Capistrano, California-based singer/songwriter Wes Chiller has succeeded in carving out a loyal and growing local following bubbling with promise of much more. His music isn’t experimental in any way, Chiller and his cohorts aren’t pushing the instrumental envelope, but his new single “Found at Sea” has the cool and confident stride of high-end surf rock.
There are listeners who may be a little leery of labeling Chiller’s song as such. It doesn’t embrace any of the stereotypical affectations of the genre, but a consensus will agree that Chiller’s sure sense of style riffs on surf music’s tropes in convincing and even imaginative fashion. Make no mistake on that final point – Wes Chiller’s already a master stylist and songs such as “Found at Sea” are coming to life as the bedrock of a long recording career to come.
The swirls of various emotions spinning throughout the song never boil over. “Found at Sea” generates its spark from a simmering uncurrent that Chiller stares down in the song’s every line. It’s an almost Dylan-esque performance circa 196-. He threads a loose swagger through each line that locks onto the song’s heartbeat early and counterpoints it with attentive phrasing. Not everyone may hear that comparison and that’s okay, but the intent is clear.
Chiller’s aiming high. There is an off-handed sort of self-assurance emanating from the performance. It isn’t cocksure, however. Instead, listeners hear the sound of a singer/songwriter with a clear vision of the composition at hand and follow the sound they hear wherever it leads. It’s one of the indefinable qualities of “Found at Sea” that scores of listeners will notice from the first listen.
It doesn’t lose its allure with repeated plays. Chiller’s new single is a physical listening experience long after the first pass. It has such an idiosyncratic slant that it’s fresher long after more traditional modern slabs of guitar rock bore you senseless. It isn’t hard hearing this track go over like a storm for live audiences, as well, with few if any alternations in the arrangement.
It’s a song that will definitely give him a guitar showcase. He doesn’t overdo it, but “Found at Sea” ends with a raw, even livid lead guitar break that helps punctuate the song. There’s an obvious opportunity for stretching that out in a concert setting as the single’s lead guitar playing never overstates its case, to begin with. Chiller’s playing further sharpens the song’s edge for a final cut.
It does connect as a legitimate rock song. Chiller avoids the handful of plodding riff de jour staples of the style in favor of a stripped-down but potent approach, The deceptive simplicity of “Found at Sea” will make longtime music devotees smile because you’re hearing a songwriter who’s refined a style that you’ll never fail to recognize moving forward from here. A song such as this harbingers a songwriter near or at their peak.
There’s no sign he can’t continue clearing that high standard for many years to come. “Found at Sea” radiates energy from the beginning to the end.
Garth Thomas