Review Summary: Pretty/sad music
Something For Kate’s forth studio album effort
The Official Fiction is easily equally one of their best releases to date. It bridges a large void between the 2001 release
Echolalia showing the large progression the band have made. Though dropping the indie/rock feel that made the sophomore release, and classic album
Beautiful Sharks so good,
The Official Fiction doesn't dampen the sound the band generates. While leaving the indie/rock sound that made Something for Kate so warm, the decision to head for a mainstream brand of rock has worked wonders. This change up works quite well, as the band is able to hit the nail on the head in it's first attempt.
While listeners find SFK quite depressing,
The Official Fiction sees the band expanding and deviating to different styles and formulas then they had usually toyed with.
The vocals on
The Official Fiction album really show how the band have expanded, with lead vocalist Paul Dempsey layering his own voice creating a quite soothing sound with counter melodies galore, plus the album also hosts some guest vocal spots that accompany Dempsey’s voice perfectly. There is also a large change in the way the songs are written and how they are structured, with less guitar driven songs and more compromising orchestrated tracks, thus giving the band much more complexity and variety than ever before. While they do return to their roots with the tracks ‘Light At The End Of The Tunnel’ and ‘Reverse Soundtrack’ having a more guitar driven vibe, and a spacey feel about them but these tracks are quite amazingly well done anyway.
Most of the songs on this album are really just beautifully written and all having coherent flow on effect from each other. ‘Deja Vu’ which was the first single shows off the harmonies of Dempsey and shows us why it was a smart move to include more instrumentation, while the stunningly perfect track, ‘Song For The Sleepwalker’ being from the old formula of song creation, it makes you want to listen over and over again, with its simple guitar line and pretty melody and Dempsey is able to convey so much emotion with the husky voice that we have all come to love. It is easily the best track of the album, and also shine lyrically as well:
'Standing on the great divide
Of some collision between ordinary and imaginary life
And this could be your luck day, 'cause if tomorrow ever comes
You'll be looking, looking the other way'
Something For Kate have once again created a masterpiece.
The Official Fiction is an album with many stylistic grindings, but they are able to somehow pull them off. With the mix of the old guitar driven rock songs and the interesting orchestral arrangements for others,
The Official Fiction is quite a diverse album. Featuring many special guest vocalists spots and the amazing production that has let Something For Kate take themselves to a place they had never really planned on going,
The Official Fiction is an album that was hyped to an extreme level, and is able to deliver with a richer and musically more sophisticated sound.
Recommended Tracks:
Deja Vu
Songs For The Sleepwalker
Reverse Soundtrack
