If you have never heard the band Bigbang you should look into expanding your music collection. Their newest release, Edendale, is not only an extremely listenable record, but also stands alone as a true album of work amongst many other new releases. They have taken their greatest influences, sharpened their skills and mastered the art of crafting a good rock song.
Track one, "Play Louder," comes out of the box hooky and with stellar dynamics. Tightly produced, it has nice harmonies and smart changes reminiscent of classic Eagles or Fleetwood Mac. Warm guitars compliment the vocals nicely as the bridge lifts dramatically. "Call Me" starts off punchy with a lot of spirit in the verses. A definite foot stomping rock song, this tune is full of texture and venom with a short, sweet and gritty lead break.
A soulful, acoustic guitar starts "Swedish Television" as the warm Daltrey-like vocals, emotion and mood make this song easy to listen and digest. Another great lead break makes this one for the books. A personal favorite, "Isabel" shows a beautiful relationship develop between the organ and guitars, which clearly illuminates the influence of Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. At times dark and moody, the song serves large portions of sweetness and heart with its excellent vocals and changes.
Another favorite, "Freeway Flowers" has a late sixties/early seventies spirit, which is layered with rhythm and soundscapes that made those old pop songs great. Hooky and classic, the vocals are a great tribute to a warm, memorable style shown by Marty Balin and others. "Bag of Leaves" has a different flavor, but holds to the tradition of using its influences, one that this band has seriously adopted. Hearing the Rolling Stones and Black Crowes behind each note, so much soul and inspiration runs clear to carve out an instant classic tune using the best teachers in roll and roll.
A definite departure from the previous tracks, "To the Max" was the least favorite listening experience but it stayed tight and hooky. In "Head over Heals" the vocals take on a unique personality but remain extremely real and honest throughout the entire musical picture. When the prog-rock label appears, it quickly changes as the song develops and shows too many influences to mention. "Now Is Not a Good Time" has beautiful guitar texture working seamlessly with a soft but powerful bass as it begins. Its great dynamic strengths make it smoky and haunting but an over all comfort to the ears. It builds perfectly and pounds away as it reaches its finale.
Establishing a trinity of personal favorites, "One Step at a Time" is another acoustic flavored introduction with a simplistic arrangement, which demands your attention. It builds slowly to show you its potential very old sound of kings. "Something Special" lets its big drum and bass carry a very intelligent but gritty guitar through a wonderfully dynamic arrangement. Intimate, unique and truly interesting the lead break is dry and personal.
The album closes with two magnetic live performances."Falling" is a dark, Doors-like piece, which is the weaker of the two, comes off less deep and interesting as previous tracks. The last, but masterful "Wild Bird" shows how good this band is on stage. Powerful and dynamic, Bigbang picked an excellent live performance to wrap up a wonderful album recording. An excellent jam with an infectious mood, it raises the number of personal favorites to four, an all-time high amongst new releases in the past few years. These men have gained a new fan and should prepare to enjoy more praise to come.
"Edendale" is on sale January 19, 2010 from Oglio.
