I’m off to see Tellison perform at the Kingston Hippodrome tonight, and given that this coincides with the release of their new album, I figured this would be another good opportunity to try a concise (as in not rambling for hundreds of words) review, so let’s put our headphones in and get going.
Tellison are technically competent in every way, but that can be a problem. Contact! Contact! was bookended beautifully by some cracking songs, but on the whole proved quite… well, if not forgettable, then certainly not memorable. That’s still a bit of an issue on The Wages Of Fear, but less so. Instead of a couple of stand-outs, the quality is more even across the whole record, and obviously the better for it. It’s also noticeably sadder- the whole album carries tones of regret and grief which amplify as it goes on, culminating in a fantastic trio of Vermont, Edith and the almost cripplingly tear-jerking My Wife’s Grave Is In Paris. The emotion is personal, blame turned inwards, but quietly and unassumingly, managing to steer clear of angst and cutting through the waves of poignancy.
Freud Links The Teeth And The Heart is the weakest effort, further strengthening my theory that songs involving dentists just don’t work; Stephen H. Davidson occasionally slips up and clumsily handles his words; and there’s no individual track which can stand up to Hannover Start Clapping, but overall this is a confident and accomplished album with a strong central theme of loss running throughout and a unique sound. Well worth a listen.
Kingston Start Clapping
I’m off to see Tellison perform at the Kingston Hippodrome tonight, and given that this coincides with the release of their new album, I figured this would be another good opportunity to try a concise (as in not rambling for hundreds of words) review, so let’s put our headphones in and get going.
Tellison are technically competent in every way, but that can be a problem. Contact! Contact! was bookended beautifully by some cracking songs, but on the whole proved quite… well, if not forgettable, then certainly not memorable. That’s still a bit of an issue on The Wages Of Fear, but less so. Instead of a couple of stand-outs, the quality is more even across the whole record, and obviously the better for it. It’s also noticeably sadder- the whole album carries tones of regret and grief which amplify as it goes on, culminating in a fantastic trio of Vermont, Edith and the almost cripplingly tear-jerking My Wife’s Grave Is In Paris. The emotion is personal, blame turned inwards, but quietly and unassumingly, managing to steer clear of angst and cutting through the waves of poignancy.
Freud Links The Teeth And The Heart is the weakest effort, further strengthening my theory that songs involving dentists just don’t work; Stephen H. Davidson occasionally slips up and clumsily handles his words; and there’s no individual track which can stand up to Hannover Start Clapping, but overall this is a confident and accomplished album with a strong central theme of loss running throughout and a unique sound. Well worth a listen.