Seth Adam's 2022 release of Fits and Starts and Stops is an easy album to get along with, and anyone who loves rock- especially alternative or indie, is in for a real treat with Seth's latest offering. Right away, it feels like a suddenly popped bubble, finally coming up for air. It is larger than the sum of it's parts, thanks to Seth's carefully crafted songs, meticulous capture and mix, and expert mastering by Greg Georgio. With a catalog of songs ready to record, Seth refined his creative space during the isolation of the pandemic, and painstakingly performed each track. Playing and recording the tracks himself, (including the drums and bass parts) he honed the album as he waited for the world to reopen. The journey of Fits and Starts and Stops is a compelling, deep and validating trip. In a conversation with Seth about the flow of this latest collection, he says, "there's a balance of the narratives, the stories in the actual songs... I like to take people on a sonic ride."
The album opens with "Fraud", a gritty alternative anthem. Emotionally and politically charged, it captures the agitation and frustration of the time it was written. The second track is "Where is your Heart", a catchy indie-alt song that arrives with open hands and a broken spirit. It is impossible not to sing along to. This vein continues into "The Trouble I'm In", a wonderful earworm of relatable, solid rock n' roll.
"Out of Touch (Please Listen)" follows, embodying the plaintive despair of an artist at the razor's edge of hopeless, and the comparison to the similarly halted and dystopic life in the rust belt of the industrial Midwest and Great Lakes. Detailing a disconnected man railing against a closed world, it's a slow ride through a desolate place. We arrive at a tumbleweed rock journey, "The Blood, It Runs". With a jaunty train beat and a big middle finger, it waves out layers of frustration and pain with a saloon twang and crisp, haunting slide tone.
"Heavy Rain" breaks us out of the anguish with an infectious chorus and a driving rock beat, and spins the album's story back towards cautious hope. "Vermin" creeps up with a mellow, dreamy shoegaze sound before "You Ain't Gonna Drag Me Down" takes over, and the whole thing fits just like my favorite pair of JNCO's. "Pages", an urgent indie foot stomper comes behind, addressing what this editor understands to be faith and belief. The beautiful and introspective tune "Lennon's Song" closes us out with a warm hug, in a tribute to Seth's firstborn daughter and the changes that parenthood brings.
Chatting with Seth, we jump from one musical topic to another; the color of his socks (black - and from a company that donates a portion of proceeds to environmental preservation!) his synergy on stage with the full band during his exciting release party at Cafe Nine, his creamy, crunchy, peanut-buttery guitar tone. He rhapsodizes his love of P-90 pickups, and we go down a rabbit hole of classical influence informing arrangement and songwriting, being a busy parent, and the dynamics of Fits and Starts and Stops. A thoughtful, intelligent man, he is warm, fascinating and enjoyable to interview and hang out with. Seth performs regularly in and around Connecticut, and his website is https://www.sethadam.com/ .
