Interactive Poll # -45 (or something)

Edited by jamesbaldwin - November 30 2020 at 16:51

Discovering some new bands and artists again... As I usually like to listen to albums in their entirety, this poll gets us more into the bands/artists each of us brings up here... Again, great idea, Mike! My first take on things:

TCat: Never heard of My Morning Jacket. Well, I guess, because in a way their first songs have something very familiar sounding over it it is very accessible with a kind of typical 90s (pop-)rock sound, but with their own original and melodic brand on it: very American, some country flavor, but tightly grounded in melodic rock. Even their odd take on Prince is is quite captivating. With the typical vocals and the instrumentation they create a recognizable style of their own. My favourite track would be Smokin' from Shootin'...

Snicolette: What? Nickie goes electronic? That's what I asked myself when the first track of Azam Ali started playing. Never heard of her either and you're taking us on an interesting trip into Persian electro and traditional folk (making me think a bit of some of Clannad, but than the Middle-Eastern version of them)... I like their particular mix of traditional instruments and electronics with the percussion. Each song is a very pleasant listen but I think a whole album would be a bit too ambient for me. Her Ode to Melancholy though is sheer beauty!

Logan: Now with Pram we arrive in other territories, more avant-garde and experimental. They have something intriguingly unsettling in their music. The squeeky dissonant violin in the first track puts me off a bit, but all the other tracks captivate me with their quite unique style: rythm, melodies, sounds and noises, the trumpet... The singer, she has something Hammill-like over her, which goes well with the music, actually. At some moments they also make me think of Gastr del Sol. Of these, Blue, the dreamy Serpentine and Penny Arcade are my preferred tracks. Very nice discovery overall!

The Anders: C.V. Jørgensen brings us into late 70s, early 80s pop-rock. I don't think I've ever heard something of him before but he too arrives to give an immediate familiarity to his music, in my ears. Very pleasant laid back songs regarding the music, but his lyrics go far beyond the conventional pop songs (thanks for giving us the translations! It is nice reading along with the songs). Although all songs here have very much of a pop(-rock) vibe to me, his singer/songwriter qualities put them above mainstream. This is typically music for me that I propably won't dive into, but when it comes by on the radio I would say "this sounds great, who is it?".

Edited by suitkees - November 29 2020 at 07:30

Mathman: Shawn Smith is another artist I discover here. Nice "album side", starting with a piano-voice dominated track and ending with piano-voice again. Two great songs! The funk of 20th Century doesn't make me think that much of Prince but more of other 80s funk acts. I very much like the minimalist bass/drum/guitar groove on this one and I prefer this one over the much more Prince-like Battle Flag. Suffering is maybe a bit too conventional as song but he delivers it very well. Wrapped in My Memory and 20th Century are my preferred songs here.


jamesbaldwin: Again in completely different territory. I won't "turn up my nose". This is music I wouldn't delve into normally, but I am sure I would be completely captivated if I assisted to it live. The production here renders quite good the acoustics of the recording space, the church. Especially the vocals come out very well, but it sounds very good overall (I listen to it through my hifi where the tube amplifier does much justice to this recording, I think). Some tracks have much of a troubadour feel to it but the added chorals on most of the tracks make something else out of it. The first track and Madre Maria are not the most convincing to me, but with Sonno sonno (great female voice!), Intimisto and especially Madre it becomes very special. The human beat box on Santo adds something very modern to this sound. His deep voice on some of the tracks is beautiful. Sonne sonne, Madre and Intimisto are the stand-out tracks for me.

Lewian: We want more!

suitkees wrote: Snicolette: What? Nickie goes electronic? That's what I asked myself when the first track of Azam Ali started playing. Never heard of her either and you're taking us on an interesting trip into Persian electro and traditional folk (making me think a bit of some of Clannad, but than the Middle-Eastern version of them)... I like their particular mix of traditional instruments and electronics with the percussion. Each song is a very pleasant listen but I think a whole album would be a bit too ambient for me. Her Ode to Melancholy though is sheer beauty!

suitkees wrote: jamesbaldwin: Again in completely different territory. I won't "turn up my nose". This is music I wouldn't delve into normally, but I am sure I would be completely captivated if I assisted to it live. The production here renders quite good the acoustics of the recording space, the church. Especially the vocals come out very well, but it sounds very good overall (I listen to it through my hifi where the tube amplifier does much justice to this recording, I think). Some tracks have much of a troubadour feel to it but the added chorals on most of the tracks make something else out of it. The first track and Madre Maria are not the most convincing to me, but with Sonno sonno (great female voice!), Intimisto and especially Madre it becomes very special. The human beat box on Santo adds something very modern to this sound. His deep voice on some of the tracks is beautiful. Sonne sonne, Madre and Intimisto are the stand-out tracks for me.

Snicolette wrote: Here is my take on Lorenzo's selection(s), still awaiting more from Lewian.... Lorenzo:  No turned up nose here!  Giovanni Lindo Ferretti & Ambrogio Sparagna “L'orologio della passione” Concertina-like instrument opens, with the vocalist singing, appropriately, passionately.  Sorry, I know you told me before what the concertina-type instrument is, but I can’t recall the name.  This reminds me also of a sea or village sort of song, I really love whatever those horn-like instruments are.  Beautiful.  Song shifts into a sort of hornpipe, I would call it (although it may not be the technical term), fast-paced and jolly feeling.  “Sonno sonno”  Mournful pipe opens with a gorgeous female vocal, full in sound, with a bit of echo.  Love the sound of this, not sure where it was recorded, but this song sounds very like in a church, at least with the effects (or maybe not). Note:  Now I read the ending!  It was in a church.  😊 Sounds like an early music piece to me, esp with the ending.  “Madre” Again, the lord-I-wish-I-could-recall-the-instrument-name-instrument.  Deep male voice now, with strings coming in.  Obviously a song to the singer’s mother, emotional.  Really pretty interplay with the instrumentation.  Now a chorus of vocals, female and male chime in.  “Santo”   A fast romp, and very short, I was expecting something different from the title…very joyful, with all of the singers again.  “Madre Maria, il lament”  Here is another sea-faring sort of sound, to start.  I was again expecting perhaps a more mournful tune from the name, but I think the lament part will show in the lyrics.  Is he perhaps trying to bargain with her, in remorse for misdeeds of some sort?  “Intimisto”  Here is the deep-voiced male singer again, with the chorus joining in, softly.  Feels like a prayer to me.  Pretty playing on the concertina-like instrument, in a brief solo.  When the chorus rejoins, it is full and swelling.  The male vocalist solos for a bit, joined again by the chorus, then this back-and-forth repeats several times, to a very emotional ending by the male vocalist.  Very moving.

Edited by jamesbaldwin - November 29 2020 at 10:30

TCat wrote: Nickie:  Azam Ali - The music is very relaxing, somewhat meandering, but in a good way, especially since much of it is done with her amazing voice.  It flows like a slow river, taking her time to allow the listener's soul to fall into the music.  I love the fact that she takes her own native styles and mixes them with Celtic and Spanish styles which makes her very unique.  The tracks that stood out the most for me were the ones from "Elysium for the Brave".  They did tend to have a little more substance to them and felt like more completely realized songs, though I did like the strong Spanish influence of the "Portals of Grace" tracks.  Meanwhile, the live track at the end has a more psychedelic feel to it.  Excellent choice!

  Thank you, again, glad you enjoyed her, she really does mix things up, something I like to hear in music from time to time.  

jamesbaldwin wrote:

  Accordion it is, then, maybe I was thinking of another instrument that you'd mentioned another time.  [/QUOTE] [/QUOTE]  Ah, yes, it was the bandoneon!  Thank you, at least I was closely on track.  Haven't totally lost it yet.

Edited by Lewian - November 29 2020 at 16:16