston is using the Internet and his personal website to spread the music he has created in his melodic journey thus far.

Johnston is a singer/songwriter who recently put together a free 35-song anthology called “Source Materials and Sorcerer Materials.” The anthology consists of some of his best self-produced music. Johnston has created as many as a hundred of his own songs throughout his many years of prolific writing and decided that at least some of his creations are worth sharing.

Eclectic is the best word to describe Johnston’s ensemble of songs. The first section is composed of his more recent works, ranging from 2000 to 2011. Songs such as “Like Friends Become Lovers” and “All Her Colors” have a Simon & Garfunkel vibe, which is probably due to the sound of Johnston’s voice mixed with the kind acoustic rhythms he chose for the songs.

Interspersed throughout these acoustic songs are “You Destroy Me (Drill ’n’ Bass ’n’ Ritalin Remix)” and “(So Primitive) I Hunt Heads,” which contain computer-generated drum beats along with other unrecognizable technologically produced sounds.

The second section of Johnston’s collection consists of his earlier music and is much easier to categorize. This assortment is mostly acoustic with a few soft rock songs thrown into the mix. While the rhythms seem relaxing and light-hearted enough, the lyrics that go along with it are often filled with laments of failed relationships and the woes of self-pity that often coincide with the heartbreaks of young adulthood.

Being that Johnston is now married and has a young daughter, he openly pokes fun at the honest, yet sometimes overly dramatic, lyrics of his younger years.

Johnston’s music is intriguing, particularly because it is so different and touches on so many genres. While it is clear that he likes to play with the techno sounds that are ingrained in music today, Johnston is also a musician and a vocalist that seems comfortable enough with his craft to venture into any category of music.

His lyrics have a depth to them that show his skill as a writer, and his ability to pull inspiration from anything, including the buzz of a cicada, is a clear sign of his artistic ingenuity.

The greatest thing about “Source Materials and Sorcerer Materials” is the window it gives into the development of a person. The listener gets to literally listen to Johnston grow up as both his lyrics and his musical taste evolve over the years of his recordings.

Reviews in the Lariat represent only the viewpoint of the reviewer and not necessarily those of the rest of the staff. Please send comments to lariat@baylor.edu.