Watch

Read

Listen

Go

Play

Shop

Community

Play (Lists)

D Majestic and the Spectral Band Deliver Sonic Experience in New EP “The Sermon”

By Daniel Warren Hill

Using samples from an unidentified religious program’s AM radio broadcast, D Majestic and The Spectral Band deliver their latest single, “The Sermon” exploring social mores while ambient soundscapes and soulful jazz merge with electronic rock drums and spacey synths, expertly woven together to become something more. The title track on D Majestic and The Spectral Band’s debut EP, “The Sermon” is nestled neatly between “Convocation” and the “Recessional”.

“This record is an homage to shitty cables, unshielded electronics, bad signal chain management, and leaky AM radio transmissions,” says songwriter and producer Daniel Moriarty. Indeed, the EP is occasionally in a state of apparent cacophony, some might describe it as ‘busy’, but this kind of energy may also be the reason why the EP works so well as an introspective exploration of the self from the safety of a good pair of headphones. The fuzz and the dissonance are themselves characters in the story, offset by the beautiful inclusion of familiar instruments such as glockenspiel as well as regal cornette and saxophone arrangements contributed by several featured musicians including Peter Gilli, Dan Pearlman, and Ken Field.

While it’s entirely possible that you’ll listen to “The Sermon” EP casually, you’ll also want to carve out some time to listen with closed eyes to let the EP wash over you and transport you wherever it may lead.

If you are a fan of Washington D.C. area band igloo two’s digital grit, pocket-based percussion, and enchanted melodic themes, then you’ll enjoy D Majestic and the Spectral Band. You can find recent music from both artists including D Majestic’s previous single, “Illemnite” in previous coverage here on Alchemical Records, and find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.

Daniel Warren Hill

Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records. 

Join the Alchemical Records Street Team to promote these and other artists, live music, and music community organizations & events while receiving cool perks from artists throughout the region.

More to explore

Foghat Sonic Mojo 2024 Tour. Fillmore Silver Spring, MD March 9
DMV

Foghat’s Roger Earl Refuses to Slow His Ride

By this point in his life, Foghat founding drummer Roger Earl has visited quite a few doctors. But what may be surprising is that the percussionist, 77, is quick to point out that many of the medical professionals who have worked on him also enjoy rocking out.

“Nearly all the doctors and surgeons I know, they all play something: trumpet, sax, violin, guitar,” Earl said recently. “There’s not too many drummers that are surgeons, there’s probably a good reason for that!”

Earl half-jokingly invites his surgeon-rockers to join him and the other members of Foghat onstage at the Fillmore in Silver Spring March 9, where they will be headlining the Rock and Roll for Children Foundation benefit for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Earl, the only original member of Foghat still in the band, will be banging the skins behind guitarist Bryan Bassett and other members Scott Holt and Rodney O’Quinn. “Slow Ride,” the band’s 1975 megahit, is all but assured to be on the setlist, along with tunes from Foghat’s most recent record, “Sonic Mojo.”

Read More »