Music Banter - View Single Post - Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 11-22-2012, 12:52 PM

Over forty years in the biz, Focus have had the magic ingredient for a long time now

Artiste: Focus
Nationality: Dutch
Album: Focus X
Year: 2012
Label: Eastworld Recordings
Genre: Progressive Rock
Tracks:
Father Bacchus
Focus 10
Victoria
Anok in kindergarten
All hens on deck
Le tango
Hoeratio
Talk of the clown
Message magic
X roads
Chronological position: Eleventh album
Familiarity: By reputation only
Interesting factoid: Although this is titled “Focus X”, and should therefore be their tenth album, it's actually their eleventh.
Initial impression: Back to the seventies!
Best track(s): Focus 10, Victoria, Le tango, Hoeratio, Message magic
Worst track(s): There are some I like less than others, but nothing I'd really categorise as bad.
Comments: Focus are one of those bands who just always seem to have been here. They were never formed; they just existed before even the Big Bang. They've always been around, and they always will be. Well, that's how it seems to me, and yet I have never heard a single track from these revered masters of the genre. In reality, Focus were formed in 1969 in Holland (or the Netherlands, if you prefer) and have had a total of ten albums since then, this being their eleventh. Why then is it called “Focus X”? I have no idea.

It would seem though that Focus are essentially firmly rooted in the seventies, with big instrumental passages, guitars drums and organ overlaid by flute, though unlike many prog rock bands of that, or even this, time, they don't seem to indulge (at least on this album) in epics, as most of the tracks are around the five or six minute mark, nothing over. The title track, which for some inexplicable reason they call Focus 10, exchanging the Roman numeral for a digital one, has some lovely laidback guitar and a taste of Steely Dan about it, very relaxed and effortless, solid organ riding behind the smooth guitar lines. So far though, other than one spoken line, more in the way of an introduction or announcement, this has all been instrumental.

There would seem to be a lot of jazz influences here (bad news for me!) but quite soft and flowing, rather than what I tend to see as meandering, often directionless playing --- I know, I know! Look, I just don't like jazz, okay? --- with mainman and founder Thijs van Leer the fulcrum of the band, playing Hammond, flute and keys, as well as doing the odd vocal. On guitar we have Menno Gootjes, replacing the irreplacable Jan Akkerman, but then he did leave in 1976, though he returned for the odd album. A rockier, but not that much more uptempo instrumental, pulling in influences from mid-eighties Genesis is Victoria, with some nice interplay between guitar and flute, then it's quite a shock to hear vocals come seemingly out of nowhere for All hens on deck, perhaps the heaviest track on the album so far, with spiralling guitar, driving organ and of course flute. The vocal is sparse, almost just mimicking the notes on the organ, but it's still interesting to hear some singing, if you can call it that. Pretty improvisational, I'd say.

Great bit of classical guitar on Le tango, with a certain eastern tinge to it, slowing everything right down and indeed introducing the first proper vocals from van Leer, and to be fair they've been worth waiting for, as he is one heck of a singer. The rhythm section keeps it tight and everything ticks along nicely, while Hoeratio has a lot of solo Tony Banks atmosphere in it, until van Leer comes in with almost spoken vocals in what I assume is his native language, adding a further layer of weird on the song, followed by breakout guitar by Gootjes, and Talk of the clown, with its bouncy flute lead and bassline, sounds like something they use as the soundtrack for one of those badly-animated kids' shows I used to watch when I was, well, a kid: the likes of “Mary, Mungo and Midge”, where the emphasis was more on colour, fun and being friends than technical ability in the field of art. It also comes across as something like an Irish jig; needless to point out, it's quite short. And weird. It's followed by Message magic, another short song, though in contrast this opens like a Nick Cave song and then goes into an almost AOR style slow guitar instrumental, with some nice piano. Parts of the melody also remind me of ABBA. Closer X roads then goes back to the jazz, pumping it all up with a fast piano, ticking bass and rolling drumbeat, kind of reminds me in places of the early work of Supertramp. Bit of Santana in there too, then just when you think it's another instrumental, Thijs van Leer comes in with a vocal to close the show. Nice.
Overall impression: Good musicianship, would liked to have heard more vocals, but overall not bad. Doubt I'll become a fan of Focus though... bit too jazzy for me overall.
Intention: I'm not that pushed but I might, maybe, try another album. Or I might not. Probably not.

11-22-2012, 12:52 PM	#115 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,971	Over forty years in the biz, Focus have had the magic ingredient for a long time now Artiste: Focus Nationality: Dutch Album: Focus X Year: 2012 Label: Eastworld Recordings Genre: Progressive Rock Tracks: Father Bacchus Focus 10 Victoria Anok in kindergarten All hens on deck Le tango Hoeratio Talk of the clown Message magic X roads Chronological position: Eleventh album Familiarity: By reputation only Interesting factoid: Although this is titled “Focus X”, and should therefore be their tenth album, it's actually their eleventh. Initial impression: Back to the seventies! Best track(s): Focus 10, Victoria, Le tango, Hoeratio, Message magic Worst track(s): There are some I like less than others, but nothing I'd really categorise as bad. Comments: Focus are one of those bands who just always seem to have been here. They were never formed; they just existed before even the Big Bang. They've always been around, and they always will be. Well, that's how it seems to me, and yet I have never heard a single track from these revered masters of the genre. In reality, Focus were formed in 1969 in Holland (or the Netherlands, if you prefer) and have had a total of ten albums since then, this being their eleventh. Why then is it called “Focus X”? I have no idea. It would seem though that Focus are essentially firmly rooted in the seventies, with big instrumental passages, guitars drums and organ overlaid by flute, though unlike many prog rock bands of that, or even this, time, they don't seem to indulge (at least on this album) in epics, as most of the tracks are around the five or six minute mark, nothing over. The title track, which for some inexplicable reason they call Focus 10, exchanging the Roman numeral for a digital one, has some lovely laidback guitar and a taste of Steely Dan about it, very relaxed and effortless, solid organ riding behind the smooth guitar lines. So far though, other than one spoken line, more in the way of an introduction or announcement, this has all been instrumental. There would seem to be a lot of jazz influences here (bad news for me!) but quite soft and flowing, rather than what I tend to see as meandering, often directionless playing --- I know, I know! Look, I just don't like jazz, okay? --- with mainman and founder Thijs van Leer the fulcrum of the band, playing Hammond, flute and keys, as well as doing the odd vocal. On guitar we have Menno Gootjes, replacing the irreplacable Jan Akkerman, but then he did leave in 1976, though he returned for the odd album. A rockier, but not that much more uptempo instrumental, pulling in influences from mid-eighties Genesis is Victoria, with some nice interplay between guitar and flute, then it's quite a shock to hear vocals come seemingly out of nowhere for All hens on deck, perhaps the heaviest track on the album so far, with spiralling guitar, driving organ and of course flute. The vocal is sparse, almost just mimicking the notes on the organ, but it's still interesting to hear some singing, if you can call it that. Pretty improvisational, I'd say. Great bit of classical guitar on Le tango, with a certain eastern tinge to it, slowing everything right down and indeed introducing the first proper vocals from van Leer, and to be fair they've been worth waiting for, as he is one heck of a singer. The rhythm section keeps it tight and everything ticks along nicely, while Hoeratio has a lot of solo Tony Banks atmosphere in it, until van Leer comes in with almost spoken vocals in what I assume is his native language, adding a further layer of weird on the song, followed by breakout guitar by Gootjes, and Talk of the clown, with its bouncy flute lead and bassline, sounds like something they use as the soundtrack for one of those badly-animated kids' shows I used to watch when I was, well, a kid: the likes of “Mary, Mungo and Midge”, where the emphasis was more on colour, fun and being friends than technical ability in the field of art. It also comes across as something like an Irish jig; needless to point out, it's quite short. And weird. It's followed by Message magic, another short song, though in contrast this opens like a Nick Cave song and then goes into an almost AOR style slow guitar instrumental, with some nice piano. Parts of the melody also remind me of ABBA. Closer X roads then goes back to the jazz, pumping it all up with a fast piano, ticking bass and rolling drumbeat, kind of reminds me in places of the early work of Supertramp. Bit of Santana in there too, then just when you think it's another instrumental, Thijs van Leer comes in with a vocal to close the show. Nice. Overall impression: Good musicianship, would liked to have heard more vocals, but overall not bad. Doubt I'll become a fan of Focus though... bit too jazzy for me overall. Intention: I'm not that pushed but I might, maybe, try another album. Or I might not. Probably not. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-13-2015 at 12:10 PM.