The Answer
Solas
(Napalm Records)
On what is arguably their most diverse record yet, Britain’s The Answer have graduated from being a just a relatively good rock act to being a jack of all trades. Their early work might have been tinged more to blues rock, but this record is something completely different that might even alienate some fans! But that’s okay as far as I’m concerned, because Solas is the record that really separates the men from the boys. Any rock band can come out with a rocking blues record, it’s been done to death. But when you get an act who’s willing to go out there and write from their hearts, it’s a bit different. To be honest, a record like this is pretty hard to market as a whole, because every song is so much different from the others. It’s like hearing a number of different rock bands on one album and the influences vary quite a bit. From the passionately Celtic folk inspired opener in the title track, we quickly plunge into the all-out despair of “Beautiful World” which is definitely not the kind of cut I would expect from an act like this – but it works for them. It’s different, it’s sobering and it’s real. “Battle Cry” brings back the Irish Celtic folk influence of the opener, but increases it into an almost celebratory vibe that is once again a major turn from the band’s previous material. Then we have what sounds like a Matchbox Twenty influence in “Untrue Colors” which is a cut definitely primed for the radio. Vocally, it feels like it takes a bit from U2 as well. “In This Land” feels like a track that I could hear in a commercial (perhaps for a car or a brand of beer), which certainly isn’t a bad thing as it’s mix of folk and pop rock will certainly make a mark on all listeners who discover it. “Thief Of Light” definitely has a folk influence, but it’s a bit more than that. This track actually feels a bit ethereal. It’s a bit morose, but it’s also sort of transcendent. It’s the kind of track that you might hear played during a major scene in a show, possibly where the filmmakers are asking the viewer to reflect on a character’s life after their demise. Yet what you don’t realize, is that the song playing in the background is a bit more than that – it’s a bit more than just the television show it might be used for. Someone actually sat down and wrote this song because it is something that they felt on a powerfully emotional level, due to incidents that have occurred in their own life, not in a world of fiction. It just happens to go well with the program.
Blues pieces do occur on the record, like “Being Begotten” which reminds me of something you might hear on True Detective, feeling like a very classic style of the genre in which the lyrics display a sort of confusion. “I don’t know the day, I don’t know the year” could really explain quite a bit of things, depending on how you look at these words and apply them to your life. What do you think of the world? Do you know the day? Do you know the year? Sometimes I’m not even sure if I’m in the same timeline. But that’s beside the point. Moving on, we get to one of my favorite pieces called “Left Me Standing” which actually has a bit of a rocking vibe, unlike many of the other cuts. Maybe it feels a little like The Foo-Fighters, but the chorus line really sells it for me and I guess I could agree with his sentiments there. It’s about wanting to be swept up by a great wind, which doesn’t sound so bad sometimes. We get one more bluesy piece here called “Demon Driven Men” and that’s also where I’m going to end the observation. This bit of blues also contains some more of the folk influence that has been hugely prevalent on the disc. Now all of this considered, there is one track in particular that I did not get, but would be extremely curious to hear. These guys covered Pink Floyd’s “Money” on the limited edition version of the disc, so if you get a chance to pick up that version, you’ll get to hear that exclusive cover. There are a few other bonus cuts on the disc other than that, but the cover really appealed to me. Mainly because I think they’d really knock it out of the park.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Solas is one heck of a listen from start to finish and even if things do sound a little more commercial in some areas, we can’t really help the fact that companies like to play good, catchy songs in their shows and commercials. Obviously you’d be more interested in those one or two commercials that you see on Netflix or Hulu if they had catchy songs in the background right? Sometimes good music can even really sell a certain scene in a piece and make it have a bit more emotional brevity than it normally would if there had been silence. You can’t really argue with that. These gentlemen worked very hard to make a record that sounds like it was comprised of authentic emotion, and it’s definitely the kind of disc where you get more than enough flavors of rock to keep your entertained. Yes, it is a bit different from what we’re used to and I can’t argue the more corporate flair to the band’s sound, but it’s still a pretty good rock album and I think you’ll enjoy it if you’re looking for something a bit more contemporary in your music collection.
Purchase Solas here: Physical | iTunes
