Turin Brakes - 'Ether Song' (Source)
4/5
By: Toby L
So, come on then - where did this come from? A pair commonly (mis)interpreted for an all too recurrent acoustic plod, Turin Brakes have mustered a sound so sparse, far-reaching and hauntingly melodic on new album 'Ether Song' that the classic debut-LP of theirs - 'The Optimist LP' - seems an age ago...
Yet in reality though, it was just a couple of years since this initial batch of modest recordings scintillated audiences far and wide; and those foundations laid seem set to be built upon in a suitably extravagant fashion. 'Ether Song' is not just a superior demonstration of Olly and Gale's distinctive brand of far-reaching, rigidly focussed indie-cum-folk, but a widescreen, heart-warming compendium of music that's every bit as classic and idyllic as the classic artists to have preceded them.
So sun-kissed piano, that acoustic-guitar, far more electric strings being thrashed than before, and chord-changes which may prove somewhat predictable, but what ensues are structures that no less entertain and prove bountifully more enriching amidst repeat-plays. And unlike before, they often find time to surprise and sonically compel too - with 'Panic Attack' forming the musical-abashed schizophrenia of its own title, and 'Little Brother' segueing into chilling moments of yearning introspection that Radiohead would shed a tear to.
Otherwise, what with the band's LA recording-studio set-up and magician Tony Hoffer behind the knobs and dials, their three weeks spent Stateside has clearly rubbed off in a way that you just wish Bowie's original cocaine-period could have followed suit; from the opening slump of 'Blue Hour' and reflective 'Average Man', things step up a gear on recent single 'Long Distance', which demonstrates the duo's first signs towards creating an intense force to not bother reckoning with. It betters with every advancing instant - ranging admirably from the ebullient and shimmering strum of 'Pain Killer' to an aching 'Rain City'. But, in spite of the interchanging variants that form it, this is distinctly one band, and one killer record.
Quite how or where the inspiration draws itself to form Gale and Olly's majestic comfort of a sound remains a mystery, yet its existence is all that needs to matter. As long as it is treasured dearly.
Artists in this article: Turin Brakes
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