I was really impressed with Since Torino’s last release ‘Snow’ (for that in detail, why not read my review). It melded and blended several styles of music into something intensely emotional and beautiful.
Now, while objectively I knew that the release after ‘Snow’ would be equally as lovely, there was that one nagging thought that refused to go away, that drifted around at the very fringes of my mind; that it wouldn’t be as good. I can say right now that I really shouldn’t have worried.
The band say that the song ‘blends emo and country in a folk-rock waltz’ and this is absolutely right; although what it doesn’t say is quite now they do this. And let’s be clear, if this wasn’t done with great composition and frankly wonderful arrangement, the danger of this being an enormous mess was always there. There is no build from what I’m going to call folk-based Americana to Emo; the two styles twist sinuously around each blending into something that isn’t either of these things. And yeah sure there are some strong musical references to American Folk – there’s a rather beautiful harmonica ‘break’ or two for a start. But there are parts of this song that sound – as my helpful friend commented – like Green Day playing a Springsteen song. And then again there are parts which sound a bit like alt-folk played with jazz drumming; oh those sublime cymbal sounds.
The problem with attempting to dissect a song like this is that it all sounds like it’s a sonic mess, and it bloody well isn’t that at all. It’s a beautifully written and played song that bares its emotional soul almost too painfully.
This brings me to what the song is about – and make no mistake this is a song about something. The band rather modestly describe it as being about ‘how easy it is to stagnate and how hard we try to do better for ourselves and the people around us’. I say modestly because there is a great deal more to this song that that description implies. This is something I urge you to discover for yourselves.
Since Torino’s ‘Everything Else’ is sublime. It intrigues and mesmerises you musically. Its words come from the soul. Quite how the band do what they do, I have the slightest idea and all I can do is be captivated by their music.
