The Speed of Sound – Victory (Big Sur Records)
27 August 2024
If Minerva was the first piece of the triptych puzzle, which formed a set called A cornucopia: Minerva, victory, bountythen it is perhaps no surprise that victory, The speed of soundThe latest album from is the second part of the series. And if the first proved to be fun and eclectic, experimental and unique, then your expectations for this new sonic adventure are at least fulfilled. To be honest, anyone who has followed the story of Speed of Sound over the last few years… or 35 will already be primed to expect, if not the unexpected, then at least the unusual, challenging and thoroughly rewarding.
But if Minerva wanted to give the middle finger to the powers that be in the record label-dominated music scene, Victory perhaps takes a more relaxed approach. The songs are still imbued with optimism and a sense of liberation, but they seem less likely to pick fights and are simply happy to make fewer pointed arguments.
One of the main points is the joy of making music for the sake of music, art for the sake of art. So here we find a collection of songs and indeed a band that does not aspire to become rich or famous, to look cool or even to stand out, but instead wants to revel in the joys of creativity and expression.
Ironically, it’s this freedom to not play the game that allows them to produce songs that could easily chart in a more sophisticated world. If opener “Apocalypse Acropolis” seems like a tentative start, its more measured style makes sense when compared to its partner’s beat-driven, hazy vocals and trumpet riff.
Current single ‘Underground’ may not necessarily find mainstream admirers, but those of us who have been around a few times will recognise the mix of indie and pop with the rougher edges, the jangly guitars and shuffling beats, the sing-along choruses and the alternative routes as exactly the kind of music that used to provide the offbeat highlights and unconventional guile that occasionally peppered the charts in the ’80s, as the wave of post-punk attitude coalesced into a new pop sound.
And then there are tracks like “Rock, Paper, Scissors” that revel in their otherness, a cornucopia (wink wink) of Eastern vibes and raga beats, a mix of masala rock that bridges the late era Beatles and bands like Orphaned land.
I guess when you stop playing by the rules and regulations of the people around you, when you decide to give up the game and make music on your own terms, then you make the music that matters, at least to yourself. Music that goes where you want it to, that sounds the way you want it to, and that expresses what you want to express. I’m sure Speed of Sound has always had that kind of attitude, but albums like A cornucopia: victory and the set it is part of are the perfect gathering point for those who don’t want to be told what to do… both for music makers and for those who want to hear something new, authentic and different.
Underground
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