Ramon

Album review

Only technically a debut album, Ramon is the first full-length release by Caleb Nichols under their own name following nearly two decades as a member of bands like Port O'Brien, Release the Sunbird, and Soft People and solo projects including Grand Lake and Churches. Nichols made their Kill Rock Stars debut with the acoustic, singer/songwriter-styled Clarion EP in 2021 before taking an entirely different approach with Ramon. A whimsical, lavishly designed concept album inspired by Abbey Road-era Beatles, it tells the story of Mean Mr. Mustard, who is re-imagined as a queer icon. Sometimes chaotic, sometimes poignant, and swarming with musical references, Ramon welcomes audiences with the tender "Listen to the Beatles," which sounds something like a warped merger of John Lennon and another major influence of Nichols', Elliott Smith. Lyrics like "Where the sidewalk ends/And the gloom descends" and the "Jabberwocky"-sourced "callooh callay" appear alongside nostalgic recollections of listening to the Fab Four, opening the door for tracks with titles like "Mustard's Blues," "Captain Custard," and "From a Hole in the Road" (a reference to the original "Mean Mr. Mustard"). Stylistically, the mercurial track list touches on driving, horn-injected rock ("Dog Days," which also incorporates muddled voice recordings), glam-ier hard rock ("She's the Beard"), more spacious sing-along rock (the Mott the Hoople-evoking "Run Rabbit Run"), ultra-trippy, freewheeling experimentalism ("Mustard Blues"), and gentler balladry ("I Can't Tell You" and the Smith-like title track), with all of the above drawing on distinctively Beatlesque harmonic progressions, guitar tones, and chord voicings. Another guitar ballad, the personal, Clarion-appropriate "I Fell in Love on Christmas Day," closes the album on a poignant note and an iconic chord.

© Marcy Donelson /TiVo