Review - Ockham’s Razor - Ten Thousand Miles To Bedlam
August 17th, 2009Welcome back, we're glad you're here!
Band: Ockham’s Razor
CD: Ten Thousand Miles to Bedlam
Ockham’s razor: the principle that “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” or, popularly applied, “when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better.” - via Wikipedia.
Ockham’s Razor: An exciting Irish/Folk band out of Seattle, Washington with a ridiculously cool name. I confess, this group won me over right from the start with their name, and my infatuation only increased with the title of this album, Ten Thousand Miles To Bedlam. Featuring a mixture of instrumental arrangements, punked up and jazzed up trad tunes, and the odd original song, this is a CD that I was thrilled to have in my review docket.
The first song on the album is an instrumental called Gravel Walk. It’s a great tune that showcases the band’s considerable talent and gives an enticing taste of the songs to follow on the rest of the CD. I particularly like the guitar intro, and the fiddling is as impressive here as it continues to be throughout.
Whiskey and Pills. Otherwise known as, Can Of Worms. Musically, I adore this song. It’s Celtic punk rock at it’s best and most excessive, as demonstrated by the lyrics - Filled to the gills with whiskey and pills, and we’ll have another bottle in the morning. It’s cleverly written and without doubt it’s a lighthearted and fun sounding song in the best tradition of The Pogues and other old school hard drinking, hard partying punk bands. It’s also troubling to me and hits closely to my heart because both Mike and I have lost people in our lives due to those very things. In Mike’s case, his 16 year old cousin, who was always smiling, and in mine, a 22 year old friend who had a crazy tattoo and gave the best, most comforting hugs ever. Alcohol and prescription drugs ruin and end the lives of a lot of young people and even though it might make me look like a humorless scold, I can’t let this track go by without that criticism.*
The title track, Ten Thousand Miles To Bedlam, is my favorite song on the album. There is nothing about this song that I don’t like. Lyrically, it’s both beautiful and menacing, a titillating combination. The vocals are the best on the CD in my opinion, simply outstanding. I even love the spoken word bits, which is an element that often annoys me, but here it works. The fiddling is fast and hot, and the driving percussion ties everything together.
Dream Angus is a nice closing piece for the album. Unfortunately I think it would have been more effective as a three minute song rather than a six minute one, it went on a bit long for me. That said, I love the vocal harmony, the simple piano in the background, and the whistle interludes. This is a trad song that I don’t hear much of, and I appreciate it’s inclusion here.
Ten Thousand Miles To Bedlam is a notable album that I’m glad to have experienced and Ockham’s Razor is a band that I will be keeping my eye on. Check them out at their website and their myspace page.
Slainte,
Bonnie
*I’m sure that the band does not support or suggest drinking and popping pills, I don’t think that for a second. I’m pretty sure that the song is more of an homage to the punk rock lifestyle than anything else, and I fully support their right to sing about whatever they want. I just have to put my two cents in, because that’s what I do.
