To start things off I would like to say that I recently recieved this album in the mail and it has hardly ever left my CD player.
Passenger is a new band featuring Anders from In Flames. I must admit I do not know much about In Flames, but so far what I have heard of them I did not like, so when I heard about this side project I was a little sceptical of all the praise it was getting. I tracked down a couple mp3's (no easy task on this computer since no filesharing programs work on this computer). The first song I heard was their single "In Reverse", I liked it, but I needed more than that one song to warrant a purchase, then somehow I managed to hear the song "Carnival Diaries". This song impressed me a lot so I ordered the CD and this has been one of my favorite purchases of the year.
The Breakdown:
Production: Best production I have heard from Century Media. Every instrument is clear and distinguishable while not drowning out the vocals.
Layout - I like it a lot with a very artsy feel to them. Lots of photographs with hardly any of the band.
Lyrics - not terrific, not horrible, but good, with very memorable and (i hate using this but) sing-along chorus'.
Drums - Nothing to outrageous but used very tastefully throughout the album, lots of cymbals. Always have a good driving beat to them, they are midpaced which sets the tone of the album.
Keys/synths - Used interestingly as a backround instrument which makes an atmosphere. No solos, but there are good effects used throughout the CD.
Guitars - OK now hear me out. Downtuned? Yes they are. Does that make them bad? No. I really liked the riffs used throughout the whole album. They capture my attention and do not let go, riffs are somewhat similar yes, but it is used to keep a melancholy mood. Some very dissonant passages and some solos with an odd feeling to them which is very cool.
Bass - Not really a standout instrument but does its job well supporting the rythem section, with some cool parts here and there.
Vocals - Ordinary in the least. Anders uses mostly his 'clean' voice with a few sprinkling of the recent In Flames type to give a very unique sound. About a 90/10 percent ratio of clean to harsh vocals. I would have preffered more of the harsher vocals because I enjoyed them a lot. His voice has a wierd vibrato to it that reminds me of David Bowie a little. Sometimes singing singing with detached and indifferent that adds the melancholy feeling to the music, but oddly enough, melody lines are friendly so that people can sing along if they wish. Other times they are saturated with passion, especially when using the other style vocals. It is a very different approach to singing, which leaves me nothing less than impressed.
Overall feelings - A very enjoyable listen that you can listen to from start to finish. It is true that I like some songs much more than others, but there is no bad song really. One thing that I did not enjoy too much was a little repetativeness in a few songs like "Circus" the chorus is just repeated over drilled into your brain you just want to go ARRRGGGHHH. A very melodic yet somewhat gloomy album, but there are moments when you can sense a feeling of hope.
Choice Cuts:
In My Head
For You
Just the Same
Carnival Diaries
I Die Slowly (kinda upbeat actually
)
Eyes of My Mind
Passenger is a new band featuring Anders from In Flames. I must admit I do not know much about In Flames, but so far what I have heard of them I did not like, so when I heard about this side project I was a little sceptical of all the praise it was getting. I tracked down a couple mp3's (no easy task on this computer since no filesharing programs work on this computer). The first song I heard was their single "In Reverse", I liked it, but I needed more than that one song to warrant a purchase, then somehow I managed to hear the song "Carnival Diaries". This song impressed me a lot so I ordered the CD and this has been one of my favorite purchases of the year.
The Breakdown:
Production: Best production I have heard from Century Media. Every instrument is clear and distinguishable while not drowning out the vocals.
Layout - I like it a lot with a very artsy feel to them. Lots of photographs with hardly any of the band.
Lyrics - not terrific, not horrible, but good, with very memorable and (i hate using this but) sing-along chorus'.
Drums - Nothing to outrageous but used very tastefully throughout the album, lots of cymbals. Always have a good driving beat to them, they are midpaced which sets the tone of the album.
Keys/synths - Used interestingly as a backround instrument which makes an atmosphere. No solos, but there are good effects used throughout the CD.
Guitars - OK now hear me out. Downtuned? Yes they are. Does that make them bad? No. I really liked the riffs used throughout the whole album. They capture my attention and do not let go, riffs are somewhat similar yes, but it is used to keep a melancholy mood. Some very dissonant passages and some solos with an odd feeling to them which is very cool.
Bass - Not really a standout instrument but does its job well supporting the rythem section, with some cool parts here and there.
Vocals - Ordinary in the least. Anders uses mostly his 'clean' voice with a few sprinkling of the recent In Flames type to give a very unique sound. About a 90/10 percent ratio of clean to harsh vocals. I would have preffered more of the harsher vocals because I enjoyed them a lot. His voice has a wierd vibrato to it that reminds me of David Bowie a little. Sometimes singing singing with detached and indifferent that adds the melancholy feeling to the music, but oddly enough, melody lines are friendly so that people can sing along if they wish. Other times they are saturated with passion, especially when using the other style vocals. It is a very different approach to singing, which leaves me nothing less than impressed.
Overall feelings - A very enjoyable listen that you can listen to from start to finish. It is true that I like some songs much more than others, but there is no bad song really. One thing that I did not enjoy too much was a little repetativeness in a few songs like "Circus" the chorus is just repeated over drilled into your brain you just want to go ARRRGGGHHH. A very melodic yet somewhat gloomy album, but there are moments when you can sense a feeling of hope.
Choice Cuts:
In My Head
For You
Just the Same
Carnival Diaries
I Die Slowly (kinda upbeat actually
)Eyes of My Mind
i wasn't trying to be negative. i just am not an anders fan. i'll probly check it out eventually though. It's also disappointing hearing there isn't as much death vox because that's his high point.
