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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern Genius, 2 Jun 2006
Why do all the best British bands get overlooked?
This is an epic masterpiece of an album with a strong indie-rock feel. Think Swervedriver meets Pink Floyd with a touch of Soundgarden & you're almost there. There are no instantly hummable, catchy tunes & it takes a few listens to really explore the full majesty of this album. The opening track 'Charm Offensive' takes a while to get going and sets pace for the rest of the record which ebbs & flows effortlessly from power to delicacy. It's all about textures & deep layers of sound created by the 3 Guitars with sumptuous vocals mixed into a warm but not always cosy atmosphere. This CD provides a stunning contrast to many of the dull bands in todays music scene. Acts like Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol, Embrace etc sound weak in comparison. Fans of Muse, Swervedriver, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Radiohead and Sonic Youth should check this out. It's how modern Rock music should be, taking influences from many of the best artists of the last 40 years.
I don't have any of their other releases yet, but from what people tell me, this album is quite different & represents their huge live shows well. Also, the latest single 'New Pin' is, in my opinion, the weakest track on Everyone Into Position. It's quite light & does not have the same impressive, massive scale as most of the other tracks.
It's time Oceansize got the recognition they deserve. It's just possible that 'Music For a Nurse' appearing on the new Orange TV ad will give them the publicity they need to break into the mainstream. I hope so.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Monumental!, 3 Jul 2006
An awesome listening experience, not to be taken lightly but if you have the patience and constitution, you will be rewarded! This album demands your wholehearted attention, anything less and you will miss the riches buried beneath the tempestuous surface, because amidst the maelstrom of meshing guitars are subtle and beautiful harmonic gems, sparkling rhythmic shifts and shimmering vocals.
I wouldn't call it 'prog', to do so would be a disservice to both that musical genre and this staggering offering itself. It's progressive, sure, in experimenting with the form and kicking over the tressles of the frankly bland and tedious mainstream, and while the spectres of the old guard (Floyd, Crimson, the Sabs et al)lurk in the depths, the restless intelligence of the likes of Radiohead (check out the lyrics, people!) and rock's renewed love of massed guitars seem to light the way.
'Charm Offensive' begins as a slowburn, gathering momentum into a scream of indignation, and sets the standard for the rest of the album, with passion and outrage rising again in tracks such as 'Homage to A Shame', 'No Tomorrow' and the exultant and deceptive chaos of Y'Can't Keep A Bad Man Down'. The soaring brittle beauty of 'Music For A Nurse' shines achingly, and 'Heaven Alive' and 'The Last Wrongs' break the surface, voices dazzling briefly in the Sun.
Play it again, and then again, explore the depths of this music in all its massive glory and wonder at the worlds to be found there. Persevere, this is the future now!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey of epic proportions, 20 Jan 2006
I'm sure some of my album reviews sound pretentious so I'm going to keep this necessarily simple: this band are in a class of their own - and man do they know what they're doing!?! Listening to this album gave me a sense of joy that, for me, is hard to come by in rock music.
To be honest, the name of the band put me off their music for some time because (somehow?) it reminded me of the name "Oasis", whose music frankly pales in comparison, and (apologies to Oasis fans) that's an incredible understatement.Anyway...clearly influenced by Pink Floyd and nodding their heads in the direction of the similarly exciting Biffy Clyro, the sound that this band create is as close to "symphonic" as I have heard in terms of rock music. Ingenious time-signature changes and sumptuous chord progressions abound, and then of course we find that the singer is a pleasure to listen to. All these things come together in my personal favourites: "You Can't Keep A Bad Man Down" (one of my most treasured songs of all time, descending into mindblowing chaos and coming out determinedly at the end), and "The Last Wrongs" which makes you feel like you have indeed come to the end of a long and shockingly enjoyable journey. The choral treatment of the vocals in this song works perfecly against its driving instrumental backdrop. Other highlights are the brilliant, heavy and inventively-titled "Homage to a Shame", and "Music for a Nurse". It has to be said that, coming from a classically-trained background, I could not hope to make music like theirs and the words contained within the tiny space of this review simply do not do justice to the music of this underrated monster of a band. Special congratulations within the band go to the drummer, possibly the best that I have ever heard in a band that is the one of the tightest I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Not for the faint-hearted or those with short attention spans! For those who like to listen to detail, just bask in the powerful glow of this band's music and you will not be disappionted!
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