author: Mike D.
In this era of music when virtually everything band sounds the same as the previous one (and the other one wasn’t very good), it’s nice when you come across something artistic and genuine. Like sports or any other profession, how many people can truly say they are in it for the love of what they do and not just the money. Not nearly as many as you’d be led to believe! And if most people say that they love their job, chances are they are full of shit!
Well, the guys in Otherside are certainly not full of “it”. What they have is musical talent and they are recording music for the sake of art and not the almighty dollar. Bob Dylan once said “it’s a wicked life but everybody’s got to eat”. True enough. But these 2 guys (Ken Worthing and Trevor Eynon) go for an approach seldom heard these days: The D.I.Y. method. Do It Yourself. Anyone recall, for example, Lindsey Buckingham’s solo albums and how he played virtually everything himself…you get the idea. All of the music and vocal work is done exclusively by these 2 blokes.
The music these guys come up with is all original I could go on and on about the musical influences contained herein. It’s a virtual melting pot of influences. But don’t expect to hear any copping out or copying. You’ll not get that here.
From the opening moments of “Emotionally Impaired”, you feel as if you’re an insider of something special here. I won’t delve into superlatives here as I’d sound long winded. But you can definitely hear a genuine enthusiasm and emotion here…current music lacks these 2 qualities. Some observations/comments/thoughts about the tracks:
1. Emotionally Impaired…a perfect opener for the album and something about the song’s musical key resonates so well to these ears. The double of acoustic and electric guitars is a nice touch. The album’s title comes from within this song btw. I also like the “hoo hoo’s” that underpin the song.
2. Finder’s Keepers… short and sweet pop/rock song that makes you want to play it again once it it’s over…it ends before you know it.
3. Swept Away…double drum sounds set this song up from the start. I like that sound. I can hear some biting honesty in the lyrics and vocals from Trevor…”all of your hopes and dreams are swept away”…hey now, back to earth. Face up to what happened!
4. Subject to Change…this song would not be out of place on a Lindsey Buckingham album. I definitely hear some channeling and that’s a positive thing! The ringing “up front” acoustic guitars have a vibe and sound to them that just makes you want to kick back and relax. Trev’s vocal style/timbre suits this song to a T.
5. A Part Of Me…some great syncopation going on here with some backward cymbals that you don’t hear anymore in music. And some great double drums kick in halfway through the song.
6. 300 Miles South…Trev’s vocals on this make you feel like you’re going south. I’m not sure why but they resonate nicely with the melodies and bass line. Great stuff…spacey pop here…a new genre? That’d be fine with me.
7. Between Two Points…A nice mellow tune tune that is rather introspective…”I wanted you to see what our lives could be. Something important to share”. Trev really brings the protagonist to life in this nice little ditty…I dare not use “ballad” as it’s not schmaltzy like ballads are. Some gorgeous piano going on here…nice synthesizer swells going on too. A nice nod to jazz and string players imo.
8. Veil Of Tears…here we have the centerpiece song. This has the makings of a hit single. Nice biting honesty on the lyrics that Trev brings across very well. The catchy guitar licks make this track sound like a mellow/new wave/rock song. Is that possible? Anything’s possible in music! This is such a great track.
9. Summer Song (Karina In Blue)…the calypso sounds in the intro remind me of being on a cruise on the ocean…very relaxing. The song does take you to the beach…but in a very poppy sort of way…hey guys; don’t let that ice cream melt on the beach. Fun after the seriousness of the last tune…a nice change up.
10. Fear Comes with Knowledge…how true. We fear what we do not know. And sometimes we fear MORE what we do know. Sometimes you’d rather not know. Trev sings as if he knows something we don’t. The simple acoustic guitar and drums in the verses is a nice juxtaposition to the addition of the electric guitars in the chorus and bridge. Nice work.
11. Foolproof…”Is this your breakdown?” Trev asks. Perhaps it is. Very biting. Some nice distortion in the mix too. A funky bass line. This one will give a certain Mr. B. a run for his money. Yeah, I dig it.
12. Have You Ever Been Lost…Well; if you have then you’re human. A great way to end the album. A very upbeat melody that ends the album on a high note…”watch my back and wait for the surprise…” The surprise is the hidden track on this cd. You can hear Ken’s dog Louie howling. There’s a definite nod to Mr. Wilson, as well as the well know “Swedish Frog” bit from the 1966 Smile sessions, not to mention Banana & Louie at the end of Pet Sounds. All in good fun.
I’m not one for superlatives. But I know what I like and I like what I know. And this is great D.I.Y. pop/rock, etc…enjoy it. I sure did. A great mix of UK pop and well…like I said before, a melting pot of musical sounds. You’ll not be disappointed. Aww, what the hell...5 stars from me!
I’m ready for the next cd.
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Breaking through and crossing over
author: Mike D
In this era of music when virtually everything band sounds the same as the previous one (and the other one wasn’t very good), it’s nice when you come across something artistic and genuine. Like sports or any other profession, how many people can truly say they are in it for the love of what they do and not just the money. Not nearly as many as you’d be led to believe! And if most people say that they love their job, chances are they are full of shit!
Well, the guys in Otherside are certainly not full of “it”. What they have is musical talent and they are recording music for the sake of art and not the almighty dollar. Bob Dylan once said “it’s a wicked life but everybody’s got to eat”. True enough. But these 2 guys (Ken Worthing and Trevor Eynon) go for an approach seldom heard these days: The D.I.Y. method. Do It Yourself. Anyone recall, for example, Lindsey Buckingham’s solo albums and how he played virtually everything himself…you get the idea. All of the music and vocal work is done exclusively by these 2 blokes.
The music these guys come up with is all original I could go on and on about the musical influences contained herein. It’s a virtual melting pot of influences. But don’t expect to hear any copping out or copying. You’ll not get that here.
From the opening moments of “Emotionally Impaired”, you feel as if you’re an insider of something special here. I won’t delve into superlatives here as I’d sound long winded. But you can definitely hear a genuine enthusiasm and emotion here…current music lacks these 2 qualities. Some observations/comments/thoughts about the tracks:
1. Emotionally Impaired…a perfect opener for the album and something about the song’s musical key resonates so well to these ears. The double of acoustic and electric guitars is a nice touch. The album’s title comes from within this song btw. I also like the “hoo hoo’s” that underpin the song.
2. Finder’s Keepers… short and sweet pop/rock song that makes you want to play it again once it it’s over…it ends before you know it.
3. Swept Away…double drum sounds set this song up from the start. I like that sound. I can hear some biting honesty in the lyrics and vocals from Trevor…”all of your hopes and dreams are swept away”…hey now, back to earth. Face up to what happened!
4. Subject to Change…this song would not be out of place on a Lindsey Buckingham album. I definitely hear some channeling and that’s a positive thing! The ringing “up front” acoustic guitars have a vibe and sound to them that just makes you want to kick back and relax. Trev’s vocal style/timbre suits this song to a T.
5. A Part Of Me…some great syncopation going on here with some backward cymbals that you don’t hear anymore in music. And some great double drums kick in halfway through the song.
6. 300 Miles South…Trev’s vocals on this make you feel like you’re going south. I’m not sure why but they resonate nicely with the melodies and bass line. Great stuff…spacey pop here…a new genre? That’d be fine with me.
7. Between Two Points…A nice mellow tune tune that is rather introspective…”I wanted you to see what our lives could be. Something important to share”. Trev really brings the protagonist to life in this nice little ditty…I dare not use “ballad” as it’s not schmaltzy like ballads are. Some gorgeous piano going on here…nice synthesizer swells going on too. A nice nod to jazz and string players imo.
8. Veil Of Tears…here we have the centerpiece song. This has the makings of a hit single. Nice biting honesty on the lyrics that Trev brings across very well. The catchy guitar licks make this track sound like a mellow/new wave/rock song. Is that possible? Anything’s possible in music! This is such a great track.
9. Summer Song (Karina In Blue)…the calypso sounds in the intro remind me of being on a cruise on the ocean…very relaxing. The song does take you to the beach…but in a very poppy sort of way…hey guys; don’t let that ice cream melt on the beach. Fun after the seriousness of the last tune…a nice change up.
10. Fear Comes with Knowledge…how true. We fear what we do not know. And sometimes we fear MORE what we do know. Sometimes you’d rather not know. Trev sings as if he knows something we don’t. The simple acoustic guitar and drums in the verses is a nice juxtaposition to the addition of the electric guitars in the chorus and bridge. Nice work.
11. Foolproof…”Is this your breakdown?” Trev asks. Perhaps it is. Very biting. Some nice distortion in the mix too. A funky bass line. This one will give a certain Mr. B. a run for his money. Yeah, I dig it.
12. Have You Ever Been Lost…Well; if you have then you’re human. A great way to end the album. A very upbeat melody that ends the album on a high note…”watch my back and wait for the surprise…” The surprise is the hidden track on this cd. You can hear Ken’s dog Louie howling. There’s a definite nod to Mr. Wilson, as well as the well know “Swedish Frog” bit from the 1966 Smile sessions, not to mention Banana & Louie at the end of Pet Sounds. All in good fun.
I’m not one for superlatives. But I know what I like and I like what I know. And this is great D.I.Y. pop/rock, etc…enjoy it. I sure did. A great mix of UK pop and well…like I said before, a melting pot of musical sounds. You’ll not be disappointed.
I’m ready for the next cd.
Read more...
author: Stefan
A fantastic mix of low key tunes, fast paced tracks and simply beautiful ones! In the ears of this reviewer, while listening to this you switch back and forth between a couple of reference bands such as New Order, The Smiths and Morrisey. Get it NOW!
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author: Ben Mattacks
Great production and 5 Star songwriting. The guitar has the right amount of spikey-ness, while the words have a dry, subtlty about them that makes me think of the Psychedelic Furs.
I think Otherside deserve to go on to even better things, but first off .. you need this in your album collection.
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