It’s little more than a few notes into the chiming percussion and trotting guitar led instrumental to opener, ‘Must You Make Eyes At Me Now’. That you realise how much this band, once voted twelfth greatest Scottish band of all time, have been missed during their lengthy hiatus. When the strained and genuine vocals of Colin Macintyre kick in, then a pondering stirring, blues layered intro, makes you just want to yell “welcome back guys!” at your IPod or choice of music playing medium. It blends neatly into the churning, more vocal grizzle inclusive attack on false lovers, ‘Can You Let Her Know’.
‘Must You Get Low’, shows that the old school indie bands are still the best at the pace chilling, slow-burning and stirring ballad, as this concept album that explores the importance of cities takes a bracing nostalgic pit-stop. A lively, digitally toed edge ups the tempo for ‘Honey Pie’, as Macintyre’s vocals take on a more dramatic, strained edge and increase in profile to match that of the instrumentals. It shows that eclectic adventure is still within them.
Of course, the lyrics still hold meaning, heart, reflection and food for thought. With the slow, stirring and nearly wooing backing spiced, ‘This Is Not My Heart’ being a prime example of this:
“Love letters of stone won’t set alight: I am alone in your lie.
I was awake just thinking of you.”
Usually when an evergreen, what some people would call veteran band reunites six plus years after their last album, it makes you question their motives and even desire. Are they doing it because all other avenues have led to a dead end? No, not in this case; Mull Historical Society still has something to say and some cities to explore.
Chiming orchestral pondering with a playful pop backdrop and the sincere low-key cry of Ketil Kinden Endresen sets the scene for a reflective glide, ‘Golden Years’. Nordic nostalgia contrasts with a rumbling rhythm base, allowing part of the mind to wander and the other bit to focus on a pressing matter.
More bass is added to and an almost lounge vibe takes hold of the ‘Bathers Remix’, before morphing into a rhythmically rousing samba skirting sojourn. This release, as a whole, is more focused and less incongruous than the previous pop distorting foray, ‘Det Haster’. Seen together, these tracks highlight the potential spice, variety and adventure of this instrumentally nimble outfit.
Mike Patton’s new album is another film score. Kind of. It’s “music from the film and inspired by the book,” which from my understanding means that it’s music from the score and the stuff that was left on the cutting room floor.
Solitude of Prime Numbers is an Italian film that looks like it won’t be released in the States. It’s a bit of a shame, because I’d like to hear the music in the context it’s meant to be heard in. So I tried to read the novel which is extremely depressing. Which I’m fine with, but didn’t really find much depth in the characters outside of being lonely and miserable.
But the music is very good. Quite different than his last two scores. This one’s a bit more somber and ambient. Very string and piano laden synths. Looking through the credits, Patton thanks Carpenter which wasn’t immediately apparent, but makes sense thinking about it now. I guess the best way to describe it is as one of those artsy albums that I probably won’t think to listen to a lot, but will enjoy very much when I do.
OK. So the year’s ending, and because the site was down, busy schedule, and general procrastination, I’ve had a couple albums sitting around for months that I’ve been intending on reviewing. I’m going to reacquaint myself with these albums and give a couple quick reviews to get myself caught up as I’m already getting albums to be released next year.
Galaxia is the sophomore effort from the Connecticut rock group. This is a pretty different album from last year’s Old Man Gray. For one thing the songs are longer. Its more of a streamlined writing style. The diversity is found more within each song as opposed to splitting up into different songs.
Like Old Man Gray it starts out with a heavy rocker and progresses to spacey jams. It’s cool. If you like the first, you shouldn’t be disappointed. If you haven’t heard the first, check one them out. Seriously.