God and I Versus All

Finally, I serve again the title of this blog fully by posting a Music related post in million years. Welcome back, music!

LAST AUTUMN’S DREAM (AOR/Melodic Rock)

Members line up: (L->R) : Jamie Borgir (bass) Mikael Erlandsson (vocals), Andy Malecek (Guitar), and Marcel Jacob (Drums)

Last Autumn’s Dream is one of the most-least famous bands in the world. What I mean by that is very few people around the globe is aware of this band; LAD doesn’t even have their own website. However, the ones who know value of this band as one of the best. This album, Impressions, is their collection of best songs; clearly showing their potential and genius. Albums of Last Autumn’s Dream are very rare in Korea (True fans of music buy CD’s rather than Limewire!). I was very lucky to purchase one. Work of Last Autumn’s Dream sounds like a combination of typical Rock-Ballade (like Gotthard) with some Swedish pop mix (LAD is from Sweden, country of ABBA). LAD uses choir-ish backing vocal that resembles of 70’s soul music (T-Rex?) and melodies and song development is too predictable. That’s why LAD is very agreeable at first but it gets rather boring if overly repeated. They overly stress with the concept of ‘love’ in their songs, and that is probably why they couldn’t be successful (globally) in pop nor rock. But who cares, I listen to them because they’re good.

It is difficult to review a hit album, because the color of different albums are all mixed up. So I will have to group them in to respective albums, or make an overall view of it.

The overall taste of Last Autumn’s Dream, from my perspective, is a mixture of Korean Pop lyrics, Swedish Pop and European Rock. Always talk about love, have distinctive but familiar lines and the backing music that of a metal; producing a unique sound standing in the middle line of pop and metal.

None of the songs of LAD are bad, if they were going to make a Hit Album, they should’ve included all their songs. Every time I listen to them, I find myself falling in awe towards the “genius melody maker” Mikael Erlandsson (Seoul Records). Only problem LAD has is that they don’t have a diversity in their songs. All of them sound the same and taste the same.

Now here comes the really brief walkthrough of the legendary album.

Put the CD to a player, and press play. Wait for the melody to come out of the audio. Quiet squiggling of music approaches, and keyboard jumps in with mysterious Fmin. This song is Again and Again*. Then comes a familiar melody, new but unresisting, and tunes of different instruments harmonize in perfection.

*This is an 50-second appetizer of Last Autumn’s Dream (Actually the real reason I cut the song was to prevent arguments of copyrights…)

Then follows Break the Chains of Destiny, an encouraging songs to get rid of our unnecessary burdens. It crazes the listeners with deep sounds.

Now the third track, Pages, is recognized as one of the truly best of LAD. Very familiar and easy yet hyper listening. The song leads with energetic keyboard synths, and causes suspense with emergence of vocal. How many bands are able to control the instinctive ‘feel’ of sounds like this?

Next song Up In Paradise is not my style. Too old. Love to Go and Going Home are the 5th and 6th tracks, are rather slower than previous entries. Winter In Paradise, Brand New Life, are the same songs, same feelings with different melodies.

After Tomorrow’s Gone, the 9th track is another grand masterpiece, with its popularity rivaling to Pages. Specialty of After Tomorrow’s Gone are the offensive and fast advancement of melodies compared to other smooth and feminine songs. This song doesn’t make the listeners wait.

Then comes the three boring blobs of the album: Don’t Let Our Love Go Down, Rocket of Love, and American Girl. Titles are boring and cliché. So are the songs. Just too much pop features on these ones. (And why would a Swedish guy fantisize about American Girls?)

Only four tracks left now. Domino makes a listener feel as if the CD was starting over. Nice refreshing feeling of 4-second blank at the beginning with fresh introduction with genuine piano touches. Running adds on to the new feeling with speed (it’s running!). Out of all songs, this song probably contains the highest pitch in vocal. It stands out, and excites the listener with little inclusion of new techniques.

Second to last Doin’ Time, I don’t remember much about this song because I had erased it from my iTunes so long time ago (probably I was very bored by it). Then, last but not least, Skyscraper, the genuine best of best of the LAD. My vocabulary range is not wide enough to describe in words. Touching lyrics and melody loosen up the revved state of mind; a perfect song for a closing remark. “You will always be my skyscraper”. Didn’t know what that figurative language meant.

Congratulations, you’ve listened to 70 minute and 23 second album through words. It was a rather fast walk through, compared to the my previous lengthy review of Sonata Arctica.  If Last Autumn’s Dreams manages to expand their style of music a little more, it would be no problem sprouting to the world of mainstream. (And not only LAD’s songs, my sentence variety and vocabulary seems to be needing more diversity as well=/)

Technorati Tags: Last Autumn’s Dream, Impressions
, 2007, AOR, Rock, Album