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They’ve recently had a song played on Radio
2’s The Green Room, been interviewed by Melinda Messenger and
recorded a session for the Dave Lee Travis show on BBC Three
Counties Radio. Things are certainly looking good for the
Sequoia boys and with the release of their new album, 'Ebb &
Flow', it seems it’s just going to get better and better.
The first 3 tracks offer one story after another…the holiday
fling in ’September Sun’, and how life can pass you by in ‘The
Boy Who Saved The World’. But the first narration, ‘Laura
Valentine’ immediately captured me in the tale of a boy’s
infatuation with a girl who just wants a bit of space. “And she
just kissed my face, but in my dreams she’d call my name, I’d
turn and there I’d stay”.
Vocalist, Andy Stedman sings with such sincerity you can’t help
but believe that some of the disappointments he’s singing about
are actually personal accounts of past events from his life. I
defy anyone not to relate to some of the deep lyrical content of
this album such as “I can’t believe you blame me for wanting to
be free now that you’ve tried to change me, don’t you realise
you can’t re-arrange me in to a mirror image of you”.
This is a collection full of surprises and the sudden changes in
pace throughout certainly keep you on your toes. At first I
found it a little odd that there were so many twists and turns
in melody. But after a few listens it dawned on me what a clever
tactic the Sequoia lads had stumbled upon when recording this
album. Whether it was intended or not is pure speculation, but
nonetheless it appears to have worked. The beautiful ballads
send you drifting off into daydreams where your mind creates the
mental image of each character within each chapter and then
suddenly you fall back to earth with a crash as your attention
is demanded by heavier sounds such as ‘Smile To Take’ and ‘Brand
New Plan’. So not only do you appreciate the profound lyrical
content of the tracks whilst inhabiting your fairytale land, you
also get to savour the individual musical flair of each band
member…very cunning, yet quite ingenious :o)
I have previously felt that Andy was better suited to writing
the songs and providing harmonies rather than being the main
vocalist within a band, but I will be the first to hold my hands
up and say I was wrong. Andy’s voice portrays believable emotion
and he has no qualms about his British origin and I find the
latter a very admirable quality in a performer. In a current
music culture where ‘Americanisation’ seems to be the trend,
it’s refreshing to hear a song sung in our native tongue.
No matter how hard I try I can find no fault with this first
release from Sequoia. Not only are these lads competent
musicians in their own right they also, when wearing their
Sequoia hats, are so tight the professionalism literally oozes
out of each tune.
'Ebb & Flow' is an intriguing pastiche of
musical genres. One minute you find yourself drifting away on
the wings of a beautiful ballad, creating the characters in your
mind and the next you’re walloped in the face with a mod/punk
intro a’la The Jam or The Undertones and your attention is well
and truly caught. Here is a band that wants to be heard and they
are definitely going the right way about it, and with the
release of a new album under their belt, Sequoia are clearly a
band to look out for.
Sequoia is:
Andy Stedman – Vocals/Guitar
Chris Earland – Guitar/Vocals
Ben Moxon – Bass
Mic Harrison – Drums
Andy ‘Longhair’ – Keyboard/Piano/Vocals
Sequoia are currently promoting their new album, embarking on a
mini UK tour with dates up until February 2006. Check out
www.sequoiauk.co.uk for more details.
Review by Pukka
Copyright Josaka
15 Novemver 2005
Relevant Links
Sequoia
www.sequoiauk.co.uk
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