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: : Burdened Hands : :
Detroit rock city? Fuckin’ A!
Finally I can agree with
those buffoons in black and white make-up (and for any Kiss fans out there, that’s
not who I meant, but if the high-heeled boot fits, then by all fucking means wear
it!).
It is a rare treat to be asked to review an album such as this one. For starters, it
has such a wealth of great songs, arrangements and lyrics that each new listen
reveals more. Second, this is really a very unique album in the mis-nomered world of
so called “progressive music”. After all, there are moogs and mellotrons to keep the
vintage-heads and retro junkies happy, but they are just a means to an end rather
than the clichéd end itself. And then there’s the issue of pedigree. After all,
Burdened Hands comes from the pen of a man called Parmenter, though not the demented
mastermind at the helm of the amazing DISCIPLINE. Nope, this is the handiwork of his
nephew, the talented, younger and very agreeable Ryan Parmenter, who insists he had
no part in the events discussed in the “Nursery years”, but I remain somewhat
skeptical.
In any case, Ryan Parmenter has surrounded himself with a great band, consisting of
Alan Rutter on guitar and backing vox, Bob Young on drums and Mathew Kennedy of
Discipline on bass, and they have really crafted a very cohesive, unique collection
of songs. The band has many influences, and you can certainly hear those strange
Parmenter genes at work here, but if this debut is anything, it is a clear
indication that Ryan has developed his own voice and compositional color.
It’s hard for me to choose
any standout tracks, but certainly “Dead Supermen”, “Anachronism”, “Funnel” and the
amazing closer “Empty Box” are great examples of Eyestrings at their most moving,
rocking, dizzying and stunning, respectively.
Like serious music, layered
and complex, but always rocking with a dark sense of humor?
How about strong lyrics that
are equally apt at stabbing the author as they are at flailing the poor bastards and
misanthropes at the business end of his pen?
Try this on for size:
“But you are static
You are self-contained
On automatic pilot you
remain
A lonely attic prisoner
detained
A poor, pathetic life’s
refrain
Time drains with the
spinning clocks
And I, like it, am
empty box”
Still doubtful? Good. Never trust a goddamn reviewer, especially when the review is
written by someone who agrees with Enrnest Hemmingway, who said “Critics are those
who watch a battle from the safety of higher ground, and only descend when the
fighting is over to shoot the survivors”.
So yeah, fuck the critics. Why not surf over to their website and download some
samples, or better still, buy their album and a ticket to see these guys perform at
ROSFest 2005. Because just like any band that’s actually worth a damn, these guys
are even better and ballsier on stage than in the studio.
Eyestrings are great, and they sound like no other band out there. Need I say more?
9.5 out of 10
stars.
Reviewer: Luis Nasser
: : Visit the Artist’s Website : :
: : Discography : :
Burdened hands - 2003 |
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