Alright, so Ryley Walker is a name that I myself have been hearing around town for the last couple of years. While I tend to often stray towards the hip-hop/R&B world for reasons unbeknownst to me, this dude has released enough talented music to date to catch eyes from the corners of just about any scene in the city. Admittedly, I’m a new fan of Walker, having seen enough Josh Terry tweets to trust the cosign and my introduction has only been hastened by this work he’s offering up on his latest project, Deafman Glance.
In many ways, acts like Walker are a peek into the thick underbrush of indie rock, folk and the like happening all over town. While anyone who’s been to a DIY show or one of the many galleries and spaces in Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Little Village or Pilsen will attest to, that scene is strong, but doesn’t often produce the sort of ready-made for pop charts acts that have lately been dominated y rappers and singers in the R&B space. For his part, Walker represents an outgrowth that, while perhaps rare in this present time, also serves as a timeless auteur to the community he’s emerged from. Deafman Glance in many ways is an artist’s album, full of intermingled lyrics that work harder here than in past releases, detailing the mundanities of life both going back and forth on 90/94 and beyond. The talent in his handling on guitar has been cemented for some time locally, but here he seems to have adopted a sound that may be better-suited, or perhaps we’re just enjoying the fresh feel of something new. Regardless, Deafman Glance is one you’ll have to dig back through a few times before putting it down. Dive in below and catch Walker’s songs playing regularly on Mild Sauce Radio.