| CD REVIEW TSM/ SLW special Jan. 2011, Part 1: Black Sunday Dream – Eloah – Four Trips Ahead - Melodrome |
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To end the year 2010, our editor-in-chief handed me no less than 14 releases come to us by the intermediate of the TSM/ SLW Promotion agency...along with a heap of 2010 releases which would all have to be reviewed as quickly as possible, pretty please! Having gone through thàt, and the New Year festivities tribulations, I was finally able to make these specials my first priority. Here's the first batch...including the biggest disappointment ever on the vocal front (read on for more details)! ----------------------------------------------------- I've been quite unable to find out when this San Francisco based band was started (for some odd reaso my network-secured pc would not let me log onto the band's own website, so I had to make due with what I could find on MySpace and ReverbNation), but I can tell you that the musicians involved are far from beginners! Take guitarist Brian George. Born and raised in the Bay Area, his apprentice to music came from his sister, whom at first was heavily into Classical music. But then The Beatles came over to the US, and out were the classics. In stead came the British Invasion, and Brian happily dived into it with as well. Then came Hendrix, and he started feeling it might be cool to play music. Eventually came Black Sabbath's second alum...an that was it! He wanted to make music with a sound just like that! He was given his first guitar and amp the next Christmas, and immediately set about playing his instrument. Later musical influences came from Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen, and Pink Floyd. Bassist and occasional keyboardist Terrence Allen has a couple of years on him though, as he was already playing gigs with his first band in 1969. Since then, he's played guitar, bass and keyboards in numerous local bands from the SF Bay Area. He shares Hendrix, Led Zep and Purple as musical influences with Brian, but also holds Cream and Jeff Beck to high esteem. When on stage he belies his age with a very energetic live act! The most traveled person in the band is definitely singer & occasional harmonica player Donald Hillier, whom has performed with both cover and original bands in the North-Eastern US, the Quebec province in Canada, and along the West Coast. Donald is a “Classic Rock” singer, heavily influenced by Robert Plant (Zep again), Steven Tyler, and Bruce Dickinson (respectively, need I say?, of Aerosmith...or should I say “ex-” there?, and Iron Maiden), whom co-writes the lyrics with Brian, while the instrumentalists share song writing credits. Now with the above in mind, it shouldn't be weird to find the band describing themselves as sounding like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but to the credit of everyone involved, the band succeeded in giving their crossbreed baby an original sound of its own, not tóó reminiscent of the “parents”. Oh sure, there's moment where the down-tunes effect of BS comes through, but honestly...it's more the psychedelic side of BS that comes through, than the typical riffing ripped off by so many Stoner bands. As far as the vocals are concerned, Hillier is only occasionally reminiscent to Plant, his voice somewhat headier in the higher regions of tonality. And here lies...a “warning”, if you will! Sóme listeners might find Hillier's high pitch just a bit too weird for their taste, and therefore turn down the band altogether (I mean, originally even I was somewhat taken aback by his vocal stylings). Pity, because that inhibits those music fans from further discovering the niceties of this band. In other words: those with the patience (like those music journalists into the “business” for the sake of the music rather than to make a living off it – some rarities excepted, of course) to listen through the complete album (as opposed to those who turn a record down on first impulses) will definitely find a lot of listening pleasure in this collection of songs! About the album...a little oddity: you see, the copy we got contains 7 songs for a duration of just over 40 minutes, but the track-list on the info sheet mentions 12 tracks, the first 5 of which we do nót find on our copy of the album. In combining the songs posted at the band's MySpace and RevebNation pages, you can listen to all of the 12 songs, except one...and titled “Rocking In The Free World” that may well be a cover of the well-known Neil Young hit song! The again, the album mentioned in the info sheet is titled Light Of The Night, and the one in our hands is titled Dark Of The Night. On Nov. 20 the band announced they were goin' back into the studio to record their next album...I for one am waiting with impatience to get my hands on that! 93/100 ----------------------------------------------------- My oh my! The things one learns when browsing for info on some musicians on the Internet! You know, I was always taught that the Jewish word for God was “Jahweh”, and here I learn that the Hebrew word for God is actually...you might've guessed it?...”Eloah”! Well, it is also the name taken by Austrian graphic artist (sorry I didn't check out on that part of his occupations more, but as always time was pressing when I was checking the Internet for the additional info) Elmar C. Fuchs for his “solo” musical escapades, adventures in which he was aided since 1993 by a veritable flock of contributing musicians, the most important of which being Fuchs' friend and soulmate Jörg Horner...the two able to feed upon each other for inspiration, as well as from neo-classical music, New Age music, and Progressive Rock, while jamming for hours on end. More importantly, “Brother Horn” taught his friend how to let go in the music, how to let the music flow and become a part of yourself! In fact, Eloah's 2002 & 2004 albums Mondstein and Mondstein 2- Ample Jazz are recordings (with Horner also singing) of just such jam sessions (before that, Fuchs had already recorded two other albums, a 1995 album about which I know nothing more that that it exists and was dedicated to Horner, and a 1998 album entitled Just Blood – to which Horner did not participate). 2004 was an important year for Fuchs. Not only did he release his new studio album The End Of Wisdom – A Musictale...but also his friend Jörg died. But in Fuchs' mind his spirit lives on, continues to inspire and influence his in his musical endeavours. Although most of the 2006 album A Matter Of Time was dedicated to Fuchs' life partner Astrid, the last two songs on the alum were dedicated to Horner. In 2007 Eloah released two albums, the two-part Sternenhafte (relating the Sternenfrau trilogy, inspired by Astrid), and the album Silicon Rhythm, dedicated again to Horner. Thanks to the encouragement of several musicians involved in the eventual recordings of the Ode To Brother Horn album, Fuchs eventually dared to take on the re-recording of his very first and “lost” album. Now Fuchs himself admits the music was altered somewhat in some places from the original creations, but of course, not having the original recordings at hand, it would be hard for most of us to make out what those changes are. Therefore it's better concentrate on what's at hand, right? Well, the album opens and ends with parts 1 and 2 of “Yuri Soul Of Light”, which in character (somewhat dark and threatening Ambient synth sounds, elevating flute, acoustic guitar, non-typical percussion) are best categorised in the New Age genre. Spoken word vocals in the native language of one Thipphaya Cherdhirankorn (whom I guess to be Indonesian by origin) further enhance that feeling. In between what you get is mostly '70s-styled Acoustic Progressive Rock, although some electric guitar is played here and there as well. In the album's opening song (do not confuse for “opening track”) “Paradise Lost”, this comes in the form of a very Pink Floydian passage, in “Iron Lady” (once you get past the acoustic intro) the occurrence of the electric guitar makes for a very heavy track throughout (and as such stands out from the rest of the material on the album – luckily there's also more Progressive Rock tinted passages in this, the album's longest track), and then you get some additional electric guitar passages in the instrumental “Hymn To Brother Horn”, and in “Listen To Your Soul” and “Eyes Like A Lioness”. Deviating from the aforementioned is the instrumental piano ballad “Eloah (A Dirge For Brother Horn)” (if this isn't a completely new composition, it certainly was not the original title). With Fuchs being responsible for lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, flutes and synths, a major role in the album was performed by bassist Michael Lukas (whom also plays guitar on 3 songs) and drummer Vladimir Vesic (present on 10 of the 14 tracks on the album). Guesting roles were laid aside for electric guitarists Peter Jaklitsch (on 2 songs), Roman Bayer (on one song only), Ulrich Kaispel (2 songs) and Mannfred Kemmel (also 2 tracks). Taking over bass duties on 3 songs (not even corresponding with those Lukas handles a guitar on) is Hoimar Wotawa, and one Dominik Mittergradnegger brings additional moods to a couple of songs, with violin in the instrumental “Hymn To Brother Horn”, and alto sax to “Listen To Your Soul” and “What You Mean To Me”. Eventually, one Astrid H. Paulitsch (aha...could this be Fuchs' life partner) adds a chants passages of the title in the weirdly titled “Chjong Nadah Boo”. As a whole, the album lasts almost 72 minutes, and where Fuchs' lead vocals are not always as accent-free as one might wish for, the musical context in which they're brought makes up a lot in the final evaluation of the album. In other words...I hope Fuchs is ready to start work on a new album soon enough, because I want to hear more music composed by this guy. And with this album actually dating back to 2008, I'd say it would be just about time, eh? Now...for you, dear reader, to get a whiff of this man's music, you might check out the 3 tracks he's posted in the music player at (www.) myspace.com/eloahmusic, but keep in mind none of those are from this album. However, when you scroll down that same page, you'll find three additional music players posted with material (might be only samples – I neglected to check) off 3 of his most recent albums. Piece of advice? When checking out that music, allow yourself to be at ease with yourself and the world around you, switch your mind to emptiness, and enjoy what next befalls you! 92/100 ----------------------------------------------------- The formation of New York City based quartet Four Trips Ahead (abbreviated as FTA from now on) dates back to the year 2001, when the already seasoned musicians Peter Wilson (vocals), Brian Eissenpresser (guitar/ backing vocals), Dan Cassidy (bass/ backing vocals) and Dan Walsh (drums) came together in search of a new creative outlet, finding a common interest in creating heavy progressive music with strong melodies and dynamics. In a matter of a couple of rehearsals the band had written enough material to take their music to the stages in the NYC and Tri-State area, becoming club favourites to enthousiastic audiences at such venues as Crash Mansion, The Delancey, Arlene's Grocery, The Trash Bar, the now defunkt CBGBs, and more recently The Highline Ballroom. Over the years the band had several releases. Starting with the EPs Beginnings (2002), The 505 Sessions (2004), and 39th Street Lullabies (2005), FTA eventually released its self-titled debut full-length in late May 2008 through 505 Records (I'm not sure if that is actually their own label, or a label started by the studio they already recorded their 2nd EP at). To promote the release the band toured the East Coast, and played at the CMJ Music Marathon (an important music industry related event in NYC) and Organic Entertainment's showcase at the WE Festival in North Carolina. Further promotion came in the form of two videos, the live performance rehearsal clip for “The Gift”, and the award winning short story clip for “A Moment” (a track which already, along with 3 other songs, appeared on the band's 3rd EP). College Radio into loud Rock music played the band's music on heavy rotation, and FTA charted on several Top 10 play-lists of those stations. With the success of their debut full-length behind 'em, the band set to writing a new batch of songs and, wanting to maintain the energy of the rehearsals, recorded 5 new songs over one Summer weekend at Long Island's Spin Recording Studios, where Nick Cipriano engineered and mixed the recordings under productional supervision of Wilson. It would turn out to be the last sessions with the band for drummer Dan Wilson, whom has since been replaced by Cipriano. Now I've taken some time to consider how best to describe the band's music on this EP (which allowed me to enjoy the 5 songs a bit longer as well), and I've come to the conclusion that perhaps an early '90s Heavy Rock (with the great Extreme in mind foremost) and a touch of Grunge is the best way to put FTA down. What it comes down to really, is that FTA plays a nice melodic (modern, but with some nostalgic feel nevertheless) Heavy Rock with catchy grooves. That this don't always have to happen through roughed-up vocals and heavy music, the band proove through the more introvert and semi-acoustic “ballad” “Memento”. And with lyrics exploring feelings of nostalgia, lost love, missed opportunities, bitter realities, sacrifice, redemption, and new beginnings, the band certainly gets in touch with something most of us can relate to. In Other words, here's the kind of stuff a broad range of music lovers might call out for, and to find out whether you're one of those people, it suffices for you to check out the songs (all are posted – who needs MySpace in that case?) on the home page of the band's own website (www.) fourtripsahead.com. In the “Music” section of same site you can also check out the songs of the band's full-length and 3rd EP! 92/100 ----------------------------------------------------- There's a good reason why I am now perpetuating an alphabetical anomaly. You see, somehow the postal services of our country managed to temporarily misplace the package this album came in, meaning it took some months getting to our head quarters. Therefore I felt it justified to give the guys a step ahead, in spite of the fact that I'm trying at this moment to finish 3 TSM/SLW specials in a row, in which I could perfectly fit the release! Although a complete unknown to me before checking the Internet for additional info on this Housatonic, Massachusetts based American Alternative Pop Rock band, the band (comprised of lead singer/ guitarist Robby Baier, bassist Jesko Stahl, and live drummer Kali “Baba” McConnel...the first two the band's founders, and having also been part of '90s band Pearl At Swine, which had a deal with BMG Europe) has been around since the millennium year (that's 2000, in case you hadn't understood), and has already several releases to its name: The Sidewalk Ends (2003), Play America (no idea when that one was released, but the order is apparently correct), Happens While You Blink (2005), and now Flood (actually, the band also did a recording session with Spin Doctors producer Frank Aversa in April 2007 with the intent to record the band's 4th full-length, but for some reason none of the recordings were published)! On top of that, the band has already been shown appreciation from the music industry for their participation in the soundtrack (4 songs plus original score) of the 2004 Academy Award nominated documentary Ferry Tales by Katia Esson, saw their music used in National TV beer advertisements, and heard it played on college and independent radio stations throughout North America! Now for you to get acquainted with the band's music, it suffices to surf to the band's own website (www.) melodrome.com, where they posted no less than 4 songs off the new album alongside 9 tracks off their 3 full-length releases. So why check out the band's page at (www.) myspace.com/melodrome? Because you get an additional 4 songs of the new album to listen to, silly! Highly addictive Alternative Pop Rock with a Punky twist is what the band offers, and the 11 tracks on Flood are certain to entertain you for many hours on end at 41 ½ minutes a time! 95/100 Tony. |
