B-Side Guys

The opening line “I’ve been setting up these microphones” drops listeners directly into Russ Hallauer’s creative sanctuary on “This Time,” the lead single from his fourth solo album “When The Moon Pulls In The Waves.” The Ghostmeat Records founder transforms the minutiae of home recording into metaphor, capturing the particular loneliness of trying to bottle lightning alone in a room full of equipment.

Drawing from his extensive experience in Athens bands like The Welfare Liners and Sunbrain, Hallauer crafts arrangements that feel both intimate and expansive. The production maintains a delicate balance between polish and personality, with Rob Keller’s backing vocals providing just enough harmony to prevent total isolation. Andy LeMaster’s mastering preserves the warmth of Hallauer’s home recording setup while adding professional clarity.

The lyrics trace a familiar path from chemical comfort to creative desperation: “I’m all fixed up with a two-dollar pill/I’m laughing hard and easy to please.” But rather than wallowing in self-pity, Hallauer excavates these moments for deeper truth. The repeated refrain “I just thought it would be different this time” carries different weight with each iteration, moving from resignation to something approaching acceptance.

Musical references scatter through the verses like breadcrumbs – “trying to stay in tune,” “dreaming as the music plays” – suggesting an artist using his craft to process rather than escape. When Hallauer confesses “Sometimes it soothes my lonely ways/And sometimes it just stings,” he captures the double-edged nature of creative work as both salvation and torment.

For an artist who’s spent decades in various band configurations, this solo outing feels less like retreat and more like necessary introspection. “This Time” suggests that sometimes the most honest music comes from facing yourself in an empty room, even if what you find there isn’t what you expected.