The All
Mighty Whispers are a 3 piece band based in Norwich. They have previously
released music through Shellshock however recently they have released music
through their own label, Ex Label. The band believes in being involved in all
aspects of their own music from the recording, mixing and even the marketing
and release of their music.
The first
track 'Underground' opens with a driving guitar line backed by keyboards which
could easily be overlooked but prove to be integral to creating the rich
orchestration this band create. When the vocals come in the band drops out apart from the drums, this
gives you a chance to appreciate the production that went into this album, it
simply allows the track to breathe more and lets you bask in its ambience. This
is part of the brilliance of the track, the subtleties which weave around it
from the backing vocals, sneaking guitar lines and synthesised strings which
come in and out. The track, to me sounds similar to Elvis Costello’s work
particularly as he matured as a writer and reached the mid-point of his career.
The rich instrumentation and production present in the track really help to
show off the bands strength and vision.
'Electricity' (the third track) opens with
sheer noisy chaos amidst a racing full band assault before the vocals burst
onto the scene. This track reminds me of some of Paul Wellers work, particularly
during his Jam days. Full of attitude and bravado, yet has far more style than
most punk. Once again the backing vocals are spot on, never over powering just
right on the money. The bridge is a big change in pace if only for a moment
before building back up and throwing you straight back into the hectic ride the
song started with.
'What do you
say' starts with some laid back guitar work before gradually revving it up, the
band seem to have a real talent for dynamics within their songs. Something that
often seems to be lacking these days but it is ever present within this album.
This track is slightly different from the rest lush chords assault the ear as
subtle synth lines fall in place to back them up. This track seems to be the 'symphony' of the album so far, it is not so much of a race to the finish more
of a journey featuring melodic guitar lines and fantastically atmospheric
drumming and percussion.
The fifth
track 'Tanks' seems to take on a totally different feel from the
rest of the album so far, beginning with an acoustic guitar and a subtle bass
line which backs it up sublimely. The vocal arrangement which begins midway
through further helps to pull the vocals to a new level (I keep mentioning these
backing vocals throughout this review but it really is an enjoyable aspect of
the band). The synth conjures up orchestral pads throughout the track which help
to embellish the laid back nature which began in this track.
'My Release' really is a stand out
track, when listening to the first few tracks I was convinced I had an idea of
what the album would be like as a whole. I was wrong; this track seems to
borrow the mood from the last one but is filled with guitar work that just
seems so lush during the verses while adding a fair amount of bite during the
choruses. The backing vocals are once again in full swing here as are the
keyboards subtly underpinning everything and creating a great slice of
atmosphere for the track. The track builds and builds to a full steam ahead,
firing on all cylinders anthem towards the end before fading to the bare bones
to let it all sink in.
This album
is great, it has points when it could be considered straight up punk including
the aggression and nature of the tracks however I believe when this album
really shines is during the second half the songs have more room to breathe and
you can tell the band have thought carefully about the arrangement of each
track. Nothing gets in the way of anything else the guitar lines don’t step on
the brass sections feet and you can still hear the synth lines clearly. The
band remind me of Elvis Costello at some points, The Police at other points and
occasionally The Jam but even although you can sit all day and name similar
acts the band still have their own sense of identity. This is becoming harder
to achieve during these modern times, particularly with modern pop acts which
seem to go out of date faster than a pint of milk, but the All Mighty Whispers
seem to have it in spades on this album.
Review by Phil Allen
More on All Mighty Whispers
No comments:
Post a Comment