Nichelodeon – Il Gioco del Silenzio

Based around the compositions of singer Claudio Milano, Nichelodeon fits into a category all its own – avant-garde progressive opera. As the band’s first studio album (and follow-up to the live LP, Cinemanemico), Il Gioco del Silenzio (The Game of Silence) is a strange and hauntingly poetic piece. While the histrionic aspects aren’t for everyone, those who can appreciate it will discover a world of mysterious and beautiful music. Taken as a whole conceptual statement, it’s a masterpiece.

Milano has been gaining attention around Europe since 1997. His work has been presented amidst various artistic displays, such as dance, theatre, and short feature films. A few years ago, he assembled the first official formation of Nichelodeon for live performances (including the Cinemanemico release). In 2009, he turned his project into a workshop open to collaborators from the fields of improvisation, jazz, performance art, and the like. By February 2010, he had his new line-up and was ready to record Il Gioco del Silenzio.

The truly amazing thing about this album is how Nichelodeon combines the absurd and experimental with some very affective and engaging music. It’s got enough conventional structure to keep the listener intrigued while playing with dynamics and including plenty of weird sounds. “Fame” opens the album with a jazzy base, fancy piano work and danceable rhythms. Everything interacts underneath an ominous tone, an insinuation of evil underneath normality. It’s as if David Lynch produced Italian opera (which makes sense since Nichelodeon also released a companion DVD commemorating the anniversary of Twin Peaks).

“Fiaba” plays with intensity as it moves around a chilling riff (which is played on different instruments as the piece goes on). Various sound effects accompany what could easily be a lost soundtrack for a Dario Argento film. Perhaps the most arresting part of Il Gioco del Silenzio is the hammering of one note near the end of “Claustrofilia.” It acts as a troubling pavement for the rest of the music to walk on. These are only the first three tracks of Il Gioco del Silenzio; imagine how wonderfully original the entire piece is.

Throughout its seventy-eight minute duration, the album transverses across a spectrum of oddity, majesty, and hypnotic patterns, contemplating themes like heartache, fear and redemption, fluidly. Pure silence erupts into lushness and seemingly random fun synthesizes into finely tuned composition. An astounding amount of instruments and sound effects are utilized to bring this singular vision to life, and while it’s a lot to absorb in one sitting; it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Check out the video for “Fiaba” here.

The Duke Spirit – “Everybody’s Under Your Spell”

As a teaser for their new Kusama EP, to be released in the UK on January 31^st, The Duke Spirit (Liela Moss, vocals; Luke Ford, guitar; Toby Butler, guitar; Olly Betts, drums and percussion and Marc Sallis, bass guitar) released this little gem over the ‘net back in 2010. After the all-out rock ‘n’ roll of their last full-length release, Neptune, this track feels like a slight return to the more hard-edged, gritty Brit Pop sound that dominated on their first album, Cuts Across the Land. This is no bad thing.

“Everybody’s Under Your Spell” starts with an almost tribal drum pattern, pounding out like a heartbeat, before the full on assault of the first verse with wailing guitars and Liela Moss’s extraordinary voice, sultry and husky over everything, proclaiming; “I could pin a medal on you/I could pin a medal on you”. The chorus is a triumphant example of the type of fantastic rock hook you expect from The Duke Spirit, ushered in with a quick flourish on the bass guitar and then the epic crashing of cymbals and frantic guitars, as Moss wails; “Everybody’s under your spell/Everybody’s under your spell/I don’t think you would tell/But everybody’s under your spell”. This is a fast paced number, alive with the kind of rolling energy and momentum that was evident on tracks like “Send a Little Love Token” and “Lassoo” from Neptune. There’s a nice distorted guitar solo just before the last chorus; a splash of experimentation in what is essentially a well crafted, intensely catchy pop-rock number.

The quality of this track certainly bodes well for their EP release, and the energy and joy evident in the band’s performance on this recording gives us an exciting glimpse of what we can expect at their upcoming live UK shows.

Band website: http://www.thedukespirit.com/main.html

Label website: http://www.shangrilamusic.com/

Sam Moss – Eight Constructions

Berklee student and erstwhile Connecticut resident Sam Moss has been spinning out prolific levels of virtuosic instrumentals – 5 solo recordings in less than 3 years – since 2008. With the philosophy of a jazz musician and the technical mastery of John Fahey, Moss is as fine a candidate as anyone for becoming the steel-string acoustic guitar’s 21^st century torchbearer; hearing such spontaneous and frequently unvarnished compositions in a world powered by electronic instruments, digital add-ons, and Pro Tools software is truly a freeing enterprise.

2009’s The Moon Tears It Down was a tour de force for Moss and his principled aesthetics; all of its tracks were laid down with a single six-string and minimal overdubbing. The results were mesmerizing, as Moss deftly maneuvered around the fretboard with a flurry of movement so as to coalesce his bass lines, harmonies, and melodies in a simultaneous fashion. What the album lacked in textural nuance and variation, it made up for with technical astonishment and palpable ardor.

To kick off 2011, Moss has issued his follow-up statement to The Moon…, a tidy eight-song EP (or concise half hour LP, depending on your viewpoint) that finds him expanding his sonic palette, albeit slightly, with some 12-string guitar and banjo. With the exception of Jordan Fuller’s guest appearance on the saw, all of the instruments were once again performed exclusively by Moss without the use of any studio enhancements. The solitary and isolated moods of The Moon… remain largely intact here, with Moss doling out layers and layers of shimmering fretplay that are sometimes as ambient as they are hypnotic. The biggest detour, though, comes from an increased blues presence, with Moss going so far as to include a truncated rendition of Blind Willie Johnson’s Depression-era gospel tune, “Let Your Light Shine On Me” and two other songs that reference their old-timey influence in their titles.

The album’s first track is also its longest: a two-part creation that, visually, is as disparate as a Midwestern snowstorm and a Deep South heat wave. Titled “Improvisation/The First Time I Heard Kensington Blues,” the song begins with a series of gently rippling arpeggiations, allowing Moss to work his magic up and down the length of the guitar’s range. This eventually gives way to a more playful and prickly melody, where bagpipe-esque drones and fleeting encounters with chromatic intervals threaten to unravel an otherwise cheery affair.

Though he undoubtedly excels at the type of music that pairs urgency with introspection, the best moments on Eight Constructions come when Moss journeys into less familiar terrain. “John Henry” is a shockingly lethargic tune, where Moss’s uneasy bottleneck slide work and the lumbering tempo stand in stark contrast to the pulsating reveries of other tracks.  Truthfully, it’s ideal soundtrack material for any documentary that examines the decaying urban landscape of the American South. By way of juxtaposition, “New Shellac Blues” has Moss showing off some formidable lead guitar chops. As gratifying as it is to hear a bona fide solo, however, the track’s real apex comes in the homestretch when Moss begins to scrape, scratch, pound, and pummel his instrument with the sort of chaotic and cathartic intent that any fan of the blues would applaud for its rawness.

For a man who can so fluently fill up every iota of space with sound, Eight Construction’s greatest achievement might come at its close with “Empty Streets” – a song that captivates with its silence and rhythmic restraint. Like the Main St. of some American ghost town, there’s little movement, but maximum eeriness; in the case of Moss, it comes in the form of a sighing saw and the moaning bend of a solitary guitar string. Not impressive in its own rite, but deeply affecting when you consider what once was.

Sam Moss has not completely overhauled his sound or approach to songwriting, but Eight Constructions shows him taking the necessary steps to evolve as an artist.  At the very least, we should all continue to listen in awe as his fingers dance up and down the fretboard. When you then consider that the man also has an innate understanding of dynamic contrast, harmonic tension, and musical phrasing, it almost seems too good to be true.

New Album from Haroula Rose

These Open Roads is the full-length debut from singer-songwriter Haroula Rose. It was produced by Andy Lemaster (Bright Eyes, The Good Life, Now It’s Overhead, REM, Azure Ray, Conor Oberst) recorded in Athens, GA at Chase Park Transduction Studio and in Andy’s living room.

These Open Roads showcases Haroula’s richly melodic writing, deft guitar picking and lovely, dulcet vocals. Its  twelve tracks feature contributions from John Neff (Drive By Truckers, Japancakes) on pedal steel, Heather Macintosh (Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel), Brian Wright (Waco Tragedies), Blair Sinta (Damien Rice, Stevie Nicks, My Brightest Diamond, Annie Lennox) Jason Kanakis (Rachael Yamagata, Brett Dennen, Joshua Radin) Sad Brad Smith, Joseph Karnes (Jesca Hoop, John Cale), and Zac Rae (Pedestrian, Sara Lov, My Brightest Diamond) who co-produced and played on the track “Duluth,” a haunting rendition of the Mason Jennings tune, the only non-original on the album. In addition her friend Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, O+S, Art In Manila) appears providing additional vocals. Fink also connected her with multi-instrumentalist Andy Lemaster.

Rose grew up in Lincolnwood, Illinois, a town just outside of Chicago. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Haroula wound up spending nearly two years singing on commercials. Soon thereafter, Rose was awarded a Fulbright grant, and moved to Madrid, Spain to live and work. This experience became the basis for a sizable body of songs.

www.myspace.com/haroularose

Whalers-How the Ship Goes Down (EP)

“I Slept With Her, Too”, the lead track from Whalers’ debut EP How the Ship Goes Down, provides a near exact template of what you can expect from this Austin band. It’s simple swing beat and jangly guitar tone immediately reminds one of some kind of sixties band lost in time. A sweet melody, great vocals, and tongue in cheek lyrics are included as well. What makes the track, and by extension the entire EP, a success is in its simplicity. It provides more roll than rock, and there doesn’t appear to be a wasted note on it.

The band was formed in Austin, TX, a town known as a musical paradise of weirdness. But, honestly, the only weird thing about Whalers is their non-weirdness. Their ability to make simple, honest rock and roll without any pretension. Combine their lack of pretension with their musical acumen, and How the Ship Goes Down is an extremely enjoyable listen.

“Magic Trick” is the second track on the EP, and sounds similar to the first. A simple riff, a thudding bassline, and un-fussy drums abound. Gus Smalley’s vocals weave around the guitar and build to the cacophonous chorus. “Sunsets Suck” provides a bit of a respite. A  simple three chord balladesque track, that grows in its intensity as it wears on. Again, in the hands of a more pretentious band, the song could be overblown, but Whalers keep it simple, and it works. “Heatwave” is slower still, built around a circular guitar figure. “Take credit for the heatwave ‘cross the South” opens the song of regret. “You didn’t think we’d burn out so soon, did you?” Smalley sings, and you want to agree. “Sell Out” takes us back to the roll, with a swinging Black Crowes-ian riff, and echoes of My Morning Jacket. “Sell out, before you sell in/Your bound to be as fickle as the wind” is a great lyric, delivered with conviction.  “Eviction” opens with an acoustic strum, and then comes the beat from the sixties. All openness is presented here, with all kinds of room to breathe. “That Rabbit” is all reverb in the riff, and a truly a great finish. Here the band finds it in themselves to rawk out a bit, and it doesn’t feel out of place, one iota.

How the Ship Goes Down is immediate, and a grower all at once. Every time I listened to it, its simplicity remains appealing but there is plenty to discover in it. For a debut EP, it is remarkable that the band seems to  be completely and wholly comfortable in their own skin. Most bands would try to impress upon the listener a certain kind of heavy handed announcement of themselves. For Whalers, that’s not their style. And thank God for that.

Self Released

Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil

The one remaining constant in all of Deerhoof’s music is their unfailing ability in making tremendously stunning music with each and every album. Their sound is best described as experimental because of their multitude of styles and more so, their sometimes polarizing take on rock music. And although they’ve been one of the better bands in music for the past ten years, they always tended to be overlooked. Personal feelings aside, they’re a chief pioneer in combining clash and discord with happy-go-lucky melodies and a singer who is just as polarizing as the music is behind her; one things for sure, these aren’t indie rookies anymore. So while many continue to wonder in disarray, the aforementioned constant is once again present on their tenth studio album, Deerhoof vs. Evil.

The music on Offend Maggie stemmed around the guitar work of Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich and there were many songs that continued to cycle around the same melody through a few subtle adjustments. But there was always a hugeness to it that only Deerhoof could portray; the opening “The Tears and Music of Love” showcased yet another sound to their arsenal and by the time the entire music broke away, there was still a passionate band behind it all. On Deerhoof vs. Evil, the production instantly sparkles with a shiny glean and polished style. This time they open with “Qui Dorm, Només Somia” which focus the attention on glittered percussion and auxiliary, with a laid-back scattered rhythm. And for versatility, there’s a Spanish, flamenco guitar-like style on “No One Asked to Dance” and a mystical absorbance with Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals: it’s easy to simply get lost in the sheer beauty of the music.

It’s actually sort of difficult because when comparing this new studio album with any of their previous nine, one would get lost in even knowing where to begin. But music was never created to constantly be judged, valued and then put on a shelf to be left alone; no, like any other Deerhoof album, the prize comes through careful re-listens and loving it as its own standalone product. On “I Did Crimes for You,” the band builds a soaring chorus that finds Matsuzaki singing “I did crimes for you, they’re coming true” and in great fashion, it’s an uplifting moment. Sure, this was after a playful drum and guitar interplay that found Matsuzaki singing “Smash the windows!” but these kind of heartfelt trademarks are earnest and endearing.

Earlier on “Super Duper Rescue Heads!” the band stomps through a synth-heavy pasture of green grass with grinding guitars that still, forcefully slash away like before. Then on “Let’s Dance the Jet,” the drums and keyboards take over as they clash with a dissonant guitar through a rapid beat. There’s always a lot to ingest/digest with any Deerhoof album but like always, everything is diligently spread out through the album’s twelve songs.

Compared to the wild noise they made on albums like Milk Man and Reveille, Deerhoof vs. Evil is definitely a different kind of wild noise all on itself. Don’t expect the crazed madness of the former’s title track but don’t expect to be disappointed either. With a clean head, state of mind and open ears, Deerhoof’s music can latch onto anybody and never let go. The magical music they’re capable of is on full display with Deerhoof vs. Evil, in what makes yet another excellent album to add to their already stellar discography.

Polyvinyl

White Mountains – Wilderness

Ambient music doesn’t have to be wallpaper music. It doesn’t have to bore you when you pay attention to it. White Mountains must know this because the band pulls off some really fine stuff here when it’s not leaning too hard on its drum machine.

At its best, the album Wilderness approximates the organic tones and moods of Boards of Canada; “Fast River” could be mistaken for a lost BoC track, as could the fragile and lovely “Crystalline.” Other cuts veer more into the moody post-disco of Section 25 (without that band’s inviting vocals), to lesser effect. “Trails” and “Echo Lake” have the standard, driving 4/4 beat and electronic, metronomic click-click to keep their time, layering synth arpeggios and swelling chords all over them. Songs like these need an arc if they expect to keep a listener’s interest, and “Echo Lake” does have a little drama in it even if some of the others don’t engage the listener as much as occupy time. On “Sunshine,” the band has made a wonderful, swirling stab at the engaging side of ambient, and it’s only the harshness of the first half’s beatbox that diminishes the overall effect.

On the spacious, rhythmless ambient tracks, White Mountains shows a flair for capturing mood that’s hard to achieve. On the more beat-driven tracks, the band tends to succumb to the less inspiring and more ordinary formulae found in the genre. The 1:25 of “Bells” alone shows what the band can do with the simplest of arrangements, and here’s to hoping that more of those kinds of songs make it onto the next record.

Interview with Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One)

While multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen may best be known for Ayreon, it is merely one of his many projects. Aiming for a heavier, guitar focused aesthetic, Star One released its first album, Space Metal, eight years ago. The follow-up, Victims of the Modern Age, has already received massive acclaim. DOA’s Jordan Blum recently spoke to the man behind it all about, well, it all.

What made you decide to do another Star One album?

As always it was a reaction to the previous album, in this case the relatively atmospheric Guilt Machine album. I felt like making a metal album again based on guitar riffs, and that automatically leads me to my metal project Star One.

What’s the concept for this one? Is it related to the first one?

Yes, like on the first album all the lyrics are based on sci-fi movies. Only this time they are based on the more darker dystopian and post-apocalyptic movies like The Matrix and Blade Runner, while on Space Metal all the lyrics were based on movies set in space.

Are you using the same musicians as last time?

Yes, they are simple the best in what they do and they can’t be replaced!

What is your songwriting process? Lyrics, melody, music?

Always the music first, and then I let the music inspire me to come up with lyrics, a story or in the case of Star One: the movies. Most of the Star One songs are based on guitar riffs, contrary to Ayreon where the songs are based on melodies or chord sequences.

Because most of your projects involve you writing the album and bringing in guests to perform it, I wonder how Star One differs from your other projects? Is it your most guitar driven one?

I call Ayreon my mother ship, it contains all the styles of music that I like; prog, metal, folk, electronic, psychedelic, classic rock etc. After each Ayreon album I feel like focusing on one of these styles. Star One is obviously based on the metal side of Ayreon.

What’s your favorite Ayreon album?

Into the Electric Castle, Human Equation and the Dream Sequencer.

What’s the basic storyline for Ayreon and how do they all connect?

Humans are basically an experiment of an aquatic race called Forever who have lost their emotions. They peopled the Earth with their DNA in order to create a new race that will rekindle their lost emotions.

Is it true that Actual Fantasy does not have a story to it (like the rest do)?

Yes, although some of the songs like “Back on Planet Earth” are part of the whole concept after all.

Why was Universal Migrator broken into two parts? Was that intentional?

I felt like doing a heavy album and an atmospheric album. In Ayreon there always has to be a balance, so I released them simultaneously. I thought that the fans who prefer the metal side of Ayreon would enjoy that, and vice versa. But in the end people bought them both, so it would have been better to release it as a double album, or maybe even to mix the songs.

The Human Equation seems to be the most theatrical and narrative based, as well as perhaps the most musically diverse (it feels like it crosses more genres). Where did the idea for that come from?

I don’t think Human Equation really is an exception, album like Electric Castle feature a lot of different styles as well. I’ve got a wide taste in music myself, and I never expected other people to enjoy the wide range of styles!

O1011001 seems like it is the final chapter in the story? Is that true?

Yes, that it true. I felt that the story became a bit too complicated and I didn’t want to alienate people from my work. The final conclusion to the story can be found on the Timeline album with the track “The Memory Remains”.

Are you planning to do another Guilt Machine album?

I never really plan ahead very far. Often I don’t even know what my next project will be, I always let my inspiration guide me into the next project. That way I don’t limit myself. I would love to do another Guilt Machine album one fine day though, I’m very proud of that album.

How do you go about picking your musicians and singers for an album?

I listen to a lot of music, I always want to stay updated about what’s happening. If a singer gives me goose bumps, I write down his/her name. When I start the next album I have a list of about 50 singers and I invite the ones who fit the project/story/music.

Who are some musicians and singers you haven’t worked with yet that you’d like to? Or if you’ve worked with them already but wanted to work with them again?

The list is endless! Basically all those great singers whom I grew up listening to, like Robert Plant, Alice Cooper, Geddy Lee, David Gilmour, etc. And yes, there are definitely a lot of musicians I want to work with again. I’ve worked with over 200 musicians now, so there would be too many too mention!

Any plans to bring Star One on tour in the US?

No definite plans to tour at all, but it is an option because all the musicians would love to do it. But it would be very difficult, time-consuming and expensive to get these 10 musicians from all over the world who all have their own bands and projects together for rehearsals and a tour.

What’s next for you? Have you begun writing the next Ayreon album, for example?

I’m sure that one fine day I’ll have the inspiration to do another Ayreon! But I really have to be ready for it, I want it to sound fresh and to have a new story. That time hasn’t come yet..Next up is the solo album that I’ve been promising myself for the last 10 years now. I’m really looking forward to that one, it’s a new challenge…can I do it all on my own?

I know you play many instruments but which would you say is your primary one?

My primary one would be the guitar, because that’s what I use to compose. And it was also my first instrument.

Where do you get the ideas for your concepts? You seem to live Sci-fi tales of conflict and conquest.

I get a lot of inspiration from science itself. I love turn science fact into science fiction.

What music are you listening to now?

Different music every day. Sometimes to 70’s music with a fan’s ears, and to new music with a musician’s ears.

Who influenced you growing up and even now?

The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Ritchie Blackmore, Alice Cooper…again…the list is endless!

Ha I love all those guys too. Well Arjen, this has been a great conversation and a great opportunity for me. I love your work and it was an honor speaking with you. I can’t wait to hear what you do next.

Thanks Jordan. It was fun.

Check out my retrospective on The Human Equation here.

Teddy Presberg – Outcries from a Sea of Red

People who like their improvisatory music a little edgier than Spyro Gyra and a tad less avant-garde than Mededski, Martin, & Wood are bound to find contentment in the psychedelic jazz of St. Louis guitarist Teddy Presberg.  Though his six-string technique has all the underpinnings of vintage soul and blues music, Presberg is not the slightest bit reticent when it comes to his love of electronics and digital manipulation; phasing, flanging, and filtering effects are employed all over his most recent record, Outcries from a Sea of Red, and two subsequent remixed versions of the LP have emerged with contributions from artists such as Atfunk and Quasamodo.

Of its 16 tracks, Outcries leans heavily on midtempo and slowburning funk grooves that afford Presberg and his band plenty of space to roam.  Rather than fill every passing beat with a squall of notes though, the musicians take a page from the Miles Davis playbook and allow the silence to speak volumes.  It’s a minimalist approach that dials down any sense of catharsis or aggression, meaning that comparisons with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flying Lotus, and – it’s true – KMFDM are fleeting at best.

Opening track “$4/gal” sets the tone for the album with a mellow jazz-funk groove and the clarion call of Presberg’s guitar melodies.  Around the midway point, the band temporarily picks up a more urgent pace and Presberg obliges with a commanding display of metal virtuosity that Dave Navarro might’ve attempted in his Jane’s Addiction days.  “Beyond Busted” throws down a similar gauntlet, though this time the guitar playing – with all of its moaning bends and sweet sustain – more directly references David Gilmour and even B.B. King.

Though he’s exceptionally gifted with hip-shaking funk jams, Presberg’s songwriting prowess is more engaging when he steps outside of his comfort zone.  “Timebomb” juxtaposes a brooding minor-key blues progression with digital embellishments and a glammed-up bridge section.  “Nancy” channels a dub/reggae vibe that instantly recalls images of sun-soaked beach parties.  The titular track comes off like a modern send up of something Dave Brubeck could’ve conjured on his 1959 Time Out record; the tune is set in a brisk 5/4 time signature with impressively dexterous drum breaks throughout.  But where Brubeck would’ve brought the piano to the fore, Presberg’s composition favors glitchy electronics and envelope filter effects.

While a majority of the LP sticks devotedly to a psychedelic/jazz/funk hybrid, Presberg’s most impressive turns are – ironically enough – on the filler tracks, which occupy nearly 30% of the record.  Labeling something as “filler” usually indicates something worth avoiding altogether, but in the case of Presberg, the only qualifier for such a tag comes from the length – not fully realized ideas that come to pass in less than 2 minutes.  “Free Love Redux” could function as background ambience in some chic designer clothing store at the galleria, while “Cornbread Middle West” feels like it was plucked from some abandoned T-Bone Burnett project.  The best of these little gems however, is “Passion,” which finds Presburg working a chain gang vibe with kitchen sink percussion, slide guitar, and blues hollerin’.  Too bad it’s all over in just 70 seconds.

Some of the other tracks on Outcries do feel admittedly overlong, but Teddy Presberg’s adroit guitar playing and unpretentious songwriting make for a winning combination.  It also doesn’t hurt that most of the album is undeniably danceable; his website claims him the creator of “jazz for dancers and lovers,” and on this promise, Presberg undoubtedly succeeds.

Pure Reason Revolution – Amor Vincit Omnia

So sue me, I’m a completist.  I’ve recently reviewed Pure Reason Revolution’s latest release Hammer and Anvil and I know there’s a review of their debut The Dark Third kicking around on here somewhere. My fingers have been practically itching with obsessive compulsive excitement to start writing something about the band’s second album, Amor Vincit Omnia, for a long time and, at last, with this retrospective review, I’m finally going to scratch that itch. On their latest release, Pure Reason Revolution (Jon Courtney, vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming: Chloe Alper, vocals, keyboards, bass: Jamie Wilcox, guitars, keyboards, vocals and Paul Glover, drums) gave us contemporary electro –tinged rock music with a harder, more aggressive edge than anything that had come before, whilst maintaining their reputation for excellent song-writing, breathtaking lyrics, beautiful vocal harmonies and killer riffage.  On Amor Vincit Omnia all the signs of what would eventually come on their third album are evident, particularly on tracks like “Deus Ex Machina” and “Victorious Cupid”; edgier songs with blistering hooks and unforgettable riffs that practically lacerate themselves into your memory.  However,

Album opener “Les Malheurs” kicks in with a conventional sounding dance drumbeat, layered over with skittering electronics which eventually build before the chorus to a filthy sounding, bass heavy rumble from their synths.  The lyrics of the chorus itself are wonderfully dirty, with fantastical imagery being used to convey a more tangible earthly quandary about the mistakes made in the name of lust: ‘And sing my love muse, deep breaths of heaven, kissed by goblins, ghosts and licked by devils’ hands’, whilst Alper sings a complex harmony underneath, the lyrics of which appear to be, ‘I conceal it under your skin/Yeah, I’m kneeling under you/Every way we lose so give in.’ Interestingly, the instrumentation on the chorus itself is fairly sparse, with the drums driving the momentum forward whilst the interweaving vocals of Alper and Courtney carry the listener back towards the unquestionably danceable verses.  As with many of the tracks on this album there is a gentler sounding section towards the end of the song, further showcasing the incredible vocal harmonies this band excel at. This track ends with the melancholy sounding lyrics, ‘It seemed enough for you though I never levelled, kiss these old burns and God knows I’ve missed your love/ And sing malheur muse keep a place in heaven, all these lost words and God knows I’ve missed your love’, lilting over beautiful piano sounds before building again to a variation on the intro.

“Victorious Cupid” is heavier, and has a more immediate impact, starting with the rumbling of keys building towards a crescendo and the faint, chanting of what seems to be ‘killed, crossed, half dead in love’. As it builds towards the one minute mark it becomes more urgent, with the vocals demanding to know, ‘did you feel loved, really loved? Ever loved?’ twice before the song swoops into a frantic, guitar driven riff which then stays with us for the majority of the song, pushing along relentlessly to the climactic ending. Around the two minute mark we get six lines beginning with a refrain of, ‘And if we die like this right now…’, switching between Courtney and Alper with dizzying speed, neither missing a beat and the last of these lines plunges us into the midst of a furious, chaotic riff which almost burns itself onto your eardrums.

“Apogee/Requiem for the Lovers” is a close second in the running for my favourite track on this album. It’s a quieter, bitter sounding number with some truly disturbing lyrics, making me think of the tragedy and horror of unrequited love at its most violently destructive.  Starting with the sinister, ‘I’ve gone too far, she’s the apogee of my love/I’ve gone too far, she’s the apogee” over almost jaunty sounding electronic pizzicato string sounds this grows to a resoundingly beautiful, melancholic chorus: ‘All I want is you, decide your lust/ And all eyes drawn to you, consumed and numb/ All I want is you; the kiss turns the curse/ And all eyes drawn to you, and innocence numbed’. The thing is, if you didn’t listen to the lyrics too closely, the chorus, musically anyway, with its wonderful, swelling vocals sounds very sweet and earnest. The lyrics make it much creepier though; the love being expressed is certainly earnest, but in a very, very unhealthy kind of way.

“Apogee” leads directly into stand-out track “Deus Ex Machina”, with its grinding, bass driven riff kicking in instantaneously and growing into the sliding, sinuously rhythmic driving force over which Courtney spits his vitriolic first verse: ‘She didn’t wanna know/She fucking never know/She told him lies and raised the deus ex machina/ She didn’t wanna know, said she could never grow/She sold demise and raised the child a would believer’.  After this the electronic elements are replaced for a moment by a crisp, brutal guitar riff, which leads into a celestial sounding chorus: ‘Did you feel love? Did you ever burn Avalon?/ A taste of real blood to numb the lovers [...] Now take your woes to the altar and sing dead praise’.  Although this is a fantastic song, which I defy you not to at least bob your head to, it is the excellent vocal harmonies which raise this song above being simply an excellent Nine Inch Nails-esque accompaniment to head banging.  In fact, in general, it is the complexity and the perfect blending of a distinctive, idiosyncratic voice (Courtney) with Alper’s accomplished, almost classically polished delivery which makes this band something very special indeed.

The final track, simply named “Avo”, starts off with a twinkling, magical piano part. The vocal take at the beginning sounds far away, instilling the song with a dream like quality from the get go. Again here the instrumentation is sparse; piano and string-like keyboard sounds. It is the voice which is the primary instrument here, and each member of the band is a virtuoso. This is never made clearer on this album than in the magnificently layered chanting of, ‘Amor, amor vincit omnia/ Amor, amor vincit omnia’, starting around the two and a half minute mark and continuing over relentlessly swelling instrumentation, finally dying away at the end of this breathtakingly beautiful and well-crafted song .

Overall then, this is the second excellent offering from a band who have thus far produced three extraordinary and diverse full length albums, each held together by the band members’ individual talents and their ability to use each to excellent effect. On Amor Vincit Omnia Pure Reason Revolution really play to their strengths and stunningly highlight the qualities that separate them from their contemporaries; namely their talent for vocal harmony, their flawless fusing of electronic and alternative rock elements and their courage in crafting unusual, musically complex, yet astonishingly catchy songs.

Band website: www.myspace.com/purereasonrevolution

Label website: http://superballmusic.com/

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