6 Day Riot - Tamara-Schlesinger
Blending darker and more dramatic hues than the bright primary colours of 2009’s “6 Day Riot Have A Plan”, 6 Day Riot’s new album “On This Island” gives evidence of a band expanding and refining their musical pallette through reflections on a year fraught with personal turmoil. The result is an album alternately rousing, contemplative, celebratory and epic, and always utterly distinctive.
A notable element of this development lies with the maturing of lead-singer Tamara Schlesinger’s songwriting and her exploration of personal issues through a variety of techniques from more abstract metaphorical storytelling to boldly direct confessionals.
Her songs have always been able to pull off that perfect pop trick of smuggling dark, thoughtful lyrics into deceptively breezy musical packages. Now, in combination with the rest of the band, she has managed to achieve compelling results with a similar, if somewhat inverted dynamic, embuing even the album’s darker lyrical moments with a defiant, joyful and life-affirming musical sensibility.
The 6 Day Riot sound always defies being pigeon-holed into a specific category, straddling folk, pop and indie genres with aplomb, an assurance perfectly encapsulated in “All I Need” with its inspired blend of mariachi horns, rousing chorus and propulsive, marching-band rhythm. New single “Take Me” is another standout; a Faustian tale built around a folky version of drum&bass rythmns combined with a kick-ass, shout-along chorus. ‘A Woman’s Mind’ is the cornerstone of the new album, combining raw, sensual lyrics with a sultry eastern-influenced arrangement to create an epic, sultry track reminiscent of ‘Tusk’ era Fleetwood Mac.
Live the band have really come into there own, having supported Seth Lakeman on tour last year the band played their first headline festival slot at Sark Folk Festival this year, as well as headlining stages at various other festivals this summer their performances gained them a 10/10 live review from Virtual Festivals for their slot at Lounge on the Farm Festival.
6 Day Riot completed a UK tour culminating in a near sell-out gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, in Autumn 2010, and were consequently invited to support the legendary Belle and Sebastian at the Barrowlands in Glasgow in December.
‘all the hallmarks of the next big thing’ NME
‘a band accelerating to greatness’ The Times
‘a magpie’s nest of jagged rhythms, baroque guitars and sedcutive pop’ The Herald
