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Tram is the London-based duo of Paul Anderson and Nick Avery, whose
Heavy Black Frame (Jetset, 1999) offers subdued, melancholy, minimal
dirges in the "slo-core" vein of Codeine,
Low and
Red House Painters, wrapped in the depressed
soliloquy of
singer-songwriters such as Smog.
Occasionally highlighted by oboe (Thibault De Montford) and other acoustic
instruments, the songs are personal and absolute in the way Nick Drake and
Tim Buckley were
(Nothing Left to Say, I've Been Here Before, Expectations,
Reason Why, When It's All Over).
The instrumentals Like Clockwork and You Can Go Now are
fascinating while incomplete.
Alas,
the joke is on them on Frequently Asked Questions (Jetset, 2001),
a major disappointment that reveals how cruelly dated and superficial their
soft-rock is.
The jazz and the orchestral elements are further emphasized on
A Kind Of Closure (Jetset, 2002), which marks a compromise, or, better
a complete retreat, from their original program. The instrumentals are still
the best portion of the album (The Hope Has Been Taken Away) but most
of it is occupied with atmospheric songs
(Forlorn Labour, Only Then) that simply return to pop's
traditional format.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Matteo Gentile)
Tram è il duo londinese di Paul Anderson e Nick Avery, il
cui Heavy Black Frame (Jetset, 1999) offre sonorità sommesse, malinconiche e
minimal alla maniera slo-core di Codeine, Low e Red House Painters, avvolti nel
depresso soliloquio di cantautori come Smog. Occasionalmente accesi da oboi (
Thibault De Montford ) e altri strumenti acustici, le canzoni sono personali e
veritiere come lo erano quelle di Nick Drake e Tim Buckley ( Nothing Left to
Say , I've Been Here Before , Expectations , Reason Why , When It's All Over ).
Gli strumentali Like Clockwork e You Can Go Now sono affascinanti ma
incompleti. Ahimè, il peggio arriva con Frequently Asked Questions (Jetset,
2001), una grande delusione che rivela quanto sia terribilmente datato e
superficiale il loro soft rock. Il jazz e gli elementi orchestrali sono
ulteriormente enfatizzati in A Kind Of Closure (Jetset, 2002), che segna un
compromesso, o meglio un ritiro completo, dal loro programma originale. Gli
strumentali sono ancora la parte migliore dell'album ( The Hope Has Been Taken
Away ), ma la maggior parte è occupata da brani d'atmosfera ( Forlorn Labor ,
Only Then ) che ritornano semplicemente al tradizionale format pop.
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