Customer Reviews

Origin 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gathering their influences from various branches of rock'n'roll, TSOOL creates an original album full of melodic riffs, captivating melodies and killer playing that easily matches their stateside debut from four years ago. Yes, you can hear echoes of the Beatles, the Who, Pink Floyd, Love, the Stooges, the Stones, the Buffalo Springfield and the Kinks but they're just that--echoes of past sounds. Shorter, sharper and easily as big as their last album, "Origin 1" doesn't plough any new ground per se but continues to hone their distinctive sound.

"Transcendental Suicide" literally jumps out of the speakers with the manic energy of Keith Moon like drumming and crunching guitars. Hooks abound on the marvelous opening track midtempo rocker "Believe I've Found". In case you're concerned that they've forgotten their past (lead singer/songwriter Ebbot Lundberg was in the Stooges inspired band Union Carbide Productions), "Mother One Track Mind" recalls the fury of UCP, the Stooges but still manages to incorporate the tricky, slippery melodies that have become a trademark of the band. "Lone Summer Dream" dominated by the sound of an organ and with its Beach Boys/Beatles layer of backing vocals instantly sucks you into its bright fun vibe. "Headed for a Breakdown" borrows the riff from Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and pounds it into submission with a solid rocking beat.

There's a couple of flawed tracks such as the Lou Reed inspired "Midnight Children" which sounds like a parody of Reed and The Velvet Underground. "World Bank" takes us into territory previously occupied by The Move with its neopsychedelic touches including what sounds like a mellotron in the background. Although it isn't my favorite track (it lacks some of the punch of the other material), it still has its moments. Still, two or three weak tracks out of 14 isn't bad.

A terrific and welcome return from one of the few bands able to recall the past without repeating it. Yes, there's tributes to other important 60's and 70's bands but it's filtered through TSOOL's unique sound. Like Tom Petty, TSOOL can acknowledge their heroes and still create something memorable all their own. Take a listen to the preview tracks here you might just like what you hear.

For those of you who don't live in California, should you ever decide to visit us, please make the effort to go to one of the Amoeba Music stores, two of which are in the Bay Area and one in Hollywood. These are huge warehouses filled with bizarre people and infinite stockpiles of incredible music. Well, the colorful employees of Amoeba are probably the foremost music experts in the world based in large part on their work environment and what they see coming and going all day long through their music bins. Amoeba decided to capitalize on this cultural resource and they now publish a cool little publication called "Music We Like." It's a free little booklet wherein the Bohemian employee-ranks of Amoeba tell us commoners what is the must-have stuff in today's music scene. Well, in their latest issue there were numerous mentions of this CD, and despite the lack of reviews here on Amazon I decided to give it a go.

Wow. I must first confess that I'm one of these people in my forties who is constantly claiming that there is no good new music anymore, or at least very little. Yes, there is Cake, Monster Magnet, the White Stripes, and Elliot Smith (another AMAZING artist I discovered via this little Amoeba booklet), and a smattering of others here and there, but most of the music I buy and listen to is twenty to forty years old. So, when I discover a new music group which hits me between the eyes, it is big news that I want to shout from the rooftop. Consider me now shouting, because this here CD is first-rate. I listened to it about ten times upon getting it, and it is almost like I didn't want to put it with my other CD's; it deserves some special place of ceremonious rest until I listen to it next time.

As I read the other Amazon reviews (which are largely favorable but not numerous) one concern I have is that you may fear that this music is overly derivative. Actually, the connections to earlier bands is apparent, but not overly conspicuous. (I didn't really make the connection until I read these reviews and thought further about it; to me, this music is more than sufficiently original and fresh in every respect. I don't think you'll feel as though you are merely rehashing the past when you listen to this.)

Indeed, I see this as awesome, progressive music. These guys are super talented and this music is delightful and inspired and inspiring. Yep, I've already one-clicked their other albums, I want everything they've done. What I can't fathom is why "Nine Inch Nails" has 615 reviews for an album which I consider to be pure junk, and this has only six reviews??? My Nanny was right, it ain't necessarily a just and fair world. Too bad, really. I know these guys will be rewarded in Heaven, however. Or at least I hope they will if they don't get the Earthly recognition they deserve.

Soundtrack are a great Swedish band who have been championed by Noel ( Oasis ) Gallagher, which is how I first came to hear about them and buy their last CD, "Behind The Music", which I enjoyed very much. Now, they have this great new album and it has already come and gone. The only place I heard it get any attention was Little Steven Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio show. It is full of great riffs( some borrowed of course) and great melodies and should have fit right in on American radio along with The White Stripes, The Ceasars,(fellow Swedes), The Hives (ditto) and Oasis themselves. But for some reason the garage rock retro revival seems to be passing them by. It's a shame too, because they are armed with some great rock songs like "Transcendental Suicide", "Mother One Track Mind", "Heading For A Breakdown" and moody, slower jams like "Midnight Children", that sound better than half the crap on the radio these days. If you like classic rock and gagrage rock, do yourself a favor and check these cats out.

Why do we Americans fail time and again to find truly great music?! TSOOL is yet another Swedish band to hit big in Europe during the past couple years that can tear the stage apart! My guess: The lead singer is a chunky dude who wears a Moo-moo and looks like a scruffy monk - not exactly MTV-USA material.

That being said, this is some of the best guitar rock to come out in a while. As other reviewers have mentioned, reflections of the Kinks, the WHO, and the Stooges are easy to spot, but it is how TSOOL puts all of those influences together that makes yer jaws drop and turn the stereo up.

Brit-pop? No way. Brit-pop was distinctively British and intentionally avoidant of American "rock sensibility." TSOOL is pure Rock 'N' Roll.

Of the handful of bands I've recently come to enjoy, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives easily rises to the top. I saw them live last week and they totally blew me away. This album is matched only by their last one "Behind The Music". Both are amazing. I had to purchase this disc based on how hard they rocked when they played "Big Time", and how they seemed to strive to impress a relatively small crowd. That track has a great driving bassline, and is addictive all they way around. "Believe I've Found" is another great song, and the whole thing is fantastic. I highly suggest you see them, you buy this, and let them be the soundtrack of your life.

On their fourth album, TSOOL do it again. Great songs that not only rock but stick in your head for days. Sure the influences are easy to spot, partially to the fact these guy have a grasp on Rock and Roll history, but they don't sound retro at all. Besides these nuances isn't it worth noting that ALL great groups pay homage to their heroes? Standouts on this album include "Transcedental Suicide" with guitar raunch, fierce drumming and catchy chorus. "Borderline" delivers a melancholic mood yet catchy as all hell. More importantly, the one thing that makes this group great is they are incredible live: full of energy - leaving you feeling great for days afterwards. I think they are the one of the best groups around today.

Very catchy tunes that flow with ease. Noticed comparisons to early Floyd/The Beatles/The Who. Obvious British sound but was fooled when I found out they're actually Swedes. Nonetheless, this band gets it done. If your looking for music with excellent lyrics as well as rhythm, I highly recommend you check em' out.

These guys are really talented. Between this CD and previous Behind the Music plus the Caesars new Paper Tigers CD, there's some really interesting songwriting going on in Sweden using the pop genre as it springing off point.

Overall, I think what is going on is that these guys have learned the art of writing pop songs in minor keys. And, they break out of the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure. There are songs on here that clearly styled to sound like specific songs from the past, however, they bring to bear their talent and today's technology to refresh the form.

Some comments on songs:
Believe I've Found - Similar to my comments about the song Spirit on the Caesars Paper Tigers, this song is great because of the absence of drums for key parts. This is only possible when the actual structure of the song and the melody are strong enough. This one delivers and it makes the drums more effective when they are there.

Transcendental Suicide - An interestng structure because TSOOL are willing to have more than a minute of playing the song instrumental before the vocals. Not the the normal approach to pop and again only possible because they have the talent to write music that has change and movement to it beyond just trying to lay down a beat.

Age of No Reply - This song has a really interesting guitar part. Because TSOOL has six members, they can and do utilize more layered arrangements where the individual parts can be more involved.

To Somewhere Else - This is one of the songs that is clearly inspired by a specific song form. It's very good because they execute it almost to perfection.

End Result:
This is a CD that can be listened to end-to-end without a problem. There's really not any bad songs on it. So, why not 5 stars? For me, there's an emotional quality that is missing in that the songs do not create a need for them to be listened to over and over. So, there is constant admiration for the skill used on the songs, but the ultimate power of art to touch a person is not quite there.

I bought this CD on a whim, and I am glad that I did. It's a really eclectic collection of hooky retro/brit pop songs. Unlike the previous reviewer I think "Midnight's Children" and "World Bank" are two of the strongest songs on the record. I find some of the bigger rockers to be less inspired, but none of them are bad. Depending on your taste ymmv. "Bigtime", "Heading for a Breakdown", "Lone Summer Dream" and "Borderline" all also really stand out. If you like Blur or Supper Fury Animals then you should definately check this record out.

This is a superb disc from top to bottom...well-crafted contemporary Rock n' Roll which has been largely ignored by the music industry...how long can bands of this caliber continue to sustain themselves devoid of airplay? It's a sad state of affairs when TSOOL, and other tight acts, like the Libertines, Stereophonics, Alkaline Trio, etc. can't crack the airwaves while other talentless, music industry-created crap is jammed down our throats (use your imagination...insert poseur act of your choice here...). Origin I is a great disc...it seems the only way these guys and others like them will survive is through good reviews and aggressive word-of-mouth campaigns...enjoy the music.