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(The Gift) - "Explode"

Reviewed by:

"Philip Wooldridge"- (Ravenheart Music)

Genre:
(Female Fronted) {Rock/Symphonic-Metal}-(Music)
Country:
Portugal
Length:
66:00
Release Date:
2011
Band Members: Sónia Tavares - vocals Nuno Gonçalves - vocals, synths, piano, guitar, theremin and programming
  John Gonçalves - bass and synths Miguel Ribeiro - guitar, synths and bass
     
     
Track Listing: 1.)-Let It Be By Me 5:15
9.)-Suit Full Of Colours 4:51
  2.)-Made For You 4:40
10.)-Race Is Long 4:58
  3.)-RGB 5:34 11.)- Always Better If You Wait For The Sunrise 8:25
  4.)- Mermaid Songs 3:55
12.)-Bonus – The Mother of My Mother - 5:00
  5.)-The Singles 12:20  
  6.)- Primavera 3:22  
  7.)-Aquatica 4:02  
  8.)-My Sun 4:29  

Review:

Portuguese band The Gift have a long and illustrious history stretching back to the mid 90's, but despite singing in English and being very successful in their homeland, this album has already spent a couple of weeks at number 1 in the Portuguese charts, they have had surprisingly little success abroad, although they have been on MTV and toured extensively abroad, making some headway in the USA, and their American management company Girlie Action look after the likes of Tori Amos, Antony and the Johnsons and Morrissey. Added to that, this first album for five years has been produced by Englishman Ken Nelson whose previous clients include Coldplay, Gomez and Paolo Nutini, (which reminds me, I need some new shoes). ***

The theme of the album is an explosion of colours with all it's connotations, “Trust the name Explode, Trust the colours of the rainbows” ('Made For You'). You are going to ask me what they sound like, you do like to ask some tough ones don't you, well then, NBC called them “purveyors of psychedelic synth-pop” and their Myspace says “Radiohead, meets Beck, meets Bjork, meets Portishead”. I would also throw Tears For Fears, The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Coldplay, Muse, HAL, OMD, Jellyfish and even Pink Floyd into their kaleidoscope, in short they take pigments from art rock and pop's most colourful bands to create their own unique palette. Vivacious lead singer Sónia Tavares has quite a deep distinctive voice that harmonises perfectly with that of Nuno Gonçalves with loads of terrific harmonies. They paint a wide spectrum of sounds, effects and textures upon each song's canvass, some are more conventional like the catchy 'RGB' and driving 'Race Is Long', while others are more unusual such as the quirky 'Mermaids Songs', the delightful 'Primavera' and the dreamy 'Aquatica'. The polymorphous centrepiece 'The Singles' is about a guy trying to write a hit song and it goes through a variety of hues before ending with the wonderful line 'Stop it now, I just did a twelve minute song” and they duly do – suddenly! Other highlights include the sublime ballad 'Suit Of Many Colours' and the upbeat anthemic 'My Sun' (live video on Female Voices Blog).***

It all comes packaged in a beautiful digibook with fantastic photos taken at the Holi Festival of Colours held in that most vibrant of cites Delhi, with the band looking like Jack 'The Dripper' Pollock living paintings, it is great to see a band paying as much attention to the visuals as the music. Anyone who enjoys intelligent art rock and pop will want to hang this masterpiece upon their walls, their gallery is http://www.thegift.pt/ , a technicolored 9 out of 10.***

 

 

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