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The Pollys are coming!

Day to go ---
All will be revealed tomorrow!

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Ragnarok --- Tyr --- 2006 (Napalm)


I've always been interested and fascinated by Norse mythology --- Odin, Thor, Loki, all that lot --- so this band look like they could be right up my rainbow bridge. Stacey-Lynn already featured one of their tracks on her “Random track of the day” slot a while back, and I must say I liked what I heard, though the term “folk metal” seems somewhat incongruous. Nevertheless, it seems the two genres can live side by side, if only in uneasy truce, so let's have a listen and see how they get on.

This is the third album from Faroe Islands-based Tyr, and it may stretch the endurance a little, as some of the tracks are written in their native language, but really, a foreign tongue should not be a barrier to good music, as I've noted before, so let's crank this album up and see how it goes.

Appropriately titled, “The Beginning” opens on nice jangly guitar, certainly quite folky, but how long before it becomes metal, I wonder? Well, it would seem the answer to that is about one minute, as harder, electric guitar comes crashing in and the drums pound harder, getting into a rhythm, but with two minutes of a five-minute song gone and yet no singing I begin to wonder is this an instrumental? Certainly some great guitar work from Terji Skibenaes (let's just call him Terji, eh?) counterpointed by sort of introspective rhythm guitar from Heri Joensen, who also takes vocals, I believe, though at the moment he's letting his axework do the talking. Or singing.

Yeah, this has to be an instrumental: we're now less than a minute from the end, and it's a good opener, setting the scene well, before “The hammer of Thor” hits us, definitely more metal with little of the folk about it (unless it's “folk this!” --- sorry) and Joensen starts singing. Not a bad voice, not growly, not screaming, well suited to the music. The guitars chug away in the background as he sings, with some pretty good backing vocals helping. It's the longest track on the album, at six and a half minutes plus change, and tells the story of the forging of Mjollinir, Thor's legendary hammer. I would assume that the album is some sort of concept, with Norwegian legend at its core, as the title, the inclusion of Thor, plus tracks like “Brother's bane” and “The ride to Hel” all seem to point towards the epic “twilight of the gods” which is Ragnarok, the end of days.

I have to hand it to Heri Joensen: he doesn't fall into the trap of becoming a parody of himself, or of seeming either not to take the subject matter seriously enough, or taking it too seriously, striking a good balance between both. Similar bands who have undertaken classical myth as part of the reason that underpins their songs have either come across as cartoonish --- Manowar, at least on their first three albums --- or overindulgent and poe-faced, as in Virgin Steele's treatment of classical Greek myth. Tyr seem to be able to avoid both snares, and tread a comfortable middle path.

“Brother's bane” is what I think you might describe as a metal lay, and I don't mean a willing chick in leather! A lay was an ancient poem or song, usually in praise of some hero or other, and usually with a sad or bad ending. The song goes back to Tyr's folk metal, and while the guitars are hard and impressive, they're not as rocky as on the previous track, the song kind of swaying and flowing along rather than careening headlong. It's not in any way a ballad, but there are balladic elements in it. I assume it refers to Loki, Thor's evil half-brother, though which is the bane and which the brother I'm not sure (see? I told you I knew my Norse legend!); probably Loki is the bane of Thor. Nice fluid guitar solo from Terji, but the song really rides along on the powerful vocals of Heri, and it's really quite effective.

“The burning” is a nice little instrumental, which really shows what the two guys can do on the guitar, with epic overtones and a nice sort of laidback melody, then without the slightest warning we're into “The ride to Hel” (one “l”: this is the Norse underworld, not the Christian Hell), a hard heavy cruncher as Heri relates the credo of the viking warrior, that they fight on Earth in order to gain a place of honour in Valhalla, the halls of the brave, but know that the dark kingdom of Hel awaits those who do not achieve that glory. It's a powerful song, and again Heri's vocal is clear and distinct without ever going into overdrive; very controlled. Great guitar solos and the drumming from Kary Streymoy and bass from Gunnar H. Thomsen forms a rhythm section as tight as your boss when you ask for a raise.

Now here's where it gets a little harder. The next two tracks are in Faroese, the native language of the Faroe Islands, so I could not tell you what they're about, the moreso because even the titles are in Faroese. But the first one, “Torsteins Kvaeoi” (that spelling is not correct, but there are weird little characters that don't translate to English, so that's as close as I can get) is a sort of chest-beating chant, with chunky guitars leading the charge, and great backing vocals, even if I haven't a clue what they're singing. I would think --- and this is a really wild guess --- that it's some sort of warrior chant before battle, or maybe in a mead hall after, or before, battle. Really, your guess is as good as mine, unless you speak the language, and mine is not good at all.

The music is great though, very powerful and dramatic, and does give you the impression of something on the horizon, as I say perhaps a battle or confrontation of some sort which is due to happen soon. The next one is also in Faroese, only a minute long (well, a few seconds short of that), and is absolutely a chant, this time acapella with only dull drums (which could be someone banging an axe-haft on the floor) as accompaniment, then to make things even weirder, “Wings of time” has the verses in English with the chorus, it would seem, in Faroese. This makes it possible to get an idea of what the song is about, but not being able to interpret the possibly all-important chorus makes it hard to confirm that idea. At its heart though, “Wings of time” seems to be another warriors' chant, a song of the brave, and in ways mirrors the first all-Faroese song above (I'm not writing that bloody name again!) in melody and construction.

“The rage of the Skullgaffer” (what a great name!) is another workout on the guitar, an instrumental where Heri and Terji show us the breadth and reach of their expertise on their chosen instrument. There's no drumming at all, it's simply guitars all the way through the two minutes, and very impressive, then “The hunt” ramps everything up again with a fast rocker, this time all in English, with a pretty lengthy instrumental section on --- you guessed it --- guitar, which then slows down in the middle to allow for a sort of bluesy, moody piece before it speeds right up again as the song approaches its end. “Victory” is a short intermission which starts off with the sound of horses galloping and then doors opening into what must be an ale-house of some sort, with flutes and bass creating the indoor ambience, and very cleverly Tyr use this melody to take us directly --- and I mean segue seamlessly --- into “Lord of lies”.

A rocky, uptempo folk metal trip, this is led by guitar and is almost a boogie in its rhythm, with a little bit of Farose in the lyric which is mostly in English. It would appear to be the song of Loki as he waits gleefully for the day when he will destroy the gods with all his dread allies as the time of Ragnarok approaches. Another short instrumental then in “Gjallahornia” (no, I don't know what it means) and then the title track comes in, opening on Faroese but later settling into English lyric, as the Twilight of the Gods is seen from the perspective of the good folk of Asgard, it being a time they dread but know is to come, and cannot avoid. In ways, they look forward to it, as it is to be the battle to end all battles, but they also know that prophecy has foretold that they will be beaten, and that the mighty Rainbow Bridge will be shattered, the gods cast down forever.

It's a slow, doom-laden piece with chiming guitar and steady, measured drumming, creating the proper atmosphere as the gods of Asgard face their nemesis, knowing they can never win. The story of Ragnarok is not a happy one, and has not a happy ending, though there is hope, for at the end of the huge battle the last two humans will survive, and rebuild the race of men, who will continue without the interference of the gods in their lives. The passing of one dynasty leads to the creation of another, which will last longer and, arguably, do more mischief than the gods of Asgard ever did in their time.

It's a powerful climax to the album, with a great vocal performance from Heri, who still refuses to give in to the temptation to roar or scream, perfectly happy with the strength of his voice, and so he should be, for it's clearly audible above the guitars and the drums. The album then ends on one more short instrumental, rather fittingly and possibly bleakly titled, “The end”. It's only forty seconds long, and really is nothing more than a continuation of the guitar theme from the title track, but it places a nice sort of coda on the album.

I would have of course been happier if the album had been all in English, or if I had some way to translate the Faroese lyrics, particularly as this definitely seems to be a concept album based on the Norse legend of the Twilight of the Gods, but that aside this is one hell of a great album (or should I say, one Hel of a great album?), being the first time I have encountered metal and folk elements so expertly and compatibly interwoven. The theme of the Norse gods sold me on “Ragnarok” from the beginning, but I did wonder if the album would live up to my expectations. It did.

TRACKLISTING

1. The Beginning
2. Hammer of Thor
3. Envy
4. Brother's bane
5. The burning
6. The ride to Hel
7. Torsteins Kvaeoi
8. Grimur A mioalnesi
9. Wings of time
10. The rage of the Skullgaffer
11. The hunt
12. Victory
13. Lord of lies
14. Gjallahornia
15. Ragnarok
16. The end

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And so we reach the halfway point in the alphabet. Lots to choose from for the letter M, who to go for?

Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter M, with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and “Davy's on the road again”.

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Bon Iver --- Bon Iver --- 2011 (4AD)


Okay, okay! Enough already! Having been told how good these guys were, I've capitulated and decided to listen to some of their music. Certainly getting great press here on MB, so there must be something in it. However it appears the guys only have two albums, so I've gone for the most recent, last year's self-titled. Justin Vernon seems to be the brains behind the outfit, being not only founder member and producer, but sole composer both of lyrics and music, as well as playing guitar, bass, drums, piano, banjo and about twenty other instruments: hey, what does he need the rest of the band for? Well, original members Matt McCaughan and Sean Carey add their own weird sounds into the mix, including things like bowed vibes, brushes, handclaps, and both seem to be involved in the choir that plays on the album. In addition to these guys, Vernon has brought in sax players, pedal steel and horn players, changing the sound and musical direction, apparently, from the debut album.

“Perth” is the opening track, quite laidback, gentle, nice piano and guitar, with then some rolling, military-style drums fading in almost, then the vocals begin, reminding me of CSNY to be honest, and then the music comes up a bit more strongly, not really upping the tempo, just becoming louder and more prominent. Vernon seems to have quite a high-pitched voice, which at first I must say I find just a little off-putting (there's no pleasing me, is there?), and the song then gets heavier and harder, electric guitar crashing in to meet the sudden influx of drums, with horns and strings riding along behind them. Quite interesting: I would not have expected the song to change style so sharply.

It segues, via a lone guitar line, directly into “Minneosta, WI”, and I only now notice that almost all of the tracks are named after cities or states. Guitar drops away and a nice violin/viola backing to Vernon's voice, lower this time, not so high-pitched, with some good sax there and banjo making its presence felt too. Heavy drums roll in, accompanied by a sharp electric guitar, but the song somehow doesn't really get that much heavier, which is quite a feat. Nice horn arrangement, but the instrument that takes up my attention most is that banjo, giving the song quite a country/folk feel. A bit jarringly, the song seems to just stop suddenly, and we're into “Holocene” --- which, as far as I know, is not a city or a state --- and a nice gentle guitar melody accompanying the vocal, which is back high again, with some nice backing vocals. Little piano there getting in on the melody too, filling it out a little more, then those rolling drums are coming back in: seems to be a feature of the album so far.

This kind of puts me in mind of very early Eagles, like their first album, or maybe “Desperado”, and next track up, “Towers”, continues that similarity, while adding in touches of Neil Young and his compatriots in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Slightly more uptempo but still laidback, it's the high-pitched vocal again in the ascendancy, the track carried mostly on guitar, with our good friend Greg Leisz, whom we last heard from on Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia" album, putting in a star turn on the pedal steel, then the whole thing kicks up a gear and turns into a mid-paced country song, violins and strings arrangement keeping it from being just another country tune though. The cleverly-titled “Michicant” has very definite tones of Simon and Garfunkel at their height, another sparse, gentle little song, almost acoustic, the drums this time more bouncing in than rolling for once, and quite effectively too, like someone dropping tennis balls onto a floor. Echoey, you know? Nice organ passage near the end, then some electric guitar sidles in, almost unnoticed, the organ allying up with it, but the song is definitely carried on the close-harmony vocals which always grab your attention. I guess that would be the choir that's been mentioned.

“Hinnom, TX” opens with sort of reverb piano, Justin Vernon's vocal this time lower in the register, the way I think I prefer it. Some very effective violin and viola, then acoustic, quite hard piano opens “Wash.” and Vernon goes back to his mostly higher vocal, sounding just a little at times like a 70s Peter Gabriel, just a bit. The piano is joined by violin, but the track is still very stripped-down and basic, which in fact works very well. The piano work on this puts me in mind of the very early work of Tom Waits, particularly on his debut album, “Closing time”. This is one of the longer tracks on this album, almost five minutes long, in fact just missing out on being the longest by about forty seconds (that was “Holocene”).

A more solid, synthesiser driven song then, “Calgary” starts off as a nice ballad --- though few songs on this album could be said to be uptempo anyway --- with again some nice vocal harmonies and a real feeling of yearning and longing for home. It picks up a little then, with drums and guitar pulling the song along, the percussion in particular leading the way. “Lisbon, OH” is then conversely the shortest track, just over a minute and a half of mostly synth and organ, with some odd little effects thrown in here and there, and we close on “Beth/Rest”, which has a nice digital piano opening, and a nice vocal line that reminds me of Bruce Hornsby (yeah, I know, but this album reminds me of so many artistes it's weird), with a lot of horns going on in the mix, and oh yeah, I personally hear Christopher Cross in there too.

I must admit, I'm not as blown away with this album as I expected to be, given all the hype, recommendation and indeed critical acclaim. It's in no way a bad album, and I'm glad I listened to it, but I really can't say that I see it as anything all that special. As I've mentioned above, I hear a lot of derivative stuff in it, which is no real criticism, just an observation. I did expect to be left with a feeling of why hadn't I listened to this before, but what I'm left with is a musical shrug of the shoulders. Obviously I'm in the minority, given the general acclaim this album has received, but though it was okay I have to say, in the end, nah, I don't get it.

TRACKLISTING

1. Perth
2. Minnosota, WI.
3. Holocene
4. Towers
5. Michicant
6. Hinnom, TX.
7. Wash.
8. Calgary
9. Lisbon, OH.
10. Beth/Rest

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Hello, and welcome to Erin Hall, stately home of our boss and employer, Trollheart. Deep within the grounds of this huge mansion is the Sunrise Club, a top exclusive nightspot where the best and the brightest come to dance the night away, or hold parties, conferences, symposia or anything else that requires a top-flight nightspot.

However, even with all the top parties held here over the years, Trollheart admits that the Sunrise Club has never hosted an event quite like this.

Saturday, March 24 is the date to mark in your diary, when we will be hosting the very first, inaugural Playlist of Life Music Awards, otherwise known as the Pollys. (Playlist Of Life = POL = POLLYS, geddit?)

So join us on March 24 to find out the winners of the 1st Pollys. Who has won best album, best artiste, best debut, as well as worst album, most disappointing album and a whole lot more besides.

It'll all be hosted by me, Stacey-Lynn, with help from the girls, so it promises to be an exciting night. Hope to see you there!

The Pollys are coming. The 1st annual Playlist Of Life Music Awards, right here, Sunday March 24 2012.

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Nice classic for you today, this is Harry Nilsson.

Today's Daily Earworm was brought to you by the letter N, with Harry Nilsson, and “Everybody's talkin'”

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Part Two: Emotional Creatures --- Steve Thorne --- 2007 (Giant Pea)


A while back I reviewed Steve Thorne's album “Emotional creatures, part one” and so impressed was I by it that I promised to review the follow-up. I may take some time to keep my promises, but I always do my best to keep them, so here, some four months later, is the second part, strangely the same title but with the two parts of it reversed, so that it becomes “Part Two: Emotional Creatures”. As I mentioned in the review of part one, Thorne is not a name which will be known to many --- certainly, I had no idea who he was --- not even those among the cognesenti of prog rock, as he tends to keep something of a low profile, but he is able to call on some truly stellar talent for his projects, as indeed he did for the first album.

Thorne's songs all seem to be quite personal and intimate, and he doesn't make a big deal of showing off how well he can sing, or play, surrounding himself instead with people who are exceptionally talented, but so secure in their expertise that they see no need to bedazzle and showboat. People like IQ's Martin Orford, Jadis's John Jowitt and Gary Chandler, Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison, Arena's John Mitchell and Marillion's Pete Trewavas, and that's just a few of the star names that play on this album.

A suitably atmospheric opening, with wind sounds, hollow noises and open synth before the first track, “Toxicana apocalypso” gets going with nice sparkly keyboards from Geoff Downes in a very Marillion style, thumping drums from Spock's Beard's Nick D'Virgilio, reprising the slot he occupied on the previous album. Guitar cuts in then and adds to the sound, with taped snippets thrown in here and there. This turns out to be a five-minute instrumental to start us off, and there's a lot of power and drama to it, Downes' keyboards really carrying the track in a very prog-rocklike vein, then evocative guitar pulls in “Wayward”, slowing things down completely, and Thorne's voice cuts through the music like a voice crying in the wilderness. It's a dark, moody song, reminiscent of some of the more sombre work of Porcupine Tree, as Thorne sings ”I was looking on the bright side/ But I was headed down the dirty wayward road.”

Downes again shines on “Crossfire”, this time playing piano on a simple acoustic ballad which bemoans the waste of life brought about by war and conflict. Nice basslines from Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison keep the song tight, with some lovely classical guitar from Arena's John Mitchell and Thorne's tortured voice rising above it all like an angel shaking his head at the pointlessness of what he sees unfolding beneath him on the Earth. “Roundabout” is a slowburner, mean and moody with very expressive keys and some nice little effects filling out the sound. Thorne's vocal is more laidback here, almost lazy, but there's nothing lazy about “Hounded”, with its mid-paced melody, guitar and keyboards meshing in perfect harmony to offer up Thorne's passionate vocal as an example of the man's inestimable craft. Muttering voices in the background add to the sense of unease this track evokes, an ominous tone. It's a long song, not quite the longest on the album but certainly taking second place at just over seven minutes.

Halfway through it kicks into high gear, Gary Chandler taking the solo while the other guest from Spock's Beard, Dave Meroes, works his Rickenbacker like a man possessed. “All the wisemen” is a sharp poke at political figures (George W, anyone?) with a waltzy, 3/4 rhythm where Thorne snarls ”Thank you for tearing that hole in my sky/ And putting that twat on the moon/ Praise be for thirty-six channels of sh1te/ Lounge lizards dance to the tune.” A really nice, Steve Rotheryesque solo by John Mitchell completes the song, then we head into “Great ordeal”, where Arnie Cottrel mesmerises with his mandolin playing in a great folkish tune, acoustic as they come, with more caustic lyrics: ”We got a mortgage on a cardboard box/ Near Brighton Town/ It's by the sea/We'll settle down..”

Two instrumentals follow, both quite short, the first riding in on nineties Genesisesque keyboards and helped along by Chandler's squealing guitar, surf and sea sounds helping to give “6am (your time)” a nice earthy, outdoor feel, with a nice rocky guitar solo that then gives way to soft, mellow keys as the song drifts, Vangelis-like, to its end, being replaced by “Solace”, segueing in seamlessly and continuing the Vangelis melody, with twiddly keyboards and deep booming synth, almost elemental, with a repeated vocal in the background, almost unheard, saying something like “Awaking”, though it's hard to make out the words exactly. The piece is essentially a vehicle for Geoff Downes' keyboard mastery, and though it does come across as something of a showpiece, it's delicate and sincere enough not to make you think that's what it is.

Sounds of nature and gentle keyboard usher in “The white dove song”, D'Virgilo's drums crashing in suddenly and ending the idyll, as Thorne sings and takes the song along on a Beatlesesque melody, with full orchestra behind him – trombones, trumpets, cellos, violas, violins, they're all there --- and a hint of ELO in the organ passage. There are a lot of elements in this song: you can hear snippets of a “Yellow submarine” melody, echoes of “Supper's ready” by Genesis, ELO's “El Dorado” also comes to mind, and it's a very well-constructed song, able to pull all these often disparate ideas together to form a very cohesive whole, which would have made a really good closer to a fine album. My only small criticism is that I would have preferred a more powerful, definite ending, and I think it just kind of fades away, which is a pity.

So who or what are these emotional creatures of whom Steve Thorne speaks, both on this album and the previous? Well, we're told in the closer, “Sandheads”, that they are us. Man, woman, humans, call us what you will, we are the emotional creatures: fragile, quick to anger, quick to fight, slow to forgive, ready to love, always ready to hate. The orchestra are back to provide a dramatic and lush backdrop to this finale, and a beautifully passionate guitar solo from John Mitchell completes the wonder, leading to a really clever and effective closing track, which finally pulls together the closely-interwoven yet separate threads of two albums, tying them all neatly up as the project comes to a close.

I will be delving further into Steve Thorne's catalogue later in the year, hopefully, though those who want more of the same should be advised that the Emotional Creatures project was just that, a project, which Thorne has now completed, and to be fair to the guy, he needs to stretch his artistic muscle --- which is very considerable, based on what I've heard so far --- and strike out in other directions. Nevertheless, on the strength of this project, I have no doubt that whatever he turns his hand to next will be pretty damn good, and I'll be interested to hear it.

TRACKLISTING

1. Toxicana apocalypso
2. Wayward
3. Crossfire
4. Roundabout
5. Hunted
6. All the wisemen
7. Great ordeal
8. 6 am (Your time)
9. Solace
10. The white dove song
11. Sandheads

Recommended further listening: Duh! “Emotional creatures, part one”!

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Well, one thing's for sure: the worm will never attempt this again! O turned out to be even harder to find a decent song for than H! Can't wait to get to X...

Today's Daily Earworm has been brought to you (eventually!) by the letter O, with Jeffrey Osborne, and “On the wings of love”.

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