313

Phideaux with singer/songwriter qualities

Phideaux has produced 6 albums within four years, all with different characteristics. This one is mainly Prog Folk and Rock/Pop influenced. Therefore '313' is not consisting of typical Prog Rock material. It rather sounds just like a singer/songwriter album. Some songs remember me at Matt Johnson (THE THE) very much. Retro back into the 60s/70s - no track is longer than six minutes. Very melancholic in some cases as one can expect. Some sources say the album is titled in this way because the recordings of this project initially begun on 3/13/04.

The best songs are at the beginning and the production gets weaker in the second half. I don't want to describe every piece of music but to emphasize some more important songs. Have You Hugged Your Robot? is a retro pop song with more tempo and some vocoder modified vocals. A Storm Of Cats - very sensitive with a nice melody and excellent piano playing. And Never Gonna Go is another ballad and the most proggish song IMO because of a heavy mellotron use.

This album is a matter of taste of course. So I'm not really excited but I have to confess it's a good effort with some careful detail work.

I would definitely place this album somewhere between 4 and 5 stars. At the time of writing, it enjoys only 3.23 overall, which I think does not do justice to it (hence, I decided to give 5 not 4). Like other Phideaux albums this one is really artistic. Lyrics are mostly meaningful and have certain poetry to them. The sound is melodic and pleasing, with the use of keyboards, other voices appearing alongside Xavier's sound quite harmonious in each song.

Some recognizable "folky" influences can be felt, as well as the psychedelic sounding. Still I would not go as far as saying that the album sounds "like something else...", the style and the sound are quite unique and definitely Phideaux's. As worthy as the rest of Phideaux albums. And if this is indeed an "album-in-a-day" (hence the name, which is the date), I would confess that I am truly impressed!

In any case, this is a production of significant quality (whether or not it appeals to one's tastes). If you liked other Phideaux albums, I am certain you'll like this one. And if you haven't heard Phideaux before, you won't loose anything by starting from this album. (Of course, if you didn't like the other albums, this one is probably not for you as well.)

The last two albums from Phideaux were rather impressive and sophisticated, both reaching the four stars rating in my scale of values.

For this occasion, Phideaux decided to put an album together in ONE single day (on March 13. 2004, hence the title). Did he want to appear in the Guinness book of records? I have to say that this approach doesn't really reach the level of its glorious predecessors.

After some sort of a Hammill opening song, the mood is getting heavier and more "robotic". "Have You Hugged Your Robot" starts with the riff of "In the Hall Of The Mountain King" from ELO and features distorted and electronic vocals to meet the robot's standards. Press next.

Most songs are on the short edge and don't provide lots of emotion. It is just a collection of average numbers which are flowing nicely into one another as if this was a concept album, but that's it. Here and there, some better songs do appear ("Never Gonna Be") but the global folkish feeling combined with electroinc ones are not the ones I was expecting from a Phideaux album at this time of his career.

This album is a major disappointment as far as I'm concerned. These "computerized" vocals sound pretty bad and the music is not much better I'm afraid ("Pyramid"). A boring feeling emanates from this work.

My favourite song is by far the upbeat and catchy "Sick Of Me". Some light in this ocean of darkness. But the experimental "Cats 2 Space" brings us back into the most miserable mood.

It is strange how Phideaux constructed some of his albums. Starting the composition of songs and then leave them unfinished, then coming back to them a year or two later to finally release an album. The same technique was used for the excellent "Chupacabras". But this "313" is dramatically lacking the grandeur and beauty of this beautiful album.

I guess that you can tell about the content just watching at the cover. My advice is just to avoid this album and concentrate on his two prior albums ("Ghost Story" and "Chupacabras").

Two stars.

i pretty much believe that this album shuold be considered as one complete suite of music as most of the songs and their themes are repeated throughout the album, therefore i consider all 10 songs one brilliant piece of music.i noticed in the inside illusrationson the cd you can read the words ...666 is no longer alone...interesting as this album parrells genesis suppers ready at least in sentiment. both pieces are visions of the apocalypse , supper uses the book of revalation as an inspiration.. doomsday focus,s on man,s fall from grace in the garden of eden.but it is the music which is brilliantlly produced and arranged which makes this album the best of the new millinium so far 5 stars

Cats, robots, monkeys and tigers.

I am enthousiast about this album, really. 313 is at first a blend of this and that; mainly tiny songs that have no connections between them. But disliiking the album because of it's lack of 'progressive concept' is not listening with your ears correctly.

313 has the most potential in melodies of all Phideaux' albums. Why? Every song is so c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y crafted, they're just not stretched into an epic. Most of the songs have this Doomsday Afternoon quality and if you exploit them a bit, they would become epics easily.

I'd say 90% of this album is delightful, especially the robot song, the one about cats, Sick of Me and the track Never Gonna Go. The latter is extremely impressive, having such strengh and grandeur in only 3 minutes, it's majestic!

313 smashes into smithereens albums build on the same patron (later Pink Floyd for instance).

I discovered something great, and spread the word in all the land.

Phideaux recorded this album in a single day - and that day was a March 13th, lending this album its name.

I understand the appeal of trying to prove that one can produce something very quickly, I've done so myself, but as should be obvious to any, even those who have never tried to produce something quickly, the work can easily suffer. There is less time for revision, to understand what is necessary and what is not, etc.

I think Phideaux knew this going in to the project and had no intention of creating a masterpiece, merely to come up with some good songs and put them on an album. And in that sense, this album succeeds. The lyrics are not quite up to the quality level of Phideaux's other albums, some of them being downright cheesy (Have You Hugged Your Robot and Run Singing Tiger come to mind). But this album also reveals how effortlessly the band can come up with a great melody and theme and build a song around it.

The quality of songs varies greatly, with the album being very front heavy - the best tracks including Have You Hugged Your Robot (it's cheesy but it sure is fun, and the robot voice-effects give it a bit of a humurous edge) and Never Gonna Go (which has a great rocking feel to it and the most impressive vocals on the album).

Unfortunately, I feel like by the time Orangutan rolls around, the band was running out of steam, and they never reach any real high heights from that point on. Some songs are just boring - Run Singing Tiger does absolutely nothing for me.

If you are a fan of Phideaux's music, then more good songs by him can't be a bad thing, and those exist on this album. But it is too uneven and not quite as polished as his other works, and so I hardly recommend this as a starting point for those curious about this prolific project.

It's March 13th, 2011, and so I thought I'd be super incredibly clever by offering a review of Phideaux's 313, which was (so I have read), composed and recorded in one day, March 13th, 2004, and then released exactly two years later, on March 13th, 2006. The timing of this recording instills in it a Chupacabras-light vibe, as the sound is comparable, but the compositions are much less involved, seemingly hearkening back to the 1960s, which is to say, keeping the material buoyant and entertaining, but throwing in a sociopolitical/environmental message or two. Many of the chord progressions are between the albums are quite similar. If one takes pleasure in the music ELO (ELeaux?) or Toto (Toteaux?), I would recommend this. It's no secret that there are far superior albums from Phideaux, but 313 is by no means a bad one!

"Railyard" It is interesting to me that the first track of an album that was supposedly more or less recorded in one day sounds like quintessential Phideaux. With the recognizable piano style, the distinct vocals, and the otherwise moderate instrumentation, 313's opener is quite prototypical of Phideaux's overall work.

"Have You Hugged Your Robot?" The second track begins with a rock rendition of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Edvard Grieg's score for Peer Gynt. Otherwise, it is fairly catchy but simplistic rock tune with cute Vocoder "robotic" vocals.

"A Storm of Cats" Following in line with the first track, "A Storm of Cats" uses a moderate tempo and similar sounds from "Railyard."

"Never Gonna Go" I enjoy this song, especially because of the use of strings and the pleasant vocal melody.

"Pyramid" A synthesizer lead over Toto-like piano gives way to a strange yet strangely enjoyable vocal performance (due in equal measure to the melody as the effects used).

"There's Only One of You" Light piano and hushed vocals provide the backbone for this track. It reminds me of Dave Mason's "Headkeeper."

"Orangutan" As a low-key dirge bemoaning the extinction of primates (and by extension, I suppose, humans), I'm not sure that I can say I really like the song, but I can say this slow lament was one of the songs that stood out the first time I heard the album (not really sure why).

"Sick of Me" Once again, this could have been a leftover track from Chupacabras; it contains good vocal interplay and a sitar tone that distances an otherwise similar piece from the rest of this album. The robotic vocals make a reappearance over an intriguing chord progression.

"In Search of Bitter Ore" A muffled, subdued tune, this simplistic track is one of the more forgettable ones, hovering over two chords most of the time.

"Body to Space" Soft pianos and a lonely, frail voice begin one of the quietest pieces on the album. Electric piano, synthetic bass and strings, whistling synthesizer, celestial singing, and acoustic guitar fuse psychedelic and folk music in a pleasing, ethereal way.

"Watching Machine" Right here is a clear, unashamed revisiting of the psych-pop of the 1960s, even going so far as to use a thin, fuzzy lead guitar and a tackily retro keyboard tone.

"Run Singing Tiger" After a subdued, female-led introduction, this piece keeps in line with the 1960s pop vibe- upbeat and fun.

"Benediction" The calmest track on the album, featuring mere piano and tranquilly dreary singing, is, I think, a strange way to conclude an otherwise bubbly album, but maybe the implicit message here is that no matter how much fun we have, there will always be serious issues to deal with. The enigmatic lyrics (organized as a trio of couplets), ends with a sobering yet hopeful thought: "We cheat the death that night will bring by everyday awakening."

Knocked out for a lark during the process of recording Chupacabras, 313 is infamous for being the Phideaux album the band composed and recorded in the space of a day. Although it was subjected to a fair amount of post-production afterwards to get it ready for release, the album is still rather defined by the limitations of its recording process - the songs focus on the shorter side of Phideaux' compositions, and there's no real overarching theme to them except for a tendency towards more whimsical numbers.

Still, there's a certain charm to the piece; although produced via a very different process, it reminds me a lot of Porcupine Tree's On the Sunday of Life - there's the same psychedelic throwback air to it, plus a jauntiness which arises from the artists not taking the album quite as seriously as some of their weightier works. Though it doesn't hit the top tier of Phideaux albums - really, it would be rather incredible if it did - I think it's a strong addition to their discography.

The backstory of this album is interesting. This is the fifth album by the band lead by the American composer Phideaux Xavier (who also happens to be a TV director), in which all of the band members are people he grew up with. The album was a project to make an entire album in a single day. On March 13 in 2004 - the date from which the album got its name - 13 songs were composed and recorded. They were however shelved until 2005, when the songs were more polished, and the album was released on March 13 in 2006, exactly two years after the recordings. As an additional piece of trivia, the album artwork was made by one of Phideaux's childhood friends.

While the true masterpiece of Phideaux is undoubtedly "Doomsday Afternoon", closely followed by "Number Seven" and "Snowtorch", this album is my personal favorite from him. There is a distinction one should make between "the best" and "favorite", that being the personal connection you have to something. Obviously, all the songs on "313" were composed and recorded in one single day, not leaving much room for the same kind of complex song structures and deep lyrical themes as found on "Doomsday Afternoon" and "Number Seven". In exchange however, the album has so much personality and raw emotion found on few other albums. It explores lyrical themes that nobody else would think of. I think looking at some of the album titles proves my point - "Have You Hugged Your Robot?", "A Storm Of Cats" and "Run Singing Tiger" perfectly show the sweet quirkiness of the album.

The album does not fall short on musical value either. Phideaux has developed their own characteristic sound, which Phideaux Xavier describes as "psychedelic progressive gothic rock". It is very symphonic, making use of lots of piano and synths, and gets pretty dark and sensitive in some places. He sings using pretty much his normal voice like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, but he still manages to sound emotional. Phideaux makes heavy use of female vocals, something I think prog needs more of in general. What impresses me the most is that I would never assume that the entire album was composed in one single day. It does not sound improvised in the slightest.

Now for the songs themselves. 13 is a pretty high amount of songs for a 48-minute prog album, but I will review all of them, although I will keep it brief for the most part.

"Railyard" (3:32) is a heavy, dark yet beautiful opener carried by the piano and the captivating lyrics. The occasional synth sounds creates a mystical setting, and the female vocals are beautifully executed. A sample from the lyrics that particularly fills me with emotion is "There's a train at the end of the railyard, it is standing abandoned alone; the vines and graffiti are growing, the words have found their home".

"Have You Hugged Your Robot" (3:08) is a really playful, more energetic tune. It is shown by lyrics like "Robot, answer my call; Nobody knows what it's like in the virtual", as well as the conveniently added robot voice and beeping, like an early sci-fi film from the early 1900s. I love how they use a slightly altered melody of "The Hall Of The Mountain King" in the intro.

"A Storm Of Cats" (2:34) has a similar approach as the opener but is less heavy and has a more warm, cozy mood. The lyrics begin soft and playful, but take a violent turn in the end with "When all my cats were gathered together, and we did go to the potting shed; A violence so awful I cannot remember, The stems and the petals, 'A twisted and dead". The lyrics seem to be about a character living on a farm learning about their own mortality by communicating with their cats.

"Never Gonna Go" (3:43) is the one song that introduced me to Phideaux and remains one of my favorites from him to this day. This song is probably the darkest on the album, both lyrically and musically. It begins with an expressive guitar tune that is reminiscent of the characteristic saxophone melody from "21st Century Schizoid Man" and its lyrics seem to be about some kind of spirit trapped in a cathedral and being exploited by the priests: "I can't be the one to free them, I am a puppet of the priests; There's no escape, they trapped me like some domesticated beast". Seriously, I could write an entire essay about the different lyrical themes on this album. Simply an excellent song.

"Pyramid" (4:13) might be the proggiest tune on the album, switching between time signatures including odd ones. The song is founded upon a dark, spacey soundscape created by synth effects, piano and a reverberating guitar, as well as distorted vocals in the verses. This is another song where the female vocals play a big role. While the music itself is pretty dark, the lyrics are actually really hopeful. It seems to be about a relationship between two soulmates, demonstrated by the opening lyrics "I always thought that it was true, I always thought that you had been there too among the million bits of sand; everyday I come for you, I'll be there in your dreams and you'll be there with me too". One of the best songs on the album in my opinion.

"There's Only One Of You" (2:37) is a pretty short tune. The song is once again built around the piano and is further characterized by melodic drumming on the cymbals and soothing female vocals. The lyrics seem to be a continuation of the theme of the previous song, this time being about loneliness. Since the lyrics are pretty short, I can really not be sure, but I think it is about a heart-wrenching breakup.

"Orangutan" (2:57) is one of the few songs that has made me cry out of sadness for real. Its message is very obvious - it is about the orangutan facing extinction and getting its home devastated. The personal way it is delivered, like "They say that you will be extinct by 2085, because the place that is your space will no longer be wild" just brings a tear to my eye every time I listen to it, not to mention the closing lyric "They say that you and I will walk together miles forever; They say that you and I we share a vine that can't be severed".

"Sick Of Me" (5:41) is my favorite track on the entire album. It delivers the emotion like no other songs on the album, both in the lyrics and the music. Probably one of the more proggier tracks on the album, it features a more dynamic range of instruments and a big change in tempo about two thirds through. It even sees a comeback of the robot voice at the end of the song. The lyrics seem to be about a desperate, insecure form of love: "You think I'm so wonderful, it won't be long; I don't belong in your company". Just begin listening to this song and you will probably be motivated to listen to the entire album.

"In Search Of Bitter Ore" (4:03) is a bit of a creepy tune with muffled drums that sound like they are being played in another room and cryptic lyrics that are hard to decipher: "Saints forgive me, I have chosen to wander with the wind; beside the ragged nasturtiums, I have fasted but for them". If I have to guess, it is about some religious pilgrimage, but the song is very sparse in lyrics, so I can only assume. This song is probably the closest to what you would call a filler track of all the songs on the album, which does not mean in any way that it is a bad song.

"Body To Space" (5:33) is, as the name implies, a spacey song. The title is taken from the finishing lyrics from the opening track: "Gravity take me and pull me away, my body to space". It mostly features mellow synth soundscapes and elements from other songs on the album. Almost entirely instrumental, the only lyrics are a continuation of "A Storm Of Cats": "I was there, your dear cat faithful, up the tree by the potting shed; Aye, but I was so very careful, nobody knew I saw what they did".

"Watching Machine" (2:27) takes a very wild turn. This is the most energetic tune on the album where the crunchy bass in particular shines. The song is seasoned with creepy synth sounds and a weird rhythmic scratching sound (?) in the background. As the very aptly named title suggests, the song seems to be about a dystopian surveillance state: "Now the walls have eyes, isn't that great? Once there was a choice, but now it's too late". The chaotic music itself captures the paranoia as you walk down the street constantly being watched.

"Run Singing Tiger" (3:37) demonstrates the "anything goes" feeling of the album really well. It has no meaning or depth other than a running, singing tiger, and I cannot spot any analogies either: "Run singing tiger like you've never run before; Run if you want to, right across the floor". The song itself slaps pretty hard though, built around a delightful wurlitzer piano and featuring some good guitar solos. My favorite part of the song and one of my favorite moments on the entire album is how they use the lyrics from Jefferson Airplane's "Good Shepherd" - "One for Paul, one for Silas, one for Julie" - but replace all the "one"s with "run".

"Benediction" (4:05) perfectly finishes the album off with an atmospheric, meditative track only using an acoustic piano, cymbals and what I assume is a digging sound in the background. One of my favorite lyrics on the album appears on this song: "We cheat the death that night will bring by everyday awakening". They even repeat the sacred hindu syllable "Aum" in harmony throughout the song.

This was a very long review, but probably my most favorite of all the reviews I have ever done. Being the very first neo-prog album that I got into (even if it is on the more accessible side of the spectrum), and the album being one of my favorites of all time when it comes to the lyrics, my personal connections to this album are obviously very strong. Despite my bias, I can say that I recommend it for anybody looking for a fun, emotional music journey that does not fail to satisfy your ear for song quality either. I especially recommend it for people who are looking for female vocals in prog, because I know there is a high demand and low supply for that.

9,5/10 for me.