Braver then Fiction-king of crows e.p.
I have just had the most enjoyable time reviewing this e.p.it got better with every play.What a little corker it is,thanks Guys.Sheffield's 'Braver than Fiction',well Sheffield based,(there are a couple of band members from 'darn sarf',but don't hold that against them).Genre defying; a bit alternative,a bit bluesy rock,a touch of soul,a smidge of indie-folk (I made that one up!),you get the picture.musically eclectic,but all the more brilliant for it.There is a genuine passion for making and playing music that does become apparent the more you get to know the tracks.The e.p. was recorded live in one day with the bare minimum jiggery-fuckery ,as few tweaks as could be deemed necessary as a testament to 'Braver than Fictions' love of the live arena,a place where they are best observed,their natural habitat as it were.The band have already had lots of media interest and garnered quite a following even though they only formed in 2013.Their debut track 'your little fantasy' having a lot to do with that.Go check it out,it's widely available in all the usual places on t'internet and that.
So,to the e.p.First up,the title track 'King of Crows' begins,funnily enough,with a crow crawing or whatever it is crows do,then one of the guys shouting 'I've got the king of crows' before a bouncy,boogie-woogie opening salvo of keys,bass & drums leading into Mel's distinctive husky vocal.A fab guitar solo breaks it up aided and abetted by some fine drumming from skins man Paul.Theres a nice funky little keyboard melody running through as well.A proper toe-tapper this one,finished off nicely with hand claps and a sing-a-long chorus.Track 2 is,after much deliberation,my favourite on the e.p.'Candle-Blind' starts with a dirty,jazzy bass-line & finger clicks before the Hammond organ sound rips through.a slower tempo to this one,with a sound like late nights,smoky clubs and shady characters lurking in the shadows.Then the vocal slides in.Slow,sexy and sassy.Beautiful.the kind of singing that reels you in & captures you!! Martins guitar floating above just adds to the feeling before more sumptuous vocals add the knockout blow.One helluva voice! Next up is 'Mr.Jones(fear of falling) begins with a nice little guitar work followed by a burst of keys from Jason before the rest of the band jump in to form a tight uptempo bluesy number.lyrically superb,as are all the tracks here.I defy anyone to keep still while listening to this track.Adams bass pushing it all along in fine style.Oh and did I mention the singer's quite good as well! The final track is in my opinion another contender for favourite on this e.p. 'Once Bitten,Twice Shy' has got Blues/Soul Standard written all over it.A classic,nothing less.A slow,soulful piano starts it all off followed by a thumping drum before it evolves into a track of outstanding beauty. A powerhouse vocal etched in pain and longing,the emotion pouring out.Could be Etta James or Aretha singing this,sublime! There is also a bit of a keyboard masterclass on this track,with the rest of the band as tight and bang on as ever.The perfect ending to an amazing debut release.Bravo,Braver than Fiction,fantastic.Madferret.
I have just had the most enjoyable time reviewing this e.p.it got better with every play.What a little corker it is,thanks Guys.Sheffield's 'Braver than Fiction',well Sheffield based,(there are a couple of band members from 'darn sarf',but don't hold that against them).Genre defying; a bit alternative,a bit bluesy rock,a touch of soul,a smidge of indie-folk (I made that one up!),you get the picture.musically eclectic,but all the more brilliant for it.There is a genuine passion for making and playing music that does become apparent the more you get to know the tracks.The e.p. was recorded live in one day with the bare minimum jiggery-fuckery ,as few tweaks as could be deemed necessary as a testament to 'Braver than Fictions' love of the live arena,a place where they are best observed,their natural habitat as it were.The band have already had lots of media interest and garnered quite a following even though they only formed in 2013.Their debut track 'your little fantasy' having a lot to do with that.Go check it out,it's widely available in all the usual places on t'internet and that.
So,to the e.p.First up,the title track 'King of Crows' begins,funnily enough,with a crow crawing or whatever it is crows do,then one of the guys shouting 'I've got the king of crows' before a bouncy,boogie-woogie opening salvo of keys,bass & drums leading into Mel's distinctive husky vocal.A fab guitar solo breaks it up aided and abetted by some fine drumming from skins man Paul.Theres a nice funky little keyboard melody running through as well.A proper toe-tapper this one,finished off nicely with hand claps and a sing-a-long chorus.Track 2 is,after much deliberation,my favourite on the e.p.'Candle-Blind' starts with a dirty,jazzy bass-line & finger clicks before the Hammond organ sound rips through.a slower tempo to this one,with a sound like late nights,smoky clubs and shady characters lurking in the shadows.Then the vocal slides in.Slow,sexy and sassy.Beautiful.the kind of singing that reels you in & captures you!! Martins guitar floating above just adds to the feeling before more sumptuous vocals add the knockout blow.One helluva voice! Next up is 'Mr.Jones(fear of falling) begins with a nice little guitar work followed by a burst of keys from Jason before the rest of the band jump in to form a tight uptempo bluesy number.lyrically superb,as are all the tracks here.I defy anyone to keep still while listening to this track.Adams bass pushing it all along in fine style.Oh and did I mention the singer's quite good as well! The final track is in my opinion another contender for favourite on this e.p. 'Once Bitten,Twice Shy' has got Blues/Soul Standard written all over it.A classic,nothing less.A slow,soulful piano starts it all off followed by a thumping drum before it evolves into a track of outstanding beauty. A powerhouse vocal etched in pain and longing,the emotion pouring out.Could be Etta James or Aretha singing this,sublime! There is also a bit of a keyboard masterclass on this track,with the rest of the band as tight and bang on as ever.The perfect ending to an amazing debut release.Bravo,Braver than Fiction,fantastic.Madferret.