Conory - Time Was 2008

Hear The Track Here

My first meeting with UK based alternative artist Conory was a bit fraught but certainly not musically. Matter of fact when I reviewed Long Dark Hallway (July 2008) I was instantly struck by how new, fresh and original it sounded. You should note here that the track is a kinda/sorta prog rock and you know I don't normally like this genre it all. It has to be very different for me to pay any attention and Long Dark Hallway did that and more. Point of fact, I think it still sits on my hard drive as I type this and may well appear in my year end reviews in some form or other. Not bad for a first track from an artist I had no previous knowledge whatsover.

He has added a whole lot songs to his Soundclick site to since I last encountered him and we are starting off with a remix/remake of Time Was, which you will also find on the page. Now, you know I wouldn't be able to resist the lure of the original so - while I was downloading the new version - I had a quick listen. To be honest I've heard a lot better produced tracks but there was something about Time Was that really appealed to me. I do like UK music (oh yeah, biased much) and to me, this version encapsulated exactly why I like that definitive, couldn't-come-from-anywhere-else sound. Britpop, I suppose, is the closest musical reference in time but this style goes way, way back to the Golden Age of pop rock.

It was some anticipation then that I waited for the new version (that'll be the one that says 2008 dear) to crawl its way up this months huge list. It's a much slicker, polished beast than the original and IMHO its some of that quirky britpop feel but what has replaced it definitely makes this a much better song than the original. That's the real treat here, as it was in the original, Time Was - regardless of which version we are talking about - is a terrific song with a killer chorus. While I could pick some holes in this track (notably the drums) it seems churlish to so because this is such a good track in every other respect. If you haven't heard of this artist before it's time to do that, and this is the track that will either do it to you or not.

Excellent UK Alternative song. Highly Recommended.