Nine is the lucky number of tracks on the album Scott Martin & The Grand Disaster. In this album, Scott Martin & The Grand Disaster made their debut, which was released on April 7th earlier this year. The songs from journeyman singer-songwriter Scott Martin come after a journey of love to bring you colorful ballads about romance, memories, and the joy and wonder that is life shared with someone special. They hit like a hurricane that’s been turned from a natural disaster to an event that can conquer even a jaded heart.
American indie rock fans have heard “Bringing Hollywood Back to Life,” an inspirational radio favorite that harkens back to the fleeting greatness of stardom. Its energy and excitement remind listeners of a time when young people had huge dreams of fame and fortune. Back then, we were blessed with classic actors and actresses who had iconic looks and embodied larger-than-life archetypes that many fans admired and sought to emulate. The brilliance of the old and new remains even as “I saw video drinking with the radio star.” It’s easy to sing along with lyrics such as “We’ll build an empire, we’ll dream a dream,” and start believing in it. It’s even easier to be inspired when Scott Martin continues, ”We’ll turn this black-and-white world into a technicolor dream.” Many parents and grandparents tell us how revolutionary it was when color TV came out, and how they long for the old days when certain things were better. Similarly, this song is about lovers who want the world to be alive again with the beauty of Hollywood, except they’ve made it their mission to do just that.
Another nostalgic song is “Old New York.” Scott Martin & The Grand Disaster understand very well what New York was like back in the 80s and 90s since they hail from New York City, and the turn of the century brought about many changes. The song is a declaration of love and pride in having once felt like royalty of the state and the wish to briefly savor that time again, even if it’s just for one day. You can acknowledge that nothing lasts forever, but you don’t have to forget what helped make you who you are or how things used to be where you came from. It’s those memories and stories that encourage an appreciation of history.
What is very obvious in this modern pop-rock debut LP are strong classic rock influences. The song “Mexico” is a reminder of feeling like you can do absolutely anything with the one you love, drop everything else, and escape to a romantic getaway south of the border. It’s a pretty melody that starts with piano and turns into a heady guitar riff that makes you want to swoon and dance with your sweetheart and start talking about plans for just the two of you to enjoy together. The message here is that to live in the now, you have to learn how to let go and take advantage of your idea of paradise in whoever and wherever you can find it. There’s very much a sense of urgency and spontaneity that is the wonder of a youthful spirit, too.
This album is all about people and places. It’s not only about the past or the present but also the future. We think of natural disasters as being tragic, but when it comes to the real chaos that is falling in love and experiencing life together, Scott Martin understands it’s magical. The music draws you into beautiful spaces with nostalgia and hope while Scott Martin’s voice fills in with a story. It’s first and foremost about romance that is best described with energetic rock.
Written by Camille Perkins
