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The Urbane - Neon

Artist:	The Urbane
Title:	Neon
Label:	Verglas VGCD002
Length(s):	62 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1999
Month of review:	02/1999

Line up

John Mitchell - guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Martin Raggett - bass
Scooby - drums and backing vocals

Tracks

1)	Quietly	4.21
2)	Mary Jane	3.31
3)	Aeroplanes	4.41
4)	Fading Out	5.19
5)	Loop	5.16
6)	Immaculate	6.06
7)	Wide Awake	3.54
8)	Staring At The Sun	6.02
9)	Neon	4.58
10)	Static	5.09
11)	Try (letter To A Friend)	5.49
12)	The Tide	7.31

Summary

John Mitchell will be known to you through his guitarplaying for Arena. His own artistic output is directed into The Urbane of which I will now review their first album.

The music

Like Mitchell himself says on the cover to Mick and Clive (you know): "It's not prog but it still rocks!". He's right about the first one, without a doubt. About the second part now: Quietly is not exactly that, quiet I mean. This is an up-tempo rock song, very British one might say and a very memorable chorus. The song is dominated by loud guitars (used intelligently), (at times transformed) vocals, while the drumming is energetic yet a bit monotonous at times. The rock continues in Mary Jane, with prominent bass guitar. This noisy song is a rather bouncy one. Aeroplanes seems a a more quiet piece with acoustic guitar in the verses. In the choruses in between however the guitars rage again. In some ways I hear in the music the playfulness of say Greenday, but also the music sounds more complete, melodic and interesting like with for instance the Manic Street Preachers. After another catchy one, Fading Out and the more melodic and the melodic and more flowing Loop we come to the first highpoint of this album, Immaculate. With six minutes a rather long track, it features some great melodies and great guitar work at the end. The song might remind some of recent Marillion. Wide Awake hails a return to the more compact rock song. Staring At The Sun is the next one up. It opens rather discordantly with music slightly overbassed (was it meant this way guys?) and some eye-searing (yes eye not ear) guitar work. The tone of the song seems rather friendly at first and in the verses it is, but the chorus goes into the direction of Nine Inch Nails even. After the varied title track, where quiet and loud parts alternate we come to the slightly percussive Static. This is more of a popsong with female backing vocals. The closer is The Tide, the longest track on the album. It opens with spaceous guitar. Some of the vocal melodies go in the direction of Pendragon. The glorious, hope giving guitarwork at the end make this a perfect ending to an admirable album.

One observation: this album is VGCD002, which should then fall between Songs From The Lions Cage and Pride of Arena and Mitchell was not present in the band yet. Makes me wonder whether it was supposed to be number two or whether it maybe replaced another album. Which then?

Conclusion

A very pleasant record, more than pleasant even, to alternate with all those progressive releases. Good songs, good playing and good melodies and little or no nonsense. Like Damian Wilsons solo album a good alternative, although one might say that it is only The Urbane that makes 'alternative rock'. It remains to be seen whether we may hope that the general public will pick up on this album.