Key

^ Your review on As The World Bleeds gives me goosebumps. It's my favorite album by them and I am excited to hear that you enjoy it. You'll enjoy their other albums as well. Martyr and Mirror of Souls off the Mirror of Souls album are both incredible pieces. You will not be disappointed with this band, I can promise you that.

Trollheart

Running on fumes now?


Artiste: Boston
Nationality: American
Album: Corporate America
Year: 2002
Label: Artemis
Genre: Rock
Tracks
I had a good time
Stare out your window
Corporate America
With you
Someone
Turn it off
Cryin'
Didn't mean to fall in love
You gave up on love
Livin' for you (live)
Chronological position: Fifth album
Familiarity: “Boston”, “Don't look back”, “Third stage”, “Walk on”
Interesting Factoid: The last album Bradley Delp recorded with Boston before his untimely suicide.
Impression: Solid, but the Suits won't be overly worried.
Best track(s): Stare out your window, Someone, Turn it off
Worst track(s): Corporate America
Intention: Wonder if Boston will ever rise to the heights of the debut again, but doubt it.
Comments:Starts off well, powerfully and with a lot more AOR to be fair than straight ahead rock, but that oh-so-missed distinctive voice is great to hear, as Brad Delp puts in a great performance, his last with Boston before tragically taking his own life five years later. I'm a little offput by the electronic/dance nature of the title track, even if Tom Scholz's instantly recognisable guitar riffs do add a bit of needed punch, but the basic tune is more like something you'd hear on a dancefloor really, and despite a pretty fine solo from Tom it's hard not to scratch your head at the composition of this song.

There's a nice change of pace then for a beautifully gentle little acoustic number, that comes on all Starman as it begins, and is very interestingly sung by country songstress Kimberley Dahme, who joined Boston that year. I believe this is the first time a Boston song has had female lead vocals, and it's certainly unexpected, to me at least. There's another unexpected twist in Turn it off, when Boston go all grunge rock, and a lovely little piece of Spanish guitar in I didn't mean to fall in love, though the rest of the song sounds like Toto, and is somewhat drowned in keyboards. Beautiful closer in an apparently live version of Livin' for you, off previous album “Walk on”, though to be honest the only clue it's live is at the end with some basic cheers, but it's a great song anyway.

Boston will never equal or exceed their amazing debut from 1976, especially now that the “voice” of that band has passed on, but they came close with “Third stage”. This I do not place in that sort of category. It's a decent album, but in a few places quite weak and really lacking the energy and enthusiasm I'd expect not only of Boston, but of an album that bears such a title. Corporate rock? Maybe not, but as Steve Hogarth once wrote, ”The fire in your belly/ That gave you the songs/ Is suddenly gone.”

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Learn how to sing, man!


Artiste: Kings of Leon
Nationality: American
Album: Because of the times
Year: 2006
Label: RCA
Genre: Rock
Tracks
Knocked up
Charmer
On call
McFearless
Black thumbnail
My party
True love way
Ragoo
Fans
The runner
Trunk
Camaro
Arizona
Chronological position: Third album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting Factoid: Could not be bothered even looking for one
Impression: Absolutely hate this, and it's a long time since I said that about any album.
Best track(s): Arizona (just about)
Worst track(s): Everything else
Intention: Try to forget I ever listened to this band.
Comments:Another band I've been meaning to listen to for some time. Like a lot of the bands I have on my computer but have yet to listen to, I know Kings of Leon by reputation only, and can honestly say I have never heard one single song by them (no, not even Sex on fire!) so when I say my familiarity with them is zero, I mean it. I know so little about them that until I Wiki'd them I thought they were English! Who's that laughing? Yeah, you there at the back...

Well, it's running now and I don't hate the opener, Knocked up, quite catchy in fact, but you can keep Charmer: it's just terrible, like the Smiths doing punk! Ugh! Will this, I find myself wondering, be an album of extremes: some tracks I'll like, others I'll hate? Perhaps not: God I hate this guy's voice! It just grates on me like nails on a blackboard! I doubt much can rescue this album, indeed this band, for me now: sure, we're only four tracks in, but hey, if you can't stand the singer you're exceptionally unlikely to warm to the band, and though the music is generally okay, I don't see where the love for these guys is coming from, as to me they sound very distinctly average.

Black thumbnail has a certain Springsteen charm to it, until suddenly it speeds up and loses the feeling; I'm really struggling to find anything decent to say about this album at all. There's a decent guitar solo near the end of True love way, but really, it's a little crack of light in the overall darkness. Do Kings of Leon do any instrumentals? I could really do without hearing --- what's his name anyway? Caleb Followill --- Jesus! These guys are all brothers? Well, I'll persevere to the end of the album, because I never leave a review half-finished (unless I hear death vocals, my one rule that never gets broken: I hear them and it's hit stop right away, and I'm outta here), but who the hell told this guy he could sing? He sounds half the time like he's hoarse, and he certainly has (to me anyway) no charm, warmth, charisma or class in his voice.

Right, let it run on. Okay vocal harmonies and a decent melody to Fans, another good solo, but the big problem is still there, and our man Caleb ain't going away! Guess I'm in the minority, as KoL have been very successful, but then, so have a lot of bands I would not rate. Aquired taste? Maybe, but I don't see myself ever savouring his vocals, and the music, though not terrible, is nothing that special either. There's a nice idea in The runner, but it never seems to really get going, and there's a sleazy, Chris Isaakesque feel to Trunk which isn't bad, but Caleb seems unable to stay in tune (seriously!) and ruins it.

Okay, okay! The closer is quite nice, and even Caleb's singing is not too irritating or distracting, in fact weirdly Arizona reminds me of Chris Rea's Nothing's happening by the sea. But by now it's way too late for a rearguard action or a last minute push, and Kings of Leon have lost me. I hate this album, and as long as this guy remains with them (which I guess is still the case today) I won't be listening to any more of their records.

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Trollheart

Thanks for that, Ki, though I'm surprised it affected you so, as it's only a short, basic review, as is the format in this particular journal. I may very well review it fully for the Playlist of Life in the future: it really did impress me that much, and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of their albums.

Isn't it great when you take a chance on a band and it really works out? Watch this space for an example very soon of the reverse of that...

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Trollheart

Folk to the max. Or something.


Artiste: Newton Faulkner
Nationality: British (English)
Album: Hand built by robots
Year: 2007
Label: Ugly Truth
Genre: Folk
Tracks
Intro
To the light
I need something
All I got
Dream catch me
Feels like home
Teardrop
Gone in the morning
Sitar-y thing
Uncomfortably slow
Straight towards the sun
People should smile more
She's got the time
UFO
Face (her)
Ageing superhero
Lullaby
Chronological position: Debut album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting Factoid: I used to have a friend called Tony Faulkner, and he too was/is a talented musician. This factoid is of interest to no-one but me, but hey, in ways that's one of the things that drew me to this artiste. Love the title too!
Impression: Not bad, wouldn't have pegged it for a number one album. Interesting certainly, but didn't exactly blow me away.
Best track(s): Dream catch me, Teardrop, Uncomfortably slow, Straight towards the sun
Worst track(s): To be fair, I don't think any track could be properly categorised as bad.
Intention: Dunno. Not totally encouraged to seek out more of his music, but not repelled by it either. Just okay I guess.
Comments: You know, be it folk rock, folk pop, psychedelic folk or just, folk it, pure folk, I realise I don't listen to enough folk. Stop saying folk!! Okay, but really, it's a very neglected genre in my music collection, as is Irish Traditional (trad) music, and I really should do something to try to address that, because unlike some genres I pretty much know I wouldn't like --- punk, jazz, death metal, grindcore and so on --- I've heard some folk music down the years and I've never hated it, never made a mental note not to listen to it on any deep level. But I don't tend to get many folk albums, and know few folk artistes. Of course, some of the artistes I listen to could be characterised as at least partially folk, but not fully.

So this is going to be interesting. I love the album title, also the fact that Newton Faulkner was apparently surprised by how well his debut was received, quickly rising to the number one spot. He comes across as quite honest and down-to-earth, which is I suppose a trait you'll find in this scene --- not too many folk super-egos out there! Well... Anyway, this album sounds like it could be a fun listen, so let's spin it.

After a short acoustic guitar intro the album gets going with a sort of mix of folk and almost funk, very upbeat, particularly I need something, which utilises some good solid organ melodies, Faulkner's voice and style putting me in mind of a sort of male Tracy Chapman. The songs are all short, averaging about two to three minutes, with one edging towards four but stopping short, and one or two a minute or less. There's a nice, mostly acoustic sound to the songs which fits in pretty well with the folk nature of the music, and occasionally veers off more towards the harder edge of pop/rock, as in Dream catch me, with some guitar work that reminds me of Irish band The Script.

There are also elements of Damien Rice and Joseph Arthur in Faulkner's style, and a smattering of a more acoustic David Gray perhaps, though he certainly has his own voice and is highly talented, writing or co-writing every track here, bar the cover of Massive Attack's Teardrop, which he does a good, impassioned, stripped-down version of. A nice change then for Straight towards the sun, the first piano-centric song, a nice moody ballad, a sort of semi-reggae beat for the uplifting if a little simplistic People should smile more, and there's a lot of fun in the jaunty UFO, with some telling lyrics: ”They come in peace/ We stay in war”.

Good album, not a great album. It hasn't made me a fan, but I wouldn't be totally averse to listening to another of Newton Faulkner's efforts some time in the future. Based on this though, he won't be racing to the top of my listening queue, but we may certainly cross paths again some time down the road.

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Trollheart

(Note: it's occurred to me that I've placed certain sections of this review incorrectly. As my comments come last, things like “impression” and “intention” may already telegraph my view of the album, before the comments are read. Basically, it's back to front, and although most of it is fine the two sections need to be switched around. So as of from today I'm putting the “comments” before “intention” and “impression”. I'm also adding another sort of sub-heading, breaking “impression” into “initial impression” and “overall impression”. The initial is how I felt on my very first listen, say from track one, but of course this can change (for better or worse) as the album progresses, and so therefore the overall impression will be the impression I'm left with after having listened to the album all the way through. Now, didn't you really need to know that? )

All roads lead to Fergie!


Artiste: Fergie Frederiksen
Nationality: American
Album: Happiness is the road
Year: 2011
Label: Frontiers
Genre: AOR
Tracks
Angel
Elaine
First to cry
Follow your heart
Happiness is the road
I still believe
Lyin' eyes
Love waits for no-one
Writing on the wall
The future ain't what it used to be
The one
The saviour
Chronological position: Fourth solo album, but he has been involved in more than thirty albums overall, between Toto, Angel, LeRoux, Survivor, Trillion and a whole host more.
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting Factoid: Well, inspiring really. Fergie was diagnosed in 2010 with inoperable cancer of the liver, but unwilling to just accept that, he looked into alternative medicine and seems now to have made almost a total recovery, quite against the rules of medical science.
Initial Impression: Oh man! I love this from the first few notes! Talk about catchy!
Best track(s): Angel, First to cry, Follow your heart, Happiness is the road, Lyin' eyes, Writing on the wall... I'll just stop now, shall I?
Worst track(s): This guy does not do bad tracks...
Comments: My initial annoyance at the theft of the title of Marillion's last album evaporates as this album kicks into gear, and right from the start it's a powerful dive into melodic rock/AOR territory, with the very best of every AOR band you can name, from Night Ranger to Journey and everything in between. There's not all that much information on the album, so I can't tell you who the band is, but they're damn tight! Opener Angel sets the scene, and things just get better from there on.

Known for his work with such luminaries as Toto, Survivor and Trillion, Fergie was in hot water with the first band when he left them but continued to play some of their songs onstage, even using the name Toto! After taking a break from the music business, he found it was in his blood and he couldn't do without it, and lucky he did, or we might not have had albums like this. There are power-hooks all over the place, his voice is rich and strong, commanding and clear, and the music is a perfect backdrop to his voice, hitting mostly the harder edges of the AOR spectrum on songs like First to cry and Writing on the wall, though he can bring it right down to the softest of piano ballads on the likes of Follow your heart, with some beautiful strings backing, where you really get an idea of how versatile an instrument his voice is.

Honestly, there's not a bad track on here, and almost all of them are top-class, so it's hard to choose favourites. There are more hooks in this collection of songs than at an anglers' convention! It's just a total joy, one of those rare finds you come across, where you don't expect all that much and get completely blown away. There are a few tiny niggles: a very familiar guitar solo in First to cry, though I can't quite place it (if anyone reading this can, let me know, as it's driving me mad!), a really Journey-style opening to Elaine and a serious nod to Foreigner's Cold as ice with the keyboard opening on The one, but these are as nothing compared to the overall brilliance of this album. If you like AOR, good melodic rock, well-constructed songs and powerful singing, this is an album you should have in your collection.
Overall Impression: Just got better with every track. Totally blown away.
Intention: Seek out more of this man's music.

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Trollheart

Yes, yes. I know I'm late to the party...


Artiste: Sigur Ros
Nationality: Icelandic
Album: Takk...
Year: 2005
Label: Geffen
Genre: Post-rock/Ambient/Art rock (thanks, Wiki...)
Tracks
Takk...
Glósóli
Hoppípolla
Með blóðnasir
Sé lest
Sæglópur
Mílanó
Gong
Andvari
Svo hljótt
Heysátan
Chronological position: Fourth album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting Factoid:
Initial Impression: Am I back in Solar Fields territory?
Best track(s): Hoppípolla, Sæglópur, Mílanó, Andvari
Worst track(s):No, I don't think there was anything on this album I didn't like.
Comments: So once again we come to a band most people here seem to know, and love, but of which I am completely ignorant. However, in an effort to step away from my English-dominated music collection, I'm prepared to branch out and give these guys a go. They've certainly been successful, though I'm a little unsure, going by the less-than-clear genres Wiki slaps on them, if they'll be my cup of Tetley, but sure, as they say, we'll give it a go. What's the worst thing that can happen? (You had to ask, didn't you?)

Nice, ambient synth opening on the title track, very short, just under two minutes, with a sort of prelude perhaps to the album? Not an awful lot in it, but we shall see how it goes from here in. Things staying nice and relaxed, with some sprinkly piano and a rather nice female vocal on Glósóli: of course I have no idea what she's singing about, but if the music is good enough that can matter less than it usually does, and this music is quite nice I must say. More percussion coming in now, nice powerful guitar ramping up the tension. Have to admit, I like this so far. Beautiful piano intro to Hoppípolla, soon joined by slowly thumping drums and some nice strings. Oh, wait. I'm wrong about the singer; the falsetto vocals of Jón Þór Birgisson fooled me into thinking he was female until I checked, and I see he's a guy. Woops! Well, he puts in a fine performance here, but you could definitely be forgiven for thinking Sigur Ros have a female vocalist. Um. Anyway, lovely use of a full choir too on this track.

Sé lest is very interesting: almost nine minutes of pretty much pure ambience, that falsetto vocal rising above tinkling piano to form a really lovely soundscape, while Sæglópu changes everything, kicking it all up and becoming easily the heaviest and most dramatic track on the album so far. The longest track then, at just over ten minutes, Mílanó keeps things fairly strong but with some more nice soft piano running like a river through the tune; surprisingly, it's over rather quickly. Things get a bit manic with Gong but then slow right back down as the album winds towards its end, with Andvari pulling back on the throttle and idling along, and it's nice and slow then for the final three tracks.

I do like this. It's different, and of course, among the very many languages I can't speak is Icelandic, so not being able to understand the lyrics is a little off-putting and perhaps leads to an overall lesser enjoyment of the album for me than someone who's fluent in this language might have, but I still found a lot to keep me interested and make me come back to check out this band some more.
Overall Impression: Very nice, a new band to look into.
Intention: As above, listen to some more of Sigur Ros's material.

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Mayhem - Imelda May - 2010


There's a cold hand of dread touching my shoulder as I look at the genre here. I've never been any sort of a fan of rockabilly music, but to be fair, I've never listened to a full album of it before, so what am I judging my dislike on? Well, mostly its affiliation with the fifties, a decade whose music I generally can't stand. Happy Days? You can keep it, mate. Just not into all that stuff. But hey, Imelda's an Irish artist and I should at least give her a shot. Doubt I'll be breaking open an extra packet of cookies on this one, though!

Starts off okay, to be fair: decent guitar rock. Imelda has a good voice, though I could do without the annoying wolf-howls on "Psycho", and the addition of brass on the title track just doesn't really work for me, but then I'm not overfond of brass anyway. Much better is the slow ballad "Kentish Town Waltz", really beautiful and touching, showing another side of Imelda as she reins in the madcap freneticism to turn in a truly lovely song. Course, it doesn't last, but the cool shuffle of the almost thirties-inspired "All for You" keeps the quality high, and there's a touch of Fleetwood Mac's "When the Sun Goes Down" in "Eternity", while there's an eclectic mix of reggae and swing on "Inside Out".

This seems to be a thing with Imelda May: far from being just a rockabilly artiste, she appears to cross over and mix several genres, from thirties swing and jazz to reggae and country-infused folk, seemingly equally comfortable wherever her music takes her. But her main love does remain rockabilly, and she rocks out in no uncertain fashion in this style on tracks like "Sneaky Freak", "Pulling the Rug" and "Let Me Out", with a curious mix of Mariachi and Hawaiian music in "I'm Alive" that somehow works. The album ends on an interesting rockabilly take on Soft Cell's "Tainted Love": always hated the song, and I have to say this doesn't make me like it any the more.

Interesting album, certainly eclectic, decidedly diverse. Not the sort of music I normally listen to, and I'd probably not be in a hurry to listen to another album of hers, but for what she does Imelda May does it well, and I suppose the biggest compliment I can pay this album is that I know what I hate, and I don't hate this. Much.

TRACK LISTING

Pulling the Rug
Psycho
Mayhem
Kentish Town Waltz
All for You
Eternity
Inside Out
Proud and Humble
Sneaky Freak
Bury My Troubles
Too Sad to Cry
I'm Alive
Let Me Out
Tainted Love

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Key

Another favorite album of mine. For the record though, the vocalist is a guy, his name is Jonsi Fergusson. He's done one or two solo albums to my knowledge which are fantastic. Sigur Ros are a great band if you can appreciate the sound more than anything, which I can see that you have. Very nicely reviewed.

Key

Woops, on my last post, I meant to say his name was Jonsi Birgisson, not Fergusson. The exact spelling of his name is... Jón "Jónsi" Þór Birgisso

Here's a picture too: