Customer Reviews

Ether Song

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

By far, one of the most talented and original sounds to come along in quite some time. While the current age of music seems to be stuck in a valley, rather than traversing a peak, this disc reassures us that there may be hope yet, for the future of music. Although the Golden Age of music has, most certainly passed, maybe thre is still another due to emerge. For your own sake, give this one a chance! Most of you will know what I mean when I say that, chances are, this disc will not be a favorite certainly the first, second, and perhaps even the third time you hear it. It will, however, become one of those classic favorites that will never get too old for proper appreciation, much like Pearl Jam's "Ten" and Dave Matthews unforgettable first album. This is now threatening to turn into a full-scaled rant, so here, it must end.

I had never heard of Turin Brakes before the Astralwerks newsletter I receive in my e-mail began promoting their latest CD, "Ether Song". I decided to listen to their single, "Pain Killer (Summer Rain)" and I was ready to crown it as the best summer song of 2003. Now that I own the album, my opinion still stands, but "Ether Song" is packed with other great songs. Unfortunately, there's nothing on the album that's as immediately catchy as "Pain Killer", but that's rarely a bad thing. I prefer an album that grows on you than one that gets tiring after a few listens. "Blue Hour" is a nice build-up introduction to the album, while the short and sweet "Average Man" establishes Turin Brakes excellent songwriting abilites. "Long Distance" and "Self Help" are nice rockers while "Falling Down" bring in the electronics for a nice, ambient tune. There are some interestingly experimental songs on here, most notably the claustrophobic "Panic Attack". I really like the only real hard rocker on here, "Little Brother", for it's smooth percussion-less bridge before jumping right back into its addictive melody. The final song, "Rain City", is another gorgeously acoustic endeavor pocketed with synth bleeps in the background (to simulate raindrops, I suppose). Wait awhile for the hidden title track, "Ether Song". It's a very good song with a fascinating buildup, but I get real tired of people hiding songs two or three minutes after the last track. It doesn't make it worth fast-forwarding on your CD player every time you want to hear it.

Anyway, I'd like to talk about the bonus disc. US record label Astralwerks likes to put bonus songs onto UK discs released here in the States to make picky consumers more likely to buy them. This time around, they've added a four-track bonus disc of demos and alternate studio sessions for "Blue Hour", "Self Help", "Long Distance" and a new song, "Bright Golden Lights". I would say they're not worth your time, but, hey, they're free, so they're pretty good. Also on the bonus disc is an enhanced CD-ROM with a video EPK (Electronic Press Kit) showing how they made the album, how it compares with their last CD, "The Optimist", and a pretty cool bit about how they shot the album cover. All the footage is interspersed with impressive concert footage.

My English auntie bought me this CD. She thought I'd never heard of Turin Brakes. Happily, it acted as a happy reminder. She bought me this just before I drove back to Nashville with this CD from North Dakoka. Believe me, this is an excellent road trip CD. I don't know if I like it as much as Optomist, but it definitely has more of that cathartic feel, especially if you have songs that really need to make you feel that way."Long Distance" and "Stone Thrown" are contenders for good getting over people/rebound/not getting over people songs. Enjoy this album. It is like an old wine. It gets better the more times you listen to it.

Turin Brakes have done what few bands have been able to do (and those that did - Coldplay, U2, etc. clearly hold some influence over this London duo). They have produced a "Sophmore Rise", a second album which trumps their first by far. This album is catchy, compelling, edgy, and modern yet soulful. I really can't find enough good things to say about this album. Standout tracks to listen to include "Self Help", "Pain Killer (Summer Rain)", and "Falling Down" for you mellow types. The lyrical topics are fresh and the music is wholly original - you have to hear it to believe it. Also, I saw them live on tour w/ David Gray this summer and I can confirm that they really have this talent in person. I hope these guys garner a following in the US. They deserve a breakout.

Turin Brakes is one of those excellent British bands that hasn't gotten much attention in the American mainstream yet, along with the guys in South, Elbow and Mercury Rev. And after their shimmery space-folk album "Ether Song," their second, we can see that this is totally undeserved.

A spacey organ buildup, a trippy beat and a folky guitar open the first song, "Blue Hour." This song sets the tone for the rest of the album, with its mix of spacey shoegazer and folk-rock, set to angsty lyrics about "let the sun be done/let the air wash the city clean." It's one of those songs that gets deeper and more layered the more you listen to it.

But the album really catches your attention with the soft, rising "Long Distance," which is the softest song that Muse never wrote. And in some songs like "Self Help" and "Panic Attack," the boys eschew the spacepop angle in favor of some mild spacerock. Nothing too hard, just a ringing electric guitar that weaves into the music seamlessly.

With those new additions, it's obvious that Turin Brakes is trying out new things, rather than sticking slavishly to what got them famous in the first place. The only flaw is that they seem a bit undecided what direction to take, and so "Ether Song" feels a bit unguided. But it's somehow pleasant to hear Ollie Knights singing in his slightly wobbly voice, "Remind myself that I'm not just in it for the money." Refreshing.

This U.K. duo started off with acoustic guitar, bass and drums, augmented by some low-key keyboard that adds a delicate edge to otherwise ordinary rock instrumentation. And in "Ether Song," Knights and multitalented bandmate Gale Paridjanian are experimenting with a less folk, more rock sound. Fortunately, they know how to mesh electric guitar into the instrumentation.

With music like that, it's inevitable that the songs are a bit on the downbeat side; Knight and Paridjanian's songs tend to be focused on love and dissatisfaction, only breaking out for the poignant "Little Brother," which is all about someone ELSE's loneliness. It's the sound of unhappiness, which could be optimistic if given a little shove.

These twentysomething musicians -- who are about to release their third album -- are in good form in their second space-rock-folk album, "Ether Song."

After randomly picking up this album in a Cambridge record store, I was pleasantly surprised to recognize this band from a cut off their first album, "Underdog (Save Me)." The appealing melody that first made me get that song stuck in my head (in a good way) are just as present on this second release. Laid-back acoustics give way to sparse poetry and an still under-packaged subtlety that had me listening over and over. Their sound is consistent, with new attempts at adding some studio beats to refreshingly rock-solid musicianship. "Self Help" and "Little Brother" may not be the released singles, but the (once again) more subtle lyrics Turin Brakes occasionally hits on begin to tell their own stories in these tracks. Much of the album is keenly atmospheric, while listening to moodier tracks like "Full of Stars" just makes you want to sing along--if only to join in the soulfulness this artistic duo brings to their latest work.

Turin Brakes has done it! They have followed up their amazing debut album 'The Optimist' with an increidbly new sounding record. 'Ether Song' takes fans of the first album into a new direction while still keeping true to their acoustic folk rock sound. I think it is great that the boys of Turin Brakes have challenged themselves to move in new directions. This record is amazing and I can not seem to stop listening to it. With great hits like 'Long Distance','Painkiller', and 'Average Man' it seems that Turin Brakes have scored big with this second record. Cheers to them!!

I don't want to spend much time talking about the album. Personally, I think it is excellent, sort of a cross between the Beta Band (minus the eccentric weirdness) and the undeniable tunefulness of Coldplay. I've scarcely been able to get it out of my cd player. ...

Turin Brakes are one of the least personable and characterised and most downright boring bands I have ever come across. One album of their detestable 'new acoustic' sound should be enough for even the most enthusiastic, but somehow they've slipped the cliched, tired-sounding 'Pain Killer' into the top 5 and for everyone who didn't discover them last time round we have an album of the same thing all over again. Barely progressing at all in terms of musical complexity, its one of those albums for those who heard this acoustic stuff was sophisticated and wants it for background muzak. The one half-decent cut is 'Long Distance', but even this is far from interesting. Much acoustic music is beautiful: this is not; it simply sounds like a sonic version of boredom. Steer clear.