Portishead : Dummy Album Review

In 1994 an English three piece band by the name of Portishead ( appropriately named after the North Somerset seaside town  where the band originated from )  released a stunning debut album  that went on to win the 1995 Mercury prize the U.K's finest music award , that album was Dummy.  Dummy  has been  known to be the   primal  source of creating the sub genre  Trip Hop ( a mixture of hip-hop, soul, R&B and alternative ) along with Massive Attack's 1991 album  Blue Lines . The  atmosphere in this album  is memorable its  a rather interesting musical backdrop with superb-thick, lumbering beats with deep, dark bass and sparse scratching with samples not to mention the ghostly echoing vocals , Beth Gibbons  can  transfer the negative emotion into a beat like i have never heard  before, So it is with great honor that i get to  review a genre changing album  in  Dummy

1. "Mysterons" –                     5:02
2. "Sour Times" –                    4:11
3. "Strangers" –                       3:55
4. "It Could Be Sweet" –          4:16
5. "Wandering Star" –              4:51
6. "Numb" –                            3:54
7. "Roads" –                           5:02
8. "Pedestal" –                        3:39
9. "Biscuit" –                           5:01
10. "Glory Box" –                      5:06 

 1- Mysterons : The  sound effects makes you think you are in a haunted mansion this  opens with a chilly, ghostly atmosphere ,  lots of turntable scratching and drum machine beats , A beautiful opener and sets the tone for the rest of the album Gibbons voice sounds  very sombre.

2- Sour Times : How could anyone not like this song  it  has  this  James bond bass sound to it , the  vocals  are intense and  the  chorus is  riveting you can feel her pain when Beth wails Nobody loves meeeeeee, it's true.  One of the big hits from the album commercially, a good one to play during a break up or after one.

3- Strangers : Nice  beat  almost a hand clapping sound with  sax at the start  you would swear  her voice is  coming out a megaphone then  the   style  changes and  her voice becomes clear  with a driving beat and synth tones  

4- It Could Be Sweet : A rather unforgettable song, "You don't get something for nothing ".Piano can be heard in this track  i think its probably her most upbeat  song lyrically  she doesn't sound  so depressed the song feels  jazzy and soulful  in some parts nice down tempo song

5- Wandering Star : Some more awesome samples  going on in the background Gibbons  Voice  seems  to be semi  depressed again  the  singing is sublime  there's a few well timed record scratches  and   pops which just adds to the atmosphere and beauty. The mixing is incredible

6- It's A Fire :  Nice organ   sound intro  It's really gospel and bluesy sounding ,I swear the  sadder the song is the more  Beth sings  better

7- Numb :  "Still feeling lonely, feeling so unholy" more good scratching  and  chunky bass Gibbons has a bratty kind of voice and  a strangely Jamacian sound to its beat and tempo.Its another well sampled  track ,the song is so dark and cool sounding, and Beth's voice is so great

8- Roads : Is probably the most emotionally simple and sincere song I've heard in a long time, with a muted beginning building up to a steady beat and lush orchestration, as Gibbon's reflects on alienation, loss, and passion. Towards the end as the song nears breaking emotionally, a gentle bass line brings everything back to earth. Simply awesome Beth's vocals are heartbreaking and beautiful

9- Pedestal : This song grew on me and now i rate it highly, starts  out with fat beats and record scratches it's so jazzy and subdue good relaxing song  lounge around sip your drink toke your smoke  music. The trumpet part in the middle is  a nice little addition

10- Biscuit : I am a sucker for this song the fat beats once again the record popping and scratching is awesome   it  just adds to the atmosphere  gives it a darker feel  there's some sample voice in this also , God i get the impression that  Beth  didn't let out a smile  through the whole recording process

11- Glory Box : I think Neneh Cherry has a lot to answer for  there is no shadow of a doubt that  "Woman" was inspired by this song .This song makes you think that  Gibbons is disgruntled as she pleas to her nameless lover "give me a reason to be a woman," over a bluesy beat, strings, and bass,  As the beat deconstructs the song, Gibbons wails "This is the beginning of forever and ever," , but somehow you know that it's the end. Soul destroying.. the guitar solo in the middle and the Issac Hayes sample all sound so right together a fitting end

Conclusion : I rate this album very  highly  probably  within my best three Trip Hop albums  its brilliant, unique, innovative,  and haunting  with  beautiful sound effects from Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley , Add Beth Gibbon's gloomy brooding vocals and it makes a sombre sounding masterpiece. I actually  don't have a complaint with this album  the way Gibbon's sings is just  awesome  in a depressing achingly beautiful  way . This album pretty much took the spotlight off the grunge movement and is  possibly the epitome of it's genre  8.7 / 10

Devin Townsend : Terria Album Review

In 2001 a Canadian musician  by the name of Devin Townsend in my opinion  reached the pinnacle of his creative powers when he released his Fourth studio album in Terria . Its a cohesive   mash of craziness ,  diverse sounds and track layering with sublime guitar playing that  begs you to ask the question  how did this  all come together  and be one of my most  favoured full length album listens. Apparently Townsend was inspired one morning while driving across Canada with his band, and looked to write an "introspective" album dedicated to his homeland. He produced and recorded Terria, a "highly illustrated stream-of-consciousness" album, with Gene Hoglan on drums, Craig McFarland on bass and Jamie Meyer on keyboards.  It is my utmost pleasure to introduce you  to Terria

Track List 1-      Olives                       3:21     2-      Mountain                  6:32     3-      Earth Day                 9:35     4-      Deep Peace             7:34     5-      Canada                    6:53     6-      Down And Under       3:43     7-      The Fluke                 7:16     8-      Nobody's Here           6:54     9-      Tiny Tears                 9:12     10-    Stagnant                   5:25     11-    Untitled                     5:29
1- Olives :The opening track  opens  with  some  music  coming from a record player like  you are in a foyer Devin  invites  you to  come  in  and take a seat  offers you a drink  i think the opening track sums  up  the album  its something  that  you need to listen to in a relaxed environment its  like a good bottle of  wine  don't  drink it  fast  sip  it  enjoy the flavour. Terria has  plenty  of  surprises installed  and loads of reflection and pleasant memories  that linger for a long  time after the last track is played 2- Mountain : Fast paced  tempo wise with eerie sounding  howl at the start there is a stop start  kind of a beat in the beginning Mountain has plenty of  layers  and   sound diversity Devin's  vocals  are really  good , and the band is near faultless  they even the tempo out  for a while then  lift it a notch or two towards the end  a really  enjoyable  song  with dog  howls and  some  other  weird  Foreign talking also  going on towards the finish its heavily layered track  with loads of samples 3- Earth day : This song  is  awesome  its a fast tempo dire predicting post apocalyptic  orgy of sounds great guitar  work  from all involved the band  play really well together  Devin's songwriting skills are  diverse  and  you  can  hear the  immense effort  put into the vocal delivery  the song  sounds  very angry  in some patches  and like an interstellar joy  ride in other areas the song   weighs in at a epic  9 .35  Min's  but   the  song  is worth  every second 4-Deep Peace :  My  god after the angry, dire warning, global recycling  epic Earth Day  comes the polar opposite a beautiful song about the acceptance  of crying its as if  Devin is trying to console his inner child  there is a mid song guitar solo that will blow your socks off its so beautiful and  harmonious it  flows naturally  and makes you  wonder what your speakers would feel if they had senses delivering  the sublime   melody, i think  this song would of left a huge smile on the inner child whatever the reason its a  moment in music i will never forget
5-Canada : Sweeping riffs  once again the guitar gets plenty of time to shine in this track a nice little  song about his native country he sings it with great  passion  ,  It has some   strange muffled  vocals  in some parts also has more weird foreign language at the end of the track all in all this  track  is awesome 6-Down and Under : Comes in  like Canada never finished , the  song starts out  with a  briskly played acoustic guitar till the  booming base drum  comes into existence it gets your feet tapping  a beautiful instrumental track  with  just a hint of vocals at the end its a harmonious track that shows this band  play well together 7 -The Fluke : Another great song  nicely paced , Devin sings  with less ferocity  the band  go in all directions in some areas of the song  and you can hear them all  doing their own thing but not in a colliding kind of a way  .  The song  is  beautiful  it captivates you especially the mid section  of the song it hits a beautiful  flowing patch 8 -Nobody's Here : When someone asks me about depression i would like to   play this song  and say  depression  brought this beautiful song into existence   a  mind  probing  journey into the troubled mind of Devin . Boy his music is sublime when  he is expressing his deep  emotions he seems to tap into a well  of pure talent and i feel  the  anguish  in him as he searches to find himself and feels like there's nobody  there 9- Tiny Tears : I would love to  know  what was on his mind  when  he was writing this  its one song that amazes  me  he opens right  up  to who or whatever  he  wrote this for  pleading his age   saying sorry  for making  you cry  and admitting to being a jealous  guy  there is no doubt   that  Devin has no problem expressing emotions that's  why  he  is  such   a joy to listen to.  The song  is a low tempo  beautiful   sing along  that still leaves you  shaking your head at the mans talents 10 - Stagnant : This song  sounds  like  Devin  is saying  that hes  found the middle of the  road hes travelled and  wont  stray   anymore perhaps inclining the  straying is a psychological  and emotional disaster , The guitar  solo  in this song is beautiful and  as always  the band manage to  pull off another  song  that shakes your head  at the  beauty and grandness of this album 11- Universal : this song finishes the album off like it started weirdly and you cant help thinking that Devin deliberately  put  this track in  to compliment olives its as if  he is using them like bookends to hold the  majestic diversity and craziness that is Terria into place . This track its just a strange half ass guitar jam with weird  vocals that  fade in  and out with a few water drips also but funnily enough  as much as i  am not a big  fan of this track  it  wouldn't be Terria  without it Conclusion : A very moving  album  defiantly worth a listen   i think i would describe it as semi progressive rock  with  samples ,and  a touch of metal  The music  is  incredibly diverse  it takes you on a  roller coaster emotional ride that leaves you feeling  that  this  man  is plagued by inner torment ,during some of the songs i also question  his  sanity  but there is no denying he has a stack of talent  .Devin  and the band  pour their hearts into the music and  i am not sure i have  heard so much  emotion  poured into songs like this for a long while ,they  have left a beautiful  legacy in Terria  8.1 / 10