Order Of Voices
Noz at Skratch The Surface recently sent me through the debut album from Sheffield based Order Of Voices to see what I thought. Saying on their bio that they set out with the express aim to create some of the most ambitious music produced by a British alternative rock band in the last 10 years, these guys have produced an ambitious body of work in the form of their first album, featuring soulful melodies, mountain moving dynamics and an overall feeling of a band stretching the conventional song format into something more; something beautiful. Based on this, I figured it was only right I check out what’s on offer!
Opening the album with For Me it’s immediately clear that this is a well-produced and well executed offering which is going to be a journey, rather than just something to listen to. Bassy tones fill your ears as the guitars pluck away over them adding a further depth, the drums slow so as to add an element of emotion into proceedings. The vocals are very Incubus in their styling’s, backed up by an almost Guns N Roses ‘Estranged’ style guitar line, the whole mix forming something which you can imagine driving at night to – it conjures up images of dark surroundings, flashing lights and stormy seas. Deep and meaningful throughout, this is a hell of an opening track to be introduced to a band through, and one which is going to stay with me for a fair while to come. Catchy, dark yet melodic and powerful, this is the sort of thing you want to hear, believe me.
Burn Black Light comes in next, once again opening soft and reflective to set the mood slow and deep. There’s a guitar line faded into the background over the bass here which really brings the sound out to you, leading into the song starting properly with the introduction of the drums. Slow yet almost jumpy in its beat, this is another track which you can immediately connect with and immerse yourself in, catchy yet refined and advanced. The chorus is the real show stealer for me on this one though, there’s something incredibly deep and meaningful about the sound they’ve achieved, causing you to reflect on moments from the past and bringing back all the memories from those moments. As the song comes to a close full of pulsing guitar lines and smooth melodic vocal harmonies, Reaching Down comes in to take over the lead. Almost blending into the previous track through the bass line, once again you find yourself almost soothed and chilled out by the melodies presented to you. Hitting home with a harder guitar line this time around, there’s a real sense of power and emotion flowing through the track, not allowing the raw power to take over or consume everything, instead purely using it to build upon the sound to make things bigger and deeper. Harmonised vocals echo around with an almost hypnotic feeling, the whole mix really hammering everything home and making you listen harder and harder, those speakers getting turned up louder and louder to make sure every single moment is fully experienced. There’s a real Chris Cornell quality to the vocals here as well, something which further develops this track into something you almost feel you’ve heard before, whilst still sounding fresh and exciting.
What I Breathe is soon upon us, opening with an almost Alter Bridge sound to the guitar and once again building up to the track fully taking form. What I like on this track is the synth effects which are lowered into the background, they’re barely there but if you really listen, they’re there bolstering everything up further. Another catchy chorus really lifts this track, still keeping things slow and reflective but this time almost upbeat, it’s a hard mix to describe in words, you simply need to hear the song to appreciate this one. Achieving a new height of power midway through, this is another track which will sit you down and make you question one thing – why you’ve not heard these guys before. Forgiveness soon takes over the lead and almost comes as a shock after the previous track , opening more powerful and hard hitting than any of the other tracks so far. Fading the lyrics behind a funky guitar line, this is a track which has to be crafted for the live scene, it’s an anthem in the waiting! As a contrast, this track really stands out on the album as it moves away from the bass heavy chilled out tracks which have led up to it and instead adds in more power and aggression, still maintaining the sense of melody throughout, it’s just more raw if that makes sense. The highlight for me though, the almost movie epic crafted mid section of soaring vocals, roaring guitars and simple but pounding guitars, it’s inspirational in form and is sure to sit back anyone who hears it, just for a moment to marvel at it.
Don’t Falter returns to the faded in intros of the album so far, this time adding in another distorted lead line behind the almost Spanish sounding front melodies. The drums come in at a syncopated beat and offer up a further dimension, adding in complexity to the track. Keeping the vocals backed off and faded, there’s a sense of restraint going on through this one which you can’t help but admire, it’s the way the music does the talking and the vocals almost back it up, basically doing the opposite of most bands! Changing this in the chorus and instead opting for another multi layered vocal over a powerful guitar line, this is another catchy chorus built to please live crowds. As the track closes and Then Fall comes in to being, everything seems to slow down a notch, becoming more emotional once again as well as thought evoking and powerful. This is another reflective piece which will take you back in your mind, remind you of things you had forgotten and leave you dumbstruck at the power of music to evoke an emotional reaction. Full of soft vocal lines over clean and thoughtful guitar lines, this track sounds far more accomplished than you would expect, truly something which the band should be proud of and the track which I would (if I was forced to pick 1!) pick as my personal favourite, despite it being one of the simpler ones over all.
Closing the album is Into The Ocean, leading straight on from the previous track and continuing the theme of the track only this time with Irish pipes and rolling drums, suggesting a maritime feeling yet keeping that vision of darkness and flashing lights firmly in place, the track almost brings you back full circle to where you began 7 tracks ago. No vocals are needed on this track as the music does all the talking that’s needed, closing the album and leaving you simply blown away at how a band can craft something so advanced yet so down to earth.
I really am lost for words on this album and don’t really know what to say to close this, I mean this is an album which I hit play on then immediately ran around the house getting my Wife, then my Son to both listen to it just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. This is an album which isn’t what you expect, it will catch you off guard but when it does, it’s the most awesome feeling in the world. Clean, powerful, harmonic, soft, hard hitting, dynamic and quite simply some of the most awe-inspiring music I’ve heard, this is an album which everyone out there should own – bravo guys, bravo.
To find out more about Order of Voices, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening the album with For Me it’s immediately clear that this is a well-produced and well executed offering which is going to be a journey, rather than just something to listen to. Bassy tones fill your ears as the guitars pluck away over them adding a further depth, the drums slow so as to add an element of emotion into proceedings. The vocals are very Incubus in their styling’s, backed up by an almost Guns N Roses ‘Estranged’ style guitar line, the whole mix forming something which you can imagine driving at night to – it conjures up images of dark surroundings, flashing lights and stormy seas. Deep and meaningful throughout, this is a hell of an opening track to be introduced to a band through, and one which is going to stay with me for a fair while to come. Catchy, dark yet melodic and powerful, this is the sort of thing you want to hear, believe me.
Burn Black Light comes in next, once again opening soft and reflective to set the mood slow and deep. There’s a guitar line faded into the background over the bass here which really brings the sound out to you, leading into the song starting properly with the introduction of the drums. Slow yet almost jumpy in its beat, this is another track which you can immediately connect with and immerse yourself in, catchy yet refined and advanced. The chorus is the real show stealer for me on this one though, there’s something incredibly deep and meaningful about the sound they’ve achieved, causing you to reflect on moments from the past and bringing back all the memories from those moments. As the song comes to a close full of pulsing guitar lines and smooth melodic vocal harmonies, Reaching Down comes in to take over the lead. Almost blending into the previous track through the bass line, once again you find yourself almost soothed and chilled out by the melodies presented to you. Hitting home with a harder guitar line this time around, there’s a real sense of power and emotion flowing through the track, not allowing the raw power to take over or consume everything, instead purely using it to build upon the sound to make things bigger and deeper. Harmonised vocals echo around with an almost hypnotic feeling, the whole mix really hammering everything home and making you listen harder and harder, those speakers getting turned up louder and louder to make sure every single moment is fully experienced. There’s a real Chris Cornell quality to the vocals here as well, something which further develops this track into something you almost feel you’ve heard before, whilst still sounding fresh and exciting.
What I Breathe is soon upon us, opening with an almost Alter Bridge sound to the guitar and once again building up to the track fully taking form. What I like on this track is the synth effects which are lowered into the background, they’re barely there but if you really listen, they’re there bolstering everything up further. Another catchy chorus really lifts this track, still keeping things slow and reflective but this time almost upbeat, it’s a hard mix to describe in words, you simply need to hear the song to appreciate this one. Achieving a new height of power midway through, this is another track which will sit you down and make you question one thing – why you’ve not heard these guys before. Forgiveness soon takes over the lead and almost comes as a shock after the previous track , opening more powerful and hard hitting than any of the other tracks so far. Fading the lyrics behind a funky guitar line, this is a track which has to be crafted for the live scene, it’s an anthem in the waiting! As a contrast, this track really stands out on the album as it moves away from the bass heavy chilled out tracks which have led up to it and instead adds in more power and aggression, still maintaining the sense of melody throughout, it’s just more raw if that makes sense. The highlight for me though, the almost movie epic crafted mid section of soaring vocals, roaring guitars and simple but pounding guitars, it’s inspirational in form and is sure to sit back anyone who hears it, just for a moment to marvel at it.
Don’t Falter returns to the faded in intros of the album so far, this time adding in another distorted lead line behind the almost Spanish sounding front melodies. The drums come in at a syncopated beat and offer up a further dimension, adding in complexity to the track. Keeping the vocals backed off and faded, there’s a sense of restraint going on through this one which you can’t help but admire, it’s the way the music does the talking and the vocals almost back it up, basically doing the opposite of most bands! Changing this in the chorus and instead opting for another multi layered vocal over a powerful guitar line, this is another catchy chorus built to please live crowds. As the track closes and Then Fall comes in to being, everything seems to slow down a notch, becoming more emotional once again as well as thought evoking and powerful. This is another reflective piece which will take you back in your mind, remind you of things you had forgotten and leave you dumbstruck at the power of music to evoke an emotional reaction. Full of soft vocal lines over clean and thoughtful guitar lines, this track sounds far more accomplished than you would expect, truly something which the band should be proud of and the track which I would (if I was forced to pick 1!) pick as my personal favourite, despite it being one of the simpler ones over all.
Closing the album is Into The Ocean, leading straight on from the previous track and continuing the theme of the track only this time with Irish pipes and rolling drums, suggesting a maritime feeling yet keeping that vision of darkness and flashing lights firmly in place, the track almost brings you back full circle to where you began 7 tracks ago. No vocals are needed on this track as the music does all the talking that’s needed, closing the album and leaving you simply blown away at how a band can craft something so advanced yet so down to earth.
I really am lost for words on this album and don’t really know what to say to close this, I mean this is an album which I hit play on then immediately ran around the house getting my Wife, then my Son to both listen to it just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. This is an album which isn’t what you expect, it will catch you off guard but when it does, it’s the most awesome feeling in the world. Clean, powerful, harmonic, soft, hard hitting, dynamic and quite simply some of the most awe-inspiring music I’ve heard, this is an album which everyone out there should own – bravo guys, bravo.
To find out more about Order of Voices, check out their Facebook page HERE.