Turin Brakes - Ether Song

by Chris Jones

published: 24 / 5 / 2003

Label: Source
Format: CD

"Beautiful" , thoughtful, acoustic pop from Balham's much acclaimed Turin Brakes, back with their second album

Review

A mild, slightly overcast day in London might not be an uncommon occurence, but, as it had been 14 years since I was last in the UK ,it made for a perfect day to walk around central London listening to the second album from Turin Brakes. While it could have been some sort of placebo effect, listening to this album in London made me enjoy it even more - the weather, the architecture, the sights, and the music all fit together so well. Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian (aka Turin Brakes) hail from Balham, which, South of the River Thames, is one of the stops on the Northern Line, and they first began singing together in a choir at the age of eight. Their first album, 'The Optimist', was one that I approached with a bit of trepedition as they were being portrayed as the next Travis or Radiohead or Coldplay in the reviews I had read, and while those comparisons weren't without some relevance they weren't the whole story either. 'Ether Song' is Turin Brakes' second album and what an album it is! The album seems so much fuller, so much bigger than their debut. That isn't to say that the acoustic guitars have been tossed aside and that Turin Brakes has turned into a monster of rock. In fact, one of the great things about this album is the production and mixing - both done by Tony Hoffer - that somehow manage to balance all of the "background noise" that gives the album such a big sound with the acoustic, very personal feel these songs naturally carry. Listening to this album with headphones on while walking through Soho early in the morning, each and every element of the songs was exactly where it should have been. From the vocals to the guitars, pianos, drums, strings, and onto the spacey electronic tones and other noises unknown. This balance is achieved even on the slower, more stripped down songs like 'Full of Stars' where it would have been very easy to throw off the tone of the song had the mixing not been perfect. As on the first album, the lyrics are both reflective and forward looking. Sombre, yet positive. Figuring out where you fit-in in the grand scheme of things seems to be a recurring theme on this album. When they sing "Have another drink my son, enjoy another cigarette...you're just an average man" it doesn't seem so bad really. It's just the way it is. The slower songs like 'Full of Stars', 'Falling Down', 'Rain City", and the extra track 'In the Ether's Air' (my favourite on the album) have the sort of lyrics that draw you in like a black hole, but instead of being crushed, you find yourself feeling somehow freer. Not everything is so deep though - "remind yourself that you're not just in it for the money" is a simple enough line, but still good advice to anyone that has worked a well paying, yet unfulfilling job. Two kids who grew up together took their acoustic guitars and made music that reflected on life, looked to the future, and asked "where do we fit-in?". Along the way they found that their music had struck a chord with far more people than just their friends in Balham. Some people can take that sort of attention in stride while others get distracted, caught up, or lost. Watching the video interview with Turin Brakes on the bonus disc of the limited edition version of "Ether Song' you get the sense that these two kids, while maybe a bit surprised and humbled, are still on the path of their choosing.'Ether Song' is another step in TB's journey and what a big, full, beautiful step it is.

Track Listing:-

1 Blue Hour
2 Average Man
3 Long Distance
4 Self Help
5 Falling Down
6 Stone Thrown
7 Clear Blue Air
8 Pain Killer
9 Full Of Stars
10 Panic Attack
11 Little Brother
12 Rain City (Plus Hiden Track "Ether Song")
13 Blues Hour (Home Recording)
14 Self Help (Sbn Session)
15 Long Distance (Sbn Session)
16 Bright Golden Lights (Home Recording)
17 Ether Song Epk (Video)