My first choice for our new column are the portuguese band named The Gift, they are Sónia Tavares, Nuno and John Gonçalves and Miguel Ribeiro, from Alcobaça. In this album they invited additional artists like Paulo Praça - guitar, Nathalie Portela - additional voice on "Mermaid Song", Ken Nelson - additional voice on " Suit Full of Colours", Mário Barreiros - drums and Nuno Ruas - tambourine on "My Sun".
The album "Explode" was released in 2011, firstly on their website where they invited their fans to pay whatever they wanted for the album. After they would released a new song every day for eleven days in a row, the first song was released on February 27 and the name was RGB.
On March 21 it was released the fisical version of the album, this version also has many pictures of the members on Holi celebrations, a Hindu comemoration as shown on the cover. The cover picture as much as the others promo photographs by the amazing Poras Chaudhary.The band decided to prove their opinion about the media nowadays, their influence in society and how much is truth of what is released and published on the media.
On March 10, they revealed that was already a music on youtube. That video was already playing for two weeks but published that the music was from a new duo Lucas/Lukas, formed by two young actors Lukas Haas and Isabel Lucas, but afterall it was only The Gift's video for a new song "Made for You". This can also be seen has a joke which the american actor and the australian actress accepted to enter in. The video of "Made For You" which can be seen at the end of this post was produced by Carleton Ranney. The Gift mentioned on their last e-mail (when they sent the songs to their fans by e-mail) that they wanted to do what Joaquin Phoenix did on "I Am Still Here", as Bansky with his "Exiy through The Gift Shop" such as Orson Welles did a few decades ago.
The album is composed by 11 songs ( + one on the special edition)
- Let It Be by Me (5:16) : It's a very hardcore song as a first one. Very electrical, deeply distorted this song is a complete risk that results at the end, it's a good way of starting the end. Catches our attention from the beginning probably thanks to the melodic drums or the synthesizers on the instruments. The voices are a bit changed, in another song I wouldn't probably result but here fits perfectly on the rhythm and electronic violin which sticks amazingly good on the music. After listening the album over and over again, my opinion remains that it's a bit risky mainly because usually it's not their style but a very good song and a different way of beginning an album so good like "Explode".
"It's just a matter of you and I, we try to fly away
And see what things will calm my soul
And God knows things
We're doing wrong" - Made For You (4:42) : The surprise song, the one that all the media published has Lucas/Lukas even with the voice of the gorgeous Sónia Tavares. The lyrics are so so gorgeous and damn strong, the instrumental is stunning. Made for You was the chosen song for the Gift's question "How much the world is influenced by the media and how much we can believe in them." It's strong but at the same time it's very beautiful. I enjoyed what they did by publishing on youtube by Lucas/Lukas a few days before the first song release. Two weeks later The Gift revealed what they did and that made me proud, I enjoyed and understood so well what they wanted to share with the fans and general public: We must not believe in everything that we listen/see out there. Be aware!
- RGB (5:35) : Love this song, sticks in your head all day. Probably the most commercial one, but one of my favorites! I feel powerful and wanna yell the world "I am free!". It's like one of those help songs but in this case it helps you to open your eyes and do what you are meant to do. There's a referee to "there's no dance in the dark / let the fireworks start" it's like a reminder that is always going to be a light, even if we don't believe at the time, we need to understand that when we believe things will appear better. RGB is related with the colour model defined by "Red, Green and Blue", which colours are mention on the song.
"What made you think that I'm in love with you?
A hundred ways to heal my heart, undo"
- Mermaid Song (3:56) : This is a risky song, the effects on Sónia's voice are too much and I am curious to see how this will result on live gigs. But still is a gorgeous song. Love the instrumental effects, the combination of synthesizers is so good, I love the instrumentals of this song. It's not a very common combination but it is amazing and sounds pretty good. Reminds of under and deep sea - which makes sense because it's related with the title.
"At the end we all want the same
Eternal Life and throne proclaim
Exploding Love the Kingdoms come
This King is just a mermaid son" - The Singles (12:22) : Probably the biggest surprise and one of the most emotional and exciting songs of the album! Really enjoy this one. It's a pretty big sound but listen carefully makes many sense. It's those songs that could give you 5 different songs, but all together makes the perfect sense and it's absolutely gorgeous. The instrumental of this song has such variety, such colour, such bright, for me it's impossible to think of people that don't like it! Somehow this song has parts, specially at the very end that really but really sounds like my babies (my fav band Keane) and it is sooo nice! I have a huge fascination for this song. We are never tired. The combination is so well done that we don't have the feeling that we're listening a 12 minute song but several 3 minute ones. This song is a bunch of creativity, a bunch of beauty, a bunch of energy, a bunch of joy. This song has everything! Not any single flaw. Probably my favorite, or at least one of my favorite songs from The Gift. Here they prove everything they are, every single piece of themselves and their genius mind. I love the reference Sónia makes of such amazing and different artists like Talking Heads, Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright.
"It's just a paper cut and my head is now so strong
(*) Means that is an excerpt of this song. The hole lyrics is amazing, after all is an 12 minute song and it is not full of only instrumental parts. By reading the lyrics we are able to understand (kinda) where which different song ends and begins.
I'm not afraid anymore
If you come back right through that door
But you are never quick enough to forget
It's just a paper cut" *
"Sunny beauty ballads, trashy crazy words
Funny rainbow colours and ironic songs" *
"I can do whatever I need
Can find from where I belong
Can sing as much as I breathe" *
"It's time to get it done
And I know you love enough
The future is still to come" *
"Guilty needs shows everything that you've got
This pointed gun shouts at your head again
Still remember what you forgot
And everything that made you stop
I don't know what will cross your way
Maybe the lights of New York" *
"Why copy Talking Heads and past the Radiohead?
Why not discover The Full Sentence of the Pigeonhead
Ten voices spring reverb
Few bars with crazy noise
But at the end, we're all a shadow of The Beach Boys
I miss the elegance
It's hard, but still exists
Rufus, you are on the top of my list" * - Primavera (3:24) : the only song that is in Portuguese, amazingly good. In my opinion a very risky option, besides the beauty of it, it's strong but it's risky because the hole album is in english and this only song in Portuguese. But still a good music, amazing in my opinion. The instrumental are very changed in a way, the piano distortion is so well done, so gorgeous. This is why I am proud of being portuguese, they make me totally proud of my language and our music.
"Hei-de te amar, ou então hei-de chorar por ti
Mesmo assim, quero ver te sorrir ...
E se perder vou tentar esquecer-me de vez, conto até
Três
Se quiser ser feliz ..." - Aquatica (4:03) : This one fits perfectly on a mood music, for example on a dinner with friends or a good conversation on a cute bar. This song is so calm and relaxed, calms me down. The guitar sounds so good here, I almost bet Paulo Praça is here. It's one of those songs that relaxes and make people enjoy what is going on, it's so fresh and every time I listen to it sounds so new and melodic. Fits so much in this album, because it's all about joy, and moving on and being free this one (for me and my own interpretation!) it's the type of song that keep my feet on the ground and keep all so real. Very good composition by The Gift, and a little bit of highlight to Sónia and her amazing voice that looks so damn good here!
"So carry on
Your first born son
They'll write your name
Starts will light your way
It will never be the same, oh no!" - My Sun (4:31) : The explosion! This music is full of everything good from this album. The background is happy, the instruments are still the same bases as the entire album but here they made it like a War Scream. For me, this song represents so well the album and all the concept - celebrate live and fight for you! Love it! It's amazing and Sónia Tavares once more has the perfect voice to keep this album such an interesting art piece. The guys have a huge work on this instrumental, love it, love every single note!!
"One day you'll dance this song with me
One day you'll ask me how I did
Always remember ..." - Suit Full of Colours (4:52) : Somehow this one sounds so much like the old The Gift and their album AM/FM. Soft voice and the beginning very calm and slowly. Kind of a goodbye song, the piano breaks me. Looks so gorgeous, so pure and genuine! The big transformation of this song is around 2:30, becomes a bit more faster but with the same aura of magic and love and mostly calm. I like this The Gift's version. It's totally gorgeous and worth it. Deserves to spend almost 5 minutes of my day listening to this gorgeously amazing song. There's a part that once more sounds like Keane's song but now is "A Bad Dream", the hardcore moving fingers that makes the piano and guitar sound faster.
"White you said yes
I will give you all my life, oh
And if you despair
Just don't ask me to deny our love
It's easy to understand, try a different view
See the line outside of you
You can turn my life around" - Race is Long (4:59) : Love the instrumental of this song. I would love to request only the instrumental of this, it's so gorgeous by itself! It has this amazing chorus which gives certain style of a church song which everybody knows, very near to the EPIC song. As the all concept here, the idea is not giving up on yourself, keep fighting and moving on. The lyrics have a LOT of metaphoric words related with common words and somehow related with life which gives a much higher sensation of duality - reality and dreams.
"Few are the ones who keep their dreams about the world
Don't need to sell your soul" - Always Better if You Wait for the Sunrise (8:25) : One of the best ending songs I know. This chorus behind and futuristic and electric background don't disturb the melodic voice upfront which transmits such calm and rebellion at the same time. It's reminds me of another portuguese artist Paulo Gonzo and his song "Fico até adormeceres" the idea is almost the same. Strong and gorgeous lyrics. The idea is questioning you and making you see the bright side of everything, because even on the darkest nights there's always a candle to light up. I might have felt in love with this song, among The Singles and RGB this one is probably one of my favorites!
"Want to tell you once again
Perhaps the stars are not so bright
I want to take you back in time
Want to hold you once again
I want to show you there's no lies
I want to have you by my side
Would you mind if I lay you down at night?
Would you cry if I hold you one more time?
I want to go but I know there's something wrong"
- The Mother of My Mother ( Special Edition * )
"Trust, I will always be there, waiting for your love Trust in the beauty inside, trust the name Explode Trust the colours of rainbows, even if it's dark Trust in the photos you did and the ones outside Trust in people, religions and all their hopes Trust in the meaning of life, this can only be love Trust the friends that we share, and the ones we don't Trust in me, trust in you Over and over and over
Conclusion: Wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever you say even on the darkest moments there's always a light you can rely on. Fight for you, for your life and there's always gonna be something good. Amazing album which I love more and more each day. Probably one of the best 2011 albums without any kind of doubts!
Rating: 5/5
Rating: 5/5
5/5 ???!
ResponderEliminarLOOOOOOL