'AFTERTHEMATH' by Bright-Eyed & Blind
With a voice sounding like an aural doppelganger for Gwen Stefani, Jalena Hegemann of Milwaukee’s Bright-Eyed & Blind might at first be expected to ply her instrument second wave ska and other rhythmic pop styles. Instead, Hegemann’s band harkens back to hooky ‘80s-indebted hard rock on their sophomore album, AFTERTHEMATH.
Bright-Eyed & Blind's approach conjures the notion of an attitudinally rawer Pat Benatar with, perhaps, notes of Patty Smyth's power pop sensibility and the angular vocal phrasing of Missing Persons’ Dale Bozzio. Where that leaves Hegemann and her mates in a commercial rock radio soundscape, it's tough to tell. Their sounds could spark nostalgia among many listeners with songs that doesn't seek to make a carbon copy of any particular artist or era.
