Yes, I'm slow. I wasn't going to do a review of the TfM video (HQ version here) but since there's not been a lot over the last few days, I thought I might as well. I wasn't as excited about seeing it I was on hearing the song probably due to a slight aversion to big budget Hollywood disaster flicks. All the film-makers seem to have gone to the same school, churning out the same disaster-movies-by-numbers stuff. I guess it's like one of those foil balloons that come in certain shapes - all garishly decorated on the outside and hollow on the inside. Maybe I should stop turning my nose up at these but I'm just too jaded for my own good.
I didn't have high expectations because of this but was still hoping that what I predicted turned out to be very wrong. The opening shot is one of Adam looking reflective, crouched up on a city rooftop in front of an apocalyptic sky. Although the colours are pretty, we know it's a harbinger of looming disaster. Walking through a burnt-out smoky landscape interspersed with solar prominences, we get to see end-of-the-world Adam close up singing the first verse. A little unkempt and stubbly, his skin looks darkened by dirt although his eyes remain gleaming and his teeth shine a bit too brightly. His hair is a little matted but slightly different on each shot. The epauletted coat and scarf are a little scruffed up but the look is still signature Adam. He finishes the verse with puppy-dog eyes and a pleading look. I'm not a fan of the clichéd slow-motion shots especially as they're not synched very well.
On reaching the chorus, we get to see more destruction including the obligatory explosions and cars on fire. Some of the expressions seem inconsistent, cutting from sad resignation to singing his guts out. In the first close-up on the roof the lighting is a little strange and quite unflattering. Adam's blue-grey eyeshadow looks much too dark, almost like he's just changed out of drag and hasn't had enough time to remove the excess make-up. It doesn't seem to be in keeping with his overall look, which takes me back to his semi-final performance of Satisfaction. It's followed by some close-ups sans eyeliner that make up for it though.
The second verse is illustrated by a walk down a panicked street with chaos all around and people bumping into Adam but he seems oblivious and very much focused on his own inner struggle - hoping for a miracle to save a doomed relationship. There are some pretty shots but I find myself distracted by the mysterious appearance of Groucho Marx eyebrows.
The scenes of destruction and explosions become grander in scale as the whole world seemingly crumbles when we approach the climax. Adam breaks into a march with a purpose and sings with ferocity, flared nostrils and all. His expressions emote the magnitude of the OTT scenes of the planet's annihilation. Subtle it is not but suitable it is. We're later greeted with sunny scenes that spoil the end of the film - not that anyone thought there would be anything but a happy ending. The video ends with Adam in a memorable and commanding pose in front of the city skyline.
The video is shorter than the mp3, omitting some of the chorus repetition after the crescendo. The cutting between scenes is a little too fragmented for my liking and ends up impeding my enjoyment of the video. It doesn't do justice to Adam's acting abilities. Although I would have preferred more Adam time, I think it hit a fairly good balance in not being too self-indulgent. It doesn't look like it was done on the cheap with all the special effects but what I find strange is there seem to be many details that were overlooked which leaves ample room for improvement. This is his first music video but it's not his project - he's merely the paint for the canvas, not the artist. The result is predictable and lacks imagination but it has a brief to fulfil which I think is met with fairly enjoyable results.
What I'm really looking forward to though is seeing the canvas by Adam the artist. I have no idea what to expect which makes it all the more exciting. The only expectation I do have is that he won't be painting by numbers. We are so agonisingly close. Aaagh! I can't wait!
Showing posts with label Time for Miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Time for Miracles. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Now it's Time For Miracles!
WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!
A few more words to come after I put in on repeat a few more times and gather my brain together. That voice is just unfuckingbelievable.
EDIT: After about a zillion listens and an attack of lazy-itis, I've finally managed to get enough of my brain together to give you my thoughts on the song.
After a strummy soft-rock start, which isn't what I associate with Adam, the first verse kicks in and that's all forgotten because it's all about THE VOICE. The voice that is all-enveloping. It starts off pretty - silken chocolate melting, luxuriously smooth and creamy until 'thinking' and 'ain't broken yet' where we get to the exquisite velvety texture of the praline wrapped inside. On 'stop' we get to the fine grains at the core which have a rougher sensation between tongue and mouth that is simply divine. Mmmmm. I love this timbre of his layered voice and its rich texture, which never fails to make me tingle. The first verse tells me that I need not worry about surplus processing with artificial colours or flavours.
The chorus sees the crashing drums and full orchestra kick in, in suitably dramatic fashion. The harmonising is full and resonant, adding another sumptuous layer that hits a sweet spot that I just want to sink my teeth into. The instrumentals are complementary to the voice if just a touch loud but the keys just after the chorus I think could be a little softer.
Time for another chocolate - did I mention that the voice has a synaesthetic effect on me?
The ascending crashing chords and sweeping strings build the tension and you can feel the drama and anticipation leading up to the bridge. When I first heard it, it sounded very familiar and highly reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' or the opening chords of Rage Against The Machine's 'Wake Up' that was featured in the Matrix. At the bridge, the powerhouse vocals are let loose, soaring up to an explosive crescendo. The overlaid wailing afterwards is a little too smoothed for my liking, removing some of the rock grit, but at least it's still there in the main part and I love it in the penultimate 'up' and the bluesy riffing at the end.
Everything about the song is grand - the instrumentals, the vocals, the production, the blockbuster film it's the soundtrack to. It sounds anthemic and I can see it sticking around for a long time. I can even imagine it being butchered by future karaoke-show contestants with Simon Cowell telling them 'That song's just too big for you'. It is a bit of a formulaic power-ballad and isn't something I would normally choose to listen to were it not for Adam's vocals. But appreciation of music is much more than simply liking melodies and rhythms - it's also about the memories and emotions imbued in them that give them that special meaning and this song is ripe for absorbing them. Adam manages to somehow bypass cheese overkill, and I'll use one of his own quotes back from the disco results show to explain how: 'The lyrics, as long as they were sung honestly, that it would work.' and work it does. What do you think of it?
Please feel free to correct me but here are the lyrics according to my ear:
A few more words to come after I put in on repeat a few more times and gather my brain together. That voice is just unfuckingbelievable.
EDIT: After about a zillion listens and an attack of lazy-itis, I've finally managed to get enough of my brain together to give you my thoughts on the song.
After a strummy soft-rock start, which isn't what I associate with Adam, the first verse kicks in and that's all forgotten because it's all about THE VOICE. The voice that is all-enveloping. It starts off pretty - silken chocolate melting, luxuriously smooth and creamy until 'thinking' and 'ain't broken yet' where we get to the exquisite velvety texture of the praline wrapped inside. On 'stop' we get to the fine grains at the core which have a rougher sensation between tongue and mouth that is simply divine. Mmmmm. I love this timbre of his layered voice and its rich texture, which never fails to make me tingle. The first verse tells me that I need not worry about surplus processing with artificial colours or flavours.
The chorus sees the crashing drums and full orchestra kick in, in suitably dramatic fashion. The harmonising is full and resonant, adding another sumptuous layer that hits a sweet spot that I just want to sink my teeth into. The instrumentals are complementary to the voice if just a touch loud but the keys just after the chorus I think could be a little softer.
Time for another chocolate - did I mention that the voice has a synaesthetic effect on me?
The ascending crashing chords and sweeping strings build the tension and you can feel the drama and anticipation leading up to the bridge. When I first heard it, it sounded very familiar and highly reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' or the opening chords of Rage Against The Machine's 'Wake Up' that was featured in the Matrix. At the bridge, the powerhouse vocals are let loose, soaring up to an explosive crescendo. The overlaid wailing afterwards is a little too smoothed for my liking, removing some of the rock grit, but at least it's still there in the main part and I love it in the penultimate 'up' and the bluesy riffing at the end.
Everything about the song is grand - the instrumentals, the vocals, the production, the blockbuster film it's the soundtrack to. It sounds anthemic and I can see it sticking around for a long time. I can even imagine it being butchered by future karaoke-show contestants with Simon Cowell telling them 'That song's just too big for you'. It is a bit of a formulaic power-ballad and isn't something I would normally choose to listen to were it not for Adam's vocals. But appreciation of music is much more than simply liking melodies and rhythms - it's also about the memories and emotions imbued in them that give them that special meaning and this song is ripe for absorbing them. Adam manages to somehow bypass cheese overkill, and I'll use one of his own quotes back from the disco results show to explain how: 'The lyrics, as long as they were sung honestly, that it would work.' and work it does. What do you think of it?
Please feel free to correct me but here are the lyrics according to my ear:
It's late at night and I can't sleep
Missing you just runs too deep
Oh I can't breathe thinking of your smile
Every kiss I can't forget
This aching heart ain't broken yet
Oh God I wish I could make you see
'Cause I know this flame isn't dying
So nothing can stop me from trying
Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
'Cause I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
'Cause I ain't giving up on love
No i ain't giving up on us
I just wanna be with you
'Cause living is so hard to do
When all I know is trapped inside your eyes
The future I can not forget
This aching heart ain't broken yet
Oh God I wish I could make you see
'Cause I know this flame isn't dying
So nothing can stop me from trying
Baby you know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
'Cause I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
'Cause I aint giving up on love
No I ain't giving up on us
Baby can you feel it coming
You know I can hear it
Hear every soul
Baby when you feel
Me feeling you
You know it's time
Baby you know that
Lately it's time for some miracles
'Cause I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for miracles
'Cause I ain't, I ain't giving up on love
You know that
Maybe it's time for a miracle yeah
'Cause I ain't, I ain't giving up on love
No I ain't giving up on love
I ain't giving up no
Oh I ain't giving up on us
Friday, 9 October 2009
It's Time!
The wait is over, get ready to lose your shit!
Hearing the voice again is like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. My insatiable thirst is temporarily quenched. It pleases me to no end that we'll get a whole 4:53 worth of Adam Lambert singing something new in Time For Miracles. I'm relieved to hear his voice hasn't been excessively smoothed over to lose its rawness as was the case with most of the AI studio recordings. He sings his own backing vocals with the harmonies resonantly spot-on. The song is nothing groundbreaking, being typical dramatic power-ballad anthemic soundtrack fare and far from what he's going for on the album. There are shades of Want in it, but he passionately sings the crap out of it. It's Adam's voice that really carries it and drives it and will ultimately keep us listening. And keep us fervently listening out for the rest of the song.
Get ready to hit replay. Repeatedly.
Hearing the voice again is like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. My insatiable thirst is temporarily quenched. It pleases me to no end that we'll get a whole 4:53 worth of Adam Lambert singing something new in Time For Miracles. I'm relieved to hear his voice hasn't been excessively smoothed over to lose its rawness as was the case with most of the AI studio recordings. He sings his own backing vocals with the harmonies resonantly spot-on. The song is nothing groundbreaking, being typical dramatic power-ballad anthemic soundtrack fare and far from what he's going for on the album. There are shades of Want in it, but he passionately sings the crap out of it. It's Adam's voice that really carries it and drives it and will ultimately keep us listening. And keep us fervently listening out for the rest of the song.
Get ready to hit replay. Repeatedly.
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