Sunday, February 27, 2022

Dereck Higgins – Dereck 3

 

Dereck Higgins – Dereck 3

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 


You’ve been active in the Omaha music scene since the 70s. You’ve explored everything from ambient to punk to reggae. And you have a large body of work worth discovering. But what happens when you want to self-release some of that on vinyl?

So was the story of Dereck Higgins in 2012. He had released the solo album Dereck 3 as a seven track, limited edition CD-r in 2007, but was looking to expand it into a full-length LP on vinyl. Higgins – who is primarily a bass player in his band work – played all the instruments on the recording, barring one track.

Higgins was able to crowd fund the pressing of Dereck 3 as an LP very quickly, with the campaign reaching its goal in two hours. Higgins credited this to his strong YouTube fanbase, as well as the vinyl community at large. But how does the record stack up? Let’s get into it.

“Morning I Rise” features a guitar part which recalls the playing of Neil Halstead from Slowdive, mixed with Higgins’ warm bass. Similarly, “So Glad To See You” resembles the solo ambient work of Robin Guthrie. Higgins has spoken extensively about his love of shoegazing music, and its influence is very clear here.

“December,” “Night Music,” and “Winter Blue” form a sort of Pink Floyd trilogy, with Higgins’ ambient guitar work being the main source of melody. All three compositions are spacious, with the gaps in between the notes creating a sense of dynamics. When Higgins lets his fingers fly, the effect is transcendental.

And Higgins returns to his bass playing roots on the track “Bass Lament.” Using a fretless Ibanez bass, Higgins crafts a deeply moving piece which channels psychic pain into something gorgeous. While I’m not well versed in solo bass pieces, this one stopped me in my tracks.

But the album isn’t all doom and gloom. The track “Happy” features dueling lead guitars – both one octave apart – and a scorching rhythm guitar track. The song is incredibly uplifting, yet fits in perfectly with the sparser, more space rock-oriented material.

Dereck Higgins may not be known to the world outside of niche music communities, but his work commands respect. Dereck 3 is more than just another great record in an ever-expanding body of work. It reaches something close to transcendence.

Coco Art Recordings/2012