Liszt
Three Track Sampler
Liszt describe their music as piano and guitar driven indie, which is a fair statement based on Exhibit A: Their three-track sampler, which was sent to us by Foundry Crew productions.
With ‘I’ve Been Here Before’ starting out with just guitar and vocals, you can’t help but brace for the big bang of the full track kicking in and when it doesn’t, it’s a little disappointing. This wouldn’t have been a major problem except, when the drums start building up towards the chorus, you again subconsciously start bracing yourself for the big bang which never arrives. Admittedly, the third time the build up reached the point of explosion (only to recede back into the same beat) I was a little more prepared.
Build ups aside, there are some good things about this track such as the vocals being warm and clear with a distinctive voice. The drums are rather good with their rolling builds and falls, and the guitar rhythm is imaginative.
‘She Walks Away’ is a million miles ahead of the first track with an instantly magnetic muted guitar in the verse and a huge chorus which is swiftly followed up with the sort of guitar break that is going to get remembered. There is some nice drum work after the second chorus that lays down a top groove for some sparkly guitars. The finish, which is an even bigger version of the chorus, is a perfect ending.
The final track, ‘Avalanche’, finds itself in between the slight disappointment of the opener and the brilliance of the second track. A pleasant guitar section with subtle drums and vocals eventually builds to a cracking middle section with some of the good points from the second song making a second appearance in the form of vocals, drums, and guitar.
For the most part on this recording, the bass remains fairly background where a little more oomf would be more then welcome. However, this could purely be the mix and it is a fairly minor niggle based on my personal preferences.
As for the songs, they average out at quite good, with one dragging the others back and another sparkling like a gem on sack-cloth. Not a bad taster and pretty much as they describe it themselves… except I didn’t hear any piano!
Written by Fenton on
