In2TheSound Commotion & Style (vinyl) Review by Gary Hill
This album is a live set. The project is a spin-off of the band The Convent and a tribute to the band The Sound. All the music here was originally from that band. This album is solid, and works pretty well. The music often feels like The Cure to a large degree. The vinyl is of the heavy 180 gram variety.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.
Track by Track Review
Side One
Silent Air
This comes in with a cool new wave kind of sound. The vocals bring a gloomy sort of dream-like element to the piece. The cut is rather slow and trippy. It gets more layers of sound and some added intensity as it moves forward, though.
Fatal Flaw Set in much the same sonic landscape as the previous number, this is a bit stronger tune. The vocal performance seems more impassioned.
I Can't Escape Myself
More punky and rocking, this reminds me quite a bit of The Cure. It is a driving, killer rocker.
New Dark Age Drums lead this out. The track is quite punky. It's a bit less powered up than some of the rest. It's also a bit slower. That Cure element is present here, too. This isn't as strong as the cuts that preceded it, but it has its charms.
Total Recall There is a soaring new wave kind of vibe to this number. It's energized and quite cool.
Side Two
Heartland
This has so much energy and style. It's a smoking 80s styled rocker. It works so well. In fact, this is one of the highlights of this album.
Winning I dig the energy and vibe on this track, too. It's not a huge change, but its Cure-like sound is very effective.
Hand of Love Somehow this cut seems to have just a bit of a Dire Straits vibe. Of course, that's tempered by the 80s element heard on the rest of the music here.
Barria Alta The 80s textures on this have some hints of reggae. This cut gets into some dramatic rocking zones as it continues.
Monument Here we get the final cut. It's another effective slice of the kind of 80s music that comprises the rest of the set.
