Discogs
The Beauty of Escaping Review
by Steven McDonald
Shadowland are another one of those '60s-oriented
bands, but this time with a little bit of a twist. While you'll hear
sitars and tablas and the odd burst of weird stuff on "Sweet Mystery,"
and it's really the sort of '60s orientation that allows for other
influences. There's a little bit of R.E.M.-style Georgia acoustic rock
here and there; there's a feel that's got a little Lou Reed and a little Led Zeppelin
on "Heroin Eyes," yet doesn't get into that endless nasally drone. In
some respects, part of the direction that Shadowland seems to want to
take is a mix of Tom Petty and Creedence Clearwater, with a touch of clean Beach Boys-style
harmonies. This isn't a thin mix by any means -- these guys are quite
capable of starting quietly and breaking into a full-fledged wall of
sound at a moment's notice (which they do at least one time too many,
leading you to anticipate that everything that starts slowly is about to
explode in crashing drums and roaring guitars). For all the divergence,
too, it's a surprisingly uniform album -- even despite the "live in the
studio" style of "Something On Your Mind," which has a good-naturedly
ramshackle air about it, leaving it as one of the most engaging numbers
on the album, along with the terrific "The Deepest Indigo Blue," which
was apparently recorded with the band sleepy from an extremely long day;
the relaxed air helps it considerably. The '60s ambience certainly
comes through, though --"Miss Yesterday" is the one consciously
'60s-oriented song, but then you also have "Evil That You Do," "The
Deepest Indigo Blue," and "Sweet Mystery" sounding directly
'60s-inspired. The nature of the whole album, for all the crashing
around with percussion instruments, is organic, rather than
technological, right down to the use of Rockfield Studios. The Beauty of
Escaping is an entertaining album, good in terms of ambience, and
certainly listenable, even when the songs are fitted with a message and
fired point-blank at the listener.
Tracklist
| 1 |
| Wink Of An Eye |
| 2 |
| Imitation Of Life |
| 3 |
| It's All Over Now, Baby Blue |
| 4 |
| Indigo Blue |
| 5 |
| Sweet Mystery |
