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Hot dogs? Jumping frogs? No room for a worm in your songs though, is there, Mister McAloon? Course, never known a worm to jump, but still, could happen, could happen. Well, probably not. Anyway, despite the shocking bias against invertebrates, it's still a great song from Prefab Sprout, with “The king of rock and roll”. Completely. |
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Buenos noches from a lonely room --- Dwight Yoakam --- 1988 (Reprise)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...albumcover.png I may have mentioned at some point, I used to work in radio. Oh, it was nothing major, just a local community radio station that I worked with for a few years. Probably had a handful of listeners, most of whom more than likely didn't listen regularly, just tuned in from time to time. My show was at one time sandwiched between an Irish traditional music programme and the sports show: I recall once --- true story! --- arriving with my records (no CDs or MP3s in those days, kids!) at the station and the guys running the trad show had a real live band in, and they were, well, playing live in the studio. So while they did what they did I had to climb past keyboards, drums and people seated with fiddles and so on, into my chair behind the desk to get ready for my show! Ah, showbusiness! Can't beat it! Why do I mention this? Well, the point is (what is the point? Oh yes!) that most of us who were seriously interested in music --- usually the older guys: I would have been around mid-twenties at the time --- and weren't just doing this for the “thrill” or prestige of being a DJ --- sorry, presenter! We weren't allowed to call ourselves Djs; gave the wrong impression --- often spoke about it and swapped experiences, albums, recommendations, much as people on Music Banter do. It was one of the guys there, “Boppin'” Billy (I kid you not!) who got me into Springsteen, when he played “Dancing in the dark”, after which I ran out --- not literally --- and bought “Born in the USA”, and the rest is history, soon to be related when they turn my life story into a movie. I'm forever grateful to him for that. But another guy mentioned to me that he knew I “like my country flavoured with a bit of rock”, or it could have been the other way around. Either way, he suggested I might enjoy the music of one Dwight Yoakam (oh, that's what this meandering diatribe is about! I see!) and lent me the album “Guitars, Cadillacs, etc., etc.” which I really liked, and thereafter bought it myself (second hand, of course!) along with two others of his. This is his third, and was in fact the first album on which he notched up two number one singles on the country music charts. I find it a little more mature than the two previous albums, the aforementioned “Guitars” and “Hillbilly deluxe”, which followed it. It's one on which he renews his partnership with Maria McKee, who sang with him on the debut, although here she does backing vocals rather than duet with him, and one on which he also gets to sing with his longtime hero, Buck Owens. It's not Steve Earle, it's not rewriting the country or rock genre, and to be fair there's nothing terribly new here, but for what he does Dwight does it well. The album opens on “I got you”, a typical country blues bopper in which Dwight bemoans his problems and his mounting bills: ”Got a letter from the folks over at Bell/ Just to let me know for my next phone call/ I could walk outside and yell”, but as long as he has his girl he's okay. Nice bit of guitar and a great line in bass, Dwight's voice that typical Texas drawl but somehow not annoying or whiny as country singers can often be. It's a nice uptempo opener with the sort of blind optimism that sometimes can be endemic to country songs, and it's followed by “One more name”, a ballad with some lovely mournful fiddle and a nice shot of pedal steel (what would a country song be without the old pedal steel?), lightened by some smooth mandolin courtesy of Scott Joss. Dwight writes most of his material himself, and on this album he writes seven of the eleven tracks, and “What I don't know” rocks along nicely, another of his compositions with more than a nod back to John Fogerty. More great fiddle and a light sense of menace in the lyric: ”What I don't know/ Might not hurt me/ But if I find out/ You've been cheatin'/ What I don't know/ Might get you killed.” Kudos to Don Reed, whose fiddle playing really keeps the country air in even the rockiest of tracks. The first cover version is up next, Johnny Cash's “Home of the blues” given a decent outing, with some pretty damn fine guitar from longtime compatriot and producer Pete Anderson, then the title track is another slow bluesy ballad, another Yoakam original, which recalls the best of the more acoustic Springsteen, like “Nebraska” and “The ghost of Tom Joad”. Great accordion accompaniment by Flaco Jiminez gives the song a very Mexican feeling, and with the title, that's probably the intention. Reed is there again with his versatile fiddle, while Taras Prodaniuk keeps a steady bass rhythm, the heartbeat of the song. Another cover next, with a rabble-rousin' version of J.D. Miller's “I hear you knockin'”, Skip Edwards' honky-tonk piano conjuring up visions of a redneck bar deep in the south of the south, where they say things like “Hey you! Let's fight!” the response to which is “Them's fightin' words!” Okay, so I ripped that off from the Simpsons, but hell, it's funny ain't it? The fiddle holds court again, and you can't just help but tap your foot to this one. An original tune, things slow right down for “I sang Dixie”, the sad tale of the singer coming upon a man down on his luck, drunk and dying in the street. As no-one else will even stop to help the guy, the narrator sings “Dixie” to comfort the stranger as he dies. Very much a fiddle-led piece into which Dwight intersperses the original song “Dixie”, this was a number one hit for Yoakam in the country music charts. As I said at the beginning, more a mature album than his previous two. Everything kicks right back up then for “The streets of Bakersfield”, with accordion duties being taken for this track by Francisco “Pancho” Zavaleta, and Dwight duetting with his hero, Buck Owens, who also popularised the song altough he did not write it. It's a fast, uptempo bopper, a short song but really leaves an impression when it's over. It was another number one for Dwight. We're back with his original compositions then for “Floyd County”, a mid-paced rocker with some really nice mandolin and guitar, and of course fiddle from Don Reed. Dwight reunites with Maria McKee (whom the uninitiated will only know from the single “Show me Heaven”, but whose debut self-titled album is a total, ignored classic), with whom he duetted on the debut, though on “Send me the pillow” he takes the main vocal and she's more a backing singer really. Nice piano line and some sultry fiddle, then we close on “Hold on to God”, the last original number on the album. It's an uptempo country, almost gospel rocker, which adds an extra layer to the album and finishes it in some style. Like I say, no-one's going to be converted to country music by listening to Dwight Yoakam, but you can listen to him as a rocker and not feel embarrassed (if you normally do, when listening to country music): he doesn't exude the usual image many country stars do. Yes, he wears the cowboy hat, but then, what self-respecting country rocker would not? But he writes his own material, pays homage to his peers and has up to now eleven albums. This is not the best of them, but it's a pretty darn fine place to start appreciating the man and his music. TRACKLISTING 1. I got you 2. One more name 3. What I don't know 4. Home of the blues 5. Buenos noches from a lonely room (She wore red dresses) 6. I hear you knockin' 7. I sang Dixie 8. Streets of Bakersfield 9. Floyd County 10. Send me the pillow 11. Hold on to God |
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When you're young you do stupid things. Well, in fairness when you're old you do stupid things too, but at least you know they're stupid. Back in the mists of my long-forgotten youth, when you had to step lively to avoid being crushed by a tyrannosaur while still keeping a sharp lookout for people on penny-farthing bicycles, I heard “Samba pa ti”, by Santana. Now, no-one will deny it's a beautiful piece of music, a real classic and shows off Carlos' smooth command of the guitar like no other. So I went out and bought the album it was on, “Abraxas”. Not a bad move: it also has the other Santana classic from that era, one of their most famous and biggest hits, “Black magic woman”. So it was a fair bet I'd like it, yes? Well no, not really. I found Santana's brand of jazz and rock fusion married to salsa and other latin American styles to be very much not to my taste. I knew Santana were respected though, and even then I didn't want to look like a dork for not having given it a chance, so I did listen to the album a few times, but never really got it. So perhaps I just left it at that? Might have been the intelligent thing to do, might have been the coward's way out. Well, in the end I decided I'd give them another shot, and went for “Caravanserai”. Why? Well, a few reasons. It had a cool cover, very mysterious and eastern. Plus I had been reading at the time a lot of sword-and-sorcery/fantasy novels --- the likes of Moorcock, Leiber and Burroughs --- and the idea of a caravanserai appealed to me: the mystery, the danger, the unknown. Looking down at the titles I thought they looked interesting, though in fairness I had already maxxed out my experience of Santana, having bought the album that had on it the only two hits of theirs I knew. Caravanserai --- Santana --- 1972 (Columbia) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ravanserai.jpg “Caravanserai”, as it turned out, was something of a left turn in direction for Carlos and the guys. First, they went almost completely instrumental. NOT a good thing to try and get into when you're 16 or 17! Also, the style was changing, concentrating more on the arty, experimental side of jazz, and going for more intricate, complicated musical compositions. The first three albums could at least be said to have had a core of rock, but “Caravanserai” dumped that and filtered out all the heavy elements that had characterised Santana's music up to then, leaving the album more an artist's expression than a fan's record. Not surprisingly, it was about here that Santana's commercial appeal began to wane. Add to that the fact that Neal Schon was already thinking about forming a band called Journey, something he would quit the next year to do, and you can forgive him perhaps for not having his head totally in this album, but it does take from it. None of which I knew when I bought the album, this being long before Wikipedia, Google, itunes or YouTube (yes, there was a time when none of these services were available to us poor record buyers, and we had to make our own decisions, based on recommendations, hearsay, musical knowledge or just dumb luck) existed, and I had no way to know what the album was like. I was therefore a little impatient when the first two songs had come and gone and there was no singing. Now, I wasn't an idiot, even then. Well, let's qualify that: I was an idiot, as all sixteen year olds are. But even then I knew some albums were instrumental, and I even enjoyed some, being a fan of Vangelis, Tomita and Mike Oldfield. But I was unaware that this album was mostly instrumental, and more, it was not the sort of instrumental I liked! Jean-Michel Jarre's “Oxygene”. Vangelis' “To the unknown man”. Oldfield's “Tubular bells”. These were the kind of instrumentals I enjoyed. Electronic, atmospheric, ethereal, what would today be called (and probably is) ambient. But the instrumental jazz on this album left me absolutely cold. I have never been a fan of jazz music, still do not like it, and to have to listen to a whole album of it, well it was just a little too much to take. I think I found one track I liked and included it on a compilation tape (ask yer dad!) but other than that the album was carefully repacked and left on my shelf to gather dust, until one day when I was desperate for money (as 16-18 year olds almost always are) and sold it with some others to some second-hand record shop, getting nothing like what I had paid for it. I was not sad to see it go, and to be honest, if I'd had to pay someone to take it... well, not quite, but we definitely parted company on frosty terms. It's been over thirty years since I've listened to that album, so now here I am, back in the Last Chance Saloon to give it one more go. Has time and age made me wiser, more perceptive, more tolerant? I've learned over the intervening years that just because I don't like a particular musical style, genre or band it doesn't mean they're no good. I've opened my musical ears and broadened my musical horizons by listening to artistes I would never have entertained when I was younger. And I've gained a far greater appreciation of the music that is out there, that there is in reality no really bad music, just bad bands or people who think of money first and quality a very distant second. But those who play music because they love it, because it is their life, have to be admired because they are dedicating themselves to the one true happiness in their lives, and trying to make the lives of others richer by passing this on. Surely that has to be applauded? But maybe I haven't changed enough to appreciate, understand or accept this album. I still don't like jazz, but maybe I remember “Caravanserai” too harshly. Maybe it's not so bad. Maybe it's not so jazz. Maybe I just didn't like it because it failed to live up to my idea of what should be there on the record, maybe I was just disappointed and felt let down, that I had spent my hard-earned money on an album I ended up disliking, and wished I had bought something else instead. Maybe I blamed Santana, for making an album I didn't like, instead of realising that just because I didn't like it, did not necessarily make it a bad album. Or maybe I'll still hate it. There's only one way to find out. It opens with the sounds of crickets, which goes on for about forty seconds until it's joined by a wailing saxophone which sounds more like a ship's horn really, then conga drums slowly build in as the suitably hippy-titled “Eternal caravan of reincarnation” begins to get going. Problem as I see it though, even now, is that we're already halfway through the piece and there hasn't really been any appreciable melody, although Santana's guitar is beginning to slide its way in. This is really more like an introduction, an overture to the album, and as such it's pretty much over before it begins, taking us into “Waves within”, a shorter piece. To give Santana their due, there are few if any epic instrumentals, as each track here comes in around the 3-4 minute mark, only the closer hitting the higher figures. Carried on a thick organ line and at last some proper guitar, this is at least a bit more cohesive, and you can hear the theme beginning to be created. That said, the opener did set the scene, evoking images of desert sands, nights under the stars, caravans of wagons pulled by camels slowly wending their way across the dunes under the blazing unforgiving sun. “Waves within”, however, for want of a better phrase, rocks out much better, most of this being down to Carlos' energetic guitar work, though Michael Shrieves' drums and Jason Mingo Lewis' bongos do also add a lot to the atmosphere, as does Gregg Rolie's organ work. “Look up (to see what's coming down)” ups the ante even more, Rolie's powerful organ carrying the melody alongside Carlos' squealing guitar lines, a young Neal Schon helping out with some guitar licks of his own. The percussion gets fairly frenzied here, helped along by the organ, the whole tune verging a little into progressive rock territory at times. It fades out on a nice smooth organ with rolling drums, and we're into “Just in time to see the sun”, where Santana's guitar takes on a harder edge and we hear vocals for the first time on the album, which I think are those of Gregg Rolie, as it seems Santana himself only sings on the sixth track. It's the shortest track on the album, barely two and a half minutes, then deep organ, guitar that would one day be reflected in the work of the likes of Gilmour and Clapton, more congas and bongos usher in “Song of the wind”, which conversely is one of the longer tracks on the album, at around six minutes. There are echoes of the guitar melody from “Samba pa ti” in there, with some lovely, expressive organ from Rolie counterpointing the guitar licks, but the song is essentially a showcase for the talents of the man, and Santana does not disappoint, putting his guitar through its paces in a display of some serious fretwork. No wonder he's so respected, and is such an influence, even now. It's interesting how quickly the six minutes go in: nothing seems strained or overextended, and then we have another vocal track. “All the love of the universe” is another long track, just shading the eight minute mark, and opens on hard guitar with a rocky edge, some feedback effects, tricky percussion and even blues guitar riffs before settling down into a nice guitar and bass groove before the vocals come in and it then bops along nicely in a sort of latin/jazz beat with prog rock overtones. The jazz fusion experimentation does run a little out of hand on this one though, and I can begin to see where my sixteen-year old self started shaking his head and wondering why he had bought this album. Even now, thirty-three years later, I have to admit I find this boring. It's just uninspiring, something of an ordeal to listen to, and it's only at the four minute mark. Some nice guitar coming up though, which serves to liven up the piece, and in all honesty it's the first one that's put me back in the shoes of a musically-naive teenager; prior to this, I had been thinking why didn't I like this when I was younger, but now I know. It takes a lot of discipline and effort to listen through this track, despite the super organ solo unleashed by Rolie at around the five minute mark, and as this song basically closed what would have been side one of the original vinyl album, I find myself wondering will side two redeem itself? I do remember hating “Future primitive”, but let's listen again with the experience of thirty-some years and see if it sounds any better to my ears now. A heavy, spacey synth line opens the piece, humming along with added piano effects, some strummed guitar lines, very like something out of an old seventies science-fiiction movie, until percussion ambles in in the form of bongos, congas and timbales, hitting the whole thing upside the head with a real salsa makeover, though the droning synth remains in the background. It's sort of fading now though, overridden by the heavy, almost joyous percussion that tries to drown out its monotonous, dour dirge. The piece is almost completely percussion now, as you might expect from a song written by two drummers. In ways, it's like a drum solo but very structured, not just the wild abandon of a drummer “going off on one”. Then, having introduced itself to the melody slowly, it fades out quickly, leaving the droning synth to carry us into “Stone flower”, upbeat organ joining as the drums come back in, bass popping up as if it's just been waiting to be asked to join the party, some sort of chant going on low in the background, then Santana's guitar snaps in, taking the tune. And now vocals begin, almost taking me by surprise. I must admit, although I believed the reverse would be the case, I'm finding that the music creates such a soundscape on its own on this album that vocals almost detract from it, breaking the spell, as it were. This is, at any rate, the last vocalised track. Opening on a nice solid piano line, “La fuente del ritmo” very quickly gives itself over to fast percussion, mostly bongos, congas and timbales, and the guitar then directs the melody against this backbeat, the drums flying along while the guitar doesn't try to match them for speed, but does keep pace with them musically. Some energetic organ joins in, but it's really only background as Santana takes over the tune, wringing every note he can out of his guitar. Great solo on the electric piano then from Tom Coster, quite mesmerising as the guitar bows and takes a break while Coster and Rolie rack out the melody, even they bowing out and allowing the frenetic percussion to bring the song to its fadeout. And so we close on the longest track on the album. Nine minutes long, “Every step of the way” is a multi-instrumental epic, opening on sharp guitar and organ, slightly restrained (for once!) percussion, but this, like the last one, is drummer-penned, so expect some big input from the percussion later on. For now, heavy organ alternates with snarling guitar as the song enters its third minute, then the percussion assault begins, as Santana winds up the guitar and lets fly, the bongos and congas rattling along behind him, Rolie's organ doing its best to keep up. Santana also use an orchestra on this track, for the first time, and the effect is really quite stunning, as the strings and brass and woodwinds all join to really flesh out what was already a pretty powerful piece of music. Santana really goes crazy on the guitar here, giving it all he's got, while the orchestra sedately fills in the gaps, like an old butler picking up after his untidy but brilliant master. By the time we reach the seventh minute, Carlos is out on his own, the drums rushing along to try and catch him, but the man has by now left Earth and is inhabiting some strange, inner place to which only he has the passport. Almost an epiphany to hear what this legendary master of the guitar can do when he wishes to. The orchestra comes back in as the song nears its end and Carlos rejoins us mere mortals on this planet, and the whole thing slowly and sublimely fades away into the distance as the album comes to a close. I can understand why as a sixteen year old I hated --- well, was disappointed with --- this album. It's the old adage, isn't it, that things improve with age. But that's not to say the album improves; no, it's me that had to age to, not improve, but to better appreciate this record. Now, I'm not saying I love it, but I can very much more “get” it. You have to listen to the nuances of the playing, the way the songs are structured, the tightness of the whole band as a unit, the imagery they create without (mostly) the use of words, lyrics or any vocalisation. That takes skill, dedication and real talent. The sixteen year old me just wanted to hear good songs. He was too young, too inexperienced, too naïve and too impatient to realise that he was hearing good songs: great songs even. He just needed to open his ears. Well, mine are open now and I can say that this is a fine album. I don't know that I'll listen to it that often after this, but I can say without fear of contradiction that, had I still got it in my vinyl collection, I would definitely think twice now about selling it. TRACKLISTING 1. Eternal caravan of reincarnation 2. Waves within 3. Look up (to see what's coming down) 4. Just in time to see the sun 5. Song of the wind 6. All the love of the universe 7. Future primitive 8. Stone flower 9. La fuente del ritmo 10. Every step of the way |
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Ah, ye can't beat the old classics, can ye? Here's Gallagher and Lyle, with “Heart on my sleeve”. |
Trinity --- Eden's Curse --- 2011 (AFM)
http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/9/6/1/296138.jpg Well, talk about a cosmopolitan band! No, I don't mean they all read mags on how to satisfy your man in bed, idiot! Lead singer and I guess namesake for the band, Michael Eden, is a native of the US of A, while his bandmates Thorsten Kohne (guitar) is from Germany and Alessando Del Vecchio is, from --- anyone? --- yeah, Italy. The two other members of Eden's Curse come from the UK, so that's four nationalities in one band. Interesting. This is their third album, their debut self-titled having been released in 2007. Eden's Curse base themselves in the UK, and are best described as a mix of melodic metal and heavy AOR. The album kicks off with an instrumental opener, “Trinitas sanctus”. Now, I don't know latin, but I think even I can hazard a decent guess that that translates to “holy trinity”, but it's weird, with spoken vocal lines that seem like they're taken out of some movie or something, someone closing a door, walking upstairs, then a powerful choral vocal and synth, with an aria that seems ripped right out of Arena's “Opera fanatica”, though maybe that was not originally theirs. It's short, only a minute and a half long, but seems totally pointless. Unlike Axxis' “Paradise in flames (intro)” which opens the album of the same name, it's not an overture, it's not an introduction; in fact, if anything, it sounds closest to those rather annoying intermezzos you find on some Kamleot albums. Very confusing. However, your confusion is quickly forgotten as the title track blasts its way out of the speakers, with tight hooks, catchy melody, powerful AOR-style guitar and banks of keyboards as the song rocks along with perhaps odd lyrical content: ”Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost/ Which is the one you fear the most?” I guess on first listen you might think, hey-ho, another christian metal band, but I don't think that's the case. I don't think Eden's Curse are trying to convert, just using unusual themes in their songs. In any event, it's a powerful opener and certainly gets your attention, with a great guitar solo from Kohne and clear, punchy vocals from Michael Eden, great, well-timed backing vocals too, and then we head into “Saints of tomorrow” (yes, I know, but I'm fairly sure they're not God Squad material), with a short flurry on keys before the guitars take the song in, and then some solid piano backs more excellent close-harmony vocals in another radio-friendly metal song that just has you punching the air and singing the chorus ”We are, we are/ The saints of tomorrow!” The keys under the control of Allesandro Del Vecchio really carry this song, and I'm gratified to see that Eden's Curse are another band who follow the school of thought that says why play more than one instrument? Just be exceptional on what you're best at. And they are. The solid rhythm section of Pete Newdeck on drums and Paul Logue on bass really do form the backbone of the songs, while Kohne looks after all guitar duties with consummate ease, leaving his keyboard playing bandmate to excel in his chosen instrument. Over it all strides, like some general surveying his troops before the battle, the controlled and disciplined vocals of Michael Eden. Everyone here knows their job, and carries it out to the very best of their ability, leaving no weak links. The religious imagery continues in “No holy man”, a rock cruncher that stomps and pounds along, kicking up dust as it goes. Great keyboard lines, superb vocal harmonies --- which seem to be one of the main hallmarks of this band --- and carefully timed guitar riffs fashion this song into a real classic. In fact, that seems to be one of the main strengths of Eden's Curse, their almost telepathic sense of timing, each member intuitively aware of exactly when to come in, and when to hold off, in any one song, so that no-one crosses over or grates against anyone else. To demonstrate that understanding, there's some fine interplay here between Kohne and Del Vecchio, and it works perfectly. But what do metal bands do best, better often than even pop bands? Yep, there's a ballad on the way, denoted by some seriously symphonic keyboard work from our man from Italy, joined by lovely acoustic guitar and then piano, as “Guardian angel” gets under way, Eden proving that though he has without doubt a powerful set of lungs, he is just as capable of reining that voice in and reeling off a tender love song with the finesse and heart of Bon Jovi, Gary Hughes or the late Brad Delp. As ever though, it's the incredible vocal harmonies that really add the extra layer of warmth to this song, fashioning it into something destined for stadiums and rock arenas across the world, should Eden's Curse make the big break that, on the basis of their third album, they deserve. Powerful, emotional guitar solo from Kohne, a little reminiscent perhaps of Poison's “Every rose has its thorn”, though not in any way copied from it, but it's Del Vecchio's soulful keys and piano that really create the theme on which this song rides along. Should have been a classic. Back to rockin' rollin' and riffin' then with “Can't fool the devil”, some great organ from Signor Del Vecchio powering the track along, Eden's vocal raw and unbridled on a real headbanger, evoking the likes of Axxis, Balance of Power and the great Dio, then “Rivers of destiny” opens on deep, humming synth as the guitar comes up slowly, then Del Vecchio switches to organ and then piano as the song gets going, with snatches of Journey and Bon Jovi in its makeup. Although respected metal website Encyclopaedia Metallum has Eden's Curse listed as melodic heavy metal, I'm not so sure. For me, they're more in the AOR side of things (and I mean that as a compliment), with the likes of Millenium, Balance of Power and Night Ranger. They are heavy, yes, but I find their melodic elements far outweigh their heaviness, as it were, putting them more in the style of a heavier Bon Jovi or Europe really. But there's no doubt they're one hell of a band, and I wonder why I haven't heard of them before? No, I don't: there are tons of bands out there whom I'm sure are great and I have yet to hear, but you would still think with quality like this they would have at least troubled the charts by now. Big, heavy guitar opening with accompanying organ riffs to get us into “Dare to be different”, which hops along at a great pace, some lovely keyboard melodies throughout the song, a sumptuous guitar solo from Thorsten Kohne, more flawless vocal harmonies, then we're into “Children of the tide”, with piano, acoustic guitar and flute sounds on the keys which makes this sound like it may be another ballad? Aching vocal from Michael Eden, joined again by those by-now-familiar harmonies, minimal percussion, humming synth... hold on, what's this? Sharp, heavy guitar riffs and the drums come pounding in as the song looks to be taking a left turn... Yeah, now it's more a cruncher than a ballad. Driven on the dynamic guitar work of Kohne, it's certainly taken off, though I have to admit I could live without the child's voice right at the end. Still, it's a small complaint, and on we go into “Black widow”, a fast rocker with heavy prog overtones and a lot more metal leanings than anything else on the album so far. There's a lot of eastern influences brought to bear on this track too, and you can definitely see the impression Dio have made on these guys, Eden even sounding a little like the great man on this song. Scorching guitar solo propels it along, while the keys keep up a very Night Rangeresque melody behind Kohne's flying fingers on the frets. Keeping the eastern influences, “Jerusalem sleeps” is another rock cruncher with what sounds like sitar, but is probably made on Del Vecchio's keyboard, and at six and a half minutes it's the longest track on the album. Four minutes in it kicks into second gear, Pete Newdeck's drums firing off a real salvo to take the song to the next level, while Kohne joins in with a precision burst of guitar fire, then it slips back into its previous groove, the perfect vocal harmonies taking the song to its shattering conclusion. The album ends on a cover, and considering the obvious influence Dio have had on Eden's Curse, it's not that surprising that they choose to cover one of RJD's standards to round off an excellent album. Taken from an album I don't completely rate, it's nevertheless one of the better tracks on “Sacred heart”, and they put in a spirited and fervent rendition of “Rock'n'roll children”. Of course, there's no way anyone will ever sing Dio better than Dio, but it's a very impressive attempt, although I would have preferred one of their own songs to close the album. Another important find, “Trinity” gives the lie to this myth about downloading music. I would never have known about, or bought, this album except for the fact that I happened to download some guy's metal collection, and within in was this album. Even then, I have listened to little of that collection, and it just so happens I decided on this one to review, hoping it would be good. It wasn't. It was great. But I would never have known about it if it wasn't for those bane of the record label execs, torrents. Now I'm going to buy all their albums, so how can that be seen as exploitation or freeloading? Really, torrents can be a great way to get into new music you wouldn't otherwise have known about, and Eden's Curse are the proof of that theory. Well, whether you torrent, purchase or borrow a copy of this album, make sure you listen to it, as I firmly believe that bands like Eden's Curse are the future of hard rock and melodic rock. If you ignore my advice here, and fail to hop on this locomotive now, don't be surprised when it hammers through your town and you curse your luck for not having a ticket. All aboard! TRACKLISTING 1. Trinitas sanctus (intro) 2. Trinity 3. Saints of tomorrow 4. No holy man 5. Guardian angel 6. Can't fool the devil 7. Rivers of destiny 8. Dare to be different 9. Children of the tide 10. Black widow 11. Jerusalem sleeps 12. Rock'n'roll children |
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The worm fancies a bit of a dance --- okay, he doesn't have legs but he can nod his head and wriggle his body, can't he? Perhaps something with a latin American flair? Why not! Here's the Brothers Johnson... |
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And the worm would like to end the month with one of his favourite songs, this is David Gates with Bread, and “Guitar man”. |
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I See you like Jadis and have been meaning to listen to them again. I also like the sound of Silent Edge, Narnia and Glass Tiger!!! Thanks for reminding me about Glass Tiger, had long forgotten about them and want to listen to them again. Tygers of Pan Tang- Spellbound is one of my favs from the NWOBHM (thanks to John Deverill and John Sykes who were missing from the debut) and it had the perfect marriage of the elements that made up the TOPT sound. The debut though, is I supppose a basic one trick pony which is let down by poor instrumentals and Jess Cox's poor singing. I really don't feel it was worth your time and effort to review it.;) Tiamat- I love your taste more and more, I used to go on about this band on the forum and it largely went unnoticed, on Wildhoney and A Deeper Kind of Slumber they really pushed metal boundaries and when the band moved out of metal territory proper, they still kept their style and Judas Christ is a great album, despite it getting a terrible review. ZZ Top- Eliminator the album where the bearded ones embraced AOR and added synths and boy did they do it well, this album is so polished and as you said thooooose videos full of slick cars and those chicks in mini skirts:finger: Most people on the forum are probably too young to know just how hip ZZ Top were at this time. Not many bands could transform themselves as well as ZZ Top did at that time, from a boogie blues outfit into a slick sounding AOR outfit. Noticed you reviewd Berlin, I used to have that album too. Ric Ocasek- Quick Change World and Negative Theater what a muddle with those two! I wished it could have been released how Ric wanted it to be released and we may have salvaged something there. Now Troubalizing is one of the great Ric Ocasek releases and even better than Fireball Zone. You can see Ric Ocasek really went for broke on here and really made the effort. The album is guitar heavier than some of the previous stuff and Billy Corgan's input has helped Ric Ocasek immensely, this was probably one of the best releases of 1997. YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS ALBUM. Next time I'll look at rest of page 11 and 12, and also for certain pt.2 of NWOBHM finally. |
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Glass Tiger I got into on hearing the single "Don't forget me when I'm gone" and assuming it to be Bryan Adams. I was actually looking for the album that's on, "The thin red line", but no-one seemed to have it. Later on I found "Diamond sun" and decided to give it a go. Glad I did! Another band who seem to have faded away sadly. Quote:
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Ric Ocasek- Quick Change World and Negative Theater what a muddle with those two! I wished it could have been released how Ric wanted it to be released and we may have salvaged something there. Quote:
Next time I'll look at rest of page 11 and 12, and also for certain pt.2 of NWOBHM finally.[/QUOTE] |
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Oooh yeah, the worm is still in a disco mood, after those brothers Johnson he featured on Friday! |
Okay, well I'm not one to turn down a recommendation, even if one of the two didn't pan out, for me at least. Having been advised by several people who should know, that Bon Iver's self-titled was well worth listening to, I did. I was, as you'll see from the review, less than impressed. Though I didn't hate the album --- nothing like it --- I was not blown away in the manner I had been expecting to be. Perhaps that was just me, building the album up so much through the opinions and enthusiasm of others, to be so much more than it turned out to be. I would not say it was a total disappointment, and I may listen to it again sometime, but to borrow a phrase used when I was growing up, which probably no-one but an Irish person of my age or older will understand, it didn't change my mind about margarine!
Nevertheless, a rec is a rec and as I say I'm not going to assume that if one doesn't impress me that the other(s) will fare similarly badly. I've been told that this is an album I should listen to, and although I acquired it a little while ago, things have been so busy that it's only now I realise it's been sitting on my hard drive unlistened to. So today I'm going to right (and write!) that wrong, and see if “Bon Iver” was a hiccup, and if I really have missed out on something good by not listening to this artiste before. Metals --- Feist --- 2011 (Arts and Crafts Productions) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ist_Metals.jpg The fourth album from Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist, who goes under her surname professionally, “Metals” slipped it at the number seven slot in the US charts, earned its creator a nomination for a Brit Award, was named best album of 2011 twice, and has already been certified platinum. Interestingly, it seems there is a link with the aforementioned Bon Iver, as they are opening for her on some of her concerts. Opening track “The bad in each other” starts with clomping percussion then piano and a whole lot of weird instruments, most of which I don't recognise. Feist is apparently known for using “natural” or “organic” instruments, so could be anything I guess. There are things like viola, cello, various horns, something called a euphonium as well as synth, bass, guitar and so on used in the album, so hard to know exactly what's being played. This is a sort of mid-paced song, with accompanying vocals from Bry Webb which complement Feist's own, and some nice guitar work and piano with a great horn burst near the end. Kind of puts in me mind of some of the earlier work of Neil Hannon on the Divine Comedy. “Graveyard” is carried on acoustic guitar and piano, with a forlorn vocal from Feist, some Waits-style backing organ, a much slower song with sort of muted percussion, an almost ethereal feel about it. There are only four tracks of the twelve she does not write herself, and on those four she collaborates. This is one of those four. Nice horn section at the end, very funereal, which of course fits in well with the theme of the song, but then the music comes up in a more optimistic vein, with a high, lilting, sort of chant from Feist and backing vocalists. There's a very folk guitar sound about “Caught a long wind”, with some ghostly piano and synth, which settles into a low-key piano line that accompanies her on another collaboration, then soft violin and some sort of bell sounds slip in, fading back out quickly as the piano takes up the melody again, getting a little stronger as the song develops. A really effective string section then, with violins, viola and cellos, the percussion then kicking in a bit more, almost like slow handclaps, the song fading out on a lonely horn note, and we're into “How come you never go there”, with a bit of a jazz-like beat, guitar a bit more to the fore than it has been up to now. Even at that, it's a fairly low-key song and it soon gives way to the more electric-based “A commotion”, with a sense of building tension in the melody and also in Feist's vocal. Somewhat blindsided by the almost punk-style shouts of the title then by the male backing vocalists; just seems to come out of nowhere. It also doesn't help that it sounds like they're shouting “locomotion”, which conjures up images of a young dancing Kylie! Can't really say I liked that. There's an electric piano foundation to “The circle married the line”, kind of Carly Simon-ish, but I'm sorry to report that at this point we're halfway in and I'm getting bored. It's not that the songs aren't good, or that Feist isn't a good singer, it's just this is not interesting me. Maybe it's just not the kind of music I prefer. Nothing wrong with the album I'm sure, but I'm starting to feel that it's not for me. Becoming a little bit of a struggle to get through it now, which is never a good thing. Of course, I have reviewed albums before that seemed to be going nowhere and suddenly came to life with a late spurt right at the end, so I'll continue listening. I have never yet cut a review short, and I'm semi-professional enough to ensure that never happens. But... “Bittersweet melodies” is another nice, laidback, harmless ballad with some nice instrumentation, the trouble I think being that I can't find anything different, interesting or attention-grabbing in any of the tracks I've listened to so far. There's some lovely violin and cello here, yes, but it's not enough to mark out this song from the six that have preceded it, and I feel a cold certainty that the five still to come will be similarly unremarkable. And the next one is the longest! At five and a half minutes, I have to say I'm not looking forward in eager anticipation to “Anti-pioneer”, and indeed it's slow, lazy, low-key and, well, sorry, but it's boring. I would actually equate the lack of enjoyment I'm getting from this album to the experience I had listening to Dido's “No angel”; although they are different singing styles and genres, there's a fair bit of common ground between the two singers. And I'm as bored now as I was then. A really nice sax break halfway in and some interesting guitar, but they're just flashes in what I'm seeing as a grey sea of tedium, and I don't like to admit this. I don't want to put any artiste down, and every time I press play on an album I haven't heard before I'm hoping to be, if not gushing praise, at least saying positive things about the album or artiste. I hate having to pan something, or admitting it's not what I had hoped it would be, but then, honesty is the bedrock upon which music journalism --- mine, at least --- is founded, and the cornerstone, to carry the analogy further than it has any right to be carried, upon which this journal is built. If I'm not honest, if you're not reading my true, unvarnished, sincere beliefs about what I listen to and review, then I may as well not be writing them. So, hard as it is to say, to this point at any rate “Metals” is getting a big thumbs down from me. Maybe it's that there's too much downbeat, slow, almost dour music on it. I don't know. At least “Undiscovered first” attempts to break out of this constricting mould by hitting out with some heavy drumming and some guitar which, if not actually angry, is certainly a little miffed. Feist's voice even rises a bit so that it doesn't seem like she's just singing in her bedroom, a form that annoys and frustrates me. The horns are kind of the saviour the album has, if it's going to be saved: they come in at just the right time and in the right measure, and they lift the whole thing out of what I perceive as the general gloom surrounding the music. This track, in fact, breaks out in an almost Suzi Quatro-style rocker, though still retaining Feist's restraint enough that you're in no danger of tapping your foot or your fingers, or whatever part of you you normally move to music. Still, it's a start. Maybe. Back we go to acoustic guitars and low-key singing for “Cicadas and gulls”, and the initial enthusiasm engendered in me by the previous track crashes to earth. It's a nice song, but maybe that's the problem. The album seems to consist of nice songs, songs that don't shout or get angry or protest, and whereas obviously not everyone has something to protest about, or wants to do so in their music, it's nice to hear a bit of energy, a bit of life in songs, and these are, pretty much almost totally, far too restrained and low-key for me. It slips into the very folk ballad “Comfort me”, as I fight to keep my eyes open... well, not literally. But I am fighting to try to keep some level of interest, and try to pick out any good points to report. Okay, well that's at least a surprise. Halfway through this kicks into some sort of life, with thumping drums and harder guitar, good strong backing vocals and even Feist's own voice getting a little more animated, but still, at this point it's a little hard to care. I'm just waiting for the closer now, and as “Get it wrong, get it right” shows me the way out, I can really only feel a sense of relief that this album is now over. Perhaps that's harsh, as the closer does seem to be a pretty decent little song, but any possibility of enjoyment I had from this album has been leeched away by the droning, uninteresting and quite frankly annoying voice of Leslie Feist. Again, I know I'm in the minority, given the general acclaim the album has got, but then, this is my opinion and my review, and if you just wanted to hear your own opinions regurgitated you would most likely not be reading this journal. If you're a regular reader, you know by now that I speak my mind; regardless of what ninety-nine people have said about an album being great, if I'm the hundreth to review it and I don't like it, I'll always say so. May make me seem the eternal pessimist, may make me look like a perfectionist, may upset or anger some people, but hey, that's me. Honesty is my currency, and I ain't buying this. Well, I did, but you know what I mean... TRACKLISTING 1. The bad in each other 2. Graveyard 3. Caught a long wind 4. How come you never go there 5. A commotion 6. The circle married the line 7. Bittersweet melodies 8. Anti-pioneer 9. Undiscovered first 10. Cicadas and gulls 11. Comfort me 12. Get it wrong, get it right |
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Not one of the big hits or even better known tracks from the album, the worm still really likes this, from Dire Straits' classic album, “Brothers in arms”, this is “The man's too strong”. |
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Yay! The Beast is back! Well, on the road, at least. While it's generally accepted that no live Iron Maiden album will ever come close to the seminal “Live after death” --- an opinion I can't back up, as I, to my eternal shame, have never listened to it --- it's nice to see a new Maiden live offering. It's been three years since the last one --- more a documentary set to music than an actual live offering, and concentrating mostly on the older material, mainly from “Somewhere in time”, “Powerslave” and “Number of the Beast” --- and four years for the one before that, so perhaps we're due a new live album from the boys. En vivo! --- Iron Maiden --- 2012 (EMI) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...en_Vivo_CD.jpg Released as both a double CD and a DVD, “En vivo!” --- which in case your Spanish is really bad and you can't figure it out is “live” in Spanish --- is part live concert, part documentary (what they refer to as a “video record”) of “The final frontier” tour, filmed almost exactly a year ago in Santiago, Chile. The DVD comes with the documentary and other features of course, but here we're just concentrating on the music that fills the two CDs. And a pretty representative selection it is, albeit weighted heavily with material from the last album, as you would expect. It opens with the first track off “The final frontier”, the fairly epic “Satellite 15 … The final frontier”, although here it's split into two separate tracks. As an introduction it's not the worst, though there are better tracks to have started on I believe, but then if this is the tour for that album then I suppose they would be expected to open with the track that starts the album. For me, Bruce's voice is a little low in the mix, just here at any rate, something which hopefully will be addressed and corrected as the album moves on. I'm used to the Maiden frontman's voice commanding and controlling the performance, and indeed as the first part ends and the title track gets going you can hear him more, his voice stronger, but even at that, it's not as to the fore as I would prefer. The crowd (50,000-strong, apparently) respond as you would expect, chanting “The final frontier” along with Bruce in ecstasy and admiration, while Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray do their thing on the triple guitar attack, Nicko kicking the crap out of his drumkit while Steve keeps a steady, even hand on the other half of the rhythm section. It's his humming bass that kicks in another track off “The final frontier”, the rockin' “El Dorado”, and it's clear Bruce is enjoying himself as they segue directly into the first track not off the last album, “Two minutes to midnight” from “Powerslave”, which is great to hear, even if Bruce gets the year wrong in his introduction! It's a track that really benefits from more and more guitars, and the boys definitely pile it on. One thing about singing live I guess is that sometimes you can just let the audience get on with it and essentially sit back, and for parts of this song that's just what Dickinson does. The audience enthusiastically sings the chorus, where at times Bruce's voice seems just a little ragged. Of course,at this point they had been almost a year on the road, so it's not a huge surprise when he sounds a little worn out at times. His constant cries of “Scream for me Chile!” get a little wearing: this is only the fourth track and I've already heard him say it about six times. Small quibbles though; it is unintentionally funny though when, at the end of the song, he roars “You sing it!” and the crowd stays completely silent! Oops! We're back to the current album then for “The talisman”, with a nice gentle guitar opening, which fools no-one, not even those who may not have heard “The final frontier”: we know a Maiden ballad is about as rare as an honest bank chairman, and indeed it soon explodes into life, though I have to say Bruce's voice does sound much better here, stronger and more authoritative as he competes with only the lone guitar and bass. It remains to be seen whether we can still hear him when the rest of the band power into life. Well, in fairness, yes, he does keep up with them and this is more like the Bruce Dickinson I know and love: he's powerful, strong, commanding and charismatic as he yells above the music and there's no argument as to who's in control here. “The talisman” is a great rocker, something of a slowburner that suddenly pumps up the volume and tempo, and you'll shake a good head to this no question. One of the “new generation” of Maiden songs, it's a long one, almost nine minutes, and indeed one of the better tracks on “The final frontier”, plenty to get excited about. Not so much in the way of crowd participation in this, not surprisingly, as it's really just a case of headbanging and playing your air guitar, and again some in the audience may only just be getting into the “new” album, as I really only heard them singing along to the previous track, and for the opener they just chanted the name. “Coming home” is another offering from that album, a slower cruncher than the previous, with on-the-road keyboardist Michael Kenney adding his own flourishes and embellishments to Maiden's guitar-centric music. There's great power and passion in this song, which probably attained even greater poignancy when they played Knebworth a few months later. There's only the one track from “Dance of death” (and none at all, surprisingly, from the album previous to “The final frontier”, 2006's “A matter of life and death”) and it's the title, but it seems to go down a storm with the crowd, who go into raptures when the voiceover announces ”There are more things in Heaven and Earth/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy!” and the opening guitar chords from “Dance of death” echo around the Estadio Nacional. Bruce outdoes himself on this, a figure of menace and warning, no doubt striding purposefully across the stage under a huge Eddie (I'll be watching the DVD at a later date, but I don't think this is a bad bet). Cheers ring out around the arena as the “slow bit” comes to an end and almost Irish jig guitar melodies take the song into its heavier, faster sections. I must admit, I would have expected something like “Paschendale”, or certainly the standout “Journeyman”, if only as an encore, but they choose not to include these tracks, or at least not on the discs. Nonetheless, this is a great track and again gives the “three amigos” room and scope to shine as we know they can on their combined guitar work. The problems, as such, with the vocals have now been well and truly ironed out, and it's full steam ahead as we power into “The trooper”, one of three tracks included from what must be seen as their most famous, successful and favourite album, “The number of the Beast”. One of the biggest cheers of the night goes up for this well-known and loved standard, and you can just feel the buzz around the stadium, fifty thousand heads shaking side to side, fifty thousand shoulders jumping up and down, arms around each other as each tries to outdo the other on air guitar and headbanging, lots of cries of “Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!” rising up into the warm night air (well, it's South America: it's got to be warm, yeah?) as Maiden counterbalance the longer, more progressive tunes of recent years with a lookback to their earlier, heavy but shorter and snappier songs like this and “The wicker man”, up next. One of only two tracks from what is seen by many, myself included, as their comeback album, 2000's “Brave new world”, it is in fact the opening track, and it's classic Maiden reborn, another big cheer as the familiar guitar chords introduce the song. A delerious crowd chant and singalong ”Your time will come!” although it's quite obvious to anyone listening to, or watching this, that Maiden's time came a long time ago, and it will be an equally long time before it goes, if ever. Pure, honest heavy metal like that which Iron Maiden purvey --- without the need for tags like nu-metal, metalcore, or even classic metal --- is timeless and always welcome wherever rock is appreciated. Bruce and the boys now play with the effortless ease of premiership footballers or winning formula 1 racing drivers: they know they can do their job and do it well; they have little if anything left to prove to anyone, and can just enjoy making their music and having a good time. And when they're having a good time, you can bet the crowd are too! And that's it for disc 1, as the cheers and applause ring around the arena and fade out, taking us into the second track from “Brave new world”, instantly recognised by and picked up on by the crowd, the excellent “Blood brothers”, wherein again Michael Kenney excels on the keyboards. A real “you're one of us/we're one of you” anthem, it's clearly appreciated by the crowd, and then we're into the final track from “The final frontier”, and the longest on this CD. At just over ten and a half minutes, “When the wild wind blows” is ambitious even for Maiden, for whom people used once to shake their heads and ask was “Hallowed be thy name”'s seven-plus minutes a bit long for a metal band? But it's a powerful song, with growling guitars and bass, thunderous, military-style drumming and Bruce at his dark best, and the crowd love it, you can hear that. Let's be honest: for a song that long to keep the attention and get the applause it does at the end is a testament to the fanbase Iron Maiden have, and the reverence with which the band are treated. After that it's all standards, as the powerful steam locomotive that is “The evil that men do” throws down a marker for “Seventh son of a seventh son”, unfortunately the only example from that opus, then the title track from the largely disappointing “Fear of the dark” gets a great reception, Bruce in fine form as he struts and menaces the crowd with no doubt a big evil grin on his features. He even smilingly notes the word “chilly” in the lyric... All the expected classics come then, one after the other, with a few notable exceptions. No “Phantom of the opera”, strangely, with the debut album represented by its title track, still a great song but I would have really liked to have seen “Phantom” in there. Interesting to hear Bruce sing it though, as this is the first time I've heard a post-D'ianno version. Yes, I did see them live in Dublin. Just the once, but they didn't play that song. There's also “Running free” to close, but more of that later. It's time to return to “The number of the Beast”, with the title track sending the crowd into paroxysms of delight and setting light (metaphorically, I hope!) to the whole stadium, the audience even shouting along with the spoken intro, then the familiar chords pounding out and shattering the not-so-still night and leading into what I would see as the climax of the whole gig, my all-time favourite, both from that album and from this band, the unutterably brilliant “Hallowed be thy name”. There is, however, something freakishly surreal about hearing 50,000 heavy metal fans bellowing part of the Lord's Prayer out into the sultry Santiago night! A seven minute-plus version of “Running free” is, for me, an anticlimax and completely unnecessary: I never liked the track originally, so a longer version to close this album is not what I would have hoped for, but there it is. It provides of course an opportunity for Bruce to interact with the audience, introduce the band, the usual thing, with mostly Harris's bass keeping the beat as Bruce tells the ecstatic crowd “Two hours of yellin' and screamin'/ We're just getting' started!” Of course, they're not, as this is the finale, the encore. But that's rock and roll, as they say. Let's be honest, it was not even slightly likely that I was going to have anything bad to say about this album, now was it? Possibly one of the easiest reviews I've done in a while: I loved listening to the album as I wrote about it, and I could even write some in advance, knowing how good the music is. As a slice of Maiden on the road it's a winner, as a selection from their catalogue it could have been better balanced, though as it was the tour to promote “The final frontier” it was expected that that album would form the lion's share of the music. Still, a few better picks would have improved the overall tracklisting. I missed “Run to the hills”, “Can I play with madness” and bad as it was I wouldn't have minded hearing “Angel and the gambler” thrown in there. But of course, this is the case with any live album, or indeed any live gig you go to. The older and more established the band is, the more material they have and consequently the more they have to leave off the set, otherwise they could be playing for four or five hours a night. So inevitably some better songs will get left behind, as the band try to balance the set with old classics, their own favourites and also try to push their new album as much as they can, so there's no hard feelings. But I could have definitely done without “Running free”. Disc one, then, is top-heavy with tracks from “The final frontier”, with a few from earlier albums, while disc two is given over almost exclusively to a sort of whistle-stop tour of their better known classics from a career that spans over forty years now. So if for some reason you didn't like the last album (and why not?) then you could, largely, skip the first disc. But that would be a mistake, take my word for it. This is an album that deserves to be listened to, luxuriated in, experienced to the max. Only that way can you feel something the same as fifty thousand lucky Chileans did one hot April night last year. In the end, all I can say, predictably, is “En vivo? Bravo! Encore!” TRACKLISTING Disc One 1. Satellite 15 2. The final frontier 3. El Dorado 4. Two minutes to midnight 5. The talisman 6. Coming home 7. Dance of death 8. The trooper 9. The wicker man Disc Two 1. Blood brothers 2. When the wild wind blows 3. The evil that men do 4. Fear of the dark 5. Iron Maiden 6. The number of the Beast 7. Hallowed be thy name 8. Running free |
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Not a huge fan of Paul Simon, to be honest, however the worm does rather like a few of his songs. Like this one... |
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At first these two artistes would seem to have very little in common, but when you look closer there are similarities. Matt Johnson has always raged at the machine, so to speak, warning us of the influence everything from religion to the USA exert over our lives, and constantly angry and in despair that things are not as they should be. Sinead O'Connor, of course, has a real problem with the Catholic Church, many forms of authority and warmongerers. She sees many things happening in the world today as almost a personal affront, perhaps not to her but to God, or whatever supreme intelligence she believes in. Can't fault that, to be fair. Both have written of and sung of the bleakness that can exist in love, the often desperate way we cling to one another, trying to shut out the darkness we know will eventually claim us, trying to stave off the inevitable. So they're actually a perfect match, really, for this ode to loveless love, despair and desperation that appeared on The The's third album, “Mind bomb”. Matt Johnson and Sinead O'Connor --- Kingdom of rain http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...b_CD_cover.jpg Not really billed as a collaboration, or indeed a duet, and to my knowledge, not even released as a single, it's nevertheless a coming together of minds and philosophies and ideas, where the emotion (or lack of) expressed throughout the song and characterised in the lyric is perfect fodder for each of the protagonists. Matt sings of how he thought he'd be with Sinead forever (”You were the girl I wanted to cry with/ You were the girl I wanted to die with”) but then saw that relationship sour and turn ugly as Sinead sings ”You were the boy who turned into a man/ Broke my heart and let go of my hand.” It's a dour, bitter song as both ask the question ”I would lie awake and wonder/ Is it just me?/ Or is this the way love is supposed to be?” It's no love song, and yet in some ways it's more sincere and honest than many a ballad written to glorify love and romance. Chances are that most of us, though we may start off thinking in terms of “I only wanna be with you” or thereabouts, end up singing this song, or a variant of it, unless we're very lucky. It's a reminder that in the end the flowers start to die, the chocolates taste of dust as the relationship sours and falls apart, and everything turns to ashes. Now! Aren't you glad to took the time to read this article? Feeling better? No? Well, take it as a cautionary tale if you will: this could happen to you, if you don't treat him or her better, or try to work out the problems in your own relationships. |
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On these pages are a lot of stuff that I've not heard in donkey's years, stuff like the Bangles, Molly Hatchet and Icehouse, I've probably not heard these albums since the early 1990s and Stevie Nicks we've already discussed. I'm actually revisiting Malmsteen soon, I'm not much of a fan of the virtuoso guitarists doing solo albums, but after finally being impressed with the Michael Schenker debut, I'm gradually revisiting all these types of albums. Also listening to a lot of Kamelot at the moment along with Virgin Steele, these are my two current power metal kicks. Guess what, I'm finally finding some pages where I don't really like the artist or have never heard of them..........this means I can really speed up.;) Ozzy Osbourne- When it comes to Ozzy, I fall into the category that none of his solo stuff falls into the same class as those first 6 Black Sabbath albums. I find his first two solo albums with Randy Rhoads (they seem to be the reason that they are held in such high esteem) to be just good albums, but I never find them worthy of repeated listens. NWBHM 2- As said part 2 of the NWOBHM, don't you think its amazing of the amount of bands that formed this movement, that a huge amount either came from the West Midlands or the North East!!! Raven- When I started my NWOBHM thread this was another very popular band, they had bags of raw energy and their debut album cover demonstrated their excessive love of noise,in the song writing dept they weren't the best but that energy!!! Cloven Hoof- Probably one of the weaker bands of the movement, I've listened to several of their albums over the years and usually foget them, the best thing about this band are their album covers, the band later shifted in a more power metal direction. Venom- At times hilariously bad and Lemmy summed them up perfectly by saying that they were faking it on stage as they were such bad musicians, their albums sound like the were produced in a back bedroom BUT when something is that bad it can often be good because the songs were there. Whatever anybody thinks of this band, they where probably wholly responsible for the future extreme metal sub-genre that bands like Slayer and Celtic Frost (ooooooh Celtic Frost) would later go onto perfect. |
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Certainly tying in with the weather prevalent in Dublin today, this is the Scorpions, with a classic power ballad, “Wind of change”. |
Kingdoms of folly --- Black Bayou Construkt --- 2009 (Golar Wash Labs & Records)
http://www.concertlivewire.com/jpegs...ackbayoucd.jpg I really hate it when I can't find much information on a band! Wiki has zip, discogs says “Wha?” and the only information I can dig up on this enigmatic band is from their own MySpace page --- which again I don't like; not theirs in particular, just MySpace in general --- so I guess I had better let the band do the introductions. From their MySpace: Born: 2004 in the ashes of Santeria & numerous other Louisiana bands, Black Bayou is a psyouthern Gypsy-Death-Blues Atmospheric sextet that plays original compositions for The People. References nothing in the current over or underground, but is rooted in tradition and prone to experimental excursions of the atmospheric variety, which in some ways could be construed as a nod to the "jam band scene," albeit that would be the darker elements of said scene. Enough said, I believe. So, this is their debut album, they hail from the Deep Sath, and claim to be unlike anything you've ever heard before. Well, that's a claim that's certainly been made before, sometimes to good effect, sometimes to bad. You have to admit though, the description of BBC (hah!) as a “psyouthern gypsy death blues atmospheric” band has to have piqued your curiosity. It certainly has made me want to hear just exactly what music with a wide-ranging tag like that sounds like. So let's do that, shall we? Well, it sounds fairly rock with guitar, drums and harmonica as “Jones for war” opens the album, nice southern boogie type of sound to it, gravelly rough vocals from mainman Dege Legg, kind of a mix of Molly Hatchet and Soul Asylum, with a shot of Squeeze thrown in. Seems Dege is aided on the gee-tar by Chad Viatar (great name for an axeman huh?) and a guy with the unlikely name of Hawley Joe Gary bashes the skins. Wailing violin from Esther Tyree takes us into “In search of...”, a mid-paced rocker with some effective piano courtesy of Sean Keating, Legg and Viatar's guitars howling back in desperation at Tyree's violin. A more restrained song this, with some good backing vocals, then we're into “Way of the lamb”, with a cool guitar intro, almost acoustic or semi-acoustic, kind of campfire-song style, with Legg stretching his vocal prowess and Tyree punching in with some pretty wild violin --- I know that's an adjective seldom used in concert with that instrument, but really, it fits: her violin is more like the cry of a wounded banshee or a howling coyote --- the song getting more intense and powerful as it goes along. According to their bio on MySpace, Black Bayou Construkt spent much of their time in seedy hotels, trailer parks and old cars, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and you can hear that sense of loss and despair in their music, but transcending it is the determination to survive, to rebuild and not to give in. “Last man out of Babylon” is another of these type of songs, moody acoustic guitar painting the scene with an almost old western sound, the kind of song a cowboy might be found singing. Not in the same vein as Bon Jovi's “Wanted dead or alive”, but with a similar atmosphere. The electric guitar joining the acoustic really amps up the emotion in the song, whereas “Lonely street” is a more stripped-down effort built on electric guitar and bass, and featuring the return of Esther Tyree's mad violin, as well as piano passages from Sean Keating that fill out the melody but don't attempt to take it over. A sort of amalgam of the styles of the Jam and the Police is what springs to mind as “The greater good” takes over, with hard, firm guitars and a semi-reggae beat sliding just a little into punk and then back again before it loses control. Nice little bass line helps to keep the song together, solid drumming from Gary and expressive and intense vocal from Legg. It's a short song, but “Killing time”, which follows it, is even shorter, just over two minutes. A much rockier song, it's constructed (hah! Again!) on a solid guitar riff, almost a nod to Black Sabbath, while “Movin' on” has to be what they call psychobilly, with a pretty healthy dose of Creedence Clearwater Revival helping it on and an infectious chorus. Some powerful organ adds a punch to “Love song for the hated”, a slower song but not a ballad, quite commercial in its way, the organ reminding me of Nick Cave's “Henry's dream” album in places. Good little guitar solo too, though whether from Legg or Viatar I can't say. “Bombs away” goes back to the main rock style, with some very melodic guitar, the song bopping along at a decent pace, very catchy with a great guitar riff running through it, and Legg sounding quite Springsteenesque, then “Streets of no end” has a strong piano intro, running into what sounds like it may be a ballad, with Legg this time recalling the best of Bono: I could have seen this doing well as a single, though as I say information on BBC is scant to say the least, so I couldn't say if this actually happened. Esther Tyree's violin makes a welcome return near the end of this song, and while “Streets of no end” is a little fast for a ballad, I'd probably class it as a semi-ballad. It certainly has the elements if not the tempo. Big country/blues number then in “All the king's men”, definite tinges of REM, perhaps a little Coldplay and a look in from the Hooters, really nice bit of slide guitar, and some soulful violin from Tyree as we head towards “Do you want me”, a country-sounding ballad led by Keating's piano lines aided by some more lovely slide guitar. Things stay slow and laidback for “The last laugh”, where again Tyree excels on the violin, with the album's title mentioned in the lyric, and then rather surprisingly, the closer is an absolute epic! With so far the longest track hitting the five and a half minute mark, “Black is the night” is indeed unexpected, its almost thirteen minute length making it more than twice the length of the next longest, “Way of the lamb”. It opens on humming keys and hillbilly guitar, maybe even banjo but I don't think so. Sounds of thunder rend the air as the guitar picks its way through the opening melody, Esther's violin joining in before Dege Legg's voice comes in strong and clear, the music getting a little more full and intense as the drums kick in and electric guitar powers in. There's a strong sense of Delta blues about this, with some old-style country mixed in, the violin taking the song to other dimensions entirely, and what began simply has now become something of a powerhouse closer, and we're only at the four minute point, almost a third of the way through. The violin is leading the way now as the song heads towards its sixth minute, almost the midway point, then it begins to slow down and sounds like it would end here, but shimmering keys and light percussion keep it going as some gentle guitar ushers it towards the ninth minute, some major feedback then building up as the drums start to get going properly for a moment, then it all drops away to the sounds of thunder and rain which goes on for some minutes, fading and getting further away, so that it would appear the song proper ends at around the nine and a half minute mark. Inscrutable? Uncategorisable? I wouldn't go that far. It's rock music, tinged with country and blues and probably some folk, with the odd other influence thrown in for good measure. But if you like good, honest, earnest rock music with a lot to say, then it's unlikely you'll be disappointed with this album. It's certainly going to have a few more spins on my disk before too long. YouTubes for this band were hard to come by, as was information on them, so I'm assuming you may have a little trouble tracking down this, for the moment, their only album. But do make an effort: it'll be worth it, I promise. TRACKLISTING 1. Jones for war 2. In search of... 3. Way of the lamb 4. Last man out of Babylon 5. Lonely street 6. The greater good 7. Killing time 8. Movin' on 9. Love song for the hated 10. Bombs away 11. Streets of no end 12. All the king's men 13. Do you want me 14. The last laugh 15. Black is the night |
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In honour of the release, and review last week, of his new album, let's take a classic from the Boss, shall we? This is from “Born in the USA”, and it's “Dancing in the dark”. But then, you knew that, didn't you? |
Save me, San Francisco --- Train --- 2009 (Columbia)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._cover_art.jpg To pull a phrase from another section of my journal, this was more or less Last Chance Saloon for Train, whose previous album, “For me it's you” had failed to make any sort of impact on the charts at all, and had led to the band originally considering breaking up but deciding instead to take a break, during which they pursued solo projects. With those faring equally badly as their recent band output, Train got back together and approached their next, “comback”, as it were, album with renewed vigour, sense of purpose and the idea of just writing music for music's sake, instead of writing for the charts, desperate for another hit to rival their 2001 Grammy-winning “Drops of Jupiter”. It seemed to work, and this, their fifth album, hits all the right spots. Though it still failed to set the charts alight, it sold well and re-established train as a viable rock band, as they returned to their roots, most especially demonstrated by the title of the album. Having been at one point a quintet, Train were now stripped back down to the original lineup of three: Pat Monahan on vocals, Jimmy Stafford on guitar and Scott Underwood on drums, and it seems to have made all the difference. The title track starts off upbeat and happy sort of folk-rock, great guitar and some nice honky-tonk piano with Monahan at the top of his game again; he sounds happy and almost as if he's rediscovered his mojo. There's a great feeling of camaraderie about this song, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. If it sounds like anything, it's like three guys being delighted, after years on the road, to be heading home. Monahan sings ”I've been high/I've been low/ I've been yes/And I've been oh Hell no!/ I've been rock and roll and I've been disco/ Won't you save me, San Francisco?” It's hard not to get caught up in the exuberance of this music, so why try? Just let yourself go, and enjoy it! Great opener, definitely sets the scene, then what sounds like banjo with a rolling drumbeat takes us into their biggest selling single off the album. “Hey, soul sister” is pure commercialism, but still retaining the basic Train sound. It's another upbeat song, very cheerful with some soft keyboards in the background which work very well, nice jangly guitar and then “I got you” is a little slower, with a James Blunt bent to it, the vocal on the verses more spoken/poetry than singing really, more organ but deeper and a little more to the front this time, while “Parachute” is a harder, punchier rock semi-ballad with passionate vocals and jangly guitar with thumping drums and solid synth lines, possibly even strings, though clear lineup information on this album is proving surprisingly difficult to come by. Carried mostly on a laidback piano melody, “This ain't goodbye” looks to be the first real ballad, with a hint of Marc Cohn or Bruce Hornsby about it and a yearning desperation in the voice of Monahan. Would have made a good single, but I don't think it was chosen. Come to think of it, “Parachute” would also probably have been a good candidate for release, however although there were five singles in total released from the album (none of which charted that well, bar “Hey, soul sister”) neither of these were included. “If it's love” is a faster, more energetic song driven on Jimmy Stafford's fine guitar work, but it's Jerry Becker's keyboards that usher in “You already know”, with some lovely deep strings carrying the tune also, until it breaks out into a hard rocker with staccato guitar and punchy drums, a great vocal hook and some very powerful and effective percussion in the chorus. Very anthemic, I can see this going down well on stage. Fine breakout guitar solo from Stafford near the end. A powerful hard ballad, “Words” opens on acoustic guitar but soon breaks out into full electric with backup from strings and keys and a gravelly vocal from Monahan. A sort of soul/gospel feel to this, with powerful backing vocals, and Becker's excellent piano lines again filling in the melody, then we're into “Brick by brick”, and indeed this is a slow track too, balladic certainly with a great keyboard melody running through it, flanked by some very expressive guitar and the sumptuous strings again, crafting this into quite a thing to behold. And then for a few seconds I think I've accidentally put on Phil Collins' “Face value”, as the drum intro to “Breakfast in bed” is taken right out of “In the air tonight”, but the song itself is of course a lot different. I do find though that Train appear to be grouping the slower songs --- if not actually ballads --- together at the end of the album, which is a trick I don't really favour. I'd rather they were spread out over the expanse of the album, but this is how they've decided to approach the structure of the album, and “Breakfast in bed” is quite Ocasek/Cars in its makeup, kind of nodding in the direction of “Emotion in motion”, then the album closes on “Marry me”, a lovely little acoustic ballad, taking the total count of slow songs on the album --- and grouped at the end --- to four. Good closer though. You can see on that on “Save me, San Francisco” Train have regained the love of songwriting and making music that was perhaps missing from the previous album, as they searched too hard for another hit single, and in the process lost sight of what was most important. Now that they are back on track (sorry!) I imagine their new album, which I think is already out, should be quite an experience to listen to. Looks like San Francisco did save them, after all. And us. TRACKLISTING 1. Save me, San Francisco 2. Hey, soul sister 3. I got you 4. Parachute 5. This ain't goodbye 6. If it's love 7. You already know 8. Words 9. Brick by brick 10. Breakfast in bed 11. Marry me |
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Who remembers Lenny Kravitz? Hey, it ain't over till it's over... |
Fear of a blank planet --- Porcupine Tree --- 2007 (Roadrunner)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ank_planet.jpg Over the course of my admittedly limited exposure to this band, I've come to a conclusion that has probably been reached by many others who have heard their music, and that is that the one thing you can expect from Porcupine Tree is the unexpected. Their last album prior to this, “Deadwing”, had nine tracks and was just under an hour long. The one following this, 2010's “The incident”, has nineteen tracks and clocks in at an amazing seventy-five minutes. “Fear of a blank planet” contains only six tracks --- although one of them is over seventeen minutes long --- and just about hits the fifty-minute mark. But even then: a seventeen minute track could be like “Moonloop”, off “The sky moves sideways”, which is essentially 17 minutes of NASA chatter, weird sounds and ambient effects. Directly associated with the Public Enemy album “Fear of a black planet”, this album explores the themes of coming to terms with technology which is perhaps making people less communicative and is taking over their lives. You can see that now, as people walk along texting or in some cases playing games on their iphones, oblivious in the main to the world around them, and often placing their lives at risk as they step out onto a busy roadway while typing “lol” or somesuch nonsense. And the amount of us listening to ipods as we go about our daily commute, business, or even work, has easily increased by a factor of ten since Walkmans were consigned to history. As Fish once remarked, most of us now wear “aural contraceptives, aborting pregnant conversation”. He was referring to Walkman tape players, but the idea is still valid, even moreso today. Never one to shy from the hard choices in life, and music, Steven Wilson, the brains and creative force behind Porcupine Tree for over thirty years now, must be painfully aware that as he lambasts technology he is also one of its principal champions, using the very latest, state-of-the-art advances to make his music. So he's not advocating a return to simpler times; technology and life moves on, that's progress and without it we stagnate and die as a race. But he wants people to use technology in a positive way, to enrich and enhance their lives, not to stunt and restrict it. Man and machine, hand in hand (or hand in circuit), working together to better the human race. Don't tell Skynet! It opens with the title track, itself a long enough track at just under seven and a half minutes, guitar driven with ominous chords and riding along at a good lick, and I'm not sure if Steven Wilson's using a vocoder or just some sort of other synthesised effect on his voice, but it makes it sound kind of mono, mechanical, alien. The stranglehold he sees technology having upon us is reflected as he sings, a latter-day Roger Waters ”TV, yeah it's always on/ The flicker of the screen /A movie actress screams /I'm basking in the sh1t flowing out of it” Great keys from Richard Barbieri, with the whole thing pausing almost on the four minute mark for an extended instrumental section, synth and piano creating a disturbing wall of sound before Wilson's guitar rocks out, Gavin Harrison thumping out the drumbeat. A nice Marillion-style outro then before Wilson comes back in with the final vocal. He certainly has a handle on the “youth of today”, with lyrics like ”Don't try engaging me /The vaguest of shrugs/ The prescription drugs /You'll never find/ A person inside” and ”My friend says he wants to die/ He's in a band/ They sound like Pearl Jam/ The clothes are all black /The music is crap.” As you might expect on an album with only a half-dozen songs, there are no actual short tracks on this, but for what it is, “My ashes” is the shortest, at five minutes and change. Acoustic guitar and gentle keys lead the song along, but it's really built on the passionate vocal of Steven Wilson, with some really expressive strings courtesy of the London Session Orchestra. Mandolin-style guitar also adds to the melody, but it's those strings that really start to take over the music, and I'd definitely call this a ballad. It takes us into the epic track, over seventeen minutes of it. “Anesthetize” opens slowly and low-key, with more ominous keyboard and synth passages, slow, measured but somehow rolling percussion, the guitar getting a bit more intense and then an excellent solo from Rush's Alex Lifeson as the song enters its fifth minute. More references to the way people blank out and just stare at the TV or stab at a computer games console: ”The dust in my soul /Makes me feel the weight in my legs/ My head in the clouds and I'm zoning out/ I'm watching TV but I find it hard to stay conscious/ I'm totally bored but I can't switch off.” The vocals have faded away now, giving rise to another powerful instrumental section, becoming something of a jam that lasts for about three minutes before Steven comes back in singing. Backed by a solid bass line from Colin Edwin, it's joined by the guitar and keys, drums getting heavier and the guitar then breaking out in an almost heavy metal style. A really epic, spooky keyboard solo breaks out at about the tenth minute, then everything slows right down again in the twelfth, with heavy, horn-like synth taking the melody towards its next configuration, as chiming guitar slides in, percussion rolls and drums kick in, the tempo slows and Wilson's vocal ends the song in a slow, balladic style with some emotive accompanying guitar and keys carrying the melody to conclusion. Simple piano carries “Sentimental” until guitar comes in, the song uptempo but slow; I'd have to class it as another ballad, although it does speed up a little in the final minute, with some nice Spanish guitar and then ends as it began on the lonely piano line, this time accompanied by swirling synth fading out, and taking us into “Way out of here”, with soundscapes from Robert Fripp, guesting as one of Steven Wilson's heroes from King Crimson. A much harder, rockier song, it builds up a lot of tension over its duration, dropping to simple guitar about halfway through then exploding again into a heavy, powerful sound, ending on a long, extended synth line. The album then ends on “Sleep together”, effects guitar and ominous piano backing up Wilson's introspective vocal which suddenly comes alive in the second minute with harder guitar and synth backing, possibly strings too: certainly sounds like it. A powerful ending, mostly instrumental, and the album is done. I find myself wondering was it good, was it bad? This is a problem I have with Porcupine Tree: some of their material I really like, some I just don't get. It's not quite as bad as Dream Theater but they do tend to use a lot of long instrumental passages that a lot of the time seem to me to just be filling in the tracks. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but it's really the lyrical content that concerns me, and though the title track and one or two others have great lyrics, I found it hard on this album to follow the actual theme. I guess for me the jury is still out on PT: I have yet to listen to another of their full albums, this being the first I listened to that wasn't part of a playlist. Perhaps that's the problem, and something I need to address. It worked in a way with Spock's Beard, who I never could have seen myself getting into, and did eventually. Maybe repeated listens will reveal previously hidden depths to this album; I feel sure they will. Oh yes, I have a feeling that my path and that of Steven Wilson and Co. will inevitably cross again, given time. TRACKLISTING 1. Fear of a blank planet 2. My ashes 3. Anesthetize 4. Sentimental 5. Way out of here 6. Sleep together |
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Actually, to be honest, I feared listening to boybands more than Venom, but in the end there was a lot of positivity I could take out of the boyband experience, to my amazement. Couldn't say the same about those guys though! |
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Many songs conjure up definite images when you hear them, but does this one remind you of anything but rabbits? |
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Anyone who's a regular reader of my journal will know I'm a big fan of Bon Jovi. I don't really care who thinks they're past it, dad-rock, whatever: I see each new album as being consistently excellent, and the guys only seem to improve with age in my eyes. Sure, they've been going now for over thirty years, but so have a lot of other bands, some of whom fail to maintain the high quality of work as they edge towards their third decade that Bon Jovi do. I don't think there's any one album I can point to and say it's not up to scratch, compared to the rest of their catalogue... oh wait, there is. I forgot “7800 degrees Fahrenheit”, which is generally accepted to be their weakest album. But that aside, they've continued to turn out opuses (opi?) every few years, and notwithstanding the foregoing, I've yet to be disappointed by a Bon Jovi album. I think that Jon and Richie's songwriting talent is not given the credit it's due: look at songs like “Wanted dead or alive”, “Right side of wrong”, “Just older” or the powerful “Living in sin”. These are great rock songs, great compositions and show a deep and meaningful understanding of the human condition, and what makes us the people we are. Well, enough preaching. If you hate Bon Jovi this is unlikely to convince you, and if you like or love them then you already know what I'm talking about. This particular song I want to concentrate on here comes from the 2005 album “Have a nice day” and is one of the few on which Richie Sambora does not contribute: in fact, it's co-written by Jon with Billy Falcon, with whom the band began working back in 2000, and who has participated in some tracks on both “Crush” and “Bounce” before this, and “Lost highway” and “The Circle” after it. It's the story of the deterioration both in music and in its appreciation, and so it's aimed both at the industry and the bands --- well, some of them --- who milk it for the money and have no real love, or indeed talent, for music. Last man standing (Bon Jovi) from “Have a nice day”, 2005 Music and lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Falcon It's really cleverly set, with the protagonist, the eponymous Last Man Standing, presented as a type of fairground attraction, something you might find in one of those old carnival freak shows. The hook is that he really plays music, he doesn't just mime. Patrons are invited by Jon to ”Come see a living, breathing spectacle/ Only seen right here” as he sneers at the current music fads and declares ”So keep your pseudo-punk, hip-hop, pop-rock junk/ And your digital downloads!” It's almost prophetic, as we move further into an age where, more and more, style wins out over substance, and people are more concerned with the danceability of a song than its lyrical content, or how it's actually played. With ipods, YouTube and the like now, people are more likely to grab the tracks they like from an album or artiste, and not sit down and take the time to listen through to an album all the way, in the process quite possibly missing some really good music. I'm as guilty of this as other people, although I do try to make time to listen to albums as well as playlists. But with music increasingly dominated by synthesisers, loops and samples, this song warns that the day of the humble guitarist, and indeed the singer/songwriter, may be numbered. Let's make sure it isn't. Come see a living, breathing spectacle Only seen right here. It's your last chance in this lifetime: The line forms at the rear. You won't believe your eyes, Your eyes will not believe your ears! Get your money out, get ready, Step right up, yeah you, c'mere! You ain't seen nothing like him: He's the last one of the breed. You better hold on to your honey: Honeys, don't forget to breathe! Enter at your own risk, mister It might change the way you think: There's no dancers, there's no diamonds; No this boy don't lip-synch. Here's the last man standing! Step right up, he's the real thing! The last chance of a lifetime To come and see, hear, feel the real thing. See those real live calloused fingers Wrapped around those guitar strings; Kiss the lips where hurt has lingered: It breaks your heart to hear him sing. The songs were more than music, they were pictures from the soul --- So keep your pseudo-punk, hip-hop, pop-rock junk And your digital downloads! Here's the last man standing! Step right up, he's the real thing! The last chance of a lifetime To come and see, hear, feel the real thing. Take your seats now, folks, it's show time. Hey, Patrick --- hit the lights. There's something in the air: There's magic in the night. Now here's the band, they really play; I'll count the first one in. I don't know where it's going, We all know where it's been.” |
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REO Speedwagon get a lot of stick for their slushy ballads, but the worm really thinks they rock on this track. This is “Back on the road again”. |
We were shipwrecks --- Ilia --- 2011 (Self-released)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg I don't often copy-and-paste directly, but I am so impressed by this introduction and mission statement that I feel it needs to be read verbatim, as the band wrote it. So, from their MySpace page: ilia, which members currently consist of Jessica Frizzell on drums, Melissa Newman on guitar, and Brittney Mosher on vocals and guitar, is not just a band. Ilia is a response to what a few passionate individuals see, feel, and perceive around them. We believe there should always be a purpose in whatever you do. There must be sincerity, drive, intentionality. So as ilia progressed into something more than just a band leading youth worship, we felt that as the band got serious, so we should seriously think about why we thought we were called to travel throughout the world playing the music we wrote. It's not that we think we are innovative or impressive in what we do, though we believe that excellence is what we should always strive for. Our passion is that we want to see people changed. The world is slowly being suffocated by Media. Media tells us that we are not skinny enough, we aren't strong enough, we aren't attractive enough. Our success is based on how big our TV is, what kind of cars we own, how much money is in our bank account, and how many people come to our shows. It's lies are constantly and consistently burned into us and it feeds us it's poison one drop at a time until we finally collapse; empty and taken advantage of and wondering how this happened and why it is happening us. We are surrounded by people, all different, all unique. We constantly evaluate and determine a person's value by what they are wearing, what they look like, how they act and what they do. We deal with feelings of mistrust, the fear of rejection, the pain of what goes on at home behind closed doors and it is all carefully and neatly hidden behind metal skin. Sometimes our inner selfs leak out and we try to cover it up with a laugh or a smile or a well placed joke. Or sometimes we lash out taking our frustrations and pain and misery out on the people around us, because hurt people hurt people. Our human condition is desperate. We are lonely and broken and do not have the strength to fix ourselves and are too afraid or proud to ask for help. We have this hole inside us that we so desperately try to fill with anything that will pour inside but it's no use, we find ourselves searching for something else. So we stand with arms crossed and hardened features daring someone, pleading for someone, to break past our defenses and find our souls within. There is something so appealing about someone that is real isn't there? Truly real. They refuse to believe the lies that Media or anyone else tries to shove down their throats. They were shipwrecks, if you will, but they are hopeful of a different future that Media is causing the world to fall too. They stand tall, beautiful, authentic; broken but mending. They are honest about their faults, but are not controlled by them and instead of succumbing to the darkness they fight towards the light; they are fighting to find what it means to be human again. We are striving to be those people. This is why our new EP is entitled We Were Shipwrecks. Our hearts, our ears, our arms are yours. We are just as broken as you. We hurt and go through things just like you and would never try to lie to you saying that we don't. We are not above you. We are not below you. We are beside you. We write and perform and connect so that maybe it would speak to you in some way that would invoke change, hope, action, or the lifting of burdens in you. This is who we are. We are lovers. we are Truth Seekers. We are Freedom Fighters. Our canvas is the world and our paint is music and melody and we will paint it with Truth, Love, Hope, and Justice. This says more about this band than I ever could. A trio of ladies, Ilia appear, on the surface, to be either a Christian Rock band or one certainly associated with such types, but I don't think they deserve to be so easily pigeonholed, and definitely you should not shy from listening to their music just because of that, if it offends or turns you off. As I found out with Narnia, you don't have to be a believer to enjoy the music, and Ilia don't make the mistake of trying to convert you by singing about how great God is. Another thing I don't do that often is review EPs, and this only has five tracks, if you discount the two live and acoustic versions of two of the songs already on the EP. So probably a short review, but in these days of bands who just get together to make money and appear on the TV or in magazines, it's refreshing to meet a group who seem to actually care about their music, and more, who want to try to communicate the importance of the music and their own view on the modern world to their listeners. Okay, so the album starts powerfully, on a heavy note with crashing guitars and thumping drums as “Ezekiel” opens proceedings, frontwoman Brittney Mosher on vocals and guitar, aided by Melissa Newman also on guitar, while Jessica Frizzell occupies the drumseat. There's a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm about this song, growling, pounding guitars and an impassioned, determined vocal from Mosher, and as a mission statement they couldn't really have done better, declaring ”We were never meant to die/ So resuscitate us!” The title track then is a little more restrained, still with those heavy guitars and powerful hooks, Brittney Mosher's vocal a little less angry and incensed on this, and it's a real anthem which no doubt captures the imagination of their audience when played live. Mosher definitely has a powerful voice, very distinctive, but I'd like to hear what it's like when she tackles a ballad or slower song. There's a certain feel of country, or country-rock about “Reaching”, with Mosher stretching her voice above an almost Edge-like guitar from Melissa Newman. “Fall on us” is a mid-paced rocker, with some nice backing vocals and a very commercial sound that would make a decent single, some quite restrained guitar and a really good beat. And all too soon it's over, as “We will rise”, surely another statement of intent, if not a prophecy soon to be fulfilled, takes us out in a gentle ballad with superb jangly guitar, inspired percussion and a soulful vocal from Mosher that just oozes emotion and sincerity. Actually not fully a ballad --- it gets a little heavier in the middle, with sharp, angry guitar --- but definitely the slowest and most appropriately balladic track on this short album, and a great little closer. It's hard to judge a band on the basis of such a brief encounter, but within five tracks I've already grown to like Ilia, and I can see that the words on their MySpace page are not just words, they are a statement of intent, a philosophy and an absolute belief. On the strength of this offering, I can't wait till their first full-length album is released. TRACKLISTING 1. Ezekiel 2. We were shipwrecks 3. Reaching 4. Fall on us 5. We will rise |
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