Higgins: Zs

Kevin Fish could be John Lennon reincarnated. Softly crooning in his golden tenor, Fish sings in what sounds like a dreamy British accent, belying his New York heritage. Heading Higgins, a collective of musician friends since 2002, with drummer Brian Kantor, Fish has composed an album of songs ranging from Beatles piano rock (“Wall of Dumb”), dreamy 1960s multi-part Beach Boys harmonies (“Always Something”), and lo-fi instrumentals with monstrous feedback and drumming (“Prelude to a Charly”) and Led Zeppelin- inspired riffs and bass-lines (“Charly”). Sometimes their AM gold sounds deliciously yacht rock, as in “Jamy”, recalling the smooth jazz flow of Steely Dan’s “Aja”. Steely banjo enters to make this piece somehow down home. Amidst the classic rock sound is a band with its own quirks well-worth exploring.