1. IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons (5)
2. HELL N BACK – Bakar (1)
3. HOW WILL I REST IN PEACE IF I’M BURIED BY A HIGHWAY?// – Kenny Hoopla (6)
4. MARIA – Two Feet (2)
5. LEVEL OF CONCERN – twenty one pilots (3)
6. LEMON DROP – Absofacto (4)
7. LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME – Major Lazer featuring Marcus Mumford (7)
8. BLACK & WHITE LOVE – Beating Hearts Club (8)
9. HALLUCINOGENICS – Matt Maeson (11)
10. HONEYBEE – The Head and the Heart (10)
11. LIVING IN A GHOST TOWN – The Rolling Stones (13)
12. PSYCH FILM – Strangely Alright (14)
13. SOMEONE ELSE – Rezz & Grabbitz (15)
14. YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals (9)
15. STRANGERS – Mt. Joy (17)
16. FIRE – The Black Pumas (18)
17. CAUTION – The Killers (12)
18. LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala (16) 24th week on list
19. HEAVEN IS HEART – Jaded Jane (20)
20. REAL LONG TIME – White Reaper (21)
21. DON’T LET ME DOWN – Milky Chance featuring Jack Johnson (22)
22. MONSTERS – All Time Low featuring blackbear (23)
23. NOT OK! – Chaz Cardigan (24)
24. SWIMMING CLOSER – HAZY (25)
25. IT’S YOU – The Frontier (26)
26. EXPECTATIONS – Katie Pruitt (19)
27. MAYDAY!!! FIESTA FEVER – AWOLNATION featuring Alex Ebert (29)
28. WHEN THE WORLD FALLS APART – Terry Barber (30)
29. MY OWN SOUL’S WARNING – The Killers (N)
30. CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT? – Dayglow (N)
Month: July 2020
New Song of the Week – SIENNE: “Side By Side”
Formed just a year ago in the summer of 2019, Liverpool indie band Sienne has in short order been making a name for themselves on the local music scene. In February, they officially released their debut single “Where is Home?”, which was premiered at the Liverpool vs Manchester United match, then followed up in April with “Coming Alive”. Now they return with “Side By Side“, which drops today. I think it’s their best song yet, and I’ve chosen it as my New Song of the Week. All three songs will be included on the band’s forthcoming debut EP, due out later this year.
The band is comprised of front man and lead singer Calan Nickle, James Rookyard, Richard Taylor andCharlie Skeggs. Nickle and Rookyard were previously with the band Hanover, who called it quits last summer. Their dynamic style of alternative rock is influenced by some of their favorite bands like The Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Blossoms and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
The track begins with a tentative chiming guitar riff, accompanied by Nickle’s plaintive vocals singing of his fears and negative emotions. The music then expands with a mix of fuzz-coated and shimmery jangly guitars, gentle bass and punchy drums, giving the song a dramatic and beautiful anthemic feel. The lyrics touch on the anger that keeps him down: “Two kids caught in a bar fight for the whole world there to see, put that frown away for another day, just wait. And so when all is said and done, you’ll be the lonely one.” But he eventually realizes that, with help, he’ll be alright: “And I know where to go when I’m hoping I’m still on your mind. If you would be so kind, to walk with me side by side.”
Nickle elaborates on his inspiration for “Side By Side”: “I wrote this song just under a year ago after finding clarity from a low point in my life, I found myself asking why I was writing constantly about the negatives. I had a little moment where I began to see things clearer and this song was written as a message to myself to let go of all the rubbish going on in my head and that I should embrace the new things happening. I wanted the song itself to match the lyrics in how it starts as a no holds barred cry for help, and the understanding comes as the song progresses. For me the song itself is a long, long road from being in a bad place to finding clarity and I think it came to life once we’d finished it in the studio, it’s a very personal song and one that defines what we are as a band, it came from nothing, a darker place and ventured forward into the unknown.”
“Side By Side” is a solid track, and a good indication of more quality music to come from this very promising band.
Follow Sienne: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music: Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Purchase: Google Play / Amazon
EML’s Favorite Albums – COLDPLAY: “A Rush of Blood to the Head”
I distinctly remember the first time I heard British band Coldplay’s magnificent song “Clocks” on the radio in the spring of 2003. Though they’d already released a number of singles over the previous three years or so, I had not yet heard any of them because I listened to crappy radio stations in St. Louis, where I lived at the time. I was blown away by the song and immediately fell in love with it’s haunting piano melody. Given my love for “Clocks”, I rushed out (pun intended) and purchased their CD A Rush of Blood to the Head. It was their second studio album, and is my personal favorite of all their albums. I also became a big fan of Coldplay, who to this day rank among my top ten favorite bands of all time (the Beatles, Stones and Fleetwood Mac will forever be my top three, but I digress). The band is comprised of four underrated musicians: front man and lead vocalist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion.
After the popularity and success of their first album Parachutes, the band was under tremendous pressure to deliver an album at least as good – something all artists and bands with successful debut albums have experienced. I’ve heard many say they liked Coldplay’s early music (“Yellow” from Parachutes is one of their most beloved songs), but don’t much care for their later stuff, which they claim sounds too polished, too over-produced, too sappy or too ‘pop’. A Rush of Blood to the Head, with its piano and guitar-driven sound, is generally considered more acceptable to those earlier fans.
The album was released on August 26, 2002 in the UK, debuting at #1, and a day later on August 27 (my birthday) in the U.S. Besides topping the chart in the UK (where it would become the 10th best-selling album of the 21st Century), the album also reached #1 in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Switzerland. It won three Grammy Awards (one of them for “Clocks”, for 2003 Record of the Year), and the 2003 BRIT Award for Best British album.
Though every song on the album is excellent, there are a number of standouts, the two greatest being “Clocks” and “The Scientist”. With its repetitive piano progression, including a descending scale in the chord progression that creates such a hauntingly beautiful sound, “Clocks” is considered one of Coldplay’s finest achievements. That breathtaking piano melody is accompanied by a somewhat minimalist atmospheric soundscape of synths, guitar, bass and drums, yet the whole thing sounds incredibly powerful and compelling. The lyrics are rather ambiguous, but seem to address the conflicts of being in a relationship that causes pain, yet you cannot or do not want to escape it. Martin begins by singing about his situation: “The lights go out and I can’t be saved / Tides that I tried to swim against / You’ve put me down upon my knees / Oh, I beg, I beg and plead.” Then he ponders “Am I a part of the cure? Or am I part of the disease?“, finally concluding “And nothing else compares / You are home, home, where I wanted to go.”
I think it’s a masterpiece, and one of the greatest songs ever recorded, and it boggles my mind that it wasn’t a bigger hit (it only peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did reach #1 on the Adult Alternative chart). It’s my favorite song of the 2000s, and my fourth favorite song of all time. Surprisingly, “Clocks” was originally not intended for inclusion on A Rush of Blood to the Head. The band planned to use it on their third album, however, their manager Phil Harvey strongly pushed for its inclusion.
“The Scientist” is a gorgeous love song of apology, and another of Coldplay’s most beloved songs. The track starts off with just a melancholy piano riff and Martin’s sad vocals, then eventually a strummed acoustic guitar enters, followed by drums, bass and finally Buckland’s electric guitar. In an interview with VH1, Martin stated: “The song was a turning point. I don’t think we’ll ever top it. It was inspired by George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. We really wanted to do a piano ballad with loud guitars at the end, because we didn’t think many people had tried that, so Jon put this really distorted guitar on the end of it.” Well, I think it’s another masterpiece, and most definitely one of the band’s finest songs.
Though Coldplay has never been known for writing many political songs, they were inspired to write “Politik” a few days after the 9/11 attacks. The song touches on the then-current state of the world, where whole countries and religions were being vilified over the horrific actions of a relative few. Martin implores people to seek the truth and see the bigger picture: “Give me real, don’t give me fake / Give me strength, reserve, control / Give me heart and give me soul / Open up your eyes.” They decided to make “Politik” the first track on the album, and its bombastic opening consisting of an aggressive, banging piano riff and crashing cymbals all but demand that we pay attention.
The beautiful “In My Place” was the first song they wrote after finishing Parachutes, and the first single released from A Rush of Blood to the Head. Buckland’s gorgeous chiming guitar is a highlight of the song. Another favorite of mine is “A Whisper”, with its dramatic chord progressions, glittery synths and spectacular guitar work, especially the shimmery chiming guitar run in the final chorus. The title track “A Rush of Blood to the Head” is a darkly beautiful song about wanting to undo all one’s wrongs and start over anew: “He said I’m gonna buy this place and watch it fall / Stand here beside me baby in the crumbling walls / Said I’m gonna buy a gun and start a war / If you can tell me something worth fighting for / Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head.”
Some songs on the album have a pleasing guitar-driven folk-rock feel, namely “God Put a Smile on Your Face”, “Green Eyes” and “Warning Sign”. Closing out the album is the lovely and introspective piano ballad “Amsterdam”. Like a few of their other songs, the instrumentals build as the track progresses into a dramatic crescendo in the final chorus, before fading out at the end, a right proper finish to a phenomenal album.
I finally saw Coldplay perform live on their Head Full of Dreams Tour in August 2016, at the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Though it was a huge venue, with over 70,000 people in attendance, they still managed to make it feel intimate.
THE PUSS PUSS BAND – Album Review: “Life Cycles”
There’s a lot of musical talent in Wales, and I’ve written about several artists and bands from that fair British Isles nation: David Oakes, Dying Habit, Revolution Rabbit Deluxe, GG Fearn, Dunkie, Head Noise and, most recently, Kidsmoke. Another Welsh act I’m especially fond of is The Puss Puss Band, who I’ve featured a few times on this blog over the past four years. Based in Cardiff, they started out as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Asa Galeozzie and Lee Pugh (the band is named for Asa’s cat Puss Puss). Both are accomplished musicians who’ve worked with numerous artists and bands in the UK and Welsh music industry for nearly 15 years as writers & session musicians. Asa plays guitar, bass, percussion, piano and melodica, while Lee plays lead guitar, bass and piano, as well as sings lead vocals. Their relaxed music style is a pleasing mix of jazz and folk-infused indie pop that just makes you feel good.
In April 2017, with help from seasoned musician and producer John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick (who’s best known for his work with The Who, as well as on the soundtracks for the films The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Almost Famous), the guys released their beautiful debut album Echoes Across the Cruel Sea. (I reviewed that album along with an interview with Lee, which you can read here.) On July 3rd, they dropped their second album Life Cycles, featuring ten wonderful tracks addressing the subjects of life, love, loss and the passage of time. Once again, the recordings were all written, arranged, performed and engineered by Asa, Lee and Rabbit. Post-production, mixing and mastering was done by Richard Digby Smith at TQ1 Studios. The Puss Puss Band has now expanded to include six members, including Asa, Lee, Steven Stanley, Joel Rees, Luke Moore, and Nigel Hodge. Only Nigel is featured on the new album, as he played flute and alto sax on the track “Losing The Rain”.
The opening track “We Should Be” is a bittersweet song about missing someone you’d had a love affair with who now seems to have lost her feelings for you, and wishing she was back in love with you so you could be together. Gently strummed guitars, crisp percussion and delicate synths create a warm backdrop for Lee’s soothing, breathy vocals that convey a sense of sad resignation as he sings the poignant lyrics “The way you see the world is just the same. It’s just the way you feel about me that’s changed. But we should be…. We should be in love.”
The delightful video shows a man in a cat suit (played by Lee) standing in downtown Cardiff, holding a large flip chart printed with words that are directed at his love interest. In various scenes, he’s shown chasing pigeons, riding the merry-go-round, and sitting on the bench offering some of his food to a man who politely turns him down, then proceeding to eat it out of the bowl. By and by, he walks past a busking musician (played by Asa) and throws a few pieces of dry cat food into his guitar case. At the end, the busker sees him sitting forlornly on the ground next to the merry-go-round, offers his hand, and they walk off together down the street holding hands.
Many tracks have a gentle folk-rock vibe, such as “About Time“, which touches on how a relationship built on love and respect endures over time: “It’s about time. It’s about all we got left. It’s about the way you walk. And the way that you still care about me.” The song has a mellow vibe and catchy melody, with a lovely mix of jangly and chiming guitars accompanied by snappy drums, and some nice keyboards and organ. I love Lee’s breathy vocals that hover in a sweet spot between raw and comforting, with an almost seductive quality. Another is “Holding Its Own“, a pretty but poignant song about the daily struggles of keeping one’s sanity in this crazy world: “Hopeful yet empty, Following rules. Blind to the life of a mind. Just holding its own.” The instrumentals are sublime, with what sounds like a mellotron being the highlight for me. The guitars, bass, keyboards and organ are all pretty terrific as well.
The Puss Puss Band channel their rock side on “Thank You“, thanks to a harder-driving beat, heavier electric guitars and more aggressive percussion. The lyrics seem to acknowledge a friend who saved the singer through tough love, brutal honesty and perseverance: “But thank you so much for saving me from me. Thank you so much. For friends who never sleep.” One of my favorite tracks is “Pretty Games“, as I love the horns, funky guitars and mellow instrumentals that give it a cool, jazzy vibe. The lyrics speak to the games we play at one time or another, unable to be honest to ourselves or others about how we feel, which keeps us treading water so to speak. I like how they give a nod to their previous album Echoes Across the Cruel Sea: “It’s all a pretty game. Another year and still the same. But I still hear echoes of that sea. Parts we play. Wasted days. Still the same. Pretty games.”
“On The Common” is an exquisite song, with beautiful acoustic and delicate chiming electric guitar notes, accompanied by the gentlest of synths, all creating a glittery, ethereal backdrop for Lee’s soft vocals. “Losing the Rain” is another favorite, with its sophisticated, jazzy feel thanks to Nigel’s wonderful flute and saxophone. The lyrics seem to be about trying to make a relationship work despite the many obstacles: “I’m losing the rain. These broken thoughts that roll around inside my brain. Maybe I’m too blind to see? I wasn’t meant for you and you were never meant for me.”
The guys deliver more stellar guitar work on “Junkie“, a song about trying and failing to save someone from addiction and the realization some people just can’t be saved. A standout track is the marvelous Pink Floyd-esque “Time and Tide“. The song starts off slowly, with only gentle acoustic guitars, but gradually builds into a dramatic rock song with electric guitars, piano, sweeping synths and heavy percussion. The lyrics were inspired by the passing of Asa’s uncle, with whom he was close; his uncle took him to gigs and got him into music when he was young. “For all the glitter and gold. We all grow old. As the lights fade down. We still hold for applause. And the show moves on. But the feeling… Lingers on and on.”
They close out the album with “Missed“, a beautiful and very poignant song that nicely encapsulates the album’s overall theme of the cycles of life – how relationships and friendships come and go over time. The piano melody was written a while back by Rabbit, and the lyrics later written by Lee to address the loss of a loved one: “I’m losing you tonight. But I’m here by your side. There’s no more need to fight. / But time shows no kind of nostalgia for goodbyes.” Musically, the song is different from all the other songs, as it features only a haunting piano and Lee’s raw, yet comforting vocals.
Life Cycles is a really lovely album and a pleasurable listen from start to finish, without a single weak or throwaway track. The song arrangements and production values are flawless, and the guys’ musicianship is outstanding on every level. I love this band!
Connect with The Puss Puss Band: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase on Bandcamp / Google Play
Top 30 Songs for July 12-18, 2020
1. HELL N BACK – Bakar (1)
2. MARIA – Two Feet (2)
3. LEVEL OF CONCERN – twenty one pilots (3)
4. LEMON DROP – Absofacto (5)
5. IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons (6)
6. HOW WILL I REST IN PEACE IF I’M BURIED BY A HIGHWAY?// – Kenny Hoopla (7)
7. LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME – Major Lazer featuring Marcus Mumford (9)
8. BLACK & WHITE LOVE – Beating Hearts Club (10)
9. YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals (4)
10. HONEYBEE – The Head and the Heart (12)
11. HALLUCINOGENICS – Matt Maeson (17)
12. CAUTION – The Killers (8)
13. LIVING IN A GHOST TOWN – The Rolling Stones (14)
14. PSYCH FILM – Strangely Alright (15)
15. SOMEONE ELSE – Rezz & Grabbitz (16)
16. LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala (11) 23rd week on list
17. STRANGERS – Mt. Joy (18)
18. FIRE – Black Pumas (19)
19. EXPECTATIONS – Katie Pruitt (13)
20. HEAVEN IS HEART – Jaded Jane (22)
21. REAL LONG TIME – White Reaper (23)
22. DON’T LET ME DOWN – Milky Chance featuring Jack Johnson (25)
23. MONSTERS – All Time Low featuring blackbear (26)
24. NOT OK! – Chaz Cardigan (27)
25. SWIMMING CLOSER – HAZY (28)
26. IT’S YOU – The Frontier (30)
27. DELETER – Grouplove (20)
28. BE AFRAID – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (21)
29. MAYDAY!!! FIESTA FEVER – AWOLNATION featuring Alex Ebert (N)
30. WHEN THE WORLD FALLS APART – Terry Barber (N)
New Song of the Week – ROADKEEPER: “Downs”
There are a lot of really talented indie bands around today making great music, and I enjoy giving at least some of them a bit of press to hopefully introduce them to a wider audience. One of my favorites is Texas alt-rock band Roadkeeper, who since forming in 2018 have consistently put out a string of exceptional singles. I featured them twice on this blog last year (you can read my reviews under ‘Related’ at the bottom of this article), and especially loved their single “Old Man’s War”, a stunning track about anxiety and worry over things, both real and imagined. It spent 18 weeks on my Weekly Top 30, and ended up at #51 on my Top 100 Songs of 2019 list. They’ve just released their sixth and latest single “Downs“, a beautiful song that I’ve chosen as my New Song of the Week.
Based in the eastern Texas city of Tyler, Roadkeeper consists of songwriter/producer John Hetherington (vocals, synths, rhythm guitar), Trevor Tull (lead guitar), Nick Cogdill (drums) and Daniel Griffith (bass), all long-time friends. Roadkeeper is completely independent and self-produced, doing their recording, producing and mixing in John’s studio – dubbed ‘Yacht Country’ – and releasing their songs on their own label Equal Temperament. Blending dreamy shoegaze and dramatic psychedelic rock with complex melodic structures, they craft lush soundscapes that are a perfect backdrop for their intelligent and topically relevant lyrics that give us something to think about.
With that in mind, the band states that “Downs” “is a personal contemplation of impostor syndrome and not finding one’s place within the cultural and sociopolitical zeitgeist.” The lyrics speak to feeling disconnected with one’s surroundings and the people we interact with: “I feel so disconnected from the qualities of people. My sense of self is out of style. I dread to leave my house and the comfort of this down. I just wanna stick around. I just need a better life.”
Musically, Roadkeeper starts with a simple two-chord progression and layer a lush palette of glittery analog synths and beautifully-strummed acoustic guitars to create a dreamy soundscape. The track opens with an enchanting minute-long introduction of atmospheric synths, then a toe-tapping beat kicks in, along with the aforementioned acoustic guitars and a sublime piano riff that are really gorgeous. John has a smooth and pleasing vocal style that’s well-suited to the band’s sound, and his slightly echoed vocals are especially wonderful here. “Downs” is a superb song, and one of Roadkeeper’s best yet.
Connect with Roadkeeper: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music on Spotify / Soundcloud
Purchase on Bandcamp / iTunes / Google Play
ANIA – Single Review: “Poison”
I recently learned about the amazing guitarist, songwriter and singer Ania Thomas – who identifies herself simply as Ania – when I read an interview with her by my Austalian friend Robert Horvat on his blog Rearview Mirror. Growing up in Poland, she developed a love for music at a young age. She emigrated to America as a teen, first to Chicago where she studied music at the School of Rock, then relocated to Los Angeles, where she’s now based, to study music at USC and also the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Inspired by such artists as Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Blondie, St. Vincent, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, L7, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, her aggressive music style is characterized by modern synth textures, killer guitar solos and commanding vocals.
In 2019, she released two terrific hard-rocking singles “Run Away” and “Doors Close”, then followed up this past May with her third single “Poison“. All three songs will be included on her forthcoming debut EP Ania in Chains, due out later this year. Ania wrote, sang and played guitar on the track, while two friends from her music theory class, both of whom are named Matt, played bass and drums. She also engineered and produced the track herself.
About “Poison”, Ania told webzine comeherefloyd: “The song is about a breakup and that someone who breaks you. [It] shows how people are focused on their own world and are ignorant of the society we live in. As people, especially millennials today, we forget and are ignorant of the corrupt political system we are a part of, and are more interested in social media.” In an interview with the webzine UDS, she further elaborated “I tried to write a dark pop song something in the veins of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘The Hand That Feeds’, that has a dark pop element to it and synths similar to what St Vincent writes.”
Well, I think she succeeds quite nicely, producing a song that’s longer and darker than her previous songs, and featuring progressive rock elements that give it a more sophisticated vibe that’s both compelling and satisfying in equal measure. Ania works magic with her guitar, delivering intricate riffs of jangly, grungy and psychedelic guitars while the two Matts keep the moody rhythmic grooves humming along with their bass and drums, respectively. The swirling spacey synths add to the song’s ominous atmosphere, as do Ania’s ethereal vocals as she almost menacingly croons the refrain “Air is filling up with poison, and you keep breaking my shit.”
She’s also released a colorful video for “Poison” that was directed by Will Milvid and beautifully filmed by Alex Ioanoviciu. She explained her intent behind the video to the website Scottish Music Network: “I wanted the ‘Poison’ video to expose the inauthenticity of the beautiful and vibrant image that many people associate with Los Angeles. Hollywood glamour is a part of the city, but it’s got an angsty side too. We all have an impact on the world around us. I want people to wake up and think critically for themselves, and understand that we can all fight for change if we aren’t absorbed in our own image. Sometimes we’re blinded by it. But if we look up from our phones, we can fight for change and a better future.”
In the video, Ania is shown performing the song in an alley off Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, interspersed with scenes of her breaking records and smashing a pie in her boyfriend’s face. In other scenes, she’s shown performing the song on stage in front of her drummer who’s wearing a Trump mask, finally having an altercation with him where she knocks him on his ass. Totally works for me!
“Poison” is a marvelous song that further advances Ania’s rising star as a female rock artist on the L.A. music scene and beyond. I plan to continue following her on her music journey.
Follow Ania: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream her music: Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
Purchase: Google play / Amazon
KIDSMOKE – Album Review: “A Vision In The Dark”
Kidsmoke is an exceptionally talented indie dream rock band based in the city of Wrexham in northeast Wales. On June 19th, after many months of hard work, they released their debut album A Vision in the Dark via Welsh label Libertino Records. Like so many bands, they’d planned to tour over the summer to promote their album, but those plans were dashed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, they decided not to delay the release of their album, and just wanted to get it out so their fans would have some new music to look forward to. And what a beautiful album it is, featuring 11 superb tracks. Their lush and beautiful guitar-driven sound is strongly influenced by such bands as Joy Division, The Cure, Wilco and The National, among others.
Formed in late 2012 by Lance Williams and James Stickels, who’d been friends since their school days, Kidsmoke was named after a song by one of their favorite bands Wilco. They released their first EP Higher in 2013, followed by a second EP So Long, Emptiness in 2015. Various members came and went, but the band finally came into its own with the addition of Sophie Ballamy and Ash Turner in 2016. Since then, the lineup has been Lance on Lead Vocals & Guitar, James on Bass & Vocals, Sophie on Guitar & Vocals, and Ash on Drums. The band continued to release numerous singles, along with an EP Save Your Sorrow in 2017, and had the experience of a lifetime when they performed at SXSW (South By Southwest Film & Music Festival) in Austin, Texas in 2019.
A Vision in the Dark opens with “Passenger” a lovely, uptempo song that sets the tone for the album. Its sunny, upbeat instrumentals, highlighted by jangly guitars and snappy drumbeats, contrast with the rather poignant lyrics “I’m moving on to God knows where, I’m dressed to kill the time I’m moving on, I’m a passenger.” Lance explained that the song is “about losing your direction in life, being swept along with the crowd and feeling helpless to stop it.” The song was chosen for NPR’s Austin 100 playlist.
The warm, summery vibe carries over to the next track “Layla’s Love“, with its swirling guitars and dreamy, ethereal melody. Lance states that the song “is a retrospective story of a relationship, where one partner begins to dwell upon the many ‘what ifs?’ we all face.” The male character in the narrative ultimately realizes that, though not perfect, the relationship remains strong and they’re still together: “Baby, the sun won’t rise over you. But I know we are still together. Layla’s love is the only love I’ll never lose.” I love the interplay between Lance and Sophie’s enchanting vocals as they sing “You gave me everything I had (I hope I did). Everything I wanted (you know I tried). But sometimes everything just isn’t enough.” This beautiful song stayed stuck in my head long after hearing it, and is one of the highlights on the album for me.
Kidsmoke continue to deliver the breezy feels on “Colourfield“, with its chiming guitars and cheerful, bouncy bass line, “Higher“, a beautiful reworking of a song from their first EP, and “She Takes You Under“, where they seem to pay homage to The Cure with bouyant jangly guitars and sparkling synths. Lance and Sophie’s vocal harmonies are particularly wonderful here, as well as on the brief but enchanting “Kaleidoscope“. The track is a chorus from an old song the band had previously written but never recorded, and serves as an interlude between side 1 and side 2 of the album.
Another standout track is “Rising Sun“, a high-energy tune with a retro 80s new wave vibe. The fast-paced driving rhythms and exuberant guitars are fantastic, and as always, the vocal harmonies are sublime. The lyrics speak to pushing back against others’ expectations, even when they’re coming from people who are closest to you: “Your days are done. I turn the black to blue. I turn the night to day. I’m the rising sun. I feel your love, I don’t want to follow.”
The hauntingly beautiful “Take Me to the River” is another re-imagining of an old song from their debut EP Higher. A fan favorite, Kidsmoke decided to re-record it for the album. The song was featured on an episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror, and is about being led astray from one’s path by negative influences. The bouncy, guitar-driven melody contrasts with the dark lyrics that seem to touch on a relationship doomed by the suicidal tendencies of one of the partners: “If I leave you, I’ll miss you, I’ll never make you mine. We’re sinking fast. We’re running out of time.” The richly layered guitars and pulsating bass are wonderful.
They continue to dazzle us with dreamy melodies and exquisite guitar work on “Still Dreams“, a deeply personal song Lance wrote based on his own experience having to come to terms with a life-changing event that made it hard for him to face the world. He elaborates “The song is about the expectations from family, friends or work to ‘get back to normal’ after something traumatic has happened. The overarching sentiment is about giving people the time they need to heal.”
Kidsmoke slows things down with “Little Easy“, a gentle song of thanks to someone for their love and support: “Little easy. You’ll never know how much you mean to me. You play the part, you play it right.” With its languid beat, mix of acoustic and electric guitars, and lovely vocal harmonies, the song has an early Fleetwood Mac feel, at least to my ears. About the inspiration for the song, James explains “I felt a little bit directionless at the time; I’d moved back home to Wales from Manchester for a job that didn’t work out and I was missing city life. I always aim for emotion in my music, but this one felt a bit more genuine…I just wrote how I felt.”
They save the best for last, closing out the album with “The Bluest You“, my favorite song of them all. Being a lover of music who cannot write a note of it, nor play a single instrument, I’m always awestruck at how people can create such gorgeous melodies, then bring them to fruition with various instruments. What Kidsmoke has achieved with “The Bluest You” is nothing short of spectacular, creating a song of such incredible beauty and depth that it renders me speechless. The glorious swirling guitars are as dreamy as they come, and James and Ash keep the spellbinding rhythm with their pulsating bass line and perfect drumbeats, respectively. Once again, I must make note of the stunning vocal harmonies delivered by Lance, Sophie and James. This song is honestly one of the most beautiful I’ve heard in a long while.
I’m not the only one for whom this song is a favorite. Lance said “This song is a live favourite of ours”, while James noted “This is my favourite track. I originally intended for it to be an instrumental – thankfully I soon decided against that idea. I knew from the moment it was written that it was destined to be the last track on the album.”
The song lyrics address mental health, specifically the effect someone’s issues have on loved ones around them. Lance explained: “It is a fly on the wall look into a household where one person’s depression is affecting everyone else who lives there. The song doesn’t address the feelings of the person suffering with depression, it is a sort of commentary from the viewpoint of the rest of the family.”
I’ve gushed about A Vision in the Dark throughout this review, so I don’t know what more I can say except that it’s an absolutely stunning album from beginning to end, and ranks among the very best releases I’ve heard so far in 2020. Listening to it is an immersive experience, as one gorgeous track flows into the next, keeping the listener in a continuous state of thrall. Other than for the minute-long interlude piece “Kaleidoscope”, the other ten tracks could all be hit singles, they’re that good.
Follow Kidsmoke: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music: Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music
Purchase: Bandcamp / Google Play / Amazon
EML’s Favorite Albums – TEARS FOR FEARS: “Songs From The Big Chair”
One of my favorite albums of all time is Songs From the Big Chair by British band Tears For Fears. Released in February 1985, it was their second album and also their most successful from both a critical and commercial standpoint. Even though it contains only eight tracks, with five of them running more than five minutes long it feels almost monumental in scope. Every track is brilliant in its own right, and there isn’t one wasted second on the entire album. The band released five of the tracks as singles, including the massive worldwide hits “Shout”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head Over Heels”.
I’d first learned about Tears For Fears two years earlier when I heard their song “Change”, one of the singles from their excellent 1983 debut album The Hurting, on the radio. I really liked that song, but shockingly, never heard “Mad World” until years later. That song was a huge hit in Britain, but received practically zero airplay in the U.S. where I live. Two years would pass before I would hear another song by them, and when “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” hit my eardrums, it was love at first listen. The song was actually the third single from Songs From the Big Chair to be released (after “Mothers Talk” and “Shout”), but the first to receive radio airplay in the U.S. in the spring of 1985.
In the creation of Songs From the Big Chair, Tears For Fears moved away from the predominantly synthpop feel of The Hurting, and toward a more sophisticated and fuller orchestral sound that would become their signature style – a style of music that I dearly love. In addition to band front men Roland Orzabal on guitar and lead vocals and Curt Smith on bass and backing vocals, other working members included Ian Stanley on keyboards and backing vocals, and Manny Elias on drums and percussion. Under the guidance of producer Chris Hughes, the new Tears for Fears sound helped make Songs from the Big Chair become one of the biggest-selling albums worldwide in 1985, as well as receive near-unanimous critical acclaim.
The album was originally to be titled The Working Hour, but Orzabal fought to change it to Songs From the Big Chair, inspired by the 1976 television film Sybil starring Sally Field, about a woman with multiple personality disorder who feels safe only when she’s sitting in her analyst’s “big chair”. Orzabal and Smith have both stated that they feel each of the album’s songs had it’s own distinct personality.
The album opens with “Shout”, a bombastic protest anthem that makes you want to stomp your feet and pump your fists in the air. The song was a stylistic departure for Tears For Fears, with explosive percussion, screaming synths and a lengthy killer guitar solo that propelled it straight to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I love how the song builds to a spectacular crescendo, and it’s arguably one of the most musically and lyrically satisfying songs ever recorded. Next up is the brilliant “Working Hour”, a gorgeous and dramatic song with jazzy overtones courtesy of the soulful wailing saxophone, accompanied by incredible guitar work, sweeping synths and resounding percussion that send chills up and down my spine. Orzabal passionately sings about being a slave to one’s work: “This is the working hour. We are paid by those who learn by our mistakes.”
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is a truly exceptional song, and perfection from start to finish. It’s also very likely their most catchy, radio-friendly song, though the lyrics deal with a rather dark subject. Smith has stated “It’s about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes.” Interestingly, Orzabal and Smith were ambivalent about the song, and initially didn’t want to include it on the album. They felt it’s syncopated shuffle beat wouldn’t fit in with the timing and feel of the rest of the album. That said, I think Orzabal’s intricate guitar work is absolutely fantastic, and I love the powerful driving rhythms and both his and Smith’s impassioned vocals. It’s become Tears For Fears’ signature song, as well as one of the most beloved songs of the past 40 years. It ranks among my top 10 favorite songs of all time, and I never tire of hearing it.
“Mothers Talk” has a progressive rock feel, with an intense galloping beat as a foundation, over which the band layers a fusillade of cinematic synths, along with a lively mix of jangly and chiming guitars, and lots of unusual sounds. They slow things down on the mysterious and jazzy “I Believe”, a live recording of their song about primal therapy. The highlights here are the haunting piano work and gorgeous sax played by Will Gregory, their touring saxophonist at that time.
Tracks 6 & 7, “Broken” and “Head Over Heels”, play like one long continuous song, with “Broken” serving as both a dramatic introduction and ending to “Head over Heels”, which is essentially a love song. Taken together, they’re a musical masterpiece as far as I’m concerned. The piano riff at the beginning of “Head Over Heels” is magnificent, and the synths, strings, guitars and percussion are all glorious. The official video they made for the song is really charming, and god, weren’t they adorable back then!
The song segues into “Listen”, an epic, nearly seven minute-long track of such incredible beauty it almost makes my heart ache. The lush instrumentals and cinematic synths are spectacular, then calm to a peaceful interlude as Curt Smith softly croons the hopeful lyrics “Mother Russia badly burned. Your children lick your wounds, your wounds. / Pilgrim father sailed away. Found a brave new world, new world. Listen…” The song ends with Orzabal and guest vocalist Marilyn Davis chanting the lines “Cumpleaños chica, no hay que ocuparse”, which roughly translates to “birthday girl, don’t worry”. They seem to be telling us that everything will work out alright (though now, some 35 years later, I’m not so sure.)
Songs From the Big Chair is one of the most beautiful and flawlessly-produced albums I’ve ever heard, and is a true masterpiece on every level. Tears For Fears also released a deluxe version of the album featuring a total of 33 tracks, some of them additional songs and others remixes or edits of the eight original songs, as well as a seven and a half minute long interview with Orzabal and Smith discussing various aspects of the album.
I saw Tears For Fears in concert on their Seeds of Love Tour in 1990 (with Debbie Harry opening), and it remains one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
FACE OF STONE – EP Review: “Sex, Guns, Race and Money”
Marc Palmer & Brad Schecter
Face of Stone is a Los Angeles-based collaborative music project of songwriter, guitarist and producer Marc Palmer and singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brad Schecter. Each has years of professional experience both as solo artists and with other bands. Marc has been a musician for over 30 years, also serving as lead guitarist for venerable Grammy-nominated L.A. band The Busboys. Brad was previously in Scarred and Blue Embrace, and has also released music as a solo artist, including his acclaimed debut album Live Your Dreams in 2015 (read my review here). With Face of Stone, they combine Marc’s talent for writing hard-hitting guitar-driven melodies and bringing them to life with his prowess on the six-string, and Brad’s talent for penning compelling lyrics, vocal melodies and harmonies, as well as his strong vocals and musicianship. Their mission is to produce their own unique brand of metallic hard rock.
After years of hard work and a few setbacks along the way, Face of Stone has at last dropped their long-awaited EP Sex, Guns, Race and Money, released on the 4th of July via their label Black Grunge Records. The EP is not only hard-hitting and dark, but also socially and politically relevant, exploring subjects like political unrest, sexism, the struggles and mental abuse of love gone wrong, as well as larger themes of biblical significance, and the illusion and slow death of the American Dream.
Kicking off the EP is “Hurry Up and Wait“, an interesting track with a long, musically complex and dramatic intro that borders on progressive rock. After a minute or so, a darkly beautiful melody settles in, highlighted by Marc’s intricate layered guitars and a relentless onslaught of crashing cymbals. Brad’s powerful, resonant vocals express a sense of exasperation as he laments about what seems to be our overall lack of control over the external forces that affect our lives: “Shiny objects don’t just mesmerize. more times they often lie. Too bad it doesn’t matter what we give or if we try. We find out what’s important, hopefully before we die. Through all the pain and sorrow, hurry up and wait.” I especially like the soaring vocal harmonies in the final chorus.
Continuing on a similar theme, “United Shutdown (Sex, Guns, Race and Money)” is a scathing attack on the political and economic forces that have gained power by dividing us and force-feeding us an endless stream of lies and hate. The song is kind of a metal rock answer to Public Enemy’s classic “Fight the Power”, with lyrics strongly advocating us to take back the power: “See what pawns we have become. Surrendered our power, must be undone. Only you can seek the truth. Fight back now or forever be used.” Once again, Marc dazzles us with blistering guitar work as Brad’s commanding impassioned vocals drive home the urgency of the lyrics.
“Dark Rocker” is a hard-driving kiss-off song to an old flame he’s fallen out of love with. Brad stated that he wanted the choruses to sound like a Trump tweet: “But something happened to you, I guess you just got old. You never left me, but you’re a dark rocker, not anymore. Sad!” Musically, the song features a frantic, pummeling rhythm that hits a sweet spot between punk, metal and rock’n’roll. Marc’s reverb-heavy distorted guitars are fantastic, and Brad’s colorful, spirited vocals are terrific as always.
“Red Moon Sky” was the very first single released by Face of Stone back in April 2018 and it’s a belter. (You can read my review here.) The song blasts open with a barrage of raging riffs, chugging bass and pummeling drums, punctuated by tasty bits of distorted guitar that give the song added punch. Marc’s electrifying riff in the bridge is fire, and Brad’s raw, impassioned vocals bring chills as he snarls the lyrics that touch on the thin line between love and hate that can occur in a tempestuous relationship plagued by bad feelings and distrust: “Not one to deny what you need to feel fulfilled. Just not the one to do it. You’re not someone who is capable of change. No matter what, you stay the same.” The song spent more than four months on my Weekly Top 30 over the summer of 2018, and ended up at #50 on my Top 100 Songs of 2018 list.
The gorgeous “Through the Wildnerness” touches on the story of the Jews’ escape from Egypt. At first glance, it seems like a rather odd song choice in the EPs lineup, but the more I thought about it, I believe it fits in with the overall theme of seeking freedom from oppression. It’s a grandiose song of near-epic scale, with dramatic instrumentation highlighted by a haunting jangly guitar riff, and accompanied by a thunderous mix of chugging gnarly and distorted guitars, heavy buzzing bass and explosive percussion that make for an electrifying listen. Brad’s plaintive vocals are chilling as he sings “Hand of god, delivered us. He will guide the way home today. He brought us out of Pharoah’s land. Destroyed him with his hand.”
Sex, Guns, Race and Money is a great little EP that nicely showcases the immense talents of the two musicians of Face of Stone. There’s a lot of power and intensity packed into the EPs 20-minute run time, and if you like great guitar work and expressive vocals combined with exquisite songwriting, you will enjoy this record.
Follow Face of Stone: Facebook / Instagram
Stream their music: Spotify / Apple Music / Reverbnation
Purchase: Google Play / Amazon
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 