Turin Brakes connects in my mind to a very specific time in my life. I had just gotten to university and I liked to play the guitar in parks where we went to for picnics or just to hang out and drink. There were a couple of Turin Brakes songs I used to play a lot around that time. To me the band always links to those carefree days when I carried my crappy nylon string guitar around everywhere and became sort of an official jukebox for our university parties, either playing the guitar, or being the DJ.
The album starts quietly with electronic strange feedback and laughter, until it grows to a full song Blue Hour. From the first seconds, it becomes clear that this album has more and louder instrumentation than the debut album. Average Man has a melancholic, yet somehow psychedelic melody in the rhythmic verse that then changes into a simple and quiet chorus. I like it when the typical styles of verse and chorus change places. Long Distance is one of my favourite songs on the album. It shows the best sides of Knights' vocal capabilities. The verse is very gentle and beautiful and in chorus we hear the anguished louder singing style. Self Help has some of the same idle and carefree feel of the debut album, even though, the sounds are richer. Falling Down is one of the greatest songs on the album in terms of production. There are chiming guitars and bits played backwards, that give the song a nice psychedelic feel. Stone Thrown is mostly acoustic song that seems to draw influences from Americana country folk. It took me a while to realise Turin Brakes were from the UK, because I always thought they sounded quite American. Clear Blue Sky has some of those balalaika style guitars that Turin Brakes likes to use in their songs. Pain Killer (Summer Rain) is probably the most uptempo song on the album. It has a nice rhythm, mostly kept up with acoustic guitar strumming and bass line. The chorus really sounds like summer. Full of Stars has to be my favourite song from the album. It has some great hypnotic Rhodes organs and really beautiful chorus. The lyrics of this song remind me of being young and in love. Panic Attack is a strange song with creeping and quite heavy rhythm. There's even some overdrive in the song. Little Brother continues this kind of louder and heavier style and there are some amazing, almost aggressive, psychedelic guitar riffs in the song. Rain City is a very simplified song with just quiet guitars and vocals. It reminds me of the first album and like the first album, this melody brings shivers to my neck due to its beauty. This is what Turin Brakes does best. The album ends with the title-track Ether Song that is very lo-fi compared to rest of the album.
Pain Killer (Summer Rain) has a nice music video where the duo is playing the song on the street corner watching people fly around the city just by themselves or on a bicycle. The weather changes between sunny and rainy according to verses and choruses. I didn't see Turin Brakes live until many years later here in London and I was really surprised about just how good they were live. I wasn't expecting much since it had been quite a while since I had last listened to their new stuff, but the gig made me remember them again. These guys really play well together and their vocals fit in seamlessly.
I rarely listen to Turin Brakes anymore, since I think I've over-listened to them back in the day, but whenever they're on, I remember just how great they are. Their songs have meanings to me from my personal life and many of them bring back memories. This usually happens only with bands from my young adulthood. Ether Song is a fantastic album, even though, I think there could be a bit more variety.
Listen to the album on Spotify.
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