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Wilton Said:
The Butterfly Plague
Wilton Said returns with a fresh back-to-school style with this LP, The Butterfly Plague. The dizzying rock opera vibe on this record is at full strength in its instrumental parts, as are man rock operas. Initially, Saids voice does not gel enough with the carnival-esque theme of the record. For fans of Saids softer acoustic brand of pop, only the recurring raindrop sequences would fit their perception of the musician. Said and his backing band efficiently execute the different genres featured on this record, especially considering the difficulty of playing prog-rock. Then he briefly returns to his softer, subtle form for Mom, which is a song about his uncle or his mom or himself. The most difficult part about listening to this record is getting rid of the associations one has with Saids prior recordings. Comparing this record to his previous work, all that came before seems scattered when trying to identify his influences. With The Butterfly Plague, he hints at the Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and they can be heard all at once in Bar. Said is accustomed to impressing listeners with his mastery of musical compositions, but the lyrics on this album point to a man who is hurt when he is at his most introspective. A song such as Outside captures this essence perfectly and demonstrates the dichotomy necessary when looking inward. The crooning on this song is reminiscent of Morrisseys earlier work, and on this track, he embodies the Morrissey/Marr dynamic of songwriting. I would not go so far as to say that he is as influential as are the two lads from Manchester, but he certainly does an impressive job at creating a lush atmosphere, be it musically or lyrically. The Butterfly Plague flows beautifully albeit the enormous musical risks Said takes throughout the album. By the end of the record, Said makes his vision clear, but it is the listeners duty to decipher it.
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