Loyal Opposition is back, sporting a new flare of creativity with his latest project: ‘Five Easy Pieces’. This project is a nod to Loyal Opposition’s love of hidden meanings, sharing its name with a movie that he holds a particular partiality to. Employing the help of other musicians, Loyal Opposition sought out those who would adapt his acoustic material via orchestral instrumentation and even some vocals too!
Right off the bat, I’ve got to voice my praise of Loyal
Opposition and the team he is working with. ‘Five Easy Pieces’ delivers the
refinement and the control I’ve been wanting to hear in Loyal Opposition’s work
for some time. After listening to the first track, I smiled with excitement,
eager to unfold this latest endeavour.
That being said, enough from me. I’m grabbing me a
slice of ‘Five Easy Pieces’.
*
Opening with ‘Finally’, this six-minute,
guitar-centric thunderstorm is – simply put – intoxicating! The shrieking zest
of the guitar lingers around the introduction like a leonine thespian,
completely at home in the spotlight. Sultry in its adagio composition, the
debonair introduction paints a nostalgic mood across the track, as if we are
being told a heroic legend like never before.
Upon the apex of its cadence, the listener is sent
into a swelling gyre of prolonged vim, with the harmonies between the drums and
the guitar galvanising the dynamic. The dichotomy between the drums and guitar
is infectious – the drums reminiscent of an elated heartbeat, seduced by the
inveigle of the rippling guitar.
Although emphasising on the characteristics of Loyal
Opposition’s style, ‘Finally’ displays a gorgeous control that gives each
melody its due, without falling into a chaos that I’ve noted in his prior
works.
You are not only enveloped in the rock-raked timbre of
the melodies, but you are also enveloped in the polished passion of the story.
This is a narrative of resilience. Loyal Opposition is an artist who has faced
a lot of criticism but is always coming back with a fighting spirit and is
constantly improving.
Loyal Opposition wanted to add some spice to this
project and with ‘Finally’, I can hear him taking his craft to new heights,
rejuvenating his relationship with music.
*
Loyal Opposition’s next track ‘The Crime of Rudy’ is
considerably shorter than ‘Finally’ but make no mistake – this song is equally
as mesmerising.
Originally, this melody was crafted for guitar, but
Loyal Opposition opted for a forefront of violin which was an excellent
decision.
The alluring glissade of the violin inspires such a
gorgeous, romantic feel to the single. Meandering through the texture of ‘The
Crime of Rudy’, the delicate nature of the violin evokes a rivulet of
melancholy. Cushioned by slow-burning drumbeats, I found myself contemplating
the title even more.
The lo-fi-esque tonality led me to believe we, as
listeners, are hearing the painful aftermath of this great crime, listening to
how it has affected Rudy’s loved ones.
There is a poignant beauty to this single that stuck
with me after hearing it.
*
‘A Mile of Chords’ has a certain flare I thought I’d
never hear in Loyal Opposition’s work: vocals. An amorous lure is imprinted in
the track via the enriched lilt of female vocals, and it works seamlessly with
the pensive tonality of the track.
For me, this track takes the best elements from its
predecessors and creates something homely, yet perfectly distinct. Enlivened by
the balletic twangs of the guitar that we saw in ‘Finally’, there is still a
softer texture to the single that brings the melody back down to Earth,
mirroring that of the café-quaint mood of ‘The Crime of Rudy’.
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Loyal
Opposition’s use of keyboard/piano in the past, but I am overjoyed with how it
is utilised in ‘A Mile of Chords’. It comes into full bloom atop the
underpinning of the haunting vocals and in its absence thrives with a youthful
jubilance that keeps the song cheery and light.
Upon my first listen, I initially had wished for more
of the vocals, given that they embellish ‘A Mile of Chords’ with a sheen that
I’ve never seen in Loyal Opposition’s work. After several repeats, I actually
found an appreciation for its paucity. Less can be more and this is no
exception. The fact that I wanted more from such a fleeting ornamentation just
added to the intrigue of the composition for me.
*
‘The Middle of Nowhere’ is the next track from Loyal
Opposition. This single has a vintage atmosphere that I adore, an atmosphere
that meanders alongside an unwavering enthusiasm that makes you want to jump up
and dance.
We are immediately thrust into an energetic jive,
beckoned to the dancefloor by a flurry of exultant harmonies. You’ve got a
pinch of playful piano, a spritz of enraptured drumbeats and the cherry to top
it all – a debonair trumpet melody that sounds as if you were watching a
charming act in a jazz lounge of the 1930s.
Spring-swashed dynamics and upbeat moderato tempos
breathe fresh life into such a classical sound that I can’t believe Loyal
Opposition hasn’t been constructing vintage-esque songs like ‘The Middle of
Nowhere’ more often!
I could easily picture hearing this song in a
mercurial scene from an American play of the 30s. It has such a timeless nuance
to its composition that has beautifully encompassed a near-century’s old
evolution of upbeat music.
*
This is the last dance folks. The conclusive track of
Loyal Opposition’s latest endeavour is of the title ‘The Past is Prologue (You
Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet)’.
Now this song displays a vastly different tone from
the ones we have heard in previous songs. Ornamented with a rushing brook of
illustrious harmonies, this single celebrates the regal strength of keyboard
and drums combined.
The fusillade of drumbeats feels as if Loyal
Opposition is preparing an army for an epic battle, triumphing over the past to
redefine the future. This is a war cry.
And this war cry marches on towards a belligerent,
unapologetic timbre of the guitar. With every note, you feel the gravelly wrath
hidden amongst the melody, adorned by a blackened marriage to the temperamental
tonality.
The monomaniacal relentlessness of the drumbeats truly
act as gun powder for the track, tantalising the twang of the instrumental
harmonies and painting them in a revenge-red.
For me, this track takes a slight dip in production
quality towards the end. With the callous overlapping of one-too-many melodies,
I hate to say it, but the instrumentation loses its footing and likens too much
to noise, rather than music.
This track should absolutely conclude with a mythic
bang, but unfortunately this was not the way to go about it.
*
Loyal Opposition and his team of musicians have made
brilliant strides with this latest project, it was near perfect for Loyal
Opposition’s style. The stories were so enthralling and – most of the time –
the music did an excellent job in constructing every emotion. That is what makes
a piece of music an artform.
Loyal Opposition’s Project:
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