If you’re into legendary artists like Blondie, No Doubt or Garbage, then I invite you to check out the brand new album by UK band SirenBlue called ‘Same but Different’. Check out the album on Spotify here:
‘Same but Different’ by SirenBlue - Album Review
The album starts with the song ‘Give It Away’ and just the intro alone gives me a very good first impression. The drums and bass start the song, the guitar and keyboard kick in immediately after and the first thing I notice is the overall quality and balance of each instrument. The mixing and mastering is done extremely well, I am amazed to hear just how far indie music has come. There is even a little keyboard solo before the first verse and once singer Collette Horne begins with the first verse I am sold on this band! As soon as I thought that the pre-chorus starts! The background vocals, together with the instruments and the main vocals, sound so amazing to me and it feels like I got confirmation that this band is indeed outstanding!
The chorus is easy to remember, catchy and I love the line ‘And you give it away with the things you don’t say’. And just as I thought the distorted guitar sounds awesome in the chorus, I get a little guitar solo, followed by a keyboard solo right after the chorus. SirenBlue is ticking all the right boxes so far!
The second verse features a very strong vocal performance by singer Collette Horne again, the difference between this and the first verse are the background vocals, which make this verse even more powerful than the previous one. I am getting really excited to hear that pre-chorus again, as the harmonies are out of this world and I am so happy when I hear it for the second time. This might be my favourite part of the entire song so far. While the influences are obviously Pop/Rock artists like Blondie, No Doubt and bands like that, listening to that pre-chorus, it reminds me a little bit of one of my all-time favourite artists called Imogen Heap. The second chorus also features some cool backing vocals, which is a nice touch. Guitarist Jay Turner is killing it with an incredible guitar solo after the chorus, I really love the fact that the guitar is quite clean sounding (as in there is little distortion) and almost ‘bluesy’ sounding, while the playing itself is quite fast and there are lots of bend-ups in there as well. The song ends with the chorus one last time and I have to say this is a very strong opening track for this album! Especially considering that this was created during the global pandemic, a time where many people suffered because of isolation or worse. So it’s very refreshing to hear that such energy and creativity can emerge, even in times like these.
The following track is called ‘Happy Song’ and here the Blondie influence is clearly present. The song starts off with drums, bass and guitars, similar to the previous track, but much happier sounding (hence the title of the song). The first verse features a super-catchy vocal performance by Horne, I love the line ‘we make our lives too complicated’. Another thing I just noticed is the way the lyrics are sung works perfectly with the melody that is being played by the guitars. This band clearly has an ear for catchy songs! The chorus of this song is even more memorable than the one in the previous track. I also admire the fact that this song is so positive and optimistic. I think it’s easy to get carried away with negative thoughts, especially considering that there is a pandemic and it feels like we are in an episode of the show ‘Black Mirror’. Guitarist Jay Tuner is delivering another excellent guitar solo here and at this stage I’m wondering why I’ve never heard of this band until now!
’Safe’ is the title of song number 3 and this song almost gives me country vibes, mixed with classic rock! The guitar in the intro reminds me a little of Slash (guitarist from Guns’n’Roses), which is good thing, obviously. The thing that surprises me here is the fact that we get to hear male vocals! It’s nice to hear such versatility on this album for sure. This track is much more mellow and definitely sounds more pop orientated, but there are hints of rock and even a tiny bit of Country here and there. The acoustic guitar mixed with the distorted electric guitar is a perfect choice for this track as well.
While the previous song was a little slower, this next one is fast and powerful, yet surprisingly different from the first 2 tracks! This song features some awesome guitar riffs and effects. But the outstanding thing for me here is drummer Rich Lucas. There is a lot of off-beat snare action and plenty of fill-ins throughout the entire song. While the drums are my personal favourite part of this track, the guitar riffs are definitely worth mentioning as well. The interesting thing here is that the guitar does a lot of work, yet it is not overpowering the drums, or vocals, and while there is a lot going on here, I wouldn’t describe it as too much. The guitar basically does a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs, while the drums take centre stage. This is great to hear, as I feel the drummer is always the ‘heart’ of the band, so it’s great to hear this band has such a strong ‘heart’.
‘Compromise’ might be the title of the fifth song on this album, but let me assure you it is anything but a compromise! This sounds like another love song, kind of like ‘Safe’, but more rock orientated. The first verse speaks volumes, I love the line ’we’re together now and both so alone’. This song also has some blues elements it seems, what I mean is the guitar plays some awesome little solo sections in between the singing. This is something that a lot of blues guitarists do, especially when they’re the lead singer. The section starting at 1:17 is so beautiful, it doesn’t even feature any words, but the vocals combined with the electric guitar at the same time sounds incredible and the solo in the middle of the song is a perfect mix of pop, rock and blues! The more I listen to this song on repeat the more grandiose it sounds, the end sounds almost like something I could see being used in a Bond Film as a Soundtrack.
‘Honest’ is the title of song number 6 and this is definitely another happy one, similar to ‘Happy Song’. Here the acoustic guitar shines and the electric guitar takes a step back, which is a nice change. This tune gives me summer vibes somehow. This song is very easy to listen to and while it does contain sweet guitar solos, they are kept vey simple. That was very likely done on purpose and at this stage I feel like their guitarist needs a break from all those advanced solos. Having said that, while the solos may be ‘simple’, Turner has great vibrato, meaning he manages to make single notes sound very good, this is something that many guitarists often can’t do.
Track number 7 is called ‘Tell Myself’. I’ve been telling myself this band is great this entire time, so this title is very appropriate. The song itself is quite mellow, the interesting thing for me here is the fact that both male and female vocals are present. Singer Collette Horne and Songwriter/Producer/Bassist/Keyboarder/Acoustic guitarist Neil David certainly make a great team. I love the line ‘I’ve never felt so lonely as tonight’. This song is very relevant for many people all over the world, since we are all very isolated form one another. At this stage I also notice the bass guitar played by Neil David, I have to say he is doing a great job here as this tune is very focused on the bass-line. But my personal favourite part of this song is definitely the solo towards the end of the song, which turns into a very smooth outro.
‘Every Other Weekend’ is the title of track number 8 and there’s actually an official YouTube video for this song, which is really well done. I always appreciate it when artists create videos, especially if the video also has lyrics in it, or if they are written in the description of the video. Another bonus here is the fact that the video really works well with the music. You can check out the official video by SirenBlue here:
Sound-wise it reminds me of the opening song ‘Give it Away’, so indie-rock at its finest. Drummer Rich Lucas opens this track and guitarist Jay Tuner plays perhaps the catchiest riff on this entire record in the intro. I can already tell this is a great choice to release as a single and I love the fact that this song is not at the beginning of the album. In other words, I love it when bands save the best for last. The lyrics seem very serious and quite dark, yet the overall vibe of this is much more indie orientated, I definitely feel like this is a song you can actually dance to. In fact, I can see people from all over the world dancing to this in Indie clubs (assuming the pandemic ends at some point and those places still exist by then). The chorus really gets to me with the line ‘when you go, I’m by myself, there’s no place to hide from what I feel’. I think anyone who experienced something like this can relate to it and sadly I think it’s an awful lot of people. Singer Collette Horns does a really good job with the vocals here and once again the backing vocals make it sound even more powerful. The more I listen to this track the more I feel drummer Rich Lucas really does a great job here, the fill-ins sound amazing to me in particular. Guitarist Jay Turner delivers another excellent electric guitar solo and the song ends with one last chorus and the same awesome lead melody that makes this song very memorable indeed.
‘In Time’ starts with a lovely keyboard melody and lyrics are sung by Neil David on this one, which is nice to hear. While it may seem like a classic sad song on paper, there is a touch of hope in there. Especially at the end when the keyboard is accompanied by a set of strings. At this stage I also really notice the songwriting skills of David, who continuously amazes me with each and every song. I love the line ‘it’s easy to say sorry, until you have to mean it’. It’s a skill to write songs that will stick in your mind and David definitely has that skill.
The album ends with the song ‘Blue Horizon’ and I really appreciate that SirenBlue have chosen to end this album with a happy song. This is another song where David is doing the lead vocals and while I’m impressed by the lyrics, the highlight of this track (for me) is the guitar solo by Turner that sounds like Van Halen is back from the other side to do some more tapping. For some reason this song gives me some Fleetwood Mac vibes, combined with the Van Halen solo, obviously.
There are plenty of debates in the music-industry about producing albums as many seem to think making an album is a bad idea in this day and age, but bands like SirenBlue prove these people wrong, at least in my opinion. I just really enjoy going on a journey and listen to an album from start to finish.
This entire album is certainly a pleasure to listen to and a real emotional rollercoaster, with plenty of ups and downs, however the songwriting is always top notch, the mixing and mastering is done to perfection, every instrument is recorded flawlessly. The vocal performances by both Collette Horn and Neil David are also very strong, drummer Rich Lucas does just the right amount of fill-ins and makes the other instruments shine when they need to. Guitarist Jay Turner deservers a medal for all those solos and rhythm sections, my fingers hurt just thinking about playing all those songs in a live-set. Neil David also did a great job with the bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards and producing this entire album. I also want to mention Steve Evans who did the piano and string arrangement on track 9, the programming on track 6, 7, 9 and 10, and some backing vocals on track 3. He is also responsible for the recording and mixing. Karl Manners did a superb job playing bass on track 3, 5, 6 and 10. Tim Debney mastered the entire album and like I previously mentioned he did a great job.
So for all those reasons I can only recommend you check out the album ‘Same but Different’ by SirenBlue! Here are the official links for the band and this album:
☞Official Website: https://sirenblue.net/
☞YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRqRlv2CeRgC7Iv-8VaeoEQ
☞Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirenblue_3/
☞Applemusic: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sirenblue/1518167863
☞Qobuz: https://open.qobuz.com/album/hr86buof556bb
☞Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/album/194054175
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, however, all opinions are my own. Content of the artist in this post is used with permission, no copyright is violated.