"Say one thing for sorrow it never leaves me dry
As I beg, steal and borrow
There's no tears when I cry"
Though it's a sad thing that I'll never see these guys live, or hear another new song from them, at least (along with Cog), the world does have some music by them. I actually can't remember how I got into Oceansize. But they are considered 'brothers in amps' with Amplifier (thankfully still together). Named after a Jane's Addiction song, Oceansize is made up of 5 members from Manchester, England. Their line-up stayed relatively consistent throughout the years with only a change between bass players in 2006. Their line-up at the end was: Mike Vennart (guitar, lead vocals), Steve Durose (guitar, backing vocals), Richard "Gambler" Ingram (guitar, keyboards), Steven Hodson (bass, keyboards), and Mark Heron (drums). With 4 full lengths, 5 EPs and a handful of singles, Oceansize as we know it sadly ended in 2011. But because I frequently take their records out, and have recently been listening to Everyone Into Position, I thought I'd review it anyway. As with all their records, it easily holds up after these years.
I have actually considered reviewing an Oceansize album many times, but always fell short because I honestly was not sure what to write. To me, they are a difficult band to describe. All of their albums, except the most recent Self-Preserved While the Bodies Float Up (2010), have taken a while to grow on me. These guys make albums that I would in no way consider accessible. They also don't really go for the whole 'this can be easily described to someone else' thing. When asked what album I'd recommend as a starting point, I would honestly have no idea what to say. That's not to say that they are "weird" or overly experimental (using generic pop as a baseline here). Their albums aren't even that far from one another, really. Maybe the aforementioned Self-Preserved... In fact, they are probably most often described as progressive rock. Even through many listens you may not be sure exactly what to think. After I got to 2007's Frames, I knew I would like it, I just didn't know how long it would take. But anyway, Everyone Into Position was the album that I started with. I bought it from another iTunes recommendation (who knew) and when it arrived I played it, but only extremely occasionally. There wasn't anything bad about it, but it didn't really click at first. Good way to start a review eh? Then, and I don't remember when, it just did. The same thing happened for their debut album Effloresce (2003). Now I play both, well, a lot. Since as soon as it clicked, it really fucking clicked. Like playing over and over and over for days on end kind of obsessive clicking. So on with the review, if that's what we're calling it at this point...
The album begins with 'The Charm Offensive', and though there is no typical title track of the album, this is as close as Oceansize gets with such a thing. The opening track feels like a call to arms of some sort. It remains upbeat and a little bit winding, and in my opinion it somewhat eases you into the rest of the albums progression. Admittedly, this album doesn't go so much for ebb and flow as it does for grabbing your attention. The tracks flow into one another relatively seamlessly but there isn't necessarily an overall theme. Though I also feel that these songs would only be comfortable all together on the album itself. See hard to describe. As a side note you probably should not think too hard about what their songs are actually about, it may make your head hurt a little.
'A Homage to a Shame' has quite a bit more bombast than the previous 2 songs. Particularly the latter half where the vocalist is basically screaming at you. All in a good way of course, but it's somewhat unexpected at first. Then there's 'Meredith', a slower piece, which was also played in a scene on the American TV show The OC (yeah, you read that right). This is absolutely in stark contrast to the previous track. 'Music for a Nurse' follows, another slower track that lets you float along with it, giving you a perfect sense of an anesthetic, dream-like state. 'New Pin' is a standout track for me, and one of my favourites. Vennart delivers a great vocal performance, part patronizing, but also partly like a plea - a delicate balance that he manages perfectly. 'No Tomorrow' harkens back to 'Heaven Send', the second track, but still totally different entities of course. The last few tracks can sometimes get a little muddled as they follow some more "stand out" options that come before them. However, if you are willing to donate more time then you are infinitely rewarded for your efforts. Of all of them, I'd say, at least for me, they were the most difficult to get into, but still lovely! These are even more difficult to describe as you can tell from my rambling.
So in conclusion another thing about Oceansize that should be mentioned is that they really work and sound so much a cohesive unit, they feel like they fit together perfectly and easily. It makes for a great sounding record, like it was meant to be that way. I don't know what else to say. Listen for yourself!
Also if you like Oceansize, support their various new projects!
I have actually considered reviewing an Oceansize album many times, but always fell short because I honestly was not sure what to write. To me, they are a difficult band to describe. All of their albums, except the most recent Self-Preserved While the Bodies Float Up (2010), have taken a while to grow on me. These guys make albums that I would in no way consider accessible. They also don't really go for the whole 'this can be easily described to someone else' thing. When asked what album I'd recommend as a starting point, I would honestly have no idea what to say. That's not to say that they are "weird" or overly experimental (using generic pop as a baseline here). Their albums aren't even that far from one another, really. Maybe the aforementioned Self-Preserved... In fact, they are probably most often described as progressive rock. Even through many listens you may not be sure exactly what to think. After I got to 2007's Frames, I knew I would like it, I just didn't know how long it would take. But anyway, Everyone Into Position was the album that I started with. I bought it from another iTunes recommendation (who knew) and when it arrived I played it, but only extremely occasionally. There wasn't anything bad about it, but it didn't really click at first. Good way to start a review eh? Then, and I don't remember when, it just did. The same thing happened for their debut album Effloresce (2003). Now I play both, well, a lot. Since as soon as it clicked, it really fucking clicked. Like playing over and over and over for days on end kind of obsessive clicking. So on with the review, if that's what we're calling it at this point...
The album begins with 'The Charm Offensive', and though there is no typical title track of the album, this is as close as Oceansize gets with such a thing. The opening track feels like a call to arms of some sort. It remains upbeat and a little bit winding, and in my opinion it somewhat eases you into the rest of the albums progression. Admittedly, this album doesn't go so much for ebb and flow as it does for grabbing your attention. The tracks flow into one another relatively seamlessly but there isn't necessarily an overall theme. Though I also feel that these songs would only be comfortable all together on the album itself. See hard to describe. As a side note you probably should not think too hard about what their songs are actually about, it may make your head hurt a little.
'A Homage to a Shame' has quite a bit more bombast than the previous 2 songs. Particularly the latter half where the vocalist is basically screaming at you. All in a good way of course, but it's somewhat unexpected at first. Then there's 'Meredith', a slower piece, which was also played in a scene on the American TV show The OC (yeah, you read that right). This is absolutely in stark contrast to the previous track. 'Music for a Nurse' follows, another slower track that lets you float along with it, giving you a perfect sense of an anesthetic, dream-like state. 'New Pin' is a standout track for me, and one of my favourites. Vennart delivers a great vocal performance, part patronizing, but also partly like a plea - a delicate balance that he manages perfectly. 'No Tomorrow' harkens back to 'Heaven Send', the second track, but still totally different entities of course. The last few tracks can sometimes get a little muddled as they follow some more "stand out" options that come before them. However, if you are willing to donate more time then you are infinitely rewarded for your efforts. Of all of them, I'd say, at least for me, they were the most difficult to get into, but still lovely! These are even more difficult to describe as you can tell from my rambling.
So in conclusion another thing about Oceansize that should be mentioned is that they really work and sound so much a cohesive unit, they feel like they fit together perfectly and easily. It makes for a great sounding record, like it was meant to be that way. I don't know what else to say. Listen for yourself!
Also if you like Oceansize, support their various new projects!
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