Elliot Minor - Elliot Minor > Reviews > A 'Parallel World' debut

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Songs are good for whatever mood you are in
Disadvantages:	Some inexperience with the song writing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Elliot Minor with their debut, self-titled album (11 tracks). The band hailing from York, England, are all classically trained musicians, between them they can play violin, cello, piano, clarinet, double bass and saxophone. After hearing the songs they released on the radio and various music channels you can hear the blend of classical music (if you imagine it updated and played with guitars) with more modern genres such as punk, indie and metal. This combination of genres makes for an original yet awesome style of music.

I decided that when they went on tour I would go see them. Between me deciding I really liked this band, and tickets for the tour going on sale, I managed to get my girlfriend hooked. Once discovering she liked them too, I found out a lot of her friends also did, and that the popularity of Elliot Minor was growing fast.

When an offer of a pre-public release album was available from their official website, I jumped at the opportunity and pre-ordered the album. It arrived 2 days before the official public release date. This coincidentally coincided with me seeing the band the night before. The band were awesome live, and I had high expectations for the album.

The next day the packaged arrived, so I put the CD into my CD player and I have to say I was not disappointed. All the singles - Parallel Worlds, Jessica, The White One Is Evil and Still Figuring Out - were included, and the other songs are all pretty good. As this is the first release from the band, you can see that there is some inexperience in their music writing. Some of the songs just don't "feel" as good as others - but a lot of bands have this on debut albums, especially when the singles are very good (thus setting high expectations). However, these songs are still very good and there aren't any tracks on the album that make me want to skip past them.

The album opens with 'Time After Time', which is a perfect opening track. It gives the listener a taste of what is to come, it's catchy - making you want to listen on and not skip past it, and it shows the classical influences of the band. Once I heard this track for the first time, I did couldn't wait to hear the rest. As this track ends and the second one kicks in, you have the very powerful 'Parallel Worlds' - which in my opinion is the best song on the album - fast, upbeat and a great song to sing a long with. The album carries on with a mix of upbeat happy songs, with the occasional mellow song, finally ending with 'Last Call To New York City'. The track title fits as the last track for any album, and after listening to the song, it makes a very good closing song - it ends the album, and you know it's the end. A song that makes the listener feel like the album is ending is the best song to use as the last track (makes sense doesn't it?). The order of the tracks on the album has been chosen well, at no point does the listener start to think one song sounds like the last song.

The artwork is very different. Its kind of "spooky". The only relation I can make is to Tim Burton's work. If you know who he is then you will understand what I mean. Personally artwork comes down to a personal preference, and in this case I like it. The song 'Parallel Worlds' is about a paranormal experience, and I believe the artwork for the album is based on this song.

From the powerful ballad 'The Liar Is You', to the slow and strong 'Silently', to the fast, up beat and "feel good" 'Jessica', this album has songs to cover all emotions. Whether you want to dance, jump and be happy or sit back relax and take it easy. This album is worth a purchase and should appeal to anyone who considers their self a fan of "rock" music in general, as well as anyone who likes something a bit different, and "feel-good" music. This album is very unique. The cross between three or four genres works very well, and the outcome is unlike any other CD I own. The more I listen to it, the more the songs I don't like as much grow on me, and the harder it is becoming to say which tracks I like the best.

Overall I would give this album 5 out of 5 stars (perhaps I am a little generous) it is definitely worth buying if you liked any of the singles, or if you are slightly unsure about the album.