Okay, as promised here is the review of the new album by cloudcover, starring our very own YorkeDaddy. I put so much into this that without realising it (but suspecting) it went well over the 20,000 limit, so has to be split into two parts. Here's part one.
We may not all realise it, but Music Banter is bursting at the seams with bright musical talent, from Wolverine and Astronomer's beautifully sung renditions to original material from Plankton and Frownland, to name but a few. I'm going to have to make it my business to spend more time in the "Members showcase" section: I'm missing out on some really good music! Occasionally our members put together enough material to release an album, and I'm trying to be the go-to guy for reviewing these as they're released. The first of these was of course Plankton's Odyssey's "Krill", which I enjoyed immensely, and now it's's the third album from cloudcover.
Frownland --- cloudcover --- 2013 (Self-released)
So who, or what is or are cloudcover (I believe the lowercase spelling is important)? Well, they're a duo, one half of whom you may know as YorkeDaddy: his real name is Bryan. And his partner-in-music is called Schuyler. I'm assuming that's his first name as no other has been mentioned, they're best friends and it would be odd to call your best friend by his second name. Unless it was Kramer. Or Waits. Anyhoo, they've been working on this album for some time now, its genesis and development charted through YorkeDaddy's journal, and now it's done and dusted and out there for public consumption. And I have consumed it.
So, what's it like? I'll get to that, but first let me lay out a little about the idea behind it. I won't go into too much detail, as this is all available from YorkeDaddy's journal as I say, and being the music's creators he and Schuyler explain it much better than I ever could. But essentially "Frownland" is a concept album based around the idea of a dystopian future a la "Nineteen eighty-four", but also bringing in elements of Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451". In fact, it's this idea that fuels (sorry) the opening track, as the main character works in a division of the firemen, or something similar. As the album goes on he quickly becomes disenchanted with his job, and on a wider level, the way his society is run, through a brief encounter with a girl. Yes, very Orwell, and the boys readily admit to that. But the story isn't only told from the protagonist's side --- he's never named --- and we're also given a chance to hear the "evil" side of the story.
Let me set the minds to rest of those whose minds need setting to rest: this is a brilliant album. I really love it, and I'll be gushing about it in this review. However, it does have its weak points and there are aspects of it I either don't understand, or don't think work well. But what, after all, is a review if it's not well balanced, and along with the praise there needs to be some criticism --- always constructive --- some comments which may not go down well, and indeed some questions. When I set out to review an album by --- let's say people I know: I wouldn't yet consider Bryan a friend, though perhaps in time, assuming he likes what I say here --- I try to be as unbiased as I can. This is not always easy. As I mentioned in the introduction to the review of "Krill", you have to be keenly aware that someone you know --- perhaps a friend --- has entrusted you with their very personal work, and you want to make sure you don't treat it in an offhand way, for good or bad. I'm sure, to use him again as an example, Plankton would not have been overly happy to read a review of his album in my journal that basically said "this is great, I like it" without expounding on why I like it, what's great about it, and looking at it from as critical a viewpoint as possible. People have said of me that if I'm one thing it's honest, if another it's fair, and that's something I try to bring to these reviews.
Of course, it can go the other way. I could hate, or not like the album, and if I do then I will not be shy about saying so. But there are ways to say that, and you also have to be mindful of the fact that you are handling someone's baby here, and you do not want to drop it carelessly. Feelings must be protected, though if harsh criticism is needed that will be apportioned out. So it's a hard balancing act, to make sure you don't insult the person or hurt their feelings, but that you don't just gush stupidly about their work in a way that makes it clear you've hardly listened to it at all.
The first time I listened to this was just that: a listen. I liked what I heard, and then decided I needed to go and read the journal, to get a better handle on the story and the vision behind the album. I'm glad I did, because it gave me a far deeper and better understanding, not only of the music but of the guys who make it. I almost feel, having read the journal and listened to the album many, many times now, as if I know them, and yet I've exchanged a few PMs with Bryan and that's all. But listening to the music someone creates, and then reading about that creation process, I think has to bring you a little closer to the artiste and help you understand what they're about, what they're trying to say, and how they went about it. It's a fascinating read, and if you haven't already you should make sure to take a look at it.
So now I know the album is firstly a concept, based around a futuristic dystopian society --- or is it? I'll come back to that sometime later, but it is important. Like most concept albums the story follows a hero -- although the guys call him the protagonist, as I don't think he's meant to be seen as a hero in the truest sense of the word --- and his oppressor, the top man who runs things, I guess we're talking about a Big Brother type of figure here. There's also a third character, a woman, but she doesn't make an appearance except through the hero's thoughts and actions.
So, as they say, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? Welcome to Frownland!
There's a slow descending synthline and hard percussion, then sprightly, boppy synth introducing "The fire this time", in which we meet our Hero (let's just call him that, it's easier) who works for the repressive government as a Fireman (with apologies to Ray Bradbury, no doubt) and is on a job, burning books seen to be seditious or undesirable by the powers that be. I believe it's Schuyler who sings most of the vocals, and it's his voice we hear take the lead, singing the part of the Hero. I must say, he has a great voice which would not be out of place in any rock band you can name. It's clear, it's deep, it's grave in its way and it fits the music perfectly. It reminds me of Neil Hannon or Nick Cave, or maybe Andrew Eldritch, that sort of dark but clear voice. As the verse is sung the buzzy synth drops away to just guitar and drums, then although there is no actual chorus the uptempo keys more or less make it, with the recurring theme from the opening section. The Hero tries to explain to the person being hunted that he's only doing his job, and that if the quarry only thought about it logically he would see that it is the right thing to do.
"We are protectors of your peace of mind" he tells him, while we hear the voice of let's call him The Man, order the burning of the books:
"Burn it to ashes/ And then burn the ashes too!"
The song ends very cleverly with the sound of air-raid sirens (which I think used to be the klaxon used in Fahrenheit 451) and the sound of marching, jackbooted feet. After this powerful opener things take a quieter turn with "One private moment", a ballad with just acoustic guitar but with the drums running in a military style, as if to remind us this is still a man who is a tool of the government, an oppressor, a stepper on human rights and a fascist weapon. The story is not clear here, but it would appear that, rather like in "Nineteen Eighty-Four", the Hero meets a woman whom he falls for, and who shows him a different side to the life he's been leading. It's not said whether or not she is part of any resistance --- or indeed, if such a thing exists --- but she certainly impresses the Hero, and he begins to think of simpler things like love and companionship. The song is, I guess necessarily, short, as it is only meant to be a temporary respite for the Hero, but it leads to him eventually questioning everything he has up until now taken for granted. There's a lovely vocal harmony in the chorus --- which I think they prefer to call the refrain here, as it only comes in the once and ends the song --- and as the album goes on you get to appreciate that Bryan and Schuyler really have a grip on some perfect vocal harmony work, which adds an extra layer to their music. Don't know whether they'll appreciate this or not, but this song gives me a very clear sense of Snow Patrol.
During the refrain, as they sing
"Let's go for a ride/ See all the sights/ Dance under the glow of the lights in the snow/ We'll dream about love/ Nobody will know" there's a lovely soft, almost subsumed trumpeting keyboard line running that in ways reminds me of quiet bagpipes, and works really well with the melody. I wish it were longer, but to fit in with the rest of the story I suppose it can't be. It's a mere two and a half minutes, and you mourn its passing the moment it's over, but although "One private moment" is not forgotten, it's replaced by again a totally different track, both of which are two of my favourites on an album that has many standout tracks.
Introducing The Man, who is very cleverly identified by the utilisation of the vocoder, so that every time you hear the metallic voice, that's him, "Welcome to the party" is a masterpiece of black humour. I don't want to overly gush as I said, but the fact that the guys have latched onto the possibilities of using a double meaning for the party is really impressive. While it obviously denotes The Party, the shadowy, all-powerful force in Orwell's masterpiece, it also can mean a good time, a get-together, a disco, and this is exactly what happens. It would appear that The Man entices people to join his Party by way of booze, probably sex and drugs, by throwing a big disco wherein new members are inducted. He exults through the vocoder
"So very happy that you came" as he greets the new arrivals, and assures them that
"Tonight we are all one beating heart/ So forget the past, let the present start." I'd like to pause here for a moment and sort of deconstruct the lyric, which I think is probably the cleverest and most revealing on the album.
The Man welcomes every new member to the Party, as we've said. He checks they're expected ---
"Could I get your name/ To make sure you're on the list?" --- and then tells them
"Forget the past/ Let the present start." This, to me, says several things. Whether these were intended or not I don't know, but here's how I see it. When you join the Party your sins, crimes and any other indiscretions are overlooked, forgotten, expunged. In return for total loyalty to the Party they ensure nothing can harm you, come back out of your past or that you can be held responsible for anything you did in your life prior to this. It really is a new life: when you join the Party you leave your past behind and you take on a new future. You're essentially reborn, in the Party's image and with their metaphorical shackles attached to you. The Man goes on to promise
"You won't be the same when you leave these walls" which I think is a way of saying you entered as an individual, but now all that has changed and you are a cog in the massive machinery of the Party. Although cogs are just parts and nobody cares about them, one broken or misaligned one can bring a mighty machine to a halt, so all cogs will be afforded the proper, shall we say, maintenance?
He then goes on to outilne the many benefits of being part of this organisation:
"Welcome to the Party where wrong is right/ Day is night/ Black is white." The Party decides what is acceptable, not society as a whole. If you do something that is intrinsically seen as wrong, but the Party does not believe it to be wrong, it is not. This of course takes the idea from "Nineteen Eighty-Four", where Winston Smith is asked how many lights he sees, and says four. And his interrogator then asks him, "And if the Party says there are five lights, then how many are there?" Reality, truth, perception and acceptance are all decided by the Party, and if you do not agree then you do not belong. But as long as you toe the (Party) line, you'll be fine. The Man then warns, in a friendly but really threatening way,
"It's unwise to drink alone." The Party does not want people alone. People alone are bad news. They're loners, and worse, they can become thinkers. And the last thing the Party wants is thinkers. More to the point, someone who is alone is not with others, and therefore cannot be observed, controlled, guided, led. If two of three people think A, and number three thinks B, there's a reasonable chance that the first two will try to change his mind, especially if the Party wants them all to think A.
There is also a hinted-at threat, although again it's couched in terms of friendliness and camaraderie:
"You'll never leave this place alone." The clear implication here is that once you're part of the Party, spies will be watching you and your movements, speech, actions and perhaps even your thoughts will be observed, checked, reported if necessary. Having joined the Party, you will suddenly acquire many silent shadows who will be all too willing to turn you in should you stray from the path. The bouncy, bubbly synth also becomes, as Bryan and Schuyler confirm in their journal, easily identifiable as a tool of the Party, an instrument of evil (I always said it!) amd so whenever the "bad guys" are in a scene in a song, you will hear the synth almost as their voice, their herald, their attack dog. It works really well as the album progresses, and it's another great original idea from these two --- let's not call them genius, but they're pretty damn intelligent, okay?
The song is driven on a funky, dancy beat reminiscent of those seventies disco bands, and more recently, Daft Punk's resurrection of same on their "Random access memories" album, with thumping beats, funky guitars, dancy uptempo squelchy synth and a real party atmosphere. The Man is the MC for the night, welcoming people and telling them
"You won't be the same/ When you leave these walls". My own personal interpretation of this --- which may be completely wrong --- is that while at this "induction party", pictures are taken, perhaps video, compromising positions may be arranged, blackmail prepared, so that the inductees have no option but to swear allegiance to the Party or have their behaviour broadcast to their loved ones. But it's all under the guise of a welcoming houseparty and The Man certainly does his part as he singsthe welcoming speech, gathering more sheep into his flock. Super track, and again pity it's not longer, but then I guess it's probably exactly as long as it needs to be. These guys have worked this thing out to the
nth degree, they know what they're doing.
Either of the foregoing could be singles easily, and I mean
hit singles. Especially with Daft Punk making disco
en vogue at the moment, "Welcome to the party" is something I could hear not only playing on radios across the country but in discos everywhere. Infectious, catchy, simple and a tune that just sticks in your head: all the hallmarks of a hit single. The next song sees our Hero begin to reassess his life, thinking about what he has been doing and seeing his work, in the light of his new relationship, as perhaps not the societal service that he had believed it to be. Again very clever, the song is titled "Independence Day", I assume to reflect the sudden independence of thought, the release from the shackles of the Party of his mind, and accordingly it veers between a bright, optimistic upbeat line on guitar and a darker, more sombre tone on synth. There's a nice kind of Coldplay feel to the opening part, and it's generally a mid-to-uptempo style then about halfway through a very dark Nick Cave sound comes through as Schuyler sings
"Pledge allegiance to the ones that love you/ Not the ones like you!"
The next track features, I'm told, Bryan on vocals, and he does a great job on "Diluted", in which the Hero begins to become a little paranoid as he sees spies everywhere, sure that he's being watched, that his secret is known. It's clear that he's either working against the Party now, or thinking about doing so. There's a good heavy guitar melody carrying the song, and it's an uptempo rhythm with again great vocal harmonies and of course a certain sense of paranoia, which is surely justified as we plough into "Your existence is in bad taste", with a klaxon and that blaring thick synth as The Man and the Party arrive, shouting that the Hero is surrounded. It's a really nicely-constructed industrial/new-wave piece which reminds me of Numan with some great work on the vocoder going up and down the registers and a real feeling of being pent in, trapped, indeed surrounded. However, there is a way out and next our Hero and his woman are running, and wibbly synths take us into "Keep up the pace" with a very Genesis keyboard tailing off.
A fast uptempo piece, the song certainly gives a sense of running and pursuit, with sharp violin and trundling drums, as Schuyler tells his girl that they have started a revolution ---
"We're in the news/ We've lit a fuse" --- and hopes others will join them, though this at the moment seems unlikely. A very jangly guitar opens "Small stones", another highlight, though I have to wonder if the guys have heard Tiamat, as their song "Love is better than soma" has the very same opening lines? Hmm. Anyway, the song rocks along nicely as the Hero tries to pretend everything is okay as he and his girl go on the run, knowing in his heart his fight is probably doomed to failure, even though he sings
"We are the small stones/ That brought Goliath down". There's again some great vocal interchange here, as Schuyler sings
There's nothing they can do" while Bryan sings
"Disappear from view." A sort of Beatles breakdown then in the vocal as the song heads into its end, and into the next track, another soon-to-be-classic.