| Talk in Tongues |
| Alone with a Friend |
Talk in Tongues — Alone with a Friend (May 18, 2015)
¬•♦•♦• Existuje spousta kapel, které se pohybují na linii psychedelic a garážového rocku. Teď jsem našel ještě jednu. Seznamte se s Talk In Tongues, čtyřčlennou grupou z LA a možná to bude vaše nejnovější oblíbená psych–rocková kapela. Lesknoucí kus psych–rockové dokonalosti, který uvízne v hlavě po celý zbytek dne. To je hudba, znějící z reproduktorů Glastonbury o půlnoci během tance. The Los Angeles based foursome’s first LP shows how good beginnings can come from other beginning’s end. In 2014, the future bandmates were still trying their hands in other groups and bands. Having seen one another play at shows and mingling at the after parties, the soon–to–be bandmates decided to come together and start rehearsing. According to them, there was instant chemistry and musical direction; thus, Talk in Tongues was born.
¬•♦•♦• Newcomers Talk in Tongues ostensibly offer a modern take on psychedelic sounds, but there’s much more going on within the grooves of their debut album, Alone with a Friend.
Location: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Album release: May 18, 2015
Record Label: Fairfax Entertainment Group
Duration: 40:15
Tracks:
01 Time’s Still (For No One Yet) 3:30
02 While Everyone Was Waiting 4:21
03 Mas Doper (Love Me Probably) 3:15
04 Still Don’t Seem To Care 3:12
05 After Tonight 2:52
06 Always Fade 3:12
07 Call For No One Else 4:18
08 She Lives in My House 3:20
09 Who Would’ve Guessed 4:01
10 Always All the Time 3:18
11 Something Always Changes 3:16
℗ 2015 Fairfax Entertainment Group
© 2015 Fairfax Recordings
CREDITS
ť Kevin Augunas Producer
ť Bryan Deleon Composer
ť Gustav Ejstes Primary Artist, Producer
≈• Mattias Glavå Engineer, Mixing, Producer
ť McCoy Kirgo Composer
ť Brian Lucey Mastering
ť Claudius Mittendorfer Mixing
ť Gavin Paddock Engineer, Mixing
ť Joaquin Pasator Composer
ť Waylon Rector Composer
ť Talk in Tongues Primary Artist, Producer
ť Andrew Wells Additional Production, Engineer
ť Matt Wignall Design, Photography
ť Garrett Zeile Composer, Engineer, Producer
REVIEW
by Ian Hays, 25 June 2015; Rating: 7.5/10
≈• Last month, Talk In Tongues released their debut album, Alone With A Friend. The Los Angeles based foursome's first LP shows how good beginnings can come from other beginning's end. In 2014, the future bandmates were still trying their hands in other groups and bands. Having seen one another play at shows and mingling at the after parties, the soon–to–be bandmates decided to come together and start rehearsing. According to them, there was instant chemistry and musical direction; thus, Talk In Tongues was born.
≈• Alone With A Friend, for the most part, not only fits the direction the band wanted to go in, but it fits witht the "indie–music" scene seeping out of Los Angeles. These days, you either go the electro-pop route or you grab an old Strat and crankup the reverb. For Talk In Tongues, the reverb and distortion soaked psych–pop felt the most natural. Alone With A Friend is full of songs that invoke the psychedelic craze coursing through music right now. But, there is something different about this album. If you're looking for straight up grungey, psych rock, your best bet is to peruse anything from Burger Records. Talk In Tongues offers up something a little more: pop sensibility and the willingness to cross out of a known comfort zone. Most debut albums cement for listeners what artistic department this new band fits into. It is true, majority of the album is awash in your typical, guitar–oriented psych–pop. The two opening tracks start off strong. 'Time's Still (For No One Yet)' has repeating guitar riffs over syncopated drums and bass. There's also a guitar line that invokes post–India Beatles; all this is a clear sign to the listener of they should be expecting for the next 10 tracks. ≈• The second track, 'While Everyone Was Waiting', takes the mood a step further with a bass line that flips between funk and galloping beats.
≈• And while songs like these are representative of the album as a whole, they actually aren't the best part of the record. Talk In Tongues sound best when they move past that stereotypical shoegazey psych–pop and push themselves. On 'Call For No One Else', there are pan flutes and tribal percussion that actually work. The song couldn't function without them. Add in the droning underone and tight harmonies and your left with a great song. This immediately transitions into 'She Lives In My House'. ≈• With heavy distortion and an upbeat surf–punk rhythm, this song is also a nice break of pace.
≈• The band's two strongest songs are actually the album closers. 'Always All The Time' has a heavy bass presence, synths playing on the high end of the treble clef and a heavy, dragging beat. All this is awash in a distortion. There is risk involved with songs like this. They were able to straddle their melodic, pop sensibilities with music that could have easily turned into a warbled, over–produced mess.
≈• The album closer, and catchiest song on the album, is 'Something Always Changes'. With tight drum fills, watery guitar lines, hooks, and just enough dissonance to be psych–ish, the song is a perfect representation of Talk In Tongues is capable of. ≈• The band can write music. On this song, it is apparent they weren't afraid of letting a natural pop–sense slip through the cracks.
≈• There is nothing wrong with being catchy. There is nothing inherently wrong with "pop". Alone With A Friend is a good starting point. Talk In Tongues knew what they wanted to make and made it. That is commendable. But along the way, and possibly unknowingly, the band has shown that there is more to them than psych–pop songs. ≈• Singer–guitarist McCoy Kirgo said they wanted songs "you'd hear at a fest like Glastonbury." And while they achieved this, songs like 'Call For No One Else' and 'Something Always Changes' show there is more they can do. In 'Changes', they sing, "Forget the places/ where I grew/ It's not like before/...Something always changes/ Nothing stay the same." It will be exciting to see the direction this band goes if they trust in their own abilities and embrace the changes they have already made apparent on this debut album. ≈• http://www.thefourohfive.com/
REVIEW
By Ian F. King on July 29, 2015.
≈• Talk in Tongues is one of those bands who give you a different impression of their music once you find out their age. Hearing Alone With a Friend for the first time, you likely wouldn’t guess that between the eighteen–year–old bass player and the other three members, the median age of the group is barely old enough to drink legally. That impression doesn’t have so much to do with the four of them being advanced virtuosos, though they aren’t lacking as musicians. Nor is it because of the heavy influence of ‘60s psychedelic rock; these days countless young bands pick and choose different eras of popular music that they didn’t live through to emulate. It has less to do with the elements they use and more to do with how they use them.
≈• Pulling an original thread out of a well–worn bag of fifty–year–old cloth is surely hard enough to do successfully on occasion, but Talk in Tongues make it seem easy on all eleven tracks here. Alone With a Friend is the tanned West Coast spiritual cousin of ‘60s psych rock aficionado Jacco Gardner, whose latest album, Hypnophobia, was also recently released. Many of the hollowed out wah–wahs, swirling keyboard runs, and tightknit harmonies on Talk in Tongues’ debut album will ring familiar to Gardner fans. Both prefer their psychedelic rock to be pastoral and contained, not spacey and sprawling out of control. That singer/guitarists Garrett Zeile and McCoy Kirgo and bassist Waylon Rector had their first practice not much longer than a year ago indicates that well–measured restraint has been a part of their musical vocabulary from the start — again, not a very youthful trait.
≈• Perhaps that is at least one reason why, as the LA Weekly recently noted, they have a way of drawing audiences that are somewhat older than they are. Songs like “Mas Doper (Love Me Probably)” and “Something Always Changes”, with their Spoon–ish stiff bounce and instantly memorable choruses, offer an appeal beyond being simply retro–friendly. Many of the right pieces seem to have fallen into place relatively quickly for Talk in Tongues, and Alone With a Friend makes more than good on that good fortune. ≈• http://stereosubversion.com/
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: •••½
≈• The biggest problem that musical magpies run into is that during the course of collecting every kind of music they can get their hands on, they forget the vital step of establishing some kind of unique musical persona. It's a tough problem to dodge and on their first album, Alone with a Friend, the L.A. quintet Talk in Tongues do a pretty decent job of it. Though they are deeply in debt to the phased–out neo–psych sound of Tame Impala, borrow heavily from the latest batch of new wave revivalists, and add a bit of disco because that's the thing to do in 2015, there's enough solid songcraft and relaxed sonic style to keep the album from being just a fancy, multicolored ball of discarded string and plastic. The band cruise through the album with a detached air, never breaking a sweat as they slide from one midtempo effects–laden track to the next. With a multitude of guitar sounds, interesting synth washes, and the kind of dreamy vocals that float above the mix like hovering clouds, the album certainly sounds good, if a little samey. The times it works best are when the haze lifts a bit and Talk in Tongues either rock out a little harder (like on the 13th Floor Elevators–inspired rave–up "She Lives in My House"), do a good job of adding some disco without getting campy ("While Everyone Was Waiting"), or jangle darkly like vintage Rain Parade ("Time's Still [For No One Yet]"). When they really take a leap sideways on the deeply atmospheric '70s soul–influenced "Call for No One Else" (which sports some absolutely divine harmony vocals) or the noise–saturated synth ballad "Always All the Time," where they sound like Ultravox playing with broken equipment, it's almost like a completely different, slightly more interesting band took over in the studio and Talk in Tongues put their name on the tape reel by mistake.
ť Next time out, they need to take a few more chances like this if they really want to become a band people look to for innovative, unique music. Alone with a Friend is mostly musical comfort food, an appetizer to keep fans of psych pop from starving while they wait for the next Tame Impala or Temples or Jagwar Ma album to come along. While there's nothing wrong with that, and the album is totally enjoyable, sometimes you need something more than an appetizer in order to feel fully satiated.
Also:
Eric J. Lawrence
ť http://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/album-preview/talk-in-tongues-alone-with-a-friend
Christopher Bell; Score: 7
ť http://www.syffal.com/talk-in-tongues-alone-with-a-friend
Label: http://fairfaxrecordings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkintonguesband
Agent: Tom Windish || The Windish Agency || email:
Website: http://talkintonguesmusic.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_in_tongues
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Xq5w5TKD1hF2_tUVefQPQ
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/talkintonguesband
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| Talk in Tongues |
| Alone with a Friend |
¬•♦•♦• Newcomers Talk in Tongues ostensibly offer a modern take on psychedelic sounds, but there’s much more going on within the grooves of their debut album, Alone with a Friend.
Album release: May 18, 2015
Record Label: Fairfax Entertainment Group
Duration: 40:15
Tracks:
01 Time’s Still (For No One Yet) 3:30
02 While Everyone Was Waiting 4:21
03 Mas Doper (Love Me Probably) 3:15
04 Still Don’t Seem To Care 3:12
05 After Tonight 2:52
06 Always Fade 3:12
07 Call For No One Else 4:18
08 She Lives in My House 3:20
09 Who Would’ve Guessed 4:01
10 Always All the Time 3:18
11 Something Always Changes 3:16
℗ 2015 Fairfax Entertainment Group
© 2015 Fairfax Recordings
ť Kevin Augunas Producer
ť Bryan Deleon Composer
ť Gustav Ejstes Primary Artist, Producer
≈• Mattias Glavå Engineer, Mixing, Producer
ť McCoy Kirgo Composer
ť Brian Lucey Mastering
ť Claudius Mittendorfer Mixing
ť Gavin Paddock Engineer, Mixing
ť Joaquin Pasator Composer
ť Waylon Rector Composer
ť Talk in Tongues Primary Artist, Producer
ť Andrew Wells Additional Production, Engineer
ť Matt Wignall Design, Photography
ť Garrett Zeile Composer, Engineer, Producer
by Ian Hays, 25 June 2015; Rating: 7.5/10
≈• Last month, Talk In Tongues released their debut album, Alone With A Friend. The Los Angeles based foursome's first LP shows how good beginnings can come from other beginning's end. In 2014, the future bandmates were still trying their hands in other groups and bands. Having seen one another play at shows and mingling at the after parties, the soon–to–be bandmates decided to come together and start rehearsing. According to them, there was instant chemistry and musical direction; thus, Talk In Tongues was born.
≈• And while songs like these are representative of the album as a whole, they actually aren't the best part of the record. Talk In Tongues sound best when they move past that stereotypical shoegazey psych–pop and push themselves. On 'Call For No One Else', there are pan flutes and tribal percussion that actually work. The song couldn't function without them. Add in the droning underone and tight harmonies and your left with a great song. This immediately transitions into 'She Lives In My House'. ≈• With heavy distortion and an upbeat surf–punk rhythm, this song is also a nice break of pace.
≈• The band's two strongest songs are actually the album closers. 'Always All The Time' has a heavy bass presence, synths playing on the high end of the treble clef and a heavy, dragging beat. All this is awash in a distortion. There is risk involved with songs like this. They were able to straddle their melodic, pop sensibilities with music that could have easily turned into a warbled, over–produced mess.
≈• The album closer, and catchiest song on the album, is 'Something Always Changes'. With tight drum fills, watery guitar lines, hooks, and just enough dissonance to be psych–ish, the song is a perfect representation of Talk In Tongues is capable of. ≈• The band can write music. On this song, it is apparent they weren't afraid of letting a natural pop–sense slip through the cracks.
≈• There is nothing wrong with being catchy. There is nothing inherently wrong with "pop". Alone With A Friend is a good starting point. Talk In Tongues knew what they wanted to make and made it. That is commendable. But along the way, and possibly unknowingly, the band has shown that there is more to them than psych–pop songs. ≈• Singer–guitarist McCoy Kirgo said they wanted songs "you'd hear at a fest like Glastonbury." And while they achieved this, songs like 'Call For No One Else' and 'Something Always Changes' show there is more they can do. In 'Changes', they sing, "Forget the places/ where I grew/ It's not like before/...Something always changes/ Nothing stay the same." It will be exciting to see the direction this band goes if they trust in their own abilities and embrace the changes they have already made apparent on this debut album. ≈• http://www.thefourohfive.com/
By Ian F. King on July 29, 2015.
≈• Talk in Tongues is one of those bands who give you a different impression of their music once you find out their age. Hearing Alone With a Friend for the first time, you likely wouldn’t guess that between the eighteen–year–old bass player and the other three members, the median age of the group is barely old enough to drink legally. That impression doesn’t have so much to do with the four of them being advanced virtuosos, though they aren’t lacking as musicians. Nor is it because of the heavy influence of ‘60s psychedelic rock; these days countless young bands pick and choose different eras of popular music that they didn’t live through to emulate. It has less to do with the elements they use and more to do with how they use them.
≈• Pulling an original thread out of a well–worn bag of fifty–year–old cloth is surely hard enough to do successfully on occasion, but Talk in Tongues make it seem easy on all eleven tracks here. Alone With a Friend is the tanned West Coast spiritual cousin of ‘60s psych rock aficionado Jacco Gardner, whose latest album, Hypnophobia, was also recently released. Many of the hollowed out wah–wahs, swirling keyboard runs, and tightknit harmonies on Talk in Tongues’ debut album will ring familiar to Gardner fans. Both prefer their psychedelic rock to be pastoral and contained, not spacey and sprawling out of control. That singer/guitarists Garrett Zeile and McCoy Kirgo and bassist Waylon Rector had their first practice not much longer than a year ago indicates that well–measured restraint has been a part of their musical vocabulary from the start — again, not a very youthful trait.
≈• Perhaps that is at least one reason why, as the LA Weekly recently noted, they have a way of drawing audiences that are somewhat older than they are. Songs like “Mas Doper (Love Me Probably)” and “Something Always Changes”, with their Spoon–ish stiff bounce and instantly memorable choruses, offer an appeal beyond being simply retro–friendly. Many of the right pieces seem to have fallen into place relatively quickly for Talk in Tongues, and Alone With a Friend makes more than good on that good fortune. ≈• http://stereosubversion.com/
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: •••½
≈• The biggest problem that musical magpies run into is that during the course of collecting every kind of music they can get their hands on, they forget the vital step of establishing some kind of unique musical persona. It's a tough problem to dodge and on their first album, Alone with a Friend, the L.A. quintet Talk in Tongues do a pretty decent job of it. Though they are deeply in debt to the phased–out neo–psych sound of Tame Impala, borrow heavily from the latest batch of new wave revivalists, and add a bit of disco because that's the thing to do in 2015, there's enough solid songcraft and relaxed sonic style to keep the album from being just a fancy, multicolored ball of discarded string and plastic. The band cruise through the album with a detached air, never breaking a sweat as they slide from one midtempo effects–laden track to the next. With a multitude of guitar sounds, interesting synth washes, and the kind of dreamy vocals that float above the mix like hovering clouds, the album certainly sounds good, if a little samey. The times it works best are when the haze lifts a bit and Talk in Tongues either rock out a little harder (like on the 13th Floor Elevators–inspired rave–up "She Lives in My House"), do a good job of adding some disco without getting campy ("While Everyone Was Waiting"), or jangle darkly like vintage Rain Parade ("Time's Still [For No One Yet]"). When they really take a leap sideways on the deeply atmospheric '70s soul–influenced "Call for No One Else" (which sports some absolutely divine harmony vocals) or the noise–saturated synth ballad "Always All the Time," where they sound like Ultravox playing with broken equipment, it's almost like a completely different, slightly more interesting band took over in the studio and Talk in Tongues put their name on the tape reel by mistake.
ť Next time out, they need to take a few more chances like this if they really want to become a band people look to for innovative, unique music. Alone with a Friend is mostly musical comfort food, an appetizer to keep fans of psych pop from starving while they wait for the next Tame Impala or Temples or Jagwar Ma album to come along. While there's nothing wrong with that, and the album is totally enjoyable, sometimes you need something more than an appetizer in order to feel fully satiated.
Also:
Eric J. Lawrence
ť http://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/album-preview/talk-in-tongues-alone-with-a-friend
Christopher Bell; Score: 7
ť http://www.syffal.com/talk-in-tongues-alone-with-a-friend
Label: http://fairfaxrecordings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkintonguesband
Agent: Tom Windish || The Windish Agency || email:
Website: http://talkintonguesmusic.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_in_tongues
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Xq5w5TKD1hF2_tUVefQPQ
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/talkintonguesband
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