Trollheart

Oh no no no my friend! Wind and wuthering? The sublime keyboard passages in "Eleventh earl of Mar", not to mention the unbelievable solo and gentle piano intro in "One for the vine"? Surely you are thinking of another album? W&W features, in my opinion, some of Tony Banks' best and most thoughtful music. And I haven't even mentioned "Unquiet slumbers ... for the sleepers in that quiet earth". Well, now I have...

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TheNiceGuy

This is one of his better moments on the album; but to be honest Phils shaky sweet vocals are the highlight in One for the Vine for me!

His playing wasn't bad on Wind and Wuthering but in my eyes he did better with the earlier prog albums like Selling England and Foxtrot. Perhaps I was a little harsh on him but W&W isn't his best.

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TheNiceGuy

Brian Eno-Another Green World (1975)




Track Listing:
1. Sky Saw
2. Over Fire Island
3. St. Elmo's Fire
4. In Dark Trees
5. The Big Ship
6. I'll Come Running
7. Another Green World
8. Sombre Reptiles
9. Little Fishes
10. Golden Hours
11. Becalmed
12. Zawinul/Lava
13. Everything Merges With The Night
14. Spirits Drifting

Best Track: St Elmo's Fire

Ambient doesn't always have to be soporific


The one and only synth God Brian Eno shed a lot of his art/glam rock history with arguably the first ever ambient album. And for good measure he keeps enough pop-rock sensibility in it to keep the album interesting, as you shall see.

The opener Sky Saw is an enjoyable synth workout with an 'in you face' swinging synth immediately slashing against the listeners ears. As the song goes on more quieter synth melodies fizz beneath the main slashing but it combines nicely. This track isn't ambeint but it's a nice throwback to Eno's synth experimentation with Roxy Music. And of course he does more as this album goes on. Over Fire Island clunks along with a minimalist bass line that holds Eno's mad shaky synths from falling out of the song. St Elmo's Fire is in another league though, with Eno singing in a poetic and fairy tale like style that is so damn attractive to the ears (In the bluuuuueeee August mooooooon...) And then Eno's old pal Mr Robert Fripp delivers a flowing guitar solo that is so easy and relaxed contrasting with the rhythmic synths and gentle percussion like colours in a painting.

The percussion is used again on In Dark Trees, which is the first real exploration into the ambient style. But despite it's simplicity it is still rather interesting and not at all boring either. The Big Ship continues to proves that point, with an almost harsh organ like background underpinning the slow build of the song to a higher synth melody that just ripples over that organ. Eno reverts back to a nice pop ditty in I'll Come Running to change the atmosphere a little. The lyrics are also fairy tale like; not making a lot of sense but at the same time being very addictive and sweet sounding. Fripp delivers his second brilliant solo which rides nicely on Eno's piano wave. And then Eno harmonises his own voice in a lovely echoey "ohohohohohoh" over a poetic "I'll come running to tie your shoes" a number of times. Pop mastery in a nutshell.

Another Green World has a deceiving guitar like synth fuzz over it that keeps it interesting, whilst Sombre Reptiles has a scaley buzzing percussion that certainly fits that reptile theme. And who would have guessed it, it has a sombre tone. Not obvious at all, but the fact is it combines the relaxing elements of ambient music with enough interesting musical artiness to keep the listener on their toes. Little Fishes is yet another example of this with little synth swirls and an almost flute like synth wash behind the swirls. Golden Hours features Eno's echoey vocal harmonies again that gives it an almost creepy "late night" effect. Some more weird but so memorable lyrics (Perhaaappsss my brain has turned to sand.../Perhaps my brains are old and scrambled...) dominate before Fripp delivers a third sonic gift to us. A plucky piece of guitar noodling that sounds electronically treated becomes his third great solo. And then a little viola outro gets us on our way to the next song. Smart lad this Eno was.

Becalmed is the most "ambient" and purely calming track on the album (I wonder why...). This could put someone to sleep, but no not from boredom. Eno wouldn't allow that. No, he prefers lullabying people to sleep with his soothing synths that sound like they could have been strings but instead have drowned in a sea of electronic beauty. Some limpid piano I believe softly coo's the song to end. Zawinul/Lava's skinny intro of a slow piano melody and later synth droplets keep the listener close to falling asleep but a few delicate percussion flicks and soft synth wails keep the listener from totally losing conciousness. Everything Merges With The Night is the last pop rock song on the album presenting Eno singing in a reflective and almost mournful style. But it doesn't feel sad at all, no the sparkling synth and piano interplay keeps it in a reasonably calm but postive atmosphere. More synth waves keep coming with a few bass bumps keeping it from floating away on it's cloudlike lightness. Spirit's Drifting ends the album appropriately. This is the type of album where a low key and stylish ending is needed, and the song delivers with a slightly throbbing synth soundscape. Quiet but pleasant, the song casually fades way into Eno's synth night, ending the album well.

In terms of pure synth innovation this album would easily be highly rated. Add to the fact that it effectively started the whole ambient genre and that it had a small collection of synthy pop rock songs to boot, it's really hard not to give this album the highest rating. The only reason it gets a 14 is the fact that it could have done with one or two more of those pop songs like St Elmo's Fire and Golden Hours, which are the highlights of the album. The more ambient leaning material here is still quality though, and certainly this is a great album to start with when listening to Eno's solo records.

14/15 (God how many water comparisons did I make in that review...)

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starrynight

I'm sure there is some ambient sounding music (even in popular music) before Eno, but I suppose he popularised it. Best Eno album that I've heard is Before and After Science, though the uptempo tracks I liked less so I wouldn't say it was a classic.

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TheNiceGuy

I don't know a lot of ambient history but Eno seems to be the main father of the genre, even though some others had used ambient-esque sonic textures prior to his work.

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Roxy Music-Stranded (1973)

Moderator cut: image removed

Track List:

1. Street Life
2. Just Like You
3. Amazona
4. Psalm
5. Serenade
6. A Song For Europe
7. Mother of Pearl
8. Sunset


Best Track: A Song For Europe



Pure unadulterated style and class.


The departure of keyboardist and all round synth maestro Brian Eno from Roxy Music after their second album didn't affect the quality of the group too much. Bryan Ferry was always the leader and songwriter of the band and so Roxy Music only really lost some of Eno's chilly electronics from their future work however. This departure allowed Bryan to stretch his legs a bit more, and so the more stylish and cleaner album Stranded emerged.


The opener Street Life is the song that is the most similar to Roxy's previous two albums. It re-creates the spirit of Do The Strand and Re-make/Re-model with it's storm of harsh synth and strong guitar riffing from Phil Manzenera. The second track Just Like You changes the atmosphere completely and immediately. The lush piano ballad nature and Ferry's sweet vocal falsetto blend together seamlessly with it's slightly regretful themed lyrics. This is the best example of the quieter more pop-rock oriented side of Roxy.


Amazona decides to throw that out the door; Ferry swaps sweet for steamy in a another inspired example of his delicious vocal croon. The squelchy synths complete that Brazilian rainforest altmosphere, before Manzanera chucks in a searing squealing solo. Psalm keeps the eclectic nature of the record going with the song being of a religious nature. It is more or less a psalm, funnily enough. Now who could've guessed that? The song's mostly a vocal workout for Ferry but Eddie Jobson relays Eno's work as he creates a nice synth fuzz after one of Ferry's wails. A decent rocker comes after as the song Serenade, with Andy Mackay backing the heavier guitars and drums with his saxophone blurts.


The magnum opus of the album is the mournful A Song For Europe. The tone is downbeat and melancholic, echoing the work of Lou Reed's Berlin released a few months prior. But Ferry is a much better singer than Reed and it shows here; Ferry manages to croon in both English and French I believe in this song, keeping true to the song's European flavour. The piano work here is astounding and Mackay delivers another of his signature sax solo's to superb effect. Ferry's outro whistling seals the deal, a trick he would use again in a few years with the song Jealous Guy.


Mother of Pearl is a dangerous multi segmented song, beginning with a minute and a half of hard edged insane art rock, with Ferry literally going wild with him imitating a person's conscience at a party. Manzanera's answers with a quick and blistering solo before the song quickly takes a left turn, becoming a "post party" style piano ballad. Assumedly the "Mother of Pearl" is a prostitute, which makes Ferry's fading outro of "oh mother of pearl/I wouldn't trade you for another girl" all the more ironic considering his taste in women. (Just look at the album cover!) The final song Sunset is an effective song for letting off all the tension built up by the emotional extremes of the album. It's a touch mellow and a bit bland but it more or less fills it's brief of ending the album on a more subtle note.


With so much consistency throughout this record and of course it's stylish art rock leanings it would be hard to not give this a 15. In fact it probably would get one if Sunset and Psalm were perhaps two minutes shorter each, so that these two songs remained completely interesting throughout. But the fact is there are no bad songs here, and so Ferry, Manzenera, Mackay and co. will get themselves a high 14. And this isn't even Roxy's best album!


14/15

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The Kaiser Chiefs-Employment (2005)






Track Listing:
1. Everyday I Love You Less and Less
2. I Predict a Riot
3. Modern Way
4. Na Na Na Naa
5. You Can Have It All
6. Oh My God
7. Born To Be Dancer
8. Saturday Night
9. What Did I Ever Give You?
10. Time Honoured Tradition
11. Caroline, Yes

Best Track: You Can Have It All


Oh my God, yet another British pop-rock group!


The Kaiser Chiefs represented an interesting combination when they appeared on the music scene in 2005. Their musical style was one of quite different styles; one part representing the tongue-in-cheek hook filled Britpop of Blur, another coming across as a throwback to the early punk days with aggressive fast songs with a third being the synth drenched New Wave of the early '80's. Combining these three styles into a cohesive record would not be easy, but neither impossible.

The threeway combo is immediately manifested in the jumpy opener Everyday I Love You Less And Less, with a synth riff hammering through a hook laden song that is easy to get caught replaying in your head over and over. The formula is repeated again in I Predict A Riot, with vocalist Ricky Wilson shouting out "I Predict a Riot" in a heady British drawl. Add a pint of typical English tongue-in-cheek humour and some great flicky drumming and you get an even more catchy song. Modern Way has lyrics that are a brilliant throwback to Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish with lyrics about escaping modern life and how it's affecting people's brains. This isn't an original lyrical idea, as of course they were emulating Blur who in turn emulated The Kinks, but the point still stands that the lyrics are well crafted and contain a solid balance of realist views on our comtemporary scene and a touch of dark humour. Sounds like a British sitcom to me!

Na Na Na Naa bursts out as a ball of pure musical fun. Firstly how could you not love that hook? So simple and easy but yet very addictive. Pump in a quick and loud solo from Andrew White and some flashy drums and you end up with something that the charts and the critics will love. You Can Have It All has a sweet synth opening from Baines who seems to be channeling his inner Yes (specifically their virtuoso keyboardist Rick Wakeman). The song has a happy rolling nature that counterpoints the more wild songs before it, with lovely Beatle-esque harmonies and soft chainsaw guitars. Their first single Oh My God is another humourous take on modern life with nice chorus with the bass, guitar and vocals all linking together perfectly to make a heavy almost metal like hook. The last chorus is great really fits this view, doing so in a way that is memorable and can also be headbanged to. Even for the non metalheads like myself!

Born To Be A Dancer is a poorer attempt at Everyday, with the hook being a bit cluttered and the guitar parts being a bit average. However it does have a nice synth line. Saturday Night is a disappointing attempt trying to be an American Pop-punk group. The verses are horrid, and the chorus isn't too much better. The guitar solo works nicely but it only goes for a short time meaning that it can't save the song. What Did I Ever Give You has a cool creepy keyboard riff that complements Wilson's vocals that remind me of Roger Waters during the verses for some strange reason. The pre chorus uses some echoey harmonies effectively which leads into the typical catchy pop rock chorus. And there's even a little organ flourish before the last chorus for any Ray Manzerak lovers out there. (Including me of course)

Time Honoured Tradition has an old fashioned music hall verse with a chorus being nothing but a collection of "oh ohs" and weird shrieks latching on to some good rhythm guitar playing and percussion. Caroline, Yes is a cheeky little Beach Boys reference but the song is still very British. Boozy synths and vocals that remind me of tired men at the pub (that have great harmonies.) A clashing keyboard and guitar musical standoff is the peak of the song, but the "wooo owooo owooo ooo" outro is a pretty touch to finish the song.

In short it's to hard to find many faults on Employment but occasionaly the punkier elements can get grating on the ears and ruin the song. All the same this album remains a funny and danceable indie pop-rock keeper that has enough melodies and hooks to keep you interested for ages.


13/15

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Mumford and Sons-Sigh No More (2009)





Track Listing:
1. Sigh No More
2. The Cave
3. Winter Winds
4. Roll Away Your Stone
5. White Blank Page
6. I Gave You All
7. Little Lion Man
8. Timshel
9. Thistle & Weeds
10. Awake My Soul
11. Dust Bowl Dance
12. After The Storm


Best Track: The Cave


Folky insights blended with pop nous

Folk pop/rock has never really been my strongpoint in musical terms. Not because I dislike it as such more because I've never had that much time for it. The only real folk album in my collection is Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, which is considered to be one of the very best ever folk rock albums and to be honest I was a little underwhelmed by it. And so when all the hype about Mumford and Sons started picking up recently I was a little wary. Which is mostly why I've waited until now to review it.


The album opener and title track was a real splash of cold water in the face, if you'll excuse the metaphor. The song slowly builds up nicely with lead vocalist Marcus Mumford giving a nice roaring finish to the song. Starting off strong is good in my books, and The Cave continues this with a quiet acoustic guitar melody that counterpoints the rather strong uplifting lyrics, before the twangy banjo hits in to keep up that folk image. How could anyone not feel inspired and strong after that powerful final chorus, by the way? The Cave represents a good balance between the calm and the storm in musical terms. Winter Winds has a nice rolling banjo sound and a heavy and yet steady drumbeat, before the song peaks with a rollicking trumpet lead final chorus. It's enough to melt even the coldest hearted metalhead to enjoy this rural folk sound, and even the pop sensibilities of this record wouldn't put many people off as it has a very down to earth and rootsy style.


Roll Away Your Stone is your par-for-course folk-pop song, but White Blank Page starts off as a slow ballad with Mumford opting for an almost whiny tone to an ex lover, before the song starts to rise into a faster tempo interspaced with a Celtic sounding violin solo that reminds me of The Corrs. I Gave You All is quite a personal acoustic strummer that gives it an intimate style. The wonderful bass rolls of Little Lion Man underpin some great lyrics which uses swearing in a glamorous style that goes against the normal feeling of swearing in a song. The next song Timshel reminds me a lot of some of those later Pink Floyd acoustic ballads, without the darkness associated with the Floydians. Thistle and Weeds features some quality melancholic piano from Ben Lovett, which mixes nicely with the harsh vocal pleadings of Mumford ("IIIIII will hoooolllllldddd on!").


Awake My Soul's best feature is a brilliant vocal hook outro which makes attaches itself to the country banjo twang in a pleasant manner. Dust Bowl Dance is an interesting anomaly on this album in that it contains the hardest rocking part in the whole record. The song starts steadily, with soft piano chords and a little banjo, before the vocals go harsh and reasonate with religious overtones which makes it dark and brooding. And then the song bursts into raw chaos with pumping electric guitars, heavy piano chords, zooping bass and thumping metallic drums. Just before it starts to stick out too much, the storm of sound drops off back into the style of the intro. This Folk stuff isn't too bad then hey? The finale After the Storm fills it's brief to the letter; it represents an island of calm after the heavy storm of Dust Bowl Dance. The death fearing lyrics are quite fascinating, as they start off dark and scared before ending in an uplifting and life loving manner. For this album it represents an appropriate way to finish the record off.


And so yet again the hype that is given to bands that I have doubts about is well deserved. The pop sensibilites here keep it accessible and yet it sounds as if it was made in an English meadow such us it's natural and un-processed nature. My only hope is that Mumford & Sons can project this excellent album's quality in to future work, but I'm sure if they stay in that meadow they'll be alright.



13/15

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Trollheart

Cool. I love making up words too. Zooping banjo? Excellent, as my new avatar would no doubt say. I like chingling myself. Hey, sometimes you just can't find the words, so make some up: who's gonna know, or care?

Great review, by the way...

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TheNiceGuy

Thankyou very much. As for "zooping" that's what I thought it actually sounded like! Onomatopeia is a wonderful thing sometimes...

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