Coloured Vinyl

Coloured Vinyl's debut CD arrived in the mail a few days ago. The cover caught my attention, an old Victrola and multi coloured records. I was expecting some retro, melodic songs from the '70/80s so I popped it in to my system with that paradigm. What followed next was a revelation, a gradual realization that this band meant business with moment after moment of melodic rapture the likes of which I hadn't found in my 'in tray' for 30 years or so.

How to describe Coloured Vinyl. First off the male and female singers (Scott and Jilly) seem to take turns. There are rock songs, there are pop songs, there are songs that sound like they were written in the Brill Building in the heyday of Top 40 radio. The record starts with Waiting for the Coronation, an amazingly catchy song that seems to project that the band are music's new royalty. Before that song can even settle in your head, Jilly sings Insatiable, a tune that is such utter pop genius that you can imagine it blaring from beatboxes on the street and when you hear the voices together it's clear that these 2 possess remarkable pop chemistry.

Coloured Vinyl master various styles in a way that often surprises. They lay down a sparkling Motown groove in Dancing into the Truth. There's even a tender boy band ballad called No Way To Say Goodbye which stands out for it's simplicity in a sea of adventurous and intricate compositions. The piece de resistance of this record is the bookend versions of The Balcony Scene - one being utterly original in its electronic mise en scene the counterpart daring and with an ending designed to shock.

Rarely will hear a record which alternately contains rocking guitar solos, and then turns to latin lyric driven songs like On and On, which features a love tryst set at an end-of-the-world apocalypse. That song is simply one of a kind. Fat musical hooks are around ever corner like the song You've Got the Magnet which has overtones of the R&B songs of the 60s. One understands the connection with coloured vinyl records when Jilly sings Sweet Baby Angel which sounds like a jukebox song that you danced to at a record hop, and Whatever I want I get which is sultry jazzy, reminiscent of the lounge era of the 40s.

If this sounds like a pop melange, it changes from introspective ballads to rock raveups but the flow remains. Never Had a Rocker has both element of punk rock and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Car Song is worthy of it's place and adds yet another hot ingredient to the Coloured Vinyl music pot.

Black is the Sun is mysterious and foreboding and all the songs on the Coloured Vinyl debut CD seem to come from different places. Moodswing Baby is a charming tune about the moods of a woman. It Comes When It Comes explores the arrival of elusive moments. Perhaps the most beautiful piece is an exquisite song called Italy which takes the listener to the green hills of Tuscany. This kind of deliverance is what the record is about. In its entirety, Coloured Vinyl is a captivating trip through 21 unique songs, none of which are filler. There's a bonus track on the end that sums it all up and is perhaps the most ebullient song out of the bunch. Coloured Vinyl obviously put a lot of life and joy into this work and when you wander into their world you will want to stay there and see the sights, then revisit whenever you want to escape into such rare melodic bliss. I almost enjoyed writing about as much as listening to this collection. Sometimes this part of the job is a chore, with this band it was a rare pleasure.

- Palpable

An interesting thing happened as I sat down to write this review. I had listened through the whole of it a few times in the days before, and then over several days I planned to start taking some notes while listening to it in pieces. The thing is, every time I put the CD in the player and it started up on the first song, instead of skipping ahead to where I had left off, I just ended up leaving it running from track one each and every time. It was a pleasure to listen to. So, on to the review . . . .

The CD comes, appropriately, with a colourful CD sleeve depicting coloured vinyl records emanating from a gramophone, all on a black background. The CD itself has a coloured label as well. Striking visual clues to what lurks inside.

There are no liner notes on the CD or sleeve aside from a song list. It does, however, reference a web address where lyrics and notes can be found and where we learn that Coloured Vinyl is a collaboration between Scott (Father Time) and Jillianne (Jilly). Once on the website you are greeted by Father Time with a short, spoken introduction to the album. Also on the site there are lyrics, short song descriptions, an ongoing blog and a link to buy the CD.

Wating For The Coronation opens the album and this is vintage Father Time. After a faux-trumpet keyboard fanfare and a spoken kickoff from Scott and Jilly, the entrance of Father Time’s trademark guitar signals the start of this latest musical journey. And what a nice guitar entrance it is! FT takes the vocal on this one with a great melody line that fits with the accompaniment perfectly. A strong rock song to get things going.

Insatiable follows, with lead vocals by Jilly. It was with curiosity that I listened to this one. I know Father Time’s music by now, but didn’t know what to expect from someone collaborating with him. Jilly does not disappoint, she can hold her own and lends a very elegant touch to complement FT. FT adds some very nicely understated guitar fills in this song, which has a light pleasant groove with some nice vocals from Jilly.

Never Had A Rocker is a good example of a Father Time rock song, driven with thick and crunchy guitar chords. It is a celebration of rock music in the musical tradition of Rock for the Sake of Rock from the first FT album.

One of the things I really like about this album can be heard when listening to The Balcony Scene. Unlike so many CDs these days, this CD includes songs that keep the listener from knowing what’s coming next. The Balcony Scene is unlike any of the other songs, and therein lies its charm. Jilly takes the lead in this slinky little mysterioso piece and gives it just the right presence and inflection.

It Comes When It Comes is obviously a Father Time song in the style he made famous in his mp3.com days. The guitar here does something that I quite like and something that is drastically under-used in today’s music, namely an upfront clean electric rhythm guitar. It is so very effective and I’m not sure why it is so rare to hear it, but here it is, leading the way in this song.

And next we get yet another completely different feeling song. Moodswing Baby is quickly becoming one of my favorites on this album, shuffling along in a nice easy way, with absolutely lovely vocals from Jilly, in fact, her vocals on this song are mesmerizing. She has such a sweet voice. The harmony vocals are all nice, some from Jilly and others from Father Time, none are intrusive, they just sit back and do their thing when it’s their time. I particularly like Father Time’s lower harmony vocal that comes along every so often. The lyrics fit so perfectly with the melody and gait of the vocal. This is a really nice song. Again, the attention to the orchestration bolsters the feel and groove of this serenely pleasing song. Nothing obliterates the intent or mood of the song. Did I mention that I love this song?

It is followed by a song (Black is the Sun) that, I don’t know what it reminds me of, well maybe I do, but I can’t really describe it . . . The two vocals weave in and out of a groove that slinks along like a misty street in a black & white detective movie from the 1940s. Jilly’s classic vocal timbre is perfectly complemented by FT’s mysterious low register tone.

Piano is the main accompaniment for She Speaks In Song and here again we hear a different sort of orchestration that I find refreshing. Instead of shoveling a whole band’s worth of instruments onto the song, it is simply a piano that accompanies the vocals, and some strings come along in due time. No drums, no bass, no guitar. It doesn’t try to do the whole power ballad thing. It’s just a nice pretty song that isn’t ruined by overproduction. A very nice melody in this one.

Sweet Baby Angel is quite obviously a Jilly song, or maybe I’m just assuming that. A slow, easy-going song, very retro sounding. Retro to what? Well, if Scott and Jilly were sitting at a 1950s soda counter sharing a frappe, the jukebox would be playing this song.

Breaking this quaint retro scene up, along comes a Father Time guitar intro to open the next song You Got the Magnet, another song that could easily fit alongside some of Father Time’s best internet favorites. Here and there some fun, almost doo-wop-ish backing vocals add some spice to this jumpy little number.

Looking for something even more different? On and On is some sort of . . . well I don’t know my dances, but it’s almost a rumba or a samba or something. Care to picture FT in tux tails doing a stint as a ballroom dancer? That would be pretty f*’n funny I tell you! Suffice to say this song isn’t something you’d expect. But it is damn cool I can say that, if for no other reason than being different. But there are more reason to enjoy this intriguing song. Another good vocal performance from Jilly, broken up by Scott’s slightly sinister-sounding vocal intrusion. Big ups to the arrangement and orchestration on this song, it is perfect. A great production.

Back In the Day could very easily fit on Father Time’s WakeUp Call CD. Clean electric rhythm guitar jangles along while the vocal is the focus. Some pretty neat harmonies on this one with FT doing a bit of Dylan-esque harmonica.

Jilly is back for a vocal turn on the bouncy Dancing Into the Truth. Where did this lovely lady come from? It’s a pleasure to listen to her sing, her voice is smooth and her enthusiasm is infectious. A truly classic Father Time guitar solo breaks in and does just what it’s supposed to do then exits for the vocal re-entry.

What album can’t use a Car Song? A worthy successor to Old Fury from FT’s first album. If you ever make a mix CD of car songs for the road, make sure to include this one.

The Patience of Saints is most probably a Jilly song, and has a rather seductive ‘40s feel to it. Features a Father Time spoken word section which is . . . . . an interesting contribution. But just another surprise from FT who keeps you on your toes as a listener.

A simple little song No Way To Say Goodbye comes along as a sort of foreshadowing that the album is nearing the end. There will be another 5 songs but, like I said, it is foreshadowing. And it’s a nice simple song, the sort that leaves a satisfied smile on your face after it is over. Just another example of what goes into making up a truly well thought out album.

Whatever I Want I Get has the feel of a medium tempo big band song. When I saw the title of this one I immediately thought that it had to be an FT song, but by all sound and appearances it is more of a Jilly song, which is pretty funny, all things considered. FT does add some jazzy close harmonies.

Balcony (reprise) resolves some of the storyline from The Balcony in what has to be vintage FT style.

There is a nice picture on the inner section of the CD sleeve that looks like a Tuscany landscape from a window (the previously heard from Balcony Scene??). When first opening up the sleeve I didn’t know what that picture had to do with anything. Then the song Italy comes along in this slow, sedate style. Piano accompaniment and beautiful vocals from Jilly, this song is very pretty, and becomes even more so with a simply beautiful guitar outro. It is the perfect touch for a song of this nature. Just perfect.

As if there was not already a massive amount of variety on this album, Scott and Jilly give us an a capella called After the Lord Mayor’s Show.

There is one more song on the album but I will leave it to the curious listener to discover this gem on their own. It’s a good wrap up for this collaborative effort of Scott and Jilly.

Well, how to summarize? There are several things that Coloured Vinyl excels at.

As already mentioned several times there is a tremendous variety of songs and styles on this album. But it is not disjointed. It has a flow and somehow all these different styles work together to become one very entertaining whole.

Let’s talk about guitar. The guitar work on this album is very comprehensive, it is not a one-trick pony. The tones are varied and sometimes quite off the wall. There are thick heavy rhythmic chords, clean jangles, electric guitar rhythms, short little guitar bits and shimmers that appear subtly, all sorts of varied lead tones from ultra clean to super distorted, and of course there is the classic FT guitar style throughout. Ever since FT’s debut album one of my favorite guitar features is the wildly madcap lead that comes piling in from out of nowhere and, on first listen, makes you raise an eyebrow and think ‘wow, that was wacky.’ And then with each subsequent listen, it grows on you and becomes a defining feature that you love and look forward to every time you hear the song. There is some of that here as well. And the afore-mentioned guitar in Italy is just so subtly beautiful, it marks a diverse maturation in FT’s guitar style. Taken as a whole, there is plenty of guitar work for anyone to enjoy. Listen for the very understated little supporting guitar bits and pieces within the arrangements and I think you’ll have a whole new appreciation for what a guitar can do for a song.

And the bass . . .there are a plethora of bass tones here. It isn’t like a bass is simply plugged in and every song gets the same sound. On many CDs the bass is often given very little thought, “as long as there is something down there then ok we’re all set with the bass,” seems to be the mantra of many bands, even if every song has the same sound. Not here. There are songs with a bright bass presence and others with that think, wooly bass sound you find on Neil Young songs. Still others have a synth bass holding down the low end. And still other songs have no bass at all! How’s that for orchestration! Not every song needs it. Then when the bass returns in the next song, it has all that much more impact. The bass, like all the other musical elements, gets a lot of thought and understanding on this album.
Another attribute is the attention to arrangement. These are well-structured songs, but with quite a variety of arrangement. They aren’t all a bunch of clones with predictable layouts. Again it comes down to variety. It’s one thing to say it, it’s quite another to think it through and deliver it. And Coloured Vinyl is full of great arrangements, well thought out with an overall plan of how the song is presented to the listener. Take a moment to really lay back and listen, follow what is going on in the background, see where each song goes and how it transitions. Everyone can learn something about song structures and orchestrations here. And if you’re not looking to learn anything, well, just sit back and enjoy it.

Almost hand in hand with the arrangements is the orchestration. Every song is unique in its instrumentation, in its sounds, in its emphasis. It’s all layered so intelligently. Taken all together it is an incredible feat to get this recorded in just such a way. Perhaps it comes without a second thought, but there is just so much attention to detail here that I believe it takes quite an effort to even come up with such uniquely different instrumentations; what to add, what to leave out, what works with something else, when to bring this guitar in, how much of that one little keyboard line to mix in, and when to leave well enough alone . . . . all these sorts of things and many others besides. It never ceases to amaze me.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t emphasize that Jilly is no slouch in this department. I’m more familiar with Father Time’s work in this regard, and I’m a newbie when it comes to Jilly’s music and contributions, but her songs here have their own orchestrational characteristics. And what can I say about Jilly’s contributions? Well, her mark is all over this album. She adds a refreshing influx of styles into the mix, which work very well with Scott’s sense of variety. If I’m not mistaken, quite a bit of the piano and production are done by Jilly as well. As if this weren’t enough, Jilly’s vocals are . . . well, I don’t know what else to say that I haven’t already said. You have to hear them to understand. They are simply wonderful.

I suppose a proper review should not only offer praise when warranted but also offer criticism, so before I come under fire for liking this album so much, yes, of course, there are always things one can point constructively to about any CD that you listen to. I could come up with something to critique any of my favorite bands. There is always something. But I’m hard pressed to find anything significant enough to criticize here. I would very much like to see this material performed by a real live band. That would be a good concert to go to! Barring that, I would still like to hear what a real drummer could do for Father Time’s music. On the other side of that coin however, FT has his own unique way of utilizing a drum machine or pads or whatever it is he uses. Like all the other instruments, the drums have certain features that mark them as classic Father Time. I guess what I would most like to hear in the future is a band, at FT’s direction, recording the backing tracks. I say at FT’s direction because I like the way he thinks about what each instrument plays. I do like the drum parts that he puts on his songs and I would love to hear them performed by a real drummer.

All told, to wrap things up here, what can I say in a nutshell about this CD? It constantly surprises. I hear something different each time I hear it. Taken as a whole piece of work it is an ambitious undertaking that has so much variety on it that it will keep on giving the more you listen to it. I’m amazed with all the different styles on this album to be quite honest. The fact that they all fit into one cohesive whole makes this a wonderfully complete album. I’m richer for having this album in my collection. Coloured Vinyl. Man, I’d like to own a copy of this album on coloured vinyl, that would be very cool indeed. I can highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes variety in music. You will love this album.
- John Peterson