Album Review: EF - Give Me Beauty… or Give Me Death!
Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez
Album re-releases. They always have to be taken with a pinch of salt and a sense of scepticism. Especially in an industry were short term cash grabs are sadly too common. But look a little deeper in the case of Sweden's EF and you realise that their reasons for releasing their seminal album "Give Me Beauty...Or Give Me Death" make pure and total sense. Back in 2006, the band described themselves as being too poor to afford a recording studio for more than 3 days and had to resort to using more amateur recording techniques and being unable to remove background dissonance and interference. Now, as seasoned genre veterans, they're ready to re-release this via Pelagic Records and the end product should be more than satisfying! So, this is a case of artists simply challenging themselves to improve on themselves. Let’s so this manifests…
Well, compare opening track 'ETT' to the original recording and it's like night and day! Whilst the original is still beautiful in its own right, there's a certain level of gloss and sparkle on this version that's truly divine and irresistible! During 'Misinform The Uninformed' , the xylophone and violin are so much more prominent in the mix and the production is overall just on a much higher level. It feels like you can become fully immersed and just let your soul wash away in a stream of glorious post rock!
If the strings were prominent here, they're main characters in 'Noll', and are dripping in raw human sentiment. The first song on this re-release that wasn't actually on the original, so certainly a nice treat here and another reason to pick up a copy of this album on release day!
I've always thought 'Hello Scotland' was the strongest song on the album. Would they be able to enhance it this time around? Well, something's missing here. Perhaps the raw edge and innocence from the original. Dare I say this version sounds a little overproduced with a little too much studio seasoning here. Especially with the vocals towards the end which, again, lack that same raw and primitive edge as compared to the original. Though make no mistake, this song is still a 12 minute masterpiece, gradually building towards this bulldozing crescendo:
"HEAVY WINDS, IT WON'T BOTHER US, IT WON'T BREAK NO TREES, IT WON'T BREAK NO BONES".
This line sung in gang style group vocals with multiple voices harmonies is a subtle yet wonderful rework of the original to be fair! This got replayed multiple times which is all you need to know about the impact it has had!
Next up is 'Final Thoughts'. I may have been a little over critical of 'Hello Scotland' by suggesting it was overproduced. Whilst there's certainly more studio enhancement here, this has added a level of atmosphere and taken this single to a level simply not possible 20 years ago when recording in Daniel's apartment!
Honestly, some of those intricate and gentle melodies ebbing and flowing in a unfathomably complex mix are like medicine for the soul!
A lot of which can also be said for 'He came, He Stayed, He Fell'. Except for this feels like a complete and utter remodel of the original! Any hints of rough edges have well and truly been sanded down and smoothed out in a glorious effort of sound desk mastery. Sometimes, less is more. But at other times, incredible attention to minute details is absolutely glorious! There's so many subtle elements to capture your attention and to provide a different flavour of sonic appeasement. I can't even imagine how many individual tracks were utilised in this particular composition's recording. Surely it's in treble figures though? A testament to the band's new found skills in recording and mastering.
14 minutes and 55 seconds seems punishing long for some. But for those willing to stick it out, you'll be treated to a glorious post rock journey with peaks and troughs, delicate ambient passages that allow breathing space for the climaxes and huge crescendo in the shape of 'Tomorrow My Friend...'. All before the slower more "... We'll Meet In The End" provides respite in a slower number without the larger climaxes but still with the same emotion that tugs on your heart strings that makes you sad that it's coming to an end.
Change can be good. Change can be great. Change can be something we love or hate. But it's one of life's only guarantees, and EF have fully embraced change here. The Swedish post rock masters have expertly applied their 20 years plus experience to maximum effect here in a stunning emotionally charged effort that will draw tears from the most stoic of us whilst making any casual fan or seasoned musicians purr in admiration.
