The Dawn Chorus / The Retrospective Soundtrack Players - Blogging all over the World

My name is Kyle. I am a happily failing indie/punk/folk/country/rock musician from Hampshire, UK. I have been singing and songwriting in The Dawn Chorus since 2005, and The Retrospective Soundtrack Players since 2010. I love these two bands like my brother/wife rolled into one. This blog details the shows I have played with both bands, in chronological order.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

 

The Big Adventure Stereokill Review

Review: The Dawn Chorusby Marcus Kernohan • Nov 20, 2008 • Album reviewsComments

AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_1", {titles:"The%20Big%20Adventure%20Part%20II",artists:"The%20Dawn%20Chorus",soundFile:"aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGVyZW9raWxsLm5ldC9hdWRpby8wMiBUaGUgQmlnIEFkdmVudHVyZSBQYXJ0IDIubXAzA"});
Recently name-checked by Frank Turner in an interview with Stereokill as “my new favourite band in the whole world ever”, Portsmouth’s The Dawn Chorus have a lot to live up to. But, as I put their debut album on this morning, I was determined to listen with an impartial ear and not let anything colour my judgement. So, with no lofty and premature expectations, it was a pleasant surprise to find that debut album The Big Adventure is an intensely listenable record.
From the word go, I found myself captivated. The gentle acoustic strumming of “The Big Adventure Part I”, segues seamlessly into the blaring horns and light guitar of “Part II”. Together, they tell an intensely personal story, superbly compéred by vocalist Kyle Evans.
The Dawn Chorus are an impossible-to-pigeonhole band. The Big Adventure ebbs and flows from acoustic ballads to indie-rock anthems, bound together by some intelligent songwriting and lovely melodies. Above and beyond the conventional rock-band instrumentation lies a more experimental streak that shows its face in the violins and unexpected brass. It’s this intricate musical layering that places the albums head and shoulders above anything else seen on the British indie scene this year.
At times, the album seems to lose its way - the mediocre rock of “Summer of ‘99″ feels like a minor letdown, but it’s quickly rescued by some simply superb songs: “The Hope Will Kill Us” and “Song for Antoinette” are particular gems. Even when Evans’ Britpop drawl occasionally sounds a little lifeless, such moments are fleeting and don’t flaw the album as a whole.
The Dawn Chorus are a band in the very best traditions of indie-folk. With a sound that forged somewhere between Bright Eyes and Murder by Death, this is an infinitely varied and uniquely charming album, with huge re-listening potential and the promise of great things to come.
The Verdict:

Comments: Post a Comment



<< Home

Archives

November 2005   December 2005   January 2006   February 2006   March 2006   April 2006   May 2006   June 2006   July 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   February 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008   January 2009   March 2009   April 2009   May 2009   June 2009   July 2009   October 2009   December 2009   February 2010   April 2010   June 2010   July 2010   October 2010   February 2011   April 2011   May 2011   June 2011   July 2011   October 2011   November 2011   January 2012   February 2012   May 2012   July 2012   September 2012   November 2012   February 2013   May 2013   August 2013   April 2014   December 2014  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?