For a debut album, Geordie Greep does more than a mind-blowing job. Describing what Black Midi’s ex-vocalist did in “The New Sound” is a hard task. It is a fresh take on experimental rock, jazz fusion, samba and every other music genre that Greep jumbles together in this fast and intense release that leaves the listener stunned.
The album starts strong with “Blues.” Fast repeating drums from Morgan Simpson and the out-of-tune vocals make a psychotic entrance, resembling a circus ringmaster losing his mind. The whirring and the overlapping crowd of instrumentals create an intense feeling throughout the whole thing as if one is running looking for cover. As the intensity increases even more, the drums, trumpets and every other instrument loudly come to a halt. That is the way to start an album.
“Terra” is the next song on the record. The shackling of cymbals and complex guitars reminds the listener of a bossa nova. Greep’s vocals do not stress the listener despite him sounding stressed. The instrumentals are melodic, with a strong Steely Dan influence of jazz fusion. A slight cowbell makes a quick appearance, trumpets increase the intensity and then a choir is singing “Terra!” in unison. It is an incredibly danceable song. Howling, Latin-sounding trumpets and a melodic piano end the song with the lead single “Holy, Holy.”
What a cathartic song. Strong repetitive drums start, with equally fast repetitive backing guitars showing off Greep’s style. It is understandable why it is a hit; the guitar squeaks through the speakers; fast strumming comes from the lead guitar; and the piano follows the theatrical vocals. Choir sings “Holy, Holy!” With a strong Latin influence, the overlapping of instrumentals and repetitive guitars, the intense and danceable song fades away into the title song “The New Sound.”
A relaxing yet fast bossa nova is heard again. Bongos, guitars, piano. Jazz instrumentals are all over the song in a fast and entrancing tune. Makes the listener run laps through their mind. “Walk Up,” originally meant to be a Black Midi song, starts with a slight riff. Greep’s vocals have no verses and no rhymes; it is just him singing stories of people that he met at bars. Here the sounds of a choir, the overlapping of the fast drums, cymbals dinging, a synth, a piano, whooshing and the vocals are drowned by the overwhelming feeling it evokes. Then a country song is inside the same tune, ending with an audience speaking.
Trumpets start “Through a War.” This song, once again has Latin guitars, a cymbal beat and a piano paired with echoes. Everything is going on; Greep has an evident style of increasing the intensity of his songs. To grasp everything that is going on is hard, not because it is bad, but because there are so many things happening at once as thirty musicians played on the record. This is exactly how ADHD sounds if it had musical arrangements. “Bongo Season” starts with bongos and a melodic tingling that rapidly transitions into the same fast jazz drumming. The guitar comes by yet it is strenuous to catch up to describe it; it goes incredibly fast. Vocals start in Greep’s unconventional way, and trumpets fade away the song.
The low and slow voice of producer Seth Evans throws off the listener in “Motorbike,” as one is now used to the vocals of Greep. Slow guitar starts, scaring the listener of what it will become, as it is Greep’s album. But there it is, the entirety of the overlapped drums and Evan’s voice are catching on the style of storytelling with a tune. It quiets down and thunderous drumming and excessive cymbal crashing increase the intensity once again, ending with a wailing in the background. The song ends with repetitive instrumentals as if it were a fan spinning.
“As if Waltz” has a steady beat and guitar. Greep’s vocals enter the song as the piano comes along as well. One is out of breath to even describe what is going on. Radio intermission sounds, violins, cymbals crashing and lyrics that have to be read after soaking in the tune. Instruments make appearances but do not stay. The song slows down by a lot, quieting down with soft guitars, but avant-prog enters with a squeaky guitar solo.
“The Magician” is a twelve-minute song that commences with what sounds like shakers; the guitar has a relaxed strumming and slow drums. It was meant to be a Black Midi song, but never got on a record. The listener braces themselves for impact, yet it is somewhat slow. One has to be patient as it slowly intensifies, but never fully. The piano chords play as Greep talks slowly to the microphone. It is a very long song, yet it is good for concentrating on another task.
A nostalgic fairytale ending is heard in “If You Are But a Dream.” The piano and trumpets calm down the listener from the intensity of the album with the cover of this 1940s romantic ballad. The vocals were never good but that did not matter. The piano was as dreamy as the title as if one was soothed by a nightmare that turned into a dream, ending the album in a way that listeners are perplexed and processing what just happened an hour and two minutes ago.
What an album; what an experience. It is not for listeners that enjoy simple songs. It is a complex amalgamation of instrumentals and vocals that sound like voices inside one’s head. The fusion of genres happening all at once skillfully creates what Geordie Greep fittingly names “The New Sound.”
