THE DAY BEFORE
It’s 12 midnight exactly and I am going to take another crack at deciphering Subsignal’s latest release Touchstones. This is my third and final attempt. If I can’t figure this band out, I’m tossing their digital download into my digital garbage can and moving on!
They’re brilliant rock clones, clever and creatively blessed. They’re JOURNEY, FOREIGNER, and also YES. They’re REO SPEEDWAGON meets a sold-out STYX- their stories are not happy but I need another fix. As I admire their patina, they switch into LOGGINS and MESSINA. I think my hearing may be a little bit off, are their harmonies just like SEALS & CROFTS?
Subsignal is a band of amazing depth and talent. Yet this is also a band that sometimes settles for a re-worked melody for the verses; before sending you into a flight of EPIC progressive rock. Just as you begin to fly with them, Subsignal pulls back for the kick-ass chorus. I hate that. They are formulaic with their song structure and I want them to release from that and embrace their full progressive potential. But am I asking too much? This is more than a progressive rock band.
I love the chorus. Sometimes I really love the chorus. Sometimes I want to tell them to shove their Seals and Crofts. What is this subsignal I’m getting addicted to? Is it retro-prog? Is it just clever ear candy? Is it good music or an old-fashioned steal? Is it a masterwork or touchstone on the road to mediocrity? I love their lyrics- their stories. Did I mention that?
“another mile on this old road another hour, another breath
the thousand deaths we die in life, rolling the boulder up the hill
the shifting sands of destiny, covering what we’d hoped to be” -Touchstones
Listening to the title track, Touchstones, none of those questions matter. I am placing progressive rock expectations on a band that views themselves as a combination of genres: AOR, Progressive Rock, and Metal.
David Bertok
Lead vocalist Arno Menses channels Steve Perry with a range and quality that literally sends shivers down my spine. The rhythm section of bassist Ralph Schwager and Roel Van Helden on drums/percussion is flawless. Guitarist Markus Steffen is precise and exacting, with a style that makes me smile because it reminds me of some of my favorite bands; all of which are mentioned above.
The unsung hero of this band may be keyboardist David Bertok. From beautiful, poignant piano to keyboard arrangements that are fresh yet familiar, Mr. Bertok brings a richness to Subsignal that lessor bands can only dream about. Finally, there are the backing vocals and they are well-arranged; sometimes too CSN for my liking but that is a minor point.
What we must keep in mind is Subsignal has developed a strong style. The blending of three genres can weaken the core sound, and that is always a concern. If a band gets stuck between genres, they lose potential fans from all genres. But Subsignal counters this with strong songwriting skills, excellent arrangements, clever transitions, powerful vocals, and lyrics that are relevant and poetic. Simply stated: Make great music and your fans will find you.
‘we condemn the mystery and refrain to feel
we embrace the progress breaking any seal
we create euphoria feeding our lies
unraveling all the sideways to the source’ -Feeding Utopia
THE NEXT DAY
Ralph Scwhager & Arno Menses
It’s 6 a.m. now and I had a nice sleep, the sounds of Touchstones still ringing in my ears. I cue their new album again and drink my morning coffee. My girlfriend, soulmate and musical lover of all things 1980′s, tells me what she thinks the album is “Fame Monkey Journey”. Is Touchstones a schizophrenic collection of Journeyesque songs, with YES layered harmonies, many brilliant musical progressions and melodies that reminds us of rock bands of our youth? OK, that’s cold. She loves Journey way too much.
Subsignal
In the above paragraph, we’re only discussing tracks 2-7. Track 1, Feeding Utopia, is pure genius. And on Track 9, The Lifespan of a Glimpse, the fame monkey is completely stripped from Subsignal’s back and their music wholly arrives and it is beautiful, wonderful, a deeply engaging work of art. What we may have here is a bold attempt at commercial success combined with a powerful display of stylistic excellence. But I’m sleepy now and I may have this wrong. I will try again tomorrow.
TWO DAYS LATER
Is this review still on my desk? Sheesh. Let me read back and see what kind of havoc I’ve created. WHAT? I included track 4 in the 2-7 list? Oh no. I am so wrong. I’ve listened to this album seven more times since then. I LOVE The Size of Light on Earth! Here’s a peek at the chorus! It’s sweet…
Subsignal The Size Of Light On Earth
“glancing at beauty’s brightness, dancing until you´re whole
breaking light waves on the surface, reaching your deeper soul
win the fading beauty, see the size of light on earth, tonight
dancing to beauty’s brightness, glancing at what is whole, your soul”-The Size of Light on Earth
THAT SAME NIGHT
Did you ever notice how some albums grab your attention from the first note, others catch you half-way through, and some not at all? I’m impressed when I can sense a band’s true spirit, a purity where the music extends beyond their individual talents and achieves a kind of symbiosis with every part of our world…and maybe even resonates throughout the universe. Oh that is heady stuff but I know you’ve felt that, music lovers. And it’s here on this album, with this band.
Track 10, Embers – Part I Your Secret Is Safe With Me is where Subsignal reaches a plateau of sub-singularity. The band has tossed their 70′s rock influences into the ocean and their soul is revealed to us…the Subsignal sound is cemented and there is no other band that can make music like this- it is uniquely theirs to embrace .
It is in musical moments like this- where several musical genres meet and perfectly blend- that lovers of of all things progressive will embrace a band. Pink Floyd, YES, Dream Theater, and Porcupine Tree owe their success to the fan discovery and acceptance of their unique style. I’m calling Subsignal out on this.
Track 10 is your Dark Side of the Moon, your Awaken, and your Fools Overture. And here is where you caught me and I have caught you. Once you record a song like this, all those fame monkey songs are precursors, part of your 10,000 hours of practice to achieve perfection. Embers and the two songs that follow have space in the arrangements; beautiful open space for the vocals and instruments to shine. Embers soars…and the harmonies I made fun of a few days ago have changed and are unlike any I’ve ever heard before- simply phenomenal- and they are followed by a movement right off a Loreena McKennitt album. Saint Columcille would love Subsignal and I feel his energy surrounding this song. When the chorus returns in full glory, I’m nodding my head. Embers makes the whole album worthwhile. Now I want to see Subsignal in concert. I bet they rock the house.
The Chorus Embers – Part I Your Secret Is Safe With Me
THE NEXT MORNING
Did I mention you can buy this album in VINYL!?!?!?!?!?! Did I mention the guitar solo on track 3? It’s Camel. That’s all I need to say. Buy it. Go fucking buy this album. I have changed my mind on tracks 2-7. They are fine, so fine..it’s cool. Did you figure this review out yet? THIS ALBUM IS EPIC!!!!!!!!
A FEW MINUTES LATER
What? I’m busy listening to Subsignal’s Touchstones. Go away now. You know what to do. This review is over.
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