Up till now, it was a truism to say that Humpback Oak's Pain-Stained Morning was the best local album ever made (though The Oddfellows' Carnival was another personal favourite of mine). Up till now, that is, for a new contender has arrived in this sophomore album by Concave Scream.
A little history first. Concave Scream released their self-financed debut Scarred two years ago, first on cassette then on CD with 4 extra tracks. Comprising of Sean (lead vocals, guitar) and Pann (lead guitar, backing vocals, previously from death-metal outfit Silent Sorrow) they were an acoustic-guitar-with-delay-pedals-playing duo then. Their material was good and bore a little more than a passing resemblance to their common influences, '80s goth-lite/pop bands like The Cure, New Model Army, Fields Of The Nephilim and early U2.
Now a fully developed 4-piece, they've released an album so stunningly good that the only justice a review could do is if it makes every reader rush out and buy a copy instantly. I, humbly, am unable to perform such a Herculean task, but nevertheless I shall try. I just hope, dear reader, you will help me out on your part.
Caged opens the album with a lead guitar bit more infectious than the common cold. Anthemic, dramatic, powerful, angry and simply brilliant, it sets the tone for the rest of the album. Sean's vocal inflections here sound like Radiohead's Thomas Yorke. It's about a victim of family abuse and has some of the best lyrics on the album: "Smiling all my scars away/I feel your anger with my skin/Higher with each grain of pain/I close my eyes and count to ten again". The opening riff of In Your Face is just as its title suggests, propelling the song with a high-octane metal blast that's perfect live for a headbanging session. In fact, it's just as suitable on record, but you'll look quite silly shaking your head wildly on the MRT listening to this on your Discman (which is how you should be listening to this to really get the maximum sound effect that headphones provide). The first single, the potential stadium-rock-with-lighters-raised Driven was what really struck me. The first time I heard it live, I knew it would be a hit (it still isn't as yet, but soon). It's firmly ingrained in '80s roots like The Mission, Then Jericho and The Adventures. On record, it's even more apparent, with occasional piano notes ringing out and a repeated brooding two-note riff alongside a muted chugging guitar line. It's got a chorus that Alan Parsons Project would be jealous of. These 3 songs always open their live sets in this order, effectively holding their audience spellbound.
Overall, this album should be an essential part of any contemporary music listener's collection. The fact that it's made by young Singaporean adults is secondary to the overall quality of the songs and their execution. Live, Concave Scream are probably one of the best bands in the circuit today, and this excellent album is a testament to that. Sean's vocals sound great, carrying lots of the raw emotion factor in his quavering style. Vocal harmonies by Pann are an integral part of the band, though arguably a tad overused. The band's playing is technically proficient and Pann's lead guitar work is very impressive indeed; remarkably self-restrained, he certainly values feeling, melody and the right choice of notes over blistering speed and more ostentatious technical playing. Even the CD sleeve inlay looks great, with very cool pictures capturing the mood and theme of each song in vivid graphics.
I only have a couple of minor complaints. The bass on some songs are not deep enough; it sounds too compressed and twangy, when it should have been a low, resonating boom. And they should have included the reworked version of Insanity from their debut album here; the last time I heard them play it live it sounded amazing, with a mind-boggingly brilliant guitar solo. Ah well, you can't always have everything you want.
To let an album this good and critically well-acclaimed go deliberately ignored is criminal. Radio will probably be playing this album a lot, and if you like what you hear (I 'm sure you will but if your music taste is really bad then I can't say anything), go out and buy it.
- Daniel Sasoon
Other solid numbers include tracks like State, with its dreamy mellow swirling guitar sound. The depressing balck-hole chord progression of Down and its vocal harmonies make the chorus "The black the white/They wall him from without" sound even more disturbing. Manipulator shares a similar dark vein but with a major-key chorus contrasting nicely with its verses. Pann gets to do a few nifty whammy-bar divebombs on his Ibanez Iceman guitar on this one. Grey is a moody minute-long instrumental guitar piece which serves as a good breather. The guitar feedback that floats through Shallow Water is a nice touch; a really melodic chorus and a harmonised twin guitar solo is basis for yet another stand-out track this one. It's got great radio potential too, though I'm not sure if the somewhat irregular drumming during the final chorus is just Angus tipping his hat to his jazz influences or a genuine mistiming. Prey's opening sounds uncannily like (gasp!) Journey, with an electric piano intertwining around power chords, more evidence of the band's conscious or otherwise leanings towards '80s pop/rock. The final song Hush is the best of the 3 ballads on the album. It's an acoustic lullaby, a glow of hope amidst the mire. After an album's worth of confrontational songs generally about isolation, despair, betrayal and rage that mince no words, lyrics like "Cause today/I'll tear down this empty world/I'll tear up these empty words for you" sounds refreshing. The song's quite beautiful, with a simple click-timer, piano tinklings and bell-like harmonics that slowly fade out, softening the harshness of the album.
