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The Lost Gecko - Electrify The Seas
Edinburgh based The Lost Gecko primarily consists of guitarist/vocalist Malcolm and Dutch pianist Nils (also handling strings and backing vocals). Being big fans of rock bands like Metallica, Pantera and Pearl Jam alongside fellow acoustic artists Seth Lakeman, Tom Waits and Damian Rice means many of the songs here have that same raw feel that you get when a hard rock band breaks out an acoustic version live in concert.
Opening trio Hurricane, Dreams and Little Cub in particular demonstrate that pained, gritty kind of delivery singers like Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) and Aaron Lewis (Staind) employ on their more heart-felt numbers. This is an incredibly difficult record to review. Some of The Lost Gecko’s melodies and guitar work are so beautiful (Hurricane) this could get away with being an instrumental album with no trouble at all. The vocals simply add a level of complexity that make the whole an awe-inspiring work.
Lyrically the songs are clever and at times both touching and painful, none more so that the Johnny-Cash-Man-Comes-Around, with a Celtic flavour, of the mournful Child Soldier, the story of a child who loses his parents, becomes a soldier himself and kills people just like the soldiers did his parents. Other songs aren’t so complex in terms of guitar melodies, but in the same was as Damian Rice, Malcolm and Nils turn something simple into something brilliant. Follow The Dolphins, Silence and Insurmountable are prime examples of this.
The guys make every effort to make the songs as emotional as possible, and an excellent effect used to add to the perceived anguish or feeling in the songs is the mixing of Nils’ smoother backing vocals so that they sound distant from Malcolm’s gritty tone. It almost feels like someone locked in a room is calling out in the background.
Although a little on the short side (under half and hour), Electrify The Seas is a magnificent album, and the follow-up, Butterfly Bomb, due out on December 1 via iTunes, should prove equally compelling.
“ awe-inspiring work ”
File under: Acoustic
Tracklist: Hurricane / Dreams / Little Cub / Child Soldier / Silence / Oscar’s Ghost / Follow The Dolphins / Insurmountable / Snowdrop
Posted in: Albums
Posted by Andy on Wed 29 Nov @ 12:11 am
- Andy
Discography
electrify the seas - 2006
Butterfly Bomb - 2007
Clocks, ghosts and heartbeats- 2007
Angels and Architects- 2008
The Lost Gecko - 2008
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The Lost Gecko - Electrify The Seas
Edinburgh based The Lost Gecko primarily consists of guitarist/vocalist Malcolm and Dutch pianist Nils (also handling strings and backing vocals). Being big fans of rock bands like Metallica, Pantera and Pearl Jam alongside fellow acoustic artists Seth Lakeman, Tom Waits and Damian Rice means many of the songs here have that same raw feel that you get when a hard rock band breaks out an acoustic version live in concert.
Opening trio Hurricane, Dreams and Little Cub in particular demonstrate that pained, gritty kind of delivery singers like Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) and Aaron Lewis (Staind) employ on their more heart-felt numbers. This is an incredibly difficult record to review. Some of The Lost Geckos melodies and guitar work are so beautiful (Hurricane) this could get away with being an instrumental album with no trouble at all. The vocals simply add a level of complexity that make the whole an awe-inspiring work.
Lyrically the songs are clever and at times both touching and painful, none more so that the Johnny-Cash-Man-Comes-Around, with a Celtic flavour, of the mournful Child Soldier, the story of a child who loses his parents, becomes a soldier himself and kills people just like the soldiers did his parents. Other songs arent so complex in terms of guitar melodies, but in the same was as Damian Rice, Malcolm and Nils turn something simple into something brilliant. Follow The Dolphins, Silence and Insurmountable are prime examples of this.
The guys make every effort to make the songs as emotional as possible, and an excellent effect used to add to the perceived anguish or feeling in the songs is the mixing of Nils smoother backing vocals so that they sound distant from Malcolms gritty tone. It almost feels like someone locked in a room is calling out in the background.
Although a little on the short side (under half and hour), Electrify The Seas is a magnificent album, and the follow-up, Butterfly Bomb, due out on December 1 via iTunes, should prove equally compelling.
awe-inspiring work
File under: Acoustic
Tracklist: Hurricane / Dreams / Little Cub / Child Soldier / Silence / Oscars Ghost / Follow The Dolphins / Insurmountable / Snowdrop
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