There are times when you’re reading that you just want to have some background music, and times when you’re writing and want something a little different to not only inspire you but to get you in to the right place and time zone to create that special piece. What makes this album from Abney Park so much fun is the raw as well as wonderfully themed pieces within that bring the world of Steampunk to life through the use of unusual sounds, cleverly worded lyrics and of course a band dressed to the extreme in their character costumes. Its quirky, its fun and its definitely an album that I’ll be listening to for quite a few times.
Add to this crew, the deep vocals of “Captain” Robert and all in the pieces fit the gateway of imagination down to a Tee. (If unsure check out this track End of Days.) Finally throw into the equation a book, a roleplay game and of course a rich world to explore and I suspect that pretty soon, you’ll be firm fans of this unusual group.
The second Abney Park Album that I listened to and whilst interesting it didn’t have quite the same feel as End of Days as it didn’t have a lot of the same effects and felt more like an organic selection of tracks with influences in various genres including Ska. Whilst this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you can hear the groups development throughout the two albums as they find not only their own stride but their niche.
Don’t get me wrong, the music is clean, its refreshing and when you add the groups dynamics as well as sound it’s there in the earlier stages but for me, this album will always come second to End of Days. It is fun, it does carry the listener away into a dystopian society but all in, for me, End of Days is vastly superior.
SYNOPSIS:
There will come a time...
When freedom is considered too dangerous. Cities are walled, and citizens are chained to round-the-clock jobs to keep them controlled. Change and progress are outlawed.
There will come a time...
When clockworks wake up, only to find they are not allowed to be awake. They hide in fear, not daring to break their chains of slavery.
There will come a time...
When freedom is outlawed. The last free people must scrape a living in the dirt of the prairies, or in the skies above them. These hardened men and women fight for their lives and their freedom against beasts of the plains, police in the cities, and pirates in the sky. When freedom is outlawed, only the outlaws are free.
This time will come, and it will be my fault.
Sorry about that.
REVIEW:
I’ve read a lot of Steampunk and recently I’ve been listening to a lot of music within the genre, so it’ll probably come as no surprise that I embarked on a journey with Captain Robert and his crew of the Ophelia firstly by soundtrack but then by text as I picked up and started to read this amalgamation of Time Travel and Steam.
It’s a title that is written in the first person, takes the reader on a journey and of course brings all the elements together with danger alongside adventure as the crew embark on a mission that has a feeling of déjà vu, ambition and of course a goal that regardless of the seemingly impossibility, is still worth the effort to attempt.
Add to this quirky tale a whole host of supporting cast that fit the bilges with something for everyone alongside good dialogue and a real turn of pace and all in the readers in for a treat. Great stuff but don’t forget to try out their music first and if you’re really inspired you can play the roleplay game.
No comments:
Post a Comment