YOU ARE HERE-Thenewno2

You Are Here-
Thenewno2
Status-Out as of 2008
Label-HOT Records
Rating-3.5 Feathers

Julian Lennon, Sean Lennon, Zak Starkey: These are just some of the few children of Beatles who’ve made a name for themselves, despite their famous fathers. What could make George Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, any different? Well, actually, a lot. He and drummer/friend Oliver Hecks released their first EP entitled ‘EP001’ through their website and iTunes back in 2006. Though not on a major record label, Thenewno2 have major talent. Their debut ‘You Are Here’ is sure to interest you. ‘So Vain’ is not all too great, but it does stand out. It’s little bizarre, a bit too weird for my taste, and it doesn’t seem like they can decide between tempos hence making it a mess. ‘Another John Doe’ is a better representation of their sound. Dhani shows very high vocal quality, as seen in how his voice becomes another instrument. It’s a nicely paced song and just experimental enough to keep your ear. ‘Back To You’ starts out with random sound bytes taken from radio and mish mashed together making it a very effectual opening. The rest of the song is pretty good, but the quasi-chorus is a mess. ‘Give You Love’ is a nice simple song, with a nice melody. Oli’s abnormal drumbeat goes very nicely against the dreamy keyboard and about half way, the filter really gives it a nice kick. ‘Bluesy’ is flat out uninteresting. The heavily processed-faint guitar doesn’t really serve much purpose and the electric drums just sound stupid. The vocals aren’t exactly great either. Watching water slowly evaporate from a boiling pot of water is more captivating. ‘Yomp’ pulls you out of that vapor-watching trance just by the first note. It’s very retro and jazzy with a Thenewno2 flair. ‘Hiding Out’ is very strange. The quiet falsetto voice Dhani’s using sounds very, very creepy. It’s like he’s ‘hiding out’ under your bed ready to getcha! Though probably not it’s intended purpose, they’ve managed to once again make an over processed, overly dull song. ‘Crazy Tuesday’: How a song like this is on the same album as the last song is beyond me. The starting combination of a guitar, cello, and ukulele is brilliant. In this they’ve reached a perfection with the electronica in a sense of the not too hot, not too cold. The structure and soothing instrument combo really helps you rest easy from the last song. ‘Idle Lover’ is not that bad, it’s just a little too mellow. It would have been helpful by this point in the album if it were a little heavier. The only thing that really saves it the ending bit. ‘Shelter’ is also a bit too much on the mellow side, but generally it’s well composed and tad more lively. ‘Wind Up Dead’ at first sounds like a Thenewno2 collaboration with Beck, but it quickly turns into a very EP001 sound. The drum beat helps give it that kick you were searching for creating a nice ending. Overall, this album has been what I’d expect them to be on a grander scale as opposed to a four song EP. What makes this different from any other Beatle-kid band is that they sound absolutely nothing like their father. Dhani and Oli managed to distance the band pretty far from George’s style of music and what the world would expect of him. Though there are a few sleepers, this album was a pretty good representation of their musical ability. George would’ve been proud.

"It’s very hard to take a step in any direction musically without referencing something The Beatles have done." -Dhani Harrison

Video for Another John Doe

Recommendations: Another John Doe, Yomp, Crazy Tuesday
Thenewno2's Official Website
Note: This album cannot be bought in stores, it's only on iTunes which I think's a little silly. Yeah, I know i've not posted a review since last week, so I'll try to get out two more this week. Also, being that the picture is indeed not mine, I'll take it down if it has to be. Comments are much appreciated, and I hope you've enjoyed this review!