Album Review: Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
The dynamic duo released their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, in January 1966. I've already reviewed Graceland, so you know I'm a fan of Paul Simon. Well, Paul is one of the few artists who was able to create his own style as a solo artist that matched the quality of his efforts with his first band. And that wasn't an easy thing to do, because Simon and Garfunkel was one of the best pop music groups of the 20th century. Of course, they had Simon's musical brilliance to guide them, and Garfunkel's voice was a perfect complement to Paul's. Simon wrote all of the pair's songs, with the exception of those indicated.
1. "The Sounds of Silence"
The first track is the title song and, of course, is one of the group's most famous songs. It's hard to place this song actually, despite its popularity. It's kind of an odd choice as an album opener; it seems like more of a middle-album track. The intro hooks you immediately, with Paul and Art harmonizing on the first verse to the accompaniment of a lone guitar. It's an affecting tone, but like the song itself, I can't really place it. I suppose somber would be the best fit. Anyway, once the second verse starts, the full rock band kicks in with bass and drums; with each verse, Paul and Art's vocals become a bit more intense. The regular instruments backing the vocals seem odd; you'd expect something lighter, and so the track has an edge to it. The song goes along like this for the full three minutes before ending with the lone guitar again. Not my favorite S&G song, but certainly a classic and very good, and worth listening to.
2. "Leaves That Are Green"
Whoa, talk about shift in tone! This one starts off with a very bright, artificial keyboard part, backed by tambourine, light guitar and bass. Paul sings the first verse solo, a pretty, and much happier sounding one than in "Sounds of Silence". Art provides some harmony soon after, while the pleasant instrumental backing continues on. The melody of this song doesn't really grab you; it's more about the mood and just kind of floating along (like leaves, I suppose). Pleasant song, but not an especially great one.
3. "Blessed"
Here, Simon and Garfunkel change up the style yet again with one of my favorite tracks on the album. Driving the tone is a slightly discordant guitar part and strong drum beat. Paul and Art's harmony blasting out "Blessed! Is..." followed by various lyrics in each verse is a powerful force and grabs your attention, as opposed to the nonchalant "Leaves That Are Green." That's the strength of the song: Paul and Art mix up the vocal quite well, matching their tones perfectly to the lyrics but always keeping a good but not overblown intensity. Not much variety in this one either but it, like the two preceding tracks, doesn't overstay its welcome. Great song.
4. "Kathy's Song"
Style change #3! Here we have a stripped down track, with just Paul singing accompanied by an acoustic guitar (very Simon-and-Garfunkel-y at that). It's a pretty song; however, I've just never got into this one. There's really no musical variety at all, and with the same vocal line and guitar over and over, it gets a bit old. Perhaps this is one where I should pay more attention to the lyrics, but it just hasn't clicked with me yet.
5. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me"
Here we have perhaps the most standard rock song on the album yet, and it's a fun little track. Backed by a pretty standard set of rock instrumentals, in addition to a trumpet (maybe that's why I like this song...) and a bit of other (but subdued) orchestra, Paul and Art return to the charged vocal style of "Blessed". The verses are really fun, with Paul's vocal and a keyboard in particular really driving with great energy. Art's neat harmony in the chorus builds the urgency until the duo sings the title. It's a short one at about two-and-a-half minutes, but it's quite well written and performed. Nice little gem.
6. "Anji" (Graham)
Now for an all-instrumental track with a guitar duet (I think; I could be wrong). It's kind of an intermission on the album. A nice way to pass the time, but that's basically all it's doing. One thing to note is that while this is a cover, it does actually sound like it would fit in well with several of the other songs on the album.
7. "Richard Cory"
Another song in the rock mold of "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", this one tells a bit of a story (about, naturally, Richard Cory). This is a great example of Paul writing great lyrics - and also writing music that makes the words come out crystal clear and bold. And at the same time, the backing music isn't just a platform for the lyrics: the verse and chorus structure are both quite fun rock bits themselves. Paul sings the lead vocal here, and Art provides a light vocal that only becomes prominent in the chorus. The instrumental backing is quite strong, and gives the song a great beat. At three minutes, the track is also a very good length. Good one.
8. "A Most Peculiar Man"
Things quiet down significantly here. Paul and Art's soft harmonies are very pretty and calming. The song is guided along by high-pitched (but soft, so not irritating) keyboard, bass and various percussion (not the usual drums). Ironically, after giving Paul praise in the previous song for his great fusion of lyrics and music, this one is a bit awkward in that regard. I think he tried a bit to hard to force music around his lyrics here. It's not a bad song, but it passes right on by with little effect, and I'm not unhappy to move on to the next track.
9. "April Come She Will"
Here's another acoustic-vocal song; this time Art gets to sing the lead. I also like it significantly more than "Kathy's Song" as the composition is much more interesting. In addition, Art's voice is just perfect for this type of song. Finally, the song is not even two minutes, so it doesn't have time to grow old; it's over almost as soon as it begins - but it still has enough time to leave a pleasant effect on the ears.
10. "We've Got A Groovey Thing Going"
Simon-and-Garfunkel rock here, plain and simple. I mean, it's got the word "groovey" and everything. Supported by a very active and energetic instrumental backing (and another trumpet... I think there's a pattern here), Paul gives a good vocal (perhaps not one of his best, though) with a bit of harmony from Art here and there. The hook around the song title is quite catchy, and it's this, the driving drums and bright trumpet that really "hook" me (sorry). This one is exactly two minutes, another short one, but another good one.
11. "I Am A Rock"
Here's one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs. This one has just a fantastic beat, with great instrumentals, from the keyboard, to the drums, to the bass and the guitar. The main guitar part in particular is both brief and excellent. And, of course, Paul sings a great lead; as he is known to do, he has a strange mix of rather upbeat, positive-sounding music with rather downbeat, if not outright negative lyrics. Here, the upbeat music portrays the defensive loner with the pride he/she feels, oblivious to what they're missing. Only as the song ends and the instruments drop out does the realization sink in. This combination of musical and lyrical genius is what we find intermittently throughout this album and would only increase throughout Paul's career. S&G classic.
Score: 4 out of 5. This is a strong album, with great variety and several stand out tracks. But while the potential is clearly evident here, Simon had yet to really spread his compositional wings. With so many fantastic albums getting 4.5 from me, this one was certainly at least a step below, but still a good one.
Essentials: "Sounds of Silence", "Blessed", "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", "I Am A Rock"
Weak(er) Songs: "Kathy's Song", "A Most Peculiar Man"
No comments:
Post a Comment