pier_paolo_farina

Yes, it’s my favorite from Saigon Kick. Jason Bieler was already singing half the songs in the previous albums, so I don’t see what the surprise is. His sharp, biting, somewhat ironic voice is much more interesting, at least more original than that of his former singer Kramer, a fairly anonymous heavy metal shouter. In the earlier albums, Kramer handled the heavy rock, alternative, post or similar grunge stuff. Bieler sang everything else, meaning the ballads, the stuff a bit in the style of the Beatles and Bowie, the swing piece that is always present in a Saigon Kick album... Great band, a nice mix of sixties + seventies + eighties + nineties, influences here and there but a great blending of it all, thanks to the genius Bieler, supported by a solid and versatile rhythm section. I love Saigon Kick.

You still have quite a few years of study ahead of you before drawing such definite conclusions. Your ignorance shows here and there, making you look pathetic. Start right away by going to see Jeff Beck live, who is currently in Italy.

Let's say they are worth more or less like "voice of Reason." Harem Scarem is a band that one struggles to listen to ten, twenty consecutive songs... Hess's style is very dramatic and flirts with the melodramatic; after all, his reference point is poor Mercury, a true champion when it comes to skill and creativity mixed with saccharinity. With them, I find myself in a situation similar to with AC-DC: as soon as they start, I have the feeling that there’s been nothing better around. By the fourth song, I’ve had enough. By the seventh, I need to change the music.

Yes, I have a copy. The percentage of memorable tracks has really decreased (a couple per album), you just have to make do: a stunning solo from Lesperance here, a melodic stroke of genius there, an occasional scream from Hess with some guts... Three-star records, from a band with guts.

The "turn towards more depressive sounds," which you don’t understand, in my view touches on the obvious: it’s 1995, and the flannel shirts, the throat-splitting angry choruses, the hard rock mixed with punk from those in Seattle has completely smashed the scene (which had been heavily diluted and, in turn, overly inflated until just a few years before) of AOR, classic metal, and pomp rock. Harem Scarem then sprinkles in a bit of grunge, perhaps advised or maybe even blackmailed by their record label, or perhaps simply out of their own curiosity and sensitivity to the trends that were popular in the rock scene at the time. Of course, Harem Scarem is an incredibly melody-driven group, tied to the Beatles and Queen, so they don’t delve too deeply into the depressive grunge, remaining somewhat in balance in between. Years later, having lost their contract with the major label, working independently (thanks to computer technologies that by then were accessible to many) and relying on the Italian indie label Frontiers, they returned to play what they enjoy the most (meanwhile, grunge had practically faded away).

I must also thank you, Fede. Try to enjoy at least some of them like Ann Wilson (Heart), Robin Beck, Lisa Dalbello, John Armatrading...

Thank you for the appreciation, Core. In reality, I would gladly feature Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, and Floyd, even though they are unfortunately oversaturated. But there are millions of good records to talk about. Best regards.

I was wrong, Fede, I sent the review with the wrong title.
(I ask the collaborators of the site to correct the title of this album to "Bridge of Sighs," without the "T"). Thank you for the compliments.

Plant was at his best until "Houses of the Holy." The first five years of Zeppelin's career, spent screaming fantastically on stages around the world without restraint and especially without proper technique, ruined his vocal cords. He had to have surgery on them, and already on "Physical Graffiti" he's no longer himself, even if he puts in craftsmanship and personality, and it's still a nice listen. This adult and quiet album has always conveyed a sense of melancholy to me, as if of a premature aging... Blunt sounds good but he's not that fiery, deep guitarist we had come to associate with Plant. The beauty of this singer was his wild, outrageous energy, brash if you will. For "calm" singers, there are better options. Still, I'd take five years as a lion... that changed the history of rock, and mine too.