Hard rock bands recording acoustic albums aren’t really anything new, In fact they were fairly common during the 90’s. A lot of your favorite rock bands actually write a lot of their well known songs on an acoustic guitar, Because if it doesn’t sound good without distortion it likely won’t be half as good of a song to begin with.
You can hide a lot behind effect peddles, But when you play acoustic all is laid bare for the listener. It’s raw, no pretense. The human element comes in to play and any flaws are magnified, Which in my view gives more personality to the music and in the case of songs which are originally recorded with effects really makes for a more intimate musical experience.
Shiraz Lane have always been a pretty dynamic band that transcends merely being just another 80’s influenced hard rock band and this EP further illustrates that, hard rocking anthems are stripped back and give way to lush arrangements and the results are a thing of beauty.
There’s a slight bluesy quality to album opener “Harder To Breathe” that is very different musically in comparison to the original which appears on their album Carnival Days. It’s remarkable that an EP like this can have such great production value while also feeling so organic that it’s like you are in the room with these guys, the music cascading all around you like a great live performance minus the crowd.
A good mid tempo drum beat leads into a more Spanish guitar influenced version of “Keep It Alive” which is in contrast to the hard rocking bombast of the original which appears on the last EP they released, Vibrations 1.
The human element really shines in the vocals of singer Hannes Kett, his vocals still sounding powerful and yet more raw and varied than what I’d say is a more controlled performance on the main album versions of these songs.
“Tidal Wave” continues the magic but ups the tempo by comparison to the prior songs, vocally this lines up with the album version but like the rest of the songs on this EP the music is interpreted differently, It’s more than just stripped down, It’s reinterpreted in a way that makes these versions fresh while not abandoning the core structures of the songs.
I’m going to be honest here, Their last studio album Forgotten Shades Of Life didn’t do much for me outside of the song “Scream” and I’m not sure if the bleak state of the world during the pandemic inspired the darker tone of that album or my impression of it or both.
I think this version is an improvement on the original and Hannes’s vocal performance on this song is spectacular, He opens the song with a truly fantastic vocal performance. The middle eastern vibe to the music gives a slight mellow Led Zeppelin vibe to it and when the song picks up the tempo the overall arrangement of the song is very lush and powerful.
“You Will Remain” closes out the EP and it’s one of my favorite songs by Shiraz Lane, The original version on Vibrations 1 is a very powerful song. This version keeps the melodic structure in tact but exorcises some restraint in its composition, trading raw power for vulnerable beauty and the result is breathtaking. And man! That vocal wail from Hannes at the end of the song is incredible!Easily my favorite song on this EP.
This is how you do acoustic reinterpretations of your songs right, If artists attempt doing a record like this it’s important to bring something new to the table in doing an acoustic version of an electric song. Finding that balance of innovation while also keeping the core melodic structure of the songs can be a bit tricky, But Shiraz Lane have done it perfectly. The band’s playing feels very organic and yet played with surgical precision, The music is just gorgeous and the vocals feel like a live performance. If you like this band and haven’t heard this EP yet I highly recommend buying it, Definitely among the great releases of 2024.
8/10
