TWO YEARS OF (ALMOST) ALL THE RIGHT NOISES / THUNDER (2021 - 2022)
And besides, since I write here, I have only reviwed albums I absolutely love, and even a very recent one which I also happen to like a lot. So, the time is right for me to review something which is not only new, but also that I have some issues (not many) with. Because Thunder have provided me with tons of joyful hours, since that distant Christmas Eve in 1992 (Santa presented me with LAUGHING ON JUDGEMENT DAY, Thunder's sophomore release, and LEAN INTO IT, by MR. BIG, in those times when vinyl was not something nostalgic but almost compulsory, given how expensive CD's were. What a present!), but also with some resounding disappointments, due to my having some difficulties to acknowledge the fact that some bands evolve in a certain way and do different stuff (a condition I still suffer from, nowadays, to a certain extent, because I'm too old school), and also due to some subpar stuff they have delivered some time (mostly). And it's fair to assert it.
It's good news and bad news, as in the joke. The con side is that Thunder are no longer those clad in denim and leather, long-haired thugs who, at the beginning of the nineties released their first two, and probably best, albums. I must admit that, despite that, and as something truly positive, they have released some amazing songs, worthy of any best of list, even through what I consider their worst years and albums. And the pro side is that these young lads current music is much more appealing to me than that of their worst phase (in my opinion), let's say from 1995 to 2003, give or take.
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| Early Thunder. From left to right: Matthews, James, Bowes, Morley and their first bassist, Mark Luckhurst |
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| Denim & Leather |
Carrying on with this bit of history, after that, let's say, dark phase, they rose from their ashes with SHOOTING AT THE SUN (2003), and they got in full flight mode with THE MAGNIFICENT SEVENTH (2005) and mostly with the great ROBERT JOHNSON'S TOMBSTONE (2006), which is very likely to be their best album after the first two. After a tad inconsistent BANG! (2008) they disbanded, much to all of us dismay. But stealthy at first (only for a few shows), and step by step, Thunder got together again, and after the release of WONDER DAYS (2015), Thunder not only are completely back, but they have also remained very active. First with that wonderful multimedia release which ALL YOU CAN EAT (2016) was, and after that with a more erratic album, RIP IT UP (2017), not to talk about several live albums, a greatest hits album, EP's and even a compilation of old songs reworked in a different musical vibe. Until today.
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| Thunder a few years ago, with bassist Chris Childs (first on the right) |
Thunder had their next album scheduled to be released before it finally was but you know... the pandemic. That's why to catch up for lost time, they have been busy during those lockdown months writing new stuff, and in a little more than one year they have unleashed material to fill up to three albums, split in only two: a single one (more or less) and a double album. And the undersigned, as expected, has taken heed of their thundering call. Still a kid when it comes to these things, I also go for the T-shirts. You can bet.
Let's go.
ALL THE RIGHT NOISES (2021)
The first of the two albums is, so far at least, the one that I enjoy the most. Being too straightforward given what Thunder are nowadays, the album keeps a rocking edge from start to finish, with almost no deviations, and I must admit that, mostly after the aforementioned Rip It Up, I wasn't expecting this. And to top it all off, this album is a more than serious contender to be among their top five ever. So many years into Thunder's journey this is something not to be underestimated. In my opinion, Thunder are torchbearers of the flame of those classic british hard rock bands like WHITESNAKE, FREE, LED ZEPPELIN, BAD COMPANY or even DEEP PURPLE, with some touches of THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES here, and some AC DC there, and that is what they do best. And that's what they do on this album, and in spades.
This album even excels in the cover art department, given I'm not a fan of Thunder's album covers, to begin with. It's mostly the other way around (there are some horrible ones and I'm not even talking about Laughing On Judgement Day). This one shows a picture, belonging to one JASON JOYCE, on which the sculpture known as THE SINGING RINGING TREE (Lancashire, England) appears, in front of a dark blue background, as if the night came down. Very nice, to be honest, and according to Wikipedia, guitarrist LUKE MORLEY found it while googling weird musical instruments. And even better, the different editions show the same picture with different colours, and the outcome is more than worthy as well.
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| All The Right Noises |
The album was recorded between July and November, 2019, and January, 2020, at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and was released on the 12th of March, 2021. And it looks like its mixing process reached Alicante, in Spain. BMG is the record company, and the band is comprised by the usual suspects, so to speak, because after so many years the only weak link has been the bass guitar, but they only have had three bass players and the last one has been around for more than twenty years, more or less, so, yes, the same old bunch, which means no other than the famed Morley (also the producer), the likeable BEN MATTHEWS (who has gone through very serious health issues, even being temporarily replaced, back in the day, by Morley's partner in THE UNION, PETER SHOULDER), on guitar and keyboards, HARRY JAMES on drums, CHRIS CHILDS on bass guitar and the monumental DANNY BOWES as the singer.
There are some guests: the singing ladies, BETH BLADE, CARLY GREENE, JULIE MAGUIRE and KATY BURGESS, brass by ANDREW GRIFFITHS, more keyboards and backing vocals by SAM TANNER, and, last but not least, the string quartet known as THE BRYDEN QUARTET (EMMA BRYDEN, KATY ROWE, NIAMH FERRIS and SUE LORD).
The songs:
The album's opener, LAST ONE OUT TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, is also the first single and the song Thunder deal the Brexit affair with. After a few first chords which indicate the coming storm, the main riff kicks in, very akin to that of the legendary WHOLE LOTTA LOVE, by Led Zeppelin, and also the powerful pounding of James, really rough, in your face and very much BONHAM-like, to reach the chorus, which is mainly sung by the ladies, with very good results. After a slow section midway into the song, which is not very much of my liking, due to the male backing vocals (something I think they could do much better without), comes in a very heavy guitar solo and the overall outcome is brilliant. Brass section? You have it only during the chorus and keeps the level of the song, but that's not something I particularly enjoy. I loved EVERYBODY WANTS HER (still do) back in the day, although not because of the trumpets, and even if I've enjoyed more and more with the passing years, I was disappointed at first with FLY ON THE WALL, and even more due to the trumpets, and that's why I think is something to be used very sparsely, if at any time. Great song anyway, and very catchy.
You promise us the moon and stars if we only cut the ties.
DESTRUCTION. When I listened to the teaser for the first time it made me burn with anticipation and left me even more eager to listen to the final product. The main riff could tear down a wall. Just like that. In fact, once the album was released, I read some reviews stating this was their heaviest track ever. Well, the riff is certainly heavy, but the song is more than that and this band has rocked harder, in my opinion. Moreover, the song starts and evolves in a quiet and somehow dark manner, as if that main riff was teasing the listener with a prize which is continuosly being given and taken away from you. It might be my favourite track on the album, and the ladies even improve the outcome by the end of the song. The lyrics include the words which give the album its name and they are on par with that darkness, for this is about depression, and few things darker than that one. BELTER.
But it feels like destruction of your mind and your soul. You're fallin' down a black hole.
The band slows down with THE SMOKING GUN. It's not a ballad or something similar, but mainly an acoustic number, quite similar to those Led Zeppelin did on their third album, back in the day, and with a western flair to it. I don't quite get the lyrics for it could be about so many things... or maybe about specific people. But to sum it all up, the song looks in hindsight to a time in which we laughed at something we deemed insignificant and pointless, only to regret it when there was no turning back. It was there and we did not want to see it. I like it a lot, and is necessary to talk about Danny Bowes, a guy who could sing the phone book to me and keep me entertained. There's no one like him nowadays in this genre, and if there ever was, it's been ROBERT PLANT at his peak. There are much more famed and renowned singers than him, but they're not as good as he is.
While we are all wondering how this came to be, we should be asking how we didn't see.
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| Danny Bowes |
So don't fight it, go with that flow. Sin City's a beautiful hell. Where they moch the midnight bell.
DON'T FORGET TO LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE starts very similar to Destruction, as if pushing but not too hard, to evolve into a rather glorious chorus which is perfect to scream at the driving wheel. The beginning of the second verse has the guitar filtered through an effect which I don't like at all. It's something that I can recognize inmediately but I cannot explain properly. It doesn't alter a really good outcome and I love the guitar solo. With a title like that the lyrics are a no brainer, and nothing more explicit that this part:
Get drunk, get laid, get high. No, don't forget to live before you die.
Like Thursday in the middle of the week, I'LL BE THE ONE awaits next, halfway into the album. Unfortunately, it does not match the greatness of a day as cool as that is. It's the ballad of the record and I truly appreciate the fact that these songs are less frequent than they usually are. Not because of the song being a ballad or because a song about love or similar is going to provide me with a headache or something. In fact, something of the kind is expected on a Thunder album. No surprises here, but they've simply done much better in the past. It's not horrific, mind you, and once the whole band joins the initial piano everything gets better, mostly during the solo. But it does not grab me and keeps me interested. And the female backing vocals at the ending, very good in other occasions, do nothing to save the day. Quite the contrary. I like when the girls sing, rather than when they just hum or scream without pronouncing anything. This is the song I like the least here.
Cause there ain't nowhere else that I'd rather be, and there's no face that I'd rather see.
YOUNG MAN starts in a ferocious mode with what I think an staccato riff might be, which stops dead on its tracks before reaching the chorus, which is one of the best on the album. There is some merry shouting and after the solo in comes the brass section for the third and last time on the album, and the ladies join at the end with some more backing vocals. There's also some harmonica to close the song, courtesy of Morley, I presume, as it has been some other times before. Quite entertaining, to be honest, and the lyrics resembles one of those stories which tell how different life was when we were kids, mostly when opposed to the current tecnologies, cell phones and social media, and the happy-go-lucky attitude of the past, unlike today's. But at the same time, Thunder, being a tad ironic I guess, say they've moved on and wouldn't want to be young again.
The stars were distant and less was more, and conversation was a pleasure, not a chore.
The joyful YOU'RE GONNA BE MY GIRL alone worths all the money that may be paid for this record. With some piano and all that, as if Thunder were the Stones on steroids, this song is simply a wonder. The female backing vocals, replicating Danny from the second chorus on, bring back some memories of those three ladies who did backing vocals in the soul band THE COMMITMENTS, which starred in the glorious ALAN PARKER's film of the same name from 1991. Utterly glorious. The song is about some guy who meets some girl, who, even when knowing she will do him no good, cannot help being attracted to, because he feels they're both too very much alike in the end.
It's just like a mirror, looking in your face. You're a true reflection of my deepest, darkest place.
And next, along comes one of the songs which happens to be the most controversial to me, although that might not be the most suitable word to address it. Music-wise, ST. GEORGE'S DAY is, for the most part, one hell of a song. A mid-tempo number which screams Thunder all over, with some parts which give me the goosebumps. That's how good it is. My main issue is with the lyrics, and I'll elaborate.
Thunder are not alien to tackling social issues in their songs and in fact, they deal with some on this album alone. Now is turn for immigration. I was gathering some information about why a song named like that might deal with that, and what I found is that Thunder are ironic about all those so called patriots who scream that name with pride, conjuring something which is supposed to be theirs and only theirs (and those who come from abroad better make a living some place else), when St. George not only is England's patron saint, but also Aragón's, Cataluña's and several other places, besides being someone who was born in Capadocia! So, you don't like immigrants and you show it worshipping someone who is not even your countryman and whose devotion is shared by many in many other places.
So far, so good, and I know what I'm about to say may be controversial, and even more nowadays, but who cares, nobody reads this. In my opinion, Thunder depict a completely populist and idealised portrait of a subject like this, and the worst thing about it is that it cannot be blamed on naivety, not by a long shot, coming from people who have entered their seventh decade of life. But they only talk about all the good things which come with immigration, saying things like immigrants are only running away from war, they only want a chance and be happy, and you won't be left unemployed if they get a job. Perfect, nothing against that. As I've said before, opinions are like asses, and everybody's got one, but I don't think that anybody in their right mind could have a problem with humble and honest people coming to their countries to work and be happy. But to me is almost embarrassing to point out the fact that, obviously, not every immigrant behaves like that. Nowhere near close. And the song doesn't mention all those cheeky troublemakers and criminals who leave their countries to go to other and make a living out of crime while milking the system. Not to mention the fact that, unfotunately, not everybody can be embraced, no matter how good they are.
I don't wish to agree with Thunder on everything, that's pointless, but I think this song is completely biased and goody-goody in the lyrics department. The music is top notch.
'Cause I know it's a long time away, until that flag flies in the sun, and it flies for everyone.
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| Luke Morley |
FORCE OF NATURE is another belter which begins on acoustic guitar until the electric first, and later on the rest of the band join, much in the vein of what they did on the distant LIVING FOR TODAY. Rough, tough and unadorned (save for the backing vocals, male this time around), as my favourite version of Thunder is, and with a short slide solo. The funny lyrics tackle (more social issues) the conceited arrogance of some populist political leaders. Danny talked about it in an interview, mentioning people like Trump (the most obvious one, I guess) or Bolsonaro. Right, but you're missing some, and look no further, for on the other side of the political spectrum there are many as well.
I'm gonna make us great again, you can take me at my word. I'll tell you what you wanna hear, even if it's sounds absurd.
Closing number SHE'S A MILLIONAIRESS is to You're Gonna Be My Girl what Going To Sin City was to Last One Out Turn Off The Lights: a fitting counterpart. This one does not match the sheer greatness of her partner though. Short, rocking and fun, again with piano and female singers, and with more lyrics dealing with another untrustworthy woman. Very good.
Posh boys for dancing and rough boys in her pants, private education in the south of France.
The standard version of the album finishes here, and on a very high note. Thunder are prone to releasing EP's, limited most of the times, which can only be purchased along with the album they support, and which, to top it off, contain unreleased songs you won't find anywhere else. That's what they did, for instance, with KILLER, in 2015, released with Wonder Days (and watch out, for Killer itself and BIG GUNS better almost every song on the big album), and with BROKEN MIRROR, in 2017, together with some editions of Rip It Up. They haven't played the same card now, but the deluxe edition of the album includes almost every song on the album played and recorded live (only St. George's Day, The Smoking Gun and Force Of Nature are missing), in July 2020, also at Rockfield, and also four new and unreleased songs, which are the ones deserving of all the attention.
FIREBIRD does not fall behind the songs to be found on the album and is very telling of the rocking side of the band, with some keyboards running along the guitar riffing which even reminded me of Deep Purple. Very good song, and another example of Thunder being capable of creating amazing music even in their sleep. The lyrics go pretty much hand in hand with You're Gonna Be My Girl and She's A Millionairess, dealing with women you cannot get away from, even when you know you should.
Over mountains and raging seas until I found you, and now I'm on my knees.
Time to relax, after a good run of rocking tunes, with HERO, a ballad which, even if it doesn't make me feel crazy about, is far superior than I'll Be The One (although it's not on par with their greatest ballads and it goes a little bit over the line with the amount of keyboards) in my book, thanks to some inspired lines from Danny and a good guitar solo. The song is about some guy who is really grateful of the fact that his significant other brings out his very best, because the way that he sees things, he would be a nobody without her. I'm no fan of these kinds of lyrics, although this one is not on par with the somehow crappy level they got themselves into with LOSER (the title speaks volumes), which musically, on the other hand, was a head and shoulders above Hero.
I'm just an everyday guy, and if I stop breathing, the world wouldn't cry.
THE FIRES THAT ROAR is nowhere near close their most rocking side, but is much better than the previous one and also extremely catchy. Even danceable to, in its chorus. A tad easy-listening, perhaps, but it's not bad for a left over. It's about sadomasochism, I guess, or someone (a woman, most likely) addicted to more extreme habits than usual concerning what you are probably thinking of.
You love it when it's wrong, love it when it's dark. Turn out the lights.
More serious and graver is PARIAH, the last of all the studio tracks on the deluxe edition. It brings me back vibes of LAST MAN STANDING, that monster of a song to be found on Robert Johnson's Tombstone, although not that good. The little keyboard touches, reminiscent of violins, before the second verse, do not sit very good with me, but the song is good and its main riff is the best thing about it. As I've said before, I really appreciate the fact they have focused more on their hard rocking side this time, putting ballads and slower songs a little bit aside, even if the outcome is not always the best. The title is quite obvious and the song aims at a society not capable of embracing certain groups within it, whether they are refugees, poverty-stricken people... you name them.
Move along, just get away. There's nothing here for your like today.
The rest of the second CD is comprised of those live in the studio tracks I mentioned earlier.
DON'T FORGET TO LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE
Great album, overall (a serious contender for a career top five slot), which could have done even better swapping I'll Be The One and Firebird, but something like this, besides being a personal opinion, seems very unlikely for a band like Thunder, given their nature and the way they usually do things.
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| Wonder days |
DOPAMINE
Released on the 29th of April, 2022, and announced on a really short notice, the second Thunder album in this two-year period, caught many of us with our guards down, given how recent the last one was. But may it be welcome, to be honest. Named after the famed hormone of pleasure (and its comparison to social media approval, something I read in an interview with the band), and with a cover which is odd more than anything else (another Jason Joyce's photo and design courtesy of NEEL PANCHAL), on which you have two ladies taking selfies and seemimgly ready to have a good time, the album was preceded by up to three amazing singles, which will be reviewed in due time.
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| Dopamine |
This album boasts about being the first double album of their storied career, but back in the day (1992), Laughing On Judgement Day was already released on a double vinyl format. Be that as it may, it is remarkable how short, relatively, the final product is (circa seventy minutes), for is sixteen songs we are talking about which maybe could have fit on one CD, something that, on the other hand, I could not care less about.
Unlike All The Right Noises, this album is not as straightforward and its range is much wider, and I guess you can say about it that on it, the band we've seen evolving once the first, let's say, five years of their career were left behind, are more Thunder than ever, doing basically what they feel like doing, with a final outcome that, as far as I'm concerned, gets better and better, and overall, is better than expected. The album was going to have a hard time living up to the expectations those three first singles created, during the entirety of its running time, but I'm getting to like it much more than the first time I listened to it. There's a bit of everything, and almost everything is pretty good.
The album has been produced, once again, by Morley, it has also been recorded at Rockfield studios, in Wales, besides Stratford's VADA, and features the same old bunch, surrounded by the usual cohort of guests: Julie Maguire and Carly Greene do backing vocals again, keyboards and more backing vocals by Sam Tanner, and Andrew Griffiths with something really surprising which is to be talked about later on, all of them joined by PAT MCMANUS' violin.
THE WESTERN SKY is the first single and starts the attack hitting hard and in a hasty manner, being just a wonder, plain a simple. A hard rocking and cheerful tune with a chorus which is the stuff of gods, sounding like freedom and wide open spaces. After a first guitar solo, the opening riff takes turns with Harry's drum fills, only to give way to a second guitar solo which is impossible to not do some air-guitar playing with, while the neighbours are not watching, hopefully. You can notice some kind of shy backing vocals and some organ as well. The song is about finding yourself while riding long distances on your motorbike, I guess, and it also has to do with the involvement of some members of the band in a yearly charity, motorbiking related event for children.
Energetic and optimistic. A true statement of intent and once again, a belter.
There's a red sun in the western sky and it calls my name, but I don't know why.
ONE DAY WE'LL BE FREE AGAIN's beginning, with the guitar sounding through a very peculiar filter, reminds me of the beginning of the cover they once themselves did of the Rolling Stones GIMME SHELTER. The female backing vocals and the rest of the band join and the outcome is quite vitalist, once more. It's a rocking and likeable number which I enjoy much more now than what I did at first, although it doesn't hold a candle to the previous one. The title is a no brainer and the lyrics are about the lockdown days and how great will it be to go back to normal and meet your loved ones once it's all over, leaving behind the path of destruction the pandemic left in its wake. No irony here, this is just not the song to talk about pain.
You'll never bridge the distance just looking at your screen.
EVEN IF IT TAKES A LIFETIME starts as The Smoking Gun, from the previous record, did, being mostly an acoustic piece with that Far West flair, but also with some drumming and piano, which set this song apart from the other song. The chorus is another milestone and carries on with the optimistic vein the album is showing so far. A little slide guitar solo is followed by an electric and also brief one, but very good indeed. The ladies keep on doing their thing on backing vocals, although the outcome on this one is not as good as on previous ones, mostly at the end, with those gospel touches.
The lyrics, on the contrary, are far from being that gleaming. They seem to deal with indoctrination, and how it leads people to fear what is different and, eventually, to racism. That's why we all have to satnd strong, as they say, to get to right the wrongs, even if it takes us a lifetime.
How many times around the sun, befroe this mad disease is gone?
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| Harry James |
BLACK seems to be, given the reviews I've read and some people's opinions, one of the strongest moments of the record, but I'm not that impressed, to be honest. When it rocks harder, by the chorus, I can't deny its charm, but the rest does not keep me interested. It reminds me of sixties music. Following with the movies subject, I cannot help thinking of the main characters in TO SIR, WITH LOVE, the famed JAMES CLAVELL movie from 1967, starring the recently demised SIDNEY POITIER, and I can picture them partying and dancing to that song. What I mean is that I don't know if this is a conscious thing, but Black takes me to those times, but come what may, it leaves me indifferent for the most part. And oddly enough, there is no guitar solo this time.
It's about unrequited love. Or better, about someone who got dumped.
The sun is shining but it might as well be gone.
UNRAVELING is the first ballad of the album, mostly acoustic as well, but with some drumming and a few very cool vocal melodies the kind only Bowes is capable of. On the con side there is something I've already mentioned and I don't like, which is that, while I enjoy when the girls sing, and I really mean it most of the times, I don't feel the same when the boys do their own backing vocals. It's the other way around most of the times. The subject of the song is very similar to that of the previous one, and regarding these kinds of songs, what can I say, to me is a hit or miss affair for the most part, but when I think it's the same band who in the past did DON'T WAIT FOR ME or TODAY THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING we're talking about, I don't know, I feel a tad indifferent.
Everything I ever was, was only real when you were there.
With THE DEAD CITY an amazing streak of great songs in a row begins, and this one, specifically, goes back to the well-trodden paths of hard rock music, where, in my opinion, Thunder do much better on. They fire on all cylinders here with a hard rocker on which the drums provides no rest, and the chorus is catchy as hell. Thunder at their very best, as I've just said. Great tune.
The lyrics, on the other hand, are difficult for me to understand. Perhaps they are about those willing to cash in on others misfortune, or maybe about the one-eyed man being king in the land of the blind.
It's my poison kingdom, you'd better show respect, 'cause I'm the man you come to, I'm the architect.
The somber and acoustic beginning of LAST ORDERS, with Luke (I think) singing, as he did in the past on the already mentioned Living For Today, also joined by Danny, is quite misleading, for the song turns into an intense rocking beast, and also a very lively one. It's something very Thunder-like but at the same time very original. It's also a very good song. As for the lyrics I'm at a loss here. The title mentions what is commonly said when a pub is about to close and the punters know they can only ask a last drink before going home, so perhaps the lyrics might deal about someone who hasn't developed their full potential and now there is no turning back.
Once you were flying with the wind at your back, but now on reflection, you were too slow to start.
It's only been a while and the first CD has flown away, ending the best possible way with a song like ALL THE WAY, whose beginning even reminds me of that of WE WILL ROCK YOU, by another not very well-known english band whose name I do not remember. Restless hard rock again, with another memorable chorus. As far as I am concerned, since Thunder came back with the release of Wonder Days, in 2015, they have done very few songs better than this one, and most of them are on these two albums. Magnificent.
Total belief in one's own possibilities and the idea in mind of going after every goal you may have, with everything that there is in you, in another very optimistic and uplifting lyrics, on par with the music.
Tired of losing, ready to win, telling myself I gotta jump right in.
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| Chris Childs |
Thunder are peaking and they show it opening the second CD with the second single, DANCING IN THE SUNSHINE, another highlight no matter how simple it may look (in the good sense). Thunder at their merriest in a very long time with a song which sounds like AC DC covering the Stones, with even some honky tonk piano. It's about the pandemic again, but focusing on how wonderful will be when this is all over and we can meet with friends and family again to have a blast.
It's an invitation to good friends of mine. On a day like today we should be dancing in the sunshine.
BIG PINK SUPERMOON not only is the longest track, but also the most surprising one. A slow blues with a very good taste which even reminds me of the wonderful BLACK VELVET by the canadian ALANNAH MYLES, with the organ and all, but only with a much merrier overtone. Great solo parts as well, courtesy of Mr. Morley. Having said this, I can live without Griffiths' sax solo, which is the song's most unique trait, one with which Thunder might be implying they do not care about anything or anybody and do as they please. Fair enough, but had the song lasted a minute and a half less, leaving that solo aside, I would like it even better. Great song anyway.
The song tells about some succesful guy who would be willing to trade everything for a summer night with his lover, beneath the big pink supermoon.
I had a taste of the adulation and I'm glad that I've had that rush. And I'm thankful I know what it feels like, though it really doesn't matter much.
ACROSS THE NATION, the third single, shows the band rocking hard again with another belter worthy of consideration, which talks about being back on tour once the pandemic is over (most recurring subject on the album). Straightforward and very suitable for a live setting. If any, the only flaw I can think of, is the song being extremely catchy and every time I listen to it, it stays in my head for a couple of days.
Like Bill Murray in Groundhog day, wish I could get back out on the road and play.
That mighty and triumphant streak ends here and the album, in my opinion, loses some steam from now on, although good things await too. The album's second ballad, JUST A GRIFTER, follows again the pattern of acoustic guitars with some soft drumming, but also with McManus' violin this time, which gives the song a folky touch. Not my cup of tea, besides Danny's vocals, as usual. A song which is called just a grifter could be aimed at many people, but I guess it aims at politicians.
From Where I stand I see a chancer without a plan.
I DON'T BELIEVE THE WORLD has a beginning with a black music flair to it which somehow reminds me of the distant PREACHING FROM A CHAIR, followed by that vocal bit which says open up your eyes, see their thin disguise, that I do not like at all and seems more fitting for some tasteless music of mass consumption. It gets better come the chorus and the extended pronunciation of the title by Danny (for a moment he seems to be about singing the glorious I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT LOVE), and above all during the guitar solo, but it goes back to square one. It might have been better with less experimenting and more focusing on the refrain. A wannabe, to tell you the truth. The lyrics tell about the overflowing of fake news and conspiracy theories.
We never really landed on the moon, both the towers fell too soon.
Hard rock is back again with DISCONNECTED, a song with a very good start, featuring what I think might be Danny doubling his vocals, but which goes downhill towards the end, maybe because of what I think is a surplus of double and backing vocals, done by themselves and leaving me indifferent again. The more relaxed part of the end does not help either. No guitar solos again this time. Not a bad song by any means, but I think it has pretty much the same faults as the previous one. It might be about the derangement which comes with the abuse of technology and everything that means. Or maybe about missing touring and meeting people.
No elevated adrenalin ride, no satisfaction night after night.
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| Ben Matthews |
And what to say about IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? The fact that a hard rock band makes a song with no guitars and no drums is a difficult pill to swallow to me, but at the same time that is nothing new or extraordinary, not even for Thunder. My point is that this is not the kind of music I listen to them for, and to add insult to injury you can even find a violin, I think, during the second verse. Neither it is, as I said about I'll Be The One, an atrocious song, no at all, and Danny sings as the absolut hero he is, but I think it could have benefitted from using a couple of gears more. Concerning the pros is only fair to admit I kinda like it more and more. Little by little, but more than the first time. Definitely. And I like it much better than Just A Grifter, to be honest. Who knows what I might be thinking about it in the future? No matter what, this song is LOVE WALKED IN when compared to IF I CAN'T FEEL LOVE, one of the worst songs in the entirety of their career I can think about.
It's about isolation and loneliness, and I have to admit is quite convinicing at that.
Can anybody share my pain? 'Cause it's a heavy weight tonight.
The journey ends on a high because of the best song of this last five, the strange (at least given its beginning) NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE, which crawls in a stealthy way at first, to end up being an unadorned and passionate rocker, with another glorious refrain and the collaboration of the singing ladies. The beginning is repeated during the first half of the solo and back again during the second, with the whole band at full throttle. Another great guitar solo and Bowes being just himself, probably the best hard rock singer to ever hail from England, which is no small feat. The song ends the same way it began. A very good tune and one of the best on the album in its own right. The lyrics are more difficult to understand, but they could aim at social media and fake news again, in relation to karma.
Rumor and hearsay, and a need to believe, it's a new religion, and a brand new disease.
And this is all that there is, with no bonus tracks or extended editions. It's full of stuff already, ain't it? Even if it is rather short taking the number of tracks into account. In my opinion the first CD is better than the second, and I can safely say there are at least nine stand out tracks on it. Some of the others get better and some are not my thing, but I value the hard work and a new Thunder album (two this time) is always a good thing. And even if I said that All The Right Noises could be among their best five albums ever, and Dopamine may not be there, is not that far from that royalty bunch, because there are some great songs which I'd rather listening to before almost anything they did during those years that I deem the least good of Thunder's career. But to each their own, of course.
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| En directo |
I'd also like to leave here a very good interview they recently did for the french online magazine ROCK UR LIFE, translated to english, and also the acoustic show they played a few days ago in Spain, for RADIO 3, in which they play some new songs as well.
Enough. Looking forward to listening the next one. That is, in the end, what this is all about.
See you soon.
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| Thunder |
*A few months after the completion of this entry, more or less by mid August, Danny Bowes suffered a head injury due to an accidental dramatic accident, which caused him an internal bleeding that needed inmediate surgery. The operation went well, as the recovery did, but the singer needed neuro-rehab and the waiting list was huge, and that's why a crowdfunding was started to raise 30000 quid, so he could be taken to a private unit. Said crowdfunding has also been succesful and the money has been raised in 48 hours! Thunder have shown their gratitude, although, understandably, they have been forced to cancel their touring schedule for the remainder of the year, and Danny is expected to be on top form in 2023.
So be it, and I'm sending him my best wishes from here.
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