“In The House Of My Family And Friends” is the incredible new album by Timothy Michael Immen. It is a must-hear for its musicality and lyricism.
“Vanta Blue” serves as the perfect introduction to the album. It’s a set-up to the rest of the story. It begins with a spoken word peace and losing his father and the concept of heaven. Musically, there’s piano and musical theater style vocals, it’s raw and filled with emotion. It definitely made me want to hear more of the record and understand more of Immen’s personal story.
The next song is the title track of the record. It’s driven by an electric keyboard and heavily effected vocals. There is a lo-fi hip hop beat as Immen sings a catchy melody. Music without vocals takes up most of the space in the track, and stylistically it works. The music transmits the music just as well as the vocals and lyrics do.
The music shifts to a more upbeat feel in the song “Forever.” Retro sounding synths and a fast-paced electronic beat lift the energy. Timothy Michael Immen delivers vocals in an organic and dreamy way. Some of the lyrics talk about the happiness of being alive, being “a lucky one.” The lust for life shines through.
The record takes a vocal break for some time with some excellent tracks that involve incredible music composition. “The Living Word” is one of my personal favorite tracks on the record. This is because of the piano performance and synth combination. There is a dreamy effect that the music creates. It also carries an element of happiness and peacefulness with it. It’s completely seductive and surrounds the body. All listeners will definitely enjoy this stand-out track. “Jeremiah In The Mud” follows this track perfectly. It settles in the same key. Buzzy synths swirl around the listener, completely captivating them. These instrumental tracks showcase the writing talent and performance abilities of the artist very well. The sounds makes a shift to a darker place in “God’s Tricky Man.” We still hear the heavy synthesizers, but it sounds like we are transferred into a minor key. “Love From A Pure Heart” brings up the energy again. The lead synth line totally has me hooked as a listener.
In the song “A Humble Man”, the pace slows down. We have shifted back to vocal-driven music, delivered in a ballad style. The songs contain thought-provoking lyrics about friendship, character, and shifting personalities. This song showcases a growth in the artists’ character. This is such a deep song so it is perfectly fitting that it is followed up by a track that gives the listener time to reflect on the lyrics. “A Real Toy Soldier” has a super fun beat and provides that great space for reflection. “Lepers Love The Son” allows more space for reflection. This is a great time to read the quote from the artist:
“I was inspired by Zechariah 13:6 … it’s about the end of prophecy … I felt so sad because God is good, and I felt so bad that someone who truly loved God would be so dishonored … I choked up … I felt it. When they are asked where they got their wounds … they’ll say, ‘I got these wounds in the house of my friends.’ I thought about my own life … the worst wound is to the heart according to Proverbs … so I honored the bible and the people in it with this album … and I said where I was truly hurt …” – Timothy Michael Immen
“Manifested Manifold” has a slow build that fills the listener with tension and excitement. Synthesizer strings fill the space. This song serves as the build to the next sung-ballad “Halfway To Heaven.” This track features the artist Saint G. The artist is talking to his crush, hoping that he could spend time with her. This is a romantic song with a romantic chord progression. The slow pacing gives room to let all the lyrics sink in fully.
“It Doesn’t Have To” is about the act of surrendering to the unknown and the mysteries of life. This song encourages listeners to surrender to. Life doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t have to, is the general message of the song.
Saint G makes another appearance on “New Dawn”. This song contains a catchy melody and an even catchier synth line. This is one of my personal favorite ballads on the record.
Two tracks serve as the finale of the record. “Saying Goodbye To A Picture Of You” which features lo-fi drums and electric keyboard. The guitar melodies are absolutely beautiful. Then the album comes to a close with “A Prayer.”
The record is best when listened to in order. You can listen to it on YouTube:
Written by Ryan Cassata