Album Club, September 2016: The Temperance Movement - 'The Temperance Movement'

[Album Club]

The Album Club choice for September comes courtesy of Rich (RichB) with the eponymous title by The Temperance Movement.

As always, please listen to the Album in its entirety before you post feedback and vote.


The Temperance Movement - 'The Temperance Movement'

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/The_Temperance_Movement_The_Temperance_Movement_co ver.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/The_Temperance_Movement_The_Temperance_Movement_co ver.jpg

Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temperance_Movement_(album)

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/5aQbNvg0qQItITILi00xTe

Full album on youtube as separate tracks: https://youtu.be/0ICoO8qh3os?list=PL6_qhP3eWX5MLpBNE6YVF4OkeWhKcFen h


http://youtu.be/0ICoO8qh3os?list=PL6_qhP3eWX5MLpBNE6YVF4OkeWhKcFen h

Debut album from a great up and coming British rock band I've become enamoured with. There's nothing fancy or clever here, just great soulful blues rock by a band currently making the move from small sweaty clubs to festival stages. There's no chin stroking material here, this is straight up good fun melodic rock for drinking and getting your boogie on, great live band I've enjoyed seeing this year. Lots of classic rock influences in evidence here such as The Faces, Rolling Stones (who I believe they supported recently) and the more bluesy side of AC/DC I think. Also Led Zep, Bad Company and maybe even Pearl Jam. I enjoy the whole album but the standout tracks would be 'Only Friend' for their slower side and 'Midnight Black' for a more pacey number.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one and maybe if you see these on the circuit go have a few drinks and see them!

[lovejoy]

This sounds promising I thought. A load of influences I really like and a cover that fits in with the current crop of rock revivalist bands that I'm loving at the moment. I'm all for bringing back a classic sound and adding a twist or doing something new with it and I thought to myself that I'd missed this band as I added it to my playlist and eagerly waited to sit and listen to it.
That's when it all went wrong. I started with the first few tracks by comparing them to other bands and it started to seem like each song sounded like someone different. I started off writing a list:
1. AC/DC
2. Pearl Jam
3. Turin Brakes
4. The Rolling Stones
Then it occurred to me that I was doing a major disservice to the bands I was comparing with as this wasn't an homage, or an update, or even just blatant plagiarism. This was something far more cynical. What we have here is a bunch of songs all of different styles, each of which sounds like a different band, but with a sound like it was programmed into a song generating computer which sorted through it's algorithms based on a recipe of:
FM rock
Grunge
British Indie rock
Blues rock
Stoner rock
Country tinged rock
Psychedelic rock
Poodle rock
and repeat a couple for good measure.
The thing is here that it's all well and good for a band to display its skills in covering a wide range of styles, but there's NOTHING here that isn't done better or differently elsewhere. To me, this album is the 'Smooth radio rock classics covered' album. It's like the record company phoned a bunch of session musicians and said 'Guys, we don't know what the next big rock revival is going to be, so why don't you just chuck out a bunch of different types and we'll see what singles we can extract from it' and that's what we have here. This is safe, clean, sanitised and without any sense of fun or risk.
Blues rock, grunge, stoner rock - They need to be dirty, scuzzy, noisy. This is like a church choir doing 'Highway to Hell' but bleeping out the word hell.
Oh and the lyrics are APPALLING! Trite, crass and contrived. All of the stupidity of mid 80s spandex clad rock, but all the sexual tension of The Singing Nun.
I think you can tell by now I really don't like it ;-).
That said, I bet they'd be great live. In a pub, after a few pints!
To hear the rock revival in full swing go and listen to Thee Oh Sees, White Denim and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
I can't give this any more than 1/10 because I can't remember the last time I shouted 'PLEASE MAKE IT STOP' at my system.

[RichB]

This sounds promising I thought. A load of influences I really like and a cover that fits in with the current crop of rock revivalist bands that I'm loving at the moment. I'm all for bringing back a classic sound and adding a twist or doing something new with it and I thought to myself that I'd missed this band as I added it to my playlist and eagerly waited to sit and listen to it.
That's when it all went wrong. I started with the first few tracks by comparing them to other bands and it started to seem like each song sounded like someone different. I started off writing a list:
1. AC/DC
2. Pearl Jam
3. Turin Brakes
4. The Rolling Stones
Then it occurred to me that I was doing a major disservice to the bands I was comparing with as this wasn't an homage, or an update, or even just blatant plagiarism. This was something far more cynical. What we have here is a bunch of songs all of different styles, each of which sounds like a different band, but with a sound like it was programmed into a song generating computer which sorted through it's algorithms based on a recipe of:
FM rock
Grunge
British Indie rock
Blues rock
Stoner rock
Country tinged rock
Psychedelic rock
Poodle rock
and repeat a couple for good measure.
The thing is here that it's all well and good for a band to display its skills in covering a wide range of styles, but there's NOTHING here that isn't done better or differently elsewhere. To me, this album is the 'Smooth radio rock classics covered' album. It's like the record company phoned a bunch of session musicians and said 'Guys, we don't know what the next big rock revival is going to be, so why don't you just chuck out a bunch of different types and we'll see what singles we can extract from it' and that's what we have here. This is safe, clean, sanitised and without any sense of fun or risk.
Blues rock, grunge, stoner rock - They need to be dirty, scuzzy, noisy. This is like a church choir doing 'Highway to Hell' but bleeping out the word hell.
Oh and the lyrics are APPALLING! Trite, crass and contrived. All of the stupidity of mid 80s spandex clad rock, but all the sexual tension of The Singing Nun.
I think you can tell by now I really don't like it ;-).
That said, I bet they'd be great live. In a pub, after a few pints!
To hear the rock revival in full swing go and listen to Thee Oh Sees, White Denim and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
I can't give this any more than 1/10 because I can't remember the last time I shouted 'PLEASE MAKE IT STOP' at my system.

Not keen then lol....

Good on you for giving it fair go.

[johnB]

This sounds promising I thought. A load of influences I really like and a cover that fits in with the current crop of rock revivalist bands that I'm loving at the moment. I'm all for bringing back a classic sound and adding a twist or doing something new with it and I thought to myself that I'd missed this band as I added it to my playlist and eagerly waited to sit and listen to it.
That's when it all went wrong. I started with the first few tracks by comparing them to other bands and it started to seem like each song sounded like someone different. I started off writing a list:
1. AC/DC
2. Pearl Jam
3. Turin Brakes
4. The Rolling Stones
Then it occurred to me that I was doing a major disservice to the bands I was comparing with as this wasn't an homage, or an update, or even just blatant plagiarism. This was something far more cynical. What we have here is a bunch of songs all of different styles, each of which sounds like a different band, but with a sound like it was programmed into a song generating computer which sorted through it's algorithms based on a recipe of:
FM rock
Grunge
British Indie rock
Blues rock
Stoner rock
Country tinged rock
Psychedelic rock
Poodle rock
and repeat a couple for good measure.
The thing is here that it's all well and good for a band to display its skills in covering a wide range of styles, but there's NOTHING here that isn't done better or differently elsewhere. To me, this album is the 'Smooth radio rock classics covered' album. It's like the record company phoned a bunch of session musicians and said 'Guys, we don't know what the next big rock revival is going to be, so why don't you just chuck out a bunch of different types and we'll see what singles we can extract from it' and that's what we have here. This is safe, clean, sanitised and without any sense of fun or risk.
Blues rock, grunge, stoner rock - They need to be dirty, scuzzy, noisy. This is like a church choir doing 'Highway to Hell' but bleeping out the word hell.
Oh and the lyrics are APPALLING! Trite, crass and contrived. All of the stupidity of mid 80s spandex clad rock, but all the sexual tension of The Singing Nun.
I think you can tell by now I really don't like it ;-).
That said, I bet they'd be great live. In a pub, after a few pints!
To hear the rock revival in full swing go and listen to Thee Oh Sees, White Denim and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
I can't give this any more than 1/10 because I can't remember the last time I shouted 'PLEASE MAKE IT STOP' at my system.

......"but all the sexual tension of The Singing Nun."

That sold it to me..I'm listening to this tomorrow.

[paulf-2007]

It started badly, got worse in the middle and tailed off at the end.......no seriously it took a few tracks to get into but I persevered and enjoyed the different styles. None of it sounded like ac/dc that's certain. More bluesy, clean guitar sound. Couldn't put my finger on who they sounded like so that's good. Listened with earbuds so will give them another go in the listening room.

[Mike - H]

It starts out ok, but after 3 or 4 tracks I've had enough. I have tried different sections of the album with the same result.
5/10

[struth]

Listened to a number of the tracks, although not all. I used to be into this music, and can relate. Quite good overall with a mix of ac dc with some US 70,s rock bands style. Say a strong 6

[Audio Al]

4 out of 10 from me sorry , 1st track very AC/DC some other tracks sound like mild rock country music if such a style exists :scratch:
Not my taste :(

[Pixelpopper]

There's nothing really here that grabs me, listened all the way through but nothing to inspire.
Nor is there anything really wrong with the music it just doesn't "go anywhere." Probably no longer in my genre list.

It gets a 5 from me, sorry.

[Barry]

Well I waded through what is a very long album and on the whole I quite enjoyed it. As others have said, there is nothing new here or nothing that hasn't been done better before by others. I didn't particularly like the singer's voice either.

Yet I feel people have judged this group harshly. One has to listen to it as described in the OP:

There's nothing fancy or clever here, just great soulful blues rock by a band currently making the move from small sweaty clubs to festival stages. There's no chin stroking material here, this is straight up good fun melodic rock for drinking and getting your boogie on, great live band I've enjoyed seeing this year.

The last five live tracks are a good example, and for that reason I'm giving it a 7/10.

[RichB]

Thanks to everyone who gave this a shot. I knew it might divide opinion and that the extent we'd enjoy this might depend upon how far we can suspend our cynicism.

I think Barry has summed it up well.

[martian sunrise]

I pretty much agree with all of the comments above, but saw aerosmith through most of it.

5/10 - rock by numbers, and I am a massive fan of all the bands quoted above...