Lucid Aisle is a one-man project formed by Brent Joel Jones that dips into psychedelic rock. Inspired by a series of dreams and visions in 2003 that he took as a calling, this encouragement to start writing and recording his original brand of music comes as a chance for Brent Joel Jones to master multiple instruments as he continues to flourish.
In the depths of his latest album, 'Golden Highway,' all musical components are courtesy of Jones himself. Crafting a seamless amalgamation of rock, pop, and improvisational acid jams with hints of krautrock and punk while exploring a broad dynamic of sound in this rock and roll medium, this album can be classified as an abstract rabbit hole of rock n roll.
Kicking the album off with a fusion of slow, vibrant rock titled “Pet Me Nice,” Jones crafts a sophisticated atmosphere of mind-altering tenacity that puts us under a spell. The instrumentation is grand as it embraces erudite ease, while Jones’ vocal composition leaves us in a dreamy, washed-away state. However, once the compelling harmonies infiltrate the speakers heading the way for a zesty guitar solo, it’s pretty much game over as you surrender yourself to what’s to come from 'Golden Highway.'
With lush guitar strums submerging us in a swelter of gritty nuances, there’s a raw feeling to “Digital Wasteland.” Exploring eclectic verses as Jones’ mind-altering timbres leave us susceptible to the ultimate groove-infused universe, the words he sings are dragged out in the best way possible as he sings about wasting time in this digital wasteland we’re subject to in this day and age. Jones says it best, “put down your phone.”
“Pedal to the Floor” is where an exciting dynamic evolves from the previous two tracks we’re exposed to. The organic riffs propel us into this chaotic ambiance that Jones sets in place, creating a vast sense of urgency in true classic rock fashion. It spices up the album’s succession of songs and has us spiraling down another potent psychedelia trip that Lucid Aisle is known to bring forth. Who doesn’t love a distorted synthesis of components in the name of rock n roll?
The fourth song on 'Golden Highway' is titled “I Think It’s Kicking In,” and we believe this title is pretty explainable. Leaving off where the previous track ended, this song had us feeling the delicate melodies guessing when our trip would really kick in. But that’s the beauty behind this mastermind creation. As it slowly incorporates more faded, distorted musical concepts as you catch your bearings – you’re left to situate yourself just in time before the next record, “Zelma and Luiz,” begins. Genius.
With the warmth of a buoyant groove embracing our speakers, Jones is spearheading this record with a country flair. It’s also where we hear the album’s alluring title, “Golden Highway,” is mentioned, and it all makes perfect sense. This track catapults us into the perfect driving tune where we’re most definitely coasting this golden highway with him.
The key to any good album is tempos rise and fall, paving the way for our emotions to get lost within. Lucid Aisle immensely does that, and it never feels forced. Instead, it’s the moment where “Collective Chaos” unravels, and we hear the prominence of sustain more established than ever. There’s something to say about this head in the clouds ballad as it tours us through disarrayed flashes only to lead us into an entrancing reflection of our thoughts.
The second last on the track list, “Self Salvation,” takes us back to the gritty roots of Lucid Aisle as this grunge-Esque record coils with an investigational feel to create a fuzzy and disjointed fusion that falls together like a puzzle piece. Jones sings textured yet velvety croons that double in effect to usher you into the song’s clasp. Pulling us into yet another sizzling guitar solo rich in classic aspects of rock, and we can honestly say that will never get old.
Bringing us to the end of 'Golden Highway,' Lucid Aisle engenders us with the final record, “Shapeshifter.” What a perfect song title to complete this album considering every element Jones showed us was rich in experimental hues as it also brought forth traditional components of genres we love to this day. As each lyrical motif trails into the next, words like “there’s gotta be a way to keep the demons astray behind a million masks posing as a soulful vessel” immerse us in the abstract concept rich in Jones’ mind.
After exposing our minds to the expansive essence of Brent Joel Jones’ solo project, we can truly say we’re fans of Lucid Aisle. The diverse concepts parade through the speakers in a way that’s insightful and legendary. Mixing a deluxe combination of ambiguous vocals and instrumentation that embodies the quintessence of a sonic soundscape, 'Golden Highway' is an album you need to tap into immediately.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Lucid Aisle. The entirety of 'Golden Highway' had us at the edge of our seats throughout our listening experience. What inspired the various concepts heard across this body of work?
Hello, and thank you, BuzzMusic. There were 60's and 70's influences like songs from ‘The Flamin Groovies,' 'Damon the Gipsy,' 'Erkin Koray,' 'Marleena Shaw,' early ‘Pink Floyd,’ and ‘The Animals,’ to name. I also was listening to a 30-plus hour playlist called 'If Tarantino was a bar man' around the time, which is all from that era. I wanted the record to be consistent with no stops. Make some songs bleed into each other. Keep the momentum and flow going the whole time. Sonically and vocally, every piece is like a different character, persona, or entity.
Since you embarked on this project solo, how long did it take you to unravel the stories heard and compose such thought-provoking pieces?
A few songs were musically and lyrically written years before the recording started. 'Collective Chaos' was written in 2016. 'Pet me Nice' in 2018. Then there are others like 'Digital Wasteland' which I wrote the main guitar part just a few weeks before I started recording it while this record was already in progress. That song just came out of the blue and was the first to be mixed. The lyrics of 'Shapeshifter' were written right at the time of tracking vocals. They all happen when they happen. Sometimes, pre-meditation is involved in what the song will be about before writing it down. It was around late 2018 or early 2019 when I started to envision the concept of this album. But I really was more focused on the songs than the concept though the concept unfolded over time. There were a lot of incidents and chaos going on in life while tracking and mixing this record. It was a tough time. But it was a mission to get it done. I want to thank musician, sound engineer, and friend Javier Yontez for helping me to get it tracked and mixed. He co-produced a lot of it. He was very passionate about it, and I don't know if I could have finished it without him.
Within the eight songs produced, do you happen to have a favorite? Why?
It has to be song 5, "Zelma and Luiz." Here’s why…Though the lyrics are simple, the song has multiple meanings and layers. It also brings the whole album together. The words 'Golden Highway' are mentioned twice in the music. And like the lyric, "outta the way very late for an important date, gotta make some time for the queen of the golden highway', it's referencing 'Alice in Wonderland' with the White Rabbit who keeps saying, "I'm late I'm late for a very important date," urgently rushing to get to the queen at the end of the story. So it's like the listener is in the position of Alice, intrigued by the rabbit, following him into the unknown, leading her through this tripped-out journey of unusual characters (like the songs and pieces through the album) to the queen of hearts at the end. The Wizard of Oz is a very similar story. Dorothy has a similar experience as Alice. Plus, the yellow brick road: the golden highway... Another similar film is "Labyrinth." You can even tie these villainous characters like the Queen of Hearts, the Wicked Witch of the West, and David Bowie’s character, Jareth, to the last song, ‘Shapeshifter.’ Zelma and Luiz is a play on words to the film, 'Thelma and Louise.' Two female best friends take off on a road trip and, early on, run into trouble. Though their intentions are good, they are left in a situation of injustice, forcing them to keep driving forward as fugitives.. a one-way ticket on the highway. When you listen to the middle of the song 'Zelma and Luiz' when the beat and melody split in half right off the cliff... well, you'd have to see the end of the movie if you haven't yet. As far as the rest of the songs, they might as well be strange and unique characters and experiences that the main characters of these films/stories come across on their journey. The songs 'Pedal to the Floor' and 'I think it's Kicking In' lead right up to the centerpiece of the album, 'Zelma and Luiz' where they ride into the sunset leading to their death and then into a sort of dream world going into the rest of the story. I see now that it is the climax of the whole record. And just like any art form, it can be open to interpretation. It's wild to answer this question because it’s made me look deeper into it. Realizing the classic fictional undertones. It's fascinating how intuition works in a creative process. It's the subconscious and unconscious that is mainly responsible for the concept of this album.
What differences in the creation process do you encounter when you jam with your additional band members, Mub Fractal (bass) and Noah Bunker (drums)?
Mub and Noah are fun and great to work with, and they beautifully hold down the rhythm section. They are really good at skillfully complimenting the vision and also enhancing it. And they're good people. When we play the songs on this latest album and the prior one, they sound like the songs but in a trio setting with a rawness and improvisation at times. I like that. It's human. It has been exciting to play live in this lineup. With so much new material coming out, we put them together pretty quickly. And with only 3 of us right now, it lets us create the base of the live sound open for other musicians to come in potentially. After one month of being together as a trio, at our second show, we played close to an hour 1/2 set of songs on the recording and new material not released yet, which has let us get tighter in practice and on stage.
What’s your mission statement as an artist? How does “Golden Highway” speak to this?
I want to keep exploring the creative process. I want to have fun with it. Own it. Mean it. Put my whole being into it through performance. My mission statement is to keep seeking Truth and figure out how to express that through art, music, writing, and singing. Sometimes it’s a metaphor. Sometimes it’s a song about real-life experiences. Sometimes those intertwine. Maybe it's right on the surface. Perhaps it's as deep as Atlantis. 'Golden Highway' is about letting go of the mundane and predictable routine of daily life in society and embracing the unknown friction and wonderment that unfolds—being in the present moment, taking a chance. Letting go, facing the realizations, trials, and tribulations within the self and the world as we know it around us. It's about life, the world, and personal experience but also can have a fictional twist in a rock and roll aesthetic.