Radical Face the Family Tree the Roots Review

Review: Radical Face, The Family Tree: The Roots

September 17, 2011 at 18:09 (Albums, Creative person Profiles, Awards News, News, Opinion, Reviews)
Tags: a pound of flesh, bear machine, ben cooper, electric president, folk music, indie, morr music, popular, radical face up, review, the family tree, the family unit tree: the roots, the roots, welcome home

Prototype courtesy of Radical Face

It was some years ago now that I roughshod in dearest with the music of Ben Cooper, and I've listened to his Electric President albums and solo releases under the moniker Radical Face so religiously that they've go a surrogate home for my ears. Information technology hasn't always been easy trying to justify publishing news stories and opinion pieces about Cooper's music on this site, which is first and foremost dedicated to folk music- but we've always managed to make some kind of link. Withal, for this Radical Face album; the long awaited follow-upwards to 2007 debut Ghosts, and the first in a trilogy of records post-obit the tale of a fictional family, the Northcotes, through its generations, we have had no such trouble justifying every bit folk music. In fact, this has to be ane of the albums almost deeply rooted in tradition that we've ever reviewed on Timber & Steel- just in a different way than what we're used to.

The Family Tree: The Roots is dedicated to the beginning two generations of the Northcotes' family tree and is narratively based in the 1800s. A claiming that Cooper set himself in the making of this anthology was to use simply the musical tools bachelor from that era to tell the family unit's story: piano, voice, guitar, banjo, strings and basic percussion. The result isn't a traditionally authentic sound- that was never Cooper'south intention. But listening to this album now, one tin can recognise the enormous potential for the relative stylistic simplicity of this part one of The Family Tree trilogy to provide a wonderful sense of historical context when it is someday joined past (and compared to) office two of the trilogy The Branches and role three The Relatives.

Die hard Radical Face fans amongst our readership must be dying to know- is this album as good as Ghosts? The answer is; yep, it is. But it's too somewhat different, which I'm sure volition atomic number 82 some people to believe that it'southward not as good at all. When I say different- I don't hateful it on like a Dylan going electric scale. The album however reflects all of the hallmarks of Cooper's songwriting that nosotros've come to honey; the layers upon layers of stirring instrumentals that fold together and follow classic storyline curves to achieve beautiful climaxes. Accept "A Pound Of Flesh" for case. It'southward not all that different from songs like "Doorways". Bated from being brilliant, the constant dancing piano line lays the foundation for the residuum of the system to build upon, sinks abroad and and so rises back to the foreground like a brilliant, long-lost retentiveness. You will observe with this song though, and throughout quite a lot of the album, that a section of the arrangement follows a peculiar timing. In this case, iii repeating confined. I've listened to plenty jazz fusion and prog in my days to accommodate to unexpected timings, and although it'south only the slightest abnormality, I could understand how information technology might amerce some listeners. If in that location'south one constant factor that unifies all walks of popular music it'south that information technology'south at the very to the lowest degree predictable and comfortable- and despite all its texture and dissimilarity Cooper's music has e'er been that. "Family Portrait" is another song that doesn't practise entirely what you expect it to, but what information technology does do is lovely. Lord's day drunk and woozy instrumentals break upwardly verses that are, I believe, uncharacteristic of Ben Cooper. 1 thing I've ever admired near Cooper'south brand of storytelling is the ambivalence of his words. He tells his own stories, simply through imagery and introducing ideas indirectly and subtly which leaves the listener with only the tools to construct their own impression of the song and no instruction transmission to tell you what it should have left you with. In this vocal Cooper strays every bit close as he's always come to a  literal, state-the-facts style of storytelling, peradventure considering in that location's and so much story to tell. It's a great song, just one more case of why I would cartel to judge the album a little bit "unlike".

I can't help but smile when I retrieve about how much joy this album volition provide to and then many people. Like me, tens of thousands of people volition sit downwards with this aforementioned-simply-unlike offering that'southward been so long in the making and feel the way they felt the outset time they e'er listened to Ghosts, and with the development of the audio, find new reasons to love Radical Face amongst the old ones. The showtime fourth dimension you listen to a record, it'south always hard to imagine that oneday information technology will feel like home, no matter how much y'all similar it- information technology's like moving into a new business firm. I vividly remember not beingness able to to listen to The Tallest Homo On World'southward sophomore anthology for weeks subsequently I got it because I loved the first one so much that I wasn't ready for something that sounded a lot like information technology but wan't the same. I tin tell you now that if yous loved Radical Face'due south showtime album, then y'all will love songs like "Black Eyes", "Severus Rock", "Ghost Towns", "The Dead Flit" and "Mountains", which all follow a similar recipe to the nearly successful and loved Radical Face tracks similar "Welcome Home", "Wrapped In Pianoforte Strings" and "Doorways". Just what'due south more than, you'll honey songs like "Kin", "The Moon Is Downwardly", "Always Gilt" and the aforementioned "A Pound Of Mankind" and "Family unit Portrait", considering they're what set this album autonomously from everything you've known before. If you've been reading carefully, y'all'd have noticed that I've stated, at one point or another, that yous will love just virtually every song on the anthology- and that'southward my indicate. All in all, the album is equally as emotive equally Ghosts, but not in such a warming, empowering way. For me, this doesn't take anything away from the experience at all, afterwards all, Electrical President's Sleep Well album (themed around nightmares, monsters,  and over-imaginative fear) is still one of my favourites. Even if you can't imagine loving information technology now- you volition.

As good every bit information technology is, there's probably not i detail song on The Family Tree: The Roots that will receive as much attending equally much every bit "Welcome Dwelling" has, and volition continue to recieve. It's non an album of singles, that's for certain. Information technology would be unfair to even suggest that the anthology should exist considered as a whole. The reality of the thing is that this album is 1 of three parts, and while the notion of an album trilogy is so remarkably ambitious that I'm non even remotely surprised that Ben Cooper had to resort to releasing the trilogy independently, I truly believe that when this body of work is completed, the finished production will be a work of genius.

"A Pound of Flesh" – Radical Face

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