Review by Angela H.
Record Label : Universal Motown
(photo couresty of myspace.com/barcelona)
Barcelona, a melodic rock band from Seattle, is—in the simplest way to put it—legit. With authenticity dripping from every musing lyric and each notable chord, the band’s CD, Absolutes, absolutely radiates with beauty and originality.
From “Falling Out Of Trees” to “Please Don’t Go,” each track depicts a slightly different sound or tone, but all the while still sticking to their mastered signature composure. Despite the variation (which I appreciate), you can still expect a couple staples in all 14 tracks. The first would be the piano: one of the most charming instruments that are usually, unfortunately, left behind. Thankfully Brian Fennell, the vocalist and pianist, perfectly balances out the different instrumental melodies to create a genuine harmony that’s distinct throughout Absolutes. Secondly, you can expect poetic lyrics that generally stray away from the much-disliked cliché/melodramatic category. Lines such as “now, looking around, there’s no one here to hear my fall, white, white as a sheet, I saw a ghost, I think it was me” and “five days after black and red collide, the motion sickness past, I’ll be the first to stand” represent thought and passion—two concepts that are necessary in the music industry, but seemingly stuck in a significant shortage.
Sophisticated and unique, Barcelona is a polar opposite of the recycled, superficially trendy shit that’s been mislabeled as “music.” Absolutes is seemingly the peerless representation of what music should be: real.
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