1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
I was thinking "Oh boy oh boy oh boy, Riverside time!!!".
Mariusz Duda's voice comes roaring in like a revelation...
2. What did you think of the opening tracks?
Positively killer. The title track has a staggered, almost bluesy feel to it up until the explosive second half, 'The Depth Of Self-Delusion' has a killer, rolicking bassline and 'Celebrity Touch' is a catchy, interesting take on
Jethro Tull's sound circa 1977 or so as interpreted through Riverside's postmodern approach to alt-progginess. So far I'm livin' large!
3. What did you think of the later tracks?
Stands up on near-equal ground to the first half. 'Feel Like Falling' is probably the poppiest number the band has done since '02 Panic Room' back on
Rapid Eye Movement, but its quite tasty. And then you get that excellent sax outro to 'Deprived...' and the full on progassault, thematic closing stormer 'Escalator Shrine'...not a weak moment among 'em.
4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?
Singer/songwriter
Mariusz Duda is Riverside's most distinctive element sonically if you ask me: he has a very unique tone and sense of vocal delivery that's hard to mix up with anyone else. Hell, he's one of the reasons I keep up with this band in the first place.
5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?
I'd been looking forward to this record for quite some time: it sounded pretty much what I expected it to sound like: technical, lots of soft/loud dynamics and some emotionally charged songwriting to propel the whole thing forward:
Pink Floyd meets
Peter Gabriel with the vitality of a good alternative rock band.
6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
Better and better, with my admiration of the record's cohesiveness only getting stronger with subsequent listens.
7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
Straightforward/solid. Mariusz and the rest have never been much for elaborate metaphors or cleverness for the sake of it, which could be considered a point of criticism or praise in equal measure depending on your point of view. They've got a knack for damn good choruses in any case!
8. Did you like the instrumental parts?
Damn straight I did: the guitar and bass-work in particular is sublime.
9. What did you think of the production?
Very balanced and atmospheric: it's not overly showy or layered, and perhaps a tad soft on the high end. Again, a point of praise or criticism depending on what you expected out of this album going in.
10. How well do you already know the band/artist?
Very familiar: 2007's
Rapid Eye Movement in particular is one of my all-time favorite modern progressive rock records.
11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?
This is one of those records that's probably fit for the "post-prog" or "nu-prog" tag: it blends elements of modern/alternative rock with 70's-aestheticized progressive rock...and does so in an interesting way.
12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
Quite a bit more!
13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?
'Escalator Shrine' for its great jammy feel (love the Hammond organ!) and 'Feel Like Falling' for how durned catchy it is.
14. And the one you liked least?
'We Got Used To Us'. It's not a bad song, but an obligatory ballad just doesn't stand out very much on an album with so many other great songs.
15. Did the fact that this album is a debut/sophomore/middle period or later period allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?
Not really an applicable question: it's their fifth overall album, but that doesn't really factor in to how good or bad it is at all.
16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?
You bet.
17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?
S.O.N.G.S. is an album about people in my generation: we're educated, graduated, whatever, but many people struggle just to find a decent job or figure out what it is that gives their lives meaning: slaves to the grind as
Skid Row once snarled, lol. Shining some light into that darkness of uncertainty is probably what Mariusz had in mind when the band came up with this album in the first place.
18. Did the album end well?
Very much so: 'Coda' is...a good coda, lol.
19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
I wanted more sax besides that little outro on 'Deprived', damn it! (Although I have both Night Session tracks too) xD
20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
Some of the other more prominent members on this forum, like Lee, dismiss S.O.N.G.S. because they were expecting some kind of huge overhaul or hardening up of Riverside's overall sonic makeup...but my opinion remains that this is probably the most cohesive and passionate record I've heard from the band in their whole decade-plus career.
I wouldn't mind a change in direction at this point, but S.O.N.G.S. is a damn fine album on its own merits. Thank you Poland!
Overall Album Rating:
8.5 out of 10