As part of our Inside Indusrty Masterclasses August 2010, professional Music Journalist Wendy Roby spent the day at OPEN in Norwich coaching a group of budding young writers. After sharing some inside knowledge about her role as a journalist and her route into the music industry, Wendy gave advice and tips on how to write a good review and how to start thinking about getting it published.
As part of the workshop the participants were encouraged to put into practice some of what they had learnt and review the new single
‘Iamundernodisguise’ by School of Seven Bells. Below are some examples of their work.
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Anita - Where are Alejandra and Claudia Deheza? They might as well be in an abandoned warehouse, alone, rocking back and forth like someone recently escaped from an asylum. Feeling the need to repeat themselves throughout the song, lyrically, this suggests someone who isn’t sure of themselves and needs comfort.
The fact that there are no gaps in the song title, makes the words constructing ‘Iamundernodisguise’ almost meaningless and immediately evokes the feeling of loss and instability throughout the song.
The use of repetitive lyrics and drums gives a psychadelic sound not necessarily genre-specific.
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Jed - The school of the seven bells new single iamundernodisguise is a serene approach to the folk genre , an easy listening and fluid feel good tune and one I recommend. With a beautiful vocal harmony that almost sends chills down your spine by the two identical twins Alehandra and Claudia Deheza, the band consists of the two twins and Benjamin Curtis. Curtis who primarily plays guitar but also manipulate electronic sounds to add an added ambience to their music, I believe they have a bright future in the world of music with a very obscure and interesting style of music what conjures up the memory of the goa rock style of pink Floyd. There are very little elements of this tune that let it down such as the Reese bass that drones on throughout the song. The song has a powerful feeling with the lyrics I am under no disguise, what creates the image of a lost child finding themselves, the repetition of these word adds emphasis to her point and make for a strong song all in all it is a captivating piece of music which conveys several different emotions and fits multiple purposes I would give recommend this as a Sunday morning chiller with happy faces and smoke rings to match.
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Noah a.k.a. Aeon Flux - This Song Is An Average Song In My Eyes, But The Views Of The People In Norfolk Will Vary Massively. This Is Due To One Single Factor. The Simple Fact That There Is No Solid Genre For This Song.
This Is The Only Negative Comment Which Immediately Jumps To My Mind. I Cannot Speak For Others, But I Believe That A Song Should Have Only One Or Two Solid Genres. This Is Because Of The Preferences Of The Average Human. Most People Prefer One Genre Over Any And Detest Two Or Three Genres Over Any. I Personally Enjoy Metal / Rock, Disliking Wafty, Fluid Sounds. This Is A Mixture Of All These Plus Even More Genres! This Means That No One Can Have A 100% Mutual Opinion Of This Song.
On A More Positive Note The Swelling Start Is Good For Building Sorrowful People Up To The Rhythm Of The Main Song. This Means That No Matter How You Feel, Hot To Trot Or Cool Cat Not, You Can Enjoy This Song And Feel Good Afterwards. Another Positive Note Is The Layered Effect Of The Build Up. This Makes Everyone Familiar With The Different Segments Of The Song. Due To This, Everyone Will Hear All Parts Of This Song And How They Change A Whole Lot More Easily Than They Would Have Without The Layered Build Up. The Simple Yet Effective Baseline And Drumline Add Feel To The Rest Of The Song Making The Song Stronger Than The Average Song.
My Final Comment Is The Clear Vocals. This Makes It Easy To Understand The Song, Understand Its Views And Write This Review. My Percentage Evaluation Is 66%. This Is Because Of The Strong Baseline, Drumline And Vocals, But The Mixture Of Genres Ruins The Song.
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