Published on Mar 6, 1999
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s an old
saying, but it’s still very true.
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois’s own Absinthe Blind are proof of
this, as is their latest effort,
Solarshift. While they have moved away from the richly
layered sonic attack that made up their debut effort
when our flashes sway, they have moved into a more
pop-oriented vein – and while I do miss some of the layered sound,
this is still very good.
The band – vocalist/guitarist Adam Fein, guitarist Tristan
Wraight, bassist Mike Zolfo and drummer/backing vocalist Seth Fein
– have not abandoned their alternative roots in the least; this is
still an album that challenges the listener to keep up with the
musical waves it throws at them. But where
when our flashes sway used layers of guitars to hook the
listener, on
Solarshift it’s the vocals. Adam Fein has greatly improved
in the last year as a singer, and it shows on this album.
The opening two tracks, “Now We Glide” (which seems to have a
false start in the first five seconds of the track – was this
intentional?) and “Place” are enough to lock you in for the entire
album. However, I couldn’t help but be thrown by the fact that
Absinthe Blind’s sound had changed, and it took me a little time
(as well as a partial re-listen to
when our flashes sway) to get comfortable with it. Even now,
some seven listens into the disc, I don’t know if I’m completely
used to it yet.
The one challenge of
Solarshift is that it requires more than just passive
attention from the listener; some of the songs tend to blur
together, making it hard to recognize just what track you’re
listening to. I noticed this happening between “Distant Song,”
“Shade Winter, Shade Spring” and “Not My Queen” – all good tracks
themselves. But I don’t like the idea that an album is passing me
by and I’m not noticing it happening.
Absinthe Blind does take some chances by adding in one
additional vocalist (Lynn Canfield) on “Fantasy Loss,” a track that
dissolves into the beautiful instrumental “Celestial”. Also,
hearing the use of violins and cellos is a nice touch – and one
that is thankfully not overused.
Solarshift is an album that may well break Absinthe Blind
into larger markets – that is, if those stations are willing to
take a chance with them. (Face it, you don’t hear the Cocteau Twins
much on Chicago radio; I don’t know how it is in the rest of the
country.) And while this album does take some time to get used to,
especially if you’re familiar with the band’s earlier work, it
rightfully should be the album to make Absinthe Blind a major name
in the alternative world.