Issue 43 - University of Surrey's Student Union

30 MUSIC
The Stag | 6 th March 2012 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Reviews
Inme – The Pride
By James Campbell, Music Team
Back with a vengeance, this
Essex based quartet show that
their own approach to independent
heavy rock has never been so
dauntless and yet harmonious,
waggling an album under our
noses which is fit to bursting with
a powerful concoction of dreamy
epic riffs, tumultuous climaxes
and frustratingly infectious vocal
lines. Inme first gained repute in
2002, upon the release of singles
such as Firefly and Underdose from
Overgrown Eden; 10 years down
the line and with now five studio
albums under their belt, The Pride
shows that Inme have not wavered
from delivering hard hitting rock
music, and melodies peppered with
poetical adroitness.
The album blasts off into the
stratosphere with Reverie Shores, a
lumbering titan of a track, laden
with soaring guitar work, spine
tingling chords and a squealing solo
courtesy of guitar wielding axmen
Dave McPherson and Gary Marlow.
Moonlit Seabed is a garnered mass of
writhing energy, boasting intricate
baselines, technical meanderings,
and an assailing Enter Shikari
inspired electro-synth breakdown
which culminates in gut wrenching
screeches of ‘I don’t know if I can do
this without you’. Without pausing
for breath, the album plunges into
a A Great Man, a devilishly catchy
tune, enhanced by McPherson’s
introspective lyrics that seem to
plunder the plight of the human
condition; ‘I am only human… we
all deserve a second chance’, that
rebound and resonate throughout
this epical soundscape. Next up,
Pantheon is released to rampage,
bombarding the eardrums with
intricate and melodic guitar lines
that give Coheed & Cambria a run
for their money. As if stumbling into
the twilight zone, our eardrums
encounter Silver Womb, resembling a
monstrous musical birth, spawning
a song with cavernous chords and
an otherworldly presence that
makes hairs stand on end. Legacy,
Guardian and Escape to Mysteriopa
follow in hot pursuit, with ball
busting guitar licks and anthemic
choruses that are strengthened
through McPherson’s heartfelt
lyrics and dynamic vocal range.
Although the calibre of the
musicianship present throughout
The Pride is unequivocal, some songs
are a little too bewildering in places
if you are not familiar with Inme
and their technical structures.
Despite the group’s efforts to get
the balance right, tracks like Silver
Womb and Halcyon Genesis stick out a
bit like a sore thumb, trying a little
too hard to get noticed because of
their musical specificity.
Nevertheless, The Pride is
impressive in its sheer power and
musical dimensions. The vocal
lines will hit you like a slap across
the face and the sickeningly fluid
guitar work will leave jaws agape.
It comes as no surprise that this
album should be so aptly titled The
Pride; Inme have a right to be selfsatisfied
with their latest musical
handiwork, an accolade to good ole
British Rock indeed.
Recommendable to fans of
Coheed and Cambria, Biffy Clyro,
Enter Shikari and anyone who
enjoys loud rock music, and who
doesn’t care for fads or trends! The
Pride is available via iTunes at £7.99
and via Amazon at £7.49. Lend an
ear to Reverie Shores and A Great Man
to see what the fuss is about.
Did you know . . .
...that Kate Bush was partly inspired to write
Wuthering Heights (1978), her breakthrough
single, because she was born the same day as
Emily Brontë?
Paul McCartney – Kisses on the Bottom
By Dan Davison, Music Team
As some readers may recall, in
my review last November of
The Fireman's Electric Arguments
(2008) I mentioned Sir Paul
McCartney's recent marriage and
ongoing tour. As if his productivity
was not already impressive for a
man who will turn 70 this year, the
former Beatle has also returned to
the studio to bring us his first solo
LP since 2007's Memory Almost Full.
However, unlike that album and
his aforementioned collaborative
effort with The Fireman, this latest
offering departs from McCartney's
usual rock and pop fare. Instead
Kisses on the Bottom (2012) takes a
step into the jazz-inspired sound
that formed the musical landscape
of his youth.
In relation to his existing
discography, Kisses on the Bottom
is in a similar vein to his 1999
rock n' roll outing Run Devil Run,
with McCartney reinterpreting
established works whilst providing
a handful of original pieces
written in the same style. To his
credit, much like that album,
McCartney avoids the trap of
excessively covering predictable
standards, which allows the LP to
shed new light on past gems that
may not be so readily known to
modern audiences. The approach
to arrangements for the most part
avoids grandiose orchestrations,
resulting in a more subdued
atmosphere evocative of a classic
jazz venue.
This results in several solid
interpretations, such as the
charming I'm Gonna Sit Right Down
and Write Myself a Letter, from
which the album derives its title.
Meanwhile, tracks like We Three
(My Echo, My Shadow and Me) and
Home (Where Shadows Fall) provide
a longing touch without becoming
overly melancholic. Out of
McCartney's original compositions,
the most striking is certainly the
lead single My Valentine. Complete
with Eric Clapton on acoustic
guitar, the song successfully evokes
the classic-era quality intended.
The album's most notable
drawback has little to do with any
particular underperformance on
the part of the musicians. Indeed,
plenty of opportunity is given
for the featured guests and band
members to demonstrate their
abilities. McCartney himself, whilst
beginning to show his age vocally,
also provides a commendable
performance. Rather the problem
lies with the concept of the album
itself. Whilst McCartney has shown
a laudable willingness to venture
beyond the boundaries of his
established style, the LP simply
lacks the ambition and vitality
one could justifiably expect after
the wonderfully abstract Electric
Arguments or the deeply personal
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
(2005).
In essence, Kisses on the Bottom
makes for a pleasant journey into a
fondly remembered era, but comes
across as somewhat of a safe move.
Nevertheless, this disappointment
stems mainly from how McCartney
is responsible for some of the most
influential and creative records
in living memory. Were this an
outing from almost any other
performer, my praise would likely
be more ardent. Whilst not a bad
McCartney album by any stretch
of the imagination and worth
the attention of established fans,
there are far more recommendable
starting points for those yet to
explore McCartney's recent career.