Niki N. Phaser

Tori Amos rose to prominence in the 90′s and back then, being a strong independent female didn’t mean you get to dance with high-heels surrounded by half-naked muscular dudes. She became a genuine role model for women all over the world, not just because of her artistic creativity, but also because of her activism in stopping violence against women — she co-founded RAINN, an organization dealing with helping victims of sexual assault, Amos herself being a survivor of rape. But there is so much more to Tori Amos then being this brave female artist which metamorphosized an awful experience into something beautiful. She’s a brilliant composer and an even greater lyricist.

If this would have been the review of a Single Masterpiece, it would most definitely be about Crucify, but, even so, it’s (continue reading…)

A Fine Frenzy is not quite your standard ignored-gold, considering that Alison Sudol’s debut album (One Cell in the Sea - 2007) has been well received and created enough buzz and fans for her upcoming album, Bomb in a Birdcage, to be released this september. Still, it always hurts a little bit when music of great quality isn’t universally acknowledged as value, especially while mediocre stuff is championed all over the place. A Fine Frenzy’s The Rangers is, for me, the perfect song to back up the statements above. Alison Sudol is well-known for her poetic lyrics and in The Rangers she really creates an entire universe within a classical pop-song structure. She talks about hiding, but not alone and that is why, despite the rather dramatic vocals and tearjerking piano, the song is… well, happy. The chorus is just so tatooable as a wedding vow: “and the rangers stream out of their cabins, they are the hunters, we are the rabbits and maybe we don’t want to be found, maybe we don’t want you tracking us down”. Even though there is isolation in all the hiding and getting lost because “the crumbs are gone”, there is also a sensation of empowering from the fact that there is no I in “we are the rabbits” or “they’ll keep seeking but they won’t find us”. The only I‘s we find are “let’s keep living our quiet lives, you and I, you and I”. I can only conclude by recommending A Fine Frenzy’s The Rangers as a fine way to celebrate the power of togetherness, because every good is better and every evil is lesser when you are with someone.

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

“Victory, not Vengeance” is the motto behind VNV Nation’s name, a British futurepop band that has been around for quite some time, now. Still, they are mainly a niche “product”, being highly respected in the world of electronica. Their 2007 album, Judgement, was more of an incursion in pop, than future. The results might have been a slight disappointment for their hardcore fans, but sure enough won them a bunch of new ones. And it’s no wonder, with a song like Illusion. There isn’t a lot in it that would make you guess VNV Nation as a trancey-electro band. It is, basically, a piano-driven ballad, that focuses lyrically on words of solace. It brings peace, but it also reminds of a former pain. The few piano keys composing the chorus hook will remain in your mind longer than many voices. Illusion reaches that special place that Depeche Mode seems to miss (if they are indeed trying to reach it), that balance between dark and moody and luminous sadness. As a bonus, you can also feast your ears on the instrumental Prelude, that opens Judgement. That, too, will find a cozy place in your memory and will not leave anytime soon.

LISTEN TO Illusion HERE