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Tin Scribble - Children Of Saturn

Artist: Tin Scribble
Title: Children Of Saturn
Label: self produced
Length(s): 57 minutes
Year(s) of release: 200?
Month of review: [12/2005]

Line up

Bryan Atterberry - guitars, celtic harp, synth
Colleen Cameron - piano, flute, voice, backing vocals
Mark Jardine - bass, bass synth pedals
Clinton Sabon - drums, percussion, marimba on 14
Michael Allen Moore - vocals, guitars, keyboards

Tracks

1) Intro 1.13
2) Entervallum 1.09
3) Vox Populi Vox Dei 3.36
4) Vox De Morte 0.37
5) Bleak 5.29
6) Intervallum 1.05
7) Breakable 6.41
8) Listen 5.49
9) Wake 6.38
10) Things Left Over 5.24
11) Throwing It All Away 2.06
12) Saturn's Sun 3.01
13) Separate Silence 4.52
14) Schwa 2.30
15) For A While 7.32

Summary

This band is from the U.S.A. and it seems to me that Michael Allen Moore is the leading element in the band.

The music

Intro is not even mentioned on the booklet: it contains some samples with spoken words. Entervallum is the first track with music, and features acoustic guitar with ethereal keyboards. It is short and gives way to the slightly longer Vox Populi Vox Dei. The vocals here are strongly reminiscent of Maurits Kalsbeek of Egdon Heath. The guitars are quite heavy, a bit psyche like even. The music has plenty of drama. The vocals do sound a bit roughly recorded, but it is not really a program. Fact is that this song has plenty of drive. Vox De Morte is the short follow up, again featuring spoken samples and this time acoustic guitar.

Bleak opens with a rock drive, softening up for the vocal parts. Plenty of guitar, both electric and acoustic, at this point. The vocals do sound a bit ehm uncareful, but maybe that is the charm of the music, since it also sounds very live and direct. The type of music is similar to Little King: there are not any references to the grand prog bands. These are 'plain' songs harbouring a certain amount of variation and sophistication, but the sound is the band's own. We end a bit of 'experimentation', but only a bit. Intervallum is another shorty, a sinister vocal tune with the wailings of Michael Allen Moore. I can imagine people needing to get used to his throaty voice.

On Breakable he sings in the lower regions, often a place where vocalists are not well at home. Also here, he tends to lose the melody a bit. He is much more at home on the psychedelic rocking chorus. The melody is somewhat Arabically styled, which may remind some of Paranoise for instance. The chorus is strongly melodic and easily gets a seat in your set. A hallucinating piece, somewhere between prog, psyche and alt, with vocals full of drama. Listen for instance to the more percussive middle part and the vocals at that point. And the very dynamic finale. Excellent.

Listen is more relaxed, with doubled vocals this time. There is also plenty of tempo variation here, but the melodies are less appealing. Kind of a heavy wood approach here, although the repetitive guitar riff makes for a manic merry-go-round at the end, and we even get to hear some keyboards underneath. More a nicely rocking live track, than an interesting song.

Wake continues the strain of rock: jangling acoustic guitars, heavy rhythm guitars, the slightly dramatic vocals of Moore, played in a laid back tempo. Things Left Over sounds more promising though, with the piano in the opening and the atmosphere built here. The continuation might remind some of Rush, with a specially strong bass presence. I do get the impression that the recording of the vocals needs more attention. In the middle the guitars take their leave, and the vocals come out more prominently. A few minutes later the electric guitar comes back in for a solo.

With Throwing It All Away we come back to the somewhat shorter songs. The vocals wailings are wordless this time, or at least not quite intelligible. A bit messy. This type of song only works when you record and arrange it meticulously. Saturn's Sun is more of a moody tune, with the vocals of Moore working well this time. The song has both electronic elements, as well as some world music like ones. The overall feel is dark.

After such a sparse track, Separate Silence rocks understandably. The chorus line is good, and catches the ear. Schwa is an odd one, with marimba for the most part and a 'classical' feel.

For A While is the closer and the longest song on the album. It opens with nicely bouncy bass playing, soon accompanied by guitar. The vocals do lack a bit in melody again. I do get the impression we have heard this before. The second half (more actually), is rather laid back, and not that strong.

Conclusion

The sound of Tin Scribble has elements of alternative rock, Rush but also world rockers Paranoise with the vocals reminiscent of Egdon Heath's Maurits Kalsbeek. The vocalist lays plenty of drama into his performance, but he is a more limited vocalist, resorting often to a kind of wail like singing against a backdrop of usually rather heavy guitars. Acoustic guitars are used to fill up the space between and some occasional keyboards. The end result is varied. Some songs like Breakable are excellent, others, like Throwing It All Away, are not particularly interesting. The technical side of the matter can still improve, and a more broadly used instrumentation would be nice too. Energetic rock is the band's strength, but fortunately for the listener there is also some breathing space in between.

© Jurriaan Hage