Yes, Titors Insignia did follow me on Twitter, but they also
specifically messaged me and asked if I would review them, and provided MP3
files without any complaints about waiting in line for a few weeks, so that all
won my heart.
After reviewing a lot of more synthesized bands lately,
Titors Insignia is very much traditional rock. There are driving guitar chords.
There is thumping. Occasionally there is feedback, and possibly even sneering.
And, although this is totally not my area of expertise, I think some of it may
be suitable for moshing. Maybe “Timewaster” – I mean, if it’s not made for
moshing, it’s at least made for driving fast, and “Fair City Riots” definitely
has head-banging potential.
It’s not that they don’t ever do anything different. “Lonely
Girl” starts off with some lovely strings and then does it’s own thing, where
it’s kind of more voice-driven and spoken. It switches between reminding me of
Damn Yankee’s “Higher” and Queen’s “Fat-Bottomed Girls”, if that makes any
sense.
On the other hand, “The Chancer” stands apart from
everything else. It starts with a kind of otherworldly intro, and then morphs
into a tune that insists on dancing without being at all clubby.
In addition, “Freedom Fighter” has a quiet energy to it.
“Break the Chains” is more forceful, but both of them are powerful pleas for
change, and improvement.
So, they can do different things, but it keeps coming back
to powerful rock. Funk and groove gets mixed in, and I would say there are even
some little disco callbacks on “Bring it On Home” (I could be kidding myself),
but it keeps going back to powerful rock. There is an overall feeling of
strength throughout.
This strength may come from the character of the members. In
addition to some of the messages in their songs, there is a larger commitment
to society, where “I Need the Real Thing” is a charity single, benefiting
Models of Diversity, and they are working on donating “Freedom Fighter” to ABF
(Army Benevolent Fund, for soldiers).
I just want to give a few more callouts. Let’s mention the
rolling intro on “Set in Stone”; “I Don’t Love You”, a song that has a similar
energy to “Rock and Roll, Part 2” (which makes me want to roller skate to it);
and “A Town Called Yesterday”, which I just really like. I don’t always have an
analysis.
A good starting point, however, is probably “Beg Plead and
Pray”. As hard-rocking as it is, the emotion really comes through, and it
sticks with you. (Though, I do feel like “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” would be
really good in concert.)
Although the coverage on Soundcloud is pretty good for
listening, and the availability on CDBaby is pretty good for buying, you must
go to Youtube and check out “Three Lions on Fire”, a song for England’s World
Cup. It doesn’t appear to be anywhere else, and they seem to be having a lot of
fun with the video, though I’m sure it’s more meaningful if you know anything
about the team.
For other links, Facebook does a pretty good job of showing
upcoming dates, under Events. They do seem to play fairly frequently, though
that is around Manchester and Staffordshire.
CD Baby (store): http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Titorsinsignia
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/titorsinsignia
4 comments:
Hi
This is a good review of a band I know from my local town. I run a website called St Helens Now and I was wondering if I could publish this article on the website. I will of course give full credits and a link to you Blog.
Thanks, Barry
St Helens Now
That would be great! I know they have a few upcoming performances in St Helens.
Hi
I have posted your article on St Helens Now. Let me know what you think.
http://www.sthelensnow.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=71
Looks great. Good luck with the site!
Post a Comment