Courtesy: The Sign Records
Independent neo-classic rock band Night is keeping itself busy this year. The band released a new two-song 7” recording in April. More than four months after its release the band released another recording in the form of its new album High Tides – Distant Skies. The band’s fourth album and fifth studio recording, this latest offering from the band further establishes Night as one of the pre-eminent acts in the neo-classic rock realm. That is proven through the recording’s musical and lyrical content, each of which will be discussed here in itself. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements. Each noted item is important in its own right to the whole of the recording. All things considered, they make High Tides – Distant Skies a presentation that Night’s fans and classic rock fans alike will enjoy day and….night. Yes, that awful pun was intended.
High Tides – Distant Skies is a successful new offering from Night. The nine-song record is arguably the best record to date that the band has released. It is a presentation that cements the band’s place in the neo-classic rock realm. That is proven in part through the record’s musical arrangements. From beginning to end, the 37-minute album’s musical arrangements show the band’s influences while also exhibiting even more, the band’s own identity separate from those influences. ‘Crimson Past,’ which comes early in the album’s run is one way in which the noted influences are exhibited. This song’s arrangement is a near director mirror of Blue Oyster Cult’s timeless hit ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper.’ As a matter of fact, if one were to listen to this song without knowing it was Night, one would immediately think it was in fact the noted song. Luckily for the band, it is the only point in this record in which the band so blatantly takes a page from one of its influences. ‘Give Me to The Night’ meanwhile clearly takes influence from a work, such as Judas Priest’s ‘Freewheel Burning’ and makes it into its own standout offering that is unquestionably one of the album’s best works. Thatis thanks to its up-tempo, old school shredding, solid time keeping, full, rich low-end and equally powerful vocals. It is yet another way in which the record’s musical content shows the record’s strength, and also the band’s growth as a unit. Meanwhile, a song, such as ‘Here On My Own’ takes the band’s love of all things classic rock in another, unique way and gives audiences something nuanced and unique in its own right. The driving guitar riff, bass, and full drum sound (and style) evidence the band’s love for early metal. It may not be as heavy as old school Judas Priest, Saxon and others, but it still presents that old school metal influence. It is just one more way in which the record’s musical content shows why the album’s musical arrangements prove so important to the album’s presentation, and hardly the last way in which they reach that goal. One could just as easily cite songs, such as ‘Burning The Sky,’ ‘Falling in the Black,’ and ‘Shadow Gold’ in order to make the same statement. All things considered, a close listen through this album from start to finish leaves no doubt as to the importance of its musical content. It is just one of the elements that makes the album worth hearing. Its lyrical content adds its own layer of interest to its presentation.
The lyrical content featured throughout this recording is important to note because in some cases, it presents familiar topics in unique fashions. In other cases, it presents more original topics in their own unique ways. Case in point is the lyrical theme featured in ‘Here on My Own.’ This song’s lyrical topic seems to center on the topic of someone who was missing a certain significant other. This is inferred as front man Oscar Andersson sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “I was going nowhere/I was lost at sea/I saw clouds of thunder /Coming straight at me/I was climbing higher/For a greater view/I could see the coastline/And I thought I saw you/I stand looking out/I’m the king of the world/As I reach out for you/My voice is unheard/ Here on my own/Out in the dark/I’m drifting away.” He continues in the song’s second verse, “I’m a fallen sailor/On a stormy sea/And it just reminds me/Where I have to be/Now the sky is clearing/As I’m reaching shore/And I start to wonder/Where I have been before?” The song’s third and final verse makes even clearer, the noted topic as Andersson sings, “Screaming out for help/My words are drowned/Taken by the wind/And never to be found/I can see your eyes/But they don’t see me/I hear your voice as it echoes away.” There is obviously a lot of metaphorical language here, but the central topic clearly is that of someone who has lost his romantic interest. Again, it is a familiar topic that permeates every realm of the overall musical universe, but it is presented in its own unique fashion here that is easy to understand. That ability to take an all too familiar topic and present it in a fresh fashion makes it just one example of what makes the album’s lyrical content so important to the record’s whole. It is just one of the ways in which the album’s lyrical content shows its importance. ‘Falling in the Black’ is another example of what makes the album’s lyrical content important to the LP’s presentation.
‘Falling in the Black’ comes across lyrically as a song that addresses a person’s struggler with his inner emotional concerns. That is inferred right from the song’s lead verse and chorus, in which Andersson sings, “I walk across an empty field/I’m looking back/At the times that just went by/It’s a feeling/I can’t explain/What can I do/I am left here by myself/Must be a way out of here/I’m at the final frontier/ Falling in the black/I had to give in/As the wheel keeps on turning/This world will be grim/But I will be gone.” The noted topic seems even more the case as he sings in the song’s second verse, “Another war is facing me/But how can I fight/When there is nothing left to win/I stand alone on this battleground/I’m looking out/As I take my final stand.” The song’s third and final verse follows very much in similar fashion. To that end, there is little need to go further here. As with the previously addressed song’s content, this song’s content is relatable in its own way to listeners. The matter of the inner struggle is nothing new to music or even literature of any kind. And its presentation here is certain to resonate with listeners who are feeling the same way. In turn, that connection will hopefully help those listeners heal emotionally as they take in such lyrics. That ability to connect to listeners, all while presenting such a familiar topic, shows why this song is another key example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content. It is just one more example of what makes the album’s lyrical content so important to its whole. ‘Shadow Gold,’ which opens the album, is one more way in which the record’s lyrical content shows its importance.
‘Shadow Gold’ presents lyrical content that is slightly more difficult to figure out than those of ‘Falling in the Black,’ ‘Here on My Own’ and the album’s other songs. This song’s lyrical theme is certain to generate its own share of discussion and interest because it is not as straight forward in its delivery. Andersson sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “When the night has got no exit/And there is no one left around/Gotta move your feet from/feeling heavy/But you’re moving with the sound/When the night falls/On these hidden walls/We start moving on our own/When they’re sleeping/We are seeking/For that shadow gold/Shadow gold.” The song’s second verse maintains that interest as Andersson sings, “When the night has got no exit/And there is no one left around/Gotta move your feet from/feeling heavy/But you’re moving with the sound/When the night falls/On these hidden walls/We start moving on our own/When they’re sleeping/We are seeking/For that shadow gold/Shadow gold.” This seems to have more of a positive, uplifting message, considering the lines that make note of “seeking for that shadow gold” and of life being “Like a treasure from a past life/Like a treasure from the wild.” It is as if the song is attempting to translate a message of appreciating things in life that maybe others don’t see, and doing so metaphorically. This is wholly this critic’s interpretation and is not guaranteed to be correct. Though hopefully it is close to being correct. Keeping that in mind, it is clear that the song’s lyrical content will generate plenty of discussion. That discussion in itself shows even more why the album’s lyrical content is so important to its presentation. When this is considered along with the importance shown through the already discussed songs and the rest of the album’s lyrical content, the whole of that content leaves no doubt as to the album’s lyrical content. When it is considered along with the album’s musical content, the whole of that content gives listeners every reason to hear this album at least once. Even with all of that in mind, there is still at least one more aspect to address that does its own part to enhance the album’s presentation. That aspect is the album’s sequencing.
The sequencing of High Tides – Distant Skies is important because it ensures the album’s energy will keep listeners just as engaged as the content itself. The record opens on an upbeat note in ‘Shadow Gold.’ That upbeat sense in the song’s arrangement would seem to strengthen the aforementioned argument about the song’s lyrical content. While the stylistic approaches to the songs change from one song to the next here, the album’s overall energy does not let up. The only time at which the album’s energy pulls back even in the slightest is briefly in the opening bars of ‘Lost in a Dream.’ Other than that point, the album does not let up too much at any point. That sustained energy even in the stylistic changes makes it its own sustained appeal for listener. It works with the album’s overall content to make the record an overall presentation that any neo-classic rock fan should hear at least once.
Night’s latest LP High Tides – Distant Skies is a presentation that easily holds its own in this year’s field of new neo-classic rock albums. That is proven through musical arrangements that show clearly, the band’s influences while also giving the songs their own identity. The two sides are well-balanced here. The lyrical themes featured with the song’s musical arrangements add their own appeal to the album thanks to their ability to connect with listeners. The album’s sequencing rounds out its own touch to its presentation. Even with the stylistic changes from song to song, the album’s energy stays relatively stable. This ensures the album’s appeal even more. All three items noted here are important in their own right to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make Night’s new LP among the most notable of this year’s new neo-classic rock albums. More information on the record is available online at http://www.facebook.com/nightbandofficial.
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