REVIEWS:
The Tea Party are an exceptionally talented and highly underappreciated Canadian Eastern hard rock/acoustic/industrial trio led by guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter Jeff Martin, who also has quite a way with poetry. Backing him up are multi-instrumentalist Stuart Chatwood (who primarily plays bass and keyboards) and drummer Jeff Burrows. Throughout their career, they've been accused of being little more than a highly pretentious Led Zeppelin ripoff band with a Jim Morrison clone as a singer (Martin admittedly did look like Morrison at the start of the band's career).
Their debut Splendor Solis laid the groundwork for what was to come, rooted in Eastern music with a heavy acoustic flavor and Martin's poetics before their sound heavily expanded with The Edges Of Twilight, which incorporated the use of over 30 different instruments and more musical diversity. They added more electronic elements to their sound with Transmission, which still had its' share of songwriting and instrumental depth and pure emotion.
Their fourth album Triptych stayed that course with the melodies becoming poppier (yielding a number one single in Canada with "Heaven Coming Down" while still virtually unknown in the States, where the album still has not been released). That album wasn't as musically successful as its' predecessors, though, and Martin hinted at the band ending its' career in the very near future when he feels the band has gone as far as it possibly can, which I'm very much hoping doesn't happen.
P.S. It didn't happen after all, as the band returned in 2001 with their fifth album The Interzone Mantras. And of course, stay tuned for a rewrite of this page eventually.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The Tea Party's debut album is a brilliant showcase of rich Eastern flavored textures, stunning lyricism, occasionally gorgeous acoustic work, majestic atmosphere, life affirming emotion, professional musicianship and a whole air of confidence coming throughout the whole release. Maybe the Led Zeppelin influence can be a bit obvious during a few songs, such as the first verse lyrics and music of "In This Time" recalling some of the stripped down stuff from III, or on "Sun Going Down", the band's own interpretation of the same old blues song Zep themselves turned into "In My Time Of Dying", but the band builds on that sound, indulging on the Eastern side far more, and Jeff Martin's poetic lyrical slant often having to do with nature and passion, which the sometimes similar-sounding Jim Morrison hardly tackles, transcends those influences somewhat.
The album opens with "The River", which basically sounds like a signature song for the band at the start of their career, helped out by a pounding intro, aggressive chorus and an incredible guitar solo. Following on the more intimate side is "Midsummer Day", the first and probably best of the acoustic oriented material here - the lyrics ride a phenomenal wave of emotion, while an unexpected harder middle section pushes the song into desperation ('and I'm crying in the night'). The song goes back into a different acoustic part, and ends with the repeated line of 'all you are is in you' for added beauty. Also, more than any other song here, it's even better experienced on headphones, as the listener is able to catch Stuart Chatwood's subtle, but clearly challenging, bass parts.
"A Certain Slant Of Light" has eerie ambience in its' verses and a powerful chorus scream of 'I think she's coming down again... I hear the rain', while "Winter Solstice" is a really engaging and highly memorable acoustic instrumental to set up one of the more breathlessly majestic songs on here, the live staple "Save Me", which has a chorus that soars to the maximum ('Saaaaaaaaaaave meeeeeeeee'), a phenomenal solo section (where the band often ventures into cover territory during live versions of it) and lyrics written by Stuart Chatwood for a change. The aforementioned blues number "Sun Going Down" has a positively Satanic vibe within the lyrics of the verses (obviously manipulated by Martin to sound strangely seductive - '13th apostle, knocking at my door, telling me that I can't, play with you no more'), and also boasts awesome slide guitar work and and the band throws in a hellish, deafening ending to the song.
The romantic "In This Time" is the most uplifting and intimate of all, if that wasn't evident from the chorus of 'I will always... be here...' sung in a soothing fashion with gorgeous acoustic verse interludes, and "Dreams Of Reason" goes for a more heavenly direction in which its' main highlight is the perfectly placed, chord-striking bluesy solo section. The twisting and turning guitars of "Raven Skies", which again showcases the 'seductive side' of Jeff Martin's lyrics very well and is quite mesmerizing. "Haze On The Hills" is the second acoustic instrumental and is a dramatic intro to the closing number "The Majestic Song", which has a breathtaking and wonderful vibe coming through in the unsettling acoustic part and chorus. Overall, Splendor Solis is admittedly lacking in groundbreaking qualities, but it is still in my opinion one of the most inspiring song collections I've ever experienced, and a pure masterpiece.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The band expanded their musical vision for their second album (not that it wasn't wonderful to begin with), using a wide variety of Eastern instruments - the band's acoustic side isn't anywhere near as prominent here, but the overall sound is somewhat fuller and becoming more unmistakably Tea Party, the arrangements are a bit more complex, and the melodies are strong. It isn't quite as consistently incredible as the last album, though, as two weaker cuts, the opening, almost symphonic "Fire In The Head", which is hard-hitting but treads a bit too close to "Kashmir" for my liking, and the poppier "Inanna", which is a little irritating and sappy.
The rest of the album, however, seriously delivers - "Drawing Down The Moon" and "Turn The Lamp Down Low" are ferociously played bluesy numbers with some damn inspiring riffs and tight band playing - intense drum work, nice bass playing and a lot of desperate intensity, while "Correspondences" is a heartwrenching breakup song that contains very poetic verses reaches its' height with the plea of 'does it tear you apart... my love?' and has a guitar solo midsong that adds a certain calmness here and there. "The Bazaar" and "Sister Awake" are the most Eastern flavored numbers here, with the former having a 'walking through the middle of the marketplace' feel that bounces along nicely with an addictive riff, and the latter venturing into progressive territory, with a beautiful acoustic intro building up to a phenomenal breakdown jam section.
"Silence" switches between a loud uneasy-sounding riff coupled with a mantra-like melody and a soft acoustic part effectively, and the relaxing instrumental "The Badger" is a good bridge between "Correspondences" and that song. "Shadows On The Mountainside", meanwhile, best captures the intimacy of the more stripped down feel Splendor Solis had in abundance, and "Coming Home" is one of the more straightforward songs the band has done, a really catchy, direct tune. The best on the album, however, is the other extended track besides "Correspondences", "Walk With Me" - the minute and a half intro has a whole lot of instrumental depth and drama to it, the chorus is a stunner, with Jeff Martin giving it his all vocally (especially near the end), and the jam section in the middle of the song is pure driving power.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The Tea Party's third album incorporates modern industrial influences into their Eastern influenced sound for a hybrid that to my knowledge had not been done previously, making for the band's most innovative and creative effort yet. It's not quite their best album, as the consistency and overall excellence of the songwriting doesn't quite match Splendor Solis and The Edges Of Twilight, but it may prove more enduring than those two albums over time, as there are so many subtle textures and sounds that enhance the mood to be heard with each listen (which are best caught on headphones), that it's almost impossible to get tired of it.
"Temptation" immediately gets things started off explosively, with an eerie acoustic intro leading into the rest of the song which is kickstarted by a pounding, hollow drum sound - it's a very accessible and at the same time intense, seemingly direct and simple, song that is one of the best examples of the record's strengths, while "Army Ants" is in the same vein, this one featuring a menacing chorus scream of "NO ONE.... WILL HEAR YOU" pushing it forward. "Gyroscope" is another fine example of that newfound machine-like intensity throughout, a shorter number with extremely well-crafted lyrics and orchestrated feel, "Alarum" has a very fascinating video-game like vibe and is quite a musical ride, and "Babylon", the track with the most obvious electronic influence, evokes dark imagery throughout its' music and lyrics ('now that the thrill of the massacre's over... isn't it sweet when she sucks on your veins... I've waited so long...')
However, the increasing influence of electronic elements doesn't mean they've gone soulless here - there are still some tremendously emotional numbers throughout. "Psychopomp" is the most notable of these - a distinctive, moody piano part, otherworldly lyrics dealing with the utter finality of life, a hopeless 'rip your heart out' chorus ('...and you fade away'), and background instrumentation that boasts a heck of a lot of depth makes it arguably the best song the band has ever written, while as far as passion goes, "Emerald" and "Release" just can't be beaten, both taking full advantage of Martin's lyrical talents and moving into just the right places musically.
Rounding out the album is the weaker track in the second half, "Pulse" (which sounds much too similar to "Alarum" in terms of melody and instrumentation but without the video game vibe of that track), plus the title song (a fascinating, almost tribal song that seems to be the centerpiece of the album) and the closing "Aftermath", which is a quiet, moody, very beautiful, uncertain and thoughtful song all at the same time - it's not very involved musically, but it sure distinguishes itself through Martin's lyrics which convey those feelings so well.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Jeff Martin stated before the release of The Tea Party's fourth album Triptych that the band would break up when he felt they had hit their creative peak, which it was hinted would be soon. This album attempts to expand on the sound of Transmission, but the songs just don't distinguish themselves nearly as much as before, making it the first true letdown of their career. That letdown feel is apparent immediately with the opening track "Touch", a song which has good energy but has an incessant, half-baked and derivative riff with a weak chorus. The final impression is also a disappointment, with the closing track "Gone" being a simplistic and sappily orchestrated ballad (driven by acoustic guitar) with Jeff Martin trying to expand his range near the end of the track and making me cringe.
Triptych does have a few of the band's best songs scattered throughout, including their most obviously commercial and poppy one, "Heaven Coming Down", which is very romantic and uplifting with a 'heavenly' chorus. The bass-heavy "Great Big Lie" is tight and hard hitting with unpredictable instrumentation reminiscent of the more direct Transmission songs, "Underground" goes through more mellow territory, "Taking Me Away" is an example of an orchestrated feel working well (unlike "Gone"), adding even more life to an already breathtaking song, and "These Living Arms" is another tribute to Martin's wife (like "Heaven Coming Down" probably is), and has awesome swirling guitar and a powerful chorus.
The rest of the album isn't really anything to write home about, but it's not terrible, just somewhat below the standards they've set for themselves - "Chimera" is a dull loungey tune, "Samsara" and "The Halcyon Days" are more Eastern influenced tunes that meander a bit too much without much in the way of excitement or good melodies and lyrics, "A Slight Attack" is a good, but kind of half-baked, industrial rant, and the band's first cover, their mostly acoustic version of Daniel Lanois' "The Messenger" is boring. The best songs on here, though, make the album a worthwhile listen, just not a terribly great one like the previous releases.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Well, the 'breakup' rumors surrounding the release of Triptypch thankfully turned out to be false (especially since that would have meant the band going out on a disappointing, heavily inconsistent, note with that album). After the release of a sort of 'greatest hits' collection, this effort kind of serves as the beginning of The Tea Party's 'second phase'. And what exactly would that 'phase' of the band sound like? One that shows a band that seems to be settling down in their role as 'Eastern hard rockers' for the new millennium in a sound that unfortunately doesn't show much progress from before. Virtually any hint of this style being merged with industrial and electronic elements are completely gone, replaced by what is essentially a very stripped down, more straightforward hard rock, take on The Edge Of Twilight, only without the undeniable richness of instrumentation, just the Eastern-style melodies.
But say what you will about the formulaic tendencies of their 'new sound' - the good news is the songwriting here is more consistent than Triptych, and that's primarily due to the amount of very catchy vocal melodies here, which Jeff Martin at least still shows a whole lot of care for. So there you have it, Eastern-tinged hard rock with pop flavorings, with very little experimenting. There are a few minor exceptions here, though - the opening "Interzone" and "Apathy" both utilize what sound like horns to drive the melodies of the songs along, and the former in particular shows them playing off the heavy guitars in an engaging fashion, with the raw qualities of the sound coming through and the melody being infectious. And the closing 8 minute "Mantra" is probably the only song to heavily incorporate the 8 million Eastern instruments flavorings of Edges, and it does so in a rhythm-heavy and dramatic way, as it's two separate melodies captivate in a memorable fashion. It's slightly overlong, but nonetheless good.
The remainder of the material, though, is pretty straightforward, but that doesn't mean it's bad at all. Granted it can still get a little too derivative (the otherwise grand and infectious rocker "Must Must" again rehashes "Kashmir" a bit too closely, and the verses of "White Water Siren" are somewhat standard folky stuff that I would much rather hear Zeppelin pull off, though the chorus rocks out just fine) or quite dull when the melody isn't too memorable ("Lullaby", which, other than that engaging bassline, is pretty much a throwaway), but most of it is definitely worthy in one way or another. "The Master And Margarita" pulls off the openly raw sound just fine, with an unconventional melody that really gets under your skin to boot, while in the ballad vein, "Soulbreaking" and "Requiem", while not as affecting as past works, still show how attractively beautiful Tea Party songs in this vein can still can be, both with attention grabbing melodies, and both building in completely different ways (the former with its' subtlely textured guitar and bass interplay and the latter eventually reaching this big symphonic climax).
The only real big knockout on the album as far as I'm concerned, though, has to be "Angels", a somewhat moody number which achieves its' impact by throwing not one, but two completely awesome haunting guitar lines at you simultaneously, and the effect of this, combined with a melody no less infectious than anything else here, is just awesome. And I dig the way it all rocks out at the chorus! As far as the remaining tracks go, "Cathartik" and "Dust To Gold" don't stand out too much, mostly because the melodies are less memorable, but both have their good qualities, particularly the nice basslines Stuart Chatwood throws in (over another moody guitar line in the former and some sort of neat groove in the latter, a song which I will admit has a mildly catchy chorus). Good, but not spectacular, much like a lot of this album. For all the lack of progression, though, it's hard not to like an album with as many fine-quality melodies as this one (especially when it also lacks the pretentiousness of much early Tea Party work).
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