Published on Feb 20, 1997
Sometimes, uncharted areas are the best to explore.
Friction, a four-piece band from the Netherlands, describe their
style of music as a mixture of space rock and soul. When they first
e-mailed me to see if I was interested in reviewing them, I was a
little skeptical. Was I going to hear true “space” music a la Sun
Ra, or was I in for another disappointment on the lines of the 1976
Iron Butterfly reunion?
After a few listens to their import-only debut
Glow Within, the verdict was in: hmm, not bad… not bad at
all! While I may dispute the soul label (I think of soul, I think
of James Brown or Curtis Mayfield), their sound is akin to a
marriage of Uriah Heep (bombastic organ work) and Phish (a light,
jazzy bounce) – in retrospect, a rather interesting combination of
sounds that works well.
The opening cut, “Daredevil,” is probably the only true
disappointing moment on the CD. The guitar work of lead
vocalist/guitarist Steven Revrock seems to be a little stagnant,
and Harm Weird’s organ work goes a little over the edge. The song
recovers enough face to become enjoyable, but it takes a few
listens.
Once you get past that one speed bump, Friction kicks into high
gear and never looks back. The title track features better guitar
work from Revrock, though the vocals seem a little off-key at
times. (It should be noted this is the only track that suffers from
that problem.) Weird’s organ begins to work well in complementing
Friction’s style, and Erik Nepposch’s drum work keeps a steady,
though changing, beat for the band. (Hidden in the mix is the bass
work of Walter Revrock, which is a disappointment – next time, I’d
like to hear him higher up in the mix, getting funky on us.)
“Insane” is a track that, at first, seems to rip off Cypress
Hill with the use of the line “Insane in the membrane,” until
Revrock et al. give credit where credit is due – that is, in the
very next vocal line. Possibly the best track on
Glow Within, “Insane” captures the spirit of Friction
extremely well, and shows how much fun they’re having with their
music. The band pays its musical respects to artists as diverse as
Charles Mingus on this one – possible influences?
Of the remaining four tracks, three are short enough to have a
chance of being played on rock radio, and all again capture
Friction’s free-flow spirit to a “T”. (Hence my comparing them to
Phish.) The last cut, “Dancing Melody Girl,” is Friction’s “final
exam,” if you will – they have the chance to give their all to an
almost 11-minute track and not make it sound like it’s sagging at
any point. Do they succeed? The answer: they pass with flying
colors.
What amazes me the most is the professional quality this album
has – for a debut effort, it is outstanding. Even for the few rough
edges the band still has (having only been together for just under
three years), they have put together a work that many established
artists can only dream about. My one wish: that it had been
longer.
While Friction have been gaining popularity in their homeland,
they are all but unheard of in the States. If
Glow Within got some distribution over here and they got a
chance to tour with a band with similar influences (like, oh, I
dunno,… Phish?), that story would change real quick.
Glow Within gave this reviewer a warm feeling – and made me
hope this isn’t the last time I hear from them.