Album Of The Week
Darkest White - Tristania
Darkest White, released in 2013 is the seventh and final
full length studio album from a band that was instrumental in establishing the genre
of gothic metal along with fellow Norwegians Theatre Of Tragedy.
Although there was quite a fluid lineup to the band, through
their time they never lost that key Tristania sound that incorporated multiple
vocal styles from female soprano, male death growls and clean vocals backed with
the powerful, melodic guitars and synths. The band maintained the creative
force of Einar Moen and Anders Hilde which certainly kept the spirit of the
band true right through their 7 albums while the incorporation of Green Carnation
vocalist Kjetil Nordhus added an extra dimension.
Darkest While was the second album to feature female vocals
of Mariangela Demurtas who had seamlessly replaced Vibeke Stene following the
release of the 2007’s Illumination album (album of the week 29/10/2022) so this
album has a very settled and confident feel to it.
Subsequently Tristania delivered a very strong album with Darkest
White which was very well received critically especially with its three pronged
vocal approach.
I like the variation on the album and although true to their
gothic metal roots they delve into the realms of doom/death adding to the
layers of substance and versatility. There is some real dark driving metal on
this album to compliment the melodic interludes.
At the time of release in 2013 I am sure the band did not know
this would be their final album but Darkest White is a very good release to
close the recording career of one the pioneering bands of the “beauty and the
beast” style of gothic metal.
Tristania continued to play live after the album but following
a tour cancellation in 2022 due to health reasons the band announced their
cessation and in the intervening 3 years there been no mention of this changing.
My first selection is the album opener Number, a song that
opens with shades of black/death metal indicating the variety the band are
looking to deliver on the album.
Real Life – Simple
Minds
This week we stay with the Simple Minds as we have the fourth of my now 19 Simple Minds albums (following the addition of Live In The City Of Diamonds yesterday) to be selected with the 1991 album, Real Life.
Released a little under 2 years after their monumental
album, Street Fighting Years, Real Life had a lot to live up to and given some
of the reviews at the time, the album did not quite hit the heights of its
esteemed predecessor.
Personally, I liked the album and its one that I actually bought
soon after release as I had been staggered by how good the Street Fighting
Years album was and to this day it would rate as one of my all time favourite
albums.
As per last week’s album, the core trio of the band was Jim
Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mel Gaynor and joined a number of guest musicians but
this was the first Simple Minds albums without founder member Mick MacNeil.
The Street Fighting Years album saw the band move away from
the big stadium rock sound and although it still full of anthemic songs the
style incorporated more celtic folk influences while there was a strong
political and social slant.
With Real Life we saw a more radio friendly approach with a
return to a more rock based sound while keeping some of the previous album’s
influences. Lyrically the album felt more personal and introspective and with
the backing female vocals some of the songs had a soulful or even gospel feel.
For me, Real Life seemed like it was tyring to merge the styles
of Once Upon A Time and Street Fighting Years while moving the sound on and not
falling into the trap of reinventing two incredible successful albums. In that
respect I think the Simple Minds produced a good album that bridged the
previous albums which saw a return to a more rock based sound with what followed
with 1995’s Good News From The Next World.
All that being said, I liked Real Life upon release and
still rate the album as a strong Simple Minds release.
Real Life hit number 2 in the UK album charts and produced 4
singles, all of which hit the top 40.
My first selection from the album is opening and title track,
Real Life, the fourth single taken. It’s a powerful song with a very gritty, narrative
lyric, a classic sounding Simple Minds song to kick off this collection.
Black & White
050505 – Simple Minds
This week we have the third of my 18 Simple Minds albums to be selected, the 2005 studio album Black & White 050505.
Although I have been following the band for 40 years, since
their groundbreaking Once Upon A Time album, I have never been one to rush out
and buy their albums on day of release and that was the case with Black &
White 050505.
Therefore, it was with some surprise that when I did get the
album I was instantly hit with what a great release it was.
In some ways, it should have been no surprise but after their
previous two albums, Neon Lights and Cry had pretty much passed me by, Black &
White reminded me of what I like best about the Simple Minds.
Throughout the album, we have the big anthemic songs, great
emphasis on the guitars and keyboards, layers of atmosphere, the grandiose stadium
rock topped off with Jim Kerr’s emotive vocals. It is a style that has come to
symbolise the band as I commented on back in 2022 when their Big Music album
was selected as an album of the week. In essence Black & White 050505 takes
the band back firmly into their new wave, electronic rock roots.
The album features the creative core duo of Jim Kerr and
Charlie Birchill alongside long time drummer Mel Gaynor and the usual revolving
door of guest musicians but it is without doubt a “typical” Simple Minds album.
Whether the album would have won new fans is debatable but
it certainly satisfied a lot of the existing, and still sizeable fan base, a
fan base that to this day allows the band to sell out big tours playing to
packed stadiums and arenas. It was certainly the case with me that it ignited
my interest in the band and since the release of Black & White their subsequent
albums have hit my collection much sooner.
Commercially, Black & White 050505, performed much
better than their previous two albums with it hitting number 37 in the UK album
charts and producing 3 standard release singles although only the lead single,
Home, charted.
The reviews for the album were very positive with the
general feeling that it was a return to form and its an opinion I cannot argue
with though not discounting the merits of there previous releases that I
mentioned earlier.
To clarify, inclusion of the 050505 in the album title is
that it was the date the recording was completed and if was felt it would make
the title more interesting.
As mentioned above, the song Home was the lead single and it’s
a song which I rate as one of my all time favourite Simple Minds songs and as
such, is my first selection from the album.
Todays selection from So, Who's Paranoid has that classic
Damned punk feel to it.
The up-tempo Danger
To Yourself is a song about the privileged adrenaline thrill seekers who have impressive
bank balances but challenged IQs, delivered with the Damned irony and humour.
So, Who’s Paranoid
We return to my album of the week after a 1 week break with the first of my 11 Damned albums to be selected, the 2008 release, So, Who’s Paranoid.
The Damned are a band that, in my opinion, have always been very
much on the same musical trajectory as The Stranglers.
They were one of the pioneers of the early punk sound from
the mid Seventies but as punk evolved they incorporated other styles and influences
and for the Damned they became a band that leaned heavily into gothic rock with
shades of psychedelic and prog. For a genre that initially sneered at
musicianship, The Damned showed moments of true musical ability but with the astute
irony and humour that laced many of their finest songs.
Like many bands, there has been a revolving door of members
but singer David Lett (Dave Vanian), guitarist Ray Burns (Captain Sensible), bassist
Paul Gray and keyboardist Laurence Burrow (Monty Oxymoron) have been staples of
the band over many years. It is the 30 year presence of Oxymoron that has
certainly enhanced the psychedelic influences which have helped shape the band
sound, like his name, psychedelic and punk being a prime oxymoron.
In 2023 the band saw the return of drummer Chris Millar (Rat
Scabies) and given the previous acrimony this was a major turnaround which saw
the band return to their 1980’s line up, a line up that produced some of the
most iconic and groundbreaking Damned albums.
Going back to 2008 though, we saw the release of So, Who’s
Paranoid, the bands 10th studio album and one that ended a 7 year gap
between albums, following on from 2001’s outstanding release Grave Disorder.
The album was very much in keeping with the bands 80’s
sound, drawing on the goth rock and tinges of psychedelic but still maintaining
the defining Damned punk sound that make this a very definable Damned album.
I have always been drawn to the more “gothic” sound of the Damned
and their 1995 release Phantasmagoria remains one of my favourite albums of theirs
and therefore So, Who’s Paranoid really hit a chord with me upon release.
So, Who’s Paranoid was met with mixed reviews but the
positive comments very much mirrored my own conclusions of the album.
For me, its very easy for bands with a long history to become
nostalgic and formulaic but I have never found that with the Damned and in conclusion
I think this album rates among the best the band have released. A fine album
from a fine band.
So, Who’s Paranoid made no impression on the UK album chart
but did hit number 32 in the independent album chart. The album featured 2
singles, one of which, Little Miss Disaster, was released 3 years before the
album.
My first selection is opening track, A Nation Fit For Heroes.
As You Were – Show
Of Hands
This week we return to my folk collection with the third selection from my 32 albums by Devon based folk duo Show Of Hands, the first selection from them in over 3 years.
Back at the turn of the early 2000’s Show Of Hands were one
of the key acts that led to me getting more interested in folk based music
after previously being introduced to folk based music via the Levellers.
In 2003 I bought my first Show Of Hands album, the studio
recording, Country Life, and this was closely followed by Julie and I seeing
them live at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. From this point we have both
been avid followers of the band, seeing them live many times including 3 times
on their farewell tour. The tour finale at Exeter Cathedral was one we will
never forget, for its setting, set and poignancy of the event.
With an impressive back catalogue of recorded material, it
is in the live setting that the warmth of Show Of Hands really comes to life, combining
the excellent song writing of Steve Knightley, the instrumental genius of Phil
Beer and the bass/vocals of long time collaborator Miranda Sykes. What you got
with Show Of Hands live is a friendly and often amusing banter between Steve,
Phil and the audience with some song background, anecdotes as well as their excellent
musical delivery.
This week’s album, As You Were, was recorded during their
Autumn tour in 2004 on the back of the Country Life album and their instrumental
release, The Path, an album written about the beauty and splendour of the South
West Coast Path.
During the tour, every gig was recorded and from these
recordings the album was compiled. So what we get is the full feel of the tour
with a 22 song setlist comprising of crowd favourites, traditional songs and
covers which add variety to the set. This was the first tour to feature Miranda
Sykes who went on to become regarded as the third member of Show Of Hands and although
there were tours as a duo she became a valued part of the band right up to their
end on 2024.
The song contents range from the personal to the political
but every song is delivered with care, thought and sometimes with healthy doses
of irony or scorn. However, there is a deep appreciation of roots with Show Of
Hands, both musically and geographically with lots of references to the South
West of England, which makes the music feel very personal having spent my
entire life in the South West.
Show Of Hands has released some excellent live albums over
the years and As You Were is up there with the best of them.
My first selection is the album opener, Longdog, a song
about poaching but also the term “longdogs” is used to identify the Show Of
Hands fanbase.
Sweet Evil Sun -
Candlemass
We stay firmly within my metal collection this week with the most recent album from Swedish epic doom metal pioneers, Candlemass, with their 2022 release, Sweet Evil Sun, the first of my 6 Candlemass albums to be selected.
Candlemass first came to my attention back in 2005 with
their single, Black Dwarf, taken from their self titled album released in that
year.
It was at this time that I was really immersing in metal especially
within the sub-genres of gothic/doom/symphonic and becoming aware of bands for
the first time and in turn I became aware of Candlemass.
What drew me to them was the song Black Dwarf, taken from
the album Candlemass, a powerful yet melodic song with instant guitar riffs and
the captivating vocals of their enigmatic lead singer, Messiah (Eddie) Marcolin,
a big presence within the band with his rock
operatic style delivery.
Very quickly I added the album Candlemass to my collection
and I have kept up with their albums ever since.
What became apparent very quickly is the quality of the
music, despite a revolving door of vocalists and members leaving and rejoining
the band including two break ups and reunions. The constant though within
Candless is bassist and principle songwriter, Leif Edling, the real driving
force of the band and creator of some excellent music.
The album we are focussing on this week is the second
released by the band since the return of vocalist Johan Langquist in 2018, the original
singer who did the vocals on the iconic debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, the album
that in some ways set the template for epic doom metal.
Sweet Evil Sun is typical Candlemass with the slow to
mid-tempo pace, repetitive yet melodic powerful guitar riffs, soaring clean vocals
and in general, metal music that is very easy on the ear.
The album has 10 tracks and runs for just over 50 minutes
with songs generally between 4 and 6 minutes so there is little indulgence but
as often with Candlemass there are little nods to prog with some of the quieter
breaks. It all adds up to an excellent listen from a band that have been
labelled by some as the present day Black Sabbath and the influences of the prototype
doom metal band are there to be seen. However, this does not Candlemass copyist
in any way and over their career they have become one of the leading doom metal
bands.
Commercially the album did well throughout Europe and
reached number 19 in the UK rock charts.
My first selection from Sweet Evil Sun is the album opener,
Wizard Of The Vortex.
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