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04-24-2012, 12:21 PM
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#1173 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,992
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 With the Paddy's Day Irish music special last month, I've sort of fallen behind on my promise to feature Irish acts more regularly here, so let's have another look at what's coming out of my homeland these days. The Script have certainly made a big noise over here, and outside of here too, with their debut album, though I must admit the one song I did hear (“The man who can't be moved”) impressed me more for its clever video than for its musical merit, and I've yet to hear either of their two albums all the way through. So, probably about time I did that, huh? Science and faith --- The Script --- 2010 (RCA)  The future of Irish rock? Or pop, take your pick; but is the label deserved? Are these guys as good as everyone seems to think they are? Or is it just more hype, built on the success of one or two hit singles? Is there an album worth listening to there, or is it all just surface gloss? The Script have been around since 2005 as an actual unit, though Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheeran have known each other since the late nineties. Recruiting Glen Power into the band, they released their debut, self-titled album in 2008 and have already had their music featured in videogames and popular (cough!) TV shows like “Eastenders”, “The Vampire Diaries” and “Made in Chelsea”, with Danny well known as one of the judges on the talent show “The Voice”. Tragedy dogged their early years in the band, with the death of Mark's mother followed by the loss of Danny's father, but though these were trying times they helped the guys grow musically as well as emotionally, and Mark has stated that through all the darkness it was music that kept him going. Their music has been well-received, giving them a top twenty single before the debut album was even released, with their next one, the aforementioned “The man who can't be moved” hitting the number two spot. Time spent recording in the US and Canada, as well as a slot supporting the giant U2, has prepared them well for the big time, and it seems that's where they're headed. This is their second album, as successful this side of the pond as their debut, coming in at number one, but much better received in the US, where it hit the number three spot on release, the previous album only getting into the sixty-fourth slot. It looks to be the first time the Script have used a full orchestra on their recordings. It opens on “You won't feel a thing”, with some nice guitar work, slightly reminscent of the work of the Edge, with some strong vocals from Danny O'Donoghue and some nice backing vocals too, good keyboard work from Andrew Frampton, though I think perhaps one of the guys also plays keys: hard to say, as the album credits all guitars and keyboards just to “The Script”. Anyway, it's a boppy, uptempo opening and slides into a much more downbeat track in “For the first time”, with a slight hint of slow rap in it, acoustic guitar and piano carrying the song until the electric punches in and the backing vocals come back in again; seems these may be a signature of this band. It's pretty much an everyman song, kind of in the vein of Springsteen or Earle lyrically, as Danny sings ”I lost my job/But I didn't lose my pride”, and the downbeat theme has taken something of an upturn, almost like someone trying to see the good in a bad situation, keeping hope alive in what could be seen as desperation. This was the first single from the album, and hit the number one spot on release. Well, if I'm honest, this is good yes, but I don't see it as number one single material. But then, what do I know about the charts? Another slightly downbeat track in “Nothing”, where Danny sings ”They say a few drinks/Will help me to forget her” and then it kicks into a more uptempo song as the Script explore a position that just about everyone has been in at one time or another, wondering why they've been dumped. Some pretty fine drumming from Glen Power here, and a pretty emotional little song. I like this. The title track has a lot of Big Country in the guitar, a big punchy chorus, then things go a little more restrained for “If you ever come back”, some nice vocal harmonies and chiming guitar with some touching lyrics: ”I'll leave the door on the latch/ If you ever come back/ There'll be a light in the porch/ And a key under the mat/ A smile on my face/ And the kettle on/ It'll be like you were never gone”. Have to praise that sort of realistic songwriting. A lot, if not indeed all, of the songs on this album seem to deal with love, and what's more, love lost, and “Long gone and moved on” is another example, as Danny sings ”I'm getting used to saying/ Me instead of us”. Another good pop/rock song with a very catchy chorus and some fine guitar work from Mark Sheehan, then “Dead man walking” is a good uptempo break-up song, but I think perhaps in some ways that's the Achilles' Heel of this album: it seems every song has to do with love affairs, and broken ones at that. If that's a concept then okay, and the sleeve does feature two hands grasping one another, which could be taken to symbolise two lovers: it certainly looks to be a male and a female hand. But it's not made clear enough to make that assumption, and if that's not the case then I think some different subjects would have fleshed out the album more. Surprisingly, then, “This=love” seems to concentrate more on the reasons why we do the things we do, that it makes all the sacrifices we make worthwhile. This song doesn't seem to centre on any one single affair, any couple, any particular heartbreak, instead encompassing the entire world, for which courage and ambition you have to applaud the guys. This reminds me of a slightly toned-down Aslan, it's that good. Might indeed be the standout. I could probably live without the rap right at the end, but even that's not enough to ruin the song for me. It's followed by some lovely piano work on “Walk away”, the song that most betrays the Script's love of rhythm and blues, but it does return to the recurring theme of broken love affairs that's so prevalent throughout the album it's almost saturation coverage. It also sounds a little too boyband-like for me, and I'd class it as the album's weakest track, personally. I have to say, I haven't heard much to indicate there's an orchestra on this album, but perhaps the closer will change that. Well, “Exit wounds” opens on acoustic guitar and piano, a pretty desperate vocal from Danny, yearning and urgent, with electric guitar breaking in but no sign of any strings that I can hear. Great lyrical imagery though: ”Can anyone help me/ With these exit wounds? / I don't know how much more love/ This heart can lose/ And I'm dying from/ These exit wounds.” Excellent songwriting, without question. And a very good and powerful closer. I am impressed by this album, there's no doubt. It's a good rock/pop record, with some truly exceptional songwriting, and I can see why The Script have been tipped for the top, why they're doing so well. Absolutely the album you would play to get you through a difficult breakup, a real mixture of comfort and pain, and certainly speaks to just about every one of us, for who has never been in love, whether it was requited or not? I just would have preferred a slightly more varied lyrical theme in some of the songs, but for what they are, these songs are pretty damn near perfect. Buy this album, and even if you don't listen to it, keep it handy for that dreaded time, if it arrives, when he or she says quietly "We need to talk..." TRACKLISTING 1. You won't feel a thing 2. For the first time 3. Nothing 4. Science and faith 5. If you ever come back 6. Long gone and moved on 7. Dead man walking 8. This=love 9. Walk away 10. Exit wounds
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04-24-2012, 02:16 PM
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#1174 (permalink) | |
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Horribly Creative
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London, The Big Smoke
Posts: 8,265
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Page 38-43
Dire Straits: I've often shamefully referred to the Dire Straits as the Dire Shits on this forum, something I actually regret because in essence they are a great guitar rock band in every sense. I'm not a huge fan of their debut, but I know it is a highly rated album and their core sound was laid down on this album. John Sykes: Is a great musician and I'm guessing anybody linked with Thin Lizzy or Gary Moore (I'm guessing these two are amongst your fav artists given the amount of attention they've received) is going to be popular with you, anyway I really enjoyed your piece on John Sykes. Nick Cave:I'm actually working my way through Nick Cave at the moment having just started with his early band the Birthday party. Spock's Beard: I like this band a lot, but they're not the easiest modern day prog act to get into, their debut album The Light is a real classic that not many people seem to know too much about it. Black Sabbath: The Born Again album! One of the most slated metal releases ever but does it deserve the slating? I first listened to it eons ago and thought it terrible, then again a few years ago and felt it wasn't so bad, I'm now listening to it again and quite enjoying it! Anyway, whats good about it. First up its heavy and there are some great guitar riffs put down by Tony Iommi and the majority of the songs really allow Ian Gillan to show his vocal chops. Whats bad, well quite a lot really. The songs are very similiar with little diversity and you'd really expect a band like Sabbath to bring more to the table here. The songs have a quickly thrown together feel and are just disguised with Gillans vocals and Iommi's guitar and does a song like "Zero the Hero" really need to be nearly 8 mins long? Finally, as for that album cover it has to be one of the worst ever for a mainstream metal band. Robert Plant v Ian Gillan: I know you didn't do a section on this but you mentioned on your last post what happened to the Robert Plant legend, well his solo work demonstrated that without the guiding light of Jimmy Page he just couldn't do it on his own and his voice just doesn't suit that much outside of a Led Zeppelin song. On the other hand, Ian Gillan is a better vocalist than Robert Plant, but he lacks the flamboyance of Robert Plant. What I'm trying to say here, is that neither vocalist did anything any good outside of Zeppelin or Purple. In essence Ian Gillan's solo work is probably better than that of Robert Plant's (by a whisker) but for some reason Robert Plant's solo discography had more variety and some better individual songs than Ian Gillan could muster, most of Ian Gillan's solo work is very samey samey, but I will say that Mr.Universe was a good album and easily his best. BTW I'm a huge fan of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, also I think the majority of Ozzy's solo work sucks as well.  Previous Questions: I don't recall the Angry Machines album by Dio, but the cover looks terrible. As a huge Neil Young fan I strongly recommend the Jim Jarmusch film/documentary Year of the Horse about Neil Young and Crazy Horse and you'll see just why Neil is a legend, some of the live performances and jamming on there are just legendary.
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Power Metal Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History |
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04-25-2012, 06:34 AM
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#1177 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,992
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 Over the course of our gentle poking of fun at the institution that is the Eurovision Song Contest, we've only once featured a song that actually won; often they're not much better than the ones that came last! In this case it's Israel, the first ever year they won it, and they then repeated that feat the following year. However, that would then be it for Israel, until twenty years later, when they would again have success with the infamous Dana International in 1998. Kind of reminds me of the Brotherhood of Man having taken lessons from Ricky Martin! If they sung in hebrew... The lead singer seems to think he's in Earth, Wind and Fire though! The orchestra's pretty good, in fairness. A harmless, upbeat little song, but I'm surprised it was voted the top. The rest must have been pretty bad. But then, after this, this is Eurovision... 1978 --- Israel --- “Ah Bah Nee Bee” by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta
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04-25-2012, 02:51 PM
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#1178 (permalink) | ||||||||
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,992
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Thanks for the considered comments. Keep 'em comin'! 
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04-25-2012, 07:27 PM
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#1180 (permalink) |
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Registered Jimmy Rustler
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 5,360
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I really like the instrumental aspect but the singer is going to take some getting used to. Will listen to a few other songs of theirs and see what happpens then.
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