We Have Sound - Tom Vek > Reviews > A photograph in a fashion magazine

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it rate alongside the competition	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Brilliant .  Absolutely brilliant .
Disadvantages:	Probably no follow - up .  Takes time to appreciate

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Let’s get this straight: this album isn’t your poppy, catchy, sing-a-long indie that radio one might be feeding you these days, nor is it the dad-rock days of Ocean Colour Scene nor the glory days of brit-pop. This is lo-fi, touching indie, by solo artist Tom Vek. Using a variety of electronic instrumentation, coupled with the usual guitar, bass and sparsely used drums, Vek uses his talent and determination to craft his own sound in a genre that is quickly dying on its feet in terms of originality.

So here’s the warning – only buy this album if you’re willing to give it some form of commitment. There’s no point buying ‘We Have Sound’ as some background music. Sure, songs like You set the fire in me C-C and Nothing but green lights are incredibly inventive, and do there utmost to keep the listener engaged, but unless you’re willing to put the time and effort in, this album will be nothing more than something to fill up your record collection. All 10 songs are, in some or other, challenging and need some kind of analysis and thought to truly understand – whether this is a dark lyric (particularly in the descriptions of the car in ‘On The Road’) or a particularly interesting intro to a song (Nothing but Green Lights), there are small sections of each that will stay with you, begging to be broken down and re-assembled to make some sense.

Don’t get me wrong, this music isn’t a chore – far from it. Once you’re comfortable with the sound and the lo-fi nature of the recording, this is a treat to behold. On The Road is a prime example of this. The penultimate song on the album, its lyrics are simple and, it could be argued, are meaningless. However, once the ear has become accustomed to the sound, to the melody and beats, the song blossoms like a flower, taking on new, touching depth.

As with any album, there are the low points – We Have Sound noticeably dips towards the middle. This isn’t to say that Cover, If I changed my mind or A little word in your ear are substandard songs – far from it. Each have their own personalities, their own little feel to them for the listener to consume, but when compared to the album’s noticeable riffs and signature loops and hooks, the core of the album doesn’t match up. Of course, this is a compliment to the beginning and end of the album rather than a criticism of the middle.

Although a follow-up looks increasingly unlikely, given Vek’s reluctance to commit to anything, it’s probably best that this album stands alone for the rest of time. It’s slowed down, stripped back sound, encouraged by Vek’s passionate, often raspy and unpredictable voice, it works much more as an album than it does individual tracks, which may explain why the singles never did well, but the album has somewhat of a cult following. If you listened to Kid A and Amnesiac and thought ‘ACE!’ or just like something with an incredibly personal feel and has almost a time-release feel to it, We Have Sound comes highly recommended. To the well trained ear, this album will last as many listens as you want it to. As Bloc Party once sang, this album has always new depths.