Tag Archives: great albums

Clutch “Psychic Warfare”

 

Clutch-Psychic-Warfare-Review

 

 

 

 

Clutch's new album “Psychic Warolyfare” album starts off with a narrator asking for them to start at the beginning which is then introduced to “Psychic Warfare” and the lyrics of “I was getting a pack of the smokes”, indeed is the beginning of the story. This album is very conversational, which is meant that it is a story that is pretty cohesive through out the album. It was like there was an entire story that was meant to be told, much like a concept album expect it was more about the story rather then an album like Tommy.

This kind of lyric work is not an easy thing to achieve. Writing something that sounds conversational can come off as trying to hard or cheesy but to place it to lyrics and have it work is all together a talent of its own. Each song has a story and “Our Lady of Electric Light” sounds like it should be placed into a Quentin Tarantino film like Kill Bill or something like that. Aside from the exquisitely written lyrics the music in itself is very much on point. The sound and the mixing was perfect for this album. All of the sounds on the album are balanced and there is not an over load of drums, or bass or a lack of guitarist. Much like seeing the band in person the kind of energy flows through the album. The album is not very long and it goes by very fast. Before you know it you are on track 12,”Son of Virginia”, and you are thinking when did that happen? It could have easily been a longer album and it would not have been to much or anything at all. “Sucker for the Witch” is probably one of my personal favorites off the albums. The reference to Stevie Nicks and the Salem Witch trials all in one song and not sounding clunky or forced is just pure genius.

Very rarely do all of these work out so well. It is nice to hear a band that has been around for so long putting out an album that still holds true to not only there sound but finds a spot in contemporary society. It seems like now a days when a band has been around for a long time they want to try and blend with what is out now, they want to be relevant, this is however not the case with Clutch's album. But that does not mean that it does not have a place in this day in time. It seems that rock in all forms are having a nice over ride over a lot of this djing bull shit and this is one album that for sure gives those musicians a run for their money.

VnV Nation new album “Resonance”

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  VNV Nation album "Resonance" which is the revisited versions of some of the best songs from their discography wouldn't say that it is a remix because the songs are played with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra. Yes Ronan has gone on to do something by far more amazing with his music, he has set it to an orchestra. It is in the realm of classic music rather then jazz or anything else. The fluidity of his composing reminds me of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus however.

Not only is composed perfectly but the way that each song follows is that of a perfect VNV mixed play list. Some of them hearing in this format makes me realize what the song meant till I heard it in a raw format. For example “Beloved” although I have interviewed Harris about the song in the past, (interview be re transcribed) I never fully got it till I myself went through it. To have sounds like cellos and violins playing in the background only adds to the feelings of what it means to know that somethings can never be different.

Another song that I was delighted to hear was “Illusion”. This has always been one of my favorite songs and one of those that I have a personal attachment to. What I could not tell Harris at the time of our interview as how important this song was to me when I was 19 and my mother died. I would say this song single handling helped me get through such a hard time in my life and to hear it with a beautiful background only add to the lyrics and what is trying to be said through the song.

This is defiantly one of those album that need to be bought by any fan of VNV or any fan of actually music. As a jazz fan I was excited to hear something different coming from a band like this. I am not saying that this is at all a jazz record but I can appreciate the art that goes into such a sound as this because much like Paul McCartney recording “Yesterday” or Duke Ellington playing with his orchestra, the sounds are timeless and can only become an album that will be referred to as a great masterpiece of work for the years to come. If I could have written the review in less then five words it would have been this, it's just beautiful.