Torn Chorus is Franklin Davis, an Auckland-based songwriter, musician, and photographer, who provides bass, various guitars, and vocals. This is about how he perceives the world through light and sound, as a photographer and musician. It commences with a simple drum pattern, then we get a bassline (played with a plectrum to get that hard edge) and then three different guitars are brought in which provide the layers. Franklin’s vocals are solid, as is the song itself, but what lifts this out of the norm is the lead noodling guitar where he allows himself to meander, provide harmonies, follow the lead line, or go off at tangents. One can imagine the song being fully completed apart from this one channel, and him just sitting there in the studio with headphones on, going wherever the muse takes him.

It took me a while for me to think who he reminded me of, but it in the end I realised there are significant similarities with Chris Rea, with his vocals becoming almost another stalwart part of the arrangement and the focus instead on that lead guitar. There is a naïve beauty to the song itself, which is rather hampered as opposed to being driven by the drums, but there is always that glorious lead guitar to return to which cuts through and above, weaving a spell all its own. For those who enjoy that early 80’s style of rock which had enough guitar to be called that, yet with enough restraint to allowed it to be played on the radio.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://www.tornchorus.com/