HERE IT IS

With the dawn of the internet age and, subsequently, the rise of self-produced and self-released music, one could certainly argue that this has either helped or hurt the musical climate. The fact that virtually anybody with a guitar and a laptop can record and release an album nowadays is, strangely enough, both intriguing and frightening. While this has led to plenty of cool albums, it's also probable that you'll come across more than a fair share of sloppy and generally worthless efforts that should never have been released in their current state. Simon Railton's 2008 debut, Here It Is, is one of those albums that should never have been released in its current form. Even more surprising, Railton did not self release this atrocity. It was released by a record label - the prestigious Musea Records, no less. Here It Is has a few decent ideas scattered throughout forty-two minutes of poorly produced, abysmal nonsense - even though Simon Railton didn't release this on the internet for free, it sure sounds like an effort that should've been considered a self-released demo, rather than a major progressive rock label debut.

The music on Here It Is is instrumental progressive rock with some touches of progressive metal - a style I often enjoy, but unfortunately that is not the case here. The compositions are muddy and disjointed, often jumping from one section to another with hardly any warning; Here It Is contains some of the most awkward transitions I've ever heard, and the songwriting lacks any sense of purpose or fluidity. The ideas are seldom interesting in the first place, but the fact that they're sloppily thrown together makes this even more of a mess. Here It Is, unfortunately, also suffers from dreadful arrangements and a cheap production. The thin and fuzzy guitar tones, cheap keyboard sounds, nearly unlistenable drum machine, and uneven mix can make this even more of a chore to listen to. While I can't imagine Here It Is would've been a great album even if it were properly produced, the sloppy musicianship and terrible sound quality make the overall product substantially worse.

Although I do recognize that Simon Railton clearly put effort into Here It Is, I simply can't say I'm pleased with the album in any way. This is a disjointed, cheap, and poorly produced nightmare that I'd have a tough time recommending to anybody. There are a few good ideas and specks of talent buried under these atrocious walls of sound, but it will definitely take more than that until I'm even remotely impressed. Maybe Simon has a great album somewhere up his sleeve - if he does, this sure isn't it. I don't typically give out 1 star ratings to studio albums, but I'm afraid that Here It Is is one of those releases where such a rating is absolutely necessary. This is best avoided.