After several years of struggling with personal
health, label/management issues, and a loss of faith in the music
industry,
Tall Ships
return with their triumphant second album; triumphant in the same sense
as someone who has just run a marathon -- full of pride and
achievement, but a little exhausted all the same. That's not to say that
Tall Ships sound tired on
Impressions;
if anything, they have mastered quiet-loud dynamics and know how to
pace every crescendo against every moment of reprieve. It's more akin to
Mystery Jets' 2016 album
Curve of the Earth, in that it finds lead vocalist
Ric Phethean
reflecting on themes of regret and hope in equal measure, leading to
genuine emotional weight; in other words, they have matured. The
downside is that the loss of naivete detracts from the spritely side of
Tall Ships. In audible terms, this manifests with the loss of the angular, borderline math rock elements that set
Tall Ships
apart from their contemporaries. Opener "Road Not Taken" wastes no time
in tackling introspection and regret -- the title itself alludes to the
many paths that could have been explored had different decisions been
made -- with the quiet verses equating to moments of doubt and the
choruses defiantly taking ownership of the present, alluding to the
quandary the band faced after the release of their debut.
After all, the existence of this album is, in itself, a testament to Tall Ships'
tenacity: where many lesser groups would have called it a day, they
persevered. Even if a cocktail of doubt and willpower left them drained,
they have proven they don't need label advances to get their music to
the masses, a sentiment they reference on "Will to Life." The rest of
the album plays out in much the same way -- with highlights "Home" and
"Meditations" presenting slight melodic and Motorik variations,
respectively. While Impressions
does seem a little weighed down, it's really a document of their
struggle, making their second attempt to leave the runway somewhat
relatable; inevitably, it's hard not to root for them as they spread
their wings independently. And who knows, now that they've shed some
emotional ballast, perhaps album three will find them soaring even
higher.
tags: tall ships, impressions, 2017, flac,
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