Great Big Sea - Something Beautiful (CD)

Less Celtic pub, more quirky arena rock

By redtunictroll  May 31, 2004

Pros: -

Cons: -

The seventh album from this Newfoundland band, the second for the U.S. based Zoe/Rounder, rocks more heavily than their earlier releases. The songs are still hugely melodic, with well executed harmonies and backing vocals, but the bass and drums exer...t themselves more fully, and even the singing has some extra punch. The band's Celtic influences often move more to the edges, influencing the melodies and arrangements (such as the rhythmic backing vocal of "Beat the Drum") in more subtle shades.On the surface, these songs sound like the sort of rousing arena rockers turned out by Bare Naked Ladies and Dave Matthews, but at their core are the sort of progressions brought to rock 'n' roll by Black 47 and The Pogues. The traditional instruments come to the fore now and again, such as for the quick spinning hockey reel, "Helmethead" the sea-faring waltz, "Lucky Me," and the accordion-and-whistle polka, "Chafe's Ceilidh."Longtime fans will decry the band's growing affinity for the mainstream, manifested most notably in their employ of Bare Naked Ladies producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda to helm these sessions. But they're a really good mainstream band, weaving threads of their native Newfoundland into music whose appeal is broadened without being denuded. These songs may not resound throughout North American pubs, but they'll please mainstream rock fans looking for something with a bit of a twist. Read more Less