IndieShark Music News, Reviews & Interviews
The imaginative yet unusual aesthetic fueling Hecojeni’s musical art is born from influences as diverse as college rock, folk-rock, alternative, and indie. They are firing down a highly individual trail that erases the traditional distance between performer and audience and encourages an unlikely but stirring collaboration between the creators and their audience.
Jeff Niebuhr and Heath Cobb’s brainchild, Hecojeni, produced their new single release, “Christmas Lost Today”, according to the same discipline guiding other efforts from this project. It is collaborative, inviting outside input, yet says a great deal about Niebuhr and Cobb’s collective talents and chemistry. The Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast has chosen the song for inclusion in their Rockin’ the Holidays compilation, and you can hear why. It defies the formula while emphasizing how it’s a pivotal time of year for many.
It is ragged but right. “Christmas Lost Today” wears its arrangement like a loose garment. It strikes a relaxed amble from the outset. Forget any traditional ideas of urgency – Hecojeni’s single is content to gently roll toward a conclusion. The light electrification of the instrumentation gives it an one of a kind sound. Off-kilter guitar playing flubs and clams its way through the performance with an absolute unabashed disregard for conventional polish, and fills the performance with a woozy spirit befitting its content.
Integrating horns into the song’s musical makeup is an unexpected but fruitful addition. It takes what otherwise would be a relatively customary alternative rock track into a different realm, and the surprising R&B/soul touch provided by the brass takes “Christmas Lost Today” in a wholly unusual direction. The lyrical content invokes Christmas in an unusual way for pop songs, and this unique take on the Christmas song tradition helped Hecojeni secure a place on the aforementioned comp album.
The project’s off-handed nature doesn’t mean production suffers. “Christmas Lost Today” does have a spontaneous quality. It comes off like a first take, perhaps, or a jam organized around one or two guiding principles. Nevertheless, the production gives the song a raw and loose gait that should appeal to many listeners. Hecojeni has an excellent presentation and should secure a wide audience for this song.
The nature of this project gives them a brighter future than most. Hecojeni’s creative aesthetic can adapt to shifting tastes and changing circumstances rather than remaining hidebound to a specific trajectory. “Christmas Lost Today” likewise boasts irrepressible melodic attributes that worm their way under your skin with a single listen. The vocals likewise have an unexpected emotive plaintiveness capable of reaching out and grabbing the heart.
It is an excellent selection for the Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast. The outside-the-box seasonal appeal of “Christmas Lost Today”, the unique direction of the Hecojeni project, and the clear quality of the musical and vocal presentation add up to one of the most memorable musical experiences of this holiday season. I believe it holds up far past Christmas, but you’ll reach your own conclusions. However, there’s no question that it has the sparkle of something new, something one of a kind, and deserves a listen.
Mark Druery
