Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

RIDDLE THE SPHINX – Professional Pretender

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Riddle The Sphinx, a Los Angeles piano-based trio, have been given various press accolades for their previous works, with words like “enchanting” often used.  Listening to their 2012 full length ‘Professional Pretender’, it’s hard not to argue that their piano/bass/percussion combination – topped with sweeping twin harmonies from the band’s two female voices – has a certain enchanting quality.  They have also been praised for their originality.  Here, such claims are rather more grand, since if you’ve heard the first two or three albums by Tori Amos, some of the structures from RTS’s work will be more than familiar.  That’s not saying these songs don’t have a huge appeal, since ‘Professional Pretender’s material is still well arranged and superbly played, but to claim any huge amount of originality within this trio’s chosen musical field would be a stretch.

Opening with some severely bouncy pianos – the like which would adorn a typical upbeat Ben Folds composition – in ‘Hey You’, the album starts incredibly strongly.  Don’t look for anything too deep, though: the piano lines may bring a touch of Folds’s goodness, but lyrically Riddle The Sphinx lack that sneering and occasionally spiteful edge which adorns most of Folds’s best outings.  Vocally, there’s a similar breezy approach, and it’s one which suits the musical backdrop greatly.  There are harmony vocals to thicken the already intricate arrangement out farther, but unlike Sharks Took The Rest – for example – these aren’t quite as in your face as you might expect. The chorus itself could be considered throwaway, since relies heavily of the repetition of “hey you”; however, due to the complex nature of the overall arrangement, RTS pulls off such lyrical simplicity thus creating an opening number which suggests further listening would be time well spent.

Still pushing the piano and vocal to the fore, comparisons with a couple of Tori Amos’s earlier compositions cannot be avoided during the title cut.  That’s not to say there’s any direct lifting going on – none at all – but the stabbing pianos and slightly off-kilter time signature, coupled with a selection of reverbed guitars, makes the overall affair sound as if it may fit rather well among choice material from Amos’s ‘Boys For Pele’ period.  As with ‘Hey You’, Christiane Cargill Kinney’s lead voice commands attention with its effortless and breathy delivery.  ‘Master Plan’ brings elements of both tracks together, as Christiane’s voice adopts a sweeping majesty across sparse verses, before the rest of the band chime in for a bigger, somewhat quirkier chorus.  The instant likeability of ‘Hey You’ appears somewhat distant here, and perhaps more could be made of the upbeat chorus, but the blanding of voices with staccato guitar lines provides interesting results.   Also interesting, ‘One Man Band’ has a main structure based around a waltzing time signature played on the piano, while the percussion teeters upon Eastern themes, tinkering with sounds that are almost tabla-like, punctuated by a heavier use of cymbals than most of the other tracks.  As with RTS’s best numbers, though, it’s the harmonies between Kinney and Burgundy Morgan which hold the attention throughout.

As with any piano-based work, there are softer tracks where the sweeping keys are presented in a solitary manner.  On ‘I See You In Everyone’, Riddle The Sphinx are strong in such a stark arrangement.  While the piano is smooth – it’s gentle approach more than reminiscent of a Sarah McLachlan ballad or half of Tori Amos’s ‘Under the Pink’ – it’s the vocal harmonies which, again, have the strongest presence.  It may seem that Tori Amos provides a quick get out when deconstructing RTS’s sound, but occasionally it’s just inescapable: ‘Keep On Walking’ – as great as it may be – appears to shamelessly borrow most of its musical inspiration from Amos’s own ‘Cornflake Girl’ and ‘Happy Phantom’.  There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, and RTS sound like they’re having a great time (as you will listening, if this kind of thing is your bag).  If the band is going to be inspired, it makes sense to be inspired by one of the best piano-based artists working in a similar field…

Overall, ‘Professional Pretender’ is home to eleven well-crafted songs.  RTS don’t always mask their influences as much as they perhaps could, but it doesn’t make what they do any less enjoyable (although some of your more hardcore Tori Amos fans may argue…)  The arrangements are mostly spot on and the harmonies are glossy and especially tight. If you have a liking for piano based pop with a quasi-orchestral feel it’s an album which ought to appeal, especially if you’re able to enjoy at face value and not analyse it too deeply.

February/March 2012

SUNSTORM – Emotional Fire

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With two highly recommended albums under their collective belt already, Sunstorm’s third release is a cut above most twenty-first century melodic rock releases.  With a selection of well-chosen numbers written by well-known melodic rock songwriters from the 80s and beyond, this disc is a sharp reminder of how, when done absolutely right, the melodic rock subgenre can still thrill.   Despite being slightly marred by a woolly production sound,  ‘Emotional Fire’ is barely out of the starting blocks before it adopts a stance which harks back to classic 80s melodic rock – but perhaps just as importantly – delivered with the kind of enthusiasm such a release deserves.  ‘Never Give Up’ sets a fantastic tone for the disc. A fast paced romp straight out of an AOR past, Dennis Ward’s pumping bass coupled with a strong chorus would be enough to make it a more than creditable opening statement, but Sunstorm take things a step further… This well crafted tune is bolstered by some absolutely wonderful guitar work and an equally good vocal outing from the legendary Joe Lynn Turner.  The solos feature a selection amount of arpeggios throughout – though resting just on the side of good taste – while the blankets of keyboards are laid on thickly, adding to the track’s very full-on sound.

‘Wish You Were’ here – a mid-paced stomper, written by Xorigin’s Daniel Palmquist – is a superb number, with an almost perfect blend of choppy guitar chords and bell-like keyboard accompaniment.  Throughout the track, Turner offers another terrific performance, but it’s on a superbly memorable chorus he really comes into his own.  While few would deny the song’s tried and tested formula, it would take a very harsh critic to not enjoy its qualities.  The upbeat ‘Follow Your Heart’ (one of three numbers penned by songwriter Sören Kronqvist) begins with huge amounts of keyboards which, once again, present themselves in a very 80s bell-sounding way, which is clearly a knowing wink to the 80s from Justin Dakey; if you want a decent retro sound, those kinds of keys are the only way to go.  With another harmony filled chorus backed by an incredibly bouncy arrangement, Sunstorm take us back through their musical time machine back to the glory days of 1986. At a time where various band sound like they just going through the motions, Sunstorm make it all sound so easy.  With a slightly chuggy riff and dirty toned guitar solo, ‘Torn in Half’ showcases Sunstorm’s (slightly) harder edges, but there are so many keyboards and vocal harmonies on show, it’s still hugely melodic.  As with so much of the material here, JLT reinforces his position as one of melodic rock’s finest voices; a voice which, when backed by half of Pink Cream 69, sounds as good as ever.  …And on a release as consistent as this, any of his previous career misfires can be easily forgiven.

That handful of songs would be enough alone to ensure ‘Emotional Fire’ a worthy addition to the band’s catalogue, but it’s the three best-known compositions which pushes things up to almost classic status. This time around Sunstorm tackle a few tracks which are possibly already ingrained upon most AOR fans’ collective consciousness: ‘Gina’ [as featured on Michael Bolton’s ‘The Hunger’ – his last half-credible release before old “Two Haircuts” became the housewives’ favourite with his increasingly limp outings] and a couple of choice cuts from Cher’s ‘Heart of Stone’, namely ‘Emotional Fire’ and the terrific ‘You Wouldn’t Know Love’.  Turner appeared on the original Bolton and Cher recordings as backing vocalist, but the opportunity to hear him sing lead on these well-worn tunes is a welcome one indeed.  As one of classic rock’s most enduring voices, Turner absolutely hits the spot on these as you may expect, but Sunstorm’s recording of ‘You Wouldn’t Know Love’ is particularly superb.  Turner’s strong vocal style plus an incredibly professional band of musicians combined with the award-winning pen of Diane Warren is a killer combination.  Make no mistake, it is gold standard AOR, as well as a timely reminder that Cher’s ‘Heart of Stone’ has worn rather well over the passing years.  ‘Gina’, too, is recommended listening, since Sunstorm take an opportunity to approach the song in a slightly tougher style than the Bolton recording from 1987, resulting in a track which sounds like it was tailor made for them.

The only potential weak link here is the closing number, ‘All I Am’, a track featuring a writing credit from Isabell Oversveen.  Although this power ballad has not been recorded by Issa herself at this time, it’s easy to imagine the Scandinavian songstress wrapping her vocal chords around the material.  The result isn’t quite so great for Turner, however.  On this track, poor Joe sounds like he’s reaching a little too far to achieve the required levels of emotion, resulting in a performance that sounds a touch uncomfortable, and certainly not up to the standard of the other ten tracks.  Musically, it’s all solid fare though, as you would expect, with Uwe Reitenauer laying down some rather tasty guitar work.

So, yeah, you’ll have heard it all before, but with so many bands and artists churning out second division albums on what appears to be little more than a factory production line – a lot of which are destined to get forgotten in the mists of time – it’s thrilling when a potential classic is released. ‘Emotional Fire’ is such a release.  Sure, the production should have been slightly sharper, but the material is top drawer stuff.

You need a copy of this album for a variety of reasons: (1) it ranks alongside Rainbow’s ‘Difficult To Cure’, Yngwie Malmsteen’s ‘Odyssey’ and his own ‘Rescue You’ as a career highpoint for Joe Lynn Turner; (2)  the versions of the Cher classics are marvellous and (3) it represents almost every reason you still love an often derided rock subgenre (it’s lacking production by Mike Slamer and/or a mix by the “hand of death” Neil Kernon, but you can’t have everything, as they say).   Honestly, go and buy this album; it’s one you just can’t afford to miss.

February 2012

ORIGAMI HOLOGRAM – Bats In The Attic EP

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Between 2008 and 2010, Justin Kline released two fantastic power pop EPs.  Two songs from his second release, ‘Triangle’, were originally intended to appear on a full length album, but disaster struck… Kline’s studio was broken into, resulting in the theft of various tapes.  Not to be deterred, he took a couple of demos and paired them with two finished recordings and released ‘Triangle’ as a stopgap.

Many would have predicted Kline’s next move would be to record his first full length, but at the beginning of 2012 he returned with yet another EP release.  Third time out, instead of treading a familiar path, Kline is fronting a band and has moved on from the pure power pop of his past works.  Origami Hologram still features Kline’s high-pitched vocal at the core of their sound, but the shiny, multi layered pop of his previous EPs has moved aside in favour of some rather fuzzy rock backdrops.  Whereas previously influences from Jellyfish and ELO were very much obvious, for Origami Hologram, Kline chooses to explore the kind of sounds one may find on various releases by The Posies or The Wannadies in their harder musical guises.  In terms of career shift, the difference isn’t as vast, for example, as the distinct polar opposites of Million Dead and their one-time frontman Frank Turner’s solo career.  For this band, the poppy hooks are still (mostly) present and correct as is Kline’s previous sense of style – it’s just that the more obvious melodies are obscured by layers of slight distortion and a fair amount of overdrive.

The title track begins with a piercing piece of distorted guitar, before the band crash into a simple piece of rock which features as many features from early 80s post punk and new wave as it does from either the power pop or alternative rock fields.  To be honest, the music itself isn’t always that special at first: the drums pound in a fashion which is often reminiscent of something about to break into the “Munsters” theme, while the guitars continue on their merry path of attempting to mask the melodies.  It’s not until the chorus kicks in things actually start to fall into place.  Despite a semi-chaotic sound, Kline’s gift for a melodic hook manages to shine through, hinting at something which potentially sounded better before the layers of guitars took over.  Similarly, ‘Cat Fight’ brings little enjoyment on the first few listens.  The dominant guitars really hamper the vocals on this track.  Being rather empty and repetitive, it’s not Kline’s best composition, but it comes with the kind of riff that potentially has a lot of energy.  On its own, that’s not quite enough, but just as you’re just about to write it off, with its parting shot – comprising a bunch of “na na’s” – Kline knows he can reel you in.  You might be fighting it, but he’s going to get you eventually.

On the more accessible side, ‘Orange Tree’ and ‘Ghost Horse’ offer more than enough musical thrills to make this release worth adding to your collection.  The bouncy ‘Orange Tree’ is a particular highlight, showcasing some great fuzzy bass throughout.  That bass has sharp guitar chords as a musical counterpart, and while basic, everything fits well.  The end result is a piece of music which sounds not unlike Brendan Benson in an aggressive mood; overall, a style which fits Kline’s vocal style much better than some of Origami Holograms other arrangements.  ‘Ghost Horse’ is rhythmically sharp in an almost new wave style, once again.  The riffs are strong, the chorus and harmonies stronger.  Of the four tracks presented here, this owes far more to Kline’s solo outings, as the chorus and melodies are just so much more obvious, even from the off.  At just over three minutes, it’s in and out with absolutely no padding, with everyone sounding pretty tight.   “Is that all right?” asks a voice at the end of the take, as if the band slyly realise this track is their shining moment on this first release…

If you’re familiar with Kline’s poppier releases, this debut by Origami Hologram may not strike a chord with you at first, but eventually ‘Ghost Horse’ and ‘Orange Tree’ should win you over at the very least. While in the long term, you may not choose to pull this from your collection of mp3s perhaps as often as Kline’s wonderful ‘Six Songs’ debut, it still has plenty of merit.  And since it’s also available for free via the widget below, you’d all be fools to miss out.  Just make sure you check out Justin Kline’s solo work too.

February 2012

GREYBOY ALLSTARS – What Happened To Television?

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This third studio set from The Greyboy Allstars is a gem.  DJ Greyboy and his collective give you eleven slabs of acid jazz and funk of a timeless quality.  Meshing the late sixties chic of James Brown, with a dash of seventies attitude and the nineties revivalism of Brand New Heavies and Galliano, ‘What Happened To Television?’ is an album that’s near impossible to dislike.

The title cut demonstrates everything that’s great about Greyboy and his all-star crew, hitting a groove which feels like classic late 60s funk, but beneath that, often has a playfulness evoking the quirks of 1970s incidental music from Sesame Street.  While the drum lays a more than pleasing easy shuffle incut with busy fills, and the Grant Green inspired guitar leads carry most of the tune, Robert Walter’s organ contributions shouldn’t be overlooked.  Beneath the more obvious elements, he’s there almost permanently beneath everything laying down some solid foundations with his Hammond. ‘Left Coast Boogaloo’ is equally tight.  A jazzy guitar groove from Elgin Park paves the way for some excellent interplay between Walter and Karl Denson on sax.  It’s a little softer all round than ‘Whatever Happened To TV?’, though still far too busy to ever be lumped in with any lounge jazz, despite the fluid smoothness of the brass elements.  The over-riding feel is that of a fantastic acid jazz band.  The guitars lean towards more muted chords and wah-wah pedals, but the brass and organ more than fill the arrangement, never faltering.  That’s not to say the piece doesn’t give Park much to do – his featured solo is just as superb as his playing had been on the title cut.

‘Still Waiting’ really hits the mark, and with its use of Marva Whitney/James Brown styled beats, it’s a number which refuses to let the listener go from the outset.  Here, with tight rhythms, courtesy of drummer Zak Najor and bassist Chris Stillwell – coupled with more excellent Hammond B-3 work – that The Allstars really hit their stride.  The addition of a vocal gives The Allstars an extra dimension, but it’s not essential; this hard-edged tune could have provided as many thrills as an instrumental workout.  Better still is the fantastically busy ‘Old School Cylons’ which marries hard beats and a little DJ scratching with classic sounding acid jazz flutes and funk drumming to create something which could have been lifted from Jamiroquai’s ‘Return of The Space Cowboy’ release.  If you’re into either the more jam-oriented side of acid jams or have a passing fancy for those Beastie Boys funk instrumentals, chances are you’ll love this.  Topped off with a busy flute solo, it’s one of the album’s real winners.

For harder old-school funk, ‘Knowledge Room’ has fewer smooth edges.  Its hard drumming brings some very off kilter rhythms against which Walter channels jazz organ greats of the sixties.  Once again, Denson’s flutes take a somewhat dominant role, managing to blend their soft, effortless patterns against drumming which can, at times, be pretty intrusive.  These hard edges – at times bording on a jazz rock freakout – naturally work better once the sax steps into the spotlight.  The brass wanders a fine line between improvisation and pre-planned playing, lending an atmosphere reminiscent of Herbie Hancock’s 1967 jazz-fusion masterpiece ‘Fat Albert Rotunda’.    Similarly in the old-school, the bones of ‘V Neck Sweater’ showcase a love for James Brown, featuring a sassy organ line, some very rhythmic guitars and a rousing voice which calls to the crowd.  Throw in some parpy baritone saxes – and a rather parpier solo – and you have a track that’s lots of fun and always expertly delivered, even if it doesn’t always equal the Allstars at their compositional best.

Although throughout most of this disc Elgin Park’s guitar work moves between Grant Green-esque softness and just plain understated, for ‘Back In The Game’ he gets a little more time in the spotlight and turns in a very commendable guitar solo, slightly more angular than his playing elsewhere.  Despite this, it’s both Walter and Denson which appear to drive the piece, exchanging riffs which are simple, but totally right for the mood.  Across five minutes, this track rarely breaks from its initial groove, but the organ flourishes and occasional flute loops maintain listener interest with such ease.  While there’s a huge array of talent on show within Greyboy’s chosen Allstars, in many ways both Walter and Denson are the real stars of this album.

Midway through the disc, the band launch into a cover of jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson’s ‘How Glad I Am’ featuring three-part harmony vocals supplied by Eleni Mandell, Inara George [of The Bird and The Bee] and Becky George [of Lavender Diamond].  The older style jazz doesn’t appear to blend in with the other chosen tunes on first listening, but subsequent spins prove this to have plenty of charm.  The harmonies aren’t always as smooth as they could have been, largely due to Mandell having such a distinctive tone – one which doesn’t blend well with others – but despite this, it’s still fun.  Musically, the band appears more than up to the task, with Zak Najor’s drums taking the lead.

Released almost a decade after ‘A Town Called Earth’, this really raises the bar in comparison to the Allstars’ previous couple of outings and marks a more than welcome return.  With nothing which could be remotely considered filler material, fans of funk – particularly those keen on stuff with acid jazz leanings – will find this an indispensible disc.

January 2010/December 2011

HUMAN TEMPLE – Halfway To Heartache

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Human Temple’s debut album ‘Insomnia’ was released back in 2004 via the now defunct European melodic rock label MTM Records.  It took the band another six years to follow the release, by which time the band had secured a place among the roster at Escape Music, a UK independent label with a similar outlook to that of MTM.  With that second album, the Finnish rock band achieved a small amount of cult success and good reviews.  This was seemingly enough for Escape to consider it worthwhile releasing their third outing, 2012’s ‘Halfway to Heartache’.

A huge intro opening the album suggests Human Temple believe this third album to be something special.  By the time that intro – all militaristic beats, riffing guitars and sirens – subsides, ‘I Will Follow’ becomes a reasonable, expertly played – though not especially groundbreaking – slice of Scandinavian hard rock.  It’s not of the “jaw-droppingly special” variety, but in reality – at least for what it does – it’s really not bad either.  The riffs are hard edged yet surprisingly melodic, while the lead fills are twiddly (technical term) without being overtly showy.  The only thing which appears musically misjudged is the keyboard solo: for the first few bars, it’s all bell noises; the kind better suited to American AOR as opposed to full-pelt Scandi hard rock.  To accommodate this, the band moves away from their standard hard rock chops and further into progressive metal territory.  While it’s well executed, the song isn’t necessarily improved by this – in fact, it’s a bit jarring. The second part of the solo is better since it uses a more squealy synth tone (something not often better, just better here), while the rest of the band take an opportunity to swiftly return to something resembling the main riff.  All the while, Janne Hurme turns in a more than reasonable vocal performance on a song which carries just enough of a memorable hook to balance out the levels of bombast.  If you’re still curious by the end of this track and those keyboards didn’t put you off, it’s likely ‘Halfway To Heartache’ will appeal.

‘Like a Beat of a Heart’ is a softer number which allows bassist Harri Kinnunen to carry the verses.  A great piece of mid-paced rock music, it features a couple of commendable solos and plenty of old-school fist-pumping enjoyment.  Compared to ‘I Will Follow’, the band appears far less in-your-face, allowing simple melodies and a good chorus to win out over musicianship.  With its Scandinavian bent and a strong focus on backing harmonies, it would be fair to say if you’ve always enjoyed Talisman (and in particular, their debut record), there’s more than a chance you’ll love this.  Similarly, ‘Our World, Our Time’ features some more memorable melodies and a stronger hook, strung together with some lovely guitar work in both the lead and rhythm departments. The staccato rhythms which sit in the backseat are particularly pleasing, although not entirely original. If you can make it past the unashamedly cheesy lyrical content, it’s another stand-out.

‘Because of You’ comes with more choppy riffing, creating a tune on which the band sound very assured.  It may have a great tune, but sadly, the vocal just doesn’t sit quite right. Hurme’s lead voice is just a little too full on for what’s essentially a bouncy affair: his long notes are too overbearing for the job in hand.  That’s a shame, since he doesn’t always attack his material quite so aggressively – ‘Our World…’ came with a suitably restrained performance, after all.  ‘Some Things Are Never Long Time Ago’ [sic] has a great intro utilising some decent hard rock guitar chops, overlaid with some equally effective keyboard, presented highly in the mix.  To be fair, throughout this number, Jori Tojander’s choice of keyboard sound is spot on – very 80s – albeit often played in a blanket style arrangement as opposed to classic AOR stabbing.  Once again, the band present a more than reasonable chorus to back up the musical goodness, but the shining moment comes from a twin lead guitar solo, with just enough flashy techniques to sound impressive without being overdone.

‘She Talks To Angels’ is a sappy ballad where, once again, Hurme could be accused of oversinging. Human Temple fare far better when they keep things upbeat and punchy; once they slow down, things just get too syrupy.  While Hurme is a great rock vocalist, he just doesn’t seem to have the right kind of voice for the slower stuff.   The fact that this track is dragged out for over six minutes doesn’t help its potential weakness, varying vary little from the musical motifs it presents during the first verse.  Aside from that, the track features a few enjoyable lead guitar parts – with plenty of vibrato – so it’s not quite a dead loss, but you’ll certainly find far more enjoyable material scattered elsewhere throughout this disc.

Joining the band’s self written material is an oddly chosen cover tune.  With potential for being an outright disaster, Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 hit ‘Little Lies’ turns out surprisingly well moulded into Human Temple’s hard rock blueprint.  Despite the hard rock guitars, this tune is recognisable from the off thanks to Tojander reproducing the keyboard line faithfully, albeit with an unsubtle 80s rock sound.  Hurme’s curly lead voice does its best to pull emotion from the original lyric and although he oversings a tad (again), it’s a reasonable performance on a track which really shouldn’t work in this format.  Maybe the fact that it works at all is tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s gift for writing timeless songs…or maybe it was dumb luck.  Naturally, none of this Finnish band’s chutzpah makes up for either Fleetwood Mac or Lindsey Buckingham’s level of finesse, but all the same, it’s quite fun.

You certainly won’t find any surprises on this album (save for perhaps the audacity of tackling the Fleetwood), but more often than not, what Human Temple do, they do very well within their chosen sub-genre of (very) Scandinavian hard rock.  In fact, it’s fair to say that if you’re undemanding and have a liking of old-school arrangements, this is a band which ought to be on your radar, assuming they aren’t already.

February 2012