BRAVO

Bravo indeed!

Following an extended EP taster, Norwegians Gazpacho released this their first album in 2003. Most of the tracks from the EP ("Get it while it's cold") were remixed and/or remastered and included on the album.

The band's music draws in influences ranging from RADIOHEAD and MUSE to the softer side of Hogarth era MARILLION (they have supported Marillion on tour and are now signed to their label). The music is not particularly complex, with any semblance of neo- prog being brief and superficial. There are no extended instrumentals or even solos, the album being very vocal with distinct pop overtones. The underlying progressive influences however make the music difficult to categorise. The atmosphere is generally understated sometimes sounding like JAPAN attempting to rock out a bit.

"Sea of Tranquillity" has a very effective quivering vocal by Jan H. Ohme a fine singer by any standard. On tracks such as "Sun god", and "Ease your mind" there are real similarities with the more melodic side of Radiohead, such as on their "Nice dream" and "The tourist". "Ease your mind" benefits from a generally more progressive structure and feel, all the while retaining the strong melodies which characterise the album. The band occasionally reveal their harder side, such as on "Mesmer" which features distorted vocals and a very powerful bass line. Here there are echoes of U2's darker side.

The strange title "Novgorod" disguises a highly poetic lyric describing a rather disturbing tale. The closing (title track) appears to be following the template of the album as a whole, until a Celtic section pops up midway, out of place but effective.

In all, a fine debut album which shows Gazpacho to be a highly competent outfit, both in terms of composition and performance. The fact that album was almost entirely developed by the band and their "friends" without any major backing is testimony to their significant potential.

The entire album is currently available to sample via the band's website on a limited play or purchase basis. Good move calling the band Gazpacho too, instead of the English translation "Cold soup".

I was not really impressed with the first EP from the band (you can read my review of it for more details if you like). Six out of the seven songs featured there are taken over into this album: the only one to have been dropped is Delete Home which one of my fave together with Sea Of Tranquillity.

The added tracks are the excellent opener Desert which has a definite Muse taste, especially in the vocals but not only. It starts with some Spanish acoustic guitar (maybe to justify their name Gazpacho). It is kicking out nicely and surpassed any of their tracks from Get It While It's Cold. It is a great start for this album and by far my favourite song from this album.

There are very little differences between the tracks released on their previous EP and the versions available on this debut album. Still, Nemo is another good song which is heading the same Muse direction again. The music gets heavier during a short instrumental part but it is mainly a melodic pop song. But it is a good one.

California is another one of the new songs available and it follows the same pattern as Nemo but in a more dynamic way. These additions are really helpful since they break the mellowish aspects of their work (Sea Of Tranquillity, Sun God, or Bravo).

It is all the same about Mesmer which is on the heavy side. But it is less inspired and noisier. To overcome this, the melodic and plaintive Novgorod does its job even if the sampling background sounds are not so welcome.

This full release is slightly better than their initial EP, mainly thanks to a couple of great songs. Three stars.

"Bravo" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian rock act Gazpacho. The album was released through Intact Records in 2003. The history of Gazpacho dates back to 1996 when a couple of old friends met after some years of seperation and formed the band. The three original members of the band were all major Marillion fans and active members of the Scandinavian branch of the fanclub and as result lead vocalist Jan-Henrik Ohme was invited to perform on the first Marillion Convention Weekend, and spend the event handing out the Gazpacho "Get It While It's Cold" promo, which provided the band with some attention. At least enough attention to be able to release a six-track EP in 2002, which ultimately lead to the recording of "Bravo".

The music on "Bravo" is pleasant, simple, melodic, and relatively catchy rock, with a few nods towards more adventurous music. Album opener "Desert" is the most structurally interesting track on the album, and it features a couple of semi-progressive ideas, but it´s not an overtly complex track. Other standout tracks on the album are "Sea Of Tranquility" and "Mesmer", but "Bravo" is generally a nice listening experience and a good quality release. There are a couple of less remarkable tracks on the album like "Nemo" and "California", but it´s not a major issue.

The musicianship is on a high level on all posts, but it´s Ohme´s strong voice and melancholic and warm delivery that is the icing on the cake (the pleasant sounding keyboards could be mentioned as another asset). The drums are programmed (except for on a few tracks), which is a bit odd on a rock album, but it actually works pretty well for the most part. "Bravo" is fairly well produced too, so upon conclusion it´s a decent debut album by Gazpacho. There are several positive elements to be found on the album, but in the end it´s rarely a remarkable album, but more often just a decent one. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

Feeling embarrassed by listening this, or pleased by this in a very special way ? I really don't know, because Gazpacho's debut is very confusing album. It's not ethereal as "Night", more like straight-to-earth album. He's not shouting, vocals are quite pleasant (I like this type of singing, definitely not clear, but charming for sure - mostly [not at all times - California]). But there's something bad, which brings this record to its knees. It is melodic, indeed, I like this element in music, but not in this way. I don't feel good when listening this music. Still, it's qualities are considerable, so

3(+), but I can't get myself to give more.