{"id":8656,"date":"2015-07-20T14:20:31","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T14:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-john-nolan-sad-strange-beautiful\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:11","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:11","slug":"album-review-john-nolan-sad-strange-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-john-nolan-sad-strange-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: John Nolan – Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image\"Let\u2019s start with a couple of disclaimers. I don\u2019t think Taking Back Sunday have ever matched the brilliance of \u2018Tell All Your Friends\u2019<\/i>, and I\u2019ll argue until I\u2019m blue in the face if someone tries to tell me otherwise. Secondly, Straylight Run\u2019s self-titled debut is an under-appreciated classic. I can say with some certainty that \u2018The Tension and the Terror\u2019<\/i> would get an airing at my wedding and I\u2019d go bonkers \u2013 and rightly so as it\u2019s fabulous. <\/figure>\n

So I\u2019ve got a lot of time for John Nolan<\/b>. He\u2019s a talented songwriter and has a heck of an ear for melody \u2013 and this is reflected throughout \u2018Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream\u2019<\/i>. In fact, when there\u2019s just your name on the album, there\u2019s no place to hide and your talent has to shine through. The pressure certainly suits Nolan. <\/p>\n

Musically, there\u2019s a timelessness to songs such as the opener \u2018American Nightclub (1999) <\/i>\u2019 or \u2018How Much\u2019<\/i>. There are no gimmicks; if you imagine The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac, then that\u2019s the arena we\u2019re in \u2013 classic, well-played pop-rock.<\/p>\n

But Nolan<\/b>\u2019s not one to be inhibited by genre constraints. Throw in a bit of a mid-career Replacements or Soul Asylum after Dave Pirner\u2019s hearing problems (so anything post \u2018Hang Time\u2019<\/i>) and you\u2019ve got a handle on songs such as \u2018War Is Peace\u2019<\/i> too. Then there\u2019s a Straylight Run style piano ballad (\u2018I\u2019ll Be Home Soon\u2019<\/i>) and even a Fun style pop song in the shape of the title track. It\u2019s diverse, engaging and constantly interesting. In less confident hands, it could have been a bit of a mess. Instead, Nolan<\/b>\u2019s pretty much a natural at everything he turns his hand to and the album flows beautifully as a result. <\/p>\n

Lyrically, there are a number of different themes running throughout, covering a range of personal-political, social and intensely autobiographical topics. On every song Nolan<\/b>\u2019s passion shines brightly, making him a convincing and honest troubadour, although on the odd occasion he drifts into sloganeering, which is annoying. The aforementioned \u2018War Is Peace\u2019<\/i> is the biggest culprit, especially when compared to \u2018It\u2019s The End of The World\u2019<\/i> which carries the theme much better without sounding clich\u00e9d. It\u2019s a minor gripe though, as I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a blast live, with Nolan leading the throng like a protest rally. <\/p>\n

\u2018Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream\u2019<\/i> is a brisk 41 minutes, culminating in the charming \u2018I Will Be Released\u2019<\/i>. It\u2019s the best of a strong bunch, a folky, mid-tempo sing-along. Again it packs a political and social message, but retains a sense of positivity without forcing the message down your throat. It\u2019s a difficult line to walk, but Nolan<\/b> succeeds.<\/p>\n

The result is an album which shows a different side to a man who you thought you had a handle on. Thematically \u2018Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream\u2019<\/i> is a dense and rewarding listen, giving an insight into the issues that make Nolan<\/b> tick. It might not always work, but if you\u2019re a fan of his other acts, or intelligent, socially-conscious singer songwriters such as Chuck Ragan and Rocky Votolato, then you\u2019ll love \u2018Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream\u2019<\/i>. <\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

\u2018Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream\u2019<\/i> by John Nolan<\/b> is released on July 27th on Collective Confusion<\/b>.<\/p>\n

John Nolan<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Tumblr<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s start with a couple of disclaimers. I don\u2019t think Taking Back Sunday have ever matched the brilliance of \u2018Tell All Your Friends\u2019, and I\u2019ll argue until I\u2019m blue in the face if someone tries to tell me otherwise. Secondly, Straylight Run\u2019s self-titled debut is an under-appreciated classic. I can say with some certainty that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[5157,5155,15022,5156],"class_list":["post-8656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-collective-confusion","tag-john-nolan","tag-rob-mair","tag-sad-strange-beautiful-dream"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: John Nolan - Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let\u2019s start with a couple of disclaimers. 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