‘Transmuting’ is the fine figure album release from London alternative trio Belasco, consisting of Tim Brownlow, Duff Battye and Bill Cartledge.
Although the artwork does appear to be in the same vein of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, the cover for ‘Transmuting’ screams people’s revolution (a brighter Les Misérables), but the album is grounded in the world of alternative with some nods to pop rock. Opening track ‘Move Like Water’ starts with a short, lightly distorted, guitar line until the rest of the band crash in, bringing the song to life for a few seconds and then dropping back into that harmonious verse.
This track is a great lesson on how to do dynamics well, especially the chorus as vocal effects are used on the line “She moves like water”; bringing more depth to the chorus.
‘Everyone’ sounds like a long lost Smashing Pumpkins song, especially with lines like “It’s not like we were told, it’s not like us” used in the pre-chorus. The rumbling bass starts and runs the show whilst the solo offers that minimalist, atmospheric, guitar work that many have favoured in recent times. These qualities allow Battye to shine on through.
‘Transmuting’ has the aggressive elements set alongside quieter more thoughtful moments, such as ‘(Blanket)’ and ‘Taken’; the latter being a deep and dark song about a control and survival of character. This is an album that could easily sit in the CD player for a long time without getting boring or old too quickly.
Track listing:
- Move Like Water
- Everyone
- Poor Man
- Home
- Taken
- (Blanket)
- Empire
- Who Do You Love
- (Rosa)
- 0pen Up
- What Is It
- Eyes