Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something Supernatural!, 22 April 2008
Right...first of all, I've been a big fan of Elliot Minor pretty much since they were 'The Academy' and to be honest, first time I listened to this album I was majorly disappointed, I could have easily given it 3 stars.....but as I'm all for second chances, I gave it another shot to redeem itself....and it did!
People might think that their music is flawless but this album is far from it......songs such as 'Last Call To NYC', 'Time After Time' (Although I'm warming to the album version) and 'Lucky Star' have been performed much better in their original demos and upon hearing them on the new album I was disappointed. That aside there is nothing wrong with their music and some of the songs have undergone amazing tranformations such as 'The Liar Is You' and 'Silently' which are emotionally challenging and beautifully written as Ali's piano playing combined with Alex and Ed's amazing harmonising, truly shows that they're where they deserve to be! The hit singles 'Jessica', the classic 'Parallel Worlds' and 'Still Figuring Out' are as catchy as hell and you'll become instantly hooked! However, the mindblowing 'The White One Is Evil' and in all its glory, a musically unparalleled explosion of pure bliss is unleashed in the 'The Broken Minor' as you see their classical influences and their musicianship skills soar above other bands, putting them in an entirely different league whilst creating a genre of music entirely their own!
However I have criticisms of this album. First of all, as mentioned some of the original demos were a lot better than the album versions, simply because there is more musical content in them which made them more intresting to listen to. For example in the demos, the guitar solo in 'Parallel Worlds' was clear concise and catchy as balls, but with the album version is seemed to have got drowned out. Also in the demos, 'Time After Time' had powerful piano and guitars solo's which was simply bliss, but the piano and guitar solo is weaker on the album version which is a shame, although the climatic finale with the orchestrated classical/rock bombast definately makes up for it. My second criticism, which isnt directly linked to the album, is that they have produced some incredible tracks and instead of putting them on the album, songs such as 'Running Away' and 'Lucky Star' managed to sneak on. To be honest a bit of the emotionally rivetting 'Another Morning' or Wait Another Week' or maybe the infamous, yet catchy 'Jacky Jules' wouldn't go a miss and would surely go down more of a storm instead....but thats my opinion!
Saying this, Elliot Minor have put a great album out but check out some of their old demos because they are some little gems which you may not know about =] but all in all this album was worth the wait!
Bring Jacky back sometime! =]
Top Tracks: 'The Broken Minor', 'Parallel Worlds', 'The White One Is Evil'
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elliot Minor - An amazing album, 28 Aug 2008
I first heard 'The White One Is Evil' on a friend's iPod, and was immediately caught by the intense layers of music and the really catchy lyrics; also the sheer energy of the song that made me want to dance to this song that I didn't know the words to.
When I got the CD, I immediately listened to it, and loved every single track. Initially, I had my doubts about 'Lucky Star', but I warmed to the song, after I realised that the lyrics were actually quite decent, and the shift in tempo moved the track forwards.
The orchestra-woven 'Time After Time' is a fabulous introduction, and 'Parallel Worlds' explodes on the listener with all its supernatually good force. You actually feel like you're in the attic room with Ed and Alex, and all the weird happenings. The instrumental can be skipped, but it leads perfectly into the absolute stunner, 'The White One Is Evil'. The album takes a more acoustic turn with 'Liar Is You', a beautiful, riveting track with some amazing harmonies. 'Lucky Star' is like the Marmite track - love it or hate it. 'Jessica' is a delicious guitar-driven, upbeat track, with some nice bass and drums coming through. 'The Broken Minor' is right up there with the singles and deserves a round of applause. It's one of the songs on the album that aren't about relationships gone wrong. 'Still Figuring Out' is an uplifting track that makes you want to sing along and dance, almost as catchy as TWOIE. From that, you are lead into an impossibly rich, deep 'Silently', which echoes memories of rainy days. You're then taken into 'Running Away', which is another dancy song that will have you singing along in infectious E Minor style. After that, there's the beautiful and highly thoughtful 'Last Call To New York City', where Ed and Alex's harmonies are delivered to utter perfection.
This is a massive achievement for a first album, and considering that these guys are so young, phenomenal. Listen carefully for the harmonies of Ed and Alex's voices, which compliment each other flawlessly. You'll fall in love with the blend of classical and rock music and for a long time, Elliot Minor will be the band that you've played the most on your mp3 or computer.
CD highlights are: TWOIE, Parallel Worlds, Jessica, The Broken Minor, Still Figuring Out, Silently, Running Away, Last Call To NYC, practically the whole album! (I also whole-heartedly suggest listening to all the demos you can find, because they're just as loveable as the songs on the album.) The band have started work on their second album.
This is a great purchase for fans of most genres, and appeals to a wide audience. Spread the word of Elliot Minor, and support the boys from York!
******
22nd November
I would like to add to my review that I saw Elliot Minor live last night, and they were absolutely incredible! Their album is altogether too clean, too sterile and doesn't deliver the full energy that the band have to offer. The keyboard and drums are also much more prominent and it's a fabulous listening experience, if you will brave the crush of people! If you're having any doubts about Elliot Minor, just see them live - the ticket prices are really reasonable and the support acts were good as well. Their "Discover" tour has just ended in the UK, but hopefully they'll be back on tour soon. The title of their latest single is Discover (Why The Love Hurts) and a 50 second acoustic clip is available to be heard on their myspace. It's coming out in January.
Don't give up on Elliot Minor, they've still got a lot to offer.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome band, 16 Mar 2009
This is a fantastic album and I'm eagerly awaiting more from these guys. Hard to describe, really, I think it's the minor key that makes it so unlike the normal power pop.
Favourite track: Time after Time.
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