Blog Post #18 - An inside perspective: "Focus" album review

By Guest Blogger: Megan Moriarty '20

Hello! If you don’t know me already, my name is Megan and I’m a senior this year at DHS. I hope you all are staying safe as we continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing over this long break. For many it can be hard to stay inside. But something that has helped me to avoid complete boredom during this period of self-quarantine is jamming out to Deception, Ingrid Sound and Falconize’s newest album, “Focus,” which was released on all streaming platforms March 3rd. (Go check it out!) 

While listening to the album it is easy to assume that the recording process was a simple feat. But in reality, the album took 2 years to make. (Crazy, right?) It all began in the spring of 2018. Everyone received a schedule with a time and the song they would be singing for. When they arrived at the school they met with Mr.Grover and the Vocal Company who brought in all their equipment to record. After introducing ourselves we would then begin recording. The whole recording process took 3 days in total to complete. Until the process was repeated again the following spring with next year's groups. But it didn’t stop there. It would be another several months before we would be able to hear the final product because the tracks needed to be edited, mixed and mastered. 

With all this extra time I have, I thought it would be fun to do a full album review! I’m going to review each song in the order that it is on the album, but feel free to bounce around on shuffle or listen in this order as you read along!

HUMAN
Name a better way to open an album, I’ll wait. This song, covered by Falconize (originally by The Killers), features stunning vocals by Kali Sheppard ‘19, a sick beat by Jared Casey ‘19 and an outstanding arrangement by Bella Burrell ‘18. This is a track that really gets you in the mood to dance and belt your heart out with it’s upbeat feel and fast tempo. 

UNCONDITIONALLY
The first of Ingrid Sound’s songs to be featured on the album. The song, originally by Katy Perry, starts with a bang and takes you on a journey of highs and lows. It was expertly arranged by Abbi Foglietta ‘18 who translated the feeling of vulnerability and acceptance perfectly through the perfect contrast of soft vs. powerful moments. It’s also a great song to sing along to!

GAME OF WAITING
This is the first of Falconize’s original songs to appear on the album and my absolute favorite to jam out to. It was written and arranged by Hannah Kelsey ‘19 and features killer lead vocals by EJ Baracewicz. It’s about a budding romance that just can’t move quick enough. It’s upbeat chorus and light versus do a great job of portraying exactly what it feels like to be young and in love!
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HOMELESS HEART
This cute tune was written by Jamie Boghosian '18 and Ingrid Sound’s one original song to be featured on the album. It’s a more mellow song if you’re in the mood to listen to something on the softer side. It’s about not feeling a sense of belonging and the tiring chase of trying to find your “homeless heart a home.” 

MASTERPIECE
The second original song by Falconize, which was also written and arranged by Hannah Kelsey, who is also featured as the soloist. The song tells a perfect story of what it feels like to completely fall head over heels for someone. With a great build and a catchy chorus, you could say it’s a “Masterpiece” (I’m sorry I had too!).

ALASKA
A light and airy tune with a very contrasting and diverse sounding background. Originally by Maggie Rogers, the Ingrid Sound cover was arranged by the brilliant Ivy O'Connell '19 and happens to be the only song on the album to feature body percussion. Normally, we would sing the song without this, but this kind of percussion does a great job at giving the song a little extra bounce for the album track!

CHASING TIDES
Another original written collectively by Falconize. This arrangement by Kali Sheppard is a ballad that talks about the realization of being in a one sided relationship, but still not having the strength to completely let go. Chasing Tides emulates this message with the sounds of waves crashing on a shore, a powerful progression and beautiful imagery in the lyrics. 

WINGS
This upbeat tune, originally sung by Little Mix, is one that you’ll never get tired of listening to. Be sure to listen out for this song’s killer drums (Courtesy of Beck Ritter) and a quartet featuring Abby Golladay, Allie Kasperzak, Jayden Lapointe, and myself. I love this song for it's cool harmonies and sassy attitude. 

DEAR PRUDENCE
​Deception’s cover of a Beatles’ classic. This song is light and a little reminiscent of a barbershop quartet at times, intricately arranged by DHS Class of 2015 member, Billy Carleton Jr. It’s cheery harmonies and kind lyrics make it the perfect springtime song. Not to mention it’s super catchy. (I’ve been singing it all day!) 

HEAVY
Another all time favorite of mine. There’s just so much happening in this song! Crazy-amazing dynamics, a fast-tempo, dueling soloists (Kali Sheppard and myself) and a Bass solo, what more could you want? Also-- a fun fact about this song is that each of Deception’s six members  were given two or even three different parts to learn and record for it to be the full jazzy jam that it is! Thanks to Billy Carleton again for the arrangement! 

The third DHS A Cappella Album, Focus, was recorded by the groups from 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.  It was recorded, edited, and mixed by The Vocal Company, and mastered by Vocal Mastering. Three tracks from the album (Human, Unconditionally, and Chasing Tides) were selected to Varsity Vocals "Best of High School A Cappella" albums, and three tracks were nominated for "Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards" for Best High School Arrangement (Unconditionally, Masterpiece, and Chasing Tides).  Focus is available on all major streaming platforms.  

Falconize 2017 - 2019: ​EJ Baracewicz, Bella Burrell, Lyndsey Caouette, Jared Casey 
Michael Filip, Joey Foglietta, Cait Gagnon, Trevor Hathaway, Lauren Hyde, Hannah Kelsey, Maddie Montanari, Mike Mahoney, Kailee Rees, Kali Sheppard, João Luis Xavier Marques Ferreira, Anna Krisko, Amanda Larson, Sam Patterson, Jazmine Wallimann

Ingrid Sound 2017 - 2019: Jamie Boghosian, Abbi Foglietta, Abby Golladay, Sarah Gobiel, Clea Matt, Maddie Mercurio, Kylie Nash, Ivy O'Connell, Megan Moriarty, Ann Nguyen, Miranda Napolitano, Beck Ritter-Theriault, Brianna Rivera, Ashley Wiklund, Lily Albiero, Cynthia Boyd, Caitlin Emery, Allie Kasprzak, Jayden Lapointe, Katie Miraglia, Haley Murphy, Natalie Onofri, Lilli Peluso

Deception 2017 - 2019: Jared Casey, Cait Gagnon, Trevor Hathaway, Hannah Kelsey, Mike Mahoney, Brianna Rivera, Megan Moriarty, Kali Sheppard 

Megan Moriarty is a senior at Danvers High School.  She is a member of Ingrid Sound, Chamber Singers, and Deception, as well as a member of the Chorus Executive Committee.  On the album, "Focus," Megan is featured as a lead on four of the tracks: "Unconditionally," "Alaska," "Wings," and "Heavy."