Genre : Indie Pop-rock/Alternative
Based in : Omaha, US
Label : Team Love Record
Year : 2008
Rate : 8/10
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Tilly and the Wall pada awalnya tidak terlalu membuat saya tertarik, pop/rock alternative yang “meriah” dengan bebunyian “perkusi” dan tidak disusupi bebunyian dari perangkat drum yang generic semacam simbal, snare dkk. Beberapa lagu memang lumayan menarik, walaupun tidak terlalu menonjolkan kekuatan instrument musik, tapi lebih pada penciptaan lagu dan penyusunan aransemen. My first thought, The Arcade Fire meet The White Stripes, in a pop taste.
Persepsi awal saya tergoyahkan begitu melihat beberapa video mereka dari YouTube. Setelah sebelumnya teman saya mengatakan “band ini drum nya cuma pake floor tom sama bass drum aja yah..” ternyata kenyataannya adalah, Tilly and The Wall menggantikan fungsi utama drum dengan bunyi dari tap dancer! Geez! Ya, mereka tidak memiliki drummer pada formasi band-nya. Mereka menggunakan tap dance untuk mengisi bebunyian beat drum. Jamie Pressnall adalah orang yang bertanggung jawab atas hal ini, dia adalah tap dancer pada formasi Tilly and the Wall. Hehe..
Tidak bisa dipungkiri, rasa-rasanya memang konsep tap dancer-drumming ini menjadi highlight utama pada band ini. Terutama dari aspek pertunjukkan yang tentu saja akan membuat orang penasaran untuk melihatnya. Then, how is the music? Seperti saya bilang sebelumnya, first thought is The Arcade Fire meet The White Stripes, in a more popish way. O adalah album penuh ketiga dari Tilly and The Wall, saya tidak mengikuti 2 album sebelumnya, but I would say something about this O. Tall Tall Glass sebagai tembang pembuka sama sekali bukan representasi yang tepat untuk album ini ataupun Tilly and The Wall secara keseluruhan. Pop-ballads yang tenang seperti ini hanya ditempatkan sebagai pembuka saja. Kemudian Pot Kettle Black mengingatkan saya pada The White Stripes, short-strong riff and short-notable beat, make this song more rockin’ walau dengan vokal wanitanya.
Cacophony, I Found You, dan Jumbler menjadi track-track kesukaan saya pada album ini. Menurut saya seperti inilah arah musikal yang menjadi benang merah dari Tilly and The Wall. Such an indie pop or rock, strong song crafting and arranging, with female singing-shouting dan beberapa detail bunyi brass section mengiringi melodi gitar. Jumbler is so hot, I think! Hehehe… Chandelier Lake terdengar sedikit eksperimental dengan munculnya suara uap kereta api mainan pada lagu ini. Dust Me Off juga track yang cukup catchy dengan nuansa pop yang masih terasa. Nuansa rock kembali muncul pada Blood Flowers, walaupun tidak dengan sound yang gahar, namun mengena.
Panggung ideal untuk Tilly and The Wall menurut saya adalah panggung yang dekat dengan penonton, tidak tinggi dan komunikatif. Yah, atraksi tap-dancing-as-drumming saya rasa sayang untuk di lewatkan pada setiap penampilan live mereka. Watch their live performance now! Surf the YouTube!
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At the first time, Tilly and The Wall wasn’t made me interested, alternative pop-rock filled with percussion sound, and no appearance from generic drumming as cymbal or snare and things. Some songs is exciting at the first, even though not an instrumental-distinct, but more as song crafting and arranging. My first thought, The Arcade Fire meet The White Stripes, in a pop taste.
My first impression significantly changed after I saw some of the video from YouTube. As before my friend said “this band only use floor tom and bass drum…or so” then the fact is, Tilly and The Wall replaced main function of drum by its tap dancing! Geez! Yes, they don’t have any drummer in their formation. They use tap dance to fill-in the drum-beat sound. Jamie Pressnall is the woman who responsible to this, she is the tap dancer for Tilly and The Wall. Haha..
I must say, the tap-dancer-drumming concept is the main highlight of this band. Mainly from the live-show aspect, that would make peoples curious and want to see them. Then how is the music? Like I said before, first thought is The Arcade Fire meet The White Stripes, in a more popish way. O is the third full album by Tilly and The Wall, I’m not yet listened to their past two albums, but I would say something about this O. Tall Tall Glass as the opening track is not a well-suited representative song for this album nor for the band. Simple pop-ballads like this, is placed only as an opening. Then Pot Kettle Black remind me of The White Stripes, short-strong riff and short-notable beat, make this song more heavy rockin’, instead the female vocal.
Cacophony, I Found You, and Jumbler are my favorite tracks in this album. I think, this is the right musical way, that strike the red-line in Tilly and The Wall. Such an indie pop or rock, strong song crafting and arranging, with female singing-shouting and some details like brass section meet the guitar melody. Jumbler is so hot, I think! You should check it! Hehehe… Chandelier Lake seems a bit experimental with the locomotive toy-sound appear in this song. Dust Me Off is a catchy track with the pop nuance. Rock-things come again in Blood Flowers, instead without hard sound, but strike just right on the rock.
Ideal venue for Tilly and The Wall, I think is like audience-near-touchy, not so high and communicative stage. Yeah, the tap-dancing-as-drumming things is just too hot too miss on each of their show. Then I must say, watch their live performance now! Surf the YouTube!
Review by: Jay
Tracklist
01. Tall Tall Grass
02. Pot Kettle Black *YouTube!*
03. Cacophony *YouTube!*
04. I Found You
05. Jumbler
06. Chandelier Lake *YouTube!*
07. Dust Me Off *YouTube!*
08. Falling Without Knowing
09. Blood Flowers
10. Poor Man’s Ice Cream
11. Too Excited
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