Patrick Healy – Narmen 1

One of the great pleasures of running a site like this is that try as I might I can’t keep tabs on every talented musician so every now and then I am rewarded by a player approaching me to do a review who’s material I am largely unaware -- much akin to allowing a dinner party guest the anticipation and delight that an unknown course would bring these moments are to be treasured when they arrive -- Narmen 1 by Patrick Healy is one such a moment. Patrick himself is a 19 year-old player hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada and lists his influences as Joe Satriani, Devin Townsend, Buckethead, Allan Holdsworth and Koji Kondo.

I was aware of Patrick as a talented player in the few lesson videos he made for YouTube and subsequently saw on SS.org but I must admit I hadn’t listened to any of his compositions so receiving a lovingly produced CD through the post was an absolute thrill. Containing 11 original tracks all penned by Patrick, Narmen 1 is an ambient, experimental, groove-laden and enjoyable experience where he takes his influences and weaves some monumentally large soundscapes where the guitar is very much another texture in an intelligent sophomore outing.

Narmen 1 has a very dedicated focus and in each track it’s plain to see the “Guitar-Driven journey through space” is admirably realised. From the gentle ambient textures of Character Cave to the epic and majestic feel of Banana Heroin it’s plain that Patrick is never going to allow chops and self-indulgence to mar his creative ideas -- this isn’t to say that Patrick doesn’t have the ability to speed around the neck when required but for me he feels far more at home in the opening of tracks like Gray Rain Slalom. Here a spacey, minimalistic groove allows an understated guitar melody ornamented with violin swells to set the scene before ending abruptly and slewing into the rather more quirky theme of The Brain and it’s Changes. Following on from Devin-esque chords, and a well developed feel for a melody in the Satriani mold there are also a couple of frenzied outside tapping sections which are indeed reminiscent of Buckethead but to his credit Patrick uses these influences as building blocks integral to the song at hand.

There will be obvious comparisons to Satch and Devin, just as in the same way it’s almost inevitable that some shredders are compared toYngwie and Eddie but in this case the fact that Patrick not only pulls off each track with admirable aplomb but also moves beyond their starting point and is clearly developing his own style -- certainly his sense of groove and texture are incredibly well advanced for such a newcomer to the scene.

Patrick’s experimental edge manifests a lot more clearly on tracks like Borderline Bionic Beings where he deals with an unsettling and yet evocative melody, colossal guitar textures and a thoroughly stomping groove quite beautifully and certainly this is one of the highlights of Narmen 1. Devin’s patented brand of amiable insanity was clearly drooling on his shoulder when Patrick composed the title track itself and I think this is definitely where all the elements of his style come together -- there are chops, absolutely brilliant production, great theme development, and a healthy dose of that “off-the-wall” edge that so many musicians strive for and fail to achieve. Even in the heaviest moments when Patrick finally allows himself full reign proceedings are never cluttered or muddy, it’s chaos controlled and precise like fusion in a bottle.

Rounding off Narmen 1 with Corn Snakes and Jersey Window (To Home) where more of the edgy and outre experiments meld with the warm, enveloping yet at the same time soaring melodies one can’t help but be utterly impressed. As a very thematic album Narmen 1 does satisfy on many levels -- as each song develops you are aware of it’s place in the album as a whole and Patrick never looses sight of two very important aspects -- the groove, and playing for the song. Certain the looming spectres of Devin and Satch do keep their equally cosmic eye on proceedings and yet as we touch down gently with a cleansed palette (possibly from some effervescent alien beverage?) I never felt that their influence was cloying or that it precipitated a clone -- merely a departure point for what promises to be a very interesting career for a great musician.

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MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/pathealy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-Healy/7919865869
Twitter: http://twitter.com/patchealy
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/patchealy
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PatrickHealy

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