Album Review: Queen - s/t

Album: Queen
Artist: Queen
Label: EMI
Release Date: 13th July 1973

Queen's first album isn't often discussed, in television programmes about the band it tends to get skipped over very quickly and even fans prefer to heap yet more praise on 'A Night At The Opera' and later albums than revisiting what is in my opinion one of Queen's finest efforts. The album begins with 'Keep Yourself Alive', which despite being a wonderfully upbeat Queen-esque anthem didn't chart in the UK or America, and was left off the Greatest Hits albums. Sometimes it pays to delve a little deeper than a band's successful singles as it's a great album opener.

'Doing All Right' presents a more subdued continuation to the album, with some reflective lyrics and gentle guitar riffs before kicking off into some hard rock just before the end of the track. 'Great King Rat' is another song which seems to be largely ignored despite a classic Queen feel, with the beginnings of Brian May's classic overlapping guitar parts, choruses of falsetto backing vocals, and a general fantasy theme that continued into later Queen songs such as 'Seven Seas of Rhye' and 'The Prophet's Song'. There's also a faint hint of multi-sectional song structure, much like that of Bohemian Rhapsody which would see a release just 2 years later.

'My Fairy King' exhibits more of Queen's playful fantasy style lyrics which seemed to die off somewhat after the first two albums. As one of the most operatic and experimental tracks on the album, it serves to establish the band's signature style of their early period. With another rock instrumental break near the end, this track shows listeners that the band just don't do quiet ballads without a twist or two. 'Liar' is another excellent example of what a unique sound early Queen songs had, and is probably the best case study as to how the band's later songs were influenced by earlier tracks. Bouncing between loud and energetic sections and quieter breaks the song always feels like it's moving forward, never settling on a single idea for too long.

(The Seventies were an odd time for fashion and album cover photoshoots)

'The Night Comes Down' is perhaps the most conventional song on the album, though it still features Queen's signature vocal and guitar harmonies the song's structure is far more predictable and gentle than another other track. The song ends abruptly before heading straight into "Modern Times Rock 'n Roll', Roger Taylor's effort for the album, which is a fast paced rock n roll style song. Taking the helm on vocals, Taylor does a good job, and at just under 2 minutes the song is over in the blink of an eye.

'Son and Daughter' is a fusion of heavy metal and Queen's blues rock style, perhaps comparable to 'Stone Cold Crazy' later on in the band's career. If anything, this seems to indicate that the band were willing to incorporate any style of music into their sound (something which proved to be true in later albums) 'Jesus' is a lyrical recounting of parts of Jesus's life before a heavy guitar outro, leading fans of the time to believe that Queen were more of a psychadelic band despite never really revisiting this sort of sound or subject matter. Strangely though, the song seems to fit perfectly with the band's fantasy style and the overall sound of the album as a whole.

'Seven Seas Of Rhye' ends the album with an instrumental version of the song's intro, as it was unfinished at the time of recording. In a way it acts a sort of "coming soon" advertisement for the next album, which featured the full song. There are a few minor differences from what was featured on Queen II, but as the instrumental fades out, listeners are left with a sense of the album as a whole. From fantasy lyrics and light guitar twangs to heavy metal style solos and guitar breaks, with plenty of the band's signature style, Queen started as they meant to go on, and I think it's a real shame that none of the songs from this album made it onto the Greatest Hits, and that the album never really got the recognition it deserved. Still, with 3 equally great albums following this, you can hardly blame the listening public.

Rating 4.75/5.00

Album Review: Scars On Broadway - s/t

Album: Scars On Broadway
Artist: Scars On Broadway
Label: Interscope
Release Date: 29th July 2008

If you've met me at any time in the past 8 years then you'll know that I'm a huge System of a Down fan, so naturally when they went on hiatus I was interested in anything being produced by the band's members. While the first album released by any of the band was Elect The Dead; Serj's solo effort, Scars On Broadway soon followed with Daron Malakian on guitar and vocals, and John Dolmayan on drums. The album shows off Daron's writing style which was becoming more prominent in System of a Down around 2005.

The band wastes no time in going for the fast paced heavy metal sound; from the first seconds of "Serious", it's obvious that this project is just as heavy if not more so than System of a Down's sound. The sheer amount of energy condensed into the first song makes sure that no-one is thinking of Scars on Broadway as 'just a side project'. "Funny" contrasts well with the first song in its pace and is far softer with the vocals in both songs being less shouty than those we're used to in System Of a Down. "Exploding/Reloading" delves into popular topics for the band members such as religion and the Armenian Genocide. With a fairly catchy hook and ever more frenzied verses, the song fills out its short 2 minute 15 second run time.

 "Stoner Hate" proves to be a shouty punk inspired track with thrashy drums and guitar behind it. All of the songs up until this point on the album have been short and full of energy without much pause for thought. "Insane" breaks this trend with a slower, less distorted accompaniment, long guitar solo and reflective mood. Before the listener can get too comfortable however the intense verse of "World Long Gone" interrupts any contemplation. With a slightly less intense verse (which features vibraphone accompaniment), there's a nice contrast between the two parts of the song.

"Kill Eachother/Live Forever" is the second song on the album to have a two part title and is similar to its counterpart in more than a few ways. A hint of the guitars from System of a Down's album Hypnotize shine through at the end of the track also. "Babylon" sets itself up as an epic song with the gentle introduction of its final chorus as the opening section before setting off on a story of sorts complete with a great instrumental section. When the chorus does return it feels far more powerful and reminiscent of System hits. "Chemicals" feels like the album's attempt to recreate trademark System Of a Down madness in which respect it feels a little false and almost lazy. Probably the album's worst song, it's not devoid of good aspects but it's definitely disappointing both lyrically and musically.

"Enemy" is a return to form for the album with a funky main riff, a change from the heavy/light contrast of previous songs and a nod to an old System Of a Down live song. "Universe" is almost a straightforward rock song but it's the riff between chorus and verse that makes it that little bit more enjoyable. Just as the momentum seems to be returning to the songs "3005" laments the modern age in a slow, bluesy style with slide guitar and an enjoyable change of pace before the far more thrashy "Cute Machines" which experiments with a little noise rock and harsh vocals. Unfortunately this makes it seem as if the song isn't sure where it wants to go.

"Whoring Streets" is the final slow, reflective song on the album; another lament to the modern age and society as a whole. It's not bad and an appropriately slow contrast to the final song, "They Say". The main single for the album as a whole, the song warns of the impending apocalypse and has the political overtones that we've come to expect from members of System Of a Down. A straightforward driving metal song, it wraps up the album nicely and leaves the listener to make sense of all they've heard. Overall it's an enjoyable album for fans of System of a Down and hard rock alike with many highlights and a great deal of energy.

Rating: 4.25/5.00

Album Review: Safe As Milk - Captain Beefheart

Album: Safe As Milk
Artist: Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
Label: Buddah Records
Release Date: September 1967

Famous for releasing 'Trout Mask Replica', a weird and (some would say) wonderful album to follow 'Safe As Milk', Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band were lead by Don Van Vliet, a notoriously strict bandleader and composer who had a lot of different ideas on how music should sound to many of the popular artists in the 1960s. This first album contains a lot less of the trademark "weirdness" that can be found on later albums, but in my opinion is even more worthy of a listen.

'Sure Nuff 'N Yes I Do' begins the album with a distinct country and blues flavour but you also get the impression that Captain Beefheart is almost mocking the conventional pop voice of the day with his own take on it. It's fairly upbeat and fast paced, but is outdone on both fronts by the second track 'Zig Zag Wanderer' which takes more rock influence alongside the country sound of the guitars and percussion. With a prominent bassline and catchy chorus, the song is a highlight of the album.

'Call On Me' showcases Van Vliet's vocal style as the instruments take less of a leading role in the song. It seems to be a mix between a typical pop voice, and a country singer with elements of madness thrown in for good measure. 'Dropout Boogie' continues features an unconventional song structure based around a main verse with instrumental breaks of varying styles inbetween repetitions. The song's lyrics seem to tell the story of a college dropout as they go through life, and the various problems they face.

As one of the longest songs on the album "I'm Glad" slows the speed of the songs a little, influenced by the genre of soul it has brass and backing vocals and light guitar instead of the driving blues rock of the songs preceding it. The last song on the first side, 'Electricity' is an unconventional blues trip with distorted vocals and blues influence. According to Van Vliet, the band's record label at the time thought the song was too negative for release and critics noted that the song used "ghostly theremin in the most disconcerting way"

The beginning of the 2nd side shows some of Van Vliet's oddity, introducing a reference tone before starting 'Yellow Brick Road' which seems happy and whimsical on first listen, but features a shouted chorus and less optimistic lyrics than would be expected. 'Abba Zaba' is another strange song with nonsensical lyrics and country and blues influence. It's here that some early similarities with Frank Zappa's music can be heard (they later collaborated in 1969 on Zappa's album 'Hot Rats').

'Plastic Factory' seems like a song that could be taken straight out of classic blues history, with old timey lyrics and harmonica. It's an interesting arrangement and definitely still fits with the newer sounding, more psychadelic parts of the album despite its classic sound. 'Where There's Woman' begins fairly innocuously with slow guitars and lively bass but develops to into a more lively song fairly quickly. 'Grown So Ugly' features a clever time signature in its verse and a lively chorus and is one of the best songs on the second side of the album.

The final song 'Autumn's Child' is the longest and slowest song of the album, featuring distorted vocals, prominent theremin and a blues break in the middle. It's not as lively as most of the songs that are before it, but still ends the album well. Overall 'Safe As Milk' is a bluesy collection of songs influenced by many genres, with Van Vliet's on take on how things should be dominating their general impression and sound. For 1967 it's an amazingly different experience when the Beatles were only up to Sgt. Peppers.

Rating 4.25/5.00

Album Review: The Real Thing - Faith No More

Album: The Real Thing
Artist: Faith No More
Label: Slash Records
Release Date: 20th June 1989

The Real Thing was Faith No More's first album without their original vocalist Chuck Mosley. It instead featured Mike Patton who brought a wider range of styles and lyrics to the bands repertoire. Gaining more success than any of the band's previous efforts, the album features a mix of styles built around a core sound. While it's not perfect it shows a marked improvement in the band's progression and musical ideas.

The album's opener 'From Out Of Nowhere' is a fast paced almost pop-based song with heavier drums and guitars and Patton's vocals to distinguish it from that sort of music. With a catchy chorus and big sound overall, thanks to a string accompaniment it sets high expectations for the rest of the album. The following song 'Epic' changes genre to more of a funk-rap in its verse, akin to the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers of the time, reverting back to a bigger sound similar to that of the first song in the chorus. With a long instrumental section both in the middle of the song and at the end, it's hard to place the album so far in a particular genre other than 'Alternative'.

'Falling to Pieces' is very much in the style of the first song; almost a pop style mixed with elements of heavier metal. Patton's unique voice is most noticeable in this song also. At just a little over 5 minutes, the song does end up being a little repetitive after a while and possibly could have done with being around 4 minutes like the two tracks preceding it. 'Surprise! You're Dead!' seems to be an excercise in just how diverse the band could make the album, with heavy metal overtones similar to Pantera and Metallica. It's the also the shortest song on the album at just 2 and a half minutes.

'Zombie Eaters' takes another u-turn in terms of sound, with acoustic guitar and strings accompanying hushed vocals which take a while to lead into the heavier section which is mainly palm muted guitar with a rap accompaniment. While it's a strange song, it's also a good example of how the band like to switch between sounds without much warning. 'The Real Thing' is the longest track on the album, in addition to being the title track. For all of its 8 minutes, it switches between the loud and quiet sections like the other songs of the album and doesn't really seem to warrant its length.

'Underwater Love' combines the pop and funk styling of previous songs, but doesn't really bring too much new to the album as a whole. There's some nice bits with backing vocals and prominent keyboard at the end of the song but it's not enough to impress to any large degree.  'The Morning After' seems to be quite clever musically with prominent bass and lots of different things going on between instruments. With possibly the best chorus since 'Falling to Pieces' it picks the album up a little.

'Woodpecker from Mars' is an instrumental departure from the monotony of the middle period in the album. It showcases the best of all the musicians (save for Patton) and is genuinely more interesting than most of the other offerings in excess of 5 minutes on the album. 'War Pigs' is a Black Sabbath cover which is very well executed and fits nicely into the bands overall style. At almost 8 minutes it's another long song but it manages its length much better than 'The Real Thing'.

The final track of the album 'Edge Of The World' has the final stylistic change to a slow, jazz feel. There's a piano in the background and apart from Patton's voice you wouldn't know it was even the same band. It's a strange ending to the album, all things considered. The first 3 songs are like a trip across pop influenced alternative metal, leading to a much heavier song after which the album loses focus for a while. Picking back up with 'Woodpecker From Mars' and 'War Pigs', it seems like it's fairly mixed overall.

Rating 3.50/5.00

Album Review: Beware and Be Grateful

Album: Beware and Be Grateful
Artist: Maps and Atlases
Label: Barsuk Records
Release Date: 17th April 2012

Maps and Atlases are a wonderfully inventive indie math-rock band, hailing from Chicago. Their second EP "You and Me and the Mountain" featured a lot of clever instrument use, as well as distinctive vocal parts from the band's singer David Davison, and driving drums behind everything. Maps and Atlases first full length album 'Perch Patchwork' combined their math-rock style with folky influences and pop inspired song structure. It was critically praised and featured mostly shorter experimental songs with interesting lyrical and musical ideas.

The first song of this album, 'Old and Gray' starts in a poppier style than their other releases, taking most of it's 5 and a half minute length to get to it's main section. While the album rocks a little more lightly than previous ones and focuses more on vocal lines, there's still a math rock element featured in the songs. The album's main single 'Fever' is another poppy excursion with a clever verse hook and a fair amount of repetition. So far the album feels lacking of the solo instrumental parts of old, although it'd be harder to integrate them with the poppier style.

Just as that thought occurs however, 'Winter' begins to play with a math-rock influenced introduction and general backing. There's some nice backing vocal parts in the song which go well with the guitars to create a good overall sound. 'Remote and Dark Years' is the black sheep of side 1 with the title being used as a simple chorus and less prominent drums. The overall feel is much more reflective than the other songs on the album, and there's more experimentation and movement away from the pop style. The first side finishes with the beginning of 'Silver Self' which continues onto the next side.

Side two begins with the far more upbeat part of 'Silver Self', which is more reminiscent of songs on 'Perch Patchwork' featuring vocalisations by Dave Davison, alongside the lyrics. There's also an extended instrumental part at the end of the song which works well. 'Vampires' features a rock influenced main riff and more driving drums alongside prominent vocals. The shortest song on the album, it's a nice break from the longer tracks with less repetition also.

'Be Three Years Old' features more of a math-rock feel than a lot of the songs on the album, but it's executed in such a way that the faster parts feel almost messy and the slower parts feel like they're missing something. Vocally it's difficult to follow, aside from the chorus and although it probably does feature clever bits of timing and instrumentation, they get a little lost. 'Bugs' is another short song, in a light almost folk influenced style. There's some nice guitar work and the song overall isn't bad but it's not the most memorable thing on the album.

'Old Ash' features sparse instrumentation at the start, which contrasts with a lot of the songs on the album. As the song continues, it develops into more of a full sound, with instrumental trills and flicks grabbing the attention at the end of each vocal line. The album's closing track 'Important' is laid back and reminiscent of the final track on Perch Patchwork in its style, although instead of getting a little more lively towards the end, it stays gentle and relaxed throughout. As an album, "Beware and be Grateful" is poppier and more vocally based than previous releases but manages to carry some of the band's old style through also. There's perhaps less to enjoy from a musical standpoint, but there's more vocals lines which you can hum from his album when compared to the last one.

Rating: 3.75/5.00

Album Review: In and Out Of Focus

Album: In and Out Of Focus

Artist: Focus

Label: Polydor

Release Date: 1970

Originally released as Focus plays Focus and re-released in the UK and USA once the band had gained some prominence in the progressive rock scene, Focus's debut album displays a far more pop orientated vocal approach mixed in with the progressive instrumentals for which they became better known later. In terms of sales, the album didn't perform particularly well originally, although it was critically acclaimed. The later re-pressings improved its sales performance but as an album it is one of their least recognised.

The first 3 songs are all in a fairly traditional verse and chorus pop style with vocal parts and no real hint at the band's instrumental proficiency. A flute solo on 'Sugar Island' is perhaps the only indication that the band's talent runs deeper than the first trio of songs might suggest. They're fairly catchy and inoffensive, I'd go so far as to say that they'd be a decent pop style band, had they continued to make less progressive music.

'Anonymous' is the first instrumental song on the album and unless you're aware of what's coming, it almost takes the listener by surprise with it's fast paced full band instrumentals and solos. The band move from section to section seamlessly, making the music more interesting than even the vocal songs preceding it. The longest song so far on the album, it almost effortlessly holds the listener's attention with the amount of things going on at once. 'House Of The King' provides another instrumental track, using the intro from Anonymous once again before taking off in a completely different direction. Its musical structure is more basic than that of the preceding track but it's a testament to the band's originality that both pieces are equally exciting and interesting.

An alternative cover for the album

'Happy Nightmare (Mescaline)' returns the album to vocal songs, although its instrumentation and style is a little more in keeping with the songs before it. It's lyrics deal with a somewhat psychedelic mescaline trip and the thoughts in a user's head, while the next song 'Why Dream''s lyrics almost seem to send a pessimistic message about the "current" state of the world. On closer inspection however, it's possible that the song is trying to send more of anti-pessimism message. However it was intended, just like the song before, it has more stylistic appeal and progressive rock flair than the first trio of songs.

The final song is an extended instrumental version of the first song on the album, 'Focus' which begins in much the same way as the vocal version but evolves to contain more of the band's instrumental prowess and ideas than the vocal version displayed. The vocal line is played by Akkerman's guitar which allows for little embellishments on the tune, and some interesting mini-solos.

On listening to In and Out Of Focus, you can almost feel the band attempting to infuse their vocal songs with the instrumental flair they show on tracks like Anonymous and House of the King. In a way there's something for everyone to enjoy, with some songs featuring a more pop oriented structure and others leaning much closer to progressive rock. Perhaps it's also fair to say that the band wasn't quite sure of the direction their music would take later on in their career. What is clear to see however, is the talent and compositional skill of all the musicians involved. This makes for an interesting listen, especially if you've heard other Focus albums to compare it to.

Rating 4.00/5.00

Album Review: The Electric Light Orchestra (No Answer)

Album: The Electric Light Orchestra
Artist: The Electric Light Orchestra
Label: Harvest
Release Date: December 1971

Sometimes incorrectly titled as "No Answer" due to a telephone mix up at their record label, the Electric Light Orchestra's first album showcases a glimpse of them with their original line-up with Roy Wood (later of Wizzard) and Jeff Lynne as principal songwriters. It features a lot more string instruments than most pop albums of the time, and although not too similar to their later work, some glimpses of ELO's general style manage to shine through at times.

'10538 Overture' is the main single of the album and rightly so as it feels the most together of any song featured on the album. In a fairly conventional pop style to start with, the later parts of the song featuring very heavy overbearing string parts which can almost be described as discordant raspy, low scraping sound effects. The album's second song 'Look At Me Now' is rather close to The Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" in places, with prominent string parts and its general structure.

The closing half of the first side features far more string parts and even some renaissance style brass parts. At around 6 minutes each both of the songs in question are structured much less conventionally and feature some what unrelated sections and experimental parts. It's hard to determine what sort of feel the band were going for on the album as a whole, and it feels as if the pop parts are at odds with the more classically influenced numbers.

'1st Movement' restores a little faith in the direction of the album as a short instrumental track with defined sections and assured of its purpose. While the songwriting on the album before it was essentially shared between Wood and Lynne, the Mr. Radio on side 2 begins a trio of songs written by Jeff Lynne. The most easily accessible of the three, the song is essentially the second side's 10538 overture with a catchy hook and more experimental later section.

'Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)', the second of the three songs features falsetto vocals, even more strings and far less lyrical sections than most songs on the album relying mainly on its instrumental sections. The final song by Lynne on the album 'Queen of the Hours' shifts between a country influenced string vibe in it's chorus to experimental Beatles sounding verses, with the music inbetween containing the now trademark dischordant string rhythm section aside the drums.

 The final track 'Whisper In The Night' rounds off the album with Roy's vocals back again for the first time since Look at Me Now. It's apparent that his voice isn't as soothing as Jeff's and the song itself is far more laid back than some of the other tracks on the album which doesn't really fit Roy's voice as well. The album as a whole features a lot of different types of songs but only a few which point in the direction of the band's later efforts. It can be difficult to get into due to the strings which feature on most if not all of the tracks, and the fact that it doesn't sound much like their later output, but it's not so much bad as experimental and most of the tracks are at least tolerable if not good.

Rating: 2.75/5.00