Customer Reviews

From Here on in

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

South may be the most underrated Brit-rock band in existance, with only the Doves contending as well for that title. Certainly they deserve more attention than they have received, with their mellow brand of Stone-Rosian rock and creative use of guitars and electronic sweeps. Their debut, "From Here On In," has a creative polish that most bands can just dream about on their first outing.

What they create is basically swirling pop melodies with a slightly darker undercurrent, and a backdrop of lush electronic beats. The downright beautiful "Paint the Silence" is a good example, with a solid guitar'n'percussion thing going, but behind it are those dreamy beats and waves.

Elsewhere they take a more acoustic sound, such as the slightly ominous "Keep Close" or the eerie "I Know What You're Like," with its banjo-ey guitar. Then it's to songs like "Broken Head II," one of three experimental numbers, an eerie instrumental where the the haunting sonic waves take precedence over the wham-bam percussion, no matter how loud the drums get.

South is still a young band, and they were still sort of feeling their way through in "From Here On In" -- at times the songs can be monotonous musically, although still very engaging. You can hear hints of bands like Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses -- especially the Stone Roses, who are an acknowledged influence, but the Stone Roses if they had been wrapped up with a heavy dose of synth from some expert DJs.

Musically, the guys from South seem to be capable of anything -- moody indie-rock, trippy atmospherics, emo moans, and any imaginable blend of the above. When you strip away the keyboards and loops, the solid guitars and heavy basslines are still lurking there. They have some pretty solid drumbeats, which are usually pretty snappy and flexible; the keyboards and guitars have the rare quality of getting all melted together, so that at times it's hard to tell what precisely is building up musically.

Joel Cadbury doesn't have a great voice -- it's a bit out-there, in that great way that some rockers have. He's not fighting the music for the front position; he sounds like he's just a part of it all. And he throws some intense emotion into the moody, melancholy music -- the lyrics are a bit above average, but the way they are delivered makes them sound very strong and atmospheric. ("I'm gonna be there when your soul comes down/I see you running on your own intentions...")

While South was still growing into its excellent sound in "From Here On In," their polish and exuberance show them to be a musical force to be reckoned with -- especially with the release of their outstanding sophomore album. Keep rockin', boys.

Almost two years ago, I was watching some shlocky B movie about college kids who ran up against the mob when they became bookies. Unexpectedly, at the very end of what was a pretty bad movie, I heard this incredible song -- which sort of sounded like it could have come from the Stone Roses, Charlatans, Oasis, or Ride, but distinctive from all of those great bands. Of course, the song turned out to be "Paint the Silence" and I immediately purchased South's "From Here on In." A few weeks later, I followed up by buying the even better "With the Tides."

While the moody and evocative "Paint the Silence" is clearly the dominant song on the album, other standouts include the soaring "Keep Close," the instrumental "All in for Nothing," "Sight of Me," and "By the Time You Catch Your Heart."

The three principles show tremendous diversity, but stay faithful to the basic britpop formula. Perhaps we didn't need three songs to be split in two -- the album certainly could have been tighter -- but South has done something very special here, by basically continuing into the 2000's the britpop Stone Roses-style genre of rock and roll almost single-handedly.

I also should mention that I disagree with the reviewers who find a weakness in Jamie McDonald's voice. I think he's the perfect front man for these songs, and on occasion, such as in "Coloured in Waves" (probably the band's best song along with "Paint the Silence") his voice really soars.

This band should be more popular!

If you've been paying any sort of attention in the past 10 years, you'd know that the very last thing the label Mo'Wax is known for is gee-tar muzik.

Usually, we're treated to the dope beatz ala Unkle or DJ Shadow, etc.

So, South mark something of a departure for James Lavelle and his motley crew. Sure, some beatz are there (check the "broken head" tracks), but mostly this is a vintage melancholy rock album. Sometimes, it sounds like early Stone Roses, and in other places it's more like a tribute to the late 70's.

That said, however, the album on the whole is gorgeously produced and comes together like something subtely new. This is a recommended listen for music lovers across the board -- headz and folk-rockers unite!

(sorry about spelling errors -- i did this in 3 minutes tops)

A great album. South are impressive songwriters. Instrumental sections are a feature of their music rather than mere filler, their instrumentation is subtle and detailed . The vocals are used as another instrument contributing to the soundscape rather than dominating it. This is an album which wont fail to be appreciated by people who understand music. It is an impressive synthesis of soft rock and electronic that transcends genres. There are even elements that will appeal to those that appreciate classical music.

The tracks for this album are not correct. They are listing the titles from the import album @ From Here On In. I had the import version, but lost the cd. So, I bought this thinking that the tracks were the same, they are not. Southern Climbs and Broken Head III are not even on this disc! Since I can't find a link anywhere, I will list the tracks as they appear on this release

1. Broken Head I
2. Paint The Silence
3. Keep Close
4. I Know What You're Like
5. All in for Nothing (Reprise)
6. Here on in
7. Run on time
8. Sight of me
9. By the time you catch your heart
10. Live between the lines (back again)
11. Save your sorrow
12. Too much too soon
13. Recovered now
14. By the time you catch your heart (reprise)
15. All in for nothing
16. Broken Head II

I'm French I discovered the cd during a trip in California last summer and I really loved them but it was impossible to find their cd in a store in the US and in France as well. So thank you Amazon to deliver in France!
Hope this group will be famous in France soon, like that maybe they'll do a concert in our country. But I'm sure they will, as Coldplay did few years ago.

South may be the most underrated Brit-rock band in existance, with only the Doves contending as well for that title. Certainly they deserve more attention than they have received, with their mellow brand of Stone-Rosian rock and creative use of guitars and electronic sweeps. Their debut, "From Here On In," has a creative polish that most bands can just dream about on their first outing.

What they create is basically swirling pop melodies with a slightly darker undercurrent, and a backdrop of lush electronic beats. The downright beautiful "Paint the Silence" is a good example, with a solid guitar'n'percussion thing going, but behind it are those dreamy beats and waves.

Elsewhere they take a more acoustic sound, such as the slightly ominous "Keep Close" or the eerie "I Know What You're Like," with its banjo-ey guitar. Then it's to songs like "Broken Head II," one of three experimental numbers, an eerie instrumental where the the haunting sonic waves take precedence over the wham-bam percussion, no matter how loud the drums get.

South is still a young band, and they were still sort of feeling their way through in "From Here On In" -- at times the songs can be monotonous musically, although still very engaging. You can hear hints of bands like Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses -- especially the Stone Roses, who are an acknowledged influence, but the Stone Roses if they had been wrapped up with a heavy dose of synth from some expert DJs.

Musically, the guys from South seem to be capable of anything -- moody indie-rock, trippy atmospherics, emo moans, and any imaginable blend of the above. When you strip away the keyboards and loops, the solid guitars and heavy basslines are still lurking there. They have some pretty solid drumbeats, which are usually pretty snappy and flexible; the keyboards and guitars have the rare quality of getting all melted together, so that at times it's hard to tell what precisely is building up musically.

Joel Cadbury doesn't have a great voice -- it's a bit out-there, in that great way that some rockers have. He's not fighting the music for the front position; he sounds like he's just a part of it all. And he throws some intense emotion into the moody, melancholy music -- the lyrics are a bit above average, but the way they are delivered makes them sound very strong and atmospheric. ("I'm gonna be there when your soul comes down/I see you running on your own intentions...")

While South was still growing into its excellent sound in "From Here On In," their polish and exuberance show them to be a musical force to be reckoned with -- especially with the release of their outstanding sophomore album. Keep rockin', boys.

This album is very melodic pop/rock with strong instrumentation and usually mid to low tempo meter. The mix is 2/3 rock and 1/3 electronic instrumental. In some ways the electronic textures combined with the slow melancholy is reminiscent of Radiohead, but bizarre elements that make them cutting edge. A gentle, dark album that only occasionally gets loud. Stay away if you clamor for exclusively uptempo music, this might put you to sleep because it's that slow and smoothly executed.

This album is VERY good in all aspects..the songwriting is strong, the production is very complimentary to each individual song, and the musical performances really pull it all together. If you like bands like Coldplay, Turin Brakes, Doves, Radiohead, etc. give them a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised.

My guess is this will be one of those albums that gain popularity over time by word of mouth...

Just when you thought Brit-pop was in a slump, along come South. Think Oasis meets The Stone Charlatans produced by Brian Eno. This record has it all - songwriting, texture, mood and feeling. It's too bad that this record is far too intelligent for modern rock radio, because it truly is an overlooked gem and one of the best releases of the past 5 years.