Forum Member Album Reviews

[Plankton]

Thank you for taking the time Yorke. I get how it can sound a bit like one big song at times. That probably comes from using the same set-up for a lot of it. I used the same PRS to HD500 preset combo for Jonah, Eye OTS, You're NTB, Gleaning, and Skitch. I realize a lot of artists try to get some kind of different sound, something that fits to the flavor of the song better, so each song stands out on their own. It also could be due to the fact that I don't venture out too far from my comfort zone when I solo, and that each composition is pretty much improvised, so there's no conscious effort to veer it off in different directions. I need to make an effort to actually sit down and plan my next album out. These are tunes that I had recorded over the last year or so, and arranged them into what I thought could pass for an album, which is where you get some of the veer-off's since I was experimenting with different things.

Thanks again though, I know it takes some effort to sit down and listen to an entire album, so I'm glad it at least didn't suck.

[Trollheart]

OK, time to get my arse in gear....

Krill --- Plankton's Odyssey --- 2013 (Self-released)


When I was asked to review this album by Plankton a few different emotions charged through my brain. First was of course pride and a sense of honour, that he would select me of all the many journal writers and reviewers here to undertake this task. Hard on its heels though was doubt and worry: what if the album turned out to be --- um, how can I say this without offending? --- crap? How would I then be able to tell him --- and my readership --- that I didn't like his work? Then that worry expanded to encompass fear that, assuming the album was good, I would be able to review it both dispassionately and yet afford it the praise it deserved. So you can see it was no small undertaking, and despite my attempts to convince myself that I would just approach the review as I would any other, that was not likely to happen in reality. If you're critiquing a friend's work then you of necessity feel under more pressure, both to review it fairly and not to gush overly in a way that both becomes sycophantic and strips the review of all its meaning, including its sense of impartiality.

For any who don't know, Plankton is one of our own. He's been a member here for a while now and is generally regarded as a nice guy with a lot to say, and is indeed praised for his music in the subforums dealing with members' contributions, which I must admit I have never frequented. This is not his first album, but the one he's looking on I believe as his debut for public consumption, and for a first effort I have to say I'm more than impressed. I actually faced two major problems agreeing to review this: one was that it was the album of a friend, someone I know and respect, so I wanted to make sure I did it justice in the writeup. The other, something I only realised when I began playing it, is that it is an instrumental guitar album, and if you read my review of Neal Schon's "The calling" last year you'll see I have little time for those sort of albums. In short, they usually bore me. Conversely though, I thoroughly enjoyed Buckethead's "Electric sea", so perhaps there was hope.

At any rate, I have now listened to it well over twenty times and feel qualified, as far as I can be, to set down my thoughts on it. I've consulted with Plankton for some pertinent information, and will drop that into the review as I go, but for now let's get to the meat of the matter, the lifeblood of any album, its raison d'etre. Yeah: the music.

I should also point out that I am not a guitarist and know little of the instrument beyond the basics, so I can't tell you when he's using a flange bar (if such a thing exists), a tremelo or capo, and I can't identify when he's using effects pedals or what they are. What I can tell you is that everything you hear here is his own work, played and written by him, arranged and produced solely by him. Oh, with one exception, which I'll come to in due course. He tells me he worked on a track a week, every Monday from the time he got home to whatever time he got to bed, and that the album was conceived and recorded this way in about nine months --- should I say born? Plankton has thirty years' experience playing guitar and it certainly shows here. From what he's told me he's almost completely self-taught, which is another plus to add to the many he already has racked up.

We open on the oddly-named (and it's not the only one!) "Flustraxion", which right from the off has an early Iron Maiden feel to me, like something off "Killers" or "Number of the Beast", with a sense of acoustic guitar under a squealing electric, then it kicks up with heavy, machinegun drumming and the tempo rises as the track comes fully to life, the guitar wailing histrionically through the piece, with another one growling and snorting in the background. The similarities to Maiden continue, and I'm sure Dave Murray or Adrian Smith would be proud. It's a short track, just over two and a half minutes long, and ends as it began, with a laidback acoustic-sounding outro, taking us into "Waiting impatiently", which has a nice Gilmour touch to it, quite relaxed with a much slower, more measured drumbeat driving the rhythm. The guitar is kind of ringing, bit like the sound you get on the Police's "Walking on the moon", that sort of thing. There are also little flickers of folk running through it, with a superb little fluid solo about halfway through before it suddenly kicks up a whole gear and breaks out into a real heavy rock tune, with some fine shredding alongside the now churning second guitar.

This is the first (though certainly not last) time we hear Plankton break loose and show how his feet are truly on the path to rock god stardom. The song fades out then ends on a downward slope and we're into "Shoveled". Now, here I'm afraid I must sound a note of discontent. The idea in the song is fine, but somehow the execution, for me anyway, doesn't work. There's nothing wrong with Plankton's guitar work; that's as powerful and expert as anything you'll find on this album. But he's chosen to play over a recording of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, and it just jars for me. It's the only vocal you'll hear on the album, but even at that every time I hear this I keep mentally trying to shut out the great man's voice and concentrate on the music. To be honest, idiot that I am, the first ever time I heard this I wasn't listening too closely, and did not know that it was a one-man show, and I thought "Whoever is singing there hasn't got a great voice", or, alternatively, "If that's Plankton then I hope he's not singing on any more!" Sad I know, but that's what I thought. Having consulted the author of this work, I was set straight and it makes sense. But even then, I reluctantly have to admit that there is one song on the album I don't really like, and this is it.

Of course, if you concentrate on the music you'll realise it is great: a thick, angry guitar is overlaid with another howling at a higher octave, with some fine shredding adding more rage and unrest to the piece. I find it hard to believe though that that is not keyboard in the very first opening notes, though I'm assured there are only keys on one track, and this is not it. When the voiceover drops back you can really hear how powerful and energetic Plankton's guitar playing is, but then it comes back in and your ear is drawn back to it, so that you have to force yourself to again focus on the music. Also, the recording ends in a fade but it does cut off in the middle of one of MLK's sentences, which I think is a mistake. A few more seconds might have made it work better.

Still, much as I dislike "Shoveled" (and I tried hard to like it) it is the only track on the album that I have anything bad to say about, and there are plenty of superlatives left for the rest of it. Again I find it hard to believe that it is not a keyboard opening to the next track too, but what do I know about what this guy can do with a guitar? A spacey, progressive rock feel opens "Lights of an unknown city" in almost an ELO manner before Plankton unleashes the big guns and in best Steve Earle fashion lets fly as the track powers out at you. Some great soloing and crunching, grinding guitars frame this song, and (sorry Plankton) if you needed something to blow away the cobwebs after the somewhat cloying, claustrophobic "Shoveled", this is just what the doctor ordered! It fades down at the end then to some lovely acoustic noodling, accompanied by that chiming electric. Sweet.

The only song not to have been completely created by Plankton, "Canadian mist" has keys, drums and bass laid down and composed by a guy called Kevin from Canada, which is all Plankton can tell me about his collaborator on this. It's a lovely, Gary Moore style opening and is in fact the first slow track on the album. Again it gives me a sense of Maiden too, especially "Strange world" from the debut, with some soaring, emotional guitar, and I can hear Lizzy's "Still in love with you" in there too. Apologies for all the comparisons, but this is the only way I know to translate how this guy's music feels and sounds to me. Someone better versed in guitars would be able to go more into the technical side and tell you how great he is, but this is all I can do. I originally had picked this as my favourite track on the album, but over many listens it's now been superceded by the one which comes next. For a while it was something of a battle between the two, but now I think there's a clear winner.

With a lovely rippling guitar to start things off, "Son of Soothsayer" soon rips into a big, stomping, heavy metal track with punchy guitar and squealing second guitar, rocking along like there's no tomorrow. Personally, though I'm sure he enjoyed recording every track here, this gives me the impression that it's the one Plankton had the most fun playing. It just gets your feet tapping and your head bobbing, and would not be out of place in any heavy metal fan's collection. It's also one of the longer tracks at over five minutes, though to my mind it's not long enough. A real boogie rhythm keeps the song going, and it could be talkbox that he's using to make that sound where the guitar almost seems to be singing, though I could quite easily be wrong there. It's a testament to Plankton's art and expertise that though this track more or less maintains the same basic riff all the way through it never gets boring or repetitive, and as I say when it comes to an end it seems way too soon.

And he keeps things barreling along for "Here we go again", a riproaring fretfest which is probably the fastest track on the album. A driving, steamhammer beat pulls it along, with great shredding and again a real heavy metal feel to it. His fingers must have been sore after this, is all I can say! Sort of a cutting, slicing guitar in the background while the main guitar just flies all over the place, solos being fired off left, right and centre. He also seems to have a weird sense of humour in titling some of his songs, as "Xphereblotish" proves --- no I have no idea what it means and no I'm not going to ask him: have to maintain some sort of level of ambiguity and mystery, after all! --- with a rising guitar riff that then pulls in staccato guitar with a boogie-ing second guitar kind of delivering a blues style melody, a lot of Led Zep in this I feel. Some superb solos and a sense of restrained energy to it, like at any second he could really pull loose and just hit you with a salvo you wouldn't even have a chance to dodge, should you somehow want to.

Another of my favourites, "Screaming at an empty canvas" is built on a thick bass and a heavy Sabbathish riff, almost Plankton playing doom metal perhaps. It's a lot slower and grindier than anything he's done up to this point, and his main guitar screeches and screams through it like a banshee with dire warnings. There's a real sense of pent-up frustration in this track, the idea being I guess that you have something you want to say but no way to say it, when the inspiration won't come and you're staring at a blank page. Plankton certainly doesn't seem to encounter this problem much anyway, and this is another triumph, with an angry guitar getting more and more animated as the song progresses, till at one point it all drops away to just the one guitar and rhythm section, and a really nice little bass solo in the background before the bigger, harder guitar kicks its way back in for the big finish.

That's actually the longest track on the album, just shy of five and a half minutes, though only technically. If you take the title track, which is split into two parts, as one, then you get almost ten minutes of music. "Krill part 1" opens on soft jangly acoustic guitar which is then joined by screeching electric as the percussion kicks in and the shredding begins! It's another hard, almost metal rhythm as the main guitar screams and the secondary guitar does a passable Vivian Campbell at his Dio best. Great melody to this, with a real sense of longing and loneliness, maybe a touch of despair in the wailing, screeching guitar crying for attention. It fades down then on the back of single guitar and takes us into part 2, where again jangly echoey guitar stands alone until joined by wailing second guitar sounding a little like a violin, and the percussion this time is much slower and more measured, the guitars too slowing down as the fretburning, though still fierce, has a more restrained, almost melancholic feel to it.

There's kind of a sense of endings in this song, and I must admit it brought a tear to my eye. Dunno what it is, it just sounds very sad and yearning. The percussion backs a single guitar for a while and each swaps with the other, taking the limelight for a few moments before they join back up for the powerful yet downbeat fadeout finale. Which in itself would have been a great way to close the album, but Plankton has one more for us before we go. Written for his daughter Hanna, "Fields of youth" is mostly played on introspective guitar with a real sense of reflection and memory, rather commercial in its way. Could see it as the soundtrack to some TV programme maybe. An understated and yet brilliant way to end the album, and a fitting gift to his daughter. Little or nothing in the way of percussion in this, with two guitars making the melody between them, can't even hear any bass. For all that though the tune works really well --- ah, think I heard a little bass there --- and brings the album to a very satisfying close.

TRACKLISTING

1. Flustraxion
2. Waiting impatiently
3. Shoveled
4. Lights of an unknown city
5. Canadian mist
6. Son of Soothsayer
7. Here we go again
8. Xphereblotish
9. Screaming at an empty canvas
10. Krill part 1
11. Krill part 2
12. Fields of youth

This is the first time I've ever had to review an album for, and by, a friend, and I'm really glad I can say it was a pleasure to listen to, and review; though if I had not enjoyed it I would have said so. It's just nice not to have to deliver bad news, however important it may have been seen to have been required. This album has been my constant companion over the last two weeks or so, accompanying everything from walks to dishwashing to making dinner; everything I normally use music as a background for has had this as the soundtrack, and I feel like "Krill" is an old friend now, and that through it I've come to know better the man behind the music. Plankton hasn't just got talent, he has that special something that makes you feel certain that it's only a matter of time before a lot more people are listening to, and enjoying his music. He may not be at an age where he can start touring the country and appearing on talk shows (though who says he won't?) but this music he makes is far too good to remain locked away somewhere in the files of an obscure website tucked into a forgotten corner of the web. This is music that needs to be heard, and heard by as many people as possible.

My own advice to him would be to go the YouTube route: playing his songs live and inviting people to hear them. This has after all worked for many artistes in the recent past. Of course, that may not be his goal, but one way or another this music has got to get out to the public at large. I can't recommend highly enough that you head to his website Home - Planktons Odyssey and download his album and hear this for yourselves. I knew nothing of his talent before agreeing to review this, and now I'm gobsmacked and so impressed I can't say. This album had been of necessity spinning on my ipod for days in order for me to get a good idea of how it sounded, so that I could do an informed review, but even after the requisite four or five plays it usually takes me to get a good feel for an album, I found I was continuing to listen to it, and still am, just for pure pleasure.

Some day I'm going to be the envy of my friends (better get some first!) when I tell them that I knew Plankton before he was famous. I honestly feel like I'm watching the birth of a star here, and it really couldn't happen to a nicer or more talented guy. Download this and you're probably going to find your playlists waiting for a while, and your Last.FM or Spotify plays containing an awful lot of this man's music. Join the odyssey: get on board, because Plankton is without question going places.

[Trollheart]

And by absolute coincidence....

Okay, as promised here is the review of the new album by cloudcover, starring our very own YorkeDaddy. I put so much into this that without realising it (but suspecting) it went well over the 20,000 limit, so has to be split into two parts. Here's part one.

We may not all realise it, but Music Banter is bursting at the seams with bright musical talent, from Wolverine and Astronomer's beautifully sung renditions to original material from Plankton and Frownland, to name but a few. I'm going to have to make it my business to spend more time in the "Members showcase" section: I'm missing out on some really good music! Occasionally our members put together enough material to release an album, and I'm trying to be the go-to guy for reviewing these as they're released. The first of these was of course Plankton's Odyssey's "Krill", which I enjoyed immensely, and now it's's the third album from cloudcover.

Frownland --- cloudcover --- 2013 (Self-released)


So who, or what is or are cloudcover (I believe the lowercase spelling is important)? Well, they're a duo, one half of whom you may know as YorkeDaddy: his real name is Bryan. And his partner-in-music is called Schuyler. I'm assuming that's his first name as no other has been mentioned, they're best friends and it would be odd to call your best friend by his second name. Unless it was Kramer. Or Waits. Anyhoo, they've been working on this album for some time now, its genesis and development charted through YorkeDaddy's journal, and now it's done and dusted and out there for public consumption. And I have consumed it.

So, what's it like? I'll get to that, but first let me lay out a little about the idea behind it. I won't go into too much detail, as this is all available from YorkeDaddy's journal as I say, and being the music's creators he and Schuyler explain it much better than I ever could. But essentially "Frownland" is a concept album based around the idea of a dystopian future a la "Nineteen eighty-four", but also bringing in elements of Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451". In fact, it's this idea that fuels (sorry) the opening track, as the main character works in a division of the firemen, or something similar. As the album goes on he quickly becomes disenchanted with his job, and on a wider level, the way his society is run, through a brief encounter with a girl. Yes, very Orwell, and the boys readily admit to that. But the story isn't only told from the protagonist's side --- he's never named --- and we're also given a chance to hear the "evil" side of the story.

Let me set the minds to rest of those whose minds need setting to rest: this is a brilliant album. I really love it, and I'll be gushing about it in this review. However, it does have its weak points and there are aspects of it I either don't understand, or don't think work well. But what, after all, is a review if it's not well balanced, and along with the praise there needs to be some criticism --- always constructive --- some comments which may not go down well, and indeed some questions. When I set out to review an album by --- let's say people I know: I wouldn't yet consider Bryan a friend, though perhaps in time, assuming he likes what I say here --- I try to be as unbiased as I can. This is not always easy. As I mentioned in the introduction to the review of "Krill", you have to be keenly aware that someone you know --- perhaps a friend --- has entrusted you with their very personal work, and you want to make sure you don't treat it in an offhand way, for good or bad. I'm sure, to use him again as an example, Plankton would not have been overly happy to read a review of his album in my journal that basically said "this is great, I like it" without expounding on why I like it, what's great about it, and looking at it from as critical a viewpoint as possible. People have said of me that if I'm one thing it's honest, if another it's fair, and that's something I try to bring to these reviews.

Of course, it can go the other way. I could hate, or not like the album, and if I do then I will not be shy about saying so. But there are ways to say that, and you also have to be mindful of the fact that you are handling someone's baby here, and you do not want to drop it carelessly. Feelings must be protected, though if harsh criticism is needed that will be apportioned out. So it's a hard balancing act, to make sure you don't insult the person or hurt their feelings, but that you don't just gush stupidly about their work in a way that makes it clear you've hardly listened to it at all.

The first time I listened to this was just that: a listen. I liked what I heard, and then decided I needed to go and read the journal, to get a better handle on the story and the vision behind the album. I'm glad I did, because it gave me a far deeper and better understanding, not only of the music but of the guys who make it. I almost feel, having read the journal and listened to the album many, many times now, as if I know them, and yet I've exchanged a few PMs with Bryan and that's all. But listening to the music someone creates, and then reading about that creation process, I think has to bring you a little closer to the artiste and help you understand what they're about, what they're trying to say, and how they went about it. It's a fascinating read, and if you haven't already you should make sure to take a look at it.

So now I know the album is firstly a concept, based around a futuristic dystopian society --- or is it? I'll come back to that sometime later, but it is important. Like most concept albums the story follows a hero -- although the guys call him the protagonist, as I don't think he's meant to be seen as a hero in the truest sense of the word --- and his oppressor, the top man who runs things, I guess we're talking about a Big Brother type of figure here. There's also a third character, a woman, but she doesn't make an appearance except through the hero's thoughts and actions.

So, as they say, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? Welcome to Frownland!

There's a slow descending synthline and hard percussion, then sprightly, boppy synth introducing "The fire this time", in which we meet our Hero (let's just call him that, it's easier) who works for the repressive government as a Fireman (with apologies to Ray Bradbury, no doubt) and is on a job, burning books seen to be seditious or undesirable by the powers that be. I believe it's Schuyler who sings most of the vocals, and it's his voice we hear take the lead, singing the part of the Hero. I must say, he has a great voice which would not be out of place in any rock band you can name. It's clear, it's deep, it's grave in its way and it fits the music perfectly. It reminds me of Neil Hannon or Nick Cave, or maybe Andrew Eldritch, that sort of dark but clear voice. As the verse is sung the buzzy synth drops away to just guitar and drums, then although there is no actual chorus the uptempo keys more or less make it, with the recurring theme from the opening section. The Hero tries to explain to the person being hunted that he's only doing his job, and that if the quarry only thought about it logically he would see that it is the right thing to do. "We are protectors of your peace of mind" he tells him, while we hear the voice of let's call him The Man, order the burning of the books: "Burn it to ashes/ And then burn the ashes too!"

The song ends very cleverly with the sound of air-raid sirens (which I think used to be the klaxon used in Fahrenheit 451) and the sound of marching, jackbooted feet. After this powerful opener things take a quieter turn with "One private moment", a ballad with just acoustic guitar but with the drums running in a military style, as if to remind us this is still a man who is a tool of the government, an oppressor, a stepper on human rights and a fascist weapon. The story is not clear here, but it would appear that, rather like in "Nineteen Eighty-Four", the Hero meets a woman whom he falls for, and who shows him a different side to the life he's been leading. It's not said whether or not she is part of any resistance --- or indeed, if such a thing exists --- but she certainly impresses the Hero, and he begins to think of simpler things like love and companionship. The song is, I guess necessarily, short, as it is only meant to be a temporary respite for the Hero, but it leads to him eventually questioning everything he has up until now taken for granted. There's a lovely vocal harmony in the chorus --- which I think they prefer to call the refrain here, as it only comes in the once and ends the song --- and as the album goes on you get to appreciate that Bryan and Schuyler really have a grip on some perfect vocal harmony work, which adds an extra layer to their music. Don't know whether they'll appreciate this or not, but this song gives me a very clear sense of Snow Patrol.

During the refrain, as they sing "Let's go for a ride/ See all the sights/ Dance under the glow of the lights in the snow/ We'll dream about love/ Nobody will know" there's a lovely soft, almost subsumed trumpeting keyboard line running that in ways reminds me of quiet bagpipes, and works really well with the melody. I wish it were longer, but to fit in with the rest of the story I suppose it can't be. It's a mere two and a half minutes, and you mourn its passing the moment it's over, but although "One private moment" is not forgotten, it's replaced by again a totally different track, both of which are two of my favourites on an album that has many standout tracks.

Introducing The Man, who is very cleverly identified by the utilisation of the vocoder, so that every time you hear the metallic voice, that's him, "Welcome to the party" is a masterpiece of black humour. I don't want to overly gush as I said, but the fact that the guys have latched onto the possibilities of using a double meaning for the party is really impressive. While it obviously denotes The Party, the shadowy, all-powerful force in Orwell's masterpiece, it also can mean a good time, a get-together, a disco, and this is exactly what happens. It would appear that The Man entices people to join his Party by way of booze, probably sex and drugs, by throwing a big disco wherein new members are inducted. He exults through the vocoder "So very happy that you came" as he greets the new arrivals, and assures them that "Tonight we are all one beating heart/ So forget the past, let the present start." I'd like to pause here for a moment and sort of deconstruct the lyric, which I think is probably the cleverest and most revealing on the album.

The Man welcomes every new member to the Party, as we've said. He checks they're expected --- "Could I get your name/ To make sure you're on the list?" --- and then tells them "Forget the past/ Let the present start." This, to me, says several things. Whether these were intended or not I don't know, but here's how I see it. When you join the Party your sins, crimes and any other indiscretions are overlooked, forgotten, expunged. In return for total loyalty to the Party they ensure nothing can harm you, come back out of your past or that you can be held responsible for anything you did in your life prior to this. It really is a new life: when you join the Party you leave your past behind and you take on a new future. You're essentially reborn, in the Party's image and with their metaphorical shackles attached to you. The Man goes on to promise "You won't be the same when you leave these walls" which I think is a way of saying you entered as an individual, but now all that has changed and you are a cog in the massive machinery of the Party. Although cogs are just parts and nobody cares about them, one broken or misaligned one can bring a mighty machine to a halt, so all cogs will be afforded the proper, shall we say, maintenance?

He then goes on to outilne the many benefits of being part of this organisation: "Welcome to the Party where wrong is right/ Day is night/ Black is white." The Party decides what is acceptable, not society as a whole. If you do something that is intrinsically seen as wrong, but the Party does not believe it to be wrong, it is not. This of course takes the idea from "Nineteen Eighty-Four", where Winston Smith is asked how many lights he sees, and says four. And his interrogator then asks him, "And if the Party says there are five lights, then how many are there?" Reality, truth, perception and acceptance are all decided by the Party, and if you do not agree then you do not belong. But as long as you toe the (Party) line, you'll be fine. The Man then warns, in a friendly but really threatening way, "It's unwise to drink alone." The Party does not want people alone. People alone are bad news. They're loners, and worse, they can become thinkers. And the last thing the Party wants is thinkers. More to the point, someone who is alone is not with others, and therefore cannot be observed, controlled, guided, led. If two of three people think A, and number three thinks B, there's a reasonable chance that the first two will try to change his mind, especially if the Party wants them all to think A.

There is also a hinted-at threat, although again it's couched in terms of friendliness and camaraderie: "You'll never leave this place alone." The clear implication here is that once you're part of the Party, spies will be watching you and your movements, speech, actions and perhaps even your thoughts will be observed, checked, reported if necessary. Having joined the Party, you will suddenly acquire many silent shadows who will be all too willing to turn you in should you stray from the path. The bouncy, bubbly synth also becomes, as Bryan and Schuyler confirm in their journal, easily identifiable as a tool of the Party, an instrument of evil (I always said it!) amd so whenever the "bad guys" are in a scene in a song, you will hear the synth almost as their voice, their herald, their attack dog. It works really well as the album progresses, and it's another great original idea from these two --- let's not call them genius, but they're pretty damn intelligent, okay?

The song is driven on a funky, dancy beat reminiscent of those seventies disco bands, and more recently, Daft Punk's resurrection of same on their "Random access memories" album, with thumping beats, funky guitars, dancy uptempo squelchy synth and a real party atmosphere. The Man is the MC for the night, welcoming people and telling them "You won't be the same/ When you leave these walls". My own personal interpretation of this --- which may be completely wrong --- is that while at this "induction party", pictures are taken, perhaps video, compromising positions may be arranged, blackmail prepared, so that the inductees have no option but to swear allegiance to the Party or have their behaviour broadcast to their loved ones. But it's all under the guise of a welcoming houseparty and The Man certainly does his part as he singsthe welcoming speech, gathering more sheep into his flock. Super track, and again pity it's not longer, but then I guess it's probably exactly as long as it needs to be. These guys have worked this thing out to the nth degree, they know what they're doing.

Either of the foregoing could be singles easily, and I mean hit singles. Especially with Daft Punk making disco en vogue at the moment, "Welcome to the party" is something I could hear not only playing on radios across the country but in discos everywhere. Infectious, catchy, simple and a tune that just sticks in your head: all the hallmarks of a hit single. The next song sees our Hero begin to reassess his life, thinking about what he has been doing and seeing his work, in the light of his new relationship, as perhaps not the societal service that he had believed it to be. Again very clever, the song is titled "Independence Day", I assume to reflect the sudden independence of thought, the release from the shackles of the Party of his mind, and accordingly it veers between a bright, optimistic upbeat line on guitar and a darker, more sombre tone on synth. There's a nice kind of Coldplay feel to the opening part, and it's generally a mid-to-uptempo style then about halfway through a very dark Nick Cave sound comes through as Schuyler sings "Pledge allegiance to the ones that love you/ Not the ones like you!"

The next track features, I'm told, Bryan on vocals, and he does a great job on "Diluted", in which the Hero begins to become a little paranoid as he sees spies everywhere, sure that he's being watched, that his secret is known. It's clear that he's either working against the Party now, or thinking about doing so. There's a good heavy guitar melody carrying the song, and it's an uptempo rhythm with again great vocal harmonies and of course a certain sense of paranoia, which is surely justified as we plough into "Your existence is in bad taste", with a klaxon and that blaring thick synth as The Man and the Party arrive, shouting that the Hero is surrounded. It's a really nicely-constructed industrial/new-wave piece which reminds me of Numan with some great work on the vocoder going up and down the registers and a real feeling of being pent in, trapped, indeed surrounded. However, there is a way out and next our Hero and his woman are running, and wibbly synths take us into "Keep up the pace" with a very Genesis keyboard tailing off.

A fast uptempo piece, the song certainly gives a sense of running and pursuit, with sharp violin and trundling drums, as Schuyler tells his girl that they have started a revolution --- "We're in the news/ We've lit a fuse" --- and hopes others will join them, though this at the moment seems unlikely. A very jangly guitar opens "Small stones", another highlight, though I have to wonder if the guys have heard Tiamat, as their song "Love is better than soma" has the very same opening lines? Hmm. Anyway, the song rocks along nicely as the Hero tries to pretend everything is okay as he and his girl go on the run, knowing in his heart his fight is probably doomed to failure, even though he sings "We are the small stones/ That brought Goliath down". There's again some great vocal interchange here, as Schuyler sings There's nothing they can do" while Bryan sings "Disappear from view." A sort of Beatles breakdown then in the vocal as the song heads into its end, and into the next track, another soon-to-be-classic.

[Trollheart]

But if you'll indulge me, here is where the cracks begin to appear. Up to now the guys have been very careful to keep the setting of this story ambiguous: there has been no mention of city, country or region. It could be anywhere; it might not even be on our planet. Some of the very best dystopian stories have used this device: Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", despite the title, markedly fails to confirm where it's set, whereas Orwell's classic, while claiming the action takes place on "Airstrip One", is clearly Britain, as is Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta". I don't think there's a location mentioned in Bradbury's story, though it's a long time since I last read it. Keeping things vague in terms of location, or even year, can be helpful in some ways, as often we don't want to face the idea that it's our own country that's being painted so darkly, face the possibility that "this could happen here". So that's fine. "Frownland" could be anywhere, really. Any time. But now all of a sudden as "We are the dead" opens, Schuyler begins singing about New York, and referencing 9/11. I understand they wanted to incorporate their feelings about the Twin Towers attacks into the music, but I feel it's blurring the message. Badly.

The thing is, now we've suddenly and without warning stuck a pin in a map and said "Yeah, it's America." It may not be New York (or it may) but the Big Apple has definitely been mentioned. The news story about the attacks has been mentioned too, so now as Schuyler sings that he's hearing the reports, you start to think this can't be any more than twenty years or so in the future. Suddenly, everything is fixed in place, located, and I really don't get it. Is this just allegorical, or is Frownland in America? I just think it waters down the storyline and weakens it badly. I'll be returning to this possibly uncomfortable topic shortly, but for now, what about the music?

Well, "We are the dead" (title of course taken from "Nineteen Eighty-Four") is a slow, sad dirge, as you might expect, with only acoustic guitar, drums and some beautiful haunting violin from a lady I believe called Emily Lisanti carrying it, an almost quiet Waterboys celtic feeling about it as Schuyler talks about 9/11 and the aftermath. The lyric is inspired --- "Did you hear the twins have died?/ Our hearts are all split open wide" --- but I sort of fail to see the message here. The overriding concept seems to be that those living today are as good as dead and must build the world for those who come after us. I confess I'm confused. It doesn't help that Schuyler then talks about being dead the moment he met his lover, which would kind of make more sense: I'll never be this happy again so I may as well be dead now. But that doesn't seem to be what he's saying... But hold on. Rereading the journal I see now what he's getting at. It's the concept from "Nineteen Eighty-Four", that death occurred with the first seditious thought. Your mind betrayed you, the Party machinery tried and convicted you and in your heart and soul, the inbred sense of unquestioning loyalty to the Party executed you. You are now dead. So what the Hero is saying is that he died when he met the girl and they began to rebel. Got it now. Sort of.

Back to the music. It's actually almost three minutes into the song before the percussion hits, and it's that much more effective when it does. There's also a nice stark choir that comes in near the end. The vocal gets much stronger and more passionate as it comes towards the conclusion, but to be honest I would have preferred it just faded on "We are the dead", and they throw in a last line which I think personally does not work. Speaking of not working, "Modern everything" is played on an, as already admitted, out of tune acoustic piano, and I just don't get it. I know Waits used one, I know others have, but it takes special skill, as it were, to play badly well, and I just don't feel this gives the same sort of effect. It's also annoying that now we have a song about a hurricane, which when I heard this the first time I naturally assumed, given the 9/11 connection in the previous song, they were now singing about Katrina. Perhaps they are, in a sort of oblique way, but according to the plot this is meant to be a hurricane --- or a metaphor for one --- that hits and kind of knocks the whole story off kilter. If this were a novel I'd say it was a clumsy plot device, and I'm forced to agree that it seems a weird kind of way of throwing the story out of whack. Great vocal harmonies again and some fine soft percussion. I also like the way Schuyler and Bryan don't feel they have to make each line rhyme, so that when you think maybe a certain word is going to come up it doesn't, and it's refreshing.

"Don't vanish" then is a short little piano-led song with a low-key vocal with the line "Sometimes I'm a visionary" repeated from the previous song, and a direct lead into the next, and longest song, "We will rebuild this city", which you would imagine harks back to the hurricane spoken of in "Modern everything", but could refer to rebuiliding society after the fall of the Party and The Man. It's a very optimistic song, as you would expect from the title, with the title of the opener repeated in it and a vein of cheerfulness and looking forward in it as the guys sing "After all this time/ I'm still keeping my head up." I also like the switching around of the lines "It's been a few years but it seems like a day" later rearranged to say "It's been a few days but it seems like years." Again this song showcases the excellent vocal harmonies in cloudcover, and it's interesting to note they throw in a reference to one of their previous albums when they sing "Enter humanity".

The song itself seems to be broken into two distinctive parts, so much so that were it not that you know it not to be the case you would think this was two separate songs. Slighlty into the third minute of the seven it runs for, the synth builds up and then breaks down as the second part comes in, a slower, more ballad-centric song, but again I'm confused. He's talking about someone saying "We'll carry you if you can point the way" and "We'll guard your life/ We won't lose you again". Who's he talking about? Freedom? Human dignity? An actual person? Again, I'm at a loss. There are some lovely ELO-type touches in the guitar and then it powers back into the riff that opened the album. Whether that's a warning that The Party is on the rise again or just advice not to let your guard down I don't know but it's very clever. They also reference "Independence Day" in New York, so again we're unavoidably located. Perhaps "she" is New York? Again it's a little ambiguous, maybe it's meant to be that way.

A very optimistic end, but then it's not, because the closing track (after some audio of people cheering and chanting) is "Give her my best", which seems to refer to the death of the Hero in a car accident. He knows he's dying, or dead, and hopes his lover will find happiness with someone else. It's touching, but a little, again, confusing. When it starts I think for a moment I'm hearing "Stairway to Heaven" --- surely that was planned? --- and the song mostly proceeds on soft strummed acoustic guitar, and works along the same lines as the very last Roger Waters song with Pink Floyd, the closing track to "The final cut", "Two suns in the sunset", leaving really a rather bleak and rather unsatisfactory ending. The song gets harder in the last few moments as Schuyler sings "I'm not coming home anytime soon/ Trapped behind a tombstone/ Trying to get a message through." Sobering, but leaves me feeling a little empty. I know in general dystopian stories, from "Brazil" to "Soylent Green" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" to "V for Vendetta" rarely if ever have a happy ending, but I would just prefer to have taken a better message away from the album than that, after all his struggles to make the world a better place --- and possibly succeeding --- the Hero dies in a senseless accident. Just seems a little unfair to him, after all he's been through, and having shared those experiences with him throughout the album and come to know, and care for him, I feel it's a bad payoff in the end, realistic and pragmatic though it may be.

TRACKLISTING

1. The fire this time
2. One private moment
3. Welcome to the Party
4. Independence Day
5. Diluted
6. Your existence is in bad taste
7. Keep up the pace
8. Small stones
9. We are the dead
10. Modern everything
11. Don't vanish
12. We will rebuild this city
13. Take it to the streets
14. Give her my best

I certainly don't want to come across as overcritical and I think I have already pointed out that I love this album and think it could do extremely well if it gets the right attention, but the above niggles, well, niggle at me. The story is progressing fine until "We are the dead" and then it just seems to veer off in a sharp turn, kind of coming back by a circuitous route right at the end, but it's too roundabout a journey for me to stay focussed on the plot. Had the story ended with "Small stones", that might have been preferable, but then of course "We are the dead", "Modern everything" etc are all superb songs and I wouldn't want to have missed them. But someone listening to this for the first time would be excused for thinking these were bonus tracks, and had nothing to do with the concept running through the album.

No doubt the guys will tell me I got it totally wrong, and I probably did. But I'm trying to understand this and I really can't. The change in direction, focus and story from that track on is just bizarre to me, and while it most definitely does not come close to ruining the album, it does taint it a little, making it that much harder to follow a pretty great storyline, something not always the case with concept albums ---"Lamb lies down on Broadway" I'm looking at YOU! I think the guys have done a fantastic job here, and I'm amazed by the talent, the cohesiveness of the vision they have, the dedication to and execution of the album, and the deep understanding between Bryan and Schuyler. I just wish I hadn't had to have these little criticisms, some of which are not so little.

But notwithstanding all of that, you need to hear this album. I mean, physically need to. It's tremendous, and should go down as a future classic. I hope they get a recording deal, or at least interest from someone who can promote and distribute this music as it should be. This is an album that needs to be heard, and by as many people as possible. It does not deserve to languish on bandcamp, soundcloud or anywhere else, forgotten and ignored. The work the lads have put into this album needs to be recognised, celebrated and shared with the world. When you consider they wrote, played, recorded, engineered, arranged, produced and released this themselves, with no help from even a minor label or any professional entity or person, well it just beggars belief and reaffirms my contention that with passion and talent and a whole lot of determination, great albums can be produced without the help of record labels. Considering how much music I've been listening to this past two weeks, it's one hell of a statement that the music I sing and that goes round in my head as I go about my daily life is from this album, exclusively. And isn't that a sign of a really successful and special album?

Although in fairness, they may need the assistance of some sort of label if this excellent music is to get to the mass market they clearly want and need to reach. If they can get the right backing, cloudcover could be damn huge. I just hope they remember their number one fan when they make it big! Front row seat, guys! Front row seat, and backstage pass.

[Trollheart]

Whale ---- Planktons Odyssey --- 2014 (Smokin Baby Records)


Note: When I reviewed this originally I mistakenly took an "unfinished" copy of the album Plankton had kindly sent me, and so some of the songs were not on it, and some of the ones I wrote of below are now removed from it. Apologies to anyone (especially the writer of the work below) who read the review. It has now been amended to reflect the proper running order and tracklisting of the album. What else can I say but "D'Oh!"?

I'm told by the man himself that this is the third in a trilogy, and indeed I did review “Krill” last year, but at that point was unaware it was one of three. The liner notes tell us that the album is a concept one, focussing on one Jonah (the one in the Bible? I'm not sure, but that has to be where the name came from) who gets swallowed by a whale and is absorbed into the creature, both transitioning to a new and perhaps better lifeform. The album looks like it veers a little from the theme in certain places, but then, what concept album doesn't?

Hard as it may be to credit, this is almost completely a one-man effort, with Plankton playing all the guitars, basses and where they occur, keyboards, and the drum track supplied by a software package called Hydrogen.

The opener is a short one, with sound effects and water sounds as “Cetacea” describes the hero, Jonah, being swallowed by the whale. Vaguely eastern-sounding guitar riffs contribute to the alien sound of this opening piece, and it takes us into “Jonah”, wherein that much harder rocky guitar that those of us who have heard his work associate Plankton with comes punching in, chugging and riffing all over the place with a steel edge. Stop-start riffs punctuate the piece, and the percussion complements them. I assume Plankton uses several guitars here, as one keeps the rhythm while the other does the solos. And what solos they are! You definitely get a sense of the panic Jonah must feel as he realises he's in the belly of the great seabeast, and unlikely to escape.

The centrepiece then comes with “Eye of the storm”, with a big growling rocking guitar that could give many of the supposedly heavier metal bands out there today quite a run for their money. Hard, punching drumbeats punctuate an angry, snarling guitar which may represent Jonah's fear and rising resentment at his situation, or even that of the whale as it tries to digest the annoying thing that has swam into its maw. There's a real sense of power and rage in the piece, one of Plankton's best to date, to rival “Screaming at an empty canvas” and “Son of soothsayer”. It ends on a sort of almost acoustic, gentler line that perhaps signifies acceptance of the situation?

The oddly titled “Wiggles” is I believe dedicated to one of Plankton's friends, and features what may be a talkbox, some odd effects and a funky guitar with squealing, screeching little synth lines. Where it fits in I don't know, but it's an intersting track with a great smooth little groove. If I'm brutally honest though, I didn't like it and it really breaks up the flow of the album. I hate to say that, as I know it means a lot to him, but I can't see why it's here. There's no problem writing a song for his friend, but it stands out here like a vegetarian shark. Sorry man, just can't get me head around this one.

There's a sort of spoken intro to “You're not to blame”, like someone (it's Plankton) impersonating a Wookie (!) and then the heavy chugging guitars are back, but this time I'm pretty amazed to hear singing! Up to now, all of Plankton's stuff has been instrumental. When I first heard this I thought Oh God! Don't tell me he can sing as well! I hate this guy! but it turns out this is his friend Tommy H who is on vocals. And he has a very strong voice too, reminds me of a mixture of Hetfield and Di'Anno, quite raw and powerful with a hint of the better punk bands in there. The song is about coming to terms with death, and apparently “You're not to blame” is very personal to Tommy, who had to watch his own father die in front of him. Heavy, as they say, stuff. Superb soloing on the guitars gives a real feeling of frustration and anxiety building to boiling point, as Tommy yells ”I don't blame you no more!” and Plankton leads us out on a scorching solo.

There's one small note of concern I'd like to voice here. This is not a criticism, just an observation. When you expect an album to be instrumental it's a little jarring to hear vocals, sort of like my recent review of "The Endless River". My own personal belief is that it breaks up the flow of the album, perhaps mars the theme it's been built on, and just really takes you by surprise. I think if I was rating this album I would deduct a point or two for the change; although the vocals are fine I did not expect them, and in retrospect even now would have preferred a fully instrumental album. Of course, it's Plankton's music and he's free to play it as he sees fit, and what do I know after all? But just personally, it's a little like the "Shoveled" track on "Krill"; doesn't quite spoil the album but sadly gives me something --- just one thing --- negative to write about it, which I would have preferred not to have done.

That is, as I say though, the only vocal track on the album, as one of the standouts hits, “Sunshine express” beginning like a mid-paced folk tune with acoustic and slide guitar (I think) trotting along nicely in a sort of blues vein. I wonder is this the dobro of which he speaks in the notes, given to him by his cousin and which proved “a birthday gift that exceeded my wildest dreams”? Yes, I see it is. Very distinctive instrument. Love the dobro. Definitely puts me in mind of the late great Rory Gallagher. Change is the theme here, he says in the notes, a change for him in his playing and a change for Jonah as he becomes one with the whale, absorbed into its essence and effecting his own kind of change on the animal.

“Gleaning the Tuesday sun” is certainly an odd title, but then when you're writing instrumentals you can call them what you like, can't you? I think this reminds me a little of “Son of soothsayer” off the previous album, but I'll have to go back and check. Bit of jazzy fusion coming in here now, as Plankton boogies along and basically just has fun with the tune. The drum pattern is interesting too, kind of sparse and minimal, leaving the guitars to take centre stage. It's a real jam, and very impressive it is too. Also one of the longer tracks, pushing the five-and-a-half minute mark. Skitching is apparently the practice of grabbing a car's bumper while on a skateboard, a la Marty McFly in “Back to the Future”, and in colder climes can also be done in the snow, presumably on skates rather than a skateboard. It also, Plankton tells us in the liner notes, occurs underwater, where smaller fish catch a ride on a larger one.

This then is the theme of the next track, “Skitch”, which has a big heavy growling guitar driving it, with a sort of echo or feedback effect making it seem very expansive and vast. A great little bassline then near the end as the guitars take a backseat, then they're roaring back for the conclusion, taking us into “Not quite the end”, an expressive, reflective song wherein the dobro makes its appearance again, and some soft keys too, sounding like a choir humming and also conjuring up a sense of cavernous space. Apparently this won first prize in an “unplugged” contest Plankton entered it for, and well deserved. He makes the dobro sound like a mandolin at times, and there's some truly lovely instrumentation here. Kind of a mixture of folk, blues and even progressive rock I feel.

And all too soon we're closing, with the striding, swaggering “Hollow city limits”, with a great resounding bass line and a much slower, not quite grinding but almost majestic rhythm, a great overall melody that brings to mind maybe Jonah exploring the innards of the whale before he realises where he is, or while he has time, waiting to be digested and absorbed. I guess it could be the only time a human has been in side a whale and maybe he wants to at lest take what he can from what w ill be the last experience of his life. It's quite a poignant track, one of my favourites now that I've heard it. Love the way the music seems to echo as if Plankton were playing in a large empty space, conjuring up the inside of the leviathan.

Having spoken to the creator though, I find I am completely wrong in my assumption above. This is, in fact, where the newly-created organism that is now known as "Jonah" --- whether it's a melding of whale and human (?) or something else I don't know --- arrives at the enigmatic Hollow City, which he will apparently be exploring in the next few albums (hooray! More albums!) so so much for my interpretation! Either way though, it's a powerful end to a very powerful album, and bringing to a close the trilogy of transformation and transcendence that he began in “The Dream”, which I now have to listen to as a matter of urgency.

TRACKLISTING
1. Cetacea
2. Jonah
3. Eye of the storm
4. Wiggles
5. You're not to blame
6. Sunshine express
7. Gleaning the Tuesday sun
8. Skitch
9. Not quite the end
10. Hollow City limits

And so we have another fine, fine album from this guitar virtuoso who will surely sweep the award in this category in the MB 2014 Awards, and if he doesn't then there's no justice in the world. A four or five-piece band could scarcely put together such an album, and as you all know, I've waxed poetic more than once on how hard it can be to review an instrumental album, even listen to one without getting bored. But that never even entered into this here. This album keeps the interest all the way through, and the only disappointment is when it ends. If you've heard it (and you should) you may find yourself rethinking your album of the year.

Yeah, there's no doubt that Plankton can stand up there with many of the big boys, and in fact if the world is anyway fair he should be joining them. Whether that happens or not though, this album stands, once again, as a testament to one man's talent and creative prowess, and to his determination to share this music with the world, by which we are all a little richer.

No, I will not say I had a whale of a time! I have some pride, you know. But this is certainly a beast of an album, and one you need to acquaint yourself with. Now, where's that tape of whale song I've been meaning to listen to?

(Note: although I have stopped the practice of illustrating my reviews with YouTubes, Plankton asked me to include a few, so they're above. They will at any rate give you an idea of what you can expect once you put on this powerhouse of an album).

[Trollheart]

So the next one up is from a band formed by, or at least including, one of the people here with the longest usernames, but I'll just call her Steph. Yeah, it's WWWP, and this is what she does when she's not being fabulous on the forum.

Snake Walk --- Snake Walk --- 2014 (Bandcamp release)

Okay. I really, really like what I'm hearing as “Bed and breakfast” opens the album. Lovely piano and guitar which for some reason reminds me of Judie Tzuke (!) then the vocals come in and I'm thinking Deacon Blue, Prefab Sprout, Ivyrise. It's not Steph singing (unless she has a really male voice!) --- no, it's a guy called Lukas, though Steph tells me that they don't have a frontperson as such; they usually try to be as democratic as they can with the band, but it just happens that this album has more of himself to the fore. I can see why: his voice is clear and quite rich, with a real element of kind of fun and perhaps self-effacement to a degree in it. Friendly, is how I would describe it. The music, too, is very upbeat and cheerful, with some really nice basslines from our lady and some fine drumming, though I'm told no human could make those beats, and it's an electronic drum machine they use. There's a female backing vocal there, and I guess that's our own lovely WWWP again, and it really adds something to the song, especially when she harmonises with Lukas on the slower, almost dreamy chorus. Lovely. Great little keyboard run there, very bouncy, followed by some staccato piano or maybe organ. Thoughtfully, Snake Walk have provided some lyrics, so let's use them huh?

I particularly like the lines ”But there was no romance;/ I was just a dirty kid with his hand/Down the wrong lady’s pants”. I also like the way it goes in the fourth minute, into a mostly instrumental jam but with a chanted chorus going on too. Although the song is I guess a bit melancholy and reflective, perhaps regretful at least lyrically, it sounds like the band are having a real good time and it's like a tale of teenage love? There'll be lots of other times. Maybe I got that wrong but hey, what do I, as I so often ask, know? Inspired chorus too: ”At the bed and breakfast/ It’s cold in the fireplace/ Stone through stained-glass/ And ghosts in the pillowcases.” We return then to the melody of the opening part, almost lounge music, very restful and the part that reminded me of Judie. The bass and soft percussion really help carry this, with the piano lording it over them all with its quiet understated but in-command melody.

Oh, those harmonies! That is just perfect. I hope this isn't the best track on this album because I really like this. Oh hell, that end is just perfection! The next track is shorter, much --- that ran for seven minutes, but not long enough as far as I'm concerned --- and with chiming clock sounds a la “Time” we're into “Cheap cream”, which this time reminds me of Waits at his most minimal. Great percussion and a low-key vocal. No other instrumentation that I can hear. Oh come on! Stop! Is that a banjo/mandolin opening “Rain gallery”? WWWP plays the guitar here and it certainly shows; a real standout performance. Can this get any better, really? Sort of muted drumming then a tinkly piano comes in with a sweet, sweet melody and then another superb vocal harmony like the best of Neil Young. Slow, folky sort of beat, which shows yet another side of Snake Walk, who are certainly here taking me for some ride! I can hear a sort of acoustic Waterboys here too. Organ now coming in, adding another layer to the sound, and it really fleshes it out, but does not destroy the ambience Snake Walk have carefully and lovingly built up here.

Another lovely slow dreamy beat on “Toffee apples”, with the third member of the band, Jaycob, taking the mike and really reminding me of Ricky Ross now (Deacon Blue's one, not the rapper) and a beautiful guitar line with handclap drums --- which I usually don't like --- perfectly complementing it, a tinkly piano keeping a soft melody underpinning the song. I'm in Bread territory now, listening to the dulcet tones of David Gates. This could be a seventies song, would fit perfectly in, and yet does not sound out of place here in the twenty-first century. Some spoken bits are not even off-putting, as they often are; just seem to work really well. Interesting lyric, even if I have no idea what it means: ”I see a coiled-up cobra disguised as a rope/ Clean under the dust with green eyes to the scope/ Set out to sunder us, hunters encroach / Suppose the snake's blunderbuss exploded our hopes /Would I lie dead, doubtful I'll pull it, or cope; / Rise, head full of you and mouth full of bullets?” Um. Yeah.

The vocal becomes almost a slow rap, and yet --- and this is important, when you know me as you guys do --- I still love it. Ah, darn! We're on the last track, but at least “For Lulu, a shiv to the gut” is the longest track on the album, seven and a half minutes. Great guitar opening, which again those wonderful vocal harmonies, that tinkly piano (which I'm thinking may be a xylophone or a glockenspiel) with another kind of slow rap in the vocal. Lukas's diction is impressive; you never miss a word, and yet he doesn't sound stilted, as some who sing that way can do. I notice now that there seems to be a serial killer coming into the lyric --- ”He’s the kind of killer who prepares a home cooked meal/ So he doesn’t have to hide the knives” --- but I think I'm correct in saying that this song is about a writer and they're just singing about her characters? It's got a little more uptempo, a little more intense as the vocalist talks about Lulu with what sounds like rising disdain. Beautiful keyboard/piano/xylo/ whatever solo.

I also like that they use other languages here, German and French anyway. The guitar chops up the melody as it gets a little harder, vocal harmonies now coming in to join the singer before he takes the song again on his own. You know, as the lyric develops I could be wrong: this could be about a real killer, who is targeting Lulu? I guess I'll find out when Steph responds to this. Well either way it don't matter because this is once again a winner. Five stars, guys. Five bright, shining stars.

TRACKLISTING

1. Bed and breakfast
2. Fresh cream
3. Rain gallery
4. Fresh toffee apples
5. For Lulu, a shiv in the gut

That was definitely the most I have enjoyed a five-track EP in a long time. Truth be told, and for some unknown reason, I had not expected to like this music. I do. Man I do. This is great stuff, and I look forward to more from Snake Walk. Thanks for giving me the chance to review your stuff guys, and I hope I managed to do it justice, though I'm sure I didn't.

Mind you, you can always check it out yourself at their Bandcamp page here https://snakewalk.bandcamp.com/album/snake-walk-demo

Note: In case anyone thinks I'm just kissing ass here, and that everyone will get a glowing review no matter if their music sucks, can I remind you who you're talking about? While I will not go out of my way to be nasty or dismissive of anyone's music --- I know they're like your babies --- I will say if I don't like it, it doesn't do anything for me or it's not my scene. You can, for instance, probably expect Frownland's music to get a less than positive grilling, and that's not because I don't like his music (or what I've heard of it to date) but because it just is not in my wheelhouse. Even so, I will always try to find something positive to say about everyone, because I know making music is one of the hardest things anyone can do, and talent and creativity deserves to be recognised.

But one thing you will always get from me here is honesty. We may not end up friends afterwards () but I won't bullshit anyone. If I like it, I will say so, if I don't I will not shirk from pointing that out. Luckily though, so far everyone has impressed me. Long may it continue!

[Trollheart]

Those of you who follow The Playlist --- and anyone reading above --- will know I previously reviewed music by YorkeDaddy under his band name of cloudcover (lowercase “c” is very important!) and was totally blown away by it. This, however, I believe, is a solo project and more rooted in soft ambient music, whereas “Frownland” (no relation to our own Captain Beefheart fan!) was more a rock album with some other styles and of course vocals. I think this is all instrumental, but we'll find out as we go along. Great title, too.

Apathy, always --- Daydream Society --- 2014 (Bandcamp release)

The album cover gives you an idea what to expect, with soft-focus colours and a real dreamy look to it, which fits in very well with the name YorkeDaddy has chosen for this particular incarnation of his musical persona. There are only seven tracks, but I see two nine-minuters (almost) and one that runs for seven and a half, so there should be about forty-odd minutes of music here. We open on “Every star could fit in my hand”, with a big, droning, rumbling synth, joined by another, lower but just as deep, and I think possibly a third there? Very dramatic and cinematic indeed. I think that's voice effects coming through now or it could be guitar work, and drum loops? I'm not a musician so I don't know, but that's what it sounds like, almost like something trying to surface from the perhaps cloying sound, a swimmer coming up for air. Reminds me of later Floyd, “Signs of life”, that sort of thing. Tone has changed slightly now, and I think it's just the one synth holding the chord as the effects go on, very quiet and low in the mix.

This is one of the nine-minute-almost tracks (8:40) and it looks like there'll be plenty happening over the course of that time. The synth has dropped out completely now and been replaced by a guitar which kind of sounds like a jet engine or maybe water running down a plughole. More, slightly lighter synth coming in now, the darker, almost threatening tone of the opening section gone, and the feel of perhaps a sun rising after a dark night. A storm perhaps? Definitely a lighter, more positive edge to the music, and now we get soft choral vocals that reminds me of both Vangelis and Twelfth Night, stretching out in a kind of Solar Fields way. I see we're now six minutes in, but the time has flown and this has not in any way dragged. As the tune heads towards what I guess is its climax there's a guitar screeching --- I think; this could all be made on synth, who knows? --- and an impression of climbing, reaching, striving. I have no idea if this is what YD intended it to convey, but that's what I hear.

Fading out and down now on a descending synth/guitar line, and though I'm impressed, I sort of expected to be, having heard what this guy can do already. “Bloodstream”, up next, is shorter, just shy of five minutes, and has a really nice echoey synth starting it off, a brighter sound than the previous, with what sounds like little flutey sounds coming in now too as the keyboard holds the main chord, rolling sounds that could be cymbals or maybe synth lines washing over the tune. A violin-like melody joins the held chord, then more synth joins in with a rising, uplifting sound that only lasts for a few seconds before a sharp guitar makes a sound like an engine revving as most of the other instruments fall away other than low, deep percussion. Definitely get the idea of riding along a highway at top speed.

Now the engine dies away and spacey, video-game-like synth sounds hop all over the tune, very electronica, with a big deep bassy synth in the background. Reminds me of early Hawkwind, this. Fading out to bring in “Living in a bleak room”, which opens on a sound like thunder rolling then some strange mechanical sounds --- get a sense of the beginning of “Welcome to the machine” here --- very robotic. One of the sounds makes me think of chickens in a coop. How odd. A soft but deep rising synth now, then those videogame effects again (have you been listening to too much Dragonforce, YorkeDaddy?) --- in fact, it's almost like one of those arcade games having had the buttons hit down too hard and jamming, just a sort of repeat of the same notes. Then a hammering bass comes through, almost like someone feeling their way along blindly with a cane through an alley or something, very echoey. Bleak is in the title and bleak is certainly the feeling you get form this piece, then YD throws us a “Close Encounters” style synth riff. Very eerie and it takes us to the end of the track.

“Survivors believe” then has a nice busy guitar opening, kind of a feeling of bells or some sort of metal being struck, also reminds me of those sounds railway level crossings make when a train is on the way. Soft but insistent little percussion coming in now along with some bass, then a stuttering guitar but it's a little lacking in a melody you can pin down, at least for my tastes. Bit too experimental perhaps. It is almost seven minutes long though, and we're only heading into the third of those, so it may get more cohesive. There's definitely a repeating rhythm there, it's just not something I would, for instance, hum later. Nothing to nail a tune to, from my point of view. Great instrumentation, certainly; I would just rather hear something I could recognise as a melody. Low synth now running off a riff which is very space rock but quite muted, with the original beat and melody line, such as it is, still going on in the background. No, not a fan of this I'm afraid.

So what about the next track? Well, “Mortal” is either corrupt or it's just way beyond anything I could consider to be music. It's like a constant stuttering line, not quite static but like when you're playing music and something loops in your computer and you just hear the same note hammered repeatedly --- duh-duh-duh-duhduh! Sorry man I bloody hate this. Hurts my ears. Luckily it's only just over a minute and a half long and takes us into the longest track, almost eight minutes of “A semblance of normality”. Unfortunately for me, this kicks off with a similar sound, like lasers or videogame effects, with some dark echo behind it like muted thunder but no melody. In fairness, we're barely a minute in so let's give it a chance, but I hope it's not going to be eight-plus minutes of sounds like the last track: I don't think I could handle that.

I don't wish to be harsh, but it's hard to believe this is the same guy who created the cloudcover album. This for the most part seems to have no real melody and sounds like someone just playing with concepts, ideas and sounds but without any real direction or plan. Of course, I'm sure there is, but I just don't hear it. Experimental music is never my thing, and though YD said this was ambient, it's not what I'd call it. We're now three minutes in and again nothing but odd sounds, effects and noises. Turning into something of a disappointment for me, especially given the very decent opening track. But since then it really has gone downhill for me. I'm sure experimental guys like Frownland will love this, but to me it is sadly just a collection of not quite random noises, but not music, not to me. Definitely not something I would put on to relax, that's for sure.

I find it sad that I'm looking ahead and thinking thank god there's only one more track, whereas with Snake Walk I was hoping there would be more. But this album just is not gripping me at all, and I am sorry to say I'll be glad when it's over. And it does come to an end with “Love like forgiveness”, another long track, over seven minutes, which has a nice sort of peppy keyboard start and goes much more uptempo than anything here. Deep organ coming in complements the synth nicely, slow to fast, drone to bop, then the percussion comes in and this has more a feel of krautrock or maybe new wave about it, a sense of melody finally. I can her Carbon Based Lifeforms here, and Air, maybe even some Mogwai to an extent. Think that's a vocoder now, memories of cloudcover. If I had to pick a favourite track it would be this or the opener, but the rest I'm afraid have really not impressed me at all. But you might like them. You might love them. Just not for me.

TRACKLISTING

1. Every star could fit in my hand
2. Bloodstream
3. Living in a bleak room
4. Survivors believe
5. Mortal
6. A semblance of normality
7. Love like forgiveness

I'm not going to say this was rubbish, as I know how hard it is to make music and how much time, effort and energy people put into their creations. But after having heard “Frownland” I had expected more from YorkeDaddy. Maybe that was my mistake: expecting that his solo ambient/electronica stuff would be the same as his work with Shuyler, but this is totally different. I guess it reveals another side to the man, and he certainly can construct pieces of music; I just prefer to be able to discern or follow a melody when I listen. This is, as I say, too abstract for me.

But for what it is, it's well played and written. I definitely think I prefer the cloudcover material though. Once I've got through a few other albums here I'll be going back to give their new one a shot, and hopefully will have nicer things to say. Don't let me turn you off listening to this though: if experimental, drony, abstract expressionist electronica is your thing you'll probably really appreciate this. It just is not for me.

Sorry, man.

[Trollheart]

The next one under the microscope here is chosen because basically it's a single, and I've been intrigued since Machine announced it. Being short, it will also enable me to get to someone else's work today, so let's give it a go. I have no supporting information on it (Machine, if you want to supply any background you think might help?) so we'll have to dive straight into it and see what we get.
Goodbye, good riddance --- Machine --- 2014 (Bandcamp release)

As I say, this is a single, so just two tracks, and it comes from one of our newest members, who has been making quite a name for himself here. Well, there's a beautiful soft acoustic guitar to get us underway, and it reminds me of the Eagles or Bob Seger at their best. The vocal, when it comes in has a touch of Young about it (Neil, not Paul!) or one of those trendy indie bands. It seems to be a song of leaving your hometown behind, and not being particularly sad about it. Nice bit of whistling there and some improvisational vocalise. I like the fact that there's no real chorus, just the da-da-da-da-dum-da. Kind of a folk feel about the song. Singing is very good. And I mean very: this is almost professional grade, and if I assume Machine is also playing the guitar, this is incredibly impressive stuff. I've been trying to listen to one of the lines in the lyric, but I can't quite make it out. It's either ”The suburban kids lay out their open wounds/ So let's get out the meals and make them feel better” --- which would I guess be a reference to homelessness and something akin to George Michael's line in “Praying for time” --- ”Charity is a coat we wear twice a year” --- or the line could switch “meals” for “needles”, which then makes it much more literal, and possibly a reference to drugs? Well I'm sure he'll let us know which it is, but either way this is pretty stunning stuff.

It's unmistakably a sad song, a lot of regret and even bitter anger, but there's a sense of breaking free, getting away from it all, and in a way it sort of nods back to the two songs I featured a while back in my “Two sides of the same coin” section, Tom Waits's “Burma-Shave” and Springsteen's “Thunder Road”. Like the little change there in the fourth minute, also the tapping of the hand against the guitar as a sort of percussion. Very effective.

The other track on the single, the B-side I guess, is called “Fall in time” and has a slightly more uptempo beat (though not much), again on acoustic guitar, on which Machine seems to be a real expert (watch out Plankton!) and this time has a chorus, which is nice. His voice does sound a tinchy bit stretched on the chorus, maybe close to cracking for a moment, but that's okay. It's a longer song than the A-side, with this coming in at just over five minutes whereas “Goodbye, good riddance” just about hit the four-and-a-half minute mark. The guitar is strummed harder on this, delivered with a great amount of passion. Again, his voice is one you could listen to for some time without ever getting tired of it. There's a sort of world-weariness he injects into his music that is quite astonishing for someone so young.

A tag on his bandcamp page says from the forthcoming album “Empty house”. Hope it's out soon cause I certainly want to hear more from this guy!
https://machineplus.bandcamp.com/releases

[Trollheart]

Now we turn to Rexx Shred, who seems to use a different name under which he composes his music. This represents his first EP. Whether it's just his work or that of a band I don't know, but I'm sure he'll enlighten us once this goes live. No information again to hand, so Rexx, if you want to add anything you think we should know, feel free. Here's the music anyway.

EP One --- Urban Shokker (Rexx Shred) --- 2014 (ReverbNation release)

There are five tracks here, the first of which is called “Mothership re-connection” and opens, rather appropriately, with a spacey descending sound (mothership arriving?) then we're hit with a fusilade of funk, with a mid-paced disco beat, nice jangly guitar and fluid bass, a mixture of rap and singing I believe, and if this intrudes on, or indeed is, hip-hop then you'll have to forgive me as I am not at all familiar with that genre. What it reminds me of more is the seventies soul/disco of bands like EWF, Tavares and so forth. Nice brass in it too. Not my kind of thing but I'm sure anyone into this sort of music will, um, dig it. Very nice smooth bass solo there. The vocals are very good, not sure if this is just Rexx or his band, but there are other voices too, though they may be multitracked.

The song is only just over three minutes but somehow feels much longer, and I don't mean that it gets boring or anything, but there's a whole lot packed into it. Actually I'm wrong there, it's nearly six. Sounds more like it. I think I was watching the time count up rather than, as I'm used to, seeing the remaining time. Cool organ outro too. Next up is “Pick a number”, which is very what I would think would be regarded as hip-hop, lots of handclap drums with very much a rap vocal, nice descending synth line. Namechecking George Clinton: cool. Oh yeah, you can just see this on MTV with lots of fine ladies shaking their perfect booties to it, while some big heavy guys stand around, arms crossed and back to back, looking real hard. Very funky, very clubland. Slow sort of pace, with again really clever little bass lines. Also a guitar solo, which I've not heard up to now, and it's pretty damn fine, takes the song to its ending. Like this a lot, despite not being my kind of music generally.

Now, question for ya: what do you think you would get in a song titled “Raise the funk”? Well there's an unexpected short piano intro, then it breaks down into another soul/hip-hop rhythm with rising synth, jangly guitar and sweet percussion. Flashes of the organ too (ooer!) and that grindy little bass is back. It would be interesting to know how many people are involved in this, as there definitely seem to be a few. I'm sure others who are more versed in hip-hop could talk about dropping beats and busting rhymes, but all that language is alien to an old rocker like me, so I'm just going to describe this as best I can. So far I haven't heard anything I don't like at any rate, and the production values are very high apart from anything else.

“Old skool town” starts with a really nice high guitar intro, then the synth takes over as I assume Rexx sings the rap across the music and it sound like a song that takes a different tack to a lot of the gangsta rap as he sings ”Don't need a gun/ Don't need a knife/ Cos a brother like me/ Don't take a life.” Refreshing. I wish I could praise this more, but I don't really feel qualified to review it as this is so far out of my normal wheelhouse. But you can probably at least tell from my writing that it's pretty damn good, even if my attempts to describe it are falling far short of where they should. DJ Chameleon would probably do a great review of this. Where is he these days, anyway? Another really nice guitar break with some fresh bass and we're heading towards the end, not only of the song but also this collection. One more to go.

I must say I love the title: “Star Dawgg (Prime Directive)” and that vocoder at the beginning is really apt. Good vocal chorus and a really funky beat again driven on that bass and some more strong brass. Not sure if it's synthesised or not, kind of sounds real. The vocal is almost spoken here, not even rap, in places. Works really well. More vocoder, very cleverly used, but I'm not quite getting the idea I thought was in the title. Very enjoyable though; the brass really adds something, and it's good he doesn't overuse it, think it's only been in two of these five tracks? The arrangement is very tight: I feel this could be pressed on acetate as it is. Of course, what do I know about production, but it sounds very much finished to me. Like the soaring guitar or maybe it's synth at the end, sort of like an engine. Yeah, good stuff.

TRACKLISTING

Mothership re-connection
Pick a number
Raise the funk
Old skool town
Star Dawgg (Prime Directive)

Like I say, this isn't my bag personally, but I can still appreciate and applaud good music played well, sung well and produced very well. If you're into funk, soul, r&b or hip-hop, you know, Rexx Shred/Urban Shokker may be the next big thing for ya!

[Trollheart]

I once promised Frownland I would listen to his album, or the album by his band, and review it, but after (sorry man) suffering through it I felt I would have only negative things to say, and as I didn't want to upset him or have him set a giant spider on me, I said ti would be best if I didn't review it. He agreed. But now we come to the Showcase and it's fair to say that although I certainly wouldn't be into his (or their) brand of music, probably a lot of people here are or could be, so it's unfair for me to dismiss him out of hand. Also, this is supposed to be the place where anyone can showcase their talent and it's not really up to me to decide what can and can't be reviewed. Well, it is, but I have to try to be as even-handed and open-minded as I can (which is not that easy when you're wearing a pair of plastic antlers I can tell you, but it is Christmas!) and so I've decided to try a different album of his. It's not the one he suggested but it was the first one that came up when I went to the bandcamp page, therefore I assume the latest. Here's what I thought of it.

Lizard of Ox --- Wolves in Sheepskin --- 2014 (Bandcamp release)

The opening track is weird. Now I expected this, having listened to the previous effort and found it, well, how can I put this? Weird. But it's only a short track, so probably not a real indication of what the rest of the album is going to be like. Or maybe it is. Anyway, it sounded to me like beginning with thunder or some sort of rumbling noise, then someone pushing paint cans along a warehouse floor, followed by water swirling down a bath plughole. Yeah. It's called “Hushtug”, and it lasts just shy of two minutes. The next one is much longer, almost seven, with another odd title: “Sundress nimbus forecast”. This one has a lot of percussion that sounds like someone falling down a flight of stairs and then some horns that wail like the souls of the damned, while other sounds I cannot identify but which may contain guitar, harmonium, keys, piano and possibly a reanimated corpse dancing all flood out of the speakers and grab you by the throat. Hell, even Waits would run from this!

But to put it in context, this is what I'm told is called experimental or noise rock, so my good friend melody is unlikely to be found loitering anywhere in the vicinity. Some sort of chanting vocal now coming in --- are they sacrificing someone to Captain Beefheart? --- and what sounds like a gaggle of geese passing through, probably wondering who these guys are and why they're practicing in the barnyard? Could be some mice in there too, or some restless spirit being chased across the yard? “Act III” is very Beefheart (from what I know of his work, which is very little), with a crashing drumbeat with lots of hi-hat and a spoken vocal in a sort of absurd poem, something that sounds like banjo in the background and guitar.

It remains very hard, despite my determination to get through this, to review it. It just sounds like noise to me, which I know it's not; my musical palette is not developed enough to appreciate this I guess you could say, but it really does just grate on me. I can hear a certain repeated melody of sorts in the drumwork, yes, but everything else just seems to be firing off in all directions, everyone doing their own thing. I'm sure that's not the case and that this is a very tight band who really know what they're doing; it's just not something I can appreciate on any level. The fact that the tracks are mostly very long too is not helping. I see with horror that the closing, and title track, is over eleven minutes long. God save my poor soul!

“Weepy flor” (don't ask me!) has a lot of tinkling bells, sudden piano chords and what could be a glockenspiel (or just a Glock; wouldn't put it past these guys!) and sounds almost like those wind chimes you hear blowing in the evening breeze, often presaging the attack of the madman on the porch. This seems fairly sedate though, compared to the other tracks, and I could almost call it ambient to a degree. Certainly the most “musical” so far by a country mile. But hold on a moment: “Brazilian basement lodge” has a nice acoustic guitar opening and while it still sounds like someone's trying to open boxes behind the guitarist with a crowbar, it's relatively melodic. Bit of a mad growl there and then some squealing horns, but definitely more approaching what I'd call music. Sounds like they brought some pigs into the studio, and maybe a baby? Some very nice quiet bass going on in the background too.

“Verb the noun” (see what you did there guys!) has someone clumping upstairs in heavy boots, or maybe hammering in nails into wood, then a sound like someone sanding wood (is this a DIY job set to music?), add in some screamed, growled vocals which are basically indecipherable but sort of resonate with a Waitsness and then either someone crying or a zither maybe. Kinda sounds like a drunk guy wending his way home while being accosted by another, slightly less drunk guy shouting at him with a kazoo jammed in his mouth. Really, that's what it conjures up to me. There's a spacey intro then to “Piano parlour overdose” which reminds me of nothing more than a videogame, don't hear any piano but hey, it's over eight minutes long (oh no!) so there's time. Actually I think I hear one there, being played very fast and maybe out of tune, scales going up and down while a screechy guitar --- you know what? I don't know what's being played here most of the time, and since the bandcamp page notes “home-made instruments”, they could be bashing chair legs on the floor or playing toilet brushes for all I know.

Sort of sound like a jet going overhead, then some piano breaks though with what sounds to me like the theme to “The Twilight Zone” (appropriate, in my case) and descending chords then make it sound like everything is falling down a flight of steps. Again. Well I said I wouldn't say this but I'm glad we're at the end. I'm not sure how I've lasted this long but here we are, and I'm glad I stuck it out, not because I've enjoyed the music but because I feel like I haven't taken the easy way out. Mind you, the closer is as I said eleven minutes long, but there's really nothing left for me to say about this. It's music I'll never get into, or understand, or appreciate. But if this kind of thing is your kind of thing, check Wolves in Sheepskin out. I'm sure it's a solid example of that sort of music, well played and delivered, well written and well thought out.

But, you know, and I say this with a heavy heart, to me it's just noise.
Sorry man.


Note: Hope you didn't mind all the jokes but I could really think of nothing to write musically after a while, and looking at it in a lighthearted vein was sort of the only way I could get through it...