Isolation by Gary Robert & Community
Gary Robert and Community (GRC) are a post punk trio from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The lineup consists of Gary Robert on vocals and guitar, Brandon Glenn on drums and Jeff Statler on bass guitar. Previously known only as Community, they later changed to their current name. Gary Robert himself is a veteran musician with a resume dating back to 1986 in his first band The Twilight Idols whom released one album Beyond Good and Evil.
They describe their music as being heavily influenced by a range of acts from proto-punk bands like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop to goth and post-punk legends like Sisters of Mercy or Joy Division. GRC’s sound is very reminiscent of 60’s garage rock, folk and some 70’s era rock with gritty raw distorted guitar riffs to cool, long droning chords. If you are familiar with Lou Reed you’ll immediately begin to draw a comparison between his and Gary’s vocals; a captivating, syncopating, deadpan style. It’s a unique sound that many vocalists cannot pull off and yet the style sounds very natural with GRC much like it did for Bob Dylan. If I could describe Gary’s voice it would be if Lou Reed and David Bowie had a child with a Midwestern accent.
GRC’s latest album Isolation is the band’s 3rd release and covers themes of abandonment, emotional desolation, running away, life on the go, and various other experiences related to life. The album begins out with the mournful yet brooding “Celestine,” a fast paced song seemingly about betrayal. The album slows down a bit with “Reach out Rise up” then picks up again with “Sanctuary.” This song in particular about the comfort and freedom of being on the road. With heavy guitar and gritty vocals it elicits images of speeding down empty highways until the next track… but I’d like to speak more the track after that.
“Somewhere in Japan” is a track that took me by surprise. The sound evokes an incredible familiarity but one that is utterly impossible to place, the guitar hook is captivating and when juxtaposed to Gary’s warm, brittle yet sonorous vocals it makes for truly enveloping musical experience. When we arrive at “Isolation” the album’s title track, is when we see the most influence from Lou Reed, this song is incredibly nostalgic and fun but the album takes an interesting turn after this track. We see more of a punk/post-punk sound in the following songs, an interesting contrast to the slower more garage rock/proto-punk sound. This band, it’s feels like a relic and it’s a monument to if rock music had taken a different direction in the past.
GRC is decidedly Americana post-punk; if that isn’t already a micro-genre, I’m making it one now. I really love this band, it truly is an interesting find among so many bands trying to be another clone of an already successful act. Then some bands just go their own direction and you end up with an individual group like Gary Robert and Community, somehow indefinable, nostalgic, fun, and utterly captivating. 💀
Additional comments: Be sure to check out GRC’s newest album OPEN WIDE, available on their website!