Interactive Poll # -45 (or something)
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Forum Name: General Music Discussions
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=124687
Printed Date: February 22 2025 at 04:37
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Topic: Interactive Poll # -45 (or something)
Posted By: TCat
Subject: Interactive Poll # -45 (or something)
Date Posted: November 25 2020 at 19:08
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Happy Holidays to everyone. As we enter this unique Holiday season, I thought we could do something a little different this time around. In past polls, most everyone seems to want to post multiple songs of their favorite artists, so I thought we would do a poll based on that. This time, you are to select only one of your favorite artists and spotlight them the best you can within a time limit. Here are the rules: 1. Select one of your favorite artists and this time around, we will not allow any that are listed in the Archives. 2. Next, pick out a number of songs that you feel represent this artist the best or shows off their versatility, in other words, put together a perfect album side. The restriction here is that your total time that you have to work with should be somewhere between 20-25 minutes. (If you go less than that, it's okay, but do not go over 25 minutes). If you want to post long tracks, then just remember that will mean you will not be able to post as many as you would if you do shorter tracks. 3. The songs can come from any number of albums, singles, EPs or whatever, just as long as the artist/band you are featuring is the main artist (no guest spots or etc.). 4. This poll will last until December 13th in order to help give you more time to listen to all of the entries and not be too stressed out seeing as this is a busy time of year. 5. Do not vote until voting is officially opened (probably around the 9th of December). When you vote, you are still going to vote for your favorite 3, but are to base your vote on which artists you like the most based on the songs that are posted. 6. Try to keep your entries to artists and songs that you think are not so well known in our progressive universe. I hope I thought of everything and that this is clear for everyone. If you have questions, just ask and I'll answer as soon as I can. Invite everyone you know to join in so we can hear what everyone likes outside of the ProgArchive bubble. I hope everyone enjoys this one.
------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow">  |
Replies:
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 25 2020 at 19:14
Great idea, to do a "best of," side, in essence. Now to ponder.... ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 25 2020 at 19:28
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My artist that I chose to spotlight is My Morning Jacket, one of my favorite bands outside of the Archives. The band is led by the prolific Jim James who has also done solo material and been part of other projects like "Monsters of Folk" and "The Basement Tapes". My Morning Jacket is his main band, however, and they have been around since the early 1990s, and still releasing albums (their latest was in 2020 called "The Waterfall Part II"). Here are 5 songs that I feel are quite representative of their diverse style (total time is around 22 minutes) We'll start off with a crowd pleaser, one of their favorite songs to play at their concerts that always gets the audience going. "One Big Holiday" Cooling off just a bit from that, here is an emotional song with some great lyrics and one of my favorite tracks from them. "Smokin' from Shootin' " Here is a fun one with Jim doing his best Prince imitation, it's a bit goofy, but it's also very catchy. "Highly Suspicious" Here's another catchy one, but this time on a more serious note. "It Beats 4 U" And finally, another emotional track, one that is really personal for me that gets me everytime I hear it. "Moving Away" ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 02:45
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I like this idea a lot - only problem is that I'm as always reluctant to produce too much overlap with earlier entries, and I had most of those that come to mind first already in one of the polls (without the latest ladies singer songwriter poll I'd probably have gone for Babara Morgenstern but now I won't). Ah, and no Holger Czukay either because he's on PA (although his solo work seems to be quite unknown)... but of course I'd have put up that restriction myself had I opened this poll. I have one or two ideas, but one question first: Do you want us to put the whole presentation, i.e., all songs together, or can I just post one here one there in my typically chaotic ways?
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Posted By: mathman0806
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 06:06
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Great idea Mike! Will have to ponder on the artist/group before posting. Unfortunately, all the My Morning Jacket videos posted are unavailable to me. Must be a Canada v. US thing. |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 08:00
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Very nice poll idea, indeed. Especially in these times of lockdown, since it will need some time. Your vids don't show up for me either. Did you take them from their own https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKARN4GSFIOiKUIpCtRlO9g" rel="nofollow - YT-channel ? There they play without problem for me, but maybe they don't allow them to be embedded elsewhere...? ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 08:54
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In case this can't be removed, please look at Mike's videos, he's adjusted them and they all appear to work at this time. Videos now removed for space.  ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 09:36
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^ Great! Only the last one doesn't work for me. This one for Movin' Away does: Edit: removed video for faster page-load - working video is to be found http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=124687&PID=5830372#5830372" rel="nofollow - above . ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:08
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The funny thing is, all of the videos I posted were from their own YT-channel, which is typically what I do because they always seem to have the best luck being available. When I look at Nickie's reposts, only two of them show up: "One Big Holiday" which is an edited version and "Highly Suspicious", the others show unavailable for me. What a mess.
EDIT: I went back to my original post and replaced the videos with ones not on the official YouTube Channel, so hopefully that will work now. Thanks, Nickie for replacing what you did, but since they weren't all working for me, I didn't know if they would work outside the US. I hope the ones I replaced will work for everyone and I would prefer those since they are the full versions. Sorry about all of that everyone!
------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:21
You are more than welcome to post them all at once or one at a time, either way works. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Lewian wrote:Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:25
 Works for me!------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:26
Excellent Kees. Thank you! ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:37
They now all show up fine, my post can be deleted if you wish. And thank you suitkees for chiming in and helping, too. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 10:53
Good to know, thanks Nickie. I really appreciate your efforts to post them, but if you don't mind, you can delete them to avoid confusion (my fault for that by the way). I owe you big time!  ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 11:15
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 11:49
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I just love this idea! Here is Azam Ali, who I don't think I've entered anywhere yet. She is Iranian, lives in the US now, sings in several languages. Her music is very hypnotic for the most part, so sit back and relax for about 23 minutes. Because she is so interesting, I'm posting a wiki link for her. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azam_Ali From her Elysium for the Brave release, "Endless Reverie" Here, from Portals of Grace, "Ben Bode Santa Maria" Again from Elysium for the Brave, "Heaven to Dust" Another from Portals of Grace, "El Rey de Francia" And lastly, live from her Phantoms release, "Ode to Melancholy" ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 12:14
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I have already entered with a couple of songs by my favourite Danish artist Sebastian, so I think I will pick another one for this poll. One possibility is the rock poet C.V. Jørgensen. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 12:17
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Great idea for a topic. I've done Pram, and I wanted to cover a favourite of mine from each of the first six albums. Unfortunately I went over the 25 minutes maximum by about eight minutes. An easy solution would be to remove "Blue", but I really like that one, and so otherwise I could remove two others. It's not easy to decide. Posting these for now and will figure this out later. "Radio Freak in a Storm" (3:45) "Blue" (8:16) "Serpentine" (6:04) "The Doors of Empty Cupboards" (5:00) "Mother of Pearl" (5:09) "Penny Arcade" (4:27) Total Time is 32:41 (too long now as it stands, as mentioned). |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 12:36
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It is like exchanging LPs or audio cassettes between friends, back in those days... This promises to be a very interesting poll. Now, I am leaving the Einstürzende Neubauten to Lewian...  My choice of band is Kat Onoma. I already presented them, first in the covers poll with their rendition of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity, and in the Free-for-all poll with two of their own songs, but I didn't nominate them then.Kat Onoma is a band that was active somewhere between 1986 and 2004. Not very prolific with only five studio albums (and a couple of lives), but they were important in the French rock/independent scene and with Noir Désir (but I guessed they would be a bit too well known for this poll) they are one of my favourite bands outside of those that are on PA. Not easy to compile an "album side" but I tried to deliver something homogeneous with songs from 4 out of 5 of their albums. If there is some underlying theme, it must be something about life...  Hope you enjoy! From the album Cupid: From Pompei A little joke about their band name that opens their
selftitled - and last - album (Kat Onoma is Greek and means something
like "as the name says"): Intro From their album Billy the Kid: Riverrun From their selftitled album: Que sera votre vie? From their album Far From the Pictures: Artificial Life From their selftitled album: Old Trouble Total length: 22'39 ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 13:19
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Good to have Kat Onoma here... not because I know them well, I actually know them hardly at all, but it reminds me that a friend at some point long ago played something of them to me which I liked a lot but somehow let slip. Great to have this occasion to revisit them! (Ah, Neubauten... they'd be worth it, but again already featured in another poll, and maybe a bit too well known around here.) I have two Pram albums that I like, but I don't know much more of them, so good to get further into them as well. I'm pretty settled on a band that hasn't appeared at all yet in these polls.
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Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 26 2020 at 16:26
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Right, so I will go with C.V. Jørgensen (Carsten Valentin
Jørgensen, born 1949). He is one of the most acclaimed rock artists in
Denmark, especially due to his lyrics which are sometimes rather harsh,
but generally very poetic. His early work has inspiration from
westcoast rock, J.J. Cale, and things like that,
but he became more minimalistic during the 80's, and on his two most recent
albums from 1994 and 2002 he moved towards electronica and jazz. Many of
his songs are evergreens in Denmark, but he is guaranteed unknown
elsewhere. He has released 11 albums between 1974 and 2002 with
different musicians and band constellations. The first song is "Bellevue" from his breakthrough album Storbyens små oaser (The small oases of the big city, 1977). Lyrics: Summer Sunday, the nation is taking time off Some are listening to Arne Myggen I'm listening to David Bowie The sun is shining, and the neighbour wife has raised the flag with Dannebrog on a coffee table with liqueur and dry cakes Everything is so simple and so good Roll her a joint, hand me some pot Chorus: The girls at Bellevue are demonstrating for more equality somewhat cautious and shy The sun is always shining at Bellevue Summer Sunday, the nation is taking time off On my hi-fi grammo lies Space Oddity Myggen says thank you and ends his program What would we have done on this Sunday without him Everything is so simple and so good Roll him a joint, hand me some pot Chorus Summer Sunday, the nation is lying as dead I myself was lying down when the family came to visit Hi hi, by by, is the anything new? Well the sun is shining, the music is playing have a listen Everything is so simple and so good Roll them a joint, hand me some pot Notes: Bellevue is a beach north of Copenhagen. Arne Myggen was a radio host. Dannebrog is the name of the Danish flag. Song 2 is "Balladen om Mickey Lama" (The ballad of Mickey Lama) from the 1979 album Solgt til stanglakrids (Done for). Lyrics: I don't really know where but I've got a feeling you are here somewhere Well hidden in the setting you may be listening along And it is practically impossible not to hear what I say For the walls in this house are thinner than pergament paper You exist on roulades And when for once the sea runs high You're having canned chops flushed down with some poison-green plonk And you're so incredibly unhealthy without knowing it yourself and totally down and out, but human anyway, after all Chorus: You're the loneliest being the world has ever seen and as monk-like sad as Dalai Lama from Tibet And you have a more awkward sex life than Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse And you only contact the opposite sex via Penthouse Guitar solo (!) I can hear a Super 8 narrow-gauge film projector ticking And at any time I expect the dull sound of a loaded gun clicking They are showing one X-ray movie after another of a type that could easily create more than just panic in Cannes Your everyday is a non stop live show where the same scene is played over and over again You know your role by heart plus every cue word specifically to this one But you have been tackling your talent with meaningless repetition And for the same reason you're no longer able to be anything for anyone Chorus Song 3 is "Sæsonen er slut" (The season is over) from the 1980 album Tidens tern (The check patterns of our time). Lyrics: Another party, another fest Another glass has been emptied by you Another summer is gone but was once again neglected Another caress, another kiss Another dance is over You're still dizzy but unredeemed on the inside Chorus The summer is gone now And it almost flew away You stand back empty-handed and cannot follow Things blacken before your eyes while you are staring and watching as another dead heat is running away with you as a blind passenger Once more, but then never again Guitar solo Chorus Another downturn, another joke Another lie is told And you have reached the point where you believe everything Another star, another sun Another light is fading out But the darkness feels like velvet on your silk skin Chorus Song 4 is "Indian Summer" from the 1988 album of the same name. Lyrics: We are life and light We are shadows and magic We are each other's alibi We are life and light We are flesh and blood We are senses, we are power We are ourselves with contempt for death We are flesh and blood Life and light Life and light Life and light We are skin and bones We are dreams laid on ice We are the lost paradise We are skin and bones We are body and soul We are nerves, we are steel We are dust in meters We are body and soul Life and light
Life and light Life and light Chorus: All of us are going round, searching obsessively Some find something, and others find themselves Everyone is losing something that no one can replace Some are going around killing time We are life and light We are enigmas without words We are beads on a string We are life and light We are everything We are naked, we are small We are the ones that no one is thinking of We are everything Life and light Life and light Life and light Chorus |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 08:34
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Wonderful idea, Mike. Is possible to select a singer who sings covers? ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 10:14
Of course. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 12:55
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My Morning Jacket I don't think I have heard this band before, but I might have stumbled across the band name some time. The first song, "One Big Holiday", left me a bit indifferent, but "Smokin' and Shootin'" is really great, especially the way it builds up. And we even get one of the ultimate "cult chords" towards the end, namely the minor subdominant. "Higly Suspicious" is quite a departure from the above. I have to say, I find the singing here quite annoying, but I guess there is some irony present in the song? I like the way the song evolves. But I wouldn't have guessed it is the same band if I didn't know in advance. "It Beats 4 U". It seems to be the ultimate pop-smartness to write "4 U" instead of "for you", but fortunately there is no pop-smartness about the song. We're more in indie-land here with quite a gloomy feeling. The band really has a wide spand in terms of musical style. I like it a lot better than "Highly Suspicious". And then finally there is a piano ballad. Ever since Adele the have been a lot of piano ballads that sound pretty much the same, but thankfully this one is a different type, and I guess it is a lot older. It's very laid back and melancholic, and I really like the pedal steel coming in at times. Very beautiful song. Especially the outro! My favourites: "Smokin' and Shootin'", "It Beats 4 U" and "Moving Away".
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 13:30
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I'm getting a strange error. It says that I have edited my post, but it's not taking on the edits (tried again and again), so I'll mention it here. My total time was 32:41, so I knew I would need to remove material (removing "Blue" would be simplest even if a fave of mine which shows more versatility and is one Pram's best regarded albums, but otherwise I'd have to remove two songs to get it in the time limit). By the way, at first I wanted to do Stereolab, Serge Gainsbourg, or Air or Broadcast, but figured Pram would come off as rather fresher in the series. So kindly disregard Blue as a contender in the selection for my Pram list. This I can edit, so been something to do with the embeds. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 14:27
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Seems a one by one approach has its advantages... So I'm nailing down my featured band here playing the first track I heard of them, on a good local radio station back when I was still in Germany. The track convinced me on the spot, I bought that album and over time most of their material, and they never let me down. I thought a bit about whether I should feature the abstract experimental electronic side of my taste here but these guys are probably my favourite band of those that are neither on PA nor have I played any of their material in one of these polls. To the untrained ear one track may sound like another, but they are really unique and their mix of noise soundscapes and rhythm almost always hits the right tone for me. And ultimately they do mutate... Here's Shift by Austria's Radian. |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 14:50
Thank you for the low down on this. It's true that the band has grown and has a lot of versatility, some tracks take longer to get used to than others, but I wanted to show the band's variety through the years. There are many fans that would probably curse me for picking some of the tracks that I did here, but I think these tracks show how well-rounded they are. As for the first track "One Big Holiday", this is their oldest studio track out of the 5 that I posted, and it really translates much better in a true live setting. I've seen them a few times live, and the audience always seems to come away from it like they have just had an amazing experience. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 14:52
Sorry about having to make a time limit on this. It made it difficult for me too when picking my posts, but I had to draw the line somewhere. However, you have got my curiosity going, so I'm sure I'll be listening to "Blue" anyway (on my own).
------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 15:00
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First impressions from Page One so far. Again, great idea for a poll, a good way to figure out who the artists are by a more intensive listen of just one person or group. Mike: My
Morning Jacket “One Big Holiday” Nice,
rocking beginning, goes into a guitar lead straightaway. A bit of an alt/country/rock sound to the
band, I’d heard of them, but never had heard them. I like the raw sound of the band, reminiscent
a bit of the Buffalo Springfield to my ear.
I definitely get the feeling they’d be great to see live. “Smokin’ from
Shootin’” This one is moodier, beginning
with trainlike sounds, on a pedal steel, perhaps? A ballad.
In the middle, the guitar lead has almost a psych feel to it. Comes to a crescendo, then fades out with a
sort of siren sound (police? ambulance?)
“Highly Suspicious” I see why you
referenced Prince, lol. I like these
guys, they have a good sense of humour.
This one has more of a funk/soul sound to it, with lots of fuzzy, wonky
guitar sounds and a steady beat throughout.
“It Beats 4 U” Back to a driving
beat with drums and some repeating guitar picking. Another ballad, but it sounds like this one
is going along much better than the Smokin’ from Shootin’ combination of two
people. Vocals use a bit of reverb, a
bit of wistfulness and also hope in this one.
Concludes with whistling? Or a
theremin sound? Or the pedal steel? Not sure how they did that, but it was
cool. “Movin’ Away” Another wistful ballad, with piano and drums. Making changes is always hard. I enjoyed the versatility of this band, you
did a get a great balance in the song order, which is part of this kind of a
process, too. Logan: Pram “Radio Freak in a Storm” Here is a sort of singsong whispery female vocal, with some nice plinkies and some repetitive organ and screaky violin sounds. The song is about outer space, and indeed the organ sound, as it fades back and forth makes me think of stars blinking. Ends with the violin sound, maybe the way a voice sounds way out in space? “Blue” This one starts with some horns, drums and almost traffic-horn beeps and bursts. There are some electronic meanderings, with the vocals way back in the mix, actually the production of this one is very subdued. This one about someone who seems to be cold and aloof, but the singer is reminding them that they are human, after all. Goes into a horn lead with washes of horns and organ interspersed. This gets into a very psychedelic style jam as it ends. “Serpentine” This one has a pensive and suspenseful beginning, making an apt setting for the morose lyrics. Horns and washes are in this one as well, with some clinky percussive noises. Echo-y horns come in with plinky bits of electric guitar and a repeating plucked guitar phrase. Walks out eerily with keyboards. “The Doors of Empty Cupboards” Here is some theremin (or soundalike) and organ to open the piece, with guitar washes rising up and drums, again, subdued production. Another fairly psychedelic feel to this, a bit of a feeling of madness, with the house tilting and the nightmare corridors. Farfisa-like organ and horns jam together a bit, with some electric piano underpinnings. “Mother of Pearl” This one is a bit more upbeat, with an almost klezmer feel to the horns (some of them, anyway, as there are really two different types of horns). There are some staccato strings of some sort, and then the klezmer kicks in again. It’s almost a feeling of humour in the music, but it belies the subject, perhaps the singer is just amused by the person’s way of being and relating to her. “Penny Arcade” A sort of maybe bad trip feeling to this one. More psych-y washes, this time the vocalist is more up front than on the other selections. Dream worlds, dream landscapes. More of the theremin-sort of eerie sounds with big sonic “whomps.” Very spooky piece. suitkees: Kat Onoma “From Pompei” Dark and brooding male vocalist, with minimal electric guitar at first (a bit reminiscent of the Dream Syndicate, or Velvet Underground to me). Stark, simple drumming kicks in and then the song fades. A ballad of good-bye. “Intro” I like a sense of humour in a band. Good for them to have one with their name. “Riverrun” This one has kind of a country feel to it (well, with Billy the Kid as the album title, makes sense). Definitely captures the spirit of galloping alongside a river in the desert, with the pace and the lyrics. Nice, raw alt/country guitar leads here, too. There are some interesting little quirks to the song, little punctuation points, sonically. “Que sera votre vie?” Begins with drums beating, then a (mostly) spoken reading of the lyrics come in. Searing lead kicks in, this has more of a hard-psych feel to me, they also had some string sounds in this (which I really like, as it adds depth here) and more odd sounds punctuating the piece. Is he speaking to himself, or someone else? Having an existential crisis, perhaps, or just examining himself or another. “Artificial Life” Begins again with the spare electric guitar and drums that are a signature sound of this band. I like that they have a sound you can identify as them. Singer again has more of a speaking rather than singing tone, but this is his style. This one is more driving than the last, I like what they did with the horn solo in about the middle, added a nice dimension (kind of like what happened for my ear with the strings on the previous piece). “Old Trouble” Opening with rhythmic percussion and a 1-2-3 count repeated a few times. Some swirly sounds, this has a kind of old blues sensibility to it, in a way, in the repeated “coming old trouble, coming,” phrase. Definitely emphasizes this when they add in sort of a gospel chorus. Again they’ve thrown in a little curve to their basis by the chorus addition. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 15:02
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^^ You were right to set such a time limit. Up to 25 minutes per contributor is on the generous side. Not only do limitations make a certain economical/ utilitarian sense, but it can make the challenge in the selection process more stimulating. ^ Very impressive write-up.
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 15:53
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 27 2020 at 18:14
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As usual Nickie, great, helpful and insightful write up. Your words are always appreciated! ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 09:02
20 something minutes from a favorite of mine?! that can be a lot of things, it's a tough choice  I'll try and post something really soon.
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Posted By: mathman0806
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 10:31
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My artist suggestion for this poll is singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Shawn Smith. He was heavily a part of the Seattle "grunge" community in the 90's and has been a member of several bands (Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed, and others) along with solo releases. Unfortunately, he passed away last year due to an aortic tear/high blood pressure. He was only 53 years old. He was vastly under-recognized. First up, is a track from his second solo album released in 2003. It's a song written in memory of Andrew Wood, who was the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, a band poised for success but Wood died from a drug overdose prior to release of their debut album. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of Mother Love Bone went on to form Pearl Jam. This song was also in an episode of the Sopranos (as were several others by Shawn Smith). Shawn Smith - "Wrapped In My Memory" Second is the a track from the debut album by the band Brad released in 1993. This band also has Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam. This shows a funky side which is prevalent throughout Smith's work. He was admittedly heavily influenced by Prince. There's a really good live version of Purple Rain that is on YouTube with Smith by himself at the piano. Brad - "20th Century" Third is a track from the debut album by Satchel released in 1994. The song was featured in a couple of films. Satchel - "Suffering" Fourth is another track that was on the Sopranos. A remixed version released by the Lo Fidelity All-Stars was an alternative rock hit in States. This version is better in my opinion. Another funky track, it is from the duo called Pigeonhed. The other half of the band is Steven Fisk, who was the guitarist for Pell Mell on the track "Nothing Lies Still Long" I posted in the short instrumental poll. The Prince influence is strong in this one. Pigeonhed - "Battle Flag" Finally, I wanted a live track. Taken from the same concert as the "Purple Rain" cover I mentioned above. This track was originally released on Brad's second album. This is just Shawn at the piano recorded 5 years ago. Shawn Smith - "The Day Brings" |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 13:52
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Listened to Page Two (so far, possibly) this am. Waiting to include Lewian until he continues with the pieces he's selecting. The Anders:
C.V. Jørgensen “Bellevue” This
starts as a nice, airy piece, and in reading the lyrics, it’s a holiday sort of
day, so it’s very fitting. Nice to hear something upbeat. Singer has a bit of a nasal quality (that’s
just an observation, not criticism).
Pretty, light guitar lead.
Definitely a feel of summer here, a danceable song, really. “Balladen om Mickey Lama” Nice punchy bass, guitar and drums opens the
song. He seems to be criticizing this
person, who has an empty existence (and is he perhaps a celebrity person? Or a
neighbour?). Here he kind of reminds me
to David Cousins, sarcasm dripping from his lyrics. I like the changes about halfway in,
intriguing bass and lead guitar. "Sæsonen
er slut" Here is an ode to the end of summer, things started with so much
promise, then faded into nothing (perhaps a summer relationship?) Not sure if he’s got the same guitarist on
all of these (or if it’s him), but I enjoy the guitar on all of these, so
far. Nice organ underpinnings to this
gentle rock piece. A bit of wistfulness in the presentation. “Indian Summer” Here is another serious piece, again I think
of David Cousins. Couched in a sort of
march setting, he sings of how some are endlessly just going through life’s
paces, others take a deeper look at their existence. Again, I really like the way the guitar
expresses the lyrics, with an ominous feel to the lead. George: Shawn Smith “Wrapped In My Memory” More conventional here (coming after Lewian's first selection), this song starts with solo piano. Gravelly-voiced singer, who is obviously going to tell a tale here. Nice harmonies kick in, in this reminiscence of his past and someone he misses, a fellow performer who is gone. And now I see that it is, in looking at your intro (sorry, I just leaped into the song). With Brad, “20th Century” Starts off with bass and drums, setting the beat. Brings in keyboards for a soft, organ sound. Definitely more funky than the first one. Keeping his gravel, but smoothing it out for the style of the song. Definitely a “city” song, about a certain side of modern life. With Satchel “Suffering” Another piano ballad here, judging from the start. Here his voice is even more smoothed out, with a southern-bluesy-whiskey scent to it. Some female vocals chorus in behind him. Very smooth, subtle production here, as the song builds. Some organ sound kicks in, then fades into piano and back into the body of the song. With Pigeonhed “Battle Flag” This one has some electronic washes in the intro, and then definitely electronic notes bring in the vocals and bass, kind of a funky/rap piece, with soulful, et dissonant harmonies. Shows his versatility to be able to go into something like this, interesting to see his progression with different styles. At the end of the song, some funky lead guitar repeats until the outro. Back solo (well, with Brad), with “The Day Brings” Here he is, kind of channeling Leon Russell in his looks, although he does do some of that Southern sound, he doesn’t sound like Leon, his is a smoother style, less bayou. Talented guy, another one gone too soon. I liked this and “Suffering” the best, this style is really suited to his voice and personality, that you can see with this live performance. Thank you for the introduction. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 14:29
Thank you for the analysis. I don't know if Mickey Lama is supposed to be a specific person, but he has quite a few songs criticizing celebrity culture. As for the guitarist, there are three of them. On "Bellevue" and "Balladen om Mickey Lama" it is Ivan Sonne Horn who sadly passed away a few years ago. The guitarist on "Sæsonen er slut" is an American living in Denmark, Billy Cross, who also produced the album. Before moving to Denmark, he played briefly in the 50's nostalgia band Sha Na Na, and he has also been touring with Bob Dylan (he appears on Bob Dylan at Budokan and Street Legal). In Denmark he has his own band, Delta Cross Band, who are backing musicians on the album. On "Indian Summer" I think it's Nils Henriksen who became famous in the early 70's prog folk band Culpeper's Orchard (they are on Progarchives actually).
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 14:58
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Here's the title track of Radian's as far as I know first full length album tg11. This album has some of their most radical and uncompromising stuff, going into proper avantgarde territory, although they mostly provide the listener with some rhythm to have something to hold on to. This one is pretty minimalist and a to me pretty successful and actually addictive attempt to make a listener construct music worthwhile to listen to (even meditative) from electronic noises. |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 15:06
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I knew a little bit of Iranian music, but Azam Ali is all new to me, so I am going into it with fresh ears. "Endless Reverie": My first thought was that's what Björk might sound like if she was from the Middle East. The beat sounds like something that might have been from the 90's (sort of folktronica-like), but there is also a clear eastern touch to it in the melody and the drone-like bottom. "Ben Bode Santa Maria" sounds more Mediterranean to me, f.e. like something from, say, Greece. I really like the vocal phrasings. "Heaven to Dust": I wonder if it's cimbalom we hear in this song. The combination of folk music and electronic beats reminds me of bands such as Hedningarna (Sweden/Finland). "El Rey de Francia" is another one with a Mediterranean touch to it. The title is Spanish for "The king of France", but the singing language doesn't sound Spanish to me. "Ode to Melancholy" is probably my favourite among them because it builds some tension during the song. Interesting to see the instrument played with a bow. I can't really recognize it. |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 15:12
All fine ones, to my ear.And I'm quite with him on criticizing celebrity culture, he does a good job of it, here. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 15:26
In the credits, she's listed as playing "hammered dulcimer," I know she studied santur, which is a middle eastern hammered dulcimer, similar to kanun and cimbalom, so good ear. El Rey de Francia is a Sephardic/Judeo-Spanish piece, so a medieval form of Spanish with Jewish influence. The bowed instrument, played by her husband, Loga Ramin Torkian, is a guitar-viol, a modern invention by Jonathan Eric Wilson. Loga also plays tar and saz. She also has recorded with VAS and Niyaz, Niyaz including Loga Ramin Torkian and has several other solo recordings out besides these two most represented here. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 16:44
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And now for Pram which I admit I have not heard before either. "Radio Freak in a Storm". Now this is definitely interesting. Mysterious and avantgardistic sound aesthetics with somewhat mumbling vocals. For most part I can't hear what she is singing, but it doesn't really matter to me. I love that there is an out of tune violin (if that is what it is). "Blue" is no less creative. I don't know if I can truely explain the music, but there's clearly some jazz in it. The edginess almost becomes kind of comical at times, but that is not necessarily a negative thing in my world. Fascinating in any case, and right up my alley. "Serpentine". This one is more melancholic. I can somehow imagine Beth Gibbons of Portishead performing it. There's a similar mood to some of the songs on Dummy, but or course the style is different. "The Doors of Empty Cupboards" is another case of sound wizardry. Very fascinating. "Mother of Pearl". At first I wondered if it would be a cover of the Roxy Music song, but it is clearly not. It kind of reminds me of Björk who also has quite a lot of songs in the relatively rare Lydian mode (major scale with a major 4th). "Penny Arcade". The deep synth drone somehow makes me think of a boat motor due to the tremolo. If we just go by the composition, it's acually quite straight forward. The combination of that, and then a soundscape that is anything but straight forward, I really like. Why have I not heard this band before...
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Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 17:34
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THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN REEDITED @ TCat - Mike: The songs I posted are all part of a live album, where the applause at the beginning and at the end of the songs take up a certain amount of time: the gross time of the songs therefore exceeds 25 minutes but the net time turns out to be around 24 minutes and 30: okay with you? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear friends, I have long been undecided as to which side of "album" put here to listen to you, and when in doubt I chose a live album that I know you have never heard, and that perhaps will make many of you turn up their noses. It is an album recorded in a church, with solo singers, a choir, and some traditional instruments from Italy and which mixes religious songs from Catholic masses with traditional Italian songs and with songs written by CCCP group and CSI group of which I have already posted some songs in two previous polls: in the first poll I posted the song "L'ora delle tentazioni" by CSI, in a more recent poll I posted the song "Tomorrow" by CCCP with Amanda Lear. CSI are the spin-off of CCCP, two groups characterized by the same singer (and author of the lyrics) and the same guitarist. The singer of these groups, Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, then continued with another group and collaborating with other artists on projects completely outside the mainstream, including this one, "Litania", assembled with the multi-instrumental musicologist Ambrogio Sparagna, author of the arrangement and, in some case, of the music. Taken from the album "Litania", by Giovanni Lindo Ferretti (vocals) and Ambrogio Sparagna (accordion and arrangements) Litania narrates the passion of Christ from the point of view of Mary, his mother, and combines songs from the groups of which Giovanni Lindo Ferretti was the singer, church songs, and songs from the Italian popular tradition, from various regions but above all from the south, and in fact you can hear a tarantella rhythm both in the first song and in "Santo". CREDITS: Giovanni Lindo Ferretti: vocals Ambrogio Sparagna: accordion. Vox Clara Quartet: Anna Rita Colaianni: soprano Arianna Rumiz: contralto Vittorio D'Amico: tenore Pietro Albano: baritono plus: Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari: vocals Clara Graziano: accordion, vocals, tambourine, castanets Erasmo Treglia: hurdy-gurdy, shawn, violin, ocarina, bark flute, baroque oboe. 1) L'orologio della passione - The watch of the Passion (traditional) Music and arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna It tells, hour by hour, the passages of the passion of Christ, and in the end, when the music becomes cheerful (a tarantella) they sing: "After seven days he was resurrected". The singers are the tenor Vittorio D'Amico and Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, who alternate. 2) Sonno sonno - Sleep sleep (traditional, sung in the Calabrian dialect by the contralto Arianna Rumiz) Arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna. O sleep, sleep, that you come from the mountain... 3) Madre - Mother (written and published by CCCP: Fedeli alla Linea. Music written by Massimo Zamboni and lyrics written by Giovanni Lindo Ferretti). New arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna. Lead vocals: Giovanni Lindo Ferretti. The original lyrics were: Mother of God and his children Mother of the fathers and the mothers, Mother, oh mother, oh my mother, My soul turns to you. But you can hear, included in these verses, the liturgical litany in Latin of the invocations of the rosary, where the various names of the Madonna are recited: "rosa mistica, turris eburnea, turris davidica, domus aurea, foederis arca, ianua caeli, stella matutina" 4) Santo Liturgical text of the Catholic mass. Music and arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna. Vocals: Vox Clara Quartet and Giovanni Lindo Ferretti Holy holy holy is the Lord, God of the Universe, the heavens and the earth are full of your glory, Hosanna in the high heavens. 5) Madre Maria, il Lamento - Mother Mary, the Lament (traditional) Music and arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna. Lead Vocals: Giovanni Lindo Ferretti. It tells of Mary's lament during her son's passion, the most heartbreaking piece is when she says Kill me 6) Intimisto - Intimisted (Music by CSI, lyrics by Giovanni Lindo Ferretti) Arrangement by Ambrogio Sparagna, lead vocals Giovanni Lindo Ferretti You steal the time You steal my energy Don't listen to the moan Don't listen to the call You crack my courage You frustrate the wait time The evenings that I wait for you, the afternoons that I wait for the evening You steal me in the morning That I wake up alone and it's no good Destroy my happiness because they are little things in your eyes You fill some happiness swollen excessively And I have to leave her who was fine silent and alone And your eyes steal the light from me so that you can shine in mine Then there is nothing left and you leave Then there is nothing left and you leave Consume my pain dull and slow Consume me ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 28 2020 at 18:40
I don't have a problem with that Lorenzo. After all, the music doesn't exceed the 25 minutes and we can fast forward past the audience noise. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 04:45
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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?". ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 05:19
Thanks for this assessment - it covers quite well what I tried to do with my "album side". The influences of American music (Americana, country, blues, rock...) are quite clear in Kat Onoma's music, and I like the sometimes more experimental take they bring on to it. Driving force of the band was Rodolphe Burger, the singer and guitarist who is largely responsible for that very recognizable sound and who is having quite a prolific career with his solo outings and collaborative projects since Kat Onoma disbanded. And I think you won't be surprised to learn that he issued an album with Velvet Underground covers (you can listen to it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo-C-ygp-Vw&list=OLAK5uy_m7XgmykYaLZ6FkDX_frfVPwDXa5IPlhcM" rel="nofollow - here ), a band he admires. ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 07:03
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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!  ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 07:17
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I envy how all of you post so easily. I can't make up my mind what artist to present.
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 08:29
I think the first thing I heard from her was "Portals of Grace," which are all medieval pieces, so I then sought out everything she did and own most of it. That and "Elysium for the Brave," are my two favourites, but I find something to like with every release. And really enjoy the live videos, I'm hoping she will come back to Portland, where I missed seeing her a couple of years ago. She and another favourite, Mary Fahl, were playing the same night, both at small venues and I chose to go to Mary Fahl, as she's based in New York and doesn't make it out west often, indeed had never played in Portland at all, as a solo artist. Still wish I could have gone to both! I am glad you enjoyed her. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 08:42
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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. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 09:12
Sounds like an accordeon to me, but there are different types of it so Lorenzo may have more precisions... ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 09:36
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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! ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 10:11
Thank you, suitkees! ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 10:20
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Greg : Pram - Very interesting and nice with a melancholic sound. Love the dissonance in the trumpet, which is present a lot of the time. The first track, "Radio Freak in a Storm" is probably the most different from the others with the almost Bjork-like feel and the use of strings. The others that stood out was the more upbeat and child-like sound of "Mother of Pearl" and the steady crawl of "Penny Arcade". Nice music for a rainy day. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 10:23
Thanks to you, Nickie! Here's to you the credits: Giovanni Lindo Ferretti: vocals Ambrogio Sparagna: accordion. Vox Clara Quartet: Anna Rita Colaianni: soprano Arianna Rumiz: contralto Vittorio D'Amico: tenore Pietro Albano: baritono plus: Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari: vocals Clara Graziano: accordion, vocals, tambourine, castanets Erasmo Treglia: hurdy-gurdy, shawn, violin, ocarina, bark flute, baroque oboe. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 11:36
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 11:37
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 11:52
Ah, yes, bandoneon, it's the Argentine accordion, the most important instrument to play and dance tango. Instead, when you have talked about horn-like instruments, in Litania there are - "GHIRONDA", translated is hurdy-gurdy, - "CIARAMELLA" a particular kind of pipe, translated is shawn (I hope the translation is correct!) ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 11:58
[/QUOTE]
Ah, yes, bandoneon, it's the Argentine accordion, the most important instrument to play and dance tango. Instead, when you have talked about horn-like instruments, in Litania there are - "GHIRONDA", translated is hurdy-gurdy, - "CIARAMELLA" a particular kind of pipe, translated is shawn (I hope the translation is correct!)  ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 15:23
|
The most recent Radian album, On Dark Silent Off of 2016, is probably the most accessible one, if only by Radian standards. There are some song-like structures and some music-like sounds , in two or so tracks there's even a guitar, quite something, isn't it? They still sound like Radian though.I think that together with 2004's Juxtaposition it is their best album. They even have a music video on youtube for this one. Here's Scary Objects. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 16:10
|
This will be the last Radian entry, as it lands me between 20 and 25 minutes. The Chimeric album has three mini-epics of 8 minutes plus. This length suits them well, it allows for some quite postrocky development as in Subcolors (actually I realise that this one, the most conventional of the three mini-epics, is probably more accessible than the one I posted from On Dark Silent Off, but so be it). Pretty relaxed this one. Oh, and I can give you a live video of this one. As I have now closed my nomination process, I've got to say that this was really difficult, as consistency is one of Radian's great assets. I tend to love all tracks on all albums and wouldn't find a natural favourite except if I have to. I have posted those I posted for a reason, but if somebody told me, everything posted up to now doesn't count and we have to find some other 20-25 minutes, these wouldn't hardly lose any quality compared to what's up now.
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: November 29 2020 at 17:37
|
And here is my take on Lewian's selection(s): Lewian:
Radian “Here’s Shift” Begins with some shimmery percussive sounds, with
regular drums in background. A building
of tension. Some bass kicks in and hints
of keys, shimmering continues. A few
electronic beeps and bips. Tension
continues to build with sustained notes on guitar? Or?
Drips and drops of high notes, come in, along with the continued
sustain, then more percussion. Some
string-type washes come in and the piece begins to chill out as it is drawing
near the end, finalizing in a fadeout. “tg11”
Starts with some static noise and some way off sounds, a couple of drum
hits. Waves of static, shifting. Static gets stronger, and weaves in and out,
with the drum sounds continuing and a bit of feedback. This actually feels very spooky and enigmatic
to me. Occasional clinks, then abruptly
ends. “Scary Objects” Big buzz and clanks at the start this
time. Some boomy buzzes kick in with the
clanks. Then bleeps do a fly-by. Jumpy percussion with slidy sounds and now
some keyboard and string clangs. Feedback
ensues, while bleeps continue. Some
boingggs and then some feed-backy guitar again while percussion fades out and
some low hums begin to enter the scene.
Guitar again, some strumming with feedback, and clacky bits, all the
while percussion keeps on percussing and some sonar sounds are heard, along
with a few more boingggs, and a repeated note, then ends. Definitely scary stuff. “Subcolours”
For this one, I am going to eschew my usual trying to describe what
happens in the piece. I enjoyed seeing
them play, added an extra element to the piece for me. And I would say this wandered into more
psychedelic territory, much of psych was actually very slow-moving, despite the
flash of some of the most popular artists.
Definitely profoundly intriguing all around. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 08:59
|
And mine: Lewian: Radian is a band I have heard of but I never really explored their music. Nice to get a better glimpse here. We're indeed in more experimental and electronic territory. I very much like the sonics of Shift, underscored by the percussion and bass sounds - a kind of industrial electronics. tg11 makes me think of some of the more radical tape music and musique concrète experiments of the 50s, 60s. This one seems to play with electronic and sonic interference, with a kind of vinyl click. Intriguingly fascinating. With Scary Objects we're back into more industrial electronics again and we recognize some "normal" instruments here pinning down the rhythms and melodies. Subcolors brings a minimalist jazzy, bluesy touch to their musical approach (they could be friends with Kat Onomo on this one) tending towards post-rock in the last third of the track, very captivating. Overall quite fascinating and of these I think I prefer their Scary Objects, which seems their most typical maybe, but the four tracks all have their distinct qualities. Now I definitely have to explore them more.
------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 10:49
|
Well done, suitkees! Harder to describe abstract music in words, you definitely hit on the feelings of these pieces. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 10:54
| so what's the deadline for final nomination? |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 11:03
I like the boinggg though!
 |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 11:19
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 11:21
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 14:28
|
Voting won't start until December 9 because of the fact that a lot of people are busy during this time and this will give everyone a chance to listen to all of the entries. By the way, this time around, we are voting on the artist, so we won't have to do final nominations on any certain final song as all of the songs put up will be part of whichever artists our final votes fall on. Once you put up your artist and the songs you want to represent them, all you have to do is listen until December 9. The poll will end on the 13th. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 14:32
I meant the final nomination of the artist, I understood the topic. |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 15:29
Thanks Nickie! I just try to give it a place within the references I have and that make sense to me, and I agree with Lewian that the boingggs, the bleeps, the buzzers, the clanks and the clacky bits are quite to the point too - very recognizable when listening to the music. ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 15:32
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@Cristi: We're impatiently waiting for your musical suggestions... ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 15:48
you are?  I got some ideas, there are several options here. I'll post something tomorrow morning or so.
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 16:33
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 16:34
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And now for Kat Onoma. "Cupid" is a sort of playful number that plays with my musical expectation, exchanging between familiarity and surprises - which is of course a combination I appreciate. The first song alone makes me curious. Also, there's a nice sound aesthetics. "Intro" reminds me of the intro to the David Bowie song "Andy Warhol" ("it's Warhole actually... as in holes..." and so on). It's hard to judge it on the same terms as the other tracks. "Riverrun" is an uptempo song with some country-like guitar licks. The descending dissonant guitar riff quickly goes against the feel. Americana with a twist. I really like the low-pitched and restrained vocal performance. Quite gloomy atmosphere towards the end. "Que sera votre vie?": Very dark song with gloomy lyrics. There's a tasteful orchestral arrangement that perfectly counterpoints the edgy sound of the band. The vocal phrasings are spoken-word-like, and I wonder if Abschaum have been influenced by this band. "Artificial Life". The lead guitar reminds me a bit of Peter Buck (R.E.M.), especially on an album like Fables of the Reconstruction. Once again there are half-talking vocals. I don't think this song is as strong as the previous ones - I miss a bit of direction. "Cupid" is my favourite so far. "Old Trouble" has quite an unusual half-electronic beat while the singer is singing "1, 2, 3, come in" as if he was communicationg via a radio. It gradually builds up to what is sort of an odd mix between American style pop/rock (the chorus, even with gospel-like choir) and more experimental rock (the beat). A strong number. |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 01 2020 at 16:47
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Austria's Radian - "Shift". Great experimental electronic music with a lot of omnious dissonant sounds, and then there is an old fashioned drum kit adding some humanity to an otherwise cold and electronic universe. |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 08:42
Voting starts December 9, so you have until December 8 to put your list up. I would suggest doing it quicker though to give people a chance to hear it more often. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 09:24
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Suitkees: Kat Onoma: This is an excellent choice for a spotlight artist. I enjoyed all of your selections and it definitely whets my appetite to hear more. I especially liked the "From Pompei" track, "Riverrun" and "Artificial Live". The vocals are very alternative sounding and the music exhudes a certain suspense-filled angst that really draws your attention. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 09:55
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Anders: C.V. Jørgensen: This is also an excellent representation of an over-looked artist. His vocals from time to time are reminiscent of Dylan, and I say that as a big compliment because he can do it very convincingly, and it also matches the music. It's a nice variety of tracks that also piques my interest. I also appreciate the English translation of the lyrics, thank you for that. I listened to this both ways, with and without lyrics and I enjoyed the music either way. I can't really pick favorites out of your selections because they were all good. Easy going, instantly likeable. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 10:28
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^^ Glad to hear that you like Kat Onoma, Mike. I tried to compile something representative for their work with this "album side", so I guess that if you like these you might indeed like most, if not all of their albums (which you can discover on their https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSUBkHs0Qp2NXrwUcJCxsA/" rel="nofollow - YT-channel ). Personally, I especially like their last - self titled - album, which has a slight/modest industrial and experimental tinge on some of the songs, without abandoning their atmospheric rock take (and signature sound) on country, blues, and other Americana... @The Anders: Thanks for your comments. They capture quite well what I like in this band. I like that gloomy atmosphere in their music Now, do you like them as much is of course another thing... Don't know Abschaum at all, so I'll have to explore them...
------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 14:49
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The band I nominate here is called Dara. I wanted to suggested it for inclusion on PA but damn if I know what subgenre. Which means that the music is definitely interesting. Hope you enjoy the four songs I found on youtube. |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:00
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I am going to drop in and per usual take the thread to a heavier place. I present to you a selection of songs from German power metal band Helloween. Honestly, I could have taken all of the songs from their Keepers of the Seven Keys Part 1 and 2, which are truly their best releases in my opinion, but they have some favorites of mine from some of their later albums so I instead present 6 songs from 6 separate albums. I reviewed my top 50 played artists on Last.FM and Elton John, Billy Joel, Judas Priest were the non-PA bands that I've listened to more than Helloween so I figured that they were kind of lesser known....at least maybe amongst PAers. My apologies to the metal adverse but these are 6 songs that I really like so there you go. :) 1. Future World from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 2. I Want Out from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 3. Perfect Gentleman from Master of the Rings 4. Forever and One (Neverland) from The Time of the Oath 5. Are You Metal? from 7 Sinners 6. Heroes from My God-Given Right ------------- 
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:12
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^ I thought of Helloween as well, just something with Kiske. I wanted to ask if I could have a musician here with songs from different bands and projects, Kiske would have fit perfectly. But I gave up asking and came with something dofferent. Also thought of Casiopea, Fourplay, AWB, Solitude Aeturnus, even something like Alphaville and a-ha, Depeche Mode, Paradise Lost, Erik Truffaz, Europe/Joey Tempest/John Norum, Richie Sambora, Heart, Warlock/Doro, Glenn Hughes and so on. |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:18
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Shawn Smith: I admit I am not familiar with that name, but have heard of Mother Love Bone, and of course I know Pearl Jam (though, admittedly, it is not something I particularly like). The first song, "Wrapped In My Memory", sounds promising. Very down-to-earth piano ballad with some nice chord changes, especially in the bridge or middle eight, or whatever you want to call it. "20th Century" (Brad) is very different with a funk bass and a drumbeat that could have come from, say, a Red Hot Chili Peppers album. The harmonic pattern is however much darker than you would expect from the above. Personally I miss some more dynamic variation; it feels like the song is building up to something that doesn't come. "Suffering" (Satchel) is another piano ballad and probably closer to my personal taste than "20th Century", especially as it has more direction. I like the discreet ooh's in the backing vocals, and then there is the electric organ in the background which is very tasteful (or is it just a synth?). Melodically it is perhaps a bit monotonous. "Battle Flag" (Pigeonhead): We're in funk and soul-land here, with the addition of a very 90's sounding electronic beat. I really like the guitar too. The cursing is a bit comical to my ears though. But it sounds like a song that may grow on me. The last song, "The Day Brings", is back to the piano. Fine song overall that probably requires a couple of listenings. My favourites are Wrapped in My Memory" and "Suffering".
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Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:24
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Radian - "tg11" sounds like a loose connection, as if a cable has not been plugged into the amp (and I guess we actually hear something like that). There's some feedback noise too. I really like the minimalism of it. Very much up my alley. |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:29
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Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 17:24
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Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and Ambrogio Sparagna is a journey into traditional Italian folk music, but with a modern touch, like with many other folk artists of today - which is how I usually appreciate it the most. I wrote more detailled on each song while listening, but unfortunately I did something wrong at the end of the last song, meaning that my words vanished out into the blue, and I don't remember the exact words. But I really like the combination of instruments and the singing style of many of the songs, especially when we get these half speach-like vocal phrasings that I recognize from other parts of Italian music. Ironically, some of the songs sound more secular to me than sacred, and that includes "Santo", but I guess that is because I don't normally connect religious music with folklore. Sadly, for the last two songs, "Madre Maria, il Lamento" and "Intimisto", my enjoyment is somewhat affected by their use of a chord progression that has been very overused in pop music within the last 30 years; this is hard for me to abstract from, regardless of the quality of the songs.
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Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 17:34
Thanks for the words. There's no doubt Dylan is one of his influences. I don't know if he deliberately tries to sing like him, but I can hear the parallel. A song like the one below sounds very Dylan'ish indeed, especially the melody: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Pa00lmAsSVw" rel="nofollow - http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pa00lmAsSVw
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 02 2020 at 18:12
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First thoughts on Cristi's and Scott's entries: Cristi: Dara “Aur” Begins with some repetitive
chords and washes and sways of guitars, drums very pronounced and solid. A sort of rustic voice comes in, this sounds
like perhaps a dirge, in a way, a song of grief? Goes into full-on angry sort of vocal. “Trei peceti”
Again, drums near the fore, with some really pretty arpeggiated electric
guitar notes and some keyboard underpinning.
The singer is certainly expressive, kind of reminds me of Mike Scott of The
Waterboys, in his delivery, only gets much more intense, as this has a lot more
metal in it. I like the breaks in this,
being not too much of a metal fan, per se, although I do like heavy elements
sometimes. “Bocetul Firii” More
of the similar sound, this one has also an apocalyptic feel. “Unde Desarte” This one begins with some really beautiful sustained
guitar notes. Vocalist comes in
whispering, about a third of the way in, continues in his more characteristic
style. More sustained guitar kicks in
again eventually winds down into a whisper.
Probably unsurprising, this is my favourite one of the selections, as it’s
very moody. Scott: Helloween “Future World” Some more metal, this one is more in the vein of story-telling, moving right along with heavy, pounding drums and a conventional verse/chorus approach. There is an odd break in the middle with funny noises and laughter (probably part of the story) and lots of guitar lead pyrotechnics. “I Want Out” Continuing with blazing guitars, big drums and layered vocal choruses, and repeat. “Perfect Gentleman” Rougher vocals this time out, this time a bit lighter in musical tone, with some synth/keys in the production. “Forever and One” Keyboards start this one, the metal ballad of the bunch, this one has some bluesy touches to it. Nice, effected lead about halfway in, reprising the melody. “Are You Metal?” This is back to the heavy stuff, some more keys in this again, but essentially fast-moving and in-your-face, as should be expected from the title. “Heroes” This one begins with some driving guitar, then driving drums join in the fun. More of a story here again, another dark vision, but with the admonition that we all are heroes. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 09:50
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And my impressions: Cristi: Needless to say that Dara is a band I never heard of, so I discover them with these tracks. Now, what is it? Heavy prog, post-rock, metal, straight rock...? An interesting mix of them all. Another obvious thing, imo, is that they don't have the most skilled singer: he seems to struggle to keep up with the pitch and/or the tune. That said, his voice actually goes quite well with the songs: they convey some kind of fragility and distress. I quite like that kind of minimalism and repetitiveness in the first song, Aur, untill they feel the need in the last part to throw some metal in and when he starts to growl (which he is not very good at either...). It has some post-rock flavor that we hear again in the third song, Bocetul Firii, but which I find less convincing. The second track, Trei peceți, is the most interesting to my ears: great guitars (I like those flageolet tones) and a solid rhythm, the vocals suit the song well and even his screaming remains closer to singing than it comes to growling (good point for me). Nice build up until the break half-way where we're getting again into the more melodic side of the band, before we're switching between the two styles again. The last track starts very nicely with that floating-singing guitar before getting into what seems their signature sound, the mix of voice, guitar melodies and a minimalist but solid rhythm section. Nice track too, but I think I prefer the first two ones of these. Rushfan4: Now, I'm not much of a metal fan but I like some hard rock. I know Helloween from their 80s stuff, a friend of mine had a couple of their albums. The first songs, from the Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, are very great hard rock songs: great singing, rocking and melodic guitars, solid drumming - this is just high quality hard rock or power rock to my ears that makes me think of Queensrÿche - especially the singing makes me think of Geoff Tate - and Dream Theater (but those came later!!). Glad to hear them again! This is classic 80s power! Perfect Gentleman sounds a bit more conventional but they add a kind of Van Halen fun to the music, which makes it catchy. The - obligatory - ballad Forever and One is nice (and very welcome after three power tracks), but not very surprising. The next two songs, Are You Metal? and Heroes from My God, sound as if they were made much later (which is the case, I guess. And, did they change the singer?) and unfortunately they adopt everything I detest in nowadays metal: the djent and the need-for-speed in the double bass drum. The first one still has some kind of a fun aspect in it, but my answer is no. They keep up the good playing in these songs, but this is not my cup of tea. I largely prefer their 80s (and 90s?) sound, style and songs. ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:11
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TCat - My Morning Jacket FIRST LISTEN. The beginning, in which the drummer beats on the cymbals, reminded me of Springsteen's "Candy's Room", one of my fave songs, but here comes not the voice but a first electric guitar, then the bass and a second electric guitar, for a really exciting intro, which becomes a bloody and dirty roots rock as much as you want. Very American, I would say, a mix between roots rock, power pop and an almost jam session in the ending. Great song, very energetic, powerful. This is a real enthralling and moving song. The second song is very different, it prefers delicate and refined sounds, and the drums only arrive around two minutes, it is a ballad dominated by vocals and percussion, in the end it seems to take flight, but the crescendo is stopped immediately. It is performed very well but in my opinion being a ballad it would need a clearer melody to excite. The third song, where in fact the singer seems to imitate Prince who sings Kiss, has an even different mood and is dominated by the choirs, but the most interesting part in my opinion is the noisy instrumental one, which is a bit stifled by the choirs. So far I've heard three songs that could be from three different bands so different is the style. The first impressed me, the second and third I appreciated them more cerebrally. The fourth song is another ballad but with a strong presence of percussion. I'm starting to think that the bass player is the most gifted of the group. The song is very light, almost ethereal as an arrangement and it is the one that has struck me less overall so far. The fifth song is another ballad where the vocals reminds me of John Lennon's both in the timbre and in the use of the voice (in particular in the Plastic Ono Band album) especially when it goes on the high notes. The piano phrase is hypnotic and percussive, the melody is made by the voice and the guitar, also in this case it is a percussive ballad, not airy and melodic, but in this case it touches a greater intensity than the ballad represented by the song number 2. Overall it's the best song after the first one. Podium? I don't know, if the songs were all like the first one My Morning Jacket would surely take place on the podium, but I liked the other four songs in a more measured way. We will see after other listenings, and after hearing the fierce competition as well. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:18
Thanks a lot, The Anders. "Madre Maria il Lamento" is a traditional, but I had never heard it before "Litania", while "Intimisto", the original one, is a melodic pop ballad (written by the CSI in 1994), that Ambrogio Sparagna has transformed into a vocal folk prayer. If you are curious, this is the original one: I prefer the Litania's version. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:38
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Nickie - Azam Ali FIRST LISTEN First song. Hypnotic music, which could be related to New Age, where the melody is mainly left to the very beautiful soprano voice, which outlines opera arias over a carpet of electronic percussion. However, the arrangement has many subtleties. The second song, in which I distinguish a "Santa Maria", is sung in various languages, and has the trend of the litany to the Madonna. This has a more lively music thanks to the acoustic guitar. Personally, but that's my taste, I would have preferred a more folk and less electronic arrangement. The third song begins a lot with electronic music and only towards two minutes an oriental atmosphere is created thanks to guitars and percussion. His vice continues to hover high, singing in prayer style, distinct from the musical background. Here, however, when the music becomes more interesting, the voice plays in the background and it's a pity. The fourth song, on the other hand, is the one that requires a great job from the voice, and again a mix of West and East, this song seems to me the best balanced between vocals and music, where the vocalizations of the singer and the acoustic guitar dialogue in a sublime way. I would say it's my favorite, maybe because it's the least electronic?? The fifth, live, is the most static and dreamy, it has a tension that never explodes, it leaves you in suspense until the end, you wait for the song to take off, for the cello to get busy, and instead you stay there tense, like a cello string. Candidate to the podium? Maybe. Anyway thanks to Nickie for this angelic atmosphere.
------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:48
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The interesting thing in this poll is that you don't just vote for a song, but a first side of an album that is how the songs fit together. In some cases, some of us will have compiled a greatest hits side, with songs each in its own unique way, different, while in other cases some of us (this is my case) have chosen some songs as support to other major ones, thinking about the sound overall but just as you can like the homogeneity of songs designed to be together in a precise sequence, you can like the heterogeneity of styles and production of a greatest hits. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:53
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 04 2020 at 14:07
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And now for the last two Radian tracks. "Scary Objects" is kind of beautiful in all its dissonance. The dark hypnotic drone in the beginning is building a tension. I don't know what to think of the drumbeat that comes in after the first minute. There's no reason to make it more accessible than necessary. "Subcolors" is a sort of electronica for non-electronic instruments. With its slow evolving it keeps me interested. I also love the small discreet sounds that are only just audible. It's a pleasant listen, but in the end I think I perfer the more radical tracks.
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Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 04 2020 at 15:27
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First impression of Dara. Already the visuals used for the audio clips say metal to me, but compared to many other bands in that area, they don't overuse the distorted guitars which I appreciate. The first song also has a touch of folk music which is less outspoken in the second and thrid song. The final song somehow reminds me of some types of electronic music (later it adapts an almost funky groove), and it is probably the one that intrigues me the most. Since I am not much of a metalhead (I know this is not strictly metal), it is not a type of music I listen to very much, and I don't think I can really judge it properly. But there are clearly elements that catch my interest. I'm not a fan of the singing style which is a bit shrill at times, especially during the screaming parts. At other times he sounds a bit like Tom Verlaine from Television. Everything is also very dark and depressive. I do like dark music too, but perhaps a bit of counterweight would make it more edible for me.
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Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: December 05 2020 at 10:38
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Logan-Greg: Pram 1) Radio Freak. The first song is post psychedelic, dazed, lopsided, vulnerable, soft, it may have been written and sung by Syd Barrett. We are however in a prog territory and it amazes me that this group is not part of Progarchives. 2) Blue. Soft music, with singing that gets lost in the midst of complex arrangements, long instrumental piece in free-jazz style with trumpet, bass that goes on its own, various sound effects, this group gently takes you into free jazz without you notice, because of the velvety pop production. Maybe their masterpiece in this selection. 3) Serpentine is a more linear song, an irregular ballad with a background that mixes acrobatic psychedelia and jazz. The singer's intonation is always dazed and estranged. 4) The Doors. It is another ballad, more flowing than the previous ones. By now it seems clear that we are listening to free jazz with original, delicate and dissonant arrangements, with the result of giving the feeling of listening to a pop format. 5) Mother of Pearl. Tinkling song with a more marked rhythm than the others, is the one that convinces me less, but the underlying arrangement and the sound of the trumpet is like a trademark 6) Penny Arcade like the previous one has a more rhythmic and modern sound than the other songs and in my opinion these two or at least one of the two could be cut from the list. Conclusion: band with a very characterized and original sound, soft, sweet, refined enjoyment, with pastel-colored emotions. Very original group, candidate for the podium. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: The Anders
Date Posted: December 05 2020 at 11:35
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First reaction to Helloween "Future Word": Obviously, this is another band in the area of metal, but this time it's clearly 80's sounding, and I guess it is indeed from the 80's, judging on the production, the high-pitched singing, and the guitar duets. Again, this is not a genre that appeals to me, but it sounds like they know what they are doing. I can't help but notice that the vocals are not always pitch-perfect, but I guess it is from their first album, and that they didn't have enough time and money in the studio to fix it (the production is generally very basic). On the other hand, it also gives the music an aura of spontanity. "Perfect Gentleman". This is clearly from a later album, they continue to improve musically and production-wise. My favourite part is probably the breaks with only bass and drums. "Forever and One (Neverland)" starts as a piano ballad, but it turns heavy again in the chorus. The production is very grandiose, espcially compared to the more sparse early tracks. "Are You Metal?" shows, if anything, that they also have a bit of self-irony. The video is rather tongue-in-cheek, and the drummer is using his double pedal in a way that is almost comical. I guess we're in the 90's here (or the 00's?). This is my favourite song so far, especially as they have distanced themselves a bit from the 80's sound. "Heroes" must be relatively new, because the sound production is very contemporary. It's still not something I would normally listen to, but by no means a bad song, and it has a strong chorus that you can remember afterwards.
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 07 2020 at 03:37
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Thanks to all who commented on Radian... I have listened to everything once and would like to give it some more time, but anyway, great topic! Alas, listening is so much easier than writing... |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 07 2020 at 03:51
I Want Out and Future World were recorded around the same time, The Keepers sessions, 87-88. Michael Kiske is the singer here and my favorite era of Helloween, call it nostalgia if you will. Perfect Gentleman is from 1994, the year they got their new (then)vocalist, Andi Derris. Heroes is the newest, from their last album, 2015. Are You Metal, my least favorite from all of these, not bad definitely, is from 2010 if I remember right.
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