Thursday 23 May 2019

Phantom Voices - Peace by Peace






Phantom Voices
Peace by Peace
Wyre Records

Imagine a time of days gone by when news, song, novelty and stores were eagerly awaited by an expectant audience.  Phantom Voices are the modern day spiritual equivalent of the minstrel and Peace by Peace contains some of the best stories you’ll ever hear.

Many may delight in the mirth of the first of only two traditional numbers on the album.  Lovely Joan triumphs over the “fine young man” offering his golden ring in exchange for his wicked way.  She accepts his ring and he makes his way to the hay but side-steps him like rugby legend Jason Robinson in his heyday, leaps onto his horse and thwarts the try. The electric guitar solo by Daz Rice contrasts with the folk feel of the track and instantly distinguishes the band for their self-belief.

The title track is reminiscent of Prefab Sprout or Deacon Blue, especially in the harmonies and is about vocalist Mike Rolland’s discovery of a British map of Northern France in the closing days of WW1 and who may have held it in their hands.  He sings “But time and time again they killed us, and we killed them, so whoever said war was something anyone could win “ which restates the hollowness of war.

The Red Falcon encapsulates the essence of Phantom Voices.  It blends the darkness of the lyrics with rays of light through the music and vocals.  Acoustic guitar and fiddle set the scene for this four-verse, four perspectives of the mid-December 1959 loss of the Fleetwood Trawler with all its 19 crew, on its return from Icelandic fishing grounds.  Joanna Byrne as The Wife in the second verse makes the listener feel the agony of the waiting, worried families.  The joint male/female vocals in the last verse at the inquest segue wistfully into bars of Silent Night.  It is possibly the best song I’ve ever heard and a lasting tribute to the lost.

Old Ned is about being the hangman of Lancaster who although convicted to hang for horse theft continued in the role of hangman instead for his sins. The Thomas Salto tells of a reluctant Russian gymnast who suffers paralysis whilst undertaking a dangerous manoeuvre during the floor exercise.

Three lead vocalists, an adventurous rhythm section, acoustic guitar and violin potency, and contemporary songs of real substance make Peace by Peace an essential listening experience.


NE

Sunday 19 May 2019

Queen - Every album, every song (On Track)




Queen  Every Album, every Song (On Track)
Andrew Wild

I haven’t seen the film Bohemian Rhapsody yet despite several recommendations, yet when this slim 140-page volume dropped through my letterbox I beamed.  Sheer Heart Attack is one of my favourite albums and I bought the single Crazy Little thing Called Love but only Andrew Wild could explain to me why.  He calls it “a retro boogie rockabilly juggernaut" and this precision made the reading of this book as joyful a surprise as seeing a kaleidoscope for the first time.

With a critical eye, an abundance of facts (who knew there was a stylophone on Seven Seas of Rhye?) and opinions, he explains Queen’s appeal and simultaneously develops each character of the band through their songs, attributed quotations, and access to the original 24-track master tapes.  There isn’t any place to hide for the author – every generation knows their music and Andrew Wild revels in this type of challenge as he’s also written about Pink Floyd and The Beatles in the same series.

The early years show that Queen were professional in their attitude right from the start spending day and nights on their harmonies. Their first album  was a “Beautifully cut jewel…ready to go” - Electra boss Jac Holzman 1973. Even so, Brian May was self-critical the band  “sometimes fell into the trap of over-arrangement”.  The opinions of the author and comparisons to other bands are mind-expanding and make the book not just for Queen fans but for all music fans.

Wild describes the sound of Queen on Queen II coalesces into three styles, rocker, the ballad, and the anthem.  His detailed analysis of the album track by track has made me put this album onto my wish list.  I hadn’t linked A Night at the Opera and A Day At The Races ( which Wild argues are very similar in content) with the Marx Brothers films of the same name either.

The author also substantiates the similarity of All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople) and In The Lap of The Gods by explaining that Queen actually toured with Mott the Hoople.  He also compares Another One Bites The Dust  with Good Times by Chic especially in the driving bass line.  He suggests that Queen weren’t always as original as their singles suggest but doesn’t denigrate the artist but leaves it up to the reader if they agree.  Queen may have taken inspiration from Led Zeppelin , Rolling Stones ,Deep Purple ,Black Sabbath, Abba, Rush, Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry but they could hardly be successful in their own right if they were mere plagiarists of all these acts.  It also discounts the music-hall style of a number of songs like Bring Back Leroy Brown, Lazing on A Sunday Afternoon and Seaside Rendezvous. which allowed Freddie Mercury to fully express his charisma in performance.

The book is respectful of the artist and praises them for their intelligent lyrics, harmonies, shifting dynamics, multiple guitar work and recording techniques.  I would have preferred the album artwork alongside the commentary rather than the centre pages to break the book into more digestible pieces but no doubt in common with many factual books, this allows the publication costs to be kept down.

One Glorious Day - Live Aid (13 July,1985) in four pages refreshes the reader why Queen were so revered (they always delivered), why they gained a new set of fans and propels the reader through the second half of the book.

Wild reveals the diagnosis of Mercury with AIDS in April 1987.  His account of the work Queen put in on the tracks that would make up their final three albums before Freddie passed away, gives the reader a fresh appreciation of their music and the personalities of this national treasure.

NE

Monday 6 May 2019

The Jackets - Queen of the Pill



The Jackets
Queen of the Pill
Voodoo Rhythm Records

Swiss garage punk trio, The Jackets, express themselves with a hypnotic energy and charisma for their second release for Voodoo Rhythm, due out in June 2019. Drawing their inspiration from New Wave, their raw 3-minute songs pack a punch of vitality sadly missing for far too long in popular music.

The album opens with a blistering quartet of tracks that includes Dreamer, the single which was released in mid April.  It has the drive of punk and an air of psychedelia.  They have a confident stage presence especially in the vocals of Jackie Brutsche and have caught the attention of Alice Cooper on his USA radio show "because they just go out there and rock".  Unusually for the genre, it's not nihilistic nonsense but rather an honest creativity with retro experimentation.

The Jackets give rock a good name again.  The music and songs combine as spectacularly as the best of British or American New Wave bands.  Even the slower numbers Steam Queen and Floating Alice display a determination to be different.  Queen of the Pill is a rejuvenating tonic and should be their breakthrough album.


Hearty thanks to Shattered Platter for sharing the music.

NE


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