DAVE DAVIES
''FRACTURED MINDZ''
JULY 31 2007
54:22
1. This Is The Time/6:45
2. Free Me/4:17
3. All About Me/3:07
4. Come To The River/4:32
5. Giving/4:19
6. Remember Who You Are/3:52
7. The Waiting Hours/3:20
8. Rock Siva/7:21
9. The Blessing/4:02
10. Fractured Mindz/7:17
11. God In My Brain/5:31
All Tracks By Davies
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Since he was the legendary wildman of the Kinks -- the man responsible for their proto-heavy metal guitars, the battling brother of Ray -- it's been easy to pigeonhole Dave Davies as just a hard rocker but anybody who paid close attention to his solo work would know that he has a spiritual, even mystical, dimension to his music. It should come as little surprise that Fractured Mindz, his first album since his 2004 stroke, emphasizes this spiritual side; brushes with mortality tend to bring that out in an artist. But even if this is filled with references to his stroke -- whether it's in the very title of the album, the determination of "Remember Who You Are" or the meditative "The Blessing" -- Fractured Mindz doesn't exist entirely within the scope of Davies' mind. He has songs that strike out against the state of the world today, such as "Free Me," which help give this album an air of defiance that's kind of inspiring. Also inspiring is the very fact that Davies -- who initially couldn't play and had trouble singing -- made this album through some considerable difficulty and that it isn't an album that's resting on his laurels. He's attempting to carve out new territory through songs like "The Blessing," and he's updating the Kinks bluesy garage rock effectively with "Come to the River," so there's a lot going on here that's worth exploring. Unfortunately, much of this is married to a rigid drum machine and outdated synthesizers that give Fractured Mindz a curious out-of-phase feel, as if it was resurrected from 1986. This may make the album a little bit hard on the ears at times, but it's hard to blame Davies for relying on such out-of-date synthesized instruments -- they were the homemade tools that helped him construct this album, so even if they give the record a bit of a stiffness, it's easy to admire his doggedness and ambition on this worthy, if flawed, album.
MORE REVIEW
by Leslie Ohanian
Fractured Mindz is the first solo album of all new material by Dave Davies since 2002’s Bug and it was well worth the wait! This album is a limited release, and for now, a website-only CD. This album will grab your attention and imagination for the whole span of the nine songs contained on it.
The album’s opener “Free Me” is a great rocking song with a gritty guitar accompaniment and tinkling piano intro. Its snarling vocals espouse freedom from the government, which struck me as being of a very similar theme to a few songs from Glamour but colored with the outlook of someone a few years older and wiser, and thoroughly fed up with the status quo.
On the surface “All About Me” is a fun song with a snippet of Dave speaking in a very high-pitched voice speaking French. But on closer listen it’s really the darkest ego exposed to the high-powered magnifying glass that Dave wields. The character in this song is not only self absorbed, “attention, give it all to me” he’s also power mad, and he proudly states; “I will abuse you, if I choose to.” It’s a bit like the seven deadly sins backed by a horn section.
The next song, “Come to the River” was played at a few of the live shows Dave did in 2004. It’s a very bluesy number with themes that most of us can relate to: the horror of mounting debts and societal apathy, and fighting the urge to give up. There’s almost an old fashion revival feel to it, as it urges the listener to “remember what the good book said” and “come to the river of light”.
“Giving” has an ethereal dream-like quality with double-tracked and echoing vocals punctuated by trademark Dave Davies guitar riffs. The contrast of the two makes for a really intriguing composition. It feels like it’s about loss or losing love, giving without getting anything return.
For the fifth track Dave seems to take a slice out from George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and adds his own touch with “Remember Who You Are”. It’s a positive uplifting tune that reminds us to never give in to the darker side of life and “lift your head up to the sun.” It’s a really catchy tune with a chorus that will play in your head long after the song is over. I really like the line “you are a divine soul”.
“The Waiting Hours” cautions against getting caught up in the superficial. The true things are within your heart and soul. There’s an otherworldly ethereal and angelic quality to Dave’s vocals. A very trippy guitar solo almost sounds like it may have been recorded backwards.
There’s a taste of “You Really Got Me” in the intro to “Rock Siva”, which is an interesting lead in to the line: “I believe in Rock n Roll, I believe in my immortal soul” That line is just one example of the lyrics that are a very interesting reflection of the mix of guitar god and the spiritual being that Dave is at his very core. The contrast of the thumping bass and rocking guitar mixed with the chanting in the background of the words “Om Namah Shivaya Om” seems to show that those two aspects are not necessary incompatible, and can co-exist quite nicely.
“The Blessing” is a beautiful piece that is meant to be a companion to a special meditation Dave wrote that can be found at: http://www.davedavies.com/fractured-mindz/blessing.htm. In Dave’s own words “We are divine beings. We need to reconnect with the divine part of ourselves, charge ourselves with these forces and attract these higher vibratory energies towards us in order to bring balance and harmony; truth and clarity to consciousness and spiritual meaning to our lives and existence. The way we think and feel can provide opportunities for change; changing even matter and form itself.”
The last track, “Fractured Minds”, starts out with Dave not singing but speaking the lyrics while heavily digitised voices swoop in and out of his words like a sound track to a nightmare. Then a distorted guitar joins in, sounding almost like a howl of despair as the singer commands us to “Look at me damn you!” to look beyond his outward mask, and the ego, to the soul trapped inside the “fractured mind”.
For Fractured Mindz, Dave Davies has written songs that represent the heart, the mind and the soul. He doesn’t shy away from the negative, and celebrates the positive and shines his light on all those glorious, diverse puzzle pieces that come together to make a complete human being, even those with “fractured minds”.
''FRACTURED MINDZ''
JULY 31 2007
54:22
1. This Is The Time/6:45
2. Free Me/4:17
3. All About Me/3:07
4. Come To The River/4:32
5. Giving/4:19
6. Remember Who You Are/3:52
7. The Waiting Hours/3:20
8. Rock Siva/7:21
9. The Blessing/4:02
10. Fractured Mindz/7:17
11. God In My Brain/5:31
All Tracks By Davies
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Since he was the legendary wildman of the Kinks -- the man responsible for their proto-heavy metal guitars, the battling brother of Ray -- it's been easy to pigeonhole Dave Davies as just a hard rocker but anybody who paid close attention to his solo work would know that he has a spiritual, even mystical, dimension to his music. It should come as little surprise that Fractured Mindz, his first album since his 2004 stroke, emphasizes this spiritual side; brushes with mortality tend to bring that out in an artist. But even if this is filled with references to his stroke -- whether it's in the very title of the album, the determination of "Remember Who You Are" or the meditative "The Blessing" -- Fractured Mindz doesn't exist entirely within the scope of Davies' mind. He has songs that strike out against the state of the world today, such as "Free Me," which help give this album an air of defiance that's kind of inspiring. Also inspiring is the very fact that Davies -- who initially couldn't play and had trouble singing -- made this album through some considerable difficulty and that it isn't an album that's resting on his laurels. He's attempting to carve out new territory through songs like "The Blessing," and he's updating the Kinks bluesy garage rock effectively with "Come to the River," so there's a lot going on here that's worth exploring. Unfortunately, much of this is married to a rigid drum machine and outdated synthesizers that give Fractured Mindz a curious out-of-phase feel, as if it was resurrected from 1986. This may make the album a little bit hard on the ears at times, but it's hard to blame Davies for relying on such out-of-date synthesized instruments -- they were the homemade tools that helped him construct this album, so even if they give the record a bit of a stiffness, it's easy to admire his doggedness and ambition on this worthy, if flawed, album.
MORE REVIEW
by Leslie Ohanian
Fractured Mindz is the first solo album of all new material by Dave Davies since 2002’s Bug and it was well worth the wait! This album is a limited release, and for now, a website-only CD. This album will grab your attention and imagination for the whole span of the nine songs contained on it.
The album’s opener “Free Me” is a great rocking song with a gritty guitar accompaniment and tinkling piano intro. Its snarling vocals espouse freedom from the government, which struck me as being of a very similar theme to a few songs from Glamour but colored with the outlook of someone a few years older and wiser, and thoroughly fed up with the status quo.
On the surface “All About Me” is a fun song with a snippet of Dave speaking in a very high-pitched voice speaking French. But on closer listen it’s really the darkest ego exposed to the high-powered magnifying glass that Dave wields. The character in this song is not only self absorbed, “attention, give it all to me” he’s also power mad, and he proudly states; “I will abuse you, if I choose to.” It’s a bit like the seven deadly sins backed by a horn section.
The next song, “Come to the River” was played at a few of the live shows Dave did in 2004. It’s a very bluesy number with themes that most of us can relate to: the horror of mounting debts and societal apathy, and fighting the urge to give up. There’s almost an old fashion revival feel to it, as it urges the listener to “remember what the good book said” and “come to the river of light”.
“Giving” has an ethereal dream-like quality with double-tracked and echoing vocals punctuated by trademark Dave Davies guitar riffs. The contrast of the two makes for a really intriguing composition. It feels like it’s about loss or losing love, giving without getting anything return.
For the fifth track Dave seems to take a slice out from George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and adds his own touch with “Remember Who You Are”. It’s a positive uplifting tune that reminds us to never give in to the darker side of life and “lift your head up to the sun.” It’s a really catchy tune with a chorus that will play in your head long after the song is over. I really like the line “you are a divine soul”.
“The Waiting Hours” cautions against getting caught up in the superficial. The true things are within your heart and soul. There’s an otherworldly ethereal and angelic quality to Dave’s vocals. A very trippy guitar solo almost sounds like it may have been recorded backwards.
There’s a taste of “You Really Got Me” in the intro to “Rock Siva”, which is an interesting lead in to the line: “I believe in Rock n Roll, I believe in my immortal soul” That line is just one example of the lyrics that are a very interesting reflection of the mix of guitar god and the spiritual being that Dave is at his very core. The contrast of the thumping bass and rocking guitar mixed with the chanting in the background of the words “Om Namah Shivaya Om” seems to show that those two aspects are not necessary incompatible, and can co-exist quite nicely.
“The Blessing” is a beautiful piece that is meant to be a companion to a special meditation Dave wrote that can be found at: http://www.davedavies.com/fractured-mindz/blessing.htm. In Dave’s own words “We are divine beings. We need to reconnect with the divine part of ourselves, charge ourselves with these forces and attract these higher vibratory energies towards us in order to bring balance and harmony; truth and clarity to consciousness and spiritual meaning to our lives and existence. The way we think and feel can provide opportunities for change; changing even matter and form itself.”
The last track, “Fractured Minds”, starts out with Dave not singing but speaking the lyrics while heavily digitised voices swoop in and out of his words like a sound track to a nightmare. Then a distorted guitar joins in, sounding almost like a howl of despair as the singer commands us to “Look at me damn you!” to look beyond his outward mask, and the ego, to the soul trapped inside the “fractured mind”.
For Fractured Mindz, Dave Davies has written songs that represent the heart, the mind and the soul. He doesn’t shy away from the negative, and celebrates the positive and shines his light on all those glorious, diverse puzzle pieces that come together to make a complete human being, even those with “fractured minds”.
No comments :
Post a Comment