Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Saga
Label: SPV Records
Released: 2001
Rating: 5/5
After their triumphant comeback on “Full Circle” (1999), where they swore eternal loyalty to their own particular brand of art rock, Saga kept up the same pace, if not an even faster one, cranking out artistically high-caliber albums that proved again and again that they’re nowhere near done. Once the return to their roots went down so well with their fans, the Canadian four-piece’s creative energy, ambition and drive shot way up. On “House Of Cards” you can once again hear the band’s trademark sound, built on a mix of melody and complex, unexpected time changes, where Ian Crichton’s hard-rock-punchy guitar passages keep melting into Jim Gilmour’s varied keyboard textures (they sometimes use as many as three different synths in a single song), Michael Sadler’s mighty vocals and a bouncy rhythm. On top of that, it’s all marked once more by the exceptionally polished production of Jim Crichton, which seemed to get better from album to album. It’s admirable how successfully the band marries modern production with their recognizable, utterly distinctive sound, which they’ve held on to since the late ’70s.
On the surface, Saga follow the musical recipe of their predecessor and their classic albums from the late ’70s and early ’80s in a lot of ways, but alongside a deeper sound they’ve given individual songs a bunch of innovative and interesting arrangements they’d never tried before. The album is dominated by shorter pieces with no prog-rock epic in sight, which, for a band that always put so much emphasis on melody, is if anything even better. With Saga, it’s the old story: behind the apparent accessibility usually hides the greatest complexity. The famous chapters that make up the mysterious sci-fi concept about Albert Einstein’s stolen brain continue on this album too, over two “chapters”. After the main character’s name was revealed on the previous album, the aura of mystery and the guessing about how it all plays out only grew. Through it all, there’s also that specific sarcastic humor of theirs in some of the parts and the lyrical expressions, used in just the right doses and in just the right places.
The album is packed with songs that are each a winner in their own way, so there are no particularly standout masterpieces, but no weaker moments either. All the songs on “House Of Cards” are distinctive treats that give the album consistency and a great flow. Just how good classic Saga sounds in the 21st century is shown by the opener “God Knows”. It has that recognizable bouncy mid-tempo rhythm with a classic wound-up guitar riff and mighty, slightly sarcastic-tinged vocals. The epic chorus is artfully threaded through the central riff, which glides through melodic keyboard textures and a branching rhythm. The time changes keep shifting unpredictably from one into the next. A real treat for fans of their art rock tradition and of more modern sounds alike, and it doesn’t sound all that far from progressive metal. The hard-rock-minded “The Runaway”, which opens with the sound of a train, could easily be called a Saga classic. Its main strength is a sawing hard rock riff running over a fairly simple funky rhythm. A solid chorus comes with layered vocals, and between the keyboard and guitar solos there’s no shortage of the kind of witty touches they delighted listeners with in the ’80s. Jim’s melodic use of the bass deserves praise too, since it’s nicely audible the whole way through.
The excellent “Always There” opens with a gentle intro on acoustic guitar and keyboards, accompanied by romantic vocals. That’s followed by a superb symphonic arrangement and a flow into a dreamy, majestically romantic chorus, which is the main theme of the song. Even better is “Ashes To Ashes (Chapter 11)”, one of the two chapters on the album, which at times really does sound like music from some sci-fi movie. After a mysterious intro of synths and samples, a phenomenal motif kicks in, made of vocal harmonies and curtains of keyboards. The mysterious, space-y atmosphere is occasionally electrified by a classic hard rock riff. The song floats the whole time somewhere between the symphonic feel brought by rich keyboard textures and the punch created by bristling guitar passages. The interplay between the two produces gorgeous melancholic harmonies. “Once In a Lifetime” has a lovely acoustic guitar intro. The listener expects a classic love ballad, but the chorus turns into a really beautiful, almost hymn-like melody with layered vocals and a fairly philosophical message. Certain sections also get energetic bursts of electric guitar. The mood stirs up nostalgia for some good old days.
“Only Human” likewise has a gorgeous acoustic guitar intro and a melancholic vocal that builds over rich keyboard textures to a triumphant chorus. The latter expresses both positivity and a barely hidden touch of sarcasm. “That’s How We Like It!” is one of the best moments on the whole album, at least when it comes to magical atmosphere, witty arrangements and unpredictability, and another strong candidate for a Saga classic. It opens as a wound-up hard rocker with a bristling riff and frenzied drums, then at some point it calms down completely. This part brings a very serene mood, where Michael’s and Jim’s vocals blend together seamlessly. That’s often followed by a “war march” with punchy rhythmic shifts and a raging riff. When the build-up peaks, a dreamy, harmony-laden chorus comes in, created by Sadler and Gilmour together while space-y keyboard textures and a mighty riff roar in the background. They garnish it with a chanted line, “that’s how we like it”. Saga have always been masters of great choruses, but this is one of the best because it holds so many different kinds of magic. It’s also thrilling how Ian shines in the background with his guitar solo while at the same time you can hear a dual guitar harmony, which he nailed in the studio for the sake of this excellent composition. It would be hard to pick a favorite from the album, but if I had to, it would be “That’s How We Like It!”.
“Watching The Clock (instrumental)” is a Celtic-flavored instrumental with a baroque piano motif that showcases the soloing skills of the master Gilmour. “We’ll Meet Again (Chapter 15)” is another classic, bursting with hard rock energy created by electrified guitar passages, yet nicely balanced out by space-y, subtle keyboards. They glide nicely between fast and calm sections the whole way. There’s no shortage of mighty vocals over a snarling riff and symphonic curtains in the chorus. Toward the end of the album they surprise us with the witty pop rocker “Money Talks”, which came out as a single and was even a minor hit in their native Canada. No wonder, because it’s one of their best pop rock creations, with a great melody and a witty harmonized chorus that just won’t leave your head and sounds tailor-made for radio. Anyone who managed to get their hands on the single could also admire the excellent video, which in my opinion is their best, with Sadler playing a big shot who makes fun of corrupt bankers, lecherous secretaries and naive customers, while a guy with a grasshopper’s head wanders through in between. That year it was even named best music video in Canada. The closing “House Of Cards” is perhaps the most average piece on the album, though it’s not without its charms. For a finale I would have expected some prog rock epic catalyst, but it’s a mid-tempo song with hard rock finesse, a harmonized chorus and plenty of recorded sounds of paranoid conversations and manic laughter. Even though it somewhat departs from the mood of the album as a whole, it’s yet another successful Saga burlesque, the kind that was sorely missed on the previous albums.
“House Of Cards” is another huge triumph for a band that many had written off more than once, thanks to too much sonic wobbling over the years, and without a doubt one of their best albums, fully comparable to their early years. Saga proved that “Full Circle” wasn’t just some lucky fluke and that they had no plans to stray from the path they’d set, even though they were well aware that they’d never be declared a national cultural treasure for their efforts (as happened, for instance, with Rush). Even though they still had commercial potential (as the success of “Money Talks” shows), they knew they’d always been capable of bigger things, and so these kinds of “pop” moments became increasingly rare. “House Of Cards” ranks right alongside “Images At Twilight” (1979), “Silent Knight” (1980) and “Worlds Apart” (1981) among the greatest art rock gems. That year Saga were without a doubt the “hottest” Canadian rock band, and interest in their legacy visibly picked up again among the uninitiated. And on the next album, the mysterious story that had been continuing at multi-year intervals ever since their beginnings finally got its closing chapters.
Lineup
Michael Sadler – vocals, keyboards
Ian Critchon – guitar, backing vocals
Jim Critchon – bass guitar, keyboards
Jim Gilmour – keyboards, backing vocals
Steve Negus – drums, percussion
Production
Jim Crichton
Tracklist
1. God Knows (5:29)
2. The Runaway (5:35)
3. Always There (3:52)
3. Ashes To Ashes (Chapter 11) (5:05)
4. Once In A Lifetime (4:21)
5. Only Human (4:20)
6. That’s How We Like It (4:49)
7. Watching The Clock (Instrumental) (1:39)
8. We’ll Meet Again (Chapter 15) (5:58)
9. Money Talks (4:07)
10. House Of Cards (4:20)
Album length: 49:54
