Friday, May 18, 2007

Souls Revisited

In Tuesday’s review of International Karate’s new record, I also flagged that a post on one of the support acts for tonight - Souls on Board - would be coming your way later in the week. In making this promise I forgot that back in Jan my fellow Rooftopper had already posted a review of their second EP Blood Face.

I hadn’t listened to this record before this review was posted, but I have to say, and not just for maintaining blog buddy harmony, I think it’s pretty spot on.

While this means it’s not necessary to write another review of Blood Face, there are still a few observations I’d like to add.

The main reason why I think this EP is so promising is because it doesn’t really follow any generic formula. It’s one thing to record five or six killer decent tracks, but it’s another thing to do it while crafting a unique sound. And to find some originality just by using a guitar, a keyboard, drums and bass, is even more difficult. How often do you pick up a record and can tell the songwriter/s have just ripped off (or been heavily inspired by!) A, B and C?

While I’m not going to boldly suggest that Souls on Board are forging a new direction in rock ‘n roll, and I admit there are many holes in my pop music historical knowledge, to me, their influences fade much deeper into the background than many other ‘alternative independent rock bands’. And this is not to denigrate many of the bands that are clearly influenced by bands of yesteryear. The band reviewed yesterday - New Estate, along with others such as Eddy Current Suppression Ring and even The Devastations have all released great records in the past year or two but are nevertheless clearly influenced by the sounds of certain performers before them.

To me though, Souls on Board are a bit different. Sure, the keys and guitar are a bit psychy in an introspective, edge teetering kind of way, but usually neo-psych bands (The Sand Pebbles for instance) seem heavily indebted to the mind bending, drugged up sounds of the 60s and early 70s. Souls on Board, in contrast, seem firmly rooted in an urban, modern, nocturnal soundscape, the jams are much cleaner and poppier than the distorted messiness of your regular psychedelic group. And when the record quickens, the band bustles and bristles with arrangements crafted for current day alienation, angst and paranoia rather than appropriating a historic aesthetic. There is also a slightly garegey rawness to the production, but it’s not the focus like so many revivalist bands of today, its more to expose just a touch of grit and grime to the busy and bouncing guitar and bass lines.

So, apart from writing 5 out of 6 great tracks (I agree with the previous ATR review – the closing track is filler), I think what makes this EP special is that it’s not following any special trend or infatuation with a particular sound and shows a level of imagination and creativity which is uncommon with many of today’s ‘alt-rock’ bands. Their first album, which will be released later this year, is now officially anticipated.

You can see Souls on Board tonight at the Spanish Club as support for International Karate or tomorrow night at the Tote supporting Yura Yura Teikoku. On Saturday June 2, Souls on Board will be launching a video along with SubAudible Hum at Revolver Upstairs.

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