Bloggerhythms

I wrote about Chris Pellnat's two previous solo albums - Rain (2020) and Go (2022) - because they deserved the accolades given to them, as does his latest collection, Cairn , a wonderfully unique ten-song set released earlier this Spring.    As I've written in the past, Pellnat's music is hard to categorize. He can be a straight up singer-songwriter with inciteful lyrics, or he can rock tastefully - and even quietly - without falling into the often derided soft-rock genre. Pellnat plays most of the album's instruments himself. “Ship on the Horizon,” uses dulcimer and accordion, and "Better" features some tasteful banjo. "Child's Play," "The World Won't Let Me Believe" and "Dragonflies" have rocking electric guitar solos. "The Final Wager" is pure acoustic folk music. Musical diversity is Pellnat's name of the game. "Forest Giants...

Bloggerhythms' readers were first exposed to the quirky but extremely talented Chris Pellnat two years ago when I reviewed his third solo album, Rain . Currently, the sometimes rocking singer-songwriter is back with Go , a similar sounding set that is another true artistic success. Pellnat is a busy man. He's a musician from Hudson, NY who plays electric guitar in a loud band named The Warp/The Weft and he is also one half of Teeniest, a folk influenced duo. Pellnat advertises his solo work as a bit "off-kilter" which is one of the reasons it's so enjoyable. His melodic arrangements are often paired with idiosyncratic  lyrics that deal with many serious and introspective topics, yet his work is never depressing. If you're attracted to unconventional music  Go is an album you must listen to. On his latest ten ...

I know I've said it before but it never ceases to amaze me how many talented musicians there are in the world that few people will ever hear. If you're willing to dig deep into the trenches of the Internet you'll be amazed at the number of worthy artists you'll find. One of these is Chris Pellnat from Hudson, NY. The singer-songwriter's third album,  Rain , is soft rock with a twist. On his new, ten song set he is a one man band who plays every instrument well. At times Pellnat employs only bare bones arrangements. "It's a Cruel, Cruel World" is just his voice, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. Then, on the title track, he kicks it up a notch by plugging in without raising the volume. In other words, he keeps things tasteful. Pellnat also tosses a little retro-synthesizer, dulcimer, and vibraphone into his songs proving that while he is not at an avant garde artist his quirkiness is what sets him apart from so many other people making music today. ...

Chris Pellnat has been blogged about here on several occasions in recent years so he's not a newcomer to the music world and hopefully not to Bloggerhythms' readers. In 2023 Pellnat released a single, "Bibles, Flags and Guns," a blatantly political song that makes it very obvious where the singer-songwriter stands regarding America's current political climate even though it was written while a very different chief executive occupied the White House. It captures the temper of the times perfectly. What makes the song more provocative is how well it evokes early 60s, pre-electric Bob Dylan. Pellnat's voice is unique on its own, but he conjures up that bygone era by saluting the hall-of-famer's vocal inflections, guitar work and especially his harmonica playing.  Pellnat opens the song with a very powerful, straightforward volley: " Oh, the fascists they are everywhere,  Yes, they are the ones, known to hide their hate behind Bibles, f...

I've written about singer-songwriter Chris Pellnat a few times before. He's released several folk-rock albums while playing a wide range of instruments, but his new single, "We Are Not Robots," is a bit different. It's a true rock record blending multiple influences. You'll hear grungy guitars and new wave keyboards along with the star's always pleasing, idiosyncratic singing and his inclination for writing pop hooks. Thematically, "Robots" is Pellnat's emotional reaction to unfortunate, major news stories of the past year. In the first verse, a female friend says to him, " please don't expect me to act my age"  a nd l ater she defends her actions by saying, "I'm trying to escape reality." Pellnat explains that he's "horrified" by our current state of affairs and how they've affected his "overall outlook and mental health"   forcing him to seriously cut back on his news cons...