With a mad mix of Rush and ... well ... Rush, EL84's "One World" is probably one of the most rocking tracks I've had a chance to hear since reviewing here at BandFreaks. These guys are definitely"Arena Rock" -- great movements, changes and performances make "One World" a strong candidate for whatever kind of award BandFreaks gives out for this kind of thing in the future. In a strange, strange world of dark politics and the looming cant of war, "One World" is an epic rock sentiment to the sweeping changes taking place in the world today.
With a firm political stance and an awesome, awesome guitar solo, this track will have your lazy behind out of that cushy computer chair you're probably sitting in and banging your head with a pretend guitar. Me, I like to work on a milk crate in my underwear to keep up the tension.
ABOUT THE BAND: Oakland's EL84 started out recording and rehearsing, then booking solid and quickly building a fan base both locally and abroad. Apparently, they've also had plenty of success on the internet charts as well -- EL84's "One World" was voted "hottest track" in 2004 at SoundClick.Com. Okay, so maybe it wasn't THIS track. Their press kit didn't say. But if it wasn't it should have been. This California four piece definitely has a place in the future of prog rock.
ON THE DOWNSIDE:
At times, lead vocalist Steve Calapp's intonation can be kind of "pitchy". This is mostly during the quieter points of the song. You almost expect this to continue, but every time it comes time to rock Calapp's wailing vox become the clarion tone of a tenor master. Not to come off like a drama instructor or anything, but I'd suggest a little breath control during the softer moments in the dynamic.
STRONG POINTS:
This track was brilliantly recorded, possibly live. I seriously can't imagine that this was tracked out -- the bass comes through strong and clear, and the guitar tone on the leads is amazing. Everything is well produced, definitely well performed, and with all the trappings of any major studio recording. AND they've got a really cool video. Want it?
THE CONCLUSION?:
Ladies and gentlemen, please get out your lighters and prepare to rock. Naked.
Whoa. I was definitely surprised to hear this track. You can never really expect the kind of artistry you hear in this song from most people. "Steps", with its masterfully melodic guitar arrangements, well laid keyboard synth sounds, and beautiful cadence, will definitely take you to one epic place. And I was expecting your run-of-the-mill home made house electronica, for some reason. It's like taking a sip and expecting Boone's but getting a good Shiraz instead. It's almost like there's a movie scene out there missing its soundtrack.
The instrumentation in this song is mainly a classical guitar, background synth sounds, an occasional flute (well done flute, that is), and a veeeery, very brief intermission of drums and percussion. The rhythm and the timing on this piece are perfect -- absolutely great changes and resolutions. Also, the length of this track definitely makes it listen-able; even for folks who are fans of the harder stuff. Seriously -- my compliments to Becker on a fine piece of work. Everything develops in this song rather nicely. Almost in ... well ... steps, I guess. Yeah, that's it. Steps.
Oh -- okay, I get it.
Thomas Becker, a new age, progressive electronic, trance, ambient, drum 'n' bass, space jazz, ethnic musician out of Milano, Italy (how's *that* for keywords, Avallon?) started taking piano lessons at 10 years old. Active on the internet scene since before any of you can remember (unless BBS-es were your thing back in the late eighties and early nineties), Thomas' approach, skills, mindset (and equipment) have evolved over the past decade into something of a multifaceted creator/performer of many genres and the fusion in between. In fact, his musical catalog has been quite busy over these past years -- with over 100,000 downloads and getting busier all the time. Currently, his catalog has over 90 free tracks for your listening enjoyment. So let me wrap this up, because it looks like you all have work to do.
This track is definitely recommended for fans of Steve Roach, Ray Lynch, instrumentals and movie tracks in general. "Steps" is definitely going in my morning playlist for when I'm doing my yoga ... er ... I mean push ups and free weights ... in the morning.
"Bottom of a Well", by Sahib Radio Genre: Experimental / Electronic / Singer Songwriter Get the MP3 | Visit the website Find More Artists Like Sahib Radio I was pleasantly surprised with "Bottom of a Well" when I first heard it through. Surprising, because I wasn't so sure what to expect from the way North Carolina'sSahib Radio came off on his Funender page. It is, however, not entirely surprising that I like this piece ... I mean, after all, I AM a Tom Waits fan. The similarities between Sahib on this song and most of the Tom Waits catalog are so many, it's hard to tell if it was purely intentional or just an accidental parallel between two like-minded crooners of darkness.
"Well" is the story of a man with something to hide. It sounds like a body. Possibly little Timmy's body. Hence, the darkness. The song's narrator paints a clear picture of his calculated journey to a Well down the path by Crystal Lake to dump a body. However, let me not simplify thing too much ... "Bottom of a Well", between Sahib's deep, scratchy vocals, the slowly-paced (and decently arranged) backing keyboards and the spooky background harmonies, is a vastly visual piece. In fact, it's for this that I would compare him to Waits and Leonard Cohen (the old Leonard, not the younger version) -- Waits and Cohen have always been deeply visual writers; weaving stories (usually dark stories) thick with imagery and leaving their traces all over your psyche. And aside from its disturbing story and dark overtones, "Well" is an easy song to listen to. Well put together, great instrumentation, and a good tone. It's also really short (2:36 total). I kind of felt the length worked for this song; it kept things simple and the story precise.
However, the lyrics themselves really could do more, I thought. Very, very simple lyrics and rhyming patterns. There are also some harmony/backing effects near the end that, although nicely chaotic and giving off the psychotic vibe of "many voices speaking at once" or "speaking into a Well", I really feel like this could have been done a bit cleaner. The effect itself seems more like a factory-shipped digital effect than something really worthy of this song. These two things really knocked off a few "points" for me. And though the tone and the telling was perfect, to be fair I really don't think the story was that original. And for that matter --
Waitaminut -- this guy wrote a song about knocking somebody off and throwing them into well.
Sahib Radio's "Bottom of a Well" is a flawless tune. With it's awesome imagery and cool tones, I'd recommend anyone who's into songs about vastly misunderstood loners doing things that are none of my business download "Well" at your earliest convenience from Sahib's awesome Funender page.
I gotta' go.
Stone Bayliss (address withheld)
BandFreaks Staff Reviewer
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July 09, 2008, 12:54:22 AM
8.01.05 - The HitClick Independent Music Network is now BandFreaks.Com. We're all really excited about the recent changes and welcome everybody's feedback on the updates. Drop us a line and let us know what you think!
