The debut album from talented chappy Rod Thomas has been a long time coming, but most definitely worth the wait. As BLBL, Rod has this ability to be an alchemist of lyrical & musical composition, weaving together words and instruments to conjour up vivid emotive landscapes that give the album real heart, depth and soul. It's quite mesmerising. Long time fans will find some familiar tunes within the set, but in the context of the album they seem to take on a new energy; a new life is given to them and they are just as fresh & exciting as when I first heard them.
The album commences with Immature - it's reflective, melancholic lyrics set the tone for Rod's introspective style and showcases his gift to make even the most maudlin of subjects feel musically uplifting. He wants you to experience these emotions, these trials; indeed learn from these lessons but he doesn't want to bring you down too much in the process. Amidst the stark synths, dreamy chimes & percussive beats are bitingly self critical lyrics that review the singers reaction to a relationship. It's the raw honesty that makes the song shine - an opening of the soul that continues throughout the album. Next up is the soaring Feel It which evidences Rod's love of the 90s house/dance movement. It starts off with some dance piano chords before a booming beat takes over, leaving Rod's vocal to ably power the melody forward. It's around the middle 8 that the tune literally explodes as a huge diva-esque female vocal provides anthemic trade-off vocals & the swirling "give me something to dream about" chorus refrain invades every synapse of your body and proves to be totally uplifting (a stark contrast from the previous track). This aligns closely with Rod's theme of providing euphoric dance tracks to melancholy lyrics - for every song about lessons learnt and heartbreaks experienced, there is a song about being embracing the opportunities of life & being ready for these. This is never more prevalent on the album than in the glorious Love Part II ~ It's a deliciously synth driven, very smart, melody drenched pop anthem that is all about finding love after a probably rubbish experience with some cad. It's so giddily optimistic and uplifting that it is incredibly difficult not to feel entirely joyful each time you listen to it.
Waiting For The Feeling is a prime example of what Rod does so well as his BLBL persona - taking influences from 90s piano house & rave (a genre he clearly loves), adding his own world-view emotive lyrics to the mix and creating an entirely engaging piece of music that seems totally relevant in the 2012 pop world. I love his use of piano in the song - stabbing piano chords can create a real dance vibe, and that's maximised from the intro right through the song (complemented by a percolicious disco beat that makes you want to grab the one you love and shimmy. Hard). Cry At Films sees him team up with Scisster Del for a track that is delivered so earnestly with such an innate sadness in the vocal delivery that it's hard not to get swept into the emotion of the song and feel a little blue. Heavenly though - and leads into the stunning one-two punch of dancefloor melancholy provided by Move & Disco Moment. Move encapsulates the happy music-brutally devastating lyrics combo and is one of the finest songs on the album. "Moving on is the hardest thing to do" opines Rod in the chorus, before a stunning middle 8 washes over you leaving you breathless for more. The radiant Disco Moment (my fave song of 2011) is up next and remains as bittersweet as an Abba song & as an instrumental nirvana for those who like the music to make them fly. It's on par with Kylie's All The Lovers, Tove's White Light Moment. It's sheer perfection.
New Word To Say (Rod's first BLBL single) is a warm, lush, electro tinged track that is built around the constructs of some of his earlier folk music days and soars with the addition of some synths, a luxurious beat and a dreamy skybound chorus. Once again, the lovely engaging instrumental is in juxtaposition with the sad lyrics but it's something that Rod does so very well. How To Make A Heart is up next and showcases a more subdued vocal - when the uplifting lyrics come they are sung with such intense passion you get the impression you could have dimmed the bedroom lights and suggested your filthiest desires and he'd have happily obliged (my kinda fella). This track does deserve the more tempered down approach - it's a more sombre tune that questions the fragility of emotions and love, set to an industrial-influenced soundscape (recalling Depeche Mode and even Pink Floyd) that is littered with drum beats and synth chords that flow and swell until indeed your heart beats for this tune. The mood set by this track continues with Debris which strips Rod of his electronica and allows him to perform in a more stark, open setting - the result is a work of musical art that is both haunting but all to brief. The album then closes with Grace - a slow burn song that gradually crescendos into an enormous, satisfying finish for the album.
So there you have it - a genuinely amazing piece of work, lovingly constructed and impeccably delivered.
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