Shining (NOR) - One One One - review
Shining (NOR) - One One One - review
Tracklist
01. I Won't Forget02. The One Inside
03. My Dying Drive
04. Off The Hook
05. Blackjazz Rebels
06. How Your Story Ends
07. The Hurting Game
08. Walk Away
09. Paint The Sky Black
A review by
Ivor May 19, 2013
Now, raise your hands if your initial reaction to One One One was something along those lines. Right. Let's see now. For most, the primary point of reference for what Shining (NOR) stands for is likely the hyped Blackjazz, an album whose most modest track is a cover of King Crimson's "Schizoid." That really makes it a true avantgarde release fit for a straight-jacket and an insanity asylum.
In view of Blackjazz, One One One falls flat. Utterly, and completely. That is, it falls flat if it is more of the same that you are looking for. However, Shining (NOR) are not what I'd call a particularly reliable bunch in this sense. To evolve from jazz into Blackjazz is a huge stretch of the imagination. To move beyond... Eventually, the question arises: what is out there beyond Blackjazz?
I have a feeling the band saw their previous album as a sort of a terminus in that direction. They reached the apex and swung around for another destination. Frankly, Blackjazz never became an album of constant joy for me. I never understood the hype around it. It was, however, a companion for a rare schizophrenic mood. One One One on the other hand... Damn, this is an album I actually can and want to listen to again and again.
One One One is straightforward. It is the first step away from the avantgarde that Shining (NOR) had become. This album makes sense. It feels logical and properly structured. And it is catchy. Huh? I know, right! The thing that might be throwing you all off is that it retains a lot of signature sounds from the previous album. It might be exactly why you feel cheated and dissatisfied: same tools are serving a different purpose.
One One One is an excellent album for what it is. It just feels like a short fit of rage thrown at you. Short? Much too short. The moment it ends, you're going to want to have another go. It seems it's best served in double doses. In the end, if we take King Crimson's "Schizoid" as a dividing line, One One One is on the opposite, sane side from Blackjazz. And I love it.
Comments
Comments:
11
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Posts: 9125
Great review! Totally agree with you... except that I prefer to stand on the Blackjazz side 
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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Posts: 2311
Yep, I also preferred Blackjazz. And I didn't want another Blackjazz from them (one is enough), but I was expecting them to follow another direction than catchy straightforward songs. It's good anyway, but nothing special.
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Highly intrigued. It's on my list this one.
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| MechanisT
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Posts: 2751
You should have rated it 1.1.  That's all I really had going when I was thinking of ideas to review this. Probably listened to it about 50 times and still not entirely sure how I feel about it. So much simpler, yet it's not really that simplistic. Those hooks! I really like this album but just can't put into words what it does for me. Great job with this!
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Posts: 2075
To be fair, Fisheye and Madness and the Damage Done were incredibly catchy. They weren't simplistic by any means, but that Madness especially was far from inaccessible.
---- When God made up the golden rule, do you think he noticed that it condones rape?
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Posts: 2574
Really? This review increased the chances of me playing this album again...
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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Posts: 21  |
Posts: 21
I think you got it right! I know and feel that Blackjazz is more than this, but I also have a very strong urge to listen to One one one again and again. Maybe this band represents a way of music I really need, and my brain is just not relaxed enough most of the time, to accept the wonders of Blackjazz, but with this, the magic of Shining can get inside more easily. Let's face it, I definitely cannot imagine anything beyond Blackjazz so it's just fine to have this.
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Posts: 54  |
Posts: 54
Cool review. Just started listening to these guys as of now. I'm playing tracks off this album and so far I'm enjoying them. I'll look into the highly acclaimed Blackjazz after.
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