By Keith Pro (Original URL)
There is something to be said for an artist that still drives forward after years in the trenches. Even when successes come and create high hopes only to come crashing down you must continue to hold onto your dream. A good example is our recent discovery Ender Bowen.
The songwriter and producer now based in Nashville, Tennessee has been through a long cycle of ups and downs but is now back up moving ahead with real motivation. The rock star bug bit him early when he first heard “Jump” by Van Halen in 1984 and knew that was for him. Ender had some experience with high school and early college bands as a drummer/guitarist but soon realized that his best chance for success was on his own. Over his last 2 years at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York Ender Bowen focused on getting it done and had an album that caught the attention of some radio stations and was a hit on MP3.com. It was 2001 and he was a little ahead of his time. The next step was a move to Nashville to be in the epicenter of new music. His Euro Pop sounds may have been different from the prevalent country sound but this could be used as a way to set himself apart in a crowded scene. Quickly an indie label came onboard to jump on the rising star but the results never panned out and Ender Bowen was back to square one. A break was needed and it seemed as if the dream may die. In 2014, his daughter was born inspiring him back on his path to prove that with passion and dedication anything is possible.
The current project by Ender Bowen was born back in 2005 but with a new spin and drive the album Lemonymous is back with a mission. The 12 track record blends soaring big sounds with experimental and somewhat electronic tones to create something very fresh for today’s music scene. The electro noise of the opener “Hide And Seek” show off some new wave influences as a piece of the Ender Bowen style. There is a dark vibe that creeps in on “March Of Thieves” with his brooding vocal presence dragging the listener along for a ride hanging on every word. The darkness continues with some more experimentation on “Not For Lack of Trying” which brings in an almost theatrical feel that would fit well in a large scale broadway show. The dance party come in on “Fate” with a strong beat grinding ahead forcing any listener’s head to bop along. It all comes together on “Reverse Psychology” with a large collection of noises coming together in one complete unit of music. This is thinking man’s music.
This is an album made for a complete listen from start to finish to truly take it all in.