- Audio CD (10 Jun 2003)
- Number of Discs: 2
- Format: Special Edition
- Label: Source
- ASIN: B0000DBOC1
- Other Editions: Audio CD
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 43,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
See all 13 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. 5 Mile (These are the Days) | |||
| 2. The Boss | |||
| 3. Piano Instrumental | |||
| 4. Long Distance (From VARA Radio/3FM Holland) | |||
| 5. Falling Down (SBN Session) | |||
| 6. Pain Killer (RTL2 Acoustic Version) | |||
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Ether Song is the follow up to Turin Brakes' critically acclaimed The Optimist. As leading lights of the much vaunted New Acoustic Movement, Turin Brakes were one of the bands that took on the unenviable task of making quiet, faintly nostalgic acoustic guitar music appeal to a young audience that, rightly, should want anything but. However, their debut LP, The Optimist had a certain soulful promise that ensured it appealed more to the post-clubbing than the pipe-and-slippers crowd, and its follow-up, the sturdy Ether Song builds on its predecessor with added clarity of purpose. Now, South London duo Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian have chosen to bolster their fragile acoustic core with a slightly more robust instrumentation: drums beaten rather than brushed, vibrant piano motifs to flesh out the languid strum, and even--gasp!--the odd electric-guitar solo. They still fall for clichés with a slightly depressing regularity: "Summer rain / Dripping down your face again", they duet on "Pain Killer"--the sort of lyrical profundity that should really be left to Bryan Adams. But there is real content here: "Panic Attack" holds a hint of the peculiar Englishness of Syd Barrett, while the shiversome "Long Distance" stands out as the finest song Turin Brakes have yet written, a grandiose treatise on obsession spattered with electronic laser-bursts and borne out by a piano coda of weighty epic stature. --Louis Pattison
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Audio CD
Turin Brakes is one of those excellent British bands that hasn't gotten much attention in the American mainstream yet, along with the guys in South, Elbow and others. And after their shimmery space-folk album "Ether Song," their second, we can see that this is totally undeserved.
A spacey organ buildup, a trippy beat and a folky guitar open the first song, "Blue Hour." This song sets the tone for the rest of the album, with its mix of spacey shoegazer and folk-rock, set to angsty lyrics about "let the sun be done/let the air wash the city clean." It's one of those songs that gets deeper and more layered the more you listen to it.
But the album really catches your attention with the soft, rising "Long Distance," which is the softest song that Muse never wrote. And in some songs like "Self Help" and "Panic Attack," the boys eschew the spacepop angle in favor of some mild spacerock. Nothing too hard, just a ringing electric guitar that weaves into the music seamlessly.
With those new additions, it's obvious that Turin Brakes is trying out new things, rather than sticking slavishly to what got them famous in the first place. The only flaw is that they seem a bit undecided what direction to take, and so "Ether Song" feels a bit unguided. But it's somehow pleasant to hear Ollie Knights singing in his slightly wobbly voice, "Remind myself that I'm not just in it for the money." Refreshing.
This U.K. duo started off with acoustic guitar, bass and drums, augmented by some low-key keyboard that adds a delicate edge to otherwise ordinary rock instrumentation. And in "Ether Song," Knights and multitalented bandmate Gale Paridjanian are experimenting with a less folk, more rock sound. Fortunately, they know how to mesh electric guitar into the instrumentation.
With music like that, it's inevitable that the songs are a bit on the downbeat side; Knight and Paridjanian's songs tend to be focused on love and dissatisfaction, only breaking out for the poignant "Little Brother," which is all about someone ELSE's loneliness. It's the sound of unhappiness, which could be optimistic if given a little shove.
These twentysomething musicians -- who recently released their third album "Jackinabox" -- are in good form in their second space-rock-folk album, "Ether Song."
A spacey organ buildup, a trippy beat and a folky guitar open the first song, "Blue Hour." This song sets the tone for the rest of the album, with its mix of spacey shoegazer and folk-rock, set to angsty lyrics about "let the sun be done/let the air wash the city clean." It's one of those songs that gets deeper and more layered the more you listen to it.
But the album really catches your attention with the soft, rising "Long Distance," which is the softest song that Muse never wrote. And in some songs like "Self Help" and "Panic Attack," the boys eschew the spacepop angle in favor of some mild spacerock. Nothing too hard, just a ringing electric guitar that weaves into the music seamlessly.
With those new additions, it's obvious that Turin Brakes is trying out new things, rather than sticking slavishly to what got them famous in the first place. The only flaw is that they seem a bit undecided what direction to take, and so "Ether Song" feels a bit unguided. But it's somehow pleasant to hear Ollie Knights singing in his slightly wobbly voice, "Remind myself that I'm not just in it for the money." Refreshing.
This U.K. duo started off with acoustic guitar, bass and drums, augmented by some low-key keyboard that adds a delicate edge to otherwise ordinary rock instrumentation. And in "Ether Song," Knights and multitalented bandmate Gale Paridjanian are experimenting with a less folk, more rock sound. Fortunately, they know how to mesh electric guitar into the instrumentation.
With music like that, it's inevitable that the songs are a bit on the downbeat side; Knight and Paridjanian's songs tend to be focused on love and dissatisfaction, only breaking out for the poignant "Little Brother," which is all about someone ELSE's loneliness. It's the sound of unhappiness, which could be optimistic if given a little shove.
These twentysomething musicians -- who recently released their third album "Jackinabox" -- are in good form in their second space-rock-folk album, "Ether Song."
Format:Audio CD
Following on from the incredible Optimist Lp, Turin Brakes just get better! I went to watch them in Sheffeild and they played many tracks from this album- it was awesome. Its got a slightly more rocky feel than the optimist but doesnt abandon those of us future boy fans either! The extra bonus Cd adds a touch that really tops off the whole album. There's no way you can be a credible fan and miss this one. Buy it now, or forever hold your peace!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I loved this album before I saw Turin Brakes live. After that, it became a full-blown obsession. This band has more umph (if that's a word) than Coldplay, I am Kloot, Aqualung etc.. but if you like any of them, you'll love this. The song which first stood out for me is "Stone Thrown". It has delicious lyrics. Really though, everything on this album is good. The first song, "Blue Hour", really is how the whole album makes you feel -like it's not quite night and not quite day. I could go on forever, but just buy it, you definitely won't regret it. Oh, and while you're at it - buy Optomist too. It is equally wonderful.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Turin Brakes.... Nice...
If you like your acoustica, then this is the epitome of great acoustic guitar playing. Its stylish with a modern edge, and is a great CD to listen to. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2003 by Sparky
Sold Out?
Being a fan from their outset, Ether Songs is nearly as good as the debut album The Optimist... However... Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2003 by "madcyril"
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