Daily Archives: August 19, 2012

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The Commuters – “Rescue” Review

The Commuters’ debut album “Rescue” dropped four months ago and incase you’ve not heard it you should really take a chance to give them a whirl. A funky, grungy uplifting rock band its nice to have a new rock band that’s not going for the middle of the road approach

“As I Make My Way” opens the album as a punchy uplifting anthem. The vocals are strong, the chords are familiar but have a new arrangement to them and it’s just got a really infectious bounce to it and although it revels in its rough guitars it’s still very much single material.  ”Lines On Your Hands” crosses the line between the good old late 90′s rock anthems that took over the music scene for a little while. It reminds me of something Whetus or a more mature Blink182 would make. Title track “Rescue” is a delight with some excellent lyrics and really showcases the cracking vocal delivery of frontman Zeeshan as the song builds and builds to its lighter swaying finale. “Hope To Be” is a sweet track with some excellent guitar harmonics being brought to the foreground to let the emotion seep out.

“Take a Step Back” completely changes dynamic by bringing in piano and switching over to acoustic guitars. Zeeshan’s vocals suit this style well too as the track slowly wraps around you and builds and is reminiscent of classic Coldplay. “Great Escape” solidifies The Commuters ability to produce a stonking ballad with a particularly epic second half that absolutely blasts to life and could be the soundtrack to many a sad film scene I’m sure.

At risk of getting too soppy “Kneeling” then brings in a thumping beat as the spacious yet clean track almost touches on Chilli Pepper guitars but with their own little twist on things. “We Are Breathing” rocks out the traditional blues chords for the most straight forward single track on the album which I’d recommend as a great starter point to the band. “Fallen From Grace” is a wonderfully downbeat acoustic rock track with lots of layering on the backing vocals and keyboards. What I do find is that lead vocalist Zeeshan is able to almost change his voice to suit the style of the song. Instead of the croaky emotion of earlier tracks here its smooth and whimsy. That’s quite an achievement.

“Bombs Away” is a real rock out anthem and good for the mosh pit as the band do their best Americana impression before the closer “You’ll Stay Right Here” is a dramatic ballad with synth strings, pianos and marching band drums to really hit home its the curtain call. It different to the rest of the album and again showcases the band doesn’t sit on a certain sound for too long.

Amazingly “Rescue” is utterly free! For being a freebie it’d be utter madness if you didn’t pick this album. On its own merit though, The Commuters have made a solid splash into the rock pond. It’s difficult to distinguish yourself in this field but with chunkier, rougher guitars, a vocalist that seems to swap voiceboxes on demand and some feel good anthems – The Commuters have you covered!

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Dead Can Dance – “Anastasis” Review

Dead Can Dance are back! After far too long away from our speakers they’ve reunited. I’ve followed and thoroughly enjoyed their solo projects but sometimes things come together when you pair greats up. The eight track “Anastasis” is very much a tour de force and in many ways it feels a natural progression.

“Children of the Sun” opens the album, where vocal duties are split firmly down the middle. Brendan’s vocals have only became more soulful and wise over time. His recent solo album has a real influence over the general sound of the album but no more so than here. The album constantly flows in a mid tempo and the song builds and builds to its almighty fanfare finale. It makes you wait but the emotion by feeling the explosion is worth it. It’s great to hear the Yang Chin in full swing too. “Anabasis” veers more towards the spooky oriental with Lisa’s mysterious vocal delivery we’re now all so familiar with leading the way while a hang drum makes it début into the instrument collection and fits beautifully. Lisa’s vocals are more soothing than powerful throughout the record aside from the next track.

“Apage” continues the lean towards the Middle East with some fantastic bent string arrangements that do their very best to miss any specific note and just float and soar around them. Lisa’s vocals are left off the reigns around the stunning arrangements. Dead Can Dance have always had some top-notch melodies and bridges and this is not exception. “Amnesia” is a spacious track full of reverb and Brendan’s deep voice floating away over the piano and keyboards. Again it builds into a symphonic triumph. Brendan led tracks have this intense building to them which I particularly enjoyed.

“Kiko” has a great time signature to it as the Asian influence seeps through the instrumentation and even the guitar solo. It’s another mid paced track but the percussion is particularly foreboding and it feels almost like a march to the death. “Opium” is possibly the most pacey track on the album with lots of percussion and the hang drum returning to beat out the melody. It another excellent track before you break into the only track where both Lisa and Brendan really interact together. “Return of the She-King” starts off with synthesized bag pipes before mellowing into a collage of Lisa’s vocals that slowly envelope and rouse the track into something regal and noble. The final third then explodes into a fanfare of keyboards and both our members overlapping almost in call and response. It’s a real stand out part of the album. The album then closes with “All in Good Time” which reminds me of Archangel from Brendan’s first album but replacing guitars with keyboards. It’s a sweet closure.

Anastasis is a fantastic album. It’s a little one tempo if I were heavily critical but each song has such a different dynamic that actually you don’t notice until afterwards. It’s great to have them back with us and I hope there’s more to come in the future!