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Hi everyone and welcome to the first Journal News of the new year. A new year usually brings with it some changes, and we've had a few here at the NewsFoxes. Firstly, we're sad to say goodbye to Kate, who has left us for a better position in her hometown, but we're excited to be able to introduce you to not one, but two new members of the NewsFoxes team. More about them later. We've also decided to change the format of the section slightly. Instead of having each of the girls concentrating on one particular subject (Helen with Rock and Metal, Laura with Already Running Features and so on) we're going to be splitting up the reporting between the now four members of the team, with each taking a story and then passing the next one on to her colleague. We'll see how it works out. So without further adieu (hee hee) let's get this party started! (News from Laura)Laura? |
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Thanks, ladies, and welcome to both our new recruits, Alicia and Li-Chang. You'll be hearing more from them over the coming months. One last thing then before we go: you've probably been wondering what the Pollys are all about, with the teaser posts Trollheart has been putting up every day now. Well, we here at NewsFoxes of course know, but we've been sworn to secrecy, so all I can say is wait and see. Only five more days to go... See you all next month with more news on what's happening here at the Playlist of Life. One thing is for sure though: there's always something going on! |
Sin-atra --- Various Artists --- 2011 (Eagle)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...al_tribute.jpg Oh, whether this is great or a load of tosh it's definitely gonna be fun! When I saw this I just had to buy it: a tribute album to old Blue Eyes by rock and metal bands? I am so there! We've had this sort of thing before, of course, but mostly by pop acts, with the likes of Westlife's “May we be Frank?” --- no you may not! --- and of course Robbie Williams' “Swing when you're winning”, and tribute albums by their very nature are nothing new, but to see the cream (maybe) of rock pay homage to the Chairman has got to be worth a listen! As expected, it's insane from the off, with Devin Townsend mashing up, chewing up and spitting out that classic “New York New York”, even more disturbing than Sid's, er, rendition of “My way”! Power metal chords, a growl that would make Waits blush and a total irreverence mixed with a sense of awe and respect that you just have to smile at. I'm sure ol' Frankie himself would approve. Well, maybe not. But it's fun, and Devin's ad-libbing --- ”I wanna wake up/ In a city that doesn't sleep/ And find I'm king of the hill/ Overlord of the freakin' universe!” --- just adds to the sense of surrealism and fun this first cover has to engender in all but the most stony-faced and, dare I say, square music fans? Glenn Hughes is up next, to tackle that old love ditty, “I've got you under my skin”, and to his credit he doesn't mess too much with the source material like ol' Devin, putting a heavy hard guitar melody on it but generally sticking to the original lyric and tune. Good version, if not quite as much madcap fun as the opener. Nice addition of horns in a respectful nod back to Frankie's big band backing. Nice keyboards that really complement the guitars here. Gives the song quite a dramatic, almost ominous feel. Not too much info available on this release, sadly, so I can't tell you specifically who plays on what, only the vocalists, but you'll no doubt recognise Queensryche's frontman Geoff Tate on a blastin' version of “Summerwind” which is just a joy to listen to, swaying along on a semi-big-band rhythm, great guitars and brass, though I think the latter may be on keys. It's even possible that the same backing band is used across the album, just with different vocalists, though that may not be the case. Either way, there's a cool guitar solo backed with some heavy keys on this, and an almost Sabbathesque ending, then it's the turn of Mister Twisted Sister himself, the one and only Dee Snider. Now I would have thought “The lady is a tramp” was tailor-made for Dee, but he's decided to go with his interpretation of “It was a very good year”, which I have to say from the opening is virtually unrecognisable from the original, but when Dee gets singing he really gives it his all --- as he always does --- and totally gets into the groove and the spirit of the thing. Backed by a Zep Kashmir-like melody, he definitely puts his own spin on the song, and without question he still has a fine set of pipes, even, what, twenty-five years later? After that, it's hard to discount anything, but Tim “Ripper” Owens singing “Witchcraft”? That seems to be stretching the envelope to tearing point, however the ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth vocalist has a good bash at the song, and comes away leaving it still breathing. Barely. Hard and heavy screaming guitars and crunching drums are the order of the day, and it's probably the fastest version of any of the Sinatra catalogue on the album so far, even approaching Devin Townsend's “New York, New York” for sheer insanity and fun. That sounds like harmonica there, but I'd be willing to bet it's being made on a keyboard. Strangely enough perhaps, no-one has decided to tackle Frankie's swansong, perhaps agreeing that the ex-Sex Pistols guitarist's version was the definitive (what?), so the next one up is “Fly me to the moon”, and it's Cheap Trick's Robin Zander that takes it on, opening with a whimsical little snippet of NASA dialogue, then the song takes off itself, rocking along but really not too far removed from the original, though obviously a lot faster and heavier. The band certainly have a whole lot of fun behind him, but as with just about all the covers here, you never get the feeling they're laughing at the songs, just rearranging them --- in some cases radically! --- for their own genre, and in that sense making them theirs, as a certain show's judges never tire of saying. We mentioned “The lady is a tramp” earlier, and indeed it does make a showing here, handled by Eric Martin. It's given a real big rock sound by the Mr. Big singer, with brassy keyboards and burning guitars, almost closer to AOR than metal, but still great fun, while Anthrax's Joey Belladonna does a great job on “Strangers in the night”. Being a drummer as well as a vocalist, I'm assuming that he's behind the drumkit, but don't quote me. Great guitar solo rips the song wide open, then dramatic keyboards pull it back together before Joey takes it home triumphantly. Talking of ripping songs apart, those poor rubber tree plants get it good when Franky Perez kicks the **** out of “High hopes”. It's almost too bad to even be funny, but considering the humourous frame of mind that you really have to approach this album with to be able to not be offended by it, it's a blast. Frankie must be spinning though! Meanwhile, Doug Pinnick apparently has the world on a string, or so the Kings X man would have us believe. It's probably true, and he does a fine job with the song, actually using a lovely orchestral arrangement to open, thereby coming the closest on this album (so far) to evoking the original spirit of the songs. Of course, it's not long before grinding guitars and heavy drums crash in, but to Pinnick's credit he does not overdo the vocals and really comes across as creating one of the best interpretations on the album. Nice synthwork there too. I'm not sure who exactly Elias Soriano is, other than that he's apparently in a band called Nonpoint, but he certainly flattens “Love and marriage” (can never hear that song without thinking of Al Bundy!), runs over it and then comes back to reverse over it a few times to make sure it's dead, gleefully snarling all the time. It's stupid, it's silly, it's pointless and it's very, very, very funny. Closing on perhaps an appropriate track, the philosophical “That's life” is taken by the late Jani Lane, in what must have been one of the Warrant frontman's last recordings before his untimely death in August of last year. Quite poignant, given the title and the lyric, but he does a good job with the song, with a mixture of rock, blues, gospel and big band swagger, and it's a damn good closer to what is, generally, a pretty awful album, but you don't realise that because you're laughing so much. Look, this album is never gonna win any Grammies, and it's the sort of thing you used to see in record shops (remember them?) in the bargain bin for fifty cents, and thought, nah, not worth it! But if you truly hate Sinatra you might feel like it's cocking a snook at the Chairman; if you're a fan you probably should avoid it unless you've got a great sense of humour or are very tolerant. At the very least, it's a chance to hear some of rock's finest shuffle out of their comfort zone and tackle songs that they would probably never had considered performing otherwise. It's almost like the guy in a ripped t-shirt and tatty jeans finding his way into the exclusive country club, while whispers of "Shame!" abound! And really, where else can you get to hear Dee Snider sing “It was a very good year”, Devin Townsend berate New York, or a guy from Anthrax pound out “Strangers in the night”? If you just want a good laugh, are prepared to accept a few (really) terrible versions of Frankie standards, or just need something to lift those whatever-blues from your life, this could be the one. Stick it on, rack up the volume and just try not to laugh. Hell, ol' Blue Eyes is probably bustin' a gut right now up there in the Great Gig in the Sky! Either that, or his lawyers are preparing a deposition right now... TRACKLISTING 1. New York, New York (Devin Townsend) 2. I've got you under my skin (Glenn Hughes) 3. Summerwind (Geoff Tate) 4. It was a very good year (Dee Snider) 5. Witchcraft (Tim “Ripper” Owens) 6. Fly me to the moon (Robin Zander) 7. The lady is a tramp (Eric Martin) 8. Strangers in the night (Joey Belladonna) 9. High hopes (Franky Perez) 10. I've got the world on a string (Doug Pinnick) 11. Love and marriage (Elias Soriano) 12. That's life (Jari Lane) |
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The Pollys are coming! http://www.trollheart.com/countdown5days.jpg Days to go... |
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You know, this is getting harder. The worm is beginning to wish he hadn't started this whole alphabetical thing, but as a wise worm once said, “I've started so I'll finish” --- whaddya mean, he was a human? Anyhoo, here we are with today's selection. Hope you like it. Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you by the letter I, with Imagination, “Just an illusion”. |
Daughtry --- Daughtry --- 2006 (RCA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...over_Album.jpg Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, as am I: anything affiliated with the dreaded X-Factor or American Idol is generally to be avoided, scorned, put down, reviled, and usually I would agree with that. But a few things may mark this debut out as just a little different from the usual post-competition slew of winners and also-rans that deluges the charts after a season ends. For one thing, though this is the first time I'll be listening to his work, I'm reliably informed that Chris Daughtry, who gives the band their name, can actually sing. So what, I hear you say derisively? Everyone who makes it through the auditions can sing, or thinks they can. True, but he really can. Plus, he's not riding on the musical production muscle of Cowell, having been only a finalist and not the winner of that year's show: he's signed to a proper label, and also he writes all his own songs. Well, writes or co-writes. Lastly, he's not a pop performer, he's a rocker. So, enough to perhaps sweep away those talent show prejudices, even for a little while, and give the guy a chance? Well the record-buying public certainly thought so, as this album debuted at number two in the charts when released, and has sold solidly since. Daughtry have since released two more albums, one of which was only last year, so they're certainly not milking the proceeds from this album, substantial as they must have been. They seem like a credible rock band who aren't content to just sit back and let the money roll in. They want to make music. They want to rock. And so, it seems, they do. The obvious comparisons to Nickelback are there, and Daughtry certainly follow their blueprint, Chris Daughtry himself sounding very like Chad Kroeger, but “It's not over” has a certain rock charm, with heavy guitars from the man himself, and Phil X, good solid rhythm section in drummer John Freese and bassist Chris Chaney, and “Used to” is a powerful anthem with very memorable hooks, Daughtry's voice having no trouble rising above the music, his rough, gravelly tones perfectly suited to this sort of music. Howard Benson's keyboards come a little more into the mix here, adding a little touch of AOR to the track, but it's heavy all the way. I wouldn't call it heavy metal though, but certainly heavy rock. “Home” has a definite tinge of country to the melody, veering a little towards Lynyrd Skynyrd territory, a power ballad certainly, a big hit for him in his native USA, as indeed was the opener. Sounds like there are strings in this song, but they may be synth-created as none are credited on the album. “Over you” is a triumphant eff-star-star-kay-you song, where Daughtry snarls ”Thought I'd never get through/ But I got over you!” Great guitar solo followed by a total dropaway to vocal and acoustic guitar before the song picks up again, and you can just see the fists punching the air during any live performance of this. Somewhat more restrained is “Crashed”, with big guitar sound and measured drumbeat, Daughtry really stretching his vocals on this one, mostly holding the song together by the force of his voice, at least on the verses. “Feels like tonight” has a lot of power and passion behind a fairly straightforward guitar line, but gets rockin' soon enough, while the legendary Slash guests on guitar for “What I want”, adding a real touch of class to proceedings, then things slow right down for the first real ballad in “Breakdown”. Very country-oriented, with what sounds like pedal steel but may not be (again, none is credited on the album), though being a ballad doesn't stop Daughtry cutting loose with a blazing guitar solo! In fact, as it develops, the song becomes less of a ballad and more a rocker. So we have yet to have a proper ballad, if indeed there is one on the album. Perhaps the most commercial track on the album, “Gone” has a sort of pop feel to it, though it does soon turn into a decent rocker, and “There and back again” opens with a nice funky little bassline then utilises some nice Zeppelin style guitar riffs, but the main problem I'm having here is that everything does tend to sound quite similar. Nothing is really standing out, and I'm unlikely to remember any of these tracks after the album has finished. Still, conversely, none of them are marking themselves out as bad tracks either, so I guess it's a balance delicately maintained, which itself is a difficult enough thing to achieve. More country influences in “All these lives”, with nice acoustic guitar and keyboards, but I would have thought this would have made a better ballad. Daughtry see fit to crank up the electric guitars and pound the drums, though, and it kind of melts into another standard rocker, while the closer, “What about now”, introduced on acoustic piano and guitar, could very well be that ballad we've been waiting for. It certainly resists the temptation to rock out, and it could end up being a decent finale. Yeah, it is. Pity they didn't include a few more songs like this, nice restrained guitar, keys to the fore, powerful but deep vocal, a song I don't mind being in my head as I close the review. All in all, I'm not as impressed as I expected to be, given the hype. Yes, it's a good rock album, but it's not a great rock album. It's quite generic really, with little in the way of imagination or experimentation. Perhaps their other albums trod new ground and opened up new horizons for the band, but here Daughtry play it very safe, which, while it will certainly sell records, is no way to announce yourself on your debut, no way to prove yourself a force, a lasting talent in the overcrowded heavy rock market. To be honest, it sounds like Daughtry listened to all the standard rock albums around at the time, copied the riffs, the tones, the phrasing and ended up with really more of a soundalike to the likes of Nickelback et al than their own individual sound. In this way, they become something of a clone, and it's more than a little disappointing, considering what might have been. I'm quite surprised that the album sold so well, given its generic rock sound. I should clarify that I don't think it's a bad album, just nothing terribly special, and I wonder had Chris not been on American Idol, would he have got a record deal and if he did, would the album have been as successful as it was? I guess sometimes the power of televison appeal can't be overstated. A missed opportunity, I feel. But it's still better than listening to Kelly Clarkson! TRACKLISTING 1. It's not over 2. Used to 3. Home 4. Over you 5. Crashed 6. Feels like tonight 7. What I want 8. Breakdown 9. Gone 10. There and back again 11. All these lives 12. What about now |
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The Pollys are coming! All will be revealed in http://www.trollheart.com/countdown4days.jpg Four Days... |
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Let's rock out today with the letter K! Heh heh! Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you by the letter K, courtesy of Kiss, with “God gave rock and roll to you”. |
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The Pollys are coming! All will be revealed in http://www.trollheart.com/countdown3days.jpg Days... |
A new dawn --- Orion Riders --- 2004 (Lion Music)
http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/8/0/1/38013.JPG I'm always a little dubious, even suspicious of bands who leave such a long gap between releases. There are some obvious exceptions, of course, and I don't expect every band to put out a new album every year, two or even three years, but I do feel that, particularly when it's your debut, leaving seven or more years between albums is asking a lot of whatever fans you have. There is so much good music out there that unless someone's debut really impresses the hell out of you, and you can't wait for the followup, it's going to be hard to maintain the same level of interest in them that you had if you're waiting years and years for their next album. I say all this of course because this is the full debut of Italian symphonic rockers Orion Riders, and although their Myspace page hosts a new song, and they're arranging a tour at the moment, even if their second album comes out this year, that's going to have been almost eight years between it and the first one, so unless the debut was something totally spectacular, there's a good chance that people who enjoyed it initially may have got fed up waiting and moved on. Strike while the iron's hot, say I, or in this case, the metal, which is even more of an appropriate analogy. So, was Orion Riders' first album one that made that deep an impression that you would be prepared not only to wait eight years (that's ninety-six months, almost three thousand days) for them to release their second, but to still be interested when it eventually makes it way onto the record shelves, or into itunes, or your favourite download mechanism? There are only nine tracks on the album, and one of those less than a minute long, while another is just over a minute, so are they starting out on the back foot already? Opener “In memory”, itself short enough at just under three minutes, opens powerfully and cinematically, with strong organ chords and a dramatic vocal from Joe Lombardo, the music flowing into some beautiful piano from the fingers of Tony Zappa, (presumably no relation!) who also plays the drums, oddly. Definitely puts me in mind of “Epica”-era Kamelot, then the band breaks loose for a power rocker with the perhaps inappropriately-titled “Whispers”, steamhammer drumming from Zappa melding with some fine guitar from both Antonello Condorelli and Ricardo Failla, backed up by some orchestral-style keys from Zappa, and some scorching solos from the two guitarists a little later in the song. Lombardo sings his heart out, able to hit the high registers or drop to a subtle murmur with consummate ease. Quite amazing that Tony Zappa can be such a powerful, unrestrained drummer while at the same time exhibiting such delicacy and poise when behind the keyboard. The title track is up next, and rocks along on the back of a really Malmsteen-esque guitar riff, Lombardo kicking his vocals up a few notches with the effortlessness of a trained opera singer. The song slows down a little way in, to allow something of a contemplative guitar passage, then speeds up and is off away again, charging for the finishing line. “Leave the shades behind” is slower, with some lovely classical guitar and echoey keyboard, but still remaining heavy as the previous tracks. I think the band these guys remind me of most is Nightscape, apart from the close-harmony singing which characterises that band's sound. That's no bad thing, as I love Nightscape's single album. “Lacrimae angel”, the aforementioned less-than-a-minute-long track is basically a hymn, choral vocals seemingly unaccompanied, then “Light and dark” opens on powerful guitar, bright keyboards leading the song off on a headlong dash which sounds like a charge into battle. Joe Lombardo certainly has no problem making himself heard above the music, but he tends to achieve this by virtue of his voice's natural power and strength, rather than having to shout or scream. Lovely bit of classical piano here courtesy of Zappa, and an impressive vocal performance by Lombardo. Interesting false ending, with wolf howls and then low guitar, then picking it up again as the song moves towards its proper conclusion with guitar fading it out. Opening with the sounds of traffic as perhaps heard from above, like from a hotel room, “Life's best days” displays signs of being the ballad on the album, with a fragile little piano melody and then string-style keys, Lombardo's hushed, almost sepulchral voice coming in low and gentle as the piano backs him. Drums crash in, and then guitars, and yes, this is the ballad, and it sounds like it's going to be a good one. Twangy guitar gives way to hard riffs and back again, Lombardo's voice getting stronger and more passionate on the chorus, the keys swelling behind him like a full orchestra, great guitar solo rounding out the sound. “Nocturne” is the other short track, just over a minute and a half, an instrumental (not surprisingly) sounding at once like something out of “Interview with the vampire” and “Tom and Jerry”! Nice little break though, mostly a vehicle for Tony Zappa, both his drumming but mostly his keyboard skills, which are certainly good. Unfortunately it's kind of ruined by some indulgent guitar playing which gets very warped and off-the-wall right at the end, and destroys the atmosphere Zappa has built. Closer “Old symphony” is also a little confused, certainly at the beginning, but settles down into another power rocker, Lombardo's vocals at first terrible: low in the mix, muddied, almost indistinguishable, but then he sorts them out as the track goes along. Some more nice piano breaks help it on its way, but although it's one of the longer tracks, as a closer it's lacking something, that final push, that spark that makes you really remember the song, and by association the album. In the end, this is not a bad album, but that's about as far as I would rate it. There are of course tons of symphonic/melodic/dramatic rock and/or metal acts out there, many of whom do this as good as, if not better than, Orion Riders, and I would have to say that, having listened to their album I would not be in a huge hurry to hear more, though I would be interested in a small way. However, I seriously doubt that I would have been prepared to wait eight years for a followup. This being 2012 (for those of you still drunk from the New Year's celebrations!), should they release that followup album this year I may listen to it, but were I reviewing this in 2004 I feel sure I would not be ready to wait as long as fans of this band have had to for another chance to hear the music of Orion Riders. A new dawn? Perhaps, but the sun has taken one hell of a long time to struggle up into that sky, and I feel the darkness closing in even now... TRACKLISTING 1. In memory 2. Whispers 3. A new dawn 4. Leave the shades behind 5. Lacrimae angel 6. Light and dark 7. Life's best days 8. Nocturne 9. Old symphony |
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In a world of oversensitivity and hyper-political correctness, time to blow all that to hell and get some good old t'n'a going! Look, no matter what we guys say, there are videos we will watch for one reason, and one reason only; no matter how bad the song may be, we're happy. And this is an example of why that is! Candyman --- Christina Aguilera --- 8 out of 10 on Trollheart's “Way-hay!” scale... (I have already provided a place where any letters I receive from irate or offended readers can be dealt with..) ;)http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...dUBtgChWO9e1cg |
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Well, that's what the worm gets for being smart! Forgot all about J, went right to K. Never was good at ABCs... Let's sort that out now. Here's the Jonas Brothers --- kidding! The worm is kidding... Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you --- retrospectively --- by the letter J, featuring Jefferson Starship, with “Jane”. |
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The Pollys are coming! All will be revealed in http://www.trollheart.com/countdown2days.jpg Days... |
Until we meet the sky --- Solar Fields --- 2011 (Ultimae)
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...Qlg7Esg1DaFU9w This could be a bit of a gamble for me. Sometimes, as regular readers know, I just take a chance on a name I like, knowing nothing of the artiste involved. This time it appears I've selected an electronica band, in fact, one guy, Magnus Birgersson, who goes under the name of Solar Fields. This is his tenth album, including one videogame score apparently, so he obviously has a following. There's not that much electronic music I like, with Air, Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis being the only real forays I have made into that arena, but I'm sure there's plenty of good music in that genre, and perhaps this is one of them. So let's hit play and see how we go. Well, it starts almost inaudibly, on a slowly rising synth line that takes over a minute of the nine-plus it runs for before “From the next end” can even be heard as music, the synth droning on into the second minute with the same monotone sound, but other synthy sounds can now be heard faintly in the background, some drifting in and then back out, like breezes that sigh and then fall away, or rising waves on an ocean that as easily recede. I think I can hear a voice in there among all that synthery (hey! There's another new word made up!) but what it's saying or singing is impossible to make out, more like a chant or murmur really. And still the music rises on the same line, going now for the fourth minute, meaning we're almost halfway through and it still sounds like someone tuning up. Okay, well it's nine minutes and change, so I guess there's still time for something to happen. However, you wouldn't want to be impatient, or checking out a one-minute sample of this track to see if it was worth buying! This gives a whole new meaning to the term slowburner, with the emphasis on slow! Now it's getting louder, more distinct and at five-and-a-half minutes in I can hear for the first time some percussion, which helps define the track a smidge more, but it's really more like a slow heartbeat than any real drumming, and essentially the same melody is carrying on --- if indeed you can call this repeated drone a melody. Seven minutes now, and I really doubt this is going to suddenly metamorphose into anything. I can see this one long passage going on right to the end. I have to say, for a nine-minute piece of music I am not impressed. I have no idea at all why that had to be so long: there was, to my ears, nothing in it, and yet it stretched out over that interminable length. Why? Is this the way electronic musicians normally approach their music? I sure hope not, but I'm a bit of a virgin in this territory, so I'll just have to wait and see. “Broken radio echo”, a much shorter track, at least introduces a nice piano line, just a run up and down the keyboard really, wouldn't call it a melody, and that droning synth is still in the background, having been carried over in a direct segue from the opening track. Is this what they call minimalist music? Sounds like the guy's learning how to play piano! He's not, I know that, but it's kind of the same few notes repeated, up and down the scale, an octave higher here, an octave lower there. Then some swirling synth flies past like a rush of wind, and in the same way is gone, leaving the piano playing. And now the track is coming to an end. So that makes a total of nearly thirteen minutes, and I really can't say I've heard any real music. It still all sound like some sort of tuneup or overture, as “Singing machine”, which is seven minutes long, takes the field. With a title like that, can I be foolish to at least expect some proper music? Well, at first it's all that long drony synth (is that still the same melody carried over from the very start of the album? It seems never to have stopped) with some other little effects coming in here and there, the piano from “Broken radio echo” is back again, but it fades away as quickly, and already we're halfway through the track and I still can't hear any discernible melody. Ambient? Well yeah, I guess so, though I've heard much more together and varied ambient music than this. Maybe it's all meant to make up one big track, but even then, there's not that much variation between even these three pieces. I'm a bit lost, to be honest. The piano is back for a few more notes as the song winds down then it all fades out on spacey synth. Of course, I shouldn't say it fades, as it really doesn't: it segues, again, directly into “After midnight, they speak”, but it sounds pretty much like the rest of what's gone before. I suppose this would make a great soundtrack for a documentary about exploring deep space or even the ocean, and it is very relaxing and chill-out, but I'm just not hearing anything I can pin down, either as a good or bad track. It really is like one long continuous piece of music, but basically the same all the way through. So far. Oh, there's our friend the piano again, just before the last minute of this shorter track, and again it's only there for a few moments before the synth takes over again as the song ends and merges with “When the worlds collide”. This at least introduces a new sound, a deeper, doomier synth with tiny flicks on a hi-hat (though it's probably a Linn or something programmed) with a little bass drum beginning to give the music, nearly twenty-five minutes in, something of a recognisable melody and rhythm. Warbly keyboards build up eerily in the background, very 90s new-wave, everything though still funeral-slow. Suddenly, pops, fizzes, and slightly harder drums kick a tiny bit of life into the song, though it maintains its stately, unhurried pace despite this quickening of the basic rhythm. There is a building sense of drama about this track though, and it's the first I'll remember, the first that's made any sort of impression on me, the first on which I've not been waiting --- in vain --- for something to happen. The longest track (by a few seconds only) is up next, ten minutes of “Dialogue with a river”, which at least opens on bright synth with some bass, and for the first time that long, long, droning synth that accompanied us all the way from the first track seems to have been left behind. There's a deep synth line behind the melody, yes, but it's a different one. There's a sense of nature about this piece, certainly evoking the title, with little hops and skips on the keys and trickling piano putting you in mind of rivers and babbling brooks and streams. A sharp, guitar-like sound cuts across the tune then at the three-minute mark, but rather than do anything spectacular it seems just to fade away again, perhaps as if being carried downriver, out of our range of hearing? The track has now settled into another slow and measured rhythm, graceful and flowing as the river from which it takes its title, some sounds now like birdsong and water splashing as the heavy synth fades away in the distance but then seems to stage a comeback. Drums cutting in now, perhaps the music is about to take a left turn? Hmm, yes indeed. Bit of a funk groove coming in, with vocals subsumed somewhere in the mix, far far down, and a wailing synth with some other keys coming over the top of it. A blast of feedback guitar, just for a second, and now, unless I'm very wrong and have misjudged this track, we'll have a very slow fade out of a minute to the end of the piece. The drums have dropped away, the effects receded, and we're left with humming synth to wind us down. (Weirdly, someone has actually uploaded the entire album on Youtube, so here it is!) For a ten-minute track I guess it wasn't that bad, and the fact that this is all being created by one guy has got to be praised and given proper recognition, but then, Vangelis is one guy, as is Mike Oldfield, and look at the music they produce! Well, maybe I'm missing something; maybe all Birgensson's music isn't like this. Or maybe it is. Anyway, “Forgotten” is a short track, carried on again spacey synthesiser with some bass guitar and, well, more synth. Gets a little brassy there near the end, which is nice. Different certainly, with a somewhat oriental feel about it, then we're into “Night traffic city”, another long one, almost ten minutes itself, just shy. Starts off with some nice groovy bass anyway, very very low hi-hat or cymbal, synth building again in the background, with a nice little keyboard melody playing over it, some more very buzzy synth, and some nice powerful, almost choral synth chiming in then at the halfway point, building a nice little melody. It certainly is a lot more powerful, driven and forceful than any of what has gone before. In fact, to some degree, “When the worlds collide” and this have marked a seachange in the album, where it's ceased to be one continuous --- and not very interesting, it has to be said --- piece of music, and has now started to diversify into other, more coherent and separate melodies, even songs. It's quite obvious at this point that the album --- in fact I would assume all of Solar Fields' catalogue --- is totally instrumental, with perhaps the odd vocal line here or there, and as such these kind of recordings are always a little hard to review, but even then I usually have more to work with than I have here. It's hard to single out anything as all that different, though this one does veer a little away from the standard theme on the album, standing out a little more. The piano is back for another few short notes as the piece comes to a close, then rather surprisingly it comes back in, mostly bass piano, it's true, for the intriguingly-titled “Sombrero”, but if I had expected with a title like that this track to be Solar Fields' “Moonshine” --- as in, for the melody and tempo to change dramatically and take a real left turn in terms of style, as on “Tubular Bells II” --- I am sorely disappointed, as the music remains slow, downbeat though with some interesting synth and bass work, and indeed some quite effective short pauses between the runs. Percussion suddely kicks in and the synth and piano get a little more loud and insistent, and there's a definite melody running through this. This takes us into the last long track, nine minutes of “Last step in vacuum” (you have to wonder where the guy gets titles for these tracks?) which comes in on a slow, moody, deep synth line with other synthy bits going on in and around it, and it sounds like, if the rest of the album is anything to go by, this will be a long drawn-out line that will extend at least a third into the track. And yes, we're now three minutes into the nine and the same basic melody is taking us on into the fourth, though now there is a slight chord change and the synth gets deeper, a real bassy keyboard joining the main synth, then the percussion ramps up slightly and everything gets a bit louder, a deep brassy synth making its voice heard, and then it all kind of fades off towards the closing minute. The title track then is another direct segue, in a return to the opening style of the album, with essentially the very same melody just carrying on through, percussion playing a slightly more upfront role but the dominant instrument is still that deep booming synth. The track picks up a little speed now, the melody becoming better formed as other keyboard parts come in, the drums leading the charge as a wailing high-end keyboard carries the next part of the melody. For some reason I am at a total loss to explain, this track, the title one, gives a feeling of triumph and victory. I have no idea why, it's just how it comes across to me. I guess there's more in this music than I had realised. The closer, fittingly titled “Epilogue”, carries the ending theme of “Until we meet the sky” as it fades slowly down on retreating synth, and various little keyboard effects pepper the tune, a bit of that piano coming in and then leaving again, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a huge drumroll, keyboard attack and just as suddenly it stops, and we're left with a slow fadeout to close, ending an extremely enigmatic album. I couldn't tell you I love this, I couldn't say I hate it, in fact I couldn't even tell you that I understand it. As I say, this is one of my first forays into electronica --- if that's what this is --- so I don't know, maybe all this type of music is this way, and this album is typical of the genre. But it takes a lot of getting used to. I expect my music to start at some point, and this mostly feels like it was more a warm-up, and introduction to a main event that never happened. That said, I'll admit it's left me with some sort of impression: whether good or bad I don't yet know. But if it's affected me in any way, made me think, made me wonder, I guess it can't all be bad. You know, I may just listen to this through again sometime. Just not right now. TRACKLISTING 1. From the next end 2. Broken radio echo 3. Singing machine 4. After midnight, they speak 5. When the worlds collide 6. Dialogue with a river 7. Forgotten 8. Sombrero 9. Night traffic city 10. Last step in vacuum 11. Until we meet the sky 12. Epilogue |
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Evenin' all, and may I take the hopportunity to wish you all a very 'appy new year. It may seem some time since we prosecuted our first case, but hunfortunately the wheels of justice grind hexceedingly slowly, and so we 'ave only managed recently to secure our second prosecution. It is, 'owever, what one might term a “big fish”, or in this case, three big fishes. http://www.trollheart.com/inspector.jpg It also hunderscores and 'ighlights the point that we here at SCAM 'ave been trying to get hacross to the criminal fraternity within the music business, and that is that time is no barrier to crime. What other divisions class as “cold cases”, we 'ere at the Serious Crimes Against Music Task Force merely consider “on the back burner,” so to speak, rather like the hunfortunate shepherd's pie my good lady wife asked me to keep an eye on last Sunday, ho ho, bit of police 'umour there. But to return to the matter at 'and, let me just re-hiterate my warnin' to those of you out there who think you're safe because so much time 'as passed since you perpetrated your 'enious deeds. You are not. If you 'ave commited a crime hagainst music you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Neither your money nor your hinfluential friends in 'igh places will save you from a jail cell. Let the 'eadlines below speak for themselves, and be warned, more harrests will most certainly follow, in the fullness of time. http://www.trollheart.com/scamjan1.jpg http://www.trollheart.com/scamjan2.jpg |
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Ah, back on track after yesterday's little “alphabetic malfunction”. Not the worm's favourite band, but he's always had a soft spot for this song... Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter L (L comes after K, yes?) with Level 42, and “It's over”. |
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The Pollys are coming! http://www.trollheart.com/countdown1day.jpgDay to go --- All will be revealed tomorrow! |
Ragnarok --- Tyr --- 2006 (Napalm)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...r-official.jpg I've always been interested and fascinated by Norse mythology --- Odin, Thor, Loki, all that lot --- so this band look like they could be right up my rainbow bridge. Stacey-Lynn already featured one of their tracks on her “Random track of the day” slot a while back, and I must say I liked what I heard, though the term “folk metal” seems somewhat incongruous. Nevertheless, it seems the two genres can live side by side, if only in uneasy truce, so let's have a listen and see how they get on. This is the third album from Faroe Islands-based Tyr, and it may stretch the endurance a little, as some of the tracks are written in their native language, but really, a foreign tongue should not be a barrier to good music, as I've noted before, so let's crank this album up and see how it goes. Appropriately titled, “The Beginning” opens on nice jangly guitar, certainly quite folky, but how long before it becomes metal, I wonder? Well, it would seem the answer to that is about one minute, as harder, electric guitar comes crashing in and the drums pound harder, getting into a rhythm, but with two minutes of a five-minute song gone and yet no singing I begin to wonder is this an instrumental? Certainly some great guitar work from Terji Skibenaes (let's just call him Terji, eh?) counterpointed by sort of introspective rhythm guitar from Heri Joensen, who also takes vocals, I believe, though at the moment he's letting his axework do the talking. Or singing. Yeah, this has to be an instrumental: we're now less than a minute from the end, and it's a good opener, setting the scene well, before “The hammer of Thor” hits us, definitely more metal with little of the folk about it (unless it's “folk this!” --- sorry) and Joensen starts singing. Not a bad voice, not growly, not screaming, well suited to the music. The guitars chug away in the background as he sings, with some pretty good backing vocals helping. It's the longest track on the album, at six and a half minutes plus change, and tells the story of the forging of Mjollinir, Thor's legendary hammer. I would assume that the album is some sort of concept, with Norwegian legend at its core, as the title, the inclusion of Thor, plus tracks like “Brother's bane” and “The ride to Hel” all seem to point towards the epic “twilight of the gods” which is Ragnarok, the end of days. I have to hand it to Heri Joensen: he doesn't fall into the trap of becoming a parody of himself, or of seeming either not to take the subject matter seriously enough, or taking it too seriously, striking a good balance between both. Similar bands who have undertaken classical myth as part of the reason that underpins their songs have either come across as cartoonish --- Manowar, at least on their first three albums --- or overindulgent and poe-faced, as in Virgin Steele's treatment of classical Greek myth. Tyr seem to be able to avoid both snares, and tread a comfortable middle path. “Brother's bane” is what I think you might describe as a metal lay, and I don't mean a willing chick in leather! A lay was an ancient poem or song, usually in praise of some hero or other, and usually with a sad or bad ending. The song goes back to Tyr's folk metal, and while the guitars are hard and impressive, they're not as rocky as on the previous track, the song kind of swaying and flowing along rather than careening headlong. It's not in any way a ballad, but there are balladic elements in it. I assume it refers to Loki, Thor's evil half-brother, though which is the bane and which the brother I'm not sure (see? I told you I knew my Norse legend!); probably Loki is the bane of Thor. Nice fluid guitar solo from Terji, but the song really rides along on the powerful vocals of Heri, and it's really quite effective. “The burning” is a nice little instrumental, which really shows what the two guys can do on the guitar, with epic overtones and a nice sort of laidback melody, then without the slightest warning we're into “The ride to Hel” (one “l”: this is the Norse underworld, not the Christian Hell), a hard heavy cruncher as Heri relates the credo of the viking warrior, that they fight on Earth in order to gain a place of honour in Valhalla, the halls of the brave, but know that the dark kingdom of Hel awaits those who do not achieve that glory. It's a powerful song, and again Heri's vocal is clear and distinct without ever going into overdrive; very controlled. Great guitar solos and the drumming from Kary Streymoy and bass from Gunnar H. Thomsen forms a rhythm section as tight as your boss when you ask for a raise. Now here's where it gets a little harder. The next two tracks are in Faroese, the native language of the Faroe Islands, so I could not tell you what they're about, the moreso because even the titles are in Faroese. But the first one, “Torsteins Kvaeoi” (that spelling is not correct, but there are weird little characters that don't translate to English, so that's as close as I can get) is a sort of chest-beating chant, with chunky guitars leading the charge, and great backing vocals, even if I haven't a clue what they're singing. I would think --- and this is a really wild guess --- that it's some sort of warrior chant before battle, or maybe in a mead hall after, or before, battle. Really, your guess is as good as mine, unless you speak the language, and mine is not good at all. The music is great though, very powerful and dramatic, and does give you the impression of something on the horizon, as I say perhaps a battle or confrontation of some sort which is due to happen soon. The next one is also in Faroese, only a minute long (well, a few seconds short of that), and is absolutely a chant, this time acapella with only dull drums (which could be someone banging an axe-haft on the floor) as accompaniment, then to make things even weirder, “Wings of time” has the verses in English with the chorus, it would seem, in Faroese. This makes it possible to get an idea of what the song is about, but not being able to interpret the possibly all-important chorus makes it hard to confirm that idea. At its heart though, “Wings of time” seems to be another warriors' chant, a song of the brave, and in ways mirrors the first all-Faroese song above (I'm not writing that bloody name again!) in melody and construction. “The rage of the Skullgaffer” (what a great name!) is another workout on the guitar, an instrumental where Heri and Terji show us the breadth and reach of their expertise on their chosen instrument. There's no drumming at all, it's simply guitars all the way through the two minutes, and very impressive, then “The hunt” ramps everything up again with a fast rocker, this time all in English, with a pretty lengthy instrumental section on --- you guessed it --- guitar, which then slows down in the middle to allow for a sort of bluesy, moody piece before it speeds right up again as the song approaches its end. “Victory” is a short intermission which starts off with the sound of horses galloping and then doors opening into what must be an ale-house of some sort, with flutes and bass creating the indoor ambience, and very cleverly Tyr use this melody to take us directly --- and I mean segue seamlessly --- into “Lord of lies”. A rocky, uptempo folk metal trip, this is led by guitar and is almost a boogie in its rhythm, with a little bit of Farose in the lyric which is mostly in English. It would appear to be the song of Loki as he waits gleefully for the day when he will destroy the gods with all his dread allies as the time of Ragnarok approaches. Another short instrumental then in “Gjallahornia” (no, I don't know what it means) and then the title track comes in, opening on Faroese but later settling into English lyric, as the Twilight of the Gods is seen from the perspective of the good folk of Asgard, it being a time they dread but know is to come, and cannot avoid. In ways, they look forward to it, as it is to be the battle to end all battles, but they also know that prophecy has foretold that they will be beaten, and that the mighty Rainbow Bridge will be shattered, the gods cast down forever. It's a slow, doom-laden piece with chiming guitar and steady, measured drumming, creating the proper atmosphere as the gods of Asgard face their nemesis, knowing they can never win. The story of Ragnarok is not a happy one, and has not a happy ending, though there is hope, for at the end of the huge battle the last two humans will survive, and rebuild the race of men, who will continue without the interference of the gods in their lives. The passing of one dynasty leads to the creation of another, which will last longer and, arguably, do more mischief than the gods of Asgard ever did in their time. It's a powerful climax to the album, with a great vocal performance from Heri, who still refuses to give in to the temptation to roar or scream, perfectly happy with the strength of his voice, and so he should be, for it's clearly audible above the guitars and the drums. The album then ends on one more short instrumental, rather fittingly and possibly bleakly titled, “The end”. It's only forty seconds long, and really is nothing more than a continuation of the guitar theme from the title track, but it places a nice sort of coda on the album. I would have of course been happier if the album had been all in English, or if I had some way to translate the Faroese lyrics, particularly as this definitely seems to be a concept album based on the Norse legend of the Twilight of the Gods, but that aside this is one hell of a great album (or should I say, one Hel of a great album?), being the first time I have encountered metal and folk elements so expertly and compatibly interwoven. The theme of the Norse gods sold me on “Ragnarok” from the beginning, but I did wonder if the album would live up to my expectations. It did. TRACKLISTING 1. The Beginning 2. Hammer of Thor 3. Envy 4. Brother's bane 5. The burning 6. The ride to Hel 7. Torsteins Kvaeoi 8. Grimur A mioalnesi 9. Wings of time 10. The rage of the Skullgaffer 11. The hunt 12. Victory 13. Lord of lies 14. Gjallahornia 15. Ragnarok 16. The end |
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And so we reach the halfway point in the alphabet. Lots to choose from for the letter M, who to go for? Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter M, with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and “Davy's on the road again”. |
Bon Iver --- Bon Iver --- 2011 (4AD)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...x-Bon_iver.jpg Okay, okay! Enough already! Having been told how good these guys were, I've capitulated and decided to listen to some of their music. Certainly getting great press here on MB, so there must be something in it. However it appears the guys only have two albums, so I've gone for the most recent, last year's self-titled. Justin Vernon seems to be the brains behind the outfit, being not only founder member and producer, but sole composer both of lyrics and music, as well as playing guitar, bass, drums, piano, banjo and about twenty other instruments: hey, what does he need the rest of the band for? Well, original members Matt McCaughan and Sean Carey add their own weird sounds into the mix, including things like bowed vibes, brushes, handclaps, and both seem to be involved in the choir that plays on the album. In addition to these guys, Vernon has brought in sax players, pedal steel and horn players, changing the sound and musical direction, apparently, from the debut album. “Perth” is the opening track, quite laidback, gentle, nice piano and guitar, with then some rolling, military-style drums fading in almost, then the vocals begin, reminding me of CSNY to be honest, and then the music comes up a bit more strongly, not really upping the tempo, just becoming louder and more prominent. Vernon seems to have quite a high-pitched voice, which at first I must say I find just a little off-putting (there's no pleasing me, is there?), and the song then gets heavier and harder, electric guitar crashing in to meet the sudden influx of drums, with horns and strings riding along behind them. Quite interesting: I would not have expected the song to change style so sharply. It segues, via a lone guitar line, directly into “Minneosta, WI”, and I only now notice that almost all of the tracks are named after cities or states. Guitar drops away and a nice violin/viola backing to Vernon's voice, lower this time, not so high-pitched, with some good sax there and banjo making its presence felt too. Heavy drums roll in, accompanied by a sharp electric guitar, but the song somehow doesn't really get that much heavier, which is quite a feat. Nice horn arrangement, but the instrument that takes up my attention most is that banjo, giving the song quite a country/folk feel. A bit jarringly, the song seems to just stop suddenly, and we're into “Holocene” --- which, as far as I know, is not a city or a state --- and a nice gentle guitar melody accompanying the vocal, which is back high again, with some nice backing vocals. Little piano there getting in on the melody too, filling it out a little more, then those rolling drums are coming back in: seems to be a feature of the album so far. This kind of puts me in mind of very early Eagles, like their first album, or maybe “Desperado”, and next track up, “Towers”, continues that similarity, while adding in touches of Neil Young and his compatriots in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Slightly more uptempo but still laidback, it's the high-pitched vocal again in the ascendancy, the track carried mostly on guitar, with our good friend Greg Leisz, whom we last heard from on Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia" album, putting in a star turn on the pedal steel, then the whole thing kicks up a gear and turns into a mid-paced country song, violins and strings arrangement keeping it from being just another country tune though. The cleverly-titled “Michicant” has very definite tones of Simon and Garfunkel at their height, another sparse, gentle little song, almost acoustic, the drums this time more bouncing in than rolling for once, and quite effectively too, like someone dropping tennis balls onto a floor. Echoey, you know? Nice organ passage near the end, then some electric guitar sidles in, almost unnoticed, the organ allying up with it, but the song is definitely carried on the close-harmony vocals which always grab your attention. I guess that would be the choir that's been mentioned. “Hinnom, TX” opens with sort of reverb piano, Justin Vernon's vocal this time lower in the register, the way I think I prefer it. Some very effective violin and viola, then acoustic, quite hard piano opens “Wash.” and Vernon goes back to his mostly higher vocal, sounding just a little at times like a 70s Peter Gabriel, just a bit. The piano is joined by violin, but the track is still very stripped-down and basic, which in fact works very well. The piano work on this puts me in mind of the very early work of Tom Waits, particularly on his debut album, “Closing time”. This is one of the longer tracks on this album, almost five minutes long, in fact just missing out on being the longest by about forty seconds (that was “Holocene”). A more solid, synthesiser driven song then, “Calgary” starts off as a nice ballad --- though few songs on this album could be said to be uptempo anyway --- with again some nice vocal harmonies and a real feeling of yearning and longing for home. It picks up a little then, with drums and guitar pulling the song along, the percussion in particular leading the way. “Lisbon, OH” is then conversely the shortest track, just over a minute and a half of mostly synth and organ, with some odd little effects thrown in here and there, and we close on “Beth/Rest”, which has a nice digital piano opening, and a nice vocal line that reminds me of Bruce Hornsby (yeah, I know, but this album reminds me of so many artistes it's weird), with a lot of horns going on in the mix, and oh yeah, I personally hear Christopher Cross in there too. I must admit, I'm not as blown away with this album as I expected to be, given all the hype, recommendation and indeed critical acclaim. It's in no way a bad album, and I'm glad I listened to it, but I really can't say that I see it as anything all that special. As I've mentioned above, I hear a lot of derivative stuff in it, which is no real criticism, just an observation. I did expect to be left with a feeling of why hadn't I listened to this before, but what I'm left with is a musical shrug of the shoulders. Obviously I'm in the minority, given the general acclaim this album has received, but though it was okay I have to say, in the end, nah, I don't get it. TRACKLISTING 1. Perth 2. Minnosota, WI. 3. Holocene 4. Towers 5. Michicant 6. Hinnom, TX. 7. Wash. 8. Calgary 9. Lisbon, OH. 10. Beth/Rest |
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Hello, and welcome to Erin Hall, stately home of our boss and employer, Trollheart. Deep within the grounds of this huge mansion is the Sunrise Club, a top exclusive nightspot where the best and the brightest come to dance the night away, or hold parties, conferences, symposia or anything else that requires a top-flight nightspot. However, even with all the top parties held here over the years, Trollheart admits that the Sunrise Club has never hosted an event quite like this. http://www.trollheart.com/announce1a.jpg Saturday, March 24 is the date to mark in your diary, when we will be hosting the very first, inaugural Playlist of Life Music Awards, otherwise known as the Pollys. (Playlist Of Life = POL = POLLYS, geddit?) http://www.trollheart.com/Polly3.jpg So join us on March 24 to find out the winners of the 1st Pollys. Who has won best album, best artiste, best debut, as well as worst album, most disappointing album and a whole lot more besides. It'll all be hosted by me, Stacey-Lynn, with help from the girls, so it promises to be an exciting night. Hope to see you there! http://www.trollheart.com/announce1c.jpg The Pollys are coming. The 1st annual Playlist Of Life Music Awards, right here, Sunday March 24 2012. |
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Nice classic for you today, this is Harry Nilsson. Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter N, with Harry Nilsson, and “Everybody's talkin'” |
Part Two: Emotional Creatures --- Steve Thorne --- 2007 (Giant Pea)
http://www.progarchives.com/progress...0193102009.jpg A while back I reviewed Steve Thorne's album “Emotional creatures, part one” and so impressed was I by it that I promised to review the follow-up. I may take some time to keep my promises, but I always do my best to keep them, so here, some four months later, is the second part, strangely the same title but with the two parts of it reversed, so that it becomes “Part Two: Emotional Creatures”. As I mentioned in the review of part one, Thorne is not a name which will be known to many --- certainly, I had no idea who he was --- not even those among the cognesenti of prog rock, as he tends to keep something of a low profile, but he is able to call on some truly stellar talent for his projects, as indeed he did for the first album. Thorne's songs all seem to be quite personal and intimate, and he doesn't make a big deal of showing off how well he can sing, or play, surrounding himself instead with people who are exceptionally talented, but so secure in their expertise that they see no need to bedazzle and showboat. People like IQ's Martin Orford, Jadis's John Jowitt and Gary Chandler, Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison, Arena's John Mitchell and Marillion's Pete Trewavas, and that's just a few of the star names that play on this album. A suitably atmospheric opening, with wind sounds, hollow noises and open synth before the first track, “Toxicana apocalypso” gets going with nice sparkly keyboards from Geoff Downes in a very Marillion style, thumping drums from Spock's Beard's Nick D'Virgilio, reprising the slot he occupied on the previous album. Guitar cuts in then and adds to the sound, with taped snippets thrown in here and there. This turns out to be a five-minute instrumental to start us off, and there's a lot of power and drama to it, Downes' keyboards really carrying the track in a very prog-rocklike vein, then evocative guitar pulls in “Wayward”, slowing things down completely, and Thorne's voice cuts through the music like a voice crying in the wilderness. It's a dark, moody song, reminiscent of some of the more sombre work of Porcupine Tree, as Thorne sings ”I was looking on the bright side/ But I was headed down the dirty wayward road.” Downes again shines on “Crossfire”, this time playing piano on a simple acoustic ballad which bemoans the waste of life brought about by war and conflict. Nice basslines from Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison keep the song tight, with some lovely classical guitar from Arena's John Mitchell and Thorne's tortured voice rising above it all like an angel shaking his head at the pointlessness of what he sees unfolding beneath him on the Earth. “Roundabout” is a slowburner, mean and moody with very expressive keys and some nice little effects filling out the sound. Thorne's vocal is more laidback here, almost lazy, but there's nothing lazy about “Hounded”, with its mid-paced melody, guitar and keyboards meshing in perfect harmony to offer up Thorne's passionate vocal as an example of the man's inestimable craft. Muttering voices in the background add to the sense of unease this track evokes, an ominous tone. It's a long song, not quite the longest on the album but certainly taking second place at just over seven minutes. Halfway through it kicks into high gear, Gary Chandler taking the solo while the other guest from Spock's Beard, Dave Meroes, works his Rickenbacker like a man possessed. “All the wisemen” is a sharp poke at political figures (George W, anyone?) with a waltzy, 3/4 rhythm where Thorne snarls ”Thank you for tearing that hole in my sky/ And putting that twat on the moon/ Praise be for thirty-six channels of sh1te/ Lounge lizards dance to the tune.” A really nice, Steve Rotheryesque solo by John Mitchell completes the song, then we head into “Great ordeal”, where Arnie Cottrel mesmerises with his mandolin playing in a great folkish tune, acoustic as they come, with more caustic lyrics: ”We got a mortgage on a cardboard box/ Near Brighton Town/ It's by the sea/We'll settle down..” Two instrumentals follow, both quite short, the first riding in on nineties Genesisesque keyboards and helped along by Chandler's squealing guitar, surf and sea sounds helping to give “6am (your time)” a nice earthy, outdoor feel, with a nice rocky guitar solo that then gives way to soft, mellow keys as the song drifts, Vangelis-like, to its end, being replaced by “Solace”, segueing in seamlessly and continuing the Vangelis melody, with twiddly keyboards and deep booming synth, almost elemental, with a repeated vocal in the background, almost unheard, saying something like “Awaking”, though it's hard to make out the words exactly. The piece is essentially a vehicle for Geoff Downes' keyboard mastery, and though it does come across as something of a showpiece, it's delicate and sincere enough not to make you think that's what it is. Sounds of nature and gentle keyboard usher in “The white dove song”, D'Virgilo's drums crashing in suddenly and ending the idyll, as Thorne sings and takes the song along on a Beatlesesque melody, with full orchestra behind him – trombones, trumpets, cellos, violas, violins, they're all there --- and a hint of ELO in the organ passage. There are a lot of elements in this song: you can hear snippets of a “Yellow submarine” melody, echoes of “Supper's ready” by Genesis, ELO's “El Dorado” also comes to mind, and it's a very well-constructed song, able to pull all these often disparate ideas together to form a very cohesive whole, which would have made a really good closer to a fine album. My only small criticism is that I would have preferred a more powerful, definite ending, and I think it just kind of fades away, which is a pity. So who or what are these emotional creatures of whom Steve Thorne speaks, both on this album and the previous? Well, we're told in the closer, “Sandheads”, that they are us. Man, woman, humans, call us what you will, we are the emotional creatures: fragile, quick to anger, quick to fight, slow to forgive, ready to love, always ready to hate. The orchestra are back to provide a dramatic and lush backdrop to this finale, and a beautifully passionate guitar solo from John Mitchell completes the wonder, leading to a really clever and effective closing track, which finally pulls together the closely-interwoven yet separate threads of two albums, tying them all neatly up as the project comes to a close. I will be delving further into Steve Thorne's catalogue later in the year, hopefully, though those who want more of the same should be advised that the Emotional Creatures project was just that, a project, which Thorne has now completed, and to be fair to the guy, he needs to stretch his artistic muscle --- which is very considerable, based on what I've heard so far --- and strike out in other directions. Nevertheless, on the strength of this project, I have no doubt that whatever he turns his hand to next will be pretty damn good, and I'll be interested to hear it. TRACKLISTING 1. Toxicana apocalypso 2. Wayward 3. Crossfire 4. Roundabout 5. Hunted 6. All the wisemen 7. Great ordeal 8. 6 am (Your time) 9. Solace 10. The white dove song 11. Sandheads Recommended further listening: Duh! “Emotional creatures, part one”! |
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Well, one thing's for sure: the worm will never attempt this again! O turned out to be even harder to find a decent song for than H! Can't wait to get to X... :rolleyes: Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you (eventually!) by the letter O, with Jeffrey Osborne, and “On the wings of love”. |
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Young foolish happy --- Pixie Lott --- 2011 (Mercury)
Moderator cut: image removed What? What? Run that by me again... Pixie Lott? Jeez, for a moment there I thought you said … wait a minute! You did! Pixie Lott! Are you insane? Well, quite possibly, but it has yet to be proved by a court beyond a reasonable doubt, so I remain at large. Yeah, there are some albums I can't wait to review, some I'll never review, and some I think I'll never even listen to. But the odd time it's just the old male urge that pushes me to listen to something that's recorded by such a stunner. Hey, sometimes it works though usually not, but I have to admit I'm floored by this girl's looks, so am I going to dissolve into a huge lump of mush and tell you all that her album is brilliant if it's not, just cos I think she looks sexy? Oh no way! If this album is as terrible as I fear it may be, Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is going to get a good spanking (sadly, only verbal!) from me, and no mistake. Oh, and just for the sheer fun of it, here's a gratuitous sexy picture of her from Wiki! Moderator cut: image removed But let's give her a chance --- hello? Hel-lo? That's better. Now pay attention please, I don't write these reviews for the good of my health, you know! --- and see if she's more than just a (very) pretty face. This is her second album, and she's already been ranked alongside such luminaries (ahem!) in her field as Rihanna, Adele and … well, I don't know that many more, you understand, but she's seen as one of the bright new rising stars of pop. Does she deserve that title? Well, the album certainly sold well, but then you'd expect that with the demographic she's reaching for. But is there any substance to her music, or is it just generic pap for the teenage girlies to shake their little booties to …. er, excuse me for just a moment: did it suddenly get very hot in here? Right, enough of this pseudo-sexual innuendo. Let's get down to basics and see if her music is as good as her looks. Is there anything underneath that young, pulsing, nubile --- STOP IT I SAID! Humph! That's better. Behave yourself: children may be reading this! Okay, one rant before I begin. Why is it that so many of these “pop” albums need armies of producers? I mean, there are fourteen tracks on this album and twenty different producers! Like,why? What's wrong with letting the one guy --- or girl --- produce the lot? And we're not even counting engineers, mixers, and so on. Well, on the bright side I see that Pixie co-writes all the tracks herself, so at least she's able to put together a song or two. Are they any good though? Opener “Come get it now” (ooh yeah!) starts as a pretty generic dance track with a little soul infused in it, and I have never ever heard Pixie Lott up to now, so I have to say she has a nice, mature-sounding voice which from the off reminds me of Sam Brown, though nowhere near as strong (but then, who is?). The track is generally carried on synth and keys, as you would probably expect, with a certain nod to seventies disco on the keyboards, though as to who plays what I couldn't tell you as the band is not credited, be they session musos or her actual backing band. “All about tonight” was the lead single from the album, and went right to number one. It does nothing for me, an annoyingly sub-Kylie dance track with bleating keyboards and handclap drumbeats. Not impressed so far. Oh, big surprise, I hear you gasp! At least the songs are all short, as again you would probably expect with music of this type. It's snappy, quick, to the point (if there is one), the longest track being just under four minutes. A rap courtesy of Pusha T on “What do you take me for”, another single, does not help my mood, but hey, I knew what I was (probably) getting into when I started this. Hell, it's good for dancing, but I'm a bit old to shake my little booty, and anyway, I listen to music for more than just a decent beat. Oh, how awful to be old! Nah, seriously, even when I was in my teens I never liked this type of music. I'm a rocker at heart, and I'll die a rocker, proud of that. So she gives Rihanna a run for her money (probably) on this track, her voice seeming to be cracking a little: perhaps not quite able to hit those high notes she thought she could? Much better is “Nobody does it better”, with a very laidback seventies motown feel --- no, it suddenly changed into a jungle-type dance track with bubbling keyboards and a funky guitar line, so scratch that comment at the opening of this paragraph. I thought this was going to be a lot better, and the title belies the originality of the song. Bah. Pass. Next! More dance nonsense in “Kiss the stars”, which apparently will be the next single. Can't wait. Oh, hold on: I can! More pulsing synth and funky bass, more handclaps, more of the same, blah blah, kids these days, wouldn't know proper music etc etc... Would you like some magazines to read while I complete the review? I certainly would. Wake me when it's over. Oh come on now, let's be fair. You said you'd give her a chance, so let's do a proper review, make an effort and at least try to approach this professionally, okay? Oh-kay? Better. “Stevie on the radio” at least seems more like soul than pop, with a sort of Gladys Knight vibe to it, the vacuous, empty pop melodies removed to allow a decent song to shine through finally. See? I knew if you persevered … Don't get me wrong, it's not brilliant, but at least it's a move away from the generic diva-pop we've heard so far. And on this song you can hear that Pixie does have a good voice, if she just lets it have its head. Now, shut up! I said no more sexual innuendo! This song is a tribute to the great Stevie Wonder, and the legend himself pops up with a fine harmonica solo near the end of the song, so that's something to mark it out as special. Also the fact that she could be bothered paying her dues, and that she even knows who Stevie is, lifts her in my estimation. Where do they get the names for these producers? Mr. Hudson? Captain Hook? The Invisible Men? The Matrix? Holy …. well, anyway, there's a really nice piano ballad next in “Everybody hurts sometimes”, even if the title is lifted directly from the REM hit. Some effective violin on the track too, though again I couldn't tell you who's playing it. Pixie's voice is very soulful on this track, very strong and passionate. It's just a pity she doesn't do this sort of song more. I could probably listen to tracks like this and the previous a lot more than the dancefloor rubbish that seems to make up the bulk of the album. Oh well, the kids get what the kids want, I guess. Great to be young. Speaking of the young, no doubt they all know who Marty Jones is, but the name is unknown to me. At any rate, he guests on the next track, “Dancing on my own”, which I have to admit is not bad at all. It's a sort of semi-ballad with a nice strings arrangement via the synth, and although Pixie again indulges in that annoying habit these divas all have of routing their voices through a vocoder, so that they all end up sounding the same, her voice is strong enough to stand apart from the pack. This song is okay, really, and that's three in a row. Do I sense a seachange in this album? Dare I hope? Well, maybe. “Love you to death” is another ballad, with some nice piano and decent percussion, but then “Birthday” brings us back to banal pop territory, with a reggae beat and lots of silly singalong “Oh-oh-oh-oh”s. Give me strength. Tinchy Strider teams up with her for “Bright lights (Good life) Part II” --- don't ask me where part I is, if it exists. It's okay, mid-paced but still yer basic pop fodder. Not breaking any new ground here, young lady! “Perfect” is exactly not that, the kind of melody you hear in a thousand clubs, with something of the tune of Cat Stevens' “Wild world” swimming around in there, somehow. I can just see scantily-clad ladies dancing in smoky clubs to this while gangstas do deals and compare bling, or whatever they do in those sort of places. Generic with a capital G. Which leaves us with two tracks to go. Is it worth finishing? Well, there's a sweet piano intro to “You win”, then it gets a little funky with some soul, some nice strings/keyboards carrying the melody and Pixie again stretching her voice as she can do, but just doesn't do enough, at least on this album. Again, it sort of harks back to the cool disco/funk of the seventies, and the strings really help to recreate that atmosphere. Just wish there were some credits so I could tell you who it is arranging, or playing them. I mean, they can credit a score of producers, but no room for guitarist, pianist, drummer? Come on people: priorities, priorities! If there's no band to make the music to produce, what use are producers then? Credit where credit is due. Or not, as the case may be. At any rate, we close on a rather lovely ballad, entitled “We just go on”, which I was all ready to slag off as being the way Pixie approaches her music, but hold the phone: this is really nice. Well-crafted, well-played, with a lovely turn by someone on the mandolin, soulful piano and Pixie at her most fragile and broken, yet determined and passionate. Quite touching, and a very decent closer to an album which has certainly got its moments. Look, I'm not going to become a Pixie Lott fan, there's no doubt about that. Oh, I'll be happy to drool over pictures of her on the web, sure, but I'm not going to be rushing out to buy her albums, and it's very unlikely that I'll be spinning this again anytime soon, but for what it is, and what I expected it to be, “Young foolish happy” is not a terrible album. It's not my kind of music, but that's ok: not everything is to my taste, nor should it be. But as a second album this has its own strength, and let's face it, Miss Lott is not going to be sitting in a corner crying her eyes out over a bad review in some unknown journal out at the unfashionable end of the World Wide Web, now is she? TRACKLISTING 1. Come get it now 2. All about tonight 3. What do you take me for 4. Nobody does it better 5. Kiss the stars 6. Stevie on the radio 7. Everybody hurts sometimes 8. Dancing on my own 9. Love you to death 10. Birthday 11. Bright lights (Good life) Part II 12. Perfect 13. You win 14. We just go on |
Master of reality --- Black Sabbath --- 1971 (Vertigo)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...of_Reality.png One of my favourite Sabs albums, along with “Vol 4” and “We sold our soul for rock and roll”, this was their third album and their most successful in the US. While both their self-titled debut and the multi-platinum “Paranoid” had done well in the US (and very well here), the latter of course spawning their biggest hit with the title track, “Master of reality” is their highest-ever placed album in the States, reaching the number 8 slot. Nothing, not in the Ozzy, Dio, Gillan (shudder!) or Gillen era has ever equalled that, which in itself should tell you a lot about the album, especially considering that the likes of “Heaven and Hell” would have been considered more accessible to the mainstream market. “Master of reality” was also the point where an unfortunate occurrence led to a signature sound and a minor piece of music history. You probably know the story, but in case you don't, Tony Iommi had an accident which left him with part of two of his fingers missing. To compensate, he downtuned his guitar so that it would be easier for him to play, and bassist Geezer Butler did the same, resulting in the music they recorded on this album being darker, heavier, doomier, and indeed birthing a particular sound that was taken up and copied by many bands who followed. There are only eight tracks on this album, but they're all classics. It opens with the sound of coughing, then the sound which would become the recognised Sabbath sound --- deep, heavy guitar and bass, often referred to as “sludge” --- rocks out, and Ozzy Osbourne's rather falsetto voice forms a perfect counterpoint to this soundscape, a lesson some bands who utilise “death vocals” would do well to learn from, in my extremely humble but always right opinion! “Sweet leaf” is right away controversial --- what else would you expect from Black Sabbath? --- being about marijuana: wouldn't even raise an eyebrow these days, but this was, as Homer Simpson once declared, “back in the olden days!” Great guitar solo from Tony Iommi and Bill Ward solid as ever on the drumkit. There's a very Led Zep feel about the riff on this opener, quite close to “Whole lotta love”, released two years ago. Oh, the shock of it! For a band who were forever tainted with the label of being Satanists (well come on, you're not exactly helping by calling your band Black Sabbath now are you?), it's interesting to hear that the lyric of “After forever” is more concerned with the afterlife of Christian belief than Hell or the Devil (rumours that the Big Guy once joined the guys on stage at the Birmingham NEC have never been substantiated, though it seems likely there are a few Sabs songs on The Dark One's ipod!), a mixture of rock cruncher and fast metal, with some real attacking guitar from Iommi. I've always liked Ozzy's vocal on Sabbath songs, though my personal favourite is Dio. But you can't fault him on the early albums, and there really is no-one else who could have sung these songs. There's a twenty-eight second instrumental then in “Embryo”, very medieval sounding, almost as if it were played on a lute or some sort of harpsichord, then we're into my standout of the album, the epic “Children of the grave”. Starting off with crushing heavy guitar it rocks along at a pace not dissimilar in speed and indeed rhythm to 10cc's much later “Rubber bullets”, so of course you have to say messrs Godley, Creme et al would have borrowed from this song rather than the other way around. A song of revolution and change, the track itself changes about halfway through into a half-blues/half rock cruncher before picking up the rhythm again and charging off into the void. Iommi's synthesiser lines, subtle though they are, add their own spooky touches to the song, especially coming into their own at the end as the track fades out. A guitar instrumental something in the style of Steve Hackett's “Horizons” from Genesis' “Foxtrot”, Iommi does a fine job on “Orchid” of slowing everything down and mellowing out, very introspective and relaxing, then “Lord of this world” is black metal at its best, even though this term wouldn't even be coined for another ten years. Growly, doomy guitar which ventures occasionally into blues/boogie territory, but only as a tourist, never choosing to settle there, it's a song that highlights the strong and urgent vocal of Ozzy Osbourne, and as ever the technical expertise of Tony Iommi, with some fine solos. It's another song with a heavily Christian-leaning lyric: ”You turn to me/ In all your worldly greed and pride/ But will you turn to me/ When it's your turn to die?” A showcase for the multi-talented Iommi then, “Solitude” is the only ballad (ballad? ballad?) on the album, on which the guitarist also plays flute and piano. Ozzy's vocal is much more restrained here, quieter as you would of course expect, but nice to see he can achieve that. Very pastoral, very sitting-in-a-field-playing-guitar, and very un-Sabbath, but a nice little break from all the heavy hard rock and crunching guitars and bass. The album ends as it began, hard and heavy, slow and doomy with “Into the void”, a long guitar intro leading into a song about Earth's final days as Man leaves his home behind to its fate. Of the six minutes plus the song runs for, it's almost two minutes before Ozzy comes in, then at the midpoint everything ramps up and Ward picks up the beat, before it all slides back down into the original tempo and rhythm, with a final solo from Iommi to seal the deal before the song, and the album, rocks to its ending. “Master of reality” differed from previous Sabbath albums in having more instrumentals, lyrics that clearly tried to refute the “Satanists” tag that was handed to them, and allowing the musicans, particularly Tony Iommi, to stretch out and try new things. Although there were no singles from it, no hits, Black Sabbath were never about the charts, and were probably slightly embarrassed to be on “Top of the Pops” singing “Paranoid” while a lot of dead-eyed kids danced around and pretended to know the song. Sabbath were about making music, making metal, and making history. For me, with “Master of reality”, they achieved all three objectives. TRACKLISTING 1. Sweet leaf 2. After forever 3. Embryo 4. Children of the grave 5. Orchid 6. Lord of this world 7. Solitude 8. Into the void Recommended further listening: Depends on your preference really. Ozzy era I would say the debut, then "Paranoid", "Sabbath bloody Sabbath" and the compilation "We sold our soul for rock'n'roll"; Dio there are only two albums really, "Mob rules" and the superlative "Heaven and Hell", though he did return some years later. Haven't heard that album though. Ian Gillan I already lambasted on "Born again", and the others I have to admit I don't know, not having really listened to anything by the guys after that. |
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Well, at least it shouldn't be hard finding an artiste beginning with P! Let's go for Prince, huh? Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter P, with Prince, and “Kiss”. |
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A legend covering another legend, eh? It happens, sometimes. Springsteen has covered Waits songs, Clapton has covered JJ Cale, and Ralph McTell has covered John Martyn. Hendrix has done Dylan, of course, on “All along the watchtower” --- and a much superior version it's generally accepted to be --- but I didn't realise until yesterday when I was watching an Irish TV drama called “Love/Hate” --- brilliant, it is --- that he also covered this one. A classic in its own right, there is not surprisingly a world of difference between Bob Dylan's original “Like a rolling stone” and the version Hendrix put out, and the song has been covered by umpteen artistes down the years, but I think this one really stands out. Where Dylan wrote the song as a kind of almost acoustic folk protest song, or a bitter ballad (I'm not that into Dylan so don't sue me!) Hendrix makes it much slower and bluesier, rockier, powerful, mesmerising. As of course, he did any song he approached. Here we go: see what you think of the two side by side. |
All About Eve --- All About Eve --- 1988 (Mercury)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...m%29_cover.jpg A while back I featured their second album, “Scarlet and other stories”, in the “Nice song --- shame about the album!” slot, and it deserves it as it really is a disappointment, but All About Eve's self-titled debut is another matter altogether. It's actually the fact that it's so good for a debut that contributes to what a letdown the follow-up was. On the strength of this debut I had predicted and expected big things for All About Eve, but it seems that all their creative energy and enthusiasm was poured into their first album, and after that there was little left over for any further projects. Of course, the fact that singer and frontwoman Julianne Regan was going through a difficult breakup with guitarist in the band, Tim Bricheno, was certainly a contributing factor; the tension must have made it hard to work together, but even so it's not really an excuse. Leave the personal stuff at the studio door, love! But back to this album. It was certainly their most successful, announcing them to the world and giving them a top hit single, but singles aside it's a great album with very few weak tracks (one, I think). It opens on “Flowers in our hair”, which from the name, and indeed that of the following track, coupled with the hippy, love-child image of Julianne which graced the album sleeve, would give you to expect a psychedelic, beatnik, hippy type song, indeed album, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Led in by heavy guitars and upbeat drums, it's in fact a “what happened to the hippy generation?” song, as Julianne wonders ”Where have the flowers gone/ Sun children?” It's a song of coming to terms with the realities of the now, realising that the sixties are gone, and that you can't be a hippy all your life, but also longing for the lost innocence of childhood, wishing to be that carefree again, as Julianne sings wistfully ”I wish we had the hearts of children/ Their eyes are wide and their love is pure/ We only dare to say 'Please love me'/ At the seventh glass of wine.” It's a fast, rocky, uptempo opener, and things only slow a little for the semi-psychedilic “Gypsy dance”, with nice lively violin from Ric Sanders, giving the song indeed a gypsy feel, a sort of tarantella at times, with handclaps and a very campfire atmosphere. “In the clouds” keeps in the same general tempo area, some very haunting guitar from Tim Bricheno which gives the idea this may be a ballad, but it soon disproves that theory, breaking into a mid-paced rocker, with Julianne's crystal voice rising above everything, as if she is indeed in the clouds, then the big hit single is “Martha's harbour”, a quiet, gentle, acoustic guitar ballad which really serves to showcase Julianne's passionate and yearning voice. As you listen to her, you really wish you could go away with her: ”You are an ocean wave, my love/ Crashing at the bow/ I am a galley slave, my love/ If only I could find out the way to sail you.” It's a beautiful song, but being the hit it was you more than likely know it already, so let's move on to the next track. “Every angel” is a fast, uptempo rocker, with busy guitars and a good hook, Julianne in more raunchy mode this time round, the song kind of back to the style of the opener with heavy drums and echoey guitar. Parts of the song are so similar to the first track though that you could almost sing the lyric of “Flowers in our hair” --- or at least, the chorus --- to its melody. It all leads up to the standout on the album, an epic, moody ballad, which goes through some changes over the course of its almost five and a half minutes. Opening with low synth and piano, the guitar comes quietly in, with more solid keyboard as the drums roll in, and Julianne singing at her passionate best on “Shelter from the rain”. It conjures up images of love lost, comfort found, dark winter days and warm winter nights as the atmospheric synthesiser lays down the soundscape for Julianne's gentle voice. Some Gilmour-like guitar riffs from Bricheno, but the song is mostly carried on the ethereal sound of Julianne's voice and the deep, sonorous keyboards which I think are also played by her, all floating along on a beautiful strings arrangement. Wayne Hussey from the Mission adds his distinctive vocal to Julianne's, and the song is a true masterpiece, perhaps the best I've heard from All About Eve, although I admit I've only listened to two of their albums. What could top that? Well, not much, but then they launch into a truly haunting, almost acapella version of the traditional song “She moves through the fair”, and do an absolutely stunning job on it. For most of the time, Julianne is backed only by low strings, with much later some sparse drumming coming in, and finally Ric Sanders is back to add the finishing touch with his wailing violin. Absolutely mesmerising. Even moreso when you consider that everything, bar the violin, is played by Julianne. Following this with “Wild hearted woman” is a little pointless, but then, in fairness, very little if anything could truly follow such a brace of standouts, and the song is a decent, mid-paced rocker with some nice jangly guitar matched with some swirling keys, leading into what I definitely consider the weak link in the chain. “Never promise anyone forever” just doesn't cut it, in my opinion, compared to the rest of the album. It's sparse, stark with a cold, wintry sort of feel that somehow doesn't gell with the other tracks on this debut. It's the only track on which the strings arrangement just feels, well, wrong. Julianne's piano is nice and calming, but there's just something missing on this song, I can't quite put my finger on it. It's followed by, luckily, another strong track, “What kind of fool”, which was also a single. With dramatic piano line leading the song in, Julianne's vocal is gentle but powerful, clear as a summer day. The strings here fit the mood of the song exactly, with choral vocals and bells adding to the melody as Julianne asks plaintively ”What kind of fool/ Lays all that's precious to waste?/ What kind of fool/ Leaves all they treasure to rust in the rain?” Then she sadly shakes her head: ”Fools like us.” And as it began, the album ends strongly, as “In the meadow”, the longest track opens on strong guitar lines, taking something of a progressive rock approach as it leads in but getting heavy as it goes on, ending with a very powerful and frenetic guitar solo from Tim Bricheno as the song fades out. One of the very few tracks on the album not to utilise strings, it's guitar and keyboard with percussion, much more of a rock feeling than the previous few tracks, with a hard edge that ends the album really well. I know All About Eve went on to release further albums and that they were moderately successful, but I think they'll always be known for the hit “Martha's Harbour”, which is sad in a way, because although that's a great song, there are better, and different, songs on this album that really should have had more radio airplay and been exposed to a wider audience. As it stands, this album, for me, showcases an emerging talent that sadly failed to live up to the promise of their debut. TRACKLISTING 1. Flowers in our hair 2. Gypsy dance 3. In the clouds 4. Every angel 5. Martha's Harbour 6. Shelter from the rain 7. She moves through the fair 8. Wild hearted woman 9. Never promise anyone forever 10. What kind of fool 11. In the meadow |
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Ooh, what a Quandary to be in! The worm does not Quite know what to do! What band to feature, that is the Question facing the worm on this Quiet Wednesday morning. Oh, Quell my Quaking Queries…. okay, enough Q words! There is, not surprisingly, an extremely small choice when you're looking for bands whose name begins with Q, but in typical heroic form, the worm has decided not to take the easy way out and go with Queen. Instead, here are the Quireboys. There! Didn't expect that, did ya? Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you by the letter Q, triumphantlly featuring the Quireboys with “I don't love you anymore”. |
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As reported recently by the NewsFoxes, I intend to make 2012 the year I do my best to highlight some of the newer, less well known acts emerging over here in Ireland. Most of the picks I'm featuring have to be credited to our national music rag, “Hot Press”, who featured a section on new Irish artistes due to make their mark this year --- some of whom have already gone a way towards breaking commercially, some of whom are only starting out and beginning to build their fanbase. With such a varied crop and such, in some cases, embryonic talent, albums, even singles, are unlikely to be that easy to come by, so we'll instead be featuring whatever we can find on the Tube of Yous, and letting you hear for yourself what kind of possible new music stars are coming out of the Emerald Isle. We'll also be pointing you towards any released material they have that you can listen to/download/purchase. Shaefri We start off with a young lady from Mayo, though she's lived her early life in London, who goes by the name of Shaefri. Only eighteen years old, she's got one hell of a voice AND she can play piano, as you will see from the clips below. One to watch, certainly, and if you like what you hear her EP “Venture” is available from her Facebook page at Shaefri | Facebook. By the way, the below are all performances (well, one performance split into three parts) from a session she cut for national Irish radio station RTE 1. Being a radio interview, there is some of the usual waffle, as well as the performances, but as it fills in her background it's generally worth listening to. Daithi O Dronai Electronic fiddle playing? You'd better believe it! Discovered on the cringeworthy “All-Ireland Talent Show” (our pathetic attempt to emulate the equally pathetic “Britain's Got Talent”), Daithi O Dronai stands out from the crowd with innovative, interesting and challenging music. Don't ask me if he won (though he probably should have), as I never watched the show, but just have a listen to him here and see if you agree this guy surely has a bright future ahead of him. They'll probably make him change his name though --- can you imagine him on “Top of the Pops” --- it's pronounced “daw-hee”, guys! His EP “Embrace” can be listened to at Daithí Little Xs For Eyes Can't tell you a huge amount about these guys, other than that they're a band whose music just makes you feel all relaxed and happy. Cutepop? You'd better believe it! Album available at little xs for eyes Runaway GO Belfast pop group Runaway GO are being tipped as the big breakaway success waiting in the wings. With their music already featured in films and videogames, and a prestigious award already theirs, everyone's eagerly awaiting their debut album. These are just a few examples of what to expect when that happens... Little Green Cars An Irish Mumford and Sons? Well, this teenage folk sensation have been signed by the label that brought us both they and fellow Irish act, Two Door Cinema Club, so don't laugh just yet. Having played the live circuit for about three years now, it seems the small verdant automobiles are about to receive reward for all their hard work. All of which can, incidentally, be found on their Soundcloud page, htt://www.soundcloud.com/littlegreencars-1 And finally, for this first section of “The Very Best of Irish: the next generation”, just how much music do you think two guys can make on their own? We Cut Corners Another band who have been around for about three years, We Cut Corners is, as mentioned, comprised of two guys, John Duignan on guitars and vocals and Conall O'Breachain on drums and vocals. And THIS is what they're capable of... So there you go. Whatever anyone tells you about Ireland, the economic recession, the property crash, our incompetent government, scandals everywhere, or that we're going to be crushed at Euro 2012, one sector is alive and kicking and very proud here in my native land, and that is the music scene. Next time I'll be looking at some more up-and-coming Irish acts, and some who have just made it, or are on the cusp. |
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