Dragons are:
Anthony Tombling Jnr.
David Francolini
David Francolini
- with -
Calvin Talbot - guitar
Will Crewdson - guitar
James Fage - bass
Adam Coombs - synthesizers
"Here Are The Roses" excited me from the first measured bass strums and synth hooks. I wanted to hear more of this album and looked forward to what would come next.
Dragons debut album is inspired - maybe by other post-rock electro-gothic synth sounds like Joy Division/NewOrder, Depeche Mode, and a bit of The Cure - but great artists have a tendency to inspire other artists - i.e., The Editors and Interpol. The fact that Dragons sonic lineage is readily apparent is not a black mark in my book. Pigmaei gigantum humeris impositi plusquam ipsi gigantes vident. We wouldn’t be where we are today without those that came before to guide the way. I like Dragons and their ilk – though Interpol’s latest is a mixed bag – and these boys from Bristol are a nice new edition.
Here Are The Roses is by far my favorite song on the album. Tombling begins the song, and the album, with deep and deliberate vocals, in perfect tonal mesh with the underlying bass. But it’s the John Lydon like assault he unleashes a minute into the song that really grabbed my attention. "We've got a contender," I thought.
Authoritatively, he declares:
Here we stand the dislocated
Flung so far from what we'd dream
Hammered down then resurrected
We bear the scars of what we've been.
Now the time of new beginning
Though the past will never end
But you will never catch me thinking
It can ever be the same.
I think that should silence the critics, though I don’t think the lyric was consciously leveled at them. In a switch from genre, the song is actually an affirmation, an uplifting one at that. The past is the past, we can’t change it, we won’t know what could have been but “we can try now” and make the future ours. It’s a shame the video is so piss poor since it could have been fucking brilliant if they had a budget to work with (which I suspect they didn’t) to visually explore the thematic depth of the song.
Unfortunately Dragons never recaptures the excitement and passion so fully expressed in the title song. The follow up track, Condition promises to be hard rocking but lacks the follow through to capitalize on the solid drum foundation. Treasure, (which does sound like a Depeche Mode retread) has some nice moody guitar interspersed throughout but the song lyrically lacks substance. Obedience, my least favorite track, hammers down repetitively the command, “you cannot resist, the future demands your obedience, your obedience” sounding more like a Dalek singing into a microphone than whatever social statement Tombling is trying to get across.
The good news is that Obediance is the low point of the album. The fitth track Trust is a catchy New Order infused track that stands well on its own and is my second favorite on the album. Like a New Order tune, this would make a really nice dance remix, which is a strength of the song, not a flaw. Listen to Ozzy would be dj’s, “If you're going to do a cover of a song that has a great melody, don’t change the melody, for crissakes.”
Epiphany (a solid musical exercise routine) leads up to what will undoubtedly be their breakthrough single. Lonely Tonight will make most think of Interpol. It is the most fungible track on the album and it’s so radio-worthy that other bands should kick themselves for not writing it first.
Rememberance is a tonally dark following track with some really nice guitars and silky vocal work. Where Is The Love tries to take us to the darkest part of Dragons medley of offerings and has my favorite single lyric of the album, “Crushed by your spite, I lived on my knees, I bit off my tongue, but I wanted to.” Though the constant, “Where is the love,” gets a bit tedious.
Forever is the non sequitur of the album. It sounds like they completely channeled The Cure circa “Wish.” When’s the last time you heard wind chimes and guitars together in one place? The strange thing is that the song is somehow visually stimulating – it conjures up a nice dreamy beach scene serenade. It would make a great ironic video – soft lighting, lots of blues and tans, and some tight leather pants a la hair metal. Maybe I just need to talk to my therapist . . .
Overall it’s hard to think of this as a debut album. I want to agree that its really a collection of EP’s and singles, though the tracks do work together as a whole. There are some exceptions – Obedience, Epiphany, and the out of left field Forever.
Dragons have crafted a solid debut album with some top notch songs – lead by the title track. According to their recent interview on the Janice Long show on BBC Radio 2 they are looking to have a second album ready for the presses by February. They have the talent to produce an amazing follow-up, especially if they can capture and harness their unique musical voice readily apparent in Here Are The Roses and Remembrance.
Overall: 3.4 out of 5.
"Here Are The Roses" excited me from the first measured bass strums and synth hooks. I wanted to hear more of this album and looked forward to what would come next.
Dragons debut album is inspired - maybe by other post-rock electro-gothic synth sounds like Joy Division/NewOrder, Depeche Mode, and a bit of The Cure - but great artists have a tendency to inspire other artists - i.e., The Editors and Interpol. The fact that Dragons sonic lineage is readily apparent is not a black mark in my book. Pigmaei gigantum humeris impositi plusquam ipsi gigantes vident. We wouldn’t be where we are today without those that came before to guide the way. I like Dragons and their ilk – though Interpol’s latest is a mixed bag – and these boys from Bristol are a nice new edition.
Here Are The Roses is by far my favorite song on the album. Tombling begins the song, and the album, with deep and deliberate vocals, in perfect tonal mesh with the underlying bass. But it’s the John Lydon like assault he unleashes a minute into the song that really grabbed my attention. "We've got a contender," I thought.
Authoritatively, he declares:
Here we stand the dislocated
Flung so far from what we'd dream
Hammered down then resurrected
We bear the scars of what we've been.
Now the time of new beginning
Though the past will never end
But you will never catch me thinking
It can ever be the same.
I think that should silence the critics, though I don’t think the lyric was consciously leveled at them. In a switch from genre, the song is actually an affirmation, an uplifting one at that. The past is the past, we can’t change it, we won’t know what could have been but “we can try now” and make the future ours. It’s a shame the video is so piss poor since it could have been fucking brilliant if they had a budget to work with (which I suspect they didn’t) to visually explore the thematic depth of the song.
Unfortunately Dragons never recaptures the excitement and passion so fully expressed in the title song. The follow up track, Condition promises to be hard rocking but lacks the follow through to capitalize on the solid drum foundation. Treasure, (which does sound like a Depeche Mode retread) has some nice moody guitar interspersed throughout but the song lyrically lacks substance. Obedience, my least favorite track, hammers down repetitively the command, “you cannot resist, the future demands your obedience, your obedience” sounding more like a Dalek singing into a microphone than whatever social statement Tombling is trying to get across.
The good news is that Obediance is the low point of the album. The fitth track Trust is a catchy New Order infused track that stands well on its own and is my second favorite on the album. Like a New Order tune, this would make a really nice dance remix, which is a strength of the song, not a flaw. Listen to Ozzy would be dj’s, “If you're going to do a cover of a song that has a great melody, don’t change the melody, for crissakes.”
Epiphany (a solid musical exercise routine) leads up to what will undoubtedly be their breakthrough single. Lonely Tonight will make most think of Interpol. It is the most fungible track on the album and it’s so radio-worthy that other bands should kick themselves for not writing it first.
Rememberance is a tonally dark following track with some really nice guitars and silky vocal work. Where Is The Love tries to take us to the darkest part of Dragons medley of offerings and has my favorite single lyric of the album, “Crushed by your spite, I lived on my knees, I bit off my tongue, but I wanted to.” Though the constant, “Where is the love,” gets a bit tedious.
Forever is the non sequitur of the album. It sounds like they completely channeled The Cure circa “Wish.” When’s the last time you heard wind chimes and guitars together in one place? The strange thing is that the song is somehow visually stimulating – it conjures up a nice dreamy beach scene serenade. It would make a great ironic video – soft lighting, lots of blues and tans, and some tight leather pants a la hair metal. Maybe I just need to talk to my therapist . . .
Overall it’s hard to think of this as a debut album. I want to agree that its really a collection of EP’s and singles, though the tracks do work together as a whole. There are some exceptions – Obedience, Epiphany, and the out of left field Forever.
Dragons have crafted a solid debut album with some top notch songs – lead by the title track. According to their recent interview on the Janice Long show on BBC Radio 2 they are looking to have a second album ready for the presses by February. They have the talent to produce an amazing follow-up, especially if they can capture and harness their unique musical voice readily apparent in Here Are The Roses and Remembrance.
Overall: 3.4 out of 5.
Listen on:
MySpaceBuy The Album:
Amazon & Amazon mp3
eMusicNote: The Libertine and I employ different rating schemata. I rate individual songs on an album on a scale of 0-5 and then take the average. Here is how I arrived at my rating:
1. Here Are The Roses: 5
2. Condition: 3
3. Treasure: 2
4. Obedience: 1
5. Trust: 5
6. Epiphany: 3
7. Lonely Tonight: 4
8. Remembrance: 4
9. Where Is The Love: 3
10. Forever: 4
Total: 34/10 = 3.4
I believe in the artist's right to album integrity (exemplified by Radiohead’s refusal to release their catalogue for purchase on a track by track basis).
1. Here Are The Roses: 5
2. Condition: 3
3. Treasure: 2
4. Obedience: 1
5. Trust: 5
6. Epiphany: 3
7. Lonely Tonight: 4
8. Remembrance: 4
9. Where Is The Love: 3
10. Forever: 4
Total: 34/10 = 3.4
I believe in the artist's right to album integrity (exemplified by Radiohead’s refusal to release their catalogue for purchase on a track by track basis).
However, not every band is created equal. Same goes for songs. As we all know, some albums have only 1 or 2 good songs. I want to be able to show my readers which tracks are the “stand outs” in case they don’t want to, or can’t afford to, purchase an entire album.
Every rating system is inherently subjective and a number, no matter how it is derived, can't definitively capture whether an album is good, bad, or in the middle. If you don’t agree with my review, I welcome your comments and am open to reconsider my initial views.
Every rating system is inherently subjective and a number, no matter how it is derived, can't definitively capture whether an album is good, bad, or in the middle. If you don’t agree with my review, I welcome your comments and am open to reconsider my initial views.
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