ninaNirvana

Since I had the opportunity to interview MRI this past December at Palm Beach Sound Studios in Florida where they were mixing and mastering Where Parallel Lines Meet I thought it would be a good place to begin ... I first saw MRI when they opened for Godsmack at Coral Sky amphitheater in 2002. Their sound has evolved a lot since then.. What strikes me the most about MRI...is how every song sounds so different from each other and the listener never really knows what is going to come next. The following is from a tape recorded interview with Daren Thomas Turner[guitar,vox,piano,strings] and Alan Cruz[drums] on December 12th, 2008.*

*can't fit interview in post


I was very impressed with MRI's modesty and casual nature. Daren is a classically trained piano player; Dan and Alan played in Rush cover bands growing up and Alan can play any/all Neil Pert drum parts note-for-note. They are extremely impressive musicians. In the Spring I will post the entire interview but I simply wanted to use it as a springboard to introduce Where Parallel Lines Meet since as per Daren it truly is a masterpiece in that each song is extremely unique sounding. If we look at all the genres inside the album we find alternative rock, hard rock, pop, Ramones-style Power Punk, reggae-ska, classical, avant-guard, techno-experimental, even Middle Eastern-Arabian flavored songs. Let's look now at each song in detail, and in the sequencing order of the track list.

Helicopter Head: This is probably their most well known song. I love how the vocals are both haunting in the verses but caustic and biting in the chorus. Granted, anyone can hear a healthy does of Alice In Chains in the vocals, particularly the lush choral layering and unique larger-than-life harmonies, but if you really listen to the song, you will hear a heavy smattering of Andy Summers guitar meets The Edge U2 style echoplexing. Definitely one for radio as it has that "hit single" quality from the very first measure. I think most people are aware of this because of the artistic video too.

The Beautiful And Dangerous: Great live track with minimal production to capture the MRI live raw heavy rock sound. The guitars are ferocious and furious, the driving 7/8 beat is hammered out with a John Bohnam style hunger and Alan's fills and subtle change ups have that 'live' energy that seems to excite Daren's guitar playing as the song progresses. The guitar solo heavily echoes Jimmy Page in its spontaneity and passion. Curiously, the vocals remind me of Perry Farrel and the London Suede in parts; great rhythm and attack in the lyric delivery and the dual lead vocal harmony has some Beatles feel in them as well.

Glass Colored Roses: GCR is the quintessential pop song. One can hear the RUSH influences as Daren even revealed to me that "Subdivisions" was the source of the original inspiration for the melody. Even in the jingle-jangly guitars that also have definitive U2 influences one can hear bits of the Rush tune. The song itself sounds nothing of the like of course and in fact reminds me more of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" in that it is quite sing-alongy despite melancholic lyrics. Curious to note that Daren is using guitars tuned to special open-tunings of his own design here, something he likes to do on many songs.

Under The Ground: Listening to UTG is like immediately being transported to CBGBs in NYC for a Ramones power-punk show. This never lets up and is full-tilt raw and unbridled MRI at its best. Still, in all it's Ramones-Nirvana homage it is extremely musical sounding with a fantastic bridge that almost sounds like Michael Stype of R.E.M. had some hand in writing it. Love the chorus vocals and the audio samples like the jackhammer that you hear as Daren sings about living under the ground and digging way past China. A real true rocker.

Theme From Your Face: The video for this on youTube is what originally got me so intrigued with all the Area 51 footage and alien autopsy footage. I think MRI makes the coolest videos of any indie band out there today. The video goes so well with the song; it reminds me of A Perfect Circle and Rob Zombie with the driving circular rhythms and slide-guitar banshee croons. The chorus here is amazing in how it contrasts with the verses in such an artist manner; Lennon-McCartney-esq vocals come out of nowhere to sweeten up the change, in beautiful tandem with Daren's major scale guitar lines played almost with a Pink Floyd state of mind. Additionally, I hear a lot of late stage Alice In Chains vocal layers as well as Queen Bohemian Rhapsody style vocal arrangements. There is so much going on in this song I feel lucky to make it out alive sometimes...but you always want to go back inside once you realize that you can experience the production on different levels depending on what mood you're in at the time.

The New Oxygen: According to Daren, TNO is a prototype for a 'rock opera' he is writing. At 8+ minutes long, this is tuly a GEM and an epic song in the spirit of Phantom Of The Opera. The first three minutes is a piano solo played by Daren that was inspired by "Moonlight Sonata" and it may be to most beautifully lachrymose piece I have ever heard in my life. It reminds me very much of Chopin's Prelude In Cminor. I love how then the song segues from classical music mode to all-out stadium rock mode...and then to psychedelic George Martin mode!! The coda especially is a captivating voyage through the sands of time itself ending with a desert caravan trailing off the ends of a flat desolate earth, reborn into a new conscious, or unconscious. 5 stars.

Letters Never Sent: Probably the most enigmatic and engrossing track on entire album. This transports one right into the heart of Arabia. The lush vocal layering reveals a daring foray into Middle Eastern head space with Daren's use of Arabian scalics and semi-tones and quarter tones. This piece is truly hypnotic and the guest vocals of the Arabian singers chanting and crying are resplendent. Letters seems to evoke the ghost of Layne Staley himself as if you were to close your eyes in some parts you would swear it was an outtake from an Alice In Chains record. Also, any Beatles fan will celebrate the samples taken from "I Am The Walrus" as they fit ever so perfectly into the cacophony like mix that ascends right up over the Arabian Sea like a soundtrack to "The Mummy IV".

Bad Fortune Cookie: This has 'rocker' written all over it. Daren described it to me as "Barbershop Quartet on acid" and, well, that is probably the most accurate description one could offer. This song has an amazing guitar solo too that soars into the stratosphere before coming back for a last verse; then a interesting coda here that echos the unique bridge used in the song calling to mind Lennon-McCartney vocal harmonies circa Revolver. I also hear a lot of that "Seattle Sound" in Alan's drums and overall production. Awesome fade in and fade out in this one as well...some neat fx.

Microcephaly Wow I almost thought this was Primus at first! Some crazy guitar set against plodding crashing half time drum beat. I hear again very strong Middle-Eastern influences in the initial verses, but the chorus opens up into a Radiohead-like landscape of acoustic guitars, electric guitars, soaring yet languid vocals. The guitar solo in this must truly be inspired by
a Felini movie; it becomes an aural carnival of craziness immediately after the beautiful bridge. I would describe Microcephaly the same way we describe the month of March: in like a lion and out like a lamb...as the brutal acerbic guitars give way to a melting,glowing,passionate flow of gentle guitars and celestial vocals.

Cliche Man I was extremely impressed with this track in its ability to put reggae-ska music inside a 'pop song' Again, I hear heavy Stuart Copeland - Andy Summers influences; Daren uses a Roland JC 120 in this track and you would think it's a Sting project that was hidden away for some time. I LOVE this song and the spoken word piece at the end is very artistic, very Ginsburg or Leonard Cohen.

Tomorrow Never Knows: It's amazing to think how many times this Beatles song has been covered. I think I need to say now that both Phil Collins and MRI do the very best jobs. I was simply blown away by this...I am not really sure what 'genre' one could place this; but it is definitely in the avant-guard meets techno arena! I think the addition of the George Bush audio quotes is genius. At first I thought that MRI had sampled Lennon's voice too ( in the right ear-right side of the mix ) but I was shocked to find out that it was Daren singing too...you would swear it literally is the tracks taken off of Revolver. John Lennon would be proud...it has a lot of Revolution #9 artistic attitude.

Painting Pretty Pictures: What a great way to end an album. The heavy use of loops and midi lends one to envision Tinker Toys marching along in file...then a dreamy "Up Up And Away In My Beautiful Balloon" flavor is experienced via a complex vocal layering that reminds me of The Manhattan Transfer since I hear Daren's falsetto vocals emulating a woman singing in the same way that Bono emulates a woman in "Lemon". Great Andy Summers guitar loops give way to a lyrical exploration of a lost utopia.

ninaNirvana

( The following interview was intended for the album review of MRI's Where Parallel Lines Meet but it would not fit in the post; I will publish the full interview in May but here was the part intended for the album review )

Since I had the opportunity to interview MRI this past December at Palm Beach Sound Studios in Florida where they were mixing and mastering Where Parallel Lines Meet I thought it would be a good place to begin this in depth album review. I first saw MRI (previously know as Noir) when they opened for Godsmack at Coral Sky amphitheater in 2002. Their sound has evolved a lot since then hence my own personal fascination with the music. What strikes me the most about Where Parallel Lines Meet is how every song sounds so different from each other and the listener never really knows what is going to come next. The following is from a tape recorded interview with Daren Thomas Turner[guitar,vox,piano,strings] and Alan Cruz[drums] on December 12th, 2008.

NINA: "So tell us about Where Parallel Lines Meet in terms of it being Xyen Records first official release."

ALAN: "I'm just the drummer here { laughs } try that one." { points to Daren }

DAREN: "I just sing and play my geeetar... what do I know about anything either." { laughs with Alan }

NINA: "OK I see how this is going to be a long interview."

DAREN: "Interview? Oh know...you are aware that we don't speak English, aren't you?"

ALAN: "But we are learning using Rosetta Stone."

DAREN: "Yeah that Rosetta is such a stoner. 'Tis a shame...all that talent going to waste." { Daren and Alan laugh }

NINA: "I feel like I am trapped in an episode of Beavis and Butthead."

DAREN: "Those guys were pure genius...way before their time. I have all their albums."

ALAN: "Do you remember Frog Baseball?" {turns to Daren, laughs}

NINA: "Oh my I wish I brought my 4 year old Ha HA with me today."

DAREN: "Actually, I loved kindergarten. I did so well too and got great grades. I also learned how to draw a turkey using my hand as an outline."

NINA: "Yes this is going to be a long interview..."

25 minutes later...

NINA: "Do you think we could talk about Where Parallel Lines Meet now?

DAREN: "OK. After all this nonsense I owe you a real response now, huh?"

NINA: "It would make my day!" {Daren winks}

DAREN: "OKay... what do you want to know specifically?"

NINA: "Simply sum up for me the spirit of the album and any special production techniques that inspired you and Alan and Dan."

DAREN: "I think one could say that with Parallel we wanted to show the world that MRI was not an "Alice In Chains" cover band. In fact, I don't think we sound like Alice In Chains at all really. If you compare our voices really, I don't sound anything like Layne Staley; we only sound similar at times when we layer certain harmonies since we are both baritone singers. Since MRI is about having as rich and tapestried vocal layer presence as possible, I think some fans jumped to the conclusion that we were copying Alice In Chains
style when all one needs to do is listen to other songs besides "Helicopter Head" to see that we are much more diverse sounding and original sounding. This is another reason why we decided to let Xyen Records offer free downloads to all MRI fans for all the tracks on Parallel as I want folks to spread the word, even file share our songs in the same manner that bands like The Arctic Monkeys reached out to their listeners with their material. Look, Alan, Dan and I are independently well off enough to not need to make a dollar every time some one listens to our songs. I think bands should be ashamed of themselves when they only make records to make money. This is the greed that collapsed the record industry on itself. The industry should have tried to embrace Napster and seen that file sharing was going to be an inevitable outcome of the web. They should have licensed ISPs instead of taking down Napster because when they did they stabbed themselves in their own heart and only have themselves to blame today that CDs will soon be an anachronism. Their greed perpetuated the desire for OMD to become the delivery method of choice for music distribution"

NINA: "Wow I have waited more than a half hour for that; thanks!"

DAREN: "Can we go back to being idiots now?"

ALAN: "Pretty please?"

NINA: "Thanks for the interview guys! Thanks for the advanced copy of your CD too! Is it ok that I use any/all parts of this interview for future issues of ******* ?"

DAREN: "Interview? Did we get the job?"

NINA: "You guys are too much."

ninaNirvana

VIDEOS from Where Parallel Lines Meet. There is some neat live footage in these as well.

Helicopter Head:




The Beautiful And Dangerous:



Theme From Your Face:

Wifey Boozer

See if you can find someone you know in the first two videos somewhere around 2:43ish .

I told you you could write, Nin . Very impressive, passionate review. You write with clarity (yes I'm reviewing a review) and spot-on observations as far as I'm concerned (also in love with this band and the people in it). You've a unique voice for a music journalist, and that's a good quality to have in your line of work. Spot on, my dear, spot on. Keep it up

__________________


... Stalin had a FANTASTIC moustache.

Formerly known as the Prime Minister of Spain.

[backintheubbr]

ninaNirvana

( I wanted to thank Jackhammer for letting me post the MRI interview here that I couldn't fit in 1st post of my album review. Cheers! )

Since I had the opportunity to interview MRI this past December at Palm Beach Sound Studios in Florida where they were mixing and mastering Where Parallel Lines Meet I thought it would be a good place to begin this in depth album review. I first saw MRI (previously know as Noir) when they opened for Godsmack at Coral Sky amphitheater in 2002. Their sound has evolved a lot since then hence my own personal fascination with the music. What strikes me the most about Where Parallel Lines Meet is how every song sounds so different from each other and the listener never really knows what is going to come next. The following is from a tape recorded interview with Daren Thomas Turner[guitar,vox,piano,strings] and Alan Cruz[drums] on December 12th, 2008.

NINA: "So tell us about Where Parallel Lines Meet in terms of it being Xyen Records first official release."

ALAN: "I'm just the drummer here { laughs } try that one." { points to Daren }

DAREN: "I just sing and play my geeetar... what do I know about anything either." { laughs with Alan }

NINA: "OK I see how this is going to be a long interview."

DAREN: "Interview? Oh no...you are aware that we don't speak English, aren't you?"

ALAN: "But we are learning using Rosetta Stone."

DAREN: "Yeah that Rosetta is such a stoner. 'Tis a shame...all that talent going to waste." { Daren and Alan laugh }

NINA: "I feel like I am trapped in an episode of Beavis and Butthead."

DAREN: "Those guys were pure genius...way before their time. I have all their albums."

ALAN: "Do you remember Frog Baseball?" {turns to Daren, laughs}

NINA: "Oh my I wish I brought my 4 year old Ha HA with me today."

DAREN: "Actually, I loved kindergarten. I did so well too and got great grades. I also learned how to draw a turkey using my hand as an outline."

NINA: "Yes this is going to be a long interview..."

25 minutes later...

NINA: "Do you think we could talk about Where Parallel Lines Meet now?

DAREN: "OK. After all this nonsense I owe you a real response now, huh?"

NINA: "It would make my day!" {Daren winks}

DAREN: "OKay... what do you want to know specifically?"

NINA: "Simply sum up for me the spirit of the album and any special production techniques that inspired you and Alan and Dan."

DAREN: "I think one could say that with Parallel we wanted to show the world that MRI was not an "Alice In Chains" cover band. In fact, I don't think we sound like Alice In Chains at all really. If you compare our voices really, I don't sound anything like Layne Staley; we only sound similar at times when we layer certain harmonies since we are both baritone singers. Since MRI is about having as rich and tapestried vocal layer presence as possible, I think some fans jumped to the conclusion that we were copying Alice In Chains
style when all one needs to do is listen to other songs besides "Helicopter Head" to see that we are much more diverse sounding and original sounding. This is another reason why we decided to let Xyen Records offer free downloads to all MRI fans for all the tracks on Parallel as I want folks to spread the word, even file share our songs in the same manner that bands like The Arctic Monkeys reached out to their listeners with their material. Look, Alan, Dan and I are independently well off enough to not need to make a dollar every time some one listens to our songs. I think bands should be ashamed of themselves when they only make records to make money. This is the greed that collapsed the record industry on itself. The industry should have tried to embrace Napster and seen that file sharing was going to be an inevitable outcome of the web. They should have licensed ISPs instead of taking down Napster because when they did they stabbed themselves in their own heart and only have themselves to blame today that CDs will soon be an anachronism. Their greed perpetuated the desire for OMD to become the delivery method of choice for music distribution"

NINA: "Wow I have waited more than a half hour for that; thanks!"

DAREN: "Can we go back to being idiots now?"

ALAN: "Pretty please?"

NINA: "Thanks for the interview guys! Thanks for the advanced copy of your CD too! Is it ok that I use any/all parts of this interview for future issues of ******* ?"

DAREN: "Interview? Did we get the job?"

NINA: "You guys are too much."

--------------------------------------------------

TheBig3

I have to tell you. Based on the title of the album alone I really don't want to listen to it.

__________________
I've moved to a new address

ninaNirvana

Thank you so much. That means a lot to me especially since I am already a big fan of your prose and fiction and slightly intimidated by better writers than me. I only know how to write analytically, so that is my 'comfort zone'...one day I will get to fiction...one day. For now, I like to stay close to music, art and films as they give me passion and energy to write. Thank you for encouraging me to be less shy about my work and my feelings about MRI's music. I HATE most new bands today so I have been very pleasantly surprised by how MRI has moved away from being just an Alice In Chains/Seattle sounding group to a more Radiohead-like mature and complex sounding art-rock band with an incredible amount of good songs.

ninaNirvana

Hmm. I am curious by what you mean by that. I find the title to be most engaging both intellectually and artistically. Kindly explain; I am all ears...

Wifey Boozer

I speak the truth, Nin. You shouldn't be intimidated, you have a wonderful talent of your own that you're sitting on there. Let it ride . As you say, you will get there one day, if you really want to and that's what you desire to do with your writing, you will get there. Music, art and film is great inspiration and muse to write. I only encourage those who I think have potential, people in the songwriting forum can tell you I hardly ever encourage anybody there, lol. You have a talent, Nin.

MRI is fantastic. I also, on the whole, hate with a passion most new bands. So agreed, that when I first heard MRI I was so pleased to hear something new that didn't sound like ****... they've always somewhat reminded me of Pink Floyd on some tracks, for some reason. Just sort of trips me out, in the best way. It's intelligent, skillful, artsy without being pretentious or arrogant. Just perfect.

__________________


... Stalin had a FANTASTIC moustache.

Formerly known as the Prime Minister of Spain.

[backintheubbr]

ninaNirvana

Thanks so much! I feel the same way. Also you can download the album off their website and / or get it on a few prominent OMDs like LastFM or Mixposure if you're not in Florida or are outside of USA and can't get to any shows. From what I understand, you will also be able to purchase the CD on iTunes in April, but why not get it for free while you can! :-) I think MRI wants it that way as that is the impression I got during my interview anyway. They are not obsessed with making money like most bands...which I found both odd and strangely very refreshing at the same time. The are more obsessed with making art in almost a Jim Morrison state of mind. That impresses me a lot, especially in 2009...

Where Parallel Lines Meet – MRI – Listen free and discover music at Last.fm