In the opening minutes of Delineations’ forlorn guitar chords, punctuated by steady drums, lead listeners in a gradual crescendo accompanied by boiling cymbals.
By the halfway point of this first track, “Lines Drawn,” I’m enveloped by the album. Typically, I’m hooked by lyrics, but this opening instrumental piece (somewhat reminiscent of the Eagles or Van Halen) from Sirens and Prophets has me enticed.
The 11-track rock album comes from the Pella-based band comprised of Chris Hopkins (lead vocals, guitar), Randy Wadle (lead vocals, keyboards), Frank Zemanek (guitar, vocals) and Jay Brunt (drum, vocals).
Sirens and Prophets founded and anchored the inaugural Pella All-Original Music Showcase in September, a free outdoor, one-day fest in the shadow of Tulip Tower to celebrate Iowa-made music. Jinnouchi Power, Journey’s End, The Dave Paris Group and Jason Button also performed.
I’ll start with my only real critique, which is slight: I could see a listener becoming fatigued by the often grandious nature of the conflicts presented. The subject matter tends to be displayed in nebulous, all-consuming terms talking about how a “noble cause” might hinge on “you” or “us” in a stark, split moment.
This rarely bothered me, in part because I love this stuff, but also bececause these lines are satisfyingly delivered. The vocals from Hopkins and Wadle are generally sung with a detached affect that still affords potent purpose.
Take lyrics like: “Innocence is bleeding and it’s face-down in the dirt/it’s always fun and games up until someone gets hurt/the privilege of you surely needs to be undone/Children throw a tantrum when you take away their fun.”
The words demand action but the messenger sounds weary — an interesting contrast to the guitars and Brunt’s drums, which seem to revel in each glorious moment they get on the track.
“You” and “we” are the subject throughout—a simple but effective trick in getting the listener to put themselves into the songs. Lines like “you are a prison, sorting wrong from right / you show up after all the future may hold / you hope we swallow all that we’ve been told,” make everyone feel implicated in the structural failings at play.
The album is just good. There are strong performances from everyone involved. It builds individualized songs around a centralized theme, illustrating a broad swath of societal sins.
Ultimately, Delineations has a message it’s saying with a full-throated confidence that’s immediately and powerfully enduring.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s November 2023 issue.
