FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
While I have a strenuous dislike of Jim Morrison which I’ve expounded on numerous times, it really was hard not to think about this record as post-punk Doors. Maybe Doors meet Mission of Burma. Or Iron Butterfly joining up with The Stranglers perhaps. Wait, I’ve got it -- Procul Harem smashes into The Feelies (where those Lou Reed undertones come from -- The Feelies sound a lot like sped up VU).
Regardless, this is a curious record but unique and sometimes winning in its way, even if the tempos are often quite a bit too slow for me. Generally speaking I thought the jagged guitar was too often overwhelmed by the keyboards from a production standpoint, but that’s a personal thing -- I did like the fact that pushing the keys front and center made this music sound like its own animal, and the hooks are driven via the Hammond rather than via the Fender, which is certainly far better than having no hooks at all.
I like the 60s organ that grounds “Pavement and The Boot” and “I’m A Living Sickness”, and the all-too-human drummer just slightly off his timing during the fills, which gives both songs almost an amateurish (in a good way) rather than a slick feel. On the other hand, “Meditation” is kind of one of those tunes that shows up at a tired, pedestrian hippie jamfest music festival, like the 14th band of the day in the late afternoon when you’re four joints in and just want to get away for a bit and take a nap. And the slow bits on “Painted Air” were pretty grating.
I think the strokes of minor genius here are “Addicted to the Day” and “I’m Higher Than I’m Down”, both of which have double meanings and a rollicking aspect I really enjoyed. “Optical Sound” was another pleasant one, and “Love Is A Wave” the nearest to a conventional "modern" pop song I heard, and my second favo(u)rite after "Higher" -- it’s almost (dare I say it) jumpy!
I didn’t think Blue Orchids found any hidden gems among the covers here, so putting an English spin on obscure American pop isn’t really that much of an accomplishment IMO. But let’s pretend they aren’t covers, but originals. Does this change much? Not to me, because I wouldn’t have known the difference and thought this was a well-executed (if too much the same song-to-song) retro piece of work filtered through a modern lens. There wasn’t anything here I would be fumbling with a play list to add (maybe “Higher”), but also nothing that was an auto-fast forward either. It’s consistently solid throughout, an interesting turn on a theme that I could listen to again without complaint. Not good enough for a 7 but better than average. Smack on a 6 then.
Regardless, this is a curious record but unique and sometimes winning in its way, even if the tempos are often quite a bit too slow for me. Generally speaking I thought the jagged guitar was too often overwhelmed by the keyboards from a production standpoint, but that’s a personal thing -- I did like the fact that pushing the keys front and center made this music sound like its own animal, and the hooks are driven via the Hammond rather than via the Fender, which is certainly far better than having no hooks at all.
I like the 60s organ that grounds “Pavement and The Boot” and “I’m A Living Sickness”, and the all-too-human drummer just slightly off his timing during the fills, which gives both songs almost an amateurish (in a good way) rather than a slick feel. On the other hand, “Meditation” is kind of one of those tunes that shows up at a tired, pedestrian hippie jamfest music festival, like the 14th band of the day in the late afternoon when you’re four joints in and just want to get away for a bit and take a nap. And the slow bits on “Painted Air” were pretty grating.
I think the strokes of minor genius here are “Addicted to the Day” and “I’m Higher Than I’m Down”, both of which have double meanings and a rollicking aspect I really enjoyed. “Optical Sound” was another pleasant one, and “Love Is A Wave” the nearest to a conventional "modern" pop song I heard, and my second favo(u)rite after "Higher" -- it’s almost (dare I say it) jumpy!
I didn’t think Blue Orchids found any hidden gems among the covers here, so putting an English spin on obscure American pop isn’t really that much of an accomplishment IMO. But let’s pretend they aren’t covers, but originals. Does this change much? Not to me, because I wouldn’t have known the difference and thought this was a well-executed (if too much the same song-to-song) retro piece of work filtered through a modern lens. There wasn’t anything here I would be fumbling with a play list to add (maybe “Higher”), but also nothing that was an auto-fast forward either. It’s consistently solid throughout, an interesting turn on a theme that I could listen to again without complaint. Not good enough for a 7 but better than average. Smack on a 6 then.
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