Turin Brakes
Ether Song

(Astralwerks)

First Appeared at The Music Box, January 2004, Volume 11, #1

Written by John Metzger

Both Radiohead and Travis released new albums in 2003, and for the first time since the their respective debuts, both ensembles appeared hesitant to stretch beyond their previous efforts. Fear not, however, for the duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, known as Turin Brakes, has come out of nowhere to deliver Ether Song, a dark, folk-pop outing that outshines both of its primary influences. Not that the group doesn’t occasionally venture into other realms — most notably with the glam rock infusion that fills tracks like Self Help, Pain Killer (Summer Rain), and Panic Attack, or the mid-’70s era, Eric Clapton-driven acoustic blues of Stone Thrown. But its combination of bleak emotional outbursts, ethereal ambience, and melodic beauty, not to mention its meritorious convergence of moods both melancholic and mirthful — which often occur simultaneously — makes Turin Brakes this year’s heir apparent to the Jeff Buckley-meets-Nick Drake school of songwriting.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box