Grayson Wray Project: Press

Grayson Wray Project - “Imaginary Episodes”

Oddly enough, the Grayson Wray Project’s most easy-to-spot influences are the ones which are not mentioned on their website. If they’re trying to distance themselves from their real heroes, it’s honestly not going to work as the smudge prints of XTC, the B-52’s, Jellyfish, X, T. Rex, Love, and the Bush Tetras (on the “Too Many Creeps” twin called “Too Many People”) are all over this album. And, hey, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Imaginary Episodes is an unpretentious, entertaining disc that reaches a party-level boisterousness at times, namely on the hip-shaking “Saved the World Tonight” and the exhilarating “Burn Bright,” which slams nearly every modern rocker on commercial radio in the ass with its thumping beat.

Expecting mainly a ’60s throwback LP after the opening cut, the tie-dyed “And She’s From Nowhere,” the Grayson Wray Project surprised me with their versatility, hopping from glam to rockabilly to punk. Although the band loses some of its gas in the last three tunes, the GWP produce enough vinyl-lovin’ grooves to last a while.

Explore posts in the same categories: Kyrby Raine, The Kiosk (Pop/General Music), Music

The Grayson Wray Project - Imaginary Episodes Review


by Gary Schwind

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OK, I'm going to start this review with a confession. The first time I put this CD on, I stopped it after about six songs. Looking back, I guess it was more about my mood than the music. That is why I never write a review after just one listen.

Perhaps it's no surprise that I had to stop the disc and come back to it with a clearer mind. The Grayson Wray Project isn't really like any other band on the scene right now. Frankly, it took me a little time to acclimate to a band that melds power pop (a la Lush) with artsy sounds similar to Jethro Tull. Not only that, but the more you listen to the album, the more you realize that it's virtually impossible to classify this band.

Imaginary Episodes is an album of complex tunes. Perhaps no song is more complex than "The Silver Cord of Avalon," which sounds like what might have happened if Rush and Morphine had recorded a song together. The band members are all right on with their sounds and it seems like each one brings a unique twist to the overall sound.

To be honest, I wish I were intelligent enough to describe their sound, but I think this is a band you just need to hear for yourself because so much is happening on this album. It is a unique album with strong musicians and good tunes. It may take some getting used to, but if you accept the challenge of listening to this album, you'll probably be glad you did.



CD Info and Links


The Grayson Wray Project - Imaginary Episodes

Grayson Wray Project - Imaginary Episodes
Written by Michael Sutton

The 60s psychedelia of the Zombies and Pink Floyd and the 80s New Wave of vintage R.E.M. and B-52's save Los Angeles from absence of cool.
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[6.11.07]
Singer/songwriter Grayson Wray hails from Los Angeles, a city that hasn't produced an alternative-rock band of merit since, well, I cannot recall. Between all of the spandex metal and gangsta rap, there wasn't much room for anything remotely listenable to spawn from such unholy ground.

Somehow Wray has been able to ignore the superficiality of L.A. to produce a sound that hasn't blossomed from the area since the mid-80s. Back then, there was a Paisley Underground scene in L.A. that gave the same sort of "20 years later" nostalgia which Neo-New Wave is doing today. Groups such as the Three O'Clock, the Dream Syndicate, and the Rain Parade taught college-radio DJs that their parents' dusty Byrds and Velvet Underground LPs were items to be worshipped. Wray would've fit in easily.

"And She's From Nowhere" is quintessential Paisley Pop, drifting into the clouds with its dreamy vocals, soaring flutes, and Summer of Love acoustic riffs. I like how the guitar strings are mixed up front, allowing the listener to savor every note. However, the best 60s underground rock wasn't all about hippie highs. By the next track, "Up the California Coast," Wray and his bandmates are smoking -- smoking hot, that is. The catchiest tune on the record, "Up the California Coast" is three and a half minutes of buzzing, urgent riffs. Just when you thought this album was going to be The Dream Academy revisited, Wray kicks it into high gear, and his group packs a wallop. The over speeding rave-up "Burn Bright" and "Saved the World Tonight" have the B-52's ferocious energy without Fred Schneider's goofy antics. “Life Is a Sound” recalls classic R.E.M. with its brittle, jangly guitars.

Aside from the Bangles (who had to walk like an Egyptian to hit Top-40 radio), the Paisley Underground disciples went nowhere, forever locked in obscurity. There really isn't a big market for psychedelic music, which is now dated back 40 years. But, by kicking in the jams, Wray might be able to bust through public indifference. In the meantime, he has made L.A. slightly cooler, which is a difficult feat worth applauding

'Grayson Wray Project'
'Imaginary Friends'

- Label: 'Lavendar Sky Records'
- Genre: 'Punk/New Wave' - Release Date: '2007'


Our Rating:
Grayson Wray (http://www.graysonwray.com) is apparently a favourite of campus radio stateside; given the opportunity, he'll probably find a bigger audience on these shores. Hailing from Los Angeles, Wray's flamboyant, colourful mix of glam, proto-punk, and neo-psychedelia will reel in a more knowledgeable crowd in the U.K., beyond America's vapid monthly flavours.

The T. Rex fuzz and swagger of "The Silver Cord of Avalon" is a mid-'70s flashback that is among the most tasty offerings on this decidedly retro disc. Wray's inspirations are pretty obvious; you have to wonder if a number of these songs are self-conscious homages to the artists which inspired them. Both in title and in style, "The Silver Cord of Avalon" screams T. Rex as much as "Too Many People" echoes the bracing punk-funk of the Bush Tetras' "Too Many Creeps" and the male/female harmonies of "Til the Surf Melts Into the Night" unveils a sun-soaked X.

So might complain at how derivative this material is, but they're missing out on the fun here. The rockabilly rhythms of "Everybody's Got a Love" is an unpredictable turn from a group that seems to be obsessed with late '60s psychedelic rock and late '70s New Wave. "Life Is A Sound" resurrect the rougher edges of the '60s; it could've easily fit on a "Nuggets" compilation. "Saved the World Tonight" and "Burn Bright," on the other hand, bring back memories of Athens, Georgia's once-potent New Wave scene, making one long for Pylon and the Swimming Pool Q's.
author: Adam Harrington

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Grayson Wray's Finest .... So Far..., September 6, 2006
Reviewer: the Wizard, fkap (WiZARD RADIO) - See all my reviews
For those of us who have been following Grayson's efforts from the beginning, this album is a revelation! The music is as intricate and original as ever. But the band, his additional singers, the recording and mixing and the production values are the finest to date. It's a joy to watch this artist grow.

The music has been a real hit on Wizard Radio, too. Our listeners can vote on the music as they listen (ahhh, the wonders of the Internet) and this week(9/7/2006) 'And the Angels Sing Along' from the Alternate Heavens CD has been voted Number 4 out of over 9,000 tracks!!!

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Grayson Wray - Alternate Heavens



Grayson Wray is a bizarre little band that could be compared favorably to Talking Heads and Jethro Tull. If that combination doesn't spin your head, the hodgepodge of random genres creates an odd mix-tape vibe to the proceedings.

The band is full of multi-instrumentalists but none stand out. Alternate Heavens is broken into three sections, Morning, Afternoon and Night. By the end of the record it feels as though someone slipped a Baby Mozart disc into your player. It is real music just dumbed down for the toddlers.

(Am I the first writer to get a Baby Mozart reference in a review?)

Grayson Wray Does It Again!






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by Paul Zimmerman
First Coast News

Some musicians, like Guns and Roses take 15 years to put out a new album Grayson Wray on the other hand can’t stop releasing records. He’s back again with his THIRD CD in less than a year. This guy cranks out music faster than most people can listen to it.

In fact he’s released so much stuff, I’m not sure what I can even say that I haven’t already said. Well here’s a summary of Grayson Wray….He’s a slightly eccentric, folky, rocker that sounds like he’s in Of Montreal’s parallel universe. It’s a universe where quirky songs float freely in the air and flutes, bongos, guitars, and drums mingle to produce strangely hypnotic pop songs. Sometimes the ideas Grayson and his fellow troubadours are a little too abstract and don’t quite work out, but sometimes they’re spot on and the resulting songs are really good.

Grayson’s new album, Alternate Heavens is exactly like that. It’s a quirky culmination of musical ideas that’s pretty left of the dial and for the most part pretty fun. Check out “Hong Kong Mystery,” or “It’s Only Science Fiction,” for a couple of examples of Grayson Wray’s brand of, Of Montreal meets Polyphonic Spree in the Astral Plane pop at its best.

To say that Alternate Heavens is an interesting off center pop album that is as different as it is entertaining is an understatement. It is another strange trip along the unending road trip that is Grayson Wray’s musical career and it's one worth stopping for.

CD REVIEW: Grayson Wray - 'Picasso's Dream'
By Steve Allat - 03/16/04 - 01:02 PM EST

Label: Independent
Tracks: 16
Released: 2004
For Fans Of:: Beatles, Donovan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Radiohead
Fav Track: There You Were, Pure Delight, Agent 23, Heaven's the Place.

It's not often that a CD captures my interest from the first few moments, but this one did. And, even more surprisingly, it held my interest throughout.
Grayson Way, serving up his second CD (last year's 'Road To Paradise was very well received) has almost single-handedly delivered one of the most impressive CD's I've heard in a long time.

He's taken a lot of familiar sounds and styles and truly morphed them into a sound that is uniquely his own. While influences can definitely be heard - from the Beatle-esque harmonies and layering of different instruments to the 60's guitar sounds - they are never stale regurgitations of licks we already know.

Instead, Grayson has done what a true artist should do - boldly go where no one has gone before!
His music is fun, happy, upbeat and delightfully his own. You can't help but smile while listening, and after a few listens you will be humming along. This CD is a great escape from the doldrums of today's standard rock & pop radio. Each song is a piece of art unto itself - a short two to four minutes, brilliantly written, played, recorded and produced pice of art. And most importantly, the songs flow together from one to the next, carrying you dreamily along. It's an easy ride.

I believe all that Grayson has to do is keep promoting himself and then we'll all be hearing more of him. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check him out.
This CD will be hanging around in my CD collection for some time - a rarity.

Grayson Wray
Picasso's Dream
Impressive Music
16 song CD
What an appropriate title for this strange amalgam of popular music. Grayson Wray pulls from a host of influences and sounds, creating an album that rambles and careens without a focused direction. While this admittedly doesn't always work, sometimes it does, and the result can be fabulous.

Wray is at his best when he flirts with standard pop sensibilities. The fun part is that he only borrows what he needs, without taking us down the same old roads again. This is most evident in songs like What's Inside and With You I'm Alone, where he uses deconstructed beats and disjointed melodies to piece together these beautiful pop songs. There's a late-Beatles quality to his approach; think the weirder moments of The White Album-meets-Abbey Road and you might get an idea of what's going on here.

Much like the album's namesake, Wray takes his art and turns it around so we can look at it from a completely different angle, and that's quite a feat.

MISH MASH Mandate: Picasso Pop

ROAD TO PARADISE" CD 2002 (first cd)
Instruments played by the group: guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, programming, samples and male vocals. Additional instruments: guest female vocals by Angie Donkin on one track.
The music:
Grayson make us enjoy with retro pop (you know, that great pop music made in the 60's), although not all here is retro and not all is pop either... The music of Wray is painted with vivid colours, but it is mainly music "in green", music that sounds to fresh grass, but not all are "flowers", Grayson also offers mystery, emotion, instrospection and a little of magic, very varied; as said before not only retro pop, since you will find also influences from the 70's and 80's (in both fields: pop and rock) and some other things not so clear, there are surprises in every track, if not pay attention to the placid jazz influences of the last piece or the dark drama of "When You Cry" (the two tracks with female vocals by Angie Donkin); "1,2,3,4,5" is also a surprising track, with a violent and noisy rock (almost punk), or the epic symphonic lo-fi arrangement of "Get Me Off"... all is always new with every track. The music is very rhythmic, it is easy to get enthusiastic with their powerful rhythmic hook, there are some slow tracks but most are this way; the compositions have abundant weird arrangements which contrast with the immediate voice and rhythms, and you will notice some electronic flirtations too.
A very recommended work of multicoloured retro pop with a very solid rhythmic hook.
Label: IMPRESSIVE MUSIC www.impressivemusic.com
GLOBAL GRADE: 8,9/10
Review by H?or Noble Fern?ez.
"PICASSO'S DREAM" CD 2004 (second cd)
Instruments played by the group: guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, programming, samples and male vocals. Additional instruments: guest female vocals by Angie Donkin on one track.
The music: almost the same formula, although I have to say that this time things are probably put in a different order, but the same magnific music. I don't really need new words to explain how is the music done by Wray, all said in the previous review is valid, notwithstanding I would swear that this time he has chosen to sound more strong, the music is more powerful, via rock or via more overwhelming rhythms, but the tracks never cease to be pop bombs; in spite of the fact that it is still his addictive amalgam of multiple colours and sensations, all goes in a more concrete direction, and with more energy, he seems to look for something sunny but maybe not so colourist, now the hook (this is always obligatory in his music) transmits more voltage. The influences are also different, less pop, less Beatles and more rock and taste to late 70's and early 80,s, and a more personal interpretation, besides the own inventions of Mr. Gray; apart from all the modern elements (there are abundant electronic details, space ambiences and that slight odd touch), but above all I notice more tension in the tracks, like new and rougher emotions, with moments where the music becomes very condensed. And how I enjoy this music!
Label: IMPRESSIVE MUSIC www.impressivemusic.com
GLOBAL GRADE: 8,999/10
Review by H?or Noble Fern?ez.