Honour Before Glory is the solo project from Leeds based musician Whiskas, former guitarist of band ¡Forward, Russia! The EP features ‘The Maison’, taken from the album ‘This Is Broken Lines’, plus 3 other versions of the same track, which is a unique and risky was of presenting a musical idea.
The first track, ‘Maison’, is essentially the album version but oddly it is the most underwhelming version of the song. Electronic pulses and breathy layered vocals provide a languid and stagnant atmosphere. The track never really gets going, and although some of the dub/electronica echoes the classic sounds created by Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ album, it does nothing to evoke thoughts of songwriting prowess. There isn’t enough depth or texture to the sounds, and most of the time the vocals are lost in the mix, as the track feels foggy and without destination.
‘The Maisonette’ is an indie-rock take on the same ideas, and straight away it feels more purposeful. The melodies are clearer and the sound is thick and rich, the rhythm driving the song ahead. It stands head and shoulders above the opener, which is definitely a positive, but for me feels like the only other version of the song that is needed. By the time ‘Maison (Players Version)’ hits, it feels too much, especially as the only real difference from this track and the first is that extra drums/percussion and guitars have been added. It’s just a dressed up version of ‘Maison’, with no remixing at all, which seems rather pointless.
Honour Before Glory / Maison from Studio xiiixiii on Vimeo.
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