A little bit of back history for you: Emanuel and The Fear is an eleven piece band from New York, New York. Describing themselves as an “orchestral rock band”, they cite their influences as ranging from Beethoven and Rachmanicoff swinging via Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Daft Punk, and Sufjan Stevens, and well, that’s all pretty accurate.
After reading that description, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The word “orchestral” conjured up images of big sweeping sound-scapes and an all-round dullness. The first statement is true to a small statement, there is certainly an element of sound-scape to it, and the second one couldn’t be more wrong – not a dull moment, indeed.
Kicking off the nineteen tracked album is the aptly named ‘The Introduction’, and it is all a little misleading. ‘The Introduction’ introduces the album with creepy, carnivelesque noises which would probably make children cry, and then it all turns a little operatic and grandiose. It soon has a change of direction when ‘Guatemala’ kicks in’; a non-stop ball of energy that will absolutely sweep you away with it. ‘Guatemala’ is an awesome song; it sounds urgent, huge and frenzied. It is absolutely full to the brim with life and vigour and if you do not get caught up in it, I dare say you have no soul.
The rest of the album follows suit, and it is almost exhausting to listen to it, which is in now way at all a bad thing. It is relentless, inspired and just a big surge of power in aural form. The genre crossovers are superb – going from something inspired by classical music trends flawlessly over to funk or rock. Singer/leader of the madness, Emanuel Ayvas, directs his voice amazingly well. His delivery is spot on, his tone is lush and his performance is pretty inspired.
The innovation of Emanuel and the Fear is pretty well represented by a personal favourite track of mine ‘Jimmies Song’ which presents a change in pace and theme. ‘Jimmie’s Song’ sees the album relent for a few moments, with an almost-mellow folk song. All the elements that make Emanuel and the Fear are still there, just turned down a notch or too and the result is a well composed breather. Similarly, ‘Dear Friend’ has elements of a folk theme in them. Imagine if Ben Folds somehow got on stage with Arcade Fire.
Changing the proverbial record entirely is ‘Trucker Lovesong’ which is a slow, dark sounding, introverted piece that sounds like it should inspire deep thought and reflection (I am capable of neither, unfortunately), and I feel this is where the Bright Eyes comparison comes from – think some of Connor O’Berst’s darkest moments, but a little more eloquent.
I know this review is very hyperbolic and a little keen; allow me to assure you I have not, in fact, turned in Mr Bombastic himself (Zane Lowe…), it’s just that ‘Listen’ has surpassed all my expectations and I don’t remember the last time an album excited me as much. Probably my album of the year thus far.
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