Week 2 - The Bright Lights

For Week 2, I'm taking a look at the Austin-based Saints of Valory and their 2010 debut album “The Bright Lights,” self-released by the band in November of last year. Today they actually will be performing at the CD release party for Quiet Company's “Where We All Belong” in Austin, TX . The band consists of Brazilian-born Gavin Jasper (vocals, bass); Godfrey Thomspon (guitar); Frenchman Gerard Bouvier (drums); and Canadian native Stephen Buckle (keyboard).

The first band they listed as one of their (many) influences is Kings of Leon, although it would probably take a reasonably educated listener no more than 30 seconds to figure that connection out on their own. SoV have a true kind of southern rock sound; while not to the twangy extreme of country music, they employ moderate tempo and syncopation in strumming and bass as well as pretty standard, solid drum grooves. Jasper's voice is also very reminiscent of the aforementioned Kings frontman Anthony “Caleb” Followill, a powerful sound with just enough motion. With this in mind, “The Bright Lights” is a very well-rounded album allowing each member of the group to shine. Their songwriting isn't terribly avant-garde, using a lot of the same harmonies you hear all the time, but artists have definitely been successful with less ingenuity before; after all, there's a reason it's the king of music that's popular right now. You can find it online at:

Amazon

Spotify

Also available on iTunes.

Track Breakdown:

Song of the Week: 1 – Providence

1. Providence (3:59) – "Providence" is all about that feeling of being confused, not knowing how a certain someone actually feels about you. The resulting thought process is always back-and-forth in despair: “A fever's got my head. I don't want to go; I don't want to stay now.” The song is written almost as a duet between Jasper and Thompson, opening with a guitar riff, then moving into a verse backed only by piano and bass, then a superb blending of the two during the chorus, with this pattern being the norm throughout the song.

2. The Bright Lights (4:57) – The namesake of the album, this track is a little more upbeat with more involved drum groove and keyboard parts. It talks about how everyone wants things but then don't get that you have to actually work for those things. There's a bit of a change of pace though right in the middle of the song to a bit more of a ballad, with the final declaration “So you won everything.” It's not about giving up, it's about conceding and being a better person for the benefit of others.

3. Stay Wild (3:31) – If you listen to any early 00's alternative rock, this song will sound very familiar. With some guitar dexterity by Thompson in the opening, a simple vocal melody, and a drum groove reliant on cymbals and kick bass, there's no mistaking it. “Stay Wild” has a really simple message: carpe diem. “Follow your stare cuz time isn't kind...all that we live is just one life.”

4. My Army (4:03) – More of a power ballad than we've heard so far, with pre-recorded vocal harmony, “My Army” is certainly a change of pace for SoV. This is certainly a song that runs on emotion: there isn't as much virtuosity as in earlier on the album, but much more power, sustain, and repetition. My opinion on the lyrics is that they speak to not looking back on the past: “Pushing back walls, I swear they were my home; no, never once I crawled through that open door.” I definitely think there are other possible interpretations, but there's my two cents.

5. Dear Ivy (3:18) – Again we change pace, this time into a shout chorus. This track is a bit faster, using varying orchestration to great effect. It starts very thin, with synth and quiet, clean guitar in the beginning, building with each strain up until the first post-chorus with everyone firing on all cylinders. The vocal part also draws attention to itself with a lot of syncopation and pitch bending. As far as what's being expressed, it's about the things we do for love. Even when “everything's crazy,” there is just something about us as people that find infinite solace in love.

6. Rain Fall (5:32) – Here's a track that's actually akin to Bush in the writing, using Bouvier pretty scarcely, as well as the lower end of the guitar. At least it starts that way. When we get to the chorus SoV gives us that power ballad feeling again. Then there's a quite effective and gorgeous instrumental break starting about 2:15 or so; nothing flashy or loud, just mellow, pensive guitar-bass call and response type stuff. “Rain Fall” takes us back to one of those more serious topics, namely what do people think of us after we're gone? Is it like the rain falling? Does it just happen, people accept it, then move on?

7. Sweet Disarray (3:50) – This song is a bit lighter than we've heard before. The words aren't so much, but the writing definitely is. A little more open with the voicing, and a lot of guitar lines rather than chords, there is certainly an air of nimbleness with this one. As mentioned before though, “Sweet Disarray” is actually a bit of a downer. It comments on the dangers of avoiding life just to make sure nothing happens: “I don't want to fall in love, and have it slowly slip away.” Jasper notes that it's a terrible way to live life: “I don't want to run for cover; that would be insane.” But a lot of people do it in spite of what they know. And that's just no way to live life.

8. Sunday (3:27) – Here's on for those who know what it's like to have lost something. When something is gone, never to come back (especially a person we love(d)), not even time can fix it, like trying to find a butterfly you've seen before. It's kind of a somber way to end an album but I think it's fitting, kind of like one last warning to bring everything they've sung about together.

Like I said before, there's nothing that Saints of Valory does to push boundaries or limits; they just know what kind of music they want to play and then play it well. I wouldn't be surprised if, provided they get a little more publicity, this band goes places. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

New.Music.Now

Week 1 - Gracious Tide, Take Me Home

So my inaugural review is of the debut album "Gracious Tide, Take Me Home," recorded by Lanterns on the Lake. Hailing from near Newcastle upon Tyne (northeastern England, about 60 or so miles from the border into Scotland), LotL released Gracious Tide... on the Bella Union label, the same label that has brought us Explosions in the Sky and Fleet Foxes. The band is made up of Hazel Wilde (vocals, guitar); Paul Gregory (guitar, electronics); Ol Ketteringham (drums, piano); Sarah Kemp (violin); Adam Sykes (vocals, guitar); and Brendan Sykes (bass).

“Gracious Tide, Take Me Home” is a beautiful album, one that I will continue to listen to in its entirety (which is quite an achievement for a a debut album). Using variable orchestration and electronic sound, as well as their poetic lyrics, Lanterns have established themselves with a clearly defined voice that is all their own; at the same time they prove that they can write good music rather than the same song over and over again. The album as a whole has a very ambient, mellow feel, and is self-classified as “cinematic indie.” The genre fits well, as many of these songs are both wonderful to listen to while also being well-suited to blend in with the background should you find yourself in need of a calm, almost somber atmosphere.  You can find it online at:

Amazon
Spotify

Also available on iTunes.

Track Breakdown

Song of the Week: 6 – The Places We Call Home

1. Lungs Quicken (5:35) – The opening track to this album is actually a bit of a red herring. While a very good song, don't expect the style you're hearing to be the norm. Do, however, expect it to set the overall tone for the album, because it sets it up quite well. The story of the song can be summed up by its most repeated line: “Lungs, please breathe for me.” Despite everything that is happening around all of us, all the chaos and insanity, if you can just remember to breathe, it will all fall into place.

2. If I Have Been Unkind (4:48) – This is surely one of the more morose songs from this album. With a gypsy-style guitar accompaniment that is quite reminiscent of Iron & Wine, this track immediately gives us the sense of longing for something that has long since come and gone. The lyrics illustrate the work to which a person will go once they realize all that they have lost: “Well I looked almost everywhere; I sailed seas. You were never even there.” With both power and sorrow, I think it's clear why If I Have Been Unkind was one of LotL's premiere singles.

3. Keep On Trying (5:03) – Track 3 is hands-down a song that hinges itself, to great effect, on using a very limited amount of lyrics in favor of expressing a single plea (the opening chorus repeats itself a total of seven times with only two verses). Almost ethereally, it begins with an assortment of recorded sounds (a page turning, a chair scraping, creaking, etc.) that, as the volume builds, we realize is the pulse for a hybrid piece of both electronica and real instruments. The message though, is, in my opinion, the king of this song: things change and people change. On occasion, you'll have to do what's best for yourself; just remember where you come from, who your family is. And never give up.

4. Ships in the Rain (2:04) – Ships in the Rain is an absolutely gorgeous piece. Written with no rhythm section, not even the strumming of a guitar, it is a flowing, nearly seamless song. Even the vocals seem to stretch and pull, following the harmonic changes of the choir backing but not following any sincere beat. The poetry of this song is also beautiful. Inspired by stories of sailors lost at sea, this song imagines those sailor's dying thoughts: “But this cold black ocean will know that this sailor will never come home...Ships in the rain, I'll see you again.”

5. A Kingdom (4:14) – Praises be to the first upbeat song of the album. Not that the previous songs are bad by any means; if you've read my short descriptions of them you'll know I believe quite the contrary. However, it is nice to have some contrast to the gloomier themes of the earlier tracks. Also, I would urge you to listen to this consecutively with Ships in the Rain, as it is almost a continuation of the song. Some important things to note also is that in addition to being more chipper, in this particular song the music is just as important as the lyric, with the second half of the track being nothing but instrumental (and if you listen closely, the solo guitar outlines the main melody of the previous song). It's message is pretty simple in my opinion: Sometimes I'm going to need space to do my own thing, even if there are consequences. But trust me, because you know I'll always be back for you.

6. The Places We Call Home (6:14) – This is my favorite song of this album. It quickly establishes a joyful, kind of longing feeling in the introduction, almost like a lullaby. To compound this home-like feeling, well-suited to the track title, there is a beautiful English violin riff at the end of each verse. This song remembers a simpler time, full of innocence, “when we started to come alive. When the nights were long, when the fields rolled on.” Let it take you back to when you were young, and relish it's beauty.

7. Blanket of Leaves (3:28) – The mood instantly changes with Blanket of Leaves to more melancholy memories, from which, as the song tells us, “I can't hide. They turned me to stone...” Using orchestra bells, piano, and double-stop violin to great effect, this song speaks to those of us with a darker past, who have things they would maybe rather not remember.

8. Tricks (6:35) – With a long, ambiguous opening that goes into a both a drum style and a harmonic pattern that so far is unique on this album, Tricks immediately sets itself apart from the other tracks on Gracious Tide... It uses a musical style that we haven't really heard yet; a lot of pitch-bending and glissando, and a kind of power break we've only heard thus far in track 5. The lyrics also are different in this song: while they are still beautiful and poetic, there's not the kind of hard-hitting message like its predecessors. My apologies if you disagree, but the best I've got on this one is: things happen to everyone, but you've got to push on and make it your own.

9. You're Almost There (3:10) – This is another track that uses a lot of electronic sound in it, as well as piano. The piano in fact dominates, insomuch as to almost be more important than the lyrics. It asserts itself as the focal point from the beginning and remains that way all the way to the end. Word-wise it is a short song, with only two verses in total. I believe the “There” in the title to roughly translate to “Like Me.” Both verses seem to point to the singer looking at a person and knowing where they are, for they have been there themselves. It is definitely a more eerie song, but a good listen.

10. I Love You, Sleepyhead (5:41) – The orchestration for this song is very similar to the previous track: almost exclusively piano, with some violin in counterpoint to the vocals. There is a reason, though, that the opening is so thin-bodied; this track is a sad one for sure, and can be summed up by a single line: “You're just in time to save a life.” This song is a victory of sorts, and shares the experience of someone who has decided to stay. The whole last half of the song is a long crescendo, leading to a musical expression of that same thing...and how great that would be...

11. Not Going Back to the Harbour (1:13) – The final track of Gracious Tide, Take Me Home isn't what one might expect. It is a very open-ended song; I myself have several interpretations. The one I like the most is that one day the time will come to move on and not look back. Another is an urging to let some things go, to leave them on the rocks to be taken away by the tide. Listen to it and feel it for yourself.

Again, I have fallen in love with this album. I will admit, it's not for every occasion, and I'm sure listening to it too much will do some damage to the human psyche. However, each song does have its place, and when you find yourself in need of something, Gracious Tide... probably has a little bit of whatever it is. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

New.Music.Now