Empty at the end? Hardly! (Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade)

Member Name: Zozzy

Product:	Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade
Date:	30/08/03 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Distinct sound, Great lyrics

Disadvantages: Sudden forays into electronically-altered musical madness!

The first review I wrote on dooyoo, or indeed ever, was for my favourite TV series, Teachers on Channel Four. Fair enough but what does that have to do with music, I hear you ask, and I shall tell ye…

One of the things I love most about Teachers is that a lot of emphasis is put on the soundtrack, indeed a compilation album has been released for each of the three series of the show. This programme effectively opened a whole new musical world to me of bands I’d never heard of and genres I’d never sampled, and I’ll be eternally grateful. Whilst I haven’t bought one of the Teachers albums, I have bought countless CDs by bands featured on the show, who I may never have heard of otherwise.

My first recollection of seriously getting into music was during the “Britpop” era when Blur and Oasis were going head to head to be described as the Nation’s best band, and I suppose you could describe the tone of the type of music on Teachers as being very similar to that, somewhere between ‘Britpop’ and ‘Indie’.

One of these bands is Electric Soft Parade, who I noticed from the first song I heard have a very distinct sound that edges away slightly from the usual ‘guitar and drums’ Indie set. I also noticed straight away that some of their lyrics are either very resonant, touching and mature. Behind these lyrics is a very capable and well-structured musical talent, making each of their songs sound different whilst staying true to their style – no easy task, I imagine.

You can imagine my surprise, therefore, to learn on the Internet that Electric Soft Parade is made up of two guys more or less the same age as myself. When their debut album, Holes in the Wall, was released one was 17 and the other 19. Even more surprising is that they released three self-funded albums before this one, although not as Electric Soft Parade. Their named are Tom and Alex. They̵
7;re very young, they’re not what you’d expect them to be but they’re also very, very good. Here’s the track-by-track look at Holes in the Wall, possibly one of the best albums I’ve ever bought.

Track One: Start Again. The distinctly heavy guitars that are so often featured in this band’s music start off the album, and instantly I wonder how they would sound live. After about thirty seconds of the guitars alone, they suddenly vanish and slightly synthesised vocals take over, not distorted too much but enough to add a slightly eerie quality to them. The guitars then return and the lyrics sound a little more angry, although it is perfectly easy to make out the words. This is not a “crash bang, rarrr!” band, as a good friend likes to call so many artists.

This is nearly four minutes of often-changing musical experimentation that works very well. It wouldn’t be well received as a single, I imagine, but for people who like the more mainstream songs produced by these guys, all the elements are there.

Track Two: Empty At The End. This is the first song I heard on Teachers, I think. It’s quick-paced and the lyrics take a more central stage… “Stars at my window, they all say they don’t know what is true”. Quick drums keep the pace on here and the distinct ‘ESP’ sound is there in force. This is one of the songs that makes me gawp when I remember how young these guys are. It’s fast become one of my favourite songs.

Track Three: There’s A Silence. This one starts off a little darker than Empty At The End, and the emphasis is on the lyrics which are again very mature and flow very well. I especially love the chorus, which goes “And there’s a silence when you walk into the room, and I don’t feel I’m in control”. Whilst a lot of the lyrics in this album aren’t the modern equivalent of Shakespeare by
any means, they are very well-written and sound great.

This track shows brilliantly how this band does a very good job of notching the vocals and the lyrics up a level at the right times to compliment each other. Rather than just be led by the lyrics, however, the track also highlights the brilliantly-produced musical unity that the band is capable of.

Track Four: Something’s Got To Give. A bit steadier here, the way the lyrics are sung sounds slightly more like the “teen angst” record you’d expect from musicians of this age, and the song has less of a quirky rock sound to it. The guitar work on this song is my favourite aspect of it, everything sounds like it’s in the right place and the only downside is that, eventually, the slightly toneless lyrical delivery starts to grate a little, although it does perk up during the chorus which thankfully breaks the monotonous air. Another saving grace is that a lot more time is given to the music rather than the lyrics.

Track Five: It’s Wasting Me Away This one starts out like a conventional ‘pop-rock’ track, friendlier for a wide audience and with a less distinctive in its overall sound, starting out with gentle vocals and softer musical accompaniment. You wonder if it’s going to take off and end up like the previous tracks, but it maintains it’s steady, melancholic sound.

Track Six: Silent to the Dark. Another big favourite of mine. The synthesisers are out again initially but they soon melt away, and the quite gentle intro bursts into life with the lyrics “Cause when I needed someone to talk to, you were the only one around”. Again, simple lyrics but these are some others that stay with me in the way that they’re sung. The lead vocalist has a voice that can portray a lot of emotion and reflection, adding to that oddly mature sound that ESP has achieved. Again, this has a melancholic sound but holds interest
and is more than capable of leaving you tapping a foot.

My main problem with this album is that, for the most part the songs are well placed and the overall sound flows nicely, but this track suddenly goes from being another very good song on an album of 3-4 minute long tracks into being a nine-minute, mostly synthesised, lyricless mess that comes from nowhere. If this was broken into two songs, which it certainly sounds like, it would have been an understandable foray into something ‘a bit different’, but it seems completely out of place on the back of such a great track. Finally, after about three minutes of this, the vocals come back to finish things off, but still I’m left baffled as to what just went on. That bit almost ruins the great overall sound of this album for me.


Track Seven: Sleep Alone. Back to normal here with a catchy intro that drags you into the track with your foot tapping like you’ve known the tune all your life. “All through the dark nights, we sleep alone” are some lyrics that stay with me for some unknown reason, again probably because of the maturity with which they are sung, possibly enough emotional emphasis is put onto them to give the image a more metaphorical meaning. Whatever the reason, I love the way this track sounds.

Track Eight: This Given Line. Much livelier and absolutely drenched in the band’s token sound which at this stage of the album you’re pretty well associated with. Less emphasis is put on the vocals but again if you listen to them they’re soundly written without a touch of teenage angst.

Track Nine: Why Do You Try So Hard To Hate Me. A foray into the much darker world of ESP here, the main lyrics being “You’re so bitter, I don’t get it, why do you try so hard to hate me?” You could accuse it of being that teenage angst that you’re wary of with a band so young but it doesn’t really come
across as that, more as a show of frustration that we all feel, not just teenagers who hate their parents, teachers and everyone else.

This one kicks off like it’s going to be a jaunty little tune but the lyrics are instantly darker than usual and the verses have a tension that compliments the very angry chorus, with a nicely-placed gentle pause for reflection mid-way through that makes the conclusion sound all the more aggressive and frustrated. All in all a welcome development, I certainly think that without this track they could be accused of producing a lot of tracks that sound very similar.

Track Ten: Holes in the Wall. The title track, although I personally think there are at least a few other tracks that would be equally deserving of that accolade. A very soft and enticing introduction leads to rueful-sounding vocals. This track boasts my favourite lyric of the whole album, “And I could try to make you mine, but I haven’t got the time, to waste it all on someone like you” which I think is feeling a lot of people have and is delivered here to great emotional effect. This is definitely a song where you can take advantage of the unhurried track and pay attention to the lyrics and their delivery because frankly it would be a crime not to. Anyone with relationship problems can appreciate the thought put into this track.

Track Eleven: Biting the Soles of My Feet. An odd title, but a well-placed song on the album after the almost catatonic rhythm of the track before. This one is a lot jauntier from the outset, builds up strongly from verse to chorus and managed to sound distinctive from the other tracks that have a similar tempo and tone. Not the best one here but far from out of place.

But wait! Yes, this one, clocking up 6.25 minutes, starts to venture into that odd little synth frenzy that comes out of nowhere and kind of mucks up the overall sound. Or does it? Because just when you think you’r
e stuck with another two minutes of lacklustre, boring musical interlude this track takes on a darker, rockier sound and you can’t help but appreciate that the change of sound in the track is done so well, rather than being shoehorned in there in an agonisingly awkward way. The track returns to it’s earlier affable sound afterwards but personally I’m glad for that little twist in the middle.

Track Twelve: Red Balloon for Me. The last track on the album boast a steady, vocal-led intro, which gradually builds up to a textured track that relies mostly on lyrics and atmosphere. There’s some brilliant guitar work half-way through the track and although it is a song that never really takes off, by the time it ends it seems multi-layered and thought it wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste, it has it’s charms even if the synth-driven ending is a little out of place.

The next album for the band will be released sometime within the next few months and will apparently be entitled ‘The American Adventure’. According to the band’s website it is “a big step forward” which fills me with both apprehension and anticipation. Considering the musical achievements these guys have to their names, you can’t help but wonder what else they can achieve but I also worry that the very distinct sound they have on this album would be lost and hope that they manage to keep some of it simply because it is that self-styled charm that makes album never seem to age however many times I play it. Hopefully their new release will receive the kind of attention that the band’s talent deserves.

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