HARDREAMS - review added 21st December 2010
Live Album Review: Live... On A Dreamer's Night (Live) (2010)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and cool Van Halen covers
Spanish act Hardreams - Manu Esteve on vocals, David Agüera on guitar, Victor Muiño on bass, Sergi Hormigó on drums, and Sergi Segarra on keyboards already have two full-length albums - "Calling Everywhere" (2004) and "The Road Goes On" (2008) under their belts, so they clearly felt it was time to take their show on the road and record their tunes on the live stage.
"Live... On A Dreamer's Night", the resulting live album, is a blast through their best tracks; most of which come from their 2nd album. There's also a cover of Van Halen's vintage showstopper 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love'.
The sound is, unsurprisingly, much like the band's studio material, though rawer, slightly heavier and more energetic.
Good:
I'm surprised how entertaining the album is. Hardreams is clearly a band whose members are at ease on stage letting them focus purely on the performance. The result is a non stop blast featuring a ton of superb musicianship - especially David Agüera's potent guitar playing. Hell, they even do justice to the Van Halen track.
Although the sound quality (which we'll get onto in a minute) isn't the best, the all-important live-vibe is spot on and really pulls you in. Crank this baby up, close your eyes, and it's easy to feel like you're there in Barcelona.
Not So Good:
The recording quality is good, but it isn't exactly excellent. I appreciate that live albums are generally rough round the edges, after all this is a one-take recording medium. However, "Live... On A Dreamer's Night" isn't quite on the money. Manu Esteve's vocals were hit and miss on the last studio album, and the same goes here. He's generally beyond reproach (just listen to his audience interaction on the opener), but excitement and breathlessness does get the better of him here and there.
Being a Spanish band, and recording in Spain...don't expect to be able to understand the conversations with the crowd unless you speak the lingo. Not really a major gripe as it makes no difference to the album's flow, but useful to mention.
The Songs:
The best moments are the catchy 'Rebel Heart', the very cool 'My Last Desire', the annoyingly spunky 'Bad Times Are Gone', the speedy 'Too Late', and that enjoyable Van Halen cover.
In Summation:
"Live... On A Dreamer's Night" isn't perfect, but there's something contagious about these guys. I rather fancy seeing them live now, and isn't that the point of albums like this?!
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall:
Check out... The Van Halen cover.
Track List:
01. Wings Of Fire
02. Rebel Heart
03.
My Last Desire
04. Bad Times Are Gone
05. Too Late
06. We're One
07.
I'll Say Bye Tonight
08.
Apologies
09.
Little Sinner Queen
10. Two Shots
11.
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (Van Halen Cover)
Artist's website(s): MySpace | Facebook
