Richard Self – Lost Friends & B Sides, Volume 2

Richard Self – Lost Friends & B Sides, Volume 2 – Album Review

Well I feel like I learned something today already.  Did you know it actually sounds quite pleasant when Richard Self is yelling at us a bit?  I mean…he’s still singing, but it’s got that natural coarseness that comes along with his voice that tells you he’s really giving it everything he’s got.  Think of it like…organic gain or edge if you’re musically inclined…but yeah, these are the moments I really enjoyed most in “7 Days (Live, But Not Quite Live Version).”  Not a bad tune overall though, don’t get me wrong…the main hook is strong and the music is highly engaging too…I’d expect that “7 Days (Live, But Not Quite Live Version)” won’t struggle too much to make an impact on the people out there listening.  Even though it’ll take a couple minutes or so…okay, just over 2:30 or so to get to the vocal highlights I’ve previously cited, they’re well worth the waiting.  Commendable job all around though really…for what starts a collection of material that’s been kickin’ around for a while, you’ll hit a song as vibrant as “7 Days (Live, But Not Quite Live Version)” is as an opener and know that you’ve gotta be on pretty solid ground for the rest of the set-list to follow.  Is it the best song with the line “seven days in the sun” to come outta the UK so far?  I think that honored distinction probably still belongs to my beloved Feeder, but this secures second place.

Holy jeez we have reached right back to the dawn of the age of synthesizers to get a few of the neon vibes you’ll find powering “Terror House.”  They’re welcome sounds even to this very day mind you, but you can just feel from the extra bounce and digital radiance in the sound of the music that a track like “Terror House” is at least a generation or two removed from its rightful era.  That’s what records like this are for though!  Rather than just let material you once worked so damn hard on slip away into the ether, you gather it up, you polish it a little bit, and you put it on out there for posterity.  Comparison-wise…I dunno…it’s synth heavy, but in a very bright way…so it’s not like you could cite Depeche Mode or something like that…”Terror House” is more along the lines of something like Madness or Talking Heads.  It’s catchy enough…I had some tours through Lost Friends & B Sides, Volume 2, where I felt like this was an essential track in the lineup…not every time, but more than a few.  There’s something about a good throwback song done right, and I’d reckon “Terror House” is a great example of that being true.  I like the lyricism from Self on this tune, the vocal melody is a good fit as well, but I think the stone cold reality is that whether or not you might try to resist the late 70s/80s sound at the core of this song, eventually it will come to claim your bloody soul.  And then you’ll be right where I am, where you can’t seem to get enough of this tune now, even though you were fairly certain at the start it wasn’t going to resonate.

I admire the experimental nature of a track like “Stealth Bomber (Remix)” that attempts to do things differently.  It ends up making you kind of appreciate how easy it is to like or love songs like “7 Days (Live, But Not Quite Live Version)” and “Terror House” earlier on by comparison.  “Stealth Bomber (Remix)” isn’t exactly the cut that got away…it has some redeeming qualities to it that still make it worth your time to listen to, but I also wouldn’t expect this track to be the hit out there with the average everyday listeners either.  For myself personally, I really like the whole atmospheric vibe the entire song possesses…like, “Stealth Bomber (Remix)” is a great example of a track you can feel more than it would be something you’d feel inclined to sing along with.  Sensory sound, that’s what we’re talkin’ about here.  Musically, it’s also got some interesting moments within its layered ideas on display.  I suppose you could argue that there’s more of an artistic bend to a track like this than what you previously experienced in the opening two songs…and while we know what pursuing art tends to do to accessibility and how the masses will receive what they hear, the only person you’re responsible to, is you.  So if Self wants to shelf the easy-to-absorb hooks for a minute or two, I believe that’s his prerogative, as they say.

As I understand it, a gentleman named Bainy Bain comes aboard to sing “Douglas Adams.”  You’d have to assume that it’s the same Bainy Bain that sings for WeAreTheStation, right?  How many Bainy Bains could there be out there in the world?  Trust me when I tell you, you’ll be surprised at how many pages come up with you put Bainy Bain into a Google search.  Anyhow.  Both Self and Bain are from the UK, and I’m sure everybody knows each other there just like every Canadian where I live knows every other Canadian clear across Canada.  That’s right, all 41.29 million of us…we’re all on a first name basis.  OKAY.  Enough.  What do I think about “Douglas Adams?”  I’m not…opposed to it?  Oddly enough, while I made a mention in jest earlier on, this particular track actually does have a little in common with stuff that you’d hear in the music of Depeche Mode, at least at points along the way if not the whole song.  Bain does give this track a little something tangibly different than what we’re accustomed to from Self’s music, and I can’t really see people objecting all that much.  I’m not here to tell you that Bain is giving this cut the performance of the year, but he confidently holds his own and clearly had a concrete idea as to how he wanted to approach singing this song.  Which is good…because I think he needed that in this context – “Douglas Adams” is fairly threadbare at times, leaving Bain without much more than the beat in many parts, and putting him in the thick of the experimental realm at other points, so to have Bainy sound like he was so certain of the direction he wanted to take this song does wonders for its results.  At its most full, colorful & intense, Self’s done an excellent job of adding charisma & character into this cut.

“Brand New Day” sounds like fun from the moment it starts, and continues to be as it plays on, though it does shift into more traditional & familiar terrain fairly quickly.  Ultimately, I think it’s fair to say that it kind of straddles both worlds…it’s got somewhat normal songwriting at the core of it, but anything that you might feel is anything typical, is likely surrounded by some blissfully imaginative ideas at the same time.  As it begins, you can ever hear that “Brand New Day” has a lot in common with EDM songs of all kinds, and it was probably the right call on Richard’s part to rein that in a little so that it could still fit snugly into this lineup cohesively enough.  Do I think the public will know what to do with this song or what to make of it?  I’m less convinced of that part.  “Brand New Day” is such an enjoyably strange song that doesn’t seem like it wants to follow any of the rules we’ve come to know for the most part, but it feels like it could still catch the people’s attention by generating interest & stimulating the mind more-so than provide you with easy hooks to listen to.  As for the hooks it does have…I dunno…I’m a little tossed up about’em.  I think the main reasons to tune into “Brand New Day” are almost all found in the music.

Really nothing wrong with that anyway though, right?  I figure as long as you can get people to listen, for whatever reason they might find in your music, then that’s gotta be a good thing, ain’t it?  Music, vocals, lyrics…liner notes…I dunno – does it matter why people choose to tune in or what makes’em listen?  I think all you can really do as an artist is do the best you can to stack the odds in your favor.  Maybe a tune here and there comes out one-dimensional, or has its main strengths be more pronounced, like what I thought about “Brand New Day” to an extent.  Maybe you end up with a more fortunate combination, where things seemed to click more seamlessly and the entertainment value was more accessible & found in multiple places, like on “Movement” to follow.  Musically, I think Richard gives you a great reason to listen to this track right off the freakin’ bat…I love the textured digitalized rhythm he’s put together, and the vocal melody that he’s got designed to float overtop of it all is equally excellent.  I’m gonna say I think Self still might have left about ten or fifteen percent on the table in getting all that he wanted to outta his vocals performance-wise – those lower tones can be damn tricky – but I can also say that I think what’s good is actually quite great in the way he sings this song as well.  Both things can be true.  I really like “Movement” overall, and I’m confident the court of public opinion will support my findings.  I’d probably go as far as to say I feel like this is one of the strongest cuts on Self’s new record.

Absolutely tremendous.  “Test Pilot” immediately seemed like a track I could eat by the bowlful and I never wanted to stop listening to the music you’ll find in the first ninety seconds or so of this track.  I’ll be real with you – this was felt like victory established quickly, and it became Richard’s game to lose.  Was he going to keep everything instrumental?  If he added vocals, how could they possibly measure up to how kickass the music already was?  “Test Pilot” had to have been a tough call to make, and even I’m not 100% sure that Self went the right direction here.  Music-wise, I’m tellin’ – I could listen to “Test Pilot” for days on end and I’d never get bored of it – you get immersed in this incredible energy and groove as the track builds on itself, complete with the chef’s kiss of guitar notes ringing out boldly into the future ahead of us.  It’s amazing stuff, truly.  As Richard starts to sing and brings a verse to it around the 1:30 mark – believe it or not, I was really happy with what he found to work with at that moment, and it felt like he added to the glorious momentum the song was already deep into building.  I’ll admit, I didn’t love the part that followed about twenty-five seconds later…that’s the spot where you can feel the momentum practically grind to a halt as Self tries to diversify the sound & shift it into a different direction.  Inertia eventually wins though, and after about thirty seconds or so, we’re back in the throes of the sound that was so impressively gripping from the moment this song started and loving life again.  Plus, the dude lets the guitar get a well-deserved minute in the spotlight as well, because why not?  Self gave himself the perfect audible canvas to wander in and out of here as he sees fit, and he made the right call for the most part in making sure that momentum stayed intact.  I get it, I get it – no song can just be one thing or we’d get bored and certainly pick on it for not doing enough – but it’s always harder to add another great thing to what’s already radiating greatness, you know what I mean?  For the most part, Richard finds amazing ways to one-up the situation and keep us spoiled for choice when it comes to what our favorite part of this song really is.  Is it the immediate impact of the opening groove?  Is it that absolutely astounding first guitar note in this song?  Is it the exit outta the vocals and back into the music with the drums and guitar crushin’ it throughout the instrumental section to follow?  I would have been tempted to keep this one instrumental for sure, but I’m glad Richard continued to find out what else he could do with it too.  The first verse is great, and I really dig the layered harmonies in the finale.

And what do we have here, good sir?  Richard came to rock on “Great Sound!”  And you know something?  I like how this suit fits him.  He’s almost tapping into the like…Achtung Baby/Zooropa-era sound that U2 pioneered, while still possessing a bit of that moodier Electro-edge that Depeche Mode put into their music during the 90s.  In any event, the music is freakishly good and makes for an outstanding listening experience…it’s like the audio equivalent of being on the Vegas strip with all the lights and you’re not sure where to look, so you just prop those peepers open wide and let it ALL come in at once…some of that good, good sensory overload – you know what I mean?  Now, “Great Sound” is a lengthy six plus-minutes in total…and I’m not here to suggest that everything necessarily goes right, but I will say that so much does that it’ll make your head spin.  When the music has been as inspired and dynamic as it has been throughout the course of the majority of this record, I think you also end up realizing that’s the dominant trait and Self’s most dominant skillset.  That’s not to say he can’t sing – he can – I’m simply saying there’s a noticeable main strength, and if vocals are next, they’re still a fairly distant second in most instances, because that’s how good the music Richard really is when he’s at his best.  On “Great Sound,” he has some significant highlights – and above all things, I salute the guy for doing something radically different than we’ve heard on this record so far.  It is a BIG WIN for the art of Self-expression (the pun is like…I dunno…kind of intentional?  It was honestly just what I wanted to say, and then I noticed the pun, and I’m like, do I write this in there anyway?  Maybe if I give it a longwinded explanation as to why I chose to do that and really let people in on the story, that will help?  And here we are.  Sorry.)  What I mean is this though – I don’t think I care all that much if someone like Richard wants to try something decisively new and misses out on a note or tone here and there – that’s Punk!  I mean, it’s not Punk music, but that’s Punk spirit, you feel me?  Do what you do…let whatever noise comes out, come out.  Record it.  Remix it.  Jam with it.  Accept it – even the strangest sounds you might make are still part of what makes you who you are.  Richard colors way outside of the lines in “Great Sounds” vocally as the song progresses…which…I mean, I’d understand if you felt like you might not wanna hear that every day, but honestly, I dig the freedom in what he’s created for this track and I feel like the whole approach of ‘letting loose’ paid off here, as wild as it might become.  Self comes out with a fairly aggressive and stern tone to begin with, but believe me when I tell ya, it’ll go right off the rails as the song continues on…but like…in a purposeful way, with confidence and conviction.  Richard was on a mission to ROCK THE FUCK OUT, and that’s what “Great Sound” will reveal to you.  For the vast majority, it works out brilliantly…and for a brief moment, you’re passing the third minute and wondering if he’ll ever find his way home back to the sweet spot of this song again.  Dynamics y’all…they’re not an exact science by any measure, but they sure are fun to listen to.  “Great Sound” is an adventure in sound that I was more than willing to take over and over…I mean…c’mon, the last half of this song is so beyond good that it’s in that category of you gotta hear it for yourself to believe it.  To further the point of this being a more aggressive or harder sound in Self’s catalog, he’s got a spot in “Great Sound” where he reminds me a bit of Maynard James Keenan briefly, and the music in the last half could easily be Trent Reznor.  “Great Sound” is a prismatic, kaleidoscopic landscape of shapeshifting sound that is endlessly engaging.

I think the performance on “Hardware” might outshine the actual material…maybe.  I suppose I didn’t always feel that way, but I guess what I’m saying is that I was always certain Richard was putting in one of his best vocal highlights, and I was way less sure if “Hardware” was an okay song, a good song, or possibly even a great one.  It’s in making that statement that I’m probably going to argue it’s the latter part of that scenario, because I’m a firm believer some of the very best music can be deceitful.  It can trick you at first, into thinking some of the new stuff from your favorite artists and bands might not even be any good at all…and then, with a couple weeks of listening, sometimes something miraculous happens, and all of a sudden you now NEED that same very music hooked to your veins intravenously.  “Hardware” is an interesting tune.  I was never fully opposed to it, even if I was unsure of what I thought about it.  Even as of writing this, I’m still not entirely sure I’m all for it either.  Maybe it’s one of those songs that’s a little more mood-dependent from the listening side of things…I’m really not sure.  What I can tell you is this – I’ll be happy to be wrong if in two months’ time I feel like I can’t get enough of this track and “Hardware” is my new favorite song.  There’s definitely SOMETHING here Richard, but I’ll be damned on whether or not I can really figure out WHAT it is.  “Hardware” is a special tune…it’s unique.

“The Long Fade” makes for a satisfying finish to this album full of rarities, odds, and ends.  Honestly, I think it’d be freakin’ cool to be Richard and unearthing all these audible treasures to see what can still be done with them.  I don’t get the impression he’s under any illusion that you can fully save everything, but he’s done an exceptional job of mining out a whole bunch of stuff from his past catalog that should be out there for his fans.  Stuff you wouldn’t want to lose forever on some dusty-ass hard drive or in a computer crash.  Let the cloud have it.  Let the internet work its magic.  Now that Lost Friends & B Sides, Volume 2 is out there, it’ll live on forever – long beyond Richard, myself, or any of you reading this too.  We’re all a part of “The Long Fade” in some way, aren’t we?  We’re all card carrying members of the oxygen is actually a very slow acting poison club, right?  I’ll let you decide on all that.  What I can tell you for a certainty is that “The Long Fade” becomes a seriously irresistible jam well before it’s even halfway over, and considering it’s the longest track on the record, that’s bound to make you as happy as it does me.  Richard’s vocals are welcome.  I’m not going to say they make the song here, but I’m pleased with what I hear from him on this last cut.  Once again, he’s put himself in a situation where the music is stealing the show…don’t blame me for commenting on it, blame him for making music this good!  Or tell him to sing even better to balance out the strengths in his songs just a little more.  Maybe he has room to evolve and grow in that respect…maybe he doesn’t need to at all – like I said earlier, you just need to supply people with a reason or two to listen, right?  Not everything needs to be completely perfect in the way people consume music anymore…so maybe it’s the perfect time for an album like this after all, and maybe the music business is all about timing, just like they’ve always said it was.  Maybe back when these songs were originally created, it just wanted their time yet…and maybe the time for them, is now.

Find out more about Richard Self from his official website at:  https://www.richardself.co.uk

THIS LINE OF TEXT IS INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE, as proven daily by thousands of people that read our pages.  If you’re one of the rare folks that can actually see this message, and you’re curious about how to get YOUR MUSIC featured on our site, by all means click here to learn more about doing exactly that!