The Band
| Greatness | Heaviness | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The best stuff on earth. We're not worthy! |  |
Like a leaf |  |
| Most excellent music | |
You can juggle with this stuff | |
| Enjoy the melodies | |
No problem, I can handle that | |
| Hmmm....background music | |
Get off your backside and rock! | |
| They call themselves a rock band..... | |
Bloody osmium mate | |
My best ever band show themselves in the form of two outstanding CDs which redefine the word "music". Xenon are melodic rock at it's finest. The band are (still)) unsigned, which just goes to prove how buggered up music is these days, but with my persuasion and your support maybe things will change.
Defying Gravity (1998)
Xenon never cease to amaze me how they manage to keep up such high standards in their music. Their debut was undoubtedly the best debut AOR album I’ve ever heard, and the follow up 5 years later, a totally different style of music, was impecably performed and produced and another masterpiece.
Now we have "Defying Graviy", an E.P. with 3 new songs, which progress further from the likes of "Simple" and are once again outstanding songs. I think Circus Time may end up being my favourite Xenon song (though it’s very hard to distinguish between so many superb songs). It has a beautiful piano intro, before an instrument sounding like a sitar (can’t work out what it is) plays in a strange unexpected East Asian sounding riff. How to incorporate this into an AOR piece? Well they manage it, and with every inch of style. The song has everything that was perfect about "Simple" - outstanding playing, beautiful melodies, lots of emotion and this time a catchy chorus. Fantastic song.
The two mixes of the song are very different. "this mix" is more like I would have defined Xenon's music as, while "that mix" is of an AOR ballad, sounding less adventurous.
Everybody is another experimental piece, and even more bizarre. It sounds very modern or futuristic (I certainly haven’t heard anything like it), being seems quite divided musically. It is not a listenable AOR song, but then it is not AOR - it is a new style of music, very hard to describe. Has to be heard. The two mixes are identical apart from the smoothing over of Joey's bad mouth during the second verse in the "clean and proper mix".
We Shake is the one that sounds most like the songs from "Simple". It starts off on a very melodic piano backed guitar with lovely vocals on top. But it soon crashes down with electric guitar and full-on emotional vocals and thus rocks the room! Hence it makes my day.
A Superb E.P., which you is extremely rare and you will probably never be able to get hold of! Good luck trying!
Track Listing :
1. Everybody (not your mother’s mix)
2. Everybody (clean and proper mix)
3. We Shake
4. Circus Time (this mix)
5. Circus Time (that mix)
Simple (1996)
Simple (1996)
What can I say? Simply(!) the best AOR album of the 90s. With every track a musical masterpiece of glorious melody, stunning guitarwork, effective keyboards, odd rhythms, superb drumming, and thoughtful lyrics. The album has brilliant production throughout and the mix is never less than perfect. Xenon were voted "Best Unsigned of 1996" in the Frontiers Awards (UK rock magazine) and from listening to this album you can tell why.
Kicking off with Am I the One?, the band come across as hard rock rather than AOR as this is the heaviest track on the album. The verse moves along with a repetitive guitar and bass line but the odd rhythms and interweaving melodies if guitar and backing vocals do not appear until the chorus. The instrumental has some recorded speech in the form of TV or radio that seem to be fairly unnoticeable fitting in with the music well. The song ends with a vocal solo which echoes into the silence before the latin drumming of The Day You Let Go lead into a beautiful guitar melody. This track is neither a ballad or a rocker but glides through with an outstanding melodic line and wondrous chorus. The whole song is not complicated in terms of riffing or beat, but Xenon manage to put so many thing happening at once - drum cymbals, little guitar melodies and effects, backing vocals - yet the song is still incredibly spaced out. One to play in bed at night to gently put you to sleep.
One Look begins with a dramatic and repeated bass rhythm but bursts into action with vocal harmony and guitar leading the song on. Enter keyboard behind the lead vocals and we're laughing. The bridge to the chorus is quite odd and the chorus has further odd rhythms. We don't bother having another verse here, so the song goes straight into a glorious guitar solo. I find the chorus a bit too odd in terms of rhythm and perhaps too many things happening at once (lots of keyboard, vocal and guitar fills all over the place). Apparently the lyrics to this song describe a little child and his outlook on life but I'd be damned if I could understand them!
Feels Like Home has a great guitar riff - very original and Joey Fiamingo does a very cool vocal line on top. A catchy chorus and steady beat don't allow you to listen to it without making some sort of movement. An unexpected break in the song occurs before the solo which is an amazing piece of guitar work - Bob Specht is quite outstanding. China Sky is a beautiful ballad with an incredibly catchy chorus. Joey sings so sweetly in the beginning with superb emotion, being accompanied by an acoustic guitar playing broken chords. The song soon crashes in with electric guitar to lead to the first chorus. We therefore see a different accompaniment to the second verse with electric guitar. AOR E-zine "SFK" rates this track as the best all-time rock ballad! Listen to it and you will know why.
Lay Me Down is my favourite track of the record - in fact of my few best songs ever, if not the best! A terrific dramatic, melodic and energetic rocker. This is no ordinary rock song. The verse sees a tricky and adventurous guitar accompaniment, and the chorus is very dramatic. There's a perfect little bass solo after the first chorus to lead to the next verse. The instrumental has some perfect keyboard groove while the guitar just goes mental. Another chorus and then the instrumental follows for the rest of the song which ends it rather abruptly.
Pure heaven.
Overnight Sensation starts off as a ballad with atmospheric sound effects and a gentle guitar. But once again, the song sees an abrupt change with a heavier guitar sound and thunderous chorus. The chorus is once again dramatic, emotional and keeps you involved.
To sum it up, this music is not the kind you have in the background while you do your homework. This music requires your full attention and if you don't give it, the songs will grab it. With so much going on at once, all coming together perfectly and lovely melodies and catchy choruses, this music is what I live for. My advice to you is grab yourself a copy and do so quickly as even though it was released in 1996, it is already getting hard to find. Being an independent release, not nearly enough copies were made and people have followed their ears and bought all the copies. <-- If you need a hand, e-mail me and I might be able to help you. -->
Read a review of "Simple" by AORBasement.
America's New Design (1989)
America's New Design (1989)
Astonishing debut of original melodic AOR with a hint of 80s metal influence.
Track Listing :
1. Tip of My Fingers
2. Here When I Need You
3. So Hard
4. Maybe
5. Safe (Till the Morning)
6. On and On
7. Night to Remember
8. Thru the Rain
9. Holding On
10. Cry in the Night
Xenon Links
-
Official Xenon Home Page - http://www.intac.com/~xenon/
-
Music Morsels - http://www.serge.org/sample.htm/
Contains an interview with Joey Fiamingo.
Sorry, these sites no longer exist, but I'm hoping they'll come back! :
Back to Bill's Best Rock Music Page