DUALITY
Holy smokes... I haven't been this blown back by a band in a long time.
I was aware of RA by name only, and I knew they had a mild Egyptian
influence in their music, but
Duality is the first I have heard of them, and I am completely impressed by their style.
The second I heard Sahaj Ticotin's lead vocals, I thought 'Sting on
Steroids'...and apparently I'm not the first person to draw that
parallel, because lo and behold...track 11 is a cover of "Every Little
Thing She Does Is Magic" by the POLICE, which stays pretty true to the
original.
I have bitched, pissed, and moaned plenty of times about bands not
giving a shit about songwriting or musicianship in 2005, but a few
listens to
Duality
has me eating my words. "Fallen Angels" is an excellent choice for a
first single, and showcases the band's tightness, and their ability to
craft a decent hook. Ticotin's harmonies and vocal range are something
I haven't heard in a good 15/20 years... it's nice to know someone
still gives a crap about learning how to sing.
"I Lost Everything Today" is another stellar track, and the vocals will
absolutely invoke an image of the POLICE. The hook is great; very
memorable, and it reminds me of the songs GALACTIC COWBOYS wrote, only
more refined. Rather than just pasting riffs together, and singing like
a madman, these guys are crafting beautiful songs.
A few other stand out tracks are the acoustic/electric conversation
with God, "Superman" and "Got Me Going", which features some
significant Egyptian influences with the verse vocals, but rips right
into a very sharp, hooky chorus.
Quite often, a band will hit the dreaded 'Sophomore Slump' after
releasing their first album; I'm going to go out on a limb and say that
their first release
From One is just as amazing...iTunes here I come.
