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Live Review
by 727427B11C01
2-12-2003
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| Turin Brakes, the people's champions |
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Live: Turin Brakes
Hammersmith Apollo, London
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Turin Brakes delight Hammy crowd
‘Rain City’ is one of the songs on Turin Brakes’ sophomore release, ‘Ether Song’, and tonight, perhaps in the duo’s honour, our urban sins are being seriously laundered. None of it bothers this auditorium that waits for a heroic entertainment. Then, the swarming-like sound of fans waiting become yelps of instant adulation as Olly and Gale, plus supporting cast of musos, take to the stage.
Nothing much else but music happens up there and it is straightforward, direct and “upfront. They turned their back on their previous restraint, and the result is an album that is at once melancholy and euphoric, nostalgic and visionary, grand and intensely personal,” states the press release with exaggeration. Mindful of traditional values, catchy and agreeable tracks that are listened to in reverence.
Their expression may appear to be mainly mellow music for wronged lovers but this is not simply ‘nu-acoustic’ thingology. The band is moving away, getting songwritingly ambitious and a new track, that remained nameless, aspires to either getting to the furthest reaches of prog-land or mini-operas! Songs are often being peeled off like layers of wallpaper and each could tell a great story. Turin Brakes are in the same league of Brit-bands that includes everyone from Embrace to Doves, from Gomez to Coldplay… Total emo-recall!
Eight months old album ‘Ether Songs’ is represented by ‘Average Man’, ‘Long Distance’, ‘Pain Killer’, ‘Little Brother’, title cut… and from the debut - ‘The Optimist LP’ that garnered a Brit, Q Awards and was nominated for a Mercury Music Award in 2001 - we get ‘Mind Over Money’, ‘Future Boy’, ‘The Optimist’, ‘The Door’…
Turin Brakes aren’t due back into a studio for a while but there is a ‘Mixtape’ on the way where the twosome are championing songs by JJ Cale, John Barry, Talk Talk as well as exclusively covering a Rolling Stones classic. Due to be released in February 2004.
TB are purveyors of soft rock that, have to shamefully admit, has never been my first choice but nowt to fault it. Any genuine art-item operates on association and it can evoke a painter or a painting, a poem or a place, an event or a smell, a vista… Turin Brakes’ link is - watermelon.
727427B11C01
2-12-2003
Turin Brakes’ album ‘Ether Song’ is available now on Source/Virgin
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