| Lotion - demo |
Lotion is a five-piece band hailing from Belfast. Their sound would probably be best described as modern rock ? its epic but still rocks in a way that only British bands seem capable of.
1 - Inside
2 - Beaufort Scale
3 ? Undermined
The quality of the recordings is great ? much better than most of the East Anglian bands I?ve reviewed. It sounds big and punchy, though the drums strike me as being a bit dry. The vocals lack a bit of warmth and body for my liking, but they still sound powerful and clear. The guitar sound is crisp, and the bass backs everything up nicely. The playing is really tight and precise ? it makes a huge difference to the final product when everything clicks together this well. There is some sampling scattered about too; I?m not convinced it adds anything to the sound, but it?s not intrusive at all and blends into the mix.
The first thing that struck me about this CD is that they don?t really sound like any of the bands they list as influences. I was expecting something a lot darker and heavier than I got. Apart from the start of ?Undermined? (which has a harmony straight from the Alice In Chains songbook), the music feels refreshingly upbeat. The bass line at the start of ?Inside? sounds almost joyful. The music as a whole reminds me of Liberty 37, if anyone remembers them from their brief tenure as Kerrang! darlings.
After listening to this CD a few times none of the riffs have really stuck, but that isn?t really what this band is about. The key to making this music work is the vocals; and in this case they?re good. As I said before, they?re powerful, clear and in tune (which is rarely the case on a band?s first recording), and the singer has a good range. There?s a fair bit of variety to them ? that goes for the songs in general too ? and the harmonies work perfectly.
I really enjoyed this demo, and if Lotion were to play anywhere near me I?d go and see them based on what I?ve heard. My only real criticism is that the song writing could be a bit more concise, because for me the songs would have a bigger impact if they were a touch shorter. This is only their first demo though; it?s not about writing perfect songs, it?s about setting the scene for what?s to come. Lotion aren?t following any of the current trends, they don?t particularly sound like anyone else I can think of, and their demo oozes confidence ? and rightly so in my opinion. Definitely a name to watch out for in the near future.
Submitted by Poison_Pen
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Posted on Thursday, March 09 @ 14:43:38 CST
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