it's taken me a long time to think about how to go about writing about vienna teng's latest album. reason is i still can't quite decide whether to love it or to be disappointed.
i remember it was earlier this year when i was standing for my midnight sentry duty, rifle in hand and radio turned to lush 99.5, that i heard the dj gush about 'inland territory' while putting 'white light' on. hearing the words 'vienna teng' jolted me out of my drowsy state, the same reaction i had had when i had heard the same station play 'street spirit (fade out)' on some other previous lonesome mowbray night. 'wow i'd better hear this...' only difference was, i knew 'street spirit' well enough to play it blindfolded; i've never heard any of vienna's new songs yet, let alone this one.
i'd loved how vienna has these enchanting piano-driven melodies, often intertwined with vocals, or, more rarely, some other sweeping melody. cases in point: blue caravan, now three, gravity, harbour, homecoming and recessional. she's ventured into bringing strings, drums, choral voices and oh guitars into the picture, but for most part it's always been about the piano and her. and always so soothing, so mellow.
my first taste of this album via 'white light' was thus a disappointment. a bass groove, synths all over the place, effects-laden guitar, a plodding drum beat, and what's this? an unimpressive tune. it also can't help but remind me of another wilco song, 'what light', which was quite a dud. oh dear, i thought, this might be it, she's lost the plot.
well i got hold of the album anyway, and here's what i think. it's a mishmash of all sorts of different sounds, which can be done well (OK computer!), but here it comes off rather harshly. it is also makes it difficult, and a tad unfair, to treat the album as an entirety, because after averaging between superb songs like 'antebellum', 'no gringo' and 'st. stephen's cross' and stomach-turning ones like 'augustine', 'white light' and 'radio song' in particular, you get, well, an average score. which is harsh on the good ones. sad, because i'm all for treating albums as one piece of work and listening to them in the order the artist had intended, as opposed to the hit-single-driven discs being put out in the mainstream.
ok i've finally decided to do it this way. i shall focus on the spectacular songs. after i finish this bit. i appreciate when artists try to show their ambitions and push the envelope by trying new styles and sounds. it's a good thing! sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. no one said meshing strings, horns, bass, drums, guitar effects and chamber sounds was going to be easy, but no one said you had to. i think it's at it's worst in 'white light' and 'radio song'. the tune suffers. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, the tune suffers, and you decide to scrap it and put in that other haunting piano piece or live 'fields of gold' cover instead. or so i wish.
right now i'm listening to porcupine tree's 'a smart kid', and there's a smart way of merging several musical ideas together seamlessly. i like how at the root of the song there is a nice and simple tune, yet it is a complex piece with several layers overlapping each other. it helps too that i've always admired steven wilson's guitar work and solos. fascinating song.
i'll wait till tomorrow to write about the other inland territory songs. zzz
i remember it was earlier this year when i was standing for my midnight sentry duty, rifle in hand and radio turned to lush 99.5, that i heard the dj gush about 'inland territory' while putting 'white light' on. hearing the words 'vienna teng' jolted me out of my drowsy state, the same reaction i had had when i had heard the same station play 'street spirit (fade out)' on some other previous lonesome mowbray night. 'wow i'd better hear this...' only difference was, i knew 'street spirit' well enough to play it blindfolded; i've never heard any of vienna's new songs yet, let alone this one.
i'd loved how vienna has these enchanting piano-driven melodies, often intertwined with vocals, or, more rarely, some other sweeping melody. cases in point: blue caravan, now three, gravity, harbour, homecoming and recessional. she's ventured into bringing strings, drums, choral voices and oh guitars into the picture, but for most part it's always been about the piano and her. and always so soothing, so mellow.
my first taste of this album via 'white light' was thus a disappointment. a bass groove, synths all over the place, effects-laden guitar, a plodding drum beat, and what's this? an unimpressive tune. it also can't help but remind me of another wilco song, 'what light', which was quite a dud. oh dear, i thought, this might be it, she's lost the plot.
well i got hold of the album anyway, and here's what i think. it's a mishmash of all sorts of different sounds, which can be done well (OK computer!), but here it comes off rather harshly. it is also makes it difficult, and a tad unfair, to treat the album as an entirety, because after averaging between superb songs like 'antebellum', 'no gringo' and 'st. stephen's cross' and stomach-turning ones like 'augustine', 'white light' and 'radio song' in particular, you get, well, an average score. which is harsh on the good ones. sad, because i'm all for treating albums as one piece of work and listening to them in the order the artist had intended, as opposed to the hit-single-driven discs being put out in the mainstream.
ok i've finally decided to do it this way. i shall focus on the spectacular songs. after i finish this bit. i appreciate when artists try to show their ambitions and push the envelope by trying new styles and sounds. it's a good thing! sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. no one said meshing strings, horns, bass, drums, guitar effects and chamber sounds was going to be easy, but no one said you had to. i think it's at it's worst in 'white light' and 'radio song'. the tune suffers. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, the tune suffers, and you decide to scrap it and put in that other haunting piano piece or live 'fields of gold' cover instead. or so i wish.
right now i'm listening to porcupine tree's 'a smart kid', and there's a smart way of merging several musical ideas together seamlessly. i like how at the root of the song there is a nice and simple tune, yet it is a complex piece with several layers overlapping each other. it helps too that i've always admired steven wilson's guitar work and solos. fascinating song.
i'll wait till tomorrow to write about the other inland territory songs. zzz
No comments:
Post a Comment