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Casio-Centric

Album review: C. Ray + Jared's Hold You're Own Hand

By EA Poorman

Fort Wayne Reader

2018-03-02


C. Ray Harvey and Jared Andrews are no strangers to the Fort Wayne music collective. Both have been putting out a steady stream of music in various projects for over 10 years now. Wooden Satellites, Elephants In Mud, Meat Flowers, Heaven's Gateway Drugs, Trophy Club, Microwave Miracles, and Omaha, Alaska are just a few of the bands these two have been a part of since the dawn of the Obama era. Both Andrews and Harvey have very distinct music worlds that they like to live and breathe in. Nobody is going to mistake something off Andrew's I Wanna Be Your Cartoon for something from Harvey's Omaha, Alaska records, and vice versa. Despite their very distinct and different musical proclivities, the thing these two have very much in common is their ability to write a great tune. Both of these Fort Wayne singer/songwriters look for a great melody and musical hook when stepping in to write, so it's no surprise there would be a collaboration between them (yes, I'm getting to that.)

Back in April of 2017 Harvey and Andrews got together and covered Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" in honor of a double-billed show featuring Andrews' Trophy Club and Harvey's Omaha, Alaska. I guess the good vibes stuck around because the C. Ray Harvey/Jared Andrews love found its way onto a collaborative LP called Hold You're Own Hand. It's a collection of "Casio-centric" pop tunes about love, coleslaw, and kids.
If you're familiar with Andrews' penchant for lo-fi Casio compositions then you'll be in familiar territory when you hit play. He makes oddly sweet songs about everyday life, and sometimes things you'd find in your fridge. There's a child-like quality to the songs he pens; much like Daniel Johnston, or Ween doing a children's album. C. Ray, on the other hand, grounds the collaboration in more emotional and dramatic waters, giving Hold You're Own Hand a heavy-hearted side. The album is bookmarked with an Andrews song and a Harvey tune. The former is "Global Heartwarming," a love song of sorts sung by Andrews. It's a whimsical tune with Andrews' singing "This old world is falling apart, but I am falling in love." On the other end is the beautiful "Lungs (for Wesley)", a song about Harvey's son. You can hear the longing and heartbreak as Harvey pleads for his son's health. It's one hell of a song.

In-between those two songs is a mix of each writer's capable songwriting skills. Where Andrews keeps things Ween-friendly, Harvey goes for more of a Postal Service vibe. "Safety Village" has an early naughts indie electronic vibe. He makes the most of what he's got, using minimal tools to make something engaging. "Caviar and Coleslaw" talks about confusing love for caviar when it's really just coleslaw. "Free (For Kingsley)" has the melodrama of a Peter Silberman song wrapped in simple electronics and longing. Andrews pays tribute to Daniel Johnston by covering "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances," while Harvey gives Jason Molina his due with a cover of Songs: Ohio's "Blue Chicago Moon". There's even some Counting Crows love with a Jared Andrews rendition of "A Long December".

Mixing covers with originals seems only fitting here. Both Andrews and Harvey come from very particular musical backgrounds and influences. So when they both can pull off Molina, Johnston, and yes, Counting Crows, all on the same album and make them all work as if the songs are their own, that says a lot. Not to mention that they all mesh perfectly with their original tunes. Andrews is no stranger to cover songs, as he mixed original songs with covers on his solo record I Wanna Be Your Cartoon. And Harvey played Down The Line a few years back with his old band Wooden Satellites and covered The Cure.

Hold You're Own Hand shows two Fort Wayne artists coming together and meshing their own personal styles in a unique and engaging way. C. Ray + Jared is a fun collaboration that shows Harvey and Andrews putting a little class on the lo-fi, DIY aesthetic. Fort Wayne is a town of collaboration. Some of the best music comes from artists laying down egos and control and saying the hell with it. Without collaboration things like The Trap Door, Middle Waves, Rhapsody Art Gallery and Studio and Heat Is Where The Heart Is wouldn't exist.

Neither would Hold You're Own Hand.

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