“Music, too, is nature.” – Sound and Symbol by Victor Zuckerkandl This essay explores the differences between two perspectives on music: one ancient, one The post Music: Giving the World a Rhythmic Sway appeared first on The Imaginative Conservative.
via Music: Giving the World a Rhythmic Sway — The Imaginative Conservative
Artist: Lacuna Coil Album Title: Delirium Label: Century Media Records Date Of Release: 27 May 2016 I have been a fan of Lacuna Coil since the early days of ‘In A Reverie’ and ‘Unleashed Memories’, the latter of which remains a favourite to which I return quite frequently. I loved the melodies, the slightly Gothic […]
via Lacuna Coil – Delirium – Album Review — The Blog of Much Metal
It’s not everyday that a Big Big Train album appears in my mailbox. An immense thanks to Kathy Spawton and Greg Spawton for sending it, and to the band for signing it!
Continue reading “Big Big Train’s FOLKLORE Arrives in Michigan”
What are the ingredients of a truly great album?
Well there’s the songwriting, of course: that’s a given. Likewise the performances of the players. But what else?
The overall sound that a band produces is important, for sure – the choice of instruments and how they’ve been employed in service of the songs, and how well the different qualities of those instruments have been balanced. And let’s not overlook other aspects of the production: the overdubs, the mixing, the mastering and so forth. (I’m sure we can all think of good albums that have suffered from a lack of attention to the latter.)
I think there’s one other underrated ingredient, however. For want of a better word, I call it flow: the way in which the different tracks on the album fit together and contribute to the experience of listening to an album as a whole. Note that I’m not talking particularly of concept albums here (although flow is a highly desirable quality of these). An album can flow well even if there is no story or common themes to link its songs together.
Continue reading “Flow & Balance: The Exquisite Beauty of Folklore”
MAY 31ST, 2016
Review of Airbag, DISCONNECTED (Karisma, 2016). Tracks: Killer; Broken; Slave; Sleepwalker; Disconnected; Returned.
When Airbag first appeared on the prog scene with their extraordinary album, IDENTITY (2008-2009), they seemed a fascinating cross between Pink Floyd and Talk Talk, at least in their influences. Or more accurately, perhaps, imagine Pink Floyd performing Talk Talk songs. Even the cover of IDENTITY looked like something James Marsh would’ve painted. The atmosphere the band created—at least in the studio—was nothing short of astounding. Moody, driven, and meaningful. One might be tempted to call their music prog shoe-gaze.
Their first and only (as far as I know) live release, LIVE IN OSLO, proved just how amazingly talented the four members of Airbag are. After hearing them live, no one could dismiss them as a studio band merely. As much as I liked IDENTITY, it was the 24 minutes of LIVE IN OSLO that utterly blew me away. Upon my first listen to this short album, I knew this band was something special.
Continue reading “Airbag’s DISCONNECTED: The Spirit of Mark Hollis and Rick Wright”
A new video from Frost*’s just-released album Falling Satellites went live this morning, and pretty cool it is too!
Their last trip to the Portland, OR area came more than a decade ago and it’s been nearly as long since they released an album of new material but regardless the 15,000 strong who packed the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater in Ridgefield, WA on Saturday definitely know the Cure. The Robert Smith fronted group played 34 […]
via Concert Review: Portland Finds The Cure in Ridgefield — Drew’s Reviews
Progarchy 