Lily – All These Things That I’ve Done



In 1969 Led Zeppelin released their sophomore record, Led Zeppelin II which brought us two of the most iconic rock songs of all time with Whole Lotta Love and What Is And What Should Never Be. In 1970 Black Sabbath released their sophomore record Paranoid which brought us the iconic title track, Paranoid and Iron Man. In 1991 Nirvana released their sophomore record, Nevermind which brought us Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are.
All of the above became iconic albums that have stood the test of time, people say the second album is always the toughest but clearly Lily Abbot didn’t listen to a word she heard and set about creating one of the great 21st Century rock albums.

People say that the rock genre has been dying for a long time now but it appears as though this female Gothic Rock queen is dragging the genre back to the forefront of the music world. Her debut album, Raw was met with big critical acclaim and the pressure was clearly on the female rock chick in the build-up to her second album. Leaving Shooting Star Records would be seen as quite a bold move but it’s evident that Lily always knew just how good this second album was going to be. She quickly signed a deal with Chaos Records and unleashed this modern day rock classic.

Don’t Listen To A Word You’ve Heard/Acid
11 songs appeared on the album, each of which showed the genius behind the dark hair as Lily produced a range of musically rich tracks from the acoustic guitar and piano driven opener, Don’t Listen To A Word You’ve Heard, it’s semi-political theme show that Lily is an individual who is willing to say whatever needs to be said, it’s as strong a rock track that you’ll hear in modern music. It is one of the great album openers and a highlight of the whole album.

Next up is Acid, a song that softens in parts but quickly rises throughout, another song that shows Lily’s attitude and willingness to say things that others may shy away from, the title of the song being an obvious link towards Lily who has often been described as having an acid tongue. It focuses on Lily’s incredible vocal strength as one moment she can sing with an endearing softness and the very next moment she rises to an almost operatic grandiose vocal. It’s a strong track on a very strong album.

No Longer What You Require/Roses In The Boulevard ft. Taylor Asbridge
No Longer What You Require is without doubt the standout track on the whole album and is an instant rock classic. As Lily starts off with a low vocal it quickly rises throughout, accompanied by chants in the background of the song. The music is slightly delayed on the song and almost unnoticeable right up until the pre-chorus as the instruments are unleashed in the form of guitar, bass and drums providing one of the great modern rock riffs perfectly accompanied by Lily’s incredibly high vocals, channelling Robert Plant [Led Zeppelin]. It’s a song about how fickle love can be, essentially the perfect topic for a rock song and that reason combined by the brutality of the instrumentals and epic vocals from Lily make this song a track that could be put in the same bracket as Sweet Child O’ Mine [Guns ‘N’ Roses] or Cryin [Aerosmith]. It is in my opinion the best track on the album and one of the great rock songs.

Roses In The Boulevard is the first of two collaborations on the album, this song features Taylor Asbridge of Dead Roses fame and it works a treat as the two complement each other perfectly as Asbridge’s intricate guitar work challenges Lily’s powerful vocals, but it’s the inclusion of a violin in the song that creates a deep cinematic and very dramatic feel on the song. Lily apparently wrote the song about the relationship between female rock vocalist Amy Meyer and the former bassist of Dead Roses Callum Williams. It’s another of the albums strong points.

Walk With Me/Weightless ft. Amy Meyer
Walk With Me is perhaps the weakest track on a very strong album, although it’s a good song it fails to compete with the stronger songs on the record, perhaps the standard has been raised too high who knows, but a positive in the song is again Lily’s vocal power and finesse. She shows the ability of her range but sadly the melodic sensibilities aren’t quite as strong on this track. It’s an autobiographical song by Lily and although the lyrics and theme are quite strong, the music sadly holds it back.

On track 6, Weightless ft Amy Meyer, the album returns back to full strength, a strong piano introduction is matched by strong vocals from two of the most recognizable female rock vocalists, as they trade vocals back and forth throughout the song, it’s a song about feeling numb, perhaps being emotionless. The trade-off between Lily and Amy’s vocals provide the main strength to the song, the inclusion of violins give the song another cinematic feel and is quickly becoming a major part of Lily’s music, particularly on this album. This is another of the strong tracks on the album.

Oh Mother/Comfort In Emptiness/Hollow Men
Next up is Oh Mother, a very strong track that could possibly one of the under-rated tracks on the album, from the soft violin introduction you can quickly tell that this is slightly different compared to what you’ve heard previously. The pace of the song is quite steady throughout which gives way to one of the most emotional vocal performances you’ll ever hear. The beauty of the song is the combination of Lily’s tender vocals and the violins that play throughout. The theme adds to the emotion as Lily sings about her relationship with her mother and the when the lyrics are thrown into the mix, you’d be forgiven for shedding tears at this tender classic.

Comfort In Emptiness is a relatively strong track, it could be improved by a stronger musical backdrop, slightly more power in the backing music would have given the song little more of a push. However Lily’s vocals are again on top form and that alone is enough to turn this song from average to pretty good. The songs theme is about how sometimes being lonely isn’t the worse thing, it gives you time to figure yourself out. The use of a male echo on the song seems to add to the quality of the track.

Hollow Men is an interesting song on the record, it’s theme and vocals from Lily are quite strong but a little more time for the song would have perhaps made it one of the standouts but at just under three minutes in length sadly It doesn’t seem to give the song enough time, I feel like the theme warrants a bigger length in song, perhaps even pushing the song beyond the five minute mark could have made this a much stronger track, but the negatives are just about outweighed by Lily’s very strong vocals.

Don’t Follow My Footsteps/Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self
Don’t Follow My Footsteps is the track with possibly the heaviest rock element to it, the guitars are heavy and the drums beat furiously throughout. She seems to be singing in a much slower monotone way, it’s a very different vocal from Lily, the song sounds somewhat basic but it seems like Lily erupts as she sings, “So Don’t You Follow My Footsteps Darling, Take Your Own Way/Don’t You Follow My Footsteps Darling, If You Wanna See Another Day.” It shows the power of her vocals and proves just why she is considered one of the best female vocalists around.

Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self is introduced with a drum solo, quickly followed by another strong vocal from Lily and then before you know it, you have a full musical fusion which also features a guitar and organ. This track has a very eerie gothic kind of feel to it which is enhanced mid-way through the song with the inclusions of my own personal favourite, the violin. Lily switches her vocal throughout which shows her vocal prowess for one final time on the album, she seamlessly switches from a basic vocal into one of the angriest vocals you’ll hear. Alongside No Longer What You Require, Don’t Listen To A Word You’ve Heard, Weightless and Roses In The Boulevard, this is another stand out track.

Final Analysis
Naturally I don’t think people would have expected to see a gothic rocker at the top of the charts in this day of pop princesses, but upon listening to the album you see the exact reason as to why this became a number #1 album. Lily’s vocal power alone are enough to outshine pretty much anyone currently in the record industry and her ability to create perfectly crafted rock songs will stand her in good stead for many years to come. Even the weaker songs on the album are still of a good enough standard but perhaps a little more development in those tracks, particularly Walk With Me and Hollow Men would surely have made this one of the great albums of all time, however this is a great album that will no doubt be loved and listened to for quite a few years to come. At 24 years old, she is still young enough and although this is a great album, it gives her still enough time to create the perfect record. Overall I would give this album an 9 out of 10.

“I am broken, but not beyond repair/As long as you need me, I will follow you”

These surprisingly vulnerable lines close out the first of a reported five EPs by Jason Smith (he calls it the ‘Jason Smith Band’, but we all know who’s in charge here). For a man who’s nowadays more famous for the incidents on Big Brother than his legendary stint with Mind, it’s an unexpected statement. After all, one would be forgiven for thinking that Jason’s musical exploits had reached an all-too-soon end. Never mind the fact that Mind was the first band to reach the top of the singles chart known as The Top 20; these days, his name is more likely to evoke memories of Katie Coyle’s pregnancy. When Jason wonders out loud "Is this a caricature?” on ‘Spit of the Sparrow’, we can’t help but wonder if he’s talking about himself. Like Kanye West or Ryan Ross Hernandez before him, it seems as though Jason Smith’s celebrity has finally eclipsed his music. Because of this, it's easy to understand why, for the first time in Jason’s career, the musician and music are truly one and the same. While Jason’s music has, in the past, focused on grand operatic storylines (look no further than Shattered Fairytale and To Hold All), this EP places focus entirely on the writer, for better or worse. Those who have come to despise Jason over the past few months will be turned off instantly by this, but the true enthusiasts of his work will relish this rare insight to the Man, the Smith, the Legend, mostly because of how much of an enigmatic figure he had become before his crash-landing on Earth these past few months. Is he truly the decent guy his fans project him to be, or is he simply an arrogant rock-star?

The first track on the EP, ‘Fame, Fortune, and an Ego’, offers an abundance of proof towards the latter. Over a guitar-driven instrumental bed that brings back fond memories of the Sex Pistols and Oasis, Jason bellows out ‘I don’t do requests/I think I’m the best’. It’s overblown, pretentious, and fucking magnificent. But it’s also very tongue-in-cheek, something the more casual listeners will probably miss. The Smith has always been one of the ever-dwindling ‘intelligent rockers’, so it seems unrealistic that he would ever bellow out a straight-faced ‘fuck the haters’ anthem. And, thankfully, he never tries. This situation Jason has found himself in is just a little bit ridiculous, something he knows quite well. On this track, he lets his feelings known quite strongly, sarcastically blowing it up to such an exaggerated emotional high that the listener can’t help but smile. A whole EP of this type of music would, of course, grate the nerves. But a collection of defensive rants was never part of the masterplan. With the obligatory ‘misunderstood artist’ statement out of the way, Jason is free to dive into far more personal and rewarding waters. The next two tracks on the EP, ‘Scared of You’ and ‘Dynamite’, show a previously unexposed side to the songwriter. The first, a simple indie ballad, has Jason stepping into the role of a regretful lover, one that likely doesn’t require much acting chops. Although Madeleine Rameau takes the role of the female on this track, it’s easy to assume that Jason is instead singing to all the famous, and forgotten, ex’s from over the years. His broken, yet incredibly powerful, voice on the line "I’m only acting stupid because I’m afraid of you" sends chills down the spine, proving that his admitted regret over recent controversies isn’t merely a half-assed attempt for public forgiveness. ‘Dynamite’, while coming off as a slightly inferior version of the song that came before, continues the lyrical themes along brilliantly. If the expression of guilt hasn’t been hammered home enough before, this one seals the deal.

As ‘Dynamite’ gently transitions to the next song, it seems as though the themes of ego and regret have been swept away. And, in a sense, they have, at least partially. The final track on the Sounds of the Severed EP still has its spotlight focused squarely on Jason, but covers a broader scope of emotion. There’s sadness, regret, and, oddly enough, a trace of euphoria. This can be attributed to the fact that it is about the entirety of Jason’s life, and not just the recent pregnancies and abrupt endings to engagements. This song could also be considered overblown, as it does indeed have the ‘throw everything but the kitchen sink’ quality on it. When a song samples the James Bond theme, you can’t expect to take it seriously. And yet, not only does Jason pull all the separate parts together, but he manages to make it the best track on an already stellar collection. ‘Spit of a Sparrow’ sends off the EP in style, giving high hopes for the second installment of this series.

The first impulse after listening to this would be to proclaim it a ‘return to grace’. However fitting this might seem, it’s an ultimately foolish thought. As a member of Mind, and a solo artist, his career has been virtually flawless. And, looking back, the reasons behind his public disgrace aren’t nearly as bad as the public would like to think. He didn’t, after all, implode as spectacularly (or horrifically, depending on your viewpoint) as Eric Quillington on the Big Brother. Amid the increasingly-tiresome Twitter bitchfests, Jason managed to remain one of the most beloved and sympathetic celebrities in the world. Call him an egotist, call him an ass, but he’s also, perhaps paradoxically, the quintessential ‘nice guy’ of rock. And he’s quite possibly the most talented progressive-metal musician out there. After all this time, should that really be such a surprise?