Warren, Rhode Island-based artist Paul Rocha releases a brand-new album, Apophenia, via Paisley Palm Records. Apophenia is a psychological term, referring to the human propensity to perceive patterns and connections that don’t exist. Rocha calls his music Five Chord Power Pop and says, “It’s all about the circle. It’s all about going home.”
A musical Renaissance man, Rocha played with The Amy Fairchild Band, Sugar Giant, Paulzilla, The Wedgies, Mr. Sherwood, Right Angles, Dear Sir, The Nyce Boiz, Pryvate Tunings, and Wind Dance, as well as piano on The Scud Mountain Boys’ LP, Pine Box. As a producer, he’s worked with Ray Mason (5 Song Acoustic Sampler), Michael Carrig, and Paul Hansbury.
He also played bass for Arthur Lee of Love fame, along with sharing the stage with Joan Osborne, Jill Sobule, Pete Droge, The Fools, and NRBQ. According to Rocha, he high-fived Abbie Hoffman in a bar and knew Judy Garland in the Biblical sense.
Apophenia, recorded in Rocha’s studio, features Rocha performing all instruments except for drums and follows 2012’s psychedelic Crayons and 2018’s pop-slanted Stingy Alley.
“The Other Side” starts the album off, opening on savors reminiscent of Tom Petty merged with CSN&Y, with perhaps a dollop of The Byrds and The Beatles tossed in for good measure. Rocha’s slightly reedy tenor is wonderfully easy to listen to, and the guitar work on this track is splendid.
Speaking subjectively, entry points include “Like Lavender Rain,” traveling on low-slung SoCal soft rock surfaces conjuring up J.D. Souther or Poco. On this track, Rocha’s voice takes on velvety hues, smooth and sweet.
“Sweet Marianne” blends folk-tangs with alt-rock-lite into a minstrel-like melody rife with exotic hints. Rocha’s phrasing recalls Harry Chapin, giving the lyrics a delicious sing-song lilt. Whereas “They’re All Dead” rolls out on a pounding piano riding a mid-tempo rhythm as Rocha sings about death from various perspectives. In the end, the end is the same – they’re all dead.
“Speaking of Ella,” a Beatles-like song features ‘60s and ‘70s shimmers of guitars laced with kaleidoscopic layers of sound. Rocha’s elevated tones imbue the lyrics with nostalgia and melancholy.
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“Speaking of Ella, did you paint the sky just to make me cry? / Speaking of Ella, if you still can’t see then you don’t know me / Speaking of Ella, drifting in a summer daze / Bending light with her appetite to melt into the haze / Speaking of Ella.”
At times dark, while at other times radiant, Apophenia is simultaneously picturesque and tenderly sad, balancing on the threshold of the sonic terminator line.
Follow Paul Rocha Website | Spotify
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