As John cleaned up his act, it shone through in his music like the sun piercing through clouds. Released in 2001, `To Record' sees Frusciante reflect on what he has been through, which is echoed in the lyrics. But at the same time, to show he has now reached the other side, the tempo and general feel of the album is one of positivity and optimism. You get the sense he really is back on track, not just with his music; but his life as whole. I see this album very much as what should be his debut, as the first 2 albums considering the quality and the state he was in; I deem them as a false start. But I realise that on paper, `To Record' is his third album proper.
The majority of the tracks are up beat pop songs given a funky edge through the use of guitars, a drum machine, sequencers and synthesizer. Highlight for me is the first track on the album; `Going Inside' which is not only my favourite song on the album but one of my favourite songs he has done out of all his material. Most bands shove their good songs in the middle of albums. However I think the idea here was just to come in all guns blazing. By really grabbing the listener's attention and making sure it's not let go till the albums over. The acoustic guitar comes in as if he is just throwing himself in at the deep end. None of this, five minute, slow build-up intro. Not that there is anything wrong with that; But Frusciante I feel did this because he wanted to send a message out from the outset. He's back; He has sorted himself out and has a new improved upbeat optimism which just comes flooding out in the rhythm of the guitar. The lyrics on the other hand are a kind of summary about what happened to him and his new found perspective on the world. For example `You don't throw your life away, going inside' and `I moved this fight away'. It is such a joyous song which conveys messages in such a powerful way, that it is hard not to find yourself completely immersed in it.
The upbeat pop songs are mixed in with some funky instrumentals which act as great tunes in there own right such as `Murderers' and `Ramparts'. Lasting only, 1 minute and 12 seconds, Ramparts is shortest song on the album; but this track shows that length really doesn't matter; as this oozes quality in abundance. It is one of the most wonderful instrumentals I have heard. It has such a nice flow to it, with a variation of acoustic and electric guitar parts layered on top of each other creating a majestic melody. `Murderers' is another great instrumental, and yet another stand out track on the album. It has this really hypnotic guitar riff which runs through the whole song with other guitar sounds, synthesizer and drum machine coming and going to keep things interesting. I am so glad there is no singing in either of these tunes, as the stand up on their own two feet without singing which would have no doubt ruined them.
Overall this is great stuff and is without doubt the first album he has made which has fulfilled his potential. Everyone knew what he was capable of and he well and truly delivered with this effort. We all knew he was a talented guitarist but this is really the first time it became apparent that he could actually sing too. It was clear that this was the start of something special, not just in his solo material but also in his band too.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
John Frusciante - Smiles From The Streets You Hold
`Smiles' is the second album from John Frusciante released back in 1997 and is his hardest album to get. In fact the only place I could find this album was on eBay for £18, making it the expensive album in my entire CD collection.
Was it worth it? In a word; NO! This is one of the worst albums in my CD collection. When listening to this album for the first time I did wonder what he was on. Well it turns out it was heroin and lots of it. In his head it probably sounded like the best thing ever. But the reality is that it is extremely badly produced and is just a complete mess. `Smiles' makes his debut album; `Niandra Lades and Usually just a T-shirt' sound like a classic. Not because I think `Niandra' is good, but because this one of the most awkward, unaccessable albums I have ever heard.
Starting off with 8 minuter `Enter a Uh', you can hear Frusciante coughing and footsteps, before coming in with `You see me now'. The vocals in this song and throughout the album are projected in such a way that it is as if Frusciante is in excruciating pain, trying to hang on in there. This was John at one of his darkest moments, even more so than when he recorded `Niandra'. The state he was in is reflected in the album, as it seems he is struggling to even play to any sort of rhythm or melody on the guitar. The lyrics give you the feeling he just blurted out the first thing that came into his head, whether it made sense or not. For example: `Why I paddle thru the clouds. In my oversized canoe,' from the song `I'm Always' or even worse from the song `Height down' the lyrics `Bili lie now despite to go walling'.
When I put my MP3 player on shuffle and a song from this album comes on it is instantly recognisable as it stands out like a sore thumb. This is because the sound quality is so bad; a band made up with 12 year olds could easily make a better sounding record than this, never mind being able to write songs which can actually be distinguished as songs. I do wonder sometimes, if he went back and recorded this album again now that he has cleaned up his act; what it would sound like? In my opinion it would be a real eye opener and probably be one of the best re-masters of all time. Primarily because it could not get much worse and secondly because we know the ridiculous amount of talent and potential he possesses.
I would only recommend this album if you really want to complete your JF collection because apart from that it really is the musical equivalent of diarrhoea. Even the cover looks like it has been done by a five year old. Drugs should not be an excuse. I am not going to listen to an album, and say `It's pretty bad, but I found out he was taking drugs when he wrote it. OK, when I listen to it from that perspective, its actually pretty good'. It is rubbish and it should never have seen the light of day. In saying that if it was designed to be a comedy record, it does achieve its goal of being hilarious but given the state he got himself into; I very much doubt it.
Was it worth it? In a word; NO! This is one of the worst albums in my CD collection. When listening to this album for the first time I did wonder what he was on. Well it turns out it was heroin and lots of it. In his head it probably sounded like the best thing ever. But the reality is that it is extremely badly produced and is just a complete mess. `Smiles' makes his debut album; `Niandra Lades and Usually just a T-shirt' sound like a classic. Not because I think `Niandra' is good, but because this one of the most awkward, unaccessable albums I have ever heard.
Starting off with 8 minuter `Enter a Uh', you can hear Frusciante coughing and footsteps, before coming in with `You see me now'. The vocals in this song and throughout the album are projected in such a way that it is as if Frusciante is in excruciating pain, trying to hang on in there. This was John at one of his darkest moments, even more so than when he recorded `Niandra'. The state he was in is reflected in the album, as it seems he is struggling to even play to any sort of rhythm or melody on the guitar. The lyrics give you the feeling he just blurted out the first thing that came into his head, whether it made sense or not. For example: `Why I paddle thru the clouds. In my oversized canoe,' from the song `I'm Always' or even worse from the song `Height down' the lyrics `Bili lie now despite to go walling'.
When I put my MP3 player on shuffle and a song from this album comes on it is instantly recognisable as it stands out like a sore thumb. This is because the sound quality is so bad; a band made up with 12 year olds could easily make a better sounding record than this, never mind being able to write songs which can actually be distinguished as songs. I do wonder sometimes, if he went back and recorded this album again now that he has cleaned up his act; what it would sound like? In my opinion it would be a real eye opener and probably be one of the best re-masters of all time. Primarily because it could not get much worse and secondly because we know the ridiculous amount of talent and potential he possesses.
I would only recommend this album if you really want to complete your JF collection because apart from that it really is the musical equivalent of diarrhoea. Even the cover looks like it has been done by a five year old. Drugs should not be an excuse. I am not going to listen to an album, and say `It's pretty bad, but I found out he was taking drugs when he wrote it. OK, when I listen to it from that perspective, its actually pretty good'. It is rubbish and it should never have seen the light of day. In saying that if it was designed to be a comedy record, it does achieve its goal of being hilarious but given the state he got himself into; I very much doubt it.
Monday, 13 September 2010
John Frusciante - Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-shirt
`Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-shirt' was Frusicante's debut album, released back in 1994. This was like in effect album with the first half being `Niandra Lades' and the second half being `Usually just a T-shirt'. Unlike many double albums, the 25 tracks are crammed onto one CD. In order to distinguish the albums on the CD, all the tracks belonging to `Niandra Lades' have real track names; while `Usually just a T-shirt', the tracks are named `Untitled #1' through to `Untitled #12.
The best tracks on the album for me are Mascara and Been Insane. I feel these tracks show glimpses of what John is really capable of. The raw emotion and energy put into the vocals make these songs stand out, head and shoulders above the rest. You can feel the pain and hurt in his voice and with just an acoustic guitar accompanying the vocals, you get the sense of loneliness he was feeling at the time. At this point in his life he was going through a tough time; hooked on drugs and deep in depression. If only the rest of the album were up to this sort of standard, it would have been a cracker.
Although there are plenty to choose from; the worst track on this album for me is `Your pussy is glued to a building on fire'. Personally, I feel that the comedy name is there to cover up how bad the song actually is. I think he did this to make people hone in on the lyrics so they forget to actually detect any sort of a tune. But even the lyrics are delivered in such an unappealing and grating way; I doubt many will be fooled by this charade.
I think that fact that there are 25 tracks on the one CD sums it up. The average length of track is 2 minutes 50 seconds, this shows that over half the tracks at least don't even clock the 3 minute mark! In my opinion songs less than three minutes don't even constitute songs as by the time its start it's finished again. I don't mind a short filler track here and there, but this is way over the top. This is no more apparent than in the shortest track on the album is `Untitled #10' which is 24 seconds long and really just seems pointless. It doesn't act as a bridge between the two songs around it. The longest track on the CD is `Untitled #8' which does actually sound like a cat being strangled which makes for extremely uncomfortable listening. In my opinion the song lengths show a lack of proper structure, imagination and general song writing ability. We know what he is capable of because of albums with the Chili's such as `Blood, Sugar, Sex, Majic'. But anyone who has not heard any previous stuff would have never guessed.
Overall this is a pretty bad album; with only a few bits and pieces, here and there to shout about. At points it's unbearable with the singing so out of tune you'll find yourself reaching for the skip button in a flash. An album only really for the hardcore fans who want to complete there collection and maybe those who have been through the same sort of thing and can relate. But otherwise I would recommend giving it a miss. No matter what he or anyone else thought about this album though, on refection I'm just so glad he didn't stop here....
The best tracks on the album for me are Mascara and Been Insane. I feel these tracks show glimpses of what John is really capable of. The raw emotion and energy put into the vocals make these songs stand out, head and shoulders above the rest. You can feel the pain and hurt in his voice and with just an acoustic guitar accompanying the vocals, you get the sense of loneliness he was feeling at the time. At this point in his life he was going through a tough time; hooked on drugs and deep in depression. If only the rest of the album were up to this sort of standard, it would have been a cracker.
Although there are plenty to choose from; the worst track on this album for me is `Your pussy is glued to a building on fire'. Personally, I feel that the comedy name is there to cover up how bad the song actually is. I think he did this to make people hone in on the lyrics so they forget to actually detect any sort of a tune. But even the lyrics are delivered in such an unappealing and grating way; I doubt many will be fooled by this charade.
I think that fact that there are 25 tracks on the one CD sums it up. The average length of track is 2 minutes 50 seconds, this shows that over half the tracks at least don't even clock the 3 minute mark! In my opinion songs less than three minutes don't even constitute songs as by the time its start it's finished again. I don't mind a short filler track here and there, but this is way over the top. This is no more apparent than in the shortest track on the album is `Untitled #10' which is 24 seconds long and really just seems pointless. It doesn't act as a bridge between the two songs around it. The longest track on the CD is `Untitled #8' which does actually sound like a cat being strangled which makes for extremely uncomfortable listening. In my opinion the song lengths show a lack of proper structure, imagination and general song writing ability. We know what he is capable of because of albums with the Chili's such as `Blood, Sugar, Sex, Majic'. But anyone who has not heard any previous stuff would have never guessed.
Overall this is a pretty bad album; with only a few bits and pieces, here and there to shout about. At points it's unbearable with the singing so out of tune you'll find yourself reaching for the skip button in a flash. An album only really for the hardcore fans who want to complete there collection and maybe those who have been through the same sort of thing and can relate. But otherwise I would recommend giving it a miss. No matter what he or anyone else thought about this album though, on refection I'm just so glad he didn't stop here....
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Oceansize - Frames
Many say an artist's third album will either make or break them and basically decide their longevity. Well step up to the plate......Oceansize with their 3rd album `Frames'. With a line up change due to personal circumstances which saw Steven Hodson coming in as the new bassist; I expected `Frames' to unlock a new door in terms of the direction of their sound and it certainly did.
My first impression of Frames was that it was heavier than its predecessors. However after further inspection it became apparent that it is both their heaviest and their mellowest. They have basically taken their sound spectrum and stretched both extremes even further. This is no more apparent than in the track entitled, "Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions", which is probably one of the heaviest tracks they have ever done and certainly heading into metal in places, the intro in particular reminds me of The Deftones. Then right next door to this track you have album closer `The Frame' which is your slow moving epic in the same vein as "Ornament/Last Wrongs" from `Everything into Position'. They are completely different songs but both achieve the same thing which is a great and fitting climax to their respective albums. The beauty of `The Frame' lies in the simple build up; starting off with a slow a gentle guitar riff and gradually all the other instruments come in one by one. Then Mike Vennart's voice enters with "I can hold you all together". It's such a relaxing while epic song, never in a rush, letting their sound expand till eventually it bursts with a crashing climax.
The best song on the album for me is `Unfamiliar'. It took me a while to realise that `Unfamiliar' was a song in its own right because of the seamless link from the first track `Commemorative 9/11 T-Shirt', I thought it was part of that song until I looked down at my MP3 player when it clicked. Its starts off easy, then it's as if the song swaggers into bar, knowing every other song is looking at it, thinking I wish I was that good. My favourite bit in particular is the very last quiet/loud part where Mike Vennart sings "And all who sail in her" then really explodes into "Saw the seashore, unfamiliar". A great song and one I would definitely recommend if you want to get pumped up for the day.
On the other hand, the worst song on the album is "bonus" track `Voorhees'. I put the inverted commas round "bonus", because I feel this song ruins the album. The main thing I have got against this song is that it feels so disjointed, as if it is two different songs glued together. It is not a bad song apart from that, but at the same time compared to the rest of the songs on the album I feel it is somewhat sub standard in comparison. Not only this but "The Frame" is for me is the natural album closer and that is how it should finish! A twenty second gap does not make me think "ahhhh that's the end of the album.........oh wait there's a bonus track". Instead, it makes me think that after `The Frame" has finished, "that's it, what a finish to an album.....then there's more". It's like when your up for a promotion you deserve to get and you've done everything right then all of a sudden just when the finishing line is in sight you somehow manage to talk yourself out of it. This is exactly what effect `Voorhees' has on the album.
One of the reasons I feel the bonus track may have been included is to give the fan `Value for money' by filling the CD which comes in at staggering 77 minutes and 41 seconds. The irony of it is if this was indeed the approach is that if the bonus track was taken out, the CD would still have been 67 minutes long which is still twice as long as your average album. Anyway, on a more positive note, the lengths of the songs are one thing I love about Oceansize, while many bands have songs 3 minutes long. In your average Oceansize song, the song is probably still not reached the chorus in that time. There is never a rush, as the let their ideas flourish and expand naturally as opposed to forced and condensed into 3 minutes. Nothing shows this more than the fact the shortest song on the album `Unfamiliar' is 6 minutes and 29 seconds. To make this into a single they had to edit over 2 minutes out of the song!
Overall listening to `Frames' feels like within each song you're going on a journey through different countries and cultures; all within the world of Oceansize. From post rock to epic rock ballads, from metal to Indie rock, it's like a genre hopping extravaganza mastering each impeccably. What excites me about this band even more is a feel there are vast territories with in the world of Oceansize which are still lay undiscovered, even to the band themselves. This is not one of those albums that you will listen to for a month move on to the next band. This album is a slow burner and one which will be on my CD player for many months probably years to come.
My first impression of Frames was that it was heavier than its predecessors. However after further inspection it became apparent that it is both their heaviest and their mellowest. They have basically taken their sound spectrum and stretched both extremes even further. This is no more apparent than in the track entitled, "Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions", which is probably one of the heaviest tracks they have ever done and certainly heading into metal in places, the intro in particular reminds me of The Deftones. Then right next door to this track you have album closer `The Frame' which is your slow moving epic in the same vein as "Ornament/Last Wrongs" from `Everything into Position'. They are completely different songs but both achieve the same thing which is a great and fitting climax to their respective albums. The beauty of `The Frame' lies in the simple build up; starting off with a slow a gentle guitar riff and gradually all the other instruments come in one by one. Then Mike Vennart's voice enters with "I can hold you all together". It's such a relaxing while epic song, never in a rush, letting their sound expand till eventually it bursts with a crashing climax.
The best song on the album for me is `Unfamiliar'. It took me a while to realise that `Unfamiliar' was a song in its own right because of the seamless link from the first track `Commemorative 9/11 T-Shirt', I thought it was part of that song until I looked down at my MP3 player when it clicked. Its starts off easy, then it's as if the song swaggers into bar, knowing every other song is looking at it, thinking I wish I was that good. My favourite bit in particular is the very last quiet/loud part where Mike Vennart sings "And all who sail in her" then really explodes into "Saw the seashore, unfamiliar". A great song and one I would definitely recommend if you want to get pumped up for the day.
On the other hand, the worst song on the album is "bonus" track `Voorhees'. I put the inverted commas round "bonus", because I feel this song ruins the album. The main thing I have got against this song is that it feels so disjointed, as if it is two different songs glued together. It is not a bad song apart from that, but at the same time compared to the rest of the songs on the album I feel it is somewhat sub standard in comparison. Not only this but "The Frame" is for me is the natural album closer and that is how it should finish! A twenty second gap does not make me think "ahhhh that's the end of the album.........oh wait there's a bonus track". Instead, it makes me think that after `The Frame" has finished, "that's it, what a finish to an album.....then there's more". It's like when your up for a promotion you deserve to get and you've done everything right then all of a sudden just when the finishing line is in sight you somehow manage to talk yourself out of it. This is exactly what effect `Voorhees' has on the album.
One of the reasons I feel the bonus track may have been included is to give the fan `Value for money' by filling the CD which comes in at staggering 77 minutes and 41 seconds. The irony of it is if this was indeed the approach is that if the bonus track was taken out, the CD would still have been 67 minutes long which is still twice as long as your average album. Anyway, on a more positive note, the lengths of the songs are one thing I love about Oceansize, while many bands have songs 3 minutes long. In your average Oceansize song, the song is probably still not reached the chorus in that time. There is never a rush, as the let their ideas flourish and expand naturally as opposed to forced and condensed into 3 minutes. Nothing shows this more than the fact the shortest song on the album `Unfamiliar' is 6 minutes and 29 seconds. To make this into a single they had to edit over 2 minutes out of the song!
Overall listening to `Frames' feels like within each song you're going on a journey through different countries and cultures; all within the world of Oceansize. From post rock to epic rock ballads, from metal to Indie rock, it's like a genre hopping extravaganza mastering each impeccably. What excites me about this band even more is a feel there are vast territories with in the world of Oceansize which are still lay undiscovered, even to the band themselves. This is not one of those albums that you will listen to for a month move on to the next band. This album is a slow burner and one which will be on my CD player for many months probably years to come.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
Released in 1999, `Stupid Dream' was Porcupine Tree's 5th studio album. Having already established themselves as prog gods within small circles of the prog community through albums such as `Sky moves Sideways' and `Voyage 34'. `Stupid Dream' may have been perceived as a back-step in terms of progression as this was easily their most accessible album to date, at that time. Delivering a mix of upbeat pop with long dark prog songs; this change of direction far from compromised the quality of output. Instead from going to the complex to the relatively more simple style of songs, they make the simple even better without forgetting their progressive roots.
This album is one of those landmark albums in my life; One which I will never forget. It was a Saturday night in April '99 when my Dad spent the afternoon shopping for CD's in `Lost in Music' in the West End of Glasgow. It was one of those moments where he heard something in the shop and had to find out who it was by......it was Porcupine Tree's latest album - `Stupid Dream'. He got chatting to the guy in the shop and found that they were playing in the Cottier Theatre that night which is also in the West End of Glasgow, which really excited him. However he also had a committee night out that night which he was desperate to get out of, but at the same time had no-one to go to the gig with. So he asked me. At first I was reluctant, but eventually he twisted my arm. That gig to this day, is in my top 5 gigs of all time. In turn `Stupid Dream' is still one of my favourite albums. This album not only got me into Porcupine Tree, but also acted as the gateway for getting into more progressive rock music.
Looking back I can see why this album made such a big impact on me. Before I came across Porcupine Tree I was really into my Indie/rock music such as Ocean Colour Scene, Radiohead and The Bluetones. On `Stupid Dream', some of the songs do have an indie sound such as `Pure Narcotic' and `Piano Lessons. While there is also the longer efforts which venture more into prog rock territory. Therefore I feel this album acts as a ferry boat, shipping people from mainland indie/rock over to Prog Rock Island.
The album itself kicks off with `Even Less' which is one of the darker, more progressive songs on the album. Right from the opening vocals, "A body is washed up on a Norfolk beach, he was a friend but I could not reach." It was apparent that this is just the start of what I consider to be the best lyrics to any album I have ever listened to. Then there's a killer riff that adds such intensity and passion to the song. As the song is quite mellow until this riff kicks in just after the chorus. It is as if a volcano's erupted every time it comes on.
After this song, the rest of the album is predominantly set on the more mellow side. Some of the songs have such a warm and uplifting feeling to them that every time I listen to these songs I give off a sigh, as it is so relaxing. In particular, `Pure Narcotic', where piano, acoustic guitar and light drumming are used to create a majestic melody. Again Wilson is on fine lyrical form with: `You keep me hating; you keep me listening to the bends'. Now I may be bias because "The Bends" is my favourite Radiohead album, but all the same a genius lyric. I do find this song a bit weird because the lyrics are quite depressing but the joyous melody acts as a kind of counter-balance creating equilibrium. All the same a wonderful song and one which many artists during the 90s were attempting to make but never really achieved the same standard as this attempt.
One of the biggest shocks of the album came when I first listened to `Piano lessons' and to my surprise it was a piano driven song! Seriously though, this is excellent. The core of the song focuses around a fantastic piano riff which creates a magically chirpy atmosphere. Once again Wilson's lyrical display is on fine form with:
I remember piano lessons
The hours in freezing rooms
Cruel ears and tiny hands
Destroying timeless tunes
I like the last line especially as its one of those statements which someone makes and the only real response you can give 99% of the time is "It's so true!" I think what lyric shows along with many others, is that Wilson uses his lyrics to get across his thoughts and ideas on the world. To me he comes across as being not only a gifted songwriter and musician but also an extremely intelligent human being who thinks before he speaks.
Overall this is an incredible album; firmly cementing its place in my top ten albums of all time. Having owned the album for eight years now, there is still not a single track which I am fed up with yet. The song writing is on a different planet, the melodies are refreshingly enriching and Porcupine Tree in my opinion touched greatness with this effort. I have to say, prog still comes second to indie/rock music in terms of preference. But any time I do want to go on a holiday to Prog Island, I always take the `Stupid Dream' ferry boat and I recommend you do the same! Who knows I may end up living there some day....
This album is one of those landmark albums in my life; One which I will never forget. It was a Saturday night in April '99 when my Dad spent the afternoon shopping for CD's in `Lost in Music' in the West End of Glasgow. It was one of those moments where he heard something in the shop and had to find out who it was by......it was Porcupine Tree's latest album - `Stupid Dream'. He got chatting to the guy in the shop and found that they were playing in the Cottier Theatre that night which is also in the West End of Glasgow, which really excited him. However he also had a committee night out that night which he was desperate to get out of, but at the same time had no-one to go to the gig with. So he asked me. At first I was reluctant, but eventually he twisted my arm. That gig to this day, is in my top 5 gigs of all time. In turn `Stupid Dream' is still one of my favourite albums. This album not only got me into Porcupine Tree, but also acted as the gateway for getting into more progressive rock music.
Looking back I can see why this album made such a big impact on me. Before I came across Porcupine Tree I was really into my Indie/rock music such as Ocean Colour Scene, Radiohead and The Bluetones. On `Stupid Dream', some of the songs do have an indie sound such as `Pure Narcotic' and `Piano Lessons. While there is also the longer efforts which venture more into prog rock territory. Therefore I feel this album acts as a ferry boat, shipping people from mainland indie/rock over to Prog Rock Island.
The album itself kicks off with `Even Less' which is one of the darker, more progressive songs on the album. Right from the opening vocals, "A body is washed up on a Norfolk beach, he was a friend but I could not reach." It was apparent that this is just the start of what I consider to be the best lyrics to any album I have ever listened to. Then there's a killer riff that adds such intensity and passion to the song. As the song is quite mellow until this riff kicks in just after the chorus. It is as if a volcano's erupted every time it comes on.
After this song, the rest of the album is predominantly set on the more mellow side. Some of the songs have such a warm and uplifting feeling to them that every time I listen to these songs I give off a sigh, as it is so relaxing. In particular, `Pure Narcotic', where piano, acoustic guitar and light drumming are used to create a majestic melody. Again Wilson is on fine lyrical form with: `You keep me hating; you keep me listening to the bends'. Now I may be bias because "The Bends" is my favourite Radiohead album, but all the same a genius lyric. I do find this song a bit weird because the lyrics are quite depressing but the joyous melody acts as a kind of counter-balance creating equilibrium. All the same a wonderful song and one which many artists during the 90s were attempting to make but never really achieved the same standard as this attempt.
One of the biggest shocks of the album came when I first listened to `Piano lessons' and to my surprise it was a piano driven song! Seriously though, this is excellent. The core of the song focuses around a fantastic piano riff which creates a magically chirpy atmosphere. Once again Wilson's lyrical display is on fine form with:
I remember piano lessons
The hours in freezing rooms
Cruel ears and tiny hands
Destroying timeless tunes
I like the last line especially as its one of those statements which someone makes and the only real response you can give 99% of the time is "It's so true!" I think what lyric shows along with many others, is that Wilson uses his lyrics to get across his thoughts and ideas on the world. To me he comes across as being not only a gifted songwriter and musician but also an extremely intelligent human being who thinks before he speaks.
Overall this is an incredible album; firmly cementing its place in my top ten albums of all time. Having owned the album for eight years now, there is still not a single track which I am fed up with yet. The song writing is on a different planet, the melodies are refreshingly enriching and Porcupine Tree in my opinion touched greatness with this effort. I have to say, prog still comes second to indie/rock music in terms of preference. But any time I do want to go on a holiday to Prog Island, I always take the `Stupid Dream' ferry boat and I recommend you do the same! Who knows I may end up living there some day....
Monday, 30 August 2010
Air Traffic - Fractured Life
There seems to be so many indie bands nowadays that it is becoming increasingly more difficult for bands to break through. Air Traffic have managed to get over the first massive hurdle, by signing to EMI. Fractured Life shows exactly why they managed to stand out, through a well balanced album, delivering one good song after the other.
On first listen to the album, the first band which sprang to mind as an influence was Coldplay. However although some of the songs do have that sort of ring to them, with little more investigation it became apparent that the more punchy/upbeat songs, have a lot more sharpness about them, such as `Charlotte' and `Just Abuse Me'. This shows that they have a side which sets them apart from the likes of Coldplay. For instance you wouldn't hear Chris Martin singing `I'm wasted, face down on the floor...'. These songs really do have the `feel good' factor about them, making for good festival tunes. Reminds me a bit of `Guillemots', especially with the upbeat piano in some of the songs.
One song on the album that does have a Coldplay feel towards it is `No more running away', as it feels like they trying to achieve the same kind of impact on the listener as `Fix You'. Although not quite reaching the same standard; they're certainly not too far off, which is impressive considering this is only their first attempt, and `Fix you' was Colplay's third! The song itself starts off with 3 members taking up drum duty for the first half of the song, creating a great rhythmic back drop to Chris Wall's vocals and piano. In the second half of the song, the guitarist and bassist take up their `preferred' instruments, taking the song up a gear with Chris Wall's vocals in full flight.
Although I feel `No more running away' is nearly there in terms of greatness. `Shooting Star' definitely is there and would not look out of place on any `Best of Festivals this summer...' type albums. Unless of course the rest of the songs on the album were rubbish! This song has everything; catchy chorus, guitar solo (simple but effective) and a good mixture of slow build ups alongside crashing guitar bursts. Its one of those songs you can picture yourself being in a car; accelerating and decelerating in time with the music, like in the Snow Patrol video for `Open your eyes'. Nevertheless, this song is a lot more dramatic in terms of quiet and loud bits. Especially at the start of the song, as it goes along quite nicely around 30mph. Then around the 25 second mark where it accelerates ferociously up to 70mph in matter of seconds. Another example is the guitar solo, as it slowly builds up giving you a breathier after the chorus. At this point it feels like your back down, driving at 10mph until eventually you are driving at 70mph once more. 70mph is good analogy in terms of the song as whole as well, as you never feel like its going over the speed limit, i.e. - out of control, but it does reach what you feel is the acceptable limit. For me, this is by far and away the stand out track of the album.
The album finishes with the song `Fractured Life' , in which you can almost feel the pain and suffering talked about in the song through the emotion in Chris Wall's voice and through lyrics such as "Cos if it can't work out what's right and fair its time to escape". This combined with the slow piano adds to the emotion. It is very similar to Coldplay's `Amsterdam' on their `Rush of Blood to the Head' album, as it has got the same sort of structure to the song. In the same vain it is a cracking end to an album. Until, you turn round to your CD player realising its still running! Yes, it is one of those albums with a `hidden' track. For this one you only have to wait over ten minutes! Even with the fast forward button it's an irritating effort. However it is worth a skip to every now and then as it's a well crafted instrumental.
Overall though, this a fine debut and I think they have the right ingredients to make an even better album. In order to have any kind of longevity I think they need to be more adventurous with the structure and depth of the songs, which I'm sure will come in time as their abilities and band chemistry improves. Not only to distinguish it from this album, but also from bands like Coldplay. I know I have mentioned that band a lot as a comparison, and to be honest if you don't like Coldplay I very much doubt that you will like this album, especially the softer songs. However, Air Traffic do have a great vocalist and with a mixture of the softer piano-laden songs with the punchy more upbeat songs, they can set themselves apart from the rest. Definitely a band to look out for in the future!
On first listen to the album, the first band which sprang to mind as an influence was Coldplay. However although some of the songs do have that sort of ring to them, with little more investigation it became apparent that the more punchy/upbeat songs, have a lot more sharpness about them, such as `Charlotte' and `Just Abuse Me'. This shows that they have a side which sets them apart from the likes of Coldplay. For instance you wouldn't hear Chris Martin singing `I'm wasted, face down on the floor...'. These songs really do have the `feel good' factor about them, making for good festival tunes. Reminds me a bit of `Guillemots', especially with the upbeat piano in some of the songs.
One song on the album that does have a Coldplay feel towards it is `No more running away', as it feels like they trying to achieve the same kind of impact on the listener as `Fix You'. Although not quite reaching the same standard; they're certainly not too far off, which is impressive considering this is only their first attempt, and `Fix you' was Colplay's third! The song itself starts off with 3 members taking up drum duty for the first half of the song, creating a great rhythmic back drop to Chris Wall's vocals and piano. In the second half of the song, the guitarist and bassist take up their `preferred' instruments, taking the song up a gear with Chris Wall's vocals in full flight.
Although I feel `No more running away' is nearly there in terms of greatness. `Shooting Star' definitely is there and would not look out of place on any `Best of Festivals this summer...' type albums. Unless of course the rest of the songs on the album were rubbish! This song has everything; catchy chorus, guitar solo (simple but effective) and a good mixture of slow build ups alongside crashing guitar bursts. Its one of those songs you can picture yourself being in a car; accelerating and decelerating in time with the music, like in the Snow Patrol video for `Open your eyes'. Nevertheless, this song is a lot more dramatic in terms of quiet and loud bits. Especially at the start of the song, as it goes along quite nicely around 30mph. Then around the 25 second mark where it accelerates ferociously up to 70mph in matter of seconds. Another example is the guitar solo, as it slowly builds up giving you a breathier after the chorus. At this point it feels like your back down, driving at 10mph until eventually you are driving at 70mph once more. 70mph is good analogy in terms of the song as whole as well, as you never feel like its going over the speed limit, i.e. - out of control, but it does reach what you feel is the acceptable limit. For me, this is by far and away the stand out track of the album.
The album finishes with the song `Fractured Life' , in which you can almost feel the pain and suffering talked about in the song through the emotion in Chris Wall's voice and through lyrics such as "Cos if it can't work out what's right and fair its time to escape". This combined with the slow piano adds to the emotion. It is very similar to Coldplay's `Amsterdam' on their `Rush of Blood to the Head' album, as it has got the same sort of structure to the song. In the same vain it is a cracking end to an album. Until, you turn round to your CD player realising its still running! Yes, it is one of those albums with a `hidden' track. For this one you only have to wait over ten minutes! Even with the fast forward button it's an irritating effort. However it is worth a skip to every now and then as it's a well crafted instrumental.
Overall though, this a fine debut and I think they have the right ingredients to make an even better album. In order to have any kind of longevity I think they need to be more adventurous with the structure and depth of the songs, which I'm sure will come in time as their abilities and band chemistry improves. Not only to distinguish it from this album, but also from bands like Coldplay. I know I have mentioned that band a lot as a comparison, and to be honest if you don't like Coldplay I very much doubt that you will like this album, especially the softer songs. However, Air Traffic do have a great vocalist and with a mixture of the softer piano-laden songs with the punchy more upbeat songs, they can set themselves apart from the rest. Definitely a band to look out for in the future!
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Amy MacDonald - This is the Life
This is the debut album from much talked about Amy MacDonald. Currently the female music scene is full of `The Streets' equivalents such as Kate Nash/Lilly Allan, and then there's Rihanna who seems to be on the radio 24/7. So when this 19 year old from Bishopbriggs came onto the scene with her catchy folkish acoustic pop songs; it felt like a breath of fresh air.
The album title `This is the Life' is appropriately named as it reflects the theme of the album as a whole. The songs give you the impression, she never had any doubt about what she wanted to do with her life and that she has always had the drive and ambition to achieve it. You can almost picture her when she was younger sitting in her bedroom with her acoustic guitar dreaming of making a career out of music. Unlike many who continue to dream, she did something about it and penned her thoughts about her dreams and ambition in to her songs. In fact the tune, `Lets start a band', is like seeing Amy's thought process in how she decided to make music. The song starts off with trumpets, singing about dreaming of being in a successful band and appearing in Rolling stone magazine. Furthermore she would only enter a band with someone if they wanted the same things as her. The middle section of the song goes into a kind of opera style singing which acts as a good build up because it gathers the momentum of the song leading to its climax; chanting "Let's start a band", repeatedly, you can feel the excitement.
Another song which echoes the theme of dreams is the joyful `Barrowland Ballroom'. For those of you who don't know `The Barrowlands is a legendary venue in the East end of Glasgow. Its one of those venues many artists aspire to play and from this song, it shows Amy is no different as she sings; "I wish that I was on the stage". In this song, Amy captures the essence of `The Barrowlands' brilliantly, "The lights outside are as bright as the sun, their much brighter than everyone". To me the song also implies that Amy's influences are from the 70s and 80s rather than more modern music through the lyrics:
And I wish that I saw Bowie, playing on that stage,
I wish that I saw something, to make me come of age
However her `My Space' page shows that most of her influences are modern, with bands like Guillemots, Kings of Leon and Arcade fire, to name but a few.
As well as the feel good chirpy folk/pop songs; Amy gives an insight into the other side of her song writing through `Youth of today' and `Footballers wives'. These songs are lot more scaled down, as if Amy is making people hone in on the lyrics because the issues covered are ones she feels more strongly about. In `Footballers Wives', Amy vents her annoyance about footballers wives getting lots of press coverage just because they are married to a famous footballer, e.g. `she thinks she's some kind of star, yes you know who you are, I don't think so'. While in the `Youth of Today' she sings about the older generation not giving enough respect to the younger generation, e.g. `It's just your one sided opinions that keep getting in my way'. These songs show that MacDonald is not afraid to say what she thinks and turning them into songs which convey powerful messages.
Having not even mentioned the superb hit single `Mr Rock n Roll' and her great take on Dougie MacLean's `Caledonia', which reflects well on the strength of the album as a whole. From this effort, it is more than apparent she has an abundance of talent, and at just 19 years old; I get the feeling the best is yet to come...
The album title `This is the Life' is appropriately named as it reflects the theme of the album as a whole. The songs give you the impression, she never had any doubt about what she wanted to do with her life and that she has always had the drive and ambition to achieve it. You can almost picture her when she was younger sitting in her bedroom with her acoustic guitar dreaming of making a career out of music. Unlike many who continue to dream, she did something about it and penned her thoughts about her dreams and ambition in to her songs. In fact the tune, `Lets start a band', is like seeing Amy's thought process in how she decided to make music. The song starts off with trumpets, singing about dreaming of being in a successful band and appearing in Rolling stone magazine. Furthermore she would only enter a band with someone if they wanted the same things as her. The middle section of the song goes into a kind of opera style singing which acts as a good build up because it gathers the momentum of the song leading to its climax; chanting "Let's start a band", repeatedly, you can feel the excitement.
Another song which echoes the theme of dreams is the joyful `Barrowland Ballroom'. For those of you who don't know `The Barrowlands is a legendary venue in the East end of Glasgow. Its one of those venues many artists aspire to play and from this song, it shows Amy is no different as she sings; "I wish that I was on the stage". In this song, Amy captures the essence of `The Barrowlands' brilliantly, "The lights outside are as bright as the sun, their much brighter than everyone". To me the song also implies that Amy's influences are from the 70s and 80s rather than more modern music through the lyrics:
And I wish that I saw Bowie, playing on that stage,
I wish that I saw something, to make me come of age
However her `My Space' page shows that most of her influences are modern, with bands like Guillemots, Kings of Leon and Arcade fire, to name but a few.
As well as the feel good chirpy folk/pop songs; Amy gives an insight into the other side of her song writing through `Youth of today' and `Footballers wives'. These songs are lot more scaled down, as if Amy is making people hone in on the lyrics because the issues covered are ones she feels more strongly about. In `Footballers Wives', Amy vents her annoyance about footballers wives getting lots of press coverage just because they are married to a famous footballer, e.g. `she thinks she's some kind of star, yes you know who you are, I don't think so'. While in the `Youth of Today' she sings about the older generation not giving enough respect to the younger generation, e.g. `It's just your one sided opinions that keep getting in my way'. These songs show that MacDonald is not afraid to say what she thinks and turning them into songs which convey powerful messages.
Having not even mentioned the superb hit single `Mr Rock n Roll' and her great take on Dougie MacLean's `Caledonia', which reflects well on the strength of the album as a whole. From this effort, it is more than apparent she has an abundance of talent, and at just 19 years old; I get the feeling the best is yet to come...
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Biffy Clyro - Puzzle
Many bands these days seem to get hyped up on there first album, only to get slaughtered by the press on their second and then forgotten about by their third effort. Biffy on the other hand, have gradually floated to the surface, building up a hardcore contingent of fans along the way. `Puzzle' looks set to propel the band into the mainstream. The band hold some heavy weight respect having provided support for Muse at Wembley Stadium and are due to perform the same role for the Chilli Peppers at Hampden Stadium in August. A concert which I really am looking forward to!
Anyway, Puzzle is the 4th album to come from Biffy's locker. I came across them due to my brother being obsessed with them from day one. I really liked Blackened Sky and went to see them a number of times. When `Question and Answers' and `Infinity Land' came along I didn't appreciate them at the time because I felt they were just trying to over-complicate things for the sake of it. Over the last year though, I have listened to these albums more and now find them refreshingly different from what was out at the time. This made me wait for Puzzle with great anticipation...
With Puzzle it is like they have completed the full circle from when they began, and then stepped it up a gear. To break this down; with their first album it was the accessible indie/rock songs such as `27', `57' with some signs of prog in `Convex concave', which showed hints of their potential early on. The second album saw them exploring their guitar sounds and song structures more. While the 3rd album expanded their array of experimentation even more, through vocal harmonies, etc. Puzzles' roots clearly are from their first album, as they just wanted to go back to basics and make an album for the fun of blasting out a mixture of all out rock with acoustic masterpieces. Although the intro to `Living is a problem because everyone dies', along with numerous other points in the album, shows that they have taken bits from the two previous albums to put the `we haven't forgotten the progress we've made on the last two albums' stamp on some of the songs.
This is one of those albums you'll either love or hate, leaving no middle ground. If you do love it, it will make every other record in your collection seem inferior for a month or 6. `Puzzle' can be split into 3 large pieces; Rock, acoustic and rock ballady indie epic type songs. The main rockers are the singles; `Semi-mental' and `Saturday Superhouse', both are all out, brilliant sing along tunes. The title `Semi-mental' does not do the song justice as it is `FULLY MENTAL!'. The acoustic songs end the album with `Machines' and `drop it'. Listening to the lyrics in `Machines' its one of those ones that everyone can relate to at some time in their life. ie - not appreciating what they have and how lucky they are etc. Drop it on the other hand has got a kind of slow country feel to it; would be interesting to see if they took that sort of direction in the future. The last category is the sweeping, epic, rock ballady songs such as songs ending with /15ths and my favourite song on the album `The conversation is....' The easy comparison can be made to the Foo Fighters, but the reality is these are great songs, which definitely can be distinguished as Biffy's own.
This really is a great album and its almost as if Biffy knew when they were writing it that this would be the one that made them big with lyrics like - `looks like we made it' from `A whole child ago' and `This is the one' from `Now I'm everyone'. Its almost as if they're trying to send subliminal messages to people, to brainwash them into loving the album..................well it worked for me anyway!
Anyway, Puzzle is the 4th album to come from Biffy's locker. I came across them due to my brother being obsessed with them from day one. I really liked Blackened Sky and went to see them a number of times. When `Question and Answers' and `Infinity Land' came along I didn't appreciate them at the time because I felt they were just trying to over-complicate things for the sake of it. Over the last year though, I have listened to these albums more and now find them refreshingly different from what was out at the time. This made me wait for Puzzle with great anticipation...
With Puzzle it is like they have completed the full circle from when they began, and then stepped it up a gear. To break this down; with their first album it was the accessible indie/rock songs such as `27', `57' with some signs of prog in `Convex concave', which showed hints of their potential early on. The second album saw them exploring their guitar sounds and song structures more. While the 3rd album expanded their array of experimentation even more, through vocal harmonies, etc. Puzzles' roots clearly are from their first album, as they just wanted to go back to basics and make an album for the fun of blasting out a mixture of all out rock with acoustic masterpieces. Although the intro to `Living is a problem because everyone dies', along with numerous other points in the album, shows that they have taken bits from the two previous albums to put the `we haven't forgotten the progress we've made on the last two albums' stamp on some of the songs.
This is one of those albums you'll either love or hate, leaving no middle ground. If you do love it, it will make every other record in your collection seem inferior for a month or 6. `Puzzle' can be split into 3 large pieces; Rock, acoustic and rock ballady indie epic type songs. The main rockers are the singles; `Semi-mental' and `Saturday Superhouse', both are all out, brilliant sing along tunes. The title `Semi-mental' does not do the song justice as it is `FULLY MENTAL!'. The acoustic songs end the album with `Machines' and `drop it'. Listening to the lyrics in `Machines' its one of those ones that everyone can relate to at some time in their life. ie - not appreciating what they have and how lucky they are etc. Drop it on the other hand has got a kind of slow country feel to it; would be interesting to see if they took that sort of direction in the future. The last category is the sweeping, epic, rock ballady songs such as songs ending with /15ths and my favourite song on the album `The conversation is....' The easy comparison can be made to the Foo Fighters, but the reality is these are great songs, which definitely can be distinguished as Biffy's own.
This really is a great album and its almost as if Biffy knew when they were writing it that this would be the one that made them big with lyrics like - `looks like we made it' from `A whole child ago' and `This is the one' from `Now I'm everyone'. Its almost as if they're trying to send subliminal messages to people, to brainwash them into loving the album..................well it worked for me anyway!
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
At first listen, it just sounds like a complete mess and is all over the place, though bit by bit it begins to make more sense..
On the 1st listen: Widow single (edit) makes sense
2-5 listens Cygnus apart from the last 2 mins makes sense
6-10 listens Miranda (now I realise the true genius of it)
11-15 listens L'Via L'viaquez (brilliant)
15-20 listens getting there with Cassandra Gemini but its still pretty tough.
The bits such as the last 3 minutes of the widow and 2 mins of Cygnus along with various other parts of the album can only really be described as 'awkward' listening. When the later minutes of Widow were playing my Mum actually thought the CD was jamming! To be fair it does sound that way. I do wonder what Omar and Cedric think of these parts, as they must have a reason why they are included. Obviously no one could understand their music more than them so they must see something in these parts which make them special enough to have included them on the album. In saying that, what I thought were 4 awkward minutes in the beginning of Miranda, I now realise that it really does act as a superb build up till the trumpets slowly come in. The uses of the trumpets are what makes Miranda such a cold and chilling track and adds to the atmosphere of the album as a whole.
Like any good album you really can't judge it until you've listened to it a lot. I really didn't like this album for starter especially as it is meant to be listened to in one sitting. At 76 minutes long, I think the sheer length of it played mind tricks on me and instead of properly listening to the music, I was thinking of how long it was. As you keep listening to it, time gradually becomes insignificant and when that stage is reached you can truly appreciate the album because it will start to make sense, so you're focusing less on the time and more on the music.
This album is to deloused as deloused is to relationship of command (At the Drive-in) because from relationship to de-loused, they really did take their music to another level and now they've managed one step further. Whether they make the next step with their next album remains to be seen, where that step is I don't think they even know! But one thing is for sure they have the talent to be timeless.
One thing I really like about this album is the concept that it is never ending, it can just loop forever because the end of the last track Cassandra, turns into the intro for Cygnus.
This album also shows how singer Cedric really has moved away from ATDI even further because there are virtually no 'shouty' bits at all. In fact Frances shows what an amazing singer he really is. He hits notes which most people could only dream of reaching, for example the "oh yeah" s during Cygnus or the "bring me to my knees towards the beginning of Cassandra. Overall his pure and unique vocals add a great deal to the album.
However the key to this album which holds it together is not Cedric's unique vocals, Omar's exquisite guitar playing or John's mental drumming but it's the infectious baselines which set the tone for the whole album. While Omar, Cedric, John along with the other contributors go off into their own little worlds in the album, the base line is the constant throughout each song and brings it all together. In particular Omar's guitar playing seems to dance round the baselines not knowing which way he's going to go next.
To explain what their album is like compared to other prog albums I'll put it in to context by using the analogy of running. First of all I'll explain how much music in general can be related to running. Anyone can run a mile, maybe at different times, but they can still run it. Just like pop music, its easy to understand. However longer runs require more training and you have to build up to it. This is like progressive music because you need to listen to it lots in order to understand it or to appreciate it to its full potential. To put this into context of this Mars Volta album is like a 3 hour long run. A 3 hour long run can take many shapes and forms. The MV album is like a mix of urban and rural landscapes. The urban bits are the straight forward road running bits, or the parts of the albums which are the easiest to understand. However they are still hilly sections in this part to keep it challenging. Then there is the rural parts which are the parts are the rough trails which take longer because it is more technical. This represent those 'awkward' moments of the album.
To sum up Frances the mute is a never ending journey through a musical landscape. A tough 3 hour long run may sound completely unthinkable to some people, but if you do the training its nothing short of brilliance just like Frances the Mute!
On the 1st listen: Widow single (edit) makes sense
2-5 listens Cygnus apart from the last 2 mins makes sense
6-10 listens Miranda (now I realise the true genius of it)
11-15 listens L'Via L'viaquez (brilliant)
15-20 listens getting there with Cassandra Gemini but its still pretty tough.
The bits such as the last 3 minutes of the widow and 2 mins of Cygnus along with various other parts of the album can only really be described as 'awkward' listening. When the later minutes of Widow were playing my Mum actually thought the CD was jamming! To be fair it does sound that way. I do wonder what Omar and Cedric think of these parts, as they must have a reason why they are included. Obviously no one could understand their music more than them so they must see something in these parts which make them special enough to have included them on the album. In saying that, what I thought were 4 awkward minutes in the beginning of Miranda, I now realise that it really does act as a superb build up till the trumpets slowly come in. The uses of the trumpets are what makes Miranda such a cold and chilling track and adds to the atmosphere of the album as a whole.
Like any good album you really can't judge it until you've listened to it a lot. I really didn't like this album for starter especially as it is meant to be listened to in one sitting. At 76 minutes long, I think the sheer length of it played mind tricks on me and instead of properly listening to the music, I was thinking of how long it was. As you keep listening to it, time gradually becomes insignificant and when that stage is reached you can truly appreciate the album because it will start to make sense, so you're focusing less on the time and more on the music.
This album is to deloused as deloused is to relationship of command (At the Drive-in) because from relationship to de-loused, they really did take their music to another level and now they've managed one step further. Whether they make the next step with their next album remains to be seen, where that step is I don't think they even know! But one thing is for sure they have the talent to be timeless.
One thing I really like about this album is the concept that it is never ending, it can just loop forever because the end of the last track Cassandra, turns into the intro for Cygnus.
This album also shows how singer Cedric really has moved away from ATDI even further because there are virtually no 'shouty' bits at all. In fact Frances shows what an amazing singer he really is. He hits notes which most people could only dream of reaching, for example the "oh yeah" s during Cygnus or the "bring me to my knees towards the beginning of Cassandra. Overall his pure and unique vocals add a great deal to the album.
However the key to this album which holds it together is not Cedric's unique vocals, Omar's exquisite guitar playing or John's mental drumming but it's the infectious baselines which set the tone for the whole album. While Omar, Cedric, John along with the other contributors go off into their own little worlds in the album, the base line is the constant throughout each song and brings it all together. In particular Omar's guitar playing seems to dance round the baselines not knowing which way he's going to go next.
To explain what their album is like compared to other prog albums I'll put it in to context by using the analogy of running. First of all I'll explain how much music in general can be related to running. Anyone can run a mile, maybe at different times, but they can still run it. Just like pop music, its easy to understand. However longer runs require more training and you have to build up to it. This is like progressive music because you need to listen to it lots in order to understand it or to appreciate it to its full potential. To put this into context of this Mars Volta album is like a 3 hour long run. A 3 hour long run can take many shapes and forms. The MV album is like a mix of urban and rural landscapes. The urban bits are the straight forward road running bits, or the parts of the albums which are the easiest to understand. However they are still hilly sections in this part to keep it challenging. Then there is the rural parts which are the parts are the rough trails which take longer because it is more technical. This represent those 'awkward' moments of the album.
To sum up Frances the mute is a never ending journey through a musical landscape. A tough 3 hour long run may sound completely unthinkable to some people, but if you do the training its nothing short of brilliance just like Frances the Mute!
Monday, 23 August 2010
Young Heart Attack - Mouthful of Love
For their first album YHA really have pulled out all the stops because this really is one hell of a rock'n'roll roller coaster of an album. YHA hail from Texas and when listening to their album you really do get the feel that effortless Texan swagger.
One of the things that makes YHA so unique is that they have both a male and female vocalist. Instead of one singing half the songs and the other the other half, they take turns within most of the songs. Almost as if they are competing all the way through the song to see who can make the best rock and roll screeches. The end result is barrages of ferocious all-out rock songs such as "Over and Over" and "Starlite" which are quite simply brilliant.
Although the singles such as Tommy shots and Mouthful of love give the impression YHA is just a full out rock as hard as you can band. They also make sure you know they can kick back and slow it right down through songs such as the superb Mary Jane. Hopefully YHA will be around for a long time to come as they are exactly the kick up the back side rock and roll so badly needs. They have certainly set the benchmark high for their next album to live up to, but with what seems to be such an effortless and cracking album I believe they will.
If you like The Datsuns, The Darkness or Jet's debut efforts you will love this.
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