“For Who The Bell Tolls For” Album Review
Jonathan Rado’s latest album, “For Who the Bell Tolls For,” is an intimate and poetic collection of songs composed of playful instrumentals reminiscent of 60s and 70s rock.
The album begins with the nearly seven-minute title track, which serves as a perfect introduction to Rado’s musical talents. While the building drums are energetic and finalize in an inspiring crescendo, Rado sings of friends he has lost and the grief he is experiencing:
“And when you reach your deepest depths
And you take your final steps
You can finally get some rest
Under the ocean”
Rado continues with “Don’t Wait Too Long,” a personal favorite of mine, that combines fun instrumentals with longing lyrics about heartbreak and miscommunication. The chorus is groovy and nostalgic, like something you might hear in a fun coming-of-age film, but the lyrics cut deep:
“If you say you wanna run away
Don’t wait ‘til the morning comes
Oh no, don't wait too long
If you say you need another day
Don’t tell me at the crack of dawn
Oh no, don't wait too long.”
The next track, “Easier” continues Rado’s creative combinations of upbeat instrumentals with more serious and painful lyrics:
“Woke up from a dream
And you were gone forever
Never thought I'd lose
A national treasure.”
Rado is at his most vulnerable as he expresses his grief over losing a loved one. The chorus is equally as heartbreaking, even with the bright instrumentals:
“It was easy, easy, easy
To tell that something was wrong
Now you're gone, gone, gone, gone,
It's so hard to write a song
You made it easier (Easier)”
The album continues with “Blue Moon,” a more grungy and incredibly catchy track that is difficult not to nod your head and sway around to. Rado shifts away slightly from the upbeat 60s and 70s-inspired instrumentals in “Farther Away,” and trades them for slower and more unsettling ones. The instrumentals feel distant at times, just like the relationship that Rado is longing to experience again.
“Walk Away” is another favorite of mine as the slower and groovier combination of instrumentals and melancholy lyrics reflect the album as a whole. As the song progresses, the line “I don′t want to walk away (I don't wanna walk away) (walk away)” becomes more powerful and there is more conviction and determination in Rado’s voice. He is refusing to give up on life, despite the devastating losses he has faced.
The album comes to a close with a seven-minute instrumental track titled “Yer Funeral,” which while more somber, is reflective and still hopeful for what life and the future holds.