A debut spectacle constantly in a state of push and pull, Geordie Greep still captivates amidst this whirling motion. ‘The New Sound’ goes into a generally joyous Latin jazz-rock splendor, where the array of vocal, writing, and compositional heft pulls forth a majestic, humorous escapade.
When Black Midi eventually broke up just this year, as much as there is a deep sadness about how this band broke apart, there is now an excitingly grand anticipation on where the members will head in the future - especially with how their massive talented pedigree has been a big boon to them ever since they’ve started back in 2019, something that only got more bewilderingly delightful with every subsequent album, eventually leading to cementing themselves as one of the most hyped bands in the UK as well as some of the most striking musicians of the 2020s. Whether that be Morgan Simpson’s absolutely insane rhythm cascades with his drum work, Cameron Picton’s liquidly wrought bass melodies as well as being a multi-instrumentalist and a vocalist whose hushed timbre works within ominous tones, and of course, Geordie Greep as the vocalist, writer, and multi-instrumentalist whose presence will cut through with visceral intensity. Given all of that, these three are doing quite well even after what has happened, with Morgan Simpson lending his drum work for other acts like Nala Sinephro, Cameron Picton teasing for whatever he is working on his Camera Picture solo project, and Geordie Greep to put all of his focus on his solo debut album, with the nicely put up album title, ‘The New Sound’.
Getting knee-deep into this album, there is a complete verve and attention that Geordie Greep has pulled together into the general sound and style that he is going for here. Diving into jazz-fusion and progressive rock tangents which have been a familiar sound that he has touched upon before, but there is a gradual swerve that carries a brighter spark in the sound, whether that be Geordie Greep’s vocal delivery that’s always emotionally enraptured and charismatic, the inclusion of various Latin funk, jazz, and rock elements in these compositions that always brings more brisk charm into their tones, and most specifically, the cast of rotating session musicians that give these instrumentals their extensively energetic flair throughout these songs - most notably Morgan Simpson, Fábio Sá, Felix Stephens, and Seth ‘Shank’ Evans that went so far as bringing his bolting vocal tinges on ‘Motorbike’. Still burrowing into the brutal prog darkness from certain songs that show up from time to time - some even being performed on past Black Midi live shows - yet they don’t precisely swallow up the general feel of the album, providing an essential contrast that the songwriting will eventually expand upon.
Thus, with all that being said, Geordie Greep manages to garner a spectacular quality within this rambling set of songs. The absolutely spectacular lead single ‘Holy, Holy’ where Geordie Greep effortlessly captures that egoistic romanticism as the guitars, drums, and backing vocals just splash so much eccentric amounts of groove and joy throughout the entire runtime of the song, the samba jazz flourish of ‘Terra’ where the horns and the acoustics continue to jam and build up just before Greep starts to holler at the end, the instantly buoyant instrumental cut of ‘The New Sound’ where the progressive jazz-rock style effectively swerves into various rhythm shifts and melodic crescendos that only makes for a brighteningly marvelous tune, the refreshing stability and cooldown of ‘Through The War’ still possesses an alluring charm as the warmer percussions, guitars, and keys paired with the glitzy synths ruffles up to a shuffling groove, the dramatic classical swells of ‘As If Waltz’ where the ornate strings and organ passages floods onto the electric guitar passages that buzzes off on the back half, which leads off to the 12-minute climax point of ‘The Magician’ that slowly lets the melodies unspool all across the chiming keys, rumbling guitars, and ornate strings - swirling around Geordie Greep’s vocals that parse through desperate cowardice and somber realization, just before the compositions swirls into its chaotic grandeur and fading away from the fantasy that the song has brought together.
As always, there’s a captivation within Geordie Greep’s writing style. Always carrying a verbose quality that he has always inked onto his detailed stories from the past: constantly sophisticated, damning, and observant towards how those darker edges within the protagonists swirl into these corrupted stories. Yet for once, Geordie Greep is willing to use his style of writing to create something a lot more humorous, but still observant of the flawed attributes that he presents in this narrative. Essentially, he plays a character slotting into the brand of intense sleazy male romantics where the sense of ego, pretentiousness, and privilege makes him feel like he can allure the woman into his own world, with enough notes left into the lyricism that exposes just how pathetic this character seems to be. Whether that be spilling into a lot of religious and graphic imagery in songs like ‘Terra’ and ‘Through A War’ where the drastic tones only excavate just how self-convinced this character is on his path of romanticizing the beauty that he seeks out, to the point that he has become impressed with the historical violence that men have always executed just to impress that beauty that he fantasizes all over. Or how specific songs like ‘As If Waltz’ showcase how his romantic devotion has come to an absolute peak even if there’s a disposable aspect in how there’s not much progress within the romance that he limits himself into, an attitude that also pierces through the self-impressed ‘Holy, Holy’ where the money gets him that attention of this woman to a certain extent.
Yet, as much as the protagonist needily yearns and desires that romance, it all gets squandered on the narrative’s climax point ‘The Magician’, and to an extent, the cover of ‘If You Are But A Dream’. Where for all the efforts that the protagonist has made to keep this romance working as he berates the woman for all of her hideous qualities, it’s essentially an act of overall cowardice on his part as he soon realizes that whatever connection they do have, it’s not exactly romantic. More of a fantasy that this character and all of his pathetic behavior indulges within, and now that he is starting to snap into reality, there’s a desperate cling to keep this romance afloat. Hence why the cover of ‘If You Are But A Dream’ does manage to work as the closer of this overall narrative, acting as that decision from the protagonist to not let go of that dream, especially when, in retreating away from the ennui that self-absorbed men like him extremely despises, his only escape is to cling onto that fantasy that he’ll keep on chasing. After all, with every pathetic romanticist like him whose glamor, power, and knowledge gained don’t satisfy them, the only desire in life that’s worth chasing is the woman of their dreams.
As much as the overall spectacle is joyous and humorous, once the wonder has faded away, the cracks within the spectacle eventually starts to show itself outright. For one, the momentum between song to song shambles so much that the only thing that’s keeping them connected are the manic peaks within their compositions, an aspect not helped out by the verbose lyrical flair that despite how the details pick up an impressive amount of chuckles, the lack of structure within these constantly rambling melodies meant that these songs have to be carried through the weighty force of Geordie Greep and co’s instrumental and vocal performances. For two, the jagged leaning math rock cuts that emphasize the darkness within this album don’t exactly come off as striking this time, where cuts like the older cut ‘Walk Up’ with its wonky structure just don’t work either melodically or at parts thematically, especially when the Black Midi sonic blueprint only makes those songs even less fascinating. For three, the overall mixing of the vocals and instrumentals tends to become consistently shoddy for the most part, distracting away from the ecstatic display of emotions that are pulsing within the compositions and writing.
For a debut that’s undertaking a new direction around the sound and the writing, Geordie Greep has certainly delivered what he had aimed for within ‘The New Sound’. At its best, it’s a wondrous experience where the humor and the awe are flawlessly delivered through the immense set of melodies, performances, and lyrical detail; at its worst, it’s a project that’s structurally shambling on the seams, where the mixing and specific prog-rock jitteriness only distracts away from the majesty that the album pulls together more than it does not. It might be a performance that’s extremely close to breaking down on the steeple, but this new sound still is enthralling. A magnificence that only surges through the most impressive of musicians.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Terra’, ‘Holy Holy’, ‘The New Sound’, ‘Through A War’, ‘As If Waltz’, ‘The Magician’
Least Favorite Track: ‘Walk Up’