Promo talk from the label: Cult new wave / post punk Belgian act (Factory Records) returns with an eclectic new album full of cold wave melancholy, experimental avant-garde, and wistful pop. 3 exclusive tracks!
As I already reviewed some of the tracks (from a previous EP) I decided to give the songs another shot. But couldn’t add anything new to them, so decided to keep what I wrote back then. I worked myself out on the other songs.
Last Train From Nowhere starts in an interesting way: good (retro) sound with good vocals (just don’t try to sing too high notes please). It’s a good start. This one can be released as a single.
Procrastination has an acoustic side mixed with a synth. If you give the chorus extra backings it might turn into a real strong track.
Touch Touch Touch sounds nice but needs some extra strong vocals during the chorus. I feel the singer does his best, but with aging his voice doesn’t have the strength needed to match with what he has in mind. Halfway the music takes over (a bit too long according to me). I think I can say that there’s no match between me and this band.
Far From The Factories has already been launched in the past with a clip and is perfect for retro lovers. Enjoy the lead guitar and synthesizer. Somehow the vocals sound sometimes like at the limit of (getting) out of tune, but hey even me as an ex cycler can say I’m not as sharp as when I was still 27 and managed to beat the best.
This is what the record company left us as a note about this song:
Kicking off with the beloved single "Far From The Factories", THE NAMES deliver their signature blend of introspective lyricism and atmospheric instrumentation. It's a sonic journey from the streets of Manchester to the avant-garde realm of Andy Warhol's New York City, all captured in an intimate video set against the backdrop of Belgium's industrial landscape.
Apophenia has strings in it and starts with a real classical touch. I like the melancholic side and the lyrics (who are sadly very actual). I also like the handclapping passage. It’s not a bad song and gives another side from this band.
Sunny Side could have been a positive and romantic track, but the broken vocals and the loosing the right tune moments breaks a bit the sunny side of this song.
Swimming With Brian Jones is an ok song, with good guitar play. I just have to get used to the vocals (don’t want to know how it sounds on stage).
Mei Mei gets some nice backings, giving it a 70’s sound, together with the cool guitar play. The vocals are all right.
Mort D’Amour has also a retro touch, but somehow sounds on vocals even worser. It’s pretty hard for my ears to sit it out until the end. Even the extra backings are not helping, it’s really painful.
Next up, "Mort D'Amour" takes us on a lyrical odyssey through the complexities of love, set to a mesmerizing blend of trip-hop beats and romantic melodies. It's a tale as old as time, echoing the timeless tragedies of Romeo & Juliet and Tristan & Isolde.
Watching For The New World sounds according my daughter as if it was me singing. The music is ok, but they really should find another singer (some of this song reminds me a bit of The Wolfbanes, btw). Wandering what the album will sound like (maybe there’s some time to safe it?). The more I listen to it the more it sounds like a band who played far too long and is looking forward to end it.
"Watching For The New World" follows suit with its catchy hooks and cinematic grooves, offering a tantalizing glimpse into a future that may not be as bright as it seems.
“This song though was written and played without using any illegal drugs or substances”, adds Michel with a big smile on his face…
Encore builds up slowly, walking slowly and loosing connection with the right tune. Ready to jump whilst thinking how bad this song sometimes sound and for sure not hungry for more. Give this one to another one (a younger one, who can actually sing). It’s sad as I clearly hear a great potential withing it’s sound.
Inadequacy is exactly what this album is about: he should have stayed in bed as no one helped him out whilst failing. It’s pain full and yet totally correct. Sad but true!
A Walk With Miss J is an acoustic track where the vocals almost stay in tune. I hear a bit of a retro touch (and reminds me of some other track, just can’t drop the name).
Laudanum starts softly with only vocals and a piano. It’s basically the best track on this album (and it the differs the most from the other tracks). It sounds a bit like Who Killed Mister Moonlight from Bauhaus.
And just when you think you've heard it all, THE NAMES surprise us with "Laudanum", something completely different (but not too much?), a hauntingly beautiful piano/voice composition that delves into the mysteries of art and literature, narrating mesmerizing explorations of the impact of mind-altering substances on creativity, the whole underscored by Michel Sordinia's unmistakable vocals.
Well to make it clear: the promo chat is put in Bold, like this you read the difference between what I wrote and think about it and what’s the selling point from the record company. When you hear you can’t do with your voice what you have in mind … there are 2 options: work on it and get as close to it without failing to get the right tone or call it a day. Based on what I heard: it’s time to go, we are way past the Encore … It’s sad as the music really has potential.
VIDEO CLIP
Far From The Factories (official video clip) . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lpOBIj3pq8
Apophenia (static video) . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdNnA2lji9Y
Mort D’Amour (static video) . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQ_PmWjRDA
Laudanum (static video) . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoVci3_5DvY
