OFFTOPIC – Backstage EP

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Generally, Spanish bands don’t tend to get much coverage in the UK. However, this progressive metal band from Madrid are the second Spanish band to get featured at Real Gone, since the rather groovy Idealipsticks received a review of their album ‘Radio Days’ in June 2010.

This third release by OffTopic marks a turning point in their career. Their first two releases (released independently in Spain) feature the band performing their material in Spanish. 2010’s ‘Backstage’ EP finds the band attempting to broaden their listening audience by releasing re-recorded versions of songs from their second album, ‘A Fuego’, with the lyrics performed in English. Since it’s unlikely you’ll have heard OffTopic previously, this is undoubtedly a good move.

From the beginning of this EP, guitarist Toni Sánchez-Gil has a strong presence, his heavy and chugging style (in a typical approach for the genre) provides more than enough for OffTopic. One of his heaviest riffs lies at the centre of ‘Mask’, where, combined with Cristian Millán on drums and José Luis López on bass, there’s more than enough musical weight. Vocalist Rosa Ibáñez’s has a style which is somewhere between striking and slightly harsh. Her voice has strength throughout most of the EP, but it’s an untrained style. That said, it’s interesting to hear a voice which hasn’t fallen into the trap of studio perfection and tweaking of any kind, even if it isn’t always the easiest to listen to. ‘Mask’ presents her voice at its hardest, though – it seems slightly more at ease on the other numbers.

Similarly heavy, Cristian Millán’s drums are the main focus of ‘Game Over’. There’s very little here you won’t have heard from prog-metal bands before (particularly those of European origin), however, this track features one of Rosa’s best vocals and a rather pleasing guitar solo, as well as a classic sounding and very welcome melodic chorus. Driven by a solid riff, full of downstrokes and the occasional horsey squeal, ‘How Many Times’ is a great Euro-metal offering. Utilising another melodic chorus, it’s similar to ‘Game Over’, but features a soft bridge section where Sánchez-Gil gets to bring his quiet ringing tone back to the fore, before turning in a decent guitar solo. I’d really like to hear Jorn Lande cover this…although it’s unlikely he will.

‘Because of You’ – the EP’s big rock ballad – provides a change in pace. Sánchez-Gil’s guitar work adopts a perfect, ringing quality during the verses, before reverting to the usual havy riffing on the chorus. During the quiet verses, the band is accompanied by Nexx’s keyboard player Fran Rodríguez; his keyboard work is incredibly understated, sounding at first like woodwind instruments. Although appearing as a guest, Rodríguez proved very important to the release of this EP, having provided help with the English translations as well as arranging a reprise of ‘Because of You’ – a reprise which focuses on the song’s softest elements. The guitars are eschewed completely in favour of Rodríguez’s beautifully played piano part.

Stepping aside from their progressive influences, ‘Time Flies’ features OffTopic in a traditional metal guise. While the music isn’t always as complex here, the slightly faster and far more direct approach suits Rosa’s voice. Coupling a hard vocal with a riff which sounds rather like Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’, this track proves that sometimes a tried and tested classic rock formula is hard to beat.

‘Backstage’ features some top notch musicianship and it’s undeniable that making the transition to English lyrics will only benefit the band. If you’re a fan of progressive metal, you’ll certainly want to give this a listen – especially as OffTopic have kindly made it available to everyone for free!

Visit OffTopic at MySpace here.

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September 2010

BRIAN WILSON – Reimagines Gershwin

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Having one of pop music’s master craftsmen arrange and record an album of tunes by one of the world most celebrated pre-pop songwriters is a bit like one of those social experiments where twelve children are fed a bunch of E-numbers and then left to play together. It was never likely to be boring, but there was always the possibility that it could get a bit out of control.

With the help of his trusty band, Brian takes classic Gershwin numbers (including two unfinished by Gershwin at the time of his death) and twists them into his own image; on a basic level, you’ll probably have a grasp of what it’ll sound like, but the big question is: is it any good?

Bookended by a chorale arrangement of ‘Rhapsody In Blue’, naturally, ‘Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin’ will never top Wilson at his absolute sharpest – and is unlikely to be as fondly written about as ‘Pet Sounds’ or the much documented ‘Smile’ – but there’s more than enough material here worthy of investigating. More importantly, this album stands as proof that Wilson is still a truly gifted arranger, even on those occasions when the material doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Of the two new songs, ‘The Like I Love In You’ is a gentle ballad, with a beautifully arranged vocal; by Wilson’s standards it’s not too “kitchen-sink”. While the vocal is the high point, a special mention must be given to a tasteful string and percussion arrangement, using the triangle and Wilson’s beloved woodblocks. Overall, this track is a little bit Disney-esque, but sets the mood for album quite nicely and is likely in keeping with a style Gershwin would have enjoyed. It’s less likely Gershwin would have enjoyed the other new number, ‘Nothing But Love’ quite as much. Here, in contrast to ‘The Like I Love In You’, Wilson grabs the opportunity to create something more complex. Sleigh bells, baritone saxophones and washes of harmony vocals drive something which could have been written by Wilson alone, and could have graced his 2008 outing ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ quite happily.

Arguably Gershwin’s most famous composition, ‘Summertime’ is probably one of the album’s weak links. This has much to do with Wilson’s vocal not always quite being as sharp as it could be. However, the inclusion of strings and brass help smooth out any overt raggedness, while a fantastic xylophone chips in for atmosphere. Similarly iffy in places, ‘I Loves You Porgy’ meanders a little, but is saved by tasteful strings and trombone work. Things then pick up with a sprightly instrumental rendition of ‘I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’’, where Wilson’s arrangement goes off the deep end. With a Southern canter, at first driven by harmonica and what sounds like temple blocks, it’s upbeat style provides a welcome difference to both ‘Summertime’ and ‘I Loves You Porgy’. The jaunty rhythm is then augmented by superb brass and strings, to create one of the album’s standouts.

A slightly bluesy take on ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ – featuring a wall of strings and brass and then topped with harmonica – provides another high point, since it doesn’t rely so heavy on choirs of vocals to fill everything out. Even Wilson himself sounds far more comfortable in his role of lead vocalist. The end result sounds both warm and inviting; the louder moments taking on the epic nature of a sixties film theme. The shuffling samba of ‘’S Wonderful’ also finds Brian in a more restrained mood, his arrangement here surprisingly similar to Diana Krall’s 2001 rendition of the song. While Wilson has avoided any temptation to reconstruct this number completely in his own style, there’s a multi-layering of vocals which adds a great depth and a jazz flute solo which sits rather well.

‘I Got Rhythm’, on the other hand, gets completely Wilson-ed. After an intro taken from ‘Rhapsody In Blue’, Brian and co launch into a Beach Boys-esque piece of doo wop, with slight surf overtones. The sax breaks echo late 50s rock and roll, while a chorus of backing vocal ‘oohs’ come straight out of Brian’s famous formative years. Fantastic…just fantastic. With a harpsichord at the heart, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ also ends up sounding like something from the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ sessions – ‘You Still Believe In Me’, in particular – a feeling strengthened somewhat by the inclusion of upfront (yet gentle) bass work. Once you’ve thrown in a string quartet and the ubiquitous sleigh bells and clip-clop percussion, this was certainly created with a knowing nod to ‘Pet Sounds’, and as such, seems as if it was meant for Wilson all along. For ‘I’ve Got a Crush on You’, Wilson opts for a simple stabbing piano, complimented by strings and harmony vocals. While not as interesting as some of his re-workings, the subtle guitar work, with lots of echo, is particularly pleasing.

For those who dislike light opera, musical theatre and its ilk, the idea of Wilson tackling Gershwin may not appeal in theory.  In practice, however, most of this comes off very well indeed.   This album comes with so much of Brian Wilson’s signature stamp all over it, it’s almost impossible to dislike.  Surely, that’s a big enough seal of approval?

September 2010

FIRST SIGNAL – First Signal

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What is there to say about Harem Scarem? Their first three albums rank among the finest melodic rock releases of the early nineties. Occasionally, their lyrics ended up somewhat cryptic (and for that, read nonsensical), but among their band members they featured a first rate guitarist in Pete Lesperance and in Harry Hess, they had a top class vocalist. However, by the time of their fifth album, 1998’s ‘Big Bang Theory’ (rather confusingly issued with differing tracklistings in Canada and Japan), Hess’s vocals began to sound a little forced and their material wasn’t as instant as it once had been. Harem Scarem continued to release albums up until their 2009 break up, but despite each one containing some good material, none were as consistent as the band’s early work.

In 2010, Harry Hess teamed up with Khymera/Pink Cream 69 bassist Dennis Ward forming the core of First Signal, a band which ought to appeal to fans of Harem Scarem’s classic early work. This is clear from the opening bars of ‘This City’ which opens with an attention-grabbing lead guitar courtesy of Michael Klein, whom although not quite up there with Pete Lesperance, does his best to fill the album with enough guitar showboating to keep Scarem fans happy. While Hess’s vocal style isn’t quite as strong as it was back in the early nineties, he still contributes a decent performance here (as good as his performances on his 2003 solo outing ‘Just Another Day) and regarding the song, its chorus is very strong indeed. If you came looking for a bit of the old-style Harry Hess magic, you’ll find it here in abundance.

‘When You Believe’ follows in a similar vein with another top chorus, but it’s Eric Ragno’s keyboard fills which give the track it’s best quality. Although I’m a fan of 80s style stabbing rhythmic keyboards, Ragno’s rather more accomplished fills are really classy (in an 80s rock way, naturally), with their shiny edges. The upbeat ‘Into The Night’ provides plenty of bounce and Hess turns in a natural performance; here, Klein’s guitar work is rather more understated, his solo far simpler than he could have managed and in contrast to ‘When You Believe’ Ragno’s keys sound buried in the mix. Despite the production here not being quite as sharp as it could’ve been, it doesn’t detract too much from the song.

The title cut is a solid rocker, opening with muti-tracked guitars. Punchy without being heavy, it’s a timely reminder of what made Harem Scarem great back in the early 90s. Klein alternates effective staccato guitar work with some decent fills, before launching into another effortless solo (even if a little short). The chorus utilises some classic sounding harmony vocals, making it another track which ought to please fans of this style of melodic rock. ‘Feels Like Love This Time’ taps into a mid-paced, classic 80’s style radio-rock. Sure, you’ve heard it all a thousand times, but it’s hard to ignore when done well – and had this been written earlier and passed into the hands of Bryan Adams or Def Leppard, it could’ve been huge. Great to hear the mix of electric and acoustic guitars here and while Hess’s vocal sounds slightly ragged, the end result makes this one of the album’s best tracks.

The mid-paced ‘When November Falls’ features some decent staccato guitar work during the verses, before launching into a chorus which is gentle and simple. Despite sounding a little over familiar, it still manages to be effective thanks to great song writing. It’s been said elsewhere that this may have suited John Waite…and hearing it, it’s not difficult to understand why. If you’re a Scarem fan, ‘Yesterday’s Rain’ is a three and half minute snapshot of why you need this album. With verses dominated by Michael Kline’s hard and rhythmic chords, this paves the way for a solid pre-chorus, before the band hits the listener with a harmony-filled chorus which could have easily been a left-over from the sessions for Harem Scarem’s 1991 self-titled debut. Hess and the rest of the band are on good form, but it’s the great song writing matched with uncomplicated arrangements and harmonies which gives the track its greatest strength.

First Signal haven’t released this album with any dreams of being contemporary. It’s the work of musicians who love what they do and do it extremely well. In short, this First Signal album is the closest anyone associated with Harem Scarem has come to recreating the consistency of the band’s early releases.

September 2010

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TERRY BROCK – Diamond Blue

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Despite stints as vocalist with Kansas, Giant and Louisiana based melodic rock outfit Le Roux, Terry Brock will, to most people, be best known as the vocalist with Strangeways, the AOR band with whom he recorded two excellent albums – 1987’s ‘Native Sons’ and 1989’s ‘Walk In The Fire’. In 2003, Brock released ‘Back To Eden’, a solo album on Frontiers Records. Including material co-written by Survivor’s Jim Peterik, the album featured some great moments; however, as good as the songs were, the demo quality of the recording let the side down somewhat.

Early in 2010, the announcement came that Brock would be reuniting with Strangeways, which was good news for AOR fans across the globe. While fans anticipated the arrival of the proposed 2010 Strangeways “comeback” disc, Terry Brock paved the way with the release of his second solo album, ‘Diamond Blue’.
Teaming up once again with Frontiers Records, Brock’s second album is far stronger than his debut. This is not least due to ‘Diamond Blue’ actually having half-decent production values – there’s a lot to be said for releasing something which sounds finished, as opposed to polished demos (something so many small melodic rock labels seem to fall into). Take Brock and an album which sounds like a finished product, and then add City Boy/Steelhouse Lane man Mike Slamer on guitar and you have the right ingredients for a fantastic melodic rock disc.

Essentially, ‘Diamond Blue’ won’t give you any great surprises if you’re already a Terry Brock or classic Strangeways fan, but you likely wouldn’t have wanted it to… The title track, which opens proceedings, captures the brilliance of the Brock/Slamer team in an instant. Brock’s soulful vocal is the perfect foil for Slamer’s mid-paced riffery, which at first uses a couple of chords which appear slightly edgy, but he soon settles down. Good use of harmonies beefs up an already solid chorus – it’s the kind of stuff these guys have been doing for years and, by now, could do in their sleep. The same could be said for ‘It’s You’; while not as immediate as the opening number, it’s mid-paced riff and lead guitar harmony have the makings of absolutely classic AOR.

‘Jessie’s Gone’ (a title which, naturally, makes me think of Rick Springfield’s ‘Jessie’s Girl’) is special in that it was co-written with Strangeways man Ian Stewart. While it’s chorus isn’t quite as strong as I’d hoped for (just a little bit too simplistic), a detailed pre-chorus is proof enough that Brock and Stewart still have their old magic. Combine that with a decent punch on the verses and a superb Slamer solo it’s another of the album’s stand out cuts. ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’ is heavier – giving Mike Slamer more opportunity to rock out – and while the lyrics are a quite silly, Brock delivers them with conviction – ever the absolute professional.

‘Broken’ is interesting in that the opening riff promises something quite heavy. This doesn’t last, as the riff gives way to a gentle mid-paced rocker, allowing Brock to use the softer edge of his voice during the verses. Its chorus, which makes full use of harmony vocals and the harder edge of Brock’s range, is faultless in its delivery. ‘Face In The Crowd’ provides the album with something a little more uptempo than Brock and Slamer’s usual approach, built around an acoustic jangle. Slamer contrasts this with some excellent electric counter harmonies (including a cracking solo). Brock, meanwhile, demonstrates that he’s vocally at ease with whatever is thrown his way.

The end of the album tails off a little for me. ‘Too Young’ falls foul of 80s rock “she’s jailbait” style lyrics; I could tell you that Slamer’s hard rock guitar riff packs a decent enough punch, but once Tezzer starts singing about the 16 year old who could be 30, the cringe-factor is just that little too high. While ‘A Soldier Falls’ is certainly heartfelt, its pro-American anti-war stance is so unsubtle it becomes hard to swallow and ‘Face The Night’ – the ballad which closes the disc – has too much of a saccharine factor to make it stand up with the album’s best moments. Minor complaints though, especially when you consider how superb the rest of the songs on this album are.

Despite my misgivings of the last few tracks, ‘Diamond Blue’ is one of the best melodic rock releases of 2010. Fantastic vocals, the inclusion of the god-like Mike Slamer and decent production for a small label make Brock’s second solo venture a winner. If you’re a fan of solid AOR, get this as soon as you can.

September 2010

HEART – Red Velvet Car

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Back in 2004, I was quite excited by the idea of Heart returning. The release of that year’s ‘Jupiter’s Darling’ marked the first new material released under the Heart name for nearly a decade. Ann and Nancy Wilson worked with regular collaborator Sue Ennis in the interim under the name The Lovemongers, concentrating on folky and pop-rock styles, but sadly, their one proper album release did little for me despite having been a fan of the Wilsons for many years. Heart’s ‘Jupiter’s Darling’ was a return to the band’s heavy Led Zeppelin influenced sound from the 70s, but tweaked slightly for the 90s. While it was great to have Heart back (even if in name only), the album contained little in the way of memorable material (it flopped, supposedly only shifting 100,000 copies). The supporting tour – which saw the band returning to the UK after many years without a visit – was absolutely cracking though, so that reunion wasn’t without merit. Heart continued to play sporadic live shows after that, but Nancy’s main focus became scoring her husband Cameron Crowe’s movies, while in 2007 Ann recorded her first full solo album.

Six years after ‘Jupiter’s Darling’, ‘Red Velvet Car’ continues to plough Heart’s seventies rock roots. Those looking for the eighties style power ballads which made Heart megastars outside of the US in the 80s will undoubtedly be disappointed, since bluesy Zeppelin-isms are the main order of the day here. Sadly, although the style is in keeping with Heart’s earliest work, a good chunk of the material lacks the spark and immediacy of Heart’s best 70s outing. The arrangements feel somewhat leaden in places (though nowhere near as much as those on ‘Jupiter’s Darling’) and rather more worryingly, Ann Wilson’s once matchless vocal shows signs of wear It’s slightly husky edge is well suited to the bluesier moments of ‘Red Velvet Car’, but her trademark wail appears to struggle on the rockier cuts. For the most part, Ann’s voice just doesn’t stretch beyond what sounds like an untrained mid-range any more…

This is obvious from the single release, ‘WTF’ which appears to be a deliberate attempt to give the album a hard rocker in the style of ‘Barracuda’. While it’s musically okay, Ann’s vocal has been fuzzed up to make it sound grittier (though most likely it’s an attempt to mask her inabilities to hit the huge notes the way she once did). While the main riff shows great promise, there’s no hook to back it up. Similarly, the deliberate driving nature of ‘Wheels’ is empty once you get past a promising heavily percussive rhythm. Also with a percussive nature, the slide guitar blues-rock of ‘There You Go Again’ works better due to a more understated arrangement – making decent use of Ann’s slightly cracked vocal in the process. You’d think that ‘Bootful of Beer’, echoing the bar-room rock of The Quireboys and The Faces would be well suited to Heart’s retro blues-rock shoes, but the end result is painful. Craig Bartock’s twangy guitars and Ben Smith’s simple drum work lay a decent foundation, but the song otherwise feels forced. There’s not even a boogie piano line to help sweep things along. While Heart were always first rate at Led Zeppelin style hard rock, whiskey soaked blues-rock just doesn’t work for them. Maybe this would have worked for Alannah Myles in the 80s or Sass Jordan in the 90s, but for Heart in the 21st Century…nah.

The high points of the album the ones with pastel shades, as Ann’s voice doesn’t take a hammering and the band sound far more natural. Particularly good are the couple of tracks where Nancy takes lead: ‘Hey You’ is an upbeat acoustic number which would have fit snugly on to any of Heart’s 70s masterpieces. The spirit of classic Heart is further strengthened once Ann provides accompaniment on the autoharp. ‘Sunflower’ has a semi-acoustic bluesy swagger, with Nancy’s acoustic work counterbalanced by Craig Bartock’s subtle electric lead. Not as sublime as ‘Hey You’, but another definite reason to check out the album. The gentle acoustic ‘Sand’ echoes ‘Dog and Butterfly’, with a soft summer feeling as Ann’s understated vocal really carries the song. The quiet moments are proof enough that Ann’s voice is still there, but midway as she attempts one of her Robert Plant inspired wails, the cracks appear again. Luckily, she’s backed by Nancy providing a great harmony vocal.

Like Heart’s 70s albums, ‘Red Velvet Car’ isn’t without it’s mandolin moment, as ‘Safronia’s Mark’ has moments which – as is quite often the case – sound like a direct lift from Led Zeppelin’s ‘Battle of Evermore’. While one of the album’s better moments, there’s still no doubt that Heart have done this before…and much better. And that, on the most base level is the album’s greatest fault. Like ‘Jupiter’s Darling’, ‘Red Velvet Car’ really doesn’t represent Heart’s brilliance.

While it was never going to be a release to pull in casual listeners, I have a feeling that lots of long-term fans are likely to also greet this with indifference. There are some good songs here – and even a couple of excellent ones (despite my mixed feelings, it’s certainly better than ‘Jupiter’s Darling’) – but it’s hugely unlikely anyone would choose to listen to this album when there are so many superior albums in Heart’s back catalogue.

August 2010