RICHARD X. HEYMAN

Tiers/And Other Stories

richardxheyman.com

Whether it was intended as such or not, Tiers/And Other Stories stands as the ultimate test of Richard X. Heyman’s songwriting prowess. As the forward slash in the title suggests, this is two albums in one—and all told, an ambitious 31-track concept piece chronicling Heyman’s life since meeting Nancy Leigh, the woman who would become not just his wife but bass player and engineer.

Best known for making garage rock with his lifelong friends in the Doughboys and power-pop under his own name (he’s no stranger to dualities), the New Jersey–born multi-instrumentalist ups the degree of difficulty here with a series of stylistic departures, dabbling in baroque pop (“Horizon”), breezy country (“Good to Go”) and harmony-rich Brian Wilson–style balladry (“Yellow and Blue”). These experiments sound better with each listen, so some patience is helpful for those digging into the considerable expanse of Heyman’s eighth solo effort. However, fans with short attention spans should skip right to the Beatlesque “Branded in the Sky,” which finds Heyman strapping on his Rickenbacker and heading back to 1964. That he sounds as much at home there as he does in the here and now might be his greatest trick of all.

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