Some of us here at Echoes And Dust were recently discussing whether it’s easier to review music that you like or music that you are not so keen on. During the course of the conversation, a fellow scribe said something that reminded me of this quote from The Bard, in which he expounds on a quote from the Old Testament:
If there is nothing new under the sun, but that which
Has been before, how are our brains cheated,
Which, toiling to create something new, mistakenly
Brings forth something that already exists
Essentially, there is ‘nothing new under the sun’.
Now, while that might be true, it’s a bit cynical, even for a grizzled and jaded old asshole like me!
Of course, it’s true that there are a finite number of musical notes that can only be combined so many ways; I’ve not done the math. When it comes to music, the point is not that this music is totally new and fresh; Usually I can find an element of a new song that sounds like another song I have heard. No, the point is about how music makes me feel, and what I derive from that feeling. Joy, excitement, sadness…
So, you say to me, Thanks for the lecture, Professor. What are you on about?
Firesuite‘s new EP, Red World, is not revolutionary; It doesn’t redefine a genre; they’re not the next whomever-the-next-big-thing-is. Firesuite are, however, a band that consistently makes sweeping, gorgeous songs – complex and layered, noisy with feedback yet aurally pleasing.
Firesuite‘s full-length album, 2011’s ‘You’re an Ocean Deep, My Brother’, is a favourite of mine, and I bought it based on the E&D review (that you can still read on this site!). ‘Red World’ picks up right where the previous effort ends, and my biggest complaint about this new material is that there is not enough of it for my taste! At least an EP is better than a sharp stick in the eye. Or nothing at all.
The opener is ‘Rabbit’, which features walls of feedback, layered on the co-lead vocals of Sarah and Chris (whose emotionally charged, almost pained falsetto makes me think of Jeff Buckley pretty much every time). As already mentioned, the operative term for most of this EP is ‘layered’: Under the fuzz and feedback, you’ll hear a whole lot going on. There are lots of the ‘loud quiet loud’ moments that I love, going from clean and pretty back to dirty and loud. The drum fills and bass keep things moving along nicely. All in a bow-wrapped, 4 minute bundle of goodness.
Next, ‘Undo’ showcases more of the heart-rending vocals over the manic electric guitar, but also treats the listener to the acoustic side in a couple of spots, showcasing that very near perfect juxtaposition of the fine and delicate with the huge and scary (sonically speaking, of course). The last minute of the song features a sort of baritone guitar barrage, a huge crescendo to the end.
Track 3, the title track, starts out a bit more like a sort of standard ‘Indie’ track, until the bass and syncopated drum line (my favourite drum bits on the EP) come in to set the stage for guitars, with sparser feedback herein. This track changes time in a couple of parts, slowing down, only to build back up with dual guitar lines. Firesuite really showcases their ability to craft a dramatic song here; using structural elements as well as they do the musical ones. If I had to choose, this would be my favourite track at the moment.
‘Concave’ is jazzier, heavier on the bass line and drums. This is probably the most difficult track to sort out, with some very Proggy elements, as well as probably the fastest tempo in any Firesuite song ever. This track has definitely taken a little time to grow on me, since it is quite different in the way it flows compared to the rest of the Firesuite tunes I am familiar with. Definitely cool, definitely interesting.
Lastly, ‘Had Enough’ is another great, building, layered track. By this point, I have definitely NOT had enough, but sadly, that is all we are going to get for now! This one, for whatever reason, makes me feel a bit of that delicious kind of melancholy, the kind where longing kind of feels good for a time. You know what I mean.
To answer the question from the first part, it is definitely more difficult to be objective when reviewing music I love, but I have never claimed to be anything but a fan that likes to share my opinion. Firesuite is a good example of a band that I can’t really say anything negative about, and the fact that they are cool, appreciative musical artists makes it easier to trumpet their merits to the world. Groundbreaking? Maybe not. Solid, beautiful, flowing tunes? Abso-fucking-lutely, guys and gals.
Buy ‘Red World’, and allow it to wash over you, heart and soul.
Released on November 5th as a pay what you like digital download or limited physical CD with art cards & a poster on Cognitive Dissonance Records.
Posted by Jake Gillen.
