Guitarmy of One - Soylent Sea Green
NYC indie surf rock instrumental artist Guitarmy of One presents his new video 'Soylent Seafoam Green', filmed in Paris, Whitby, UK and New York State. This is the latest offering from his new spy-themed album ‘The Wave Files’, influenced by surf guitar, punk and metal. This adventurous 10-track album, crowdfunded earlier this year via Kickstarter, is a driving fun mix of dark ominous riffs, guitar swells and foreboding reverb-drenched melodies.
Guitarmy of One is the solo project of guitarist Scott Helland, an ex-hardcore punk bass player turned instrumental songwriter, whose first band (Deep Wound) was formed with alt-rock trailblazers J Mascis and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr). He later joined hardcore/ crossover thrash stalwarts Outpatients, School of Violence and Darkside NYC before ultimately forming post-punk duo Frenchy and the Punk in 2005.
'Soylent Seafoam Green' was inspired by the 1973 sci-fi dystopian cult thriller 'Soylent Green', which takes place in the future in New York, which is dealing with the effects of overpopulation, depleted resources and dying oceans. In the film, a mysterious food source is being given to people and the detective wants to find out what it actually is.
"I continue with my own campy spy and detective role in this new video. The song mixes dark ominous guitar riffing with surf guitar swells and foreboding reverb drenched melodies. It’s surf rock with a gothic edge," says Scott Helland.
"The videos are a totally DIY series, where I film and edit these shorts to bring the visual element to my surf spy rock instrumentals. It completes the 'movie in your head' aspect of the music. As a kid, I wanted to be an actor before discovering music and following that path. Now I get to do both!"
This video follows the latest one for 'Kolchak Meets The Sea Mobster', which was inspired by the 70s thriller detective show 'Kolchak the Night Stalker', and ‘Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’, the first taste of 'The Wave Files' LP.
The album involves coded intrigue, each song blatantly and not so blatantly containing the word ‘sea’ in the lyrics. This record's concept is rooted in spy and detective shows from the 60s, 70s and 80s - like the sonic equivalent of those shows, riding the waves of intrigue and espionage. For instance 'Hawaii 5-0' inspired 'Jack Lord of the Sea' and the tv show 'The Saint' spawned 'Seance for the Saint'. Even real life mobsters like Legs Diamond inspired the song 'Sea Legs Diamond'.
Following his 'The Spy Detective Collective’ LP, this album combines the thrilling sounds of spy-themed instrumental surf guitar music with punk vitality. Guitarmy of One creates a sonic adventure to the realms of intrigue, danger and surf-soaked excitement with Helland channeling that raw and unconventional spirit into a quirky fusion of genres.
"I wanted this album to be music you want to travel with - in your mind or physically. It’s action music, and I think it should ignite your imagination and take you on a journey. Wordless music relies on the visuals it creates so if it can take you on a sonic adventure across continents, or at least counties, my work is done," says Scott Helland.
Guitarmy of One conjures up images of secret agents, high-speed chases, and hidden agendas through his intricate layered compositions. His mix of surf guitar techniques (i.e. reverb-drenched chords, lightning-fast tremolo picking, and tremolo bar vibrato albeit with a Bigsby bridge pedal) creates a sonic landscape that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
'The Wave Files' is out now and available across digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full album can also be ordered on CD.
