RochaNews: Se Delan’s New Album

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
SE DELAN DETAILS NEW ALBUM “DRIFTER”
Sophomore album out April 29 on Kscope
LONDON, England – Se Delan, the dark, alternative, new-wave duo made up of multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves and Swedish singer Belinda Kordic will release its new album Drifter on April 29 (June 3 in France) via Kscope. Drifter is available to pre-order now on CD and 180g black vinyl via the Kscope webstore at: www.kscopemusic.com/store with a digital pre-order to follow.
The follow-up to 2014’s The Fall, the pair set about to make an album that felt raw, more natural and human. Together with their shared influences (“music, film and life”) and a mutual understanding of the way each other works has led to Se Delan creating an album that musically and lyrically looks at madness and how the line between sanity and insanity can at times appear frighteningly thin.
Vocalist Belinda comments: “Sometimes it can take a lot of effort and hard work to stay grounded and stay on the right side of that line. Life vs Death. The unknown (and cats).”
Drifter takes the slow and dreamy nature of the music from the duo’s debut album The Falland moves it to a far darker place through the lyrics and layers of sound that pulsate throughout the record. By giving up all pretentions and just following their hearts, Justin and Belinda recorded (with Ritchie Chappell at Tripdown Studio) in a way that simply captures how they felt as humanly as possible.
Justin states: “We don’t write songs in any way with this big concept in mind. We just put our thoughts into words and feelings into music, whatever they may be.”
Stay tuned for more information on Se Delan and Drifter, out this spring on Kscope.
-###-
Se Delan is:
 
Justin Greaves – all instruments
Belinda Kordic – words & voices
guided by 1000 ravenous skulls.
Se Delan online:
Press on The Fall:
“A haunting piece that gets in your head and won’t go away” – Noisey
“You will become hooked to their haunting sound” – Never Enough Notes
“An impressive beginning” – Team Rock
“Few ears could resist the tractor beam of such beautiful and entrancing music” – Under The Radar Magazine
“Eerie prog-rock with a side of skull-splitting riffage and apocalyptically angelic vocal” – CMJ
“A deeply felt and hugely atmospheric record that speaks of greater triumphs ahead.” – Echoes & Dust

Still Amazed by Dream Theater

On By Bryan MoreyIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Recently, I said some rather negative things about the new Dream Theater album, and I meant every word of it. However, that does not mean my opinion of the rest of their music has lessened at all. I just thought I would share these outstanding live videos (one with Portnoy and one with Mangini) with you. They combine all of the emotion you could ever want with fantastic musical prowess in two of their best songs. Enjoy.

Interview with Alms

On By NickIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Aitor (Flute)

Alms is short for Aitor Lucena Martinez Solo. The Spanish musician has recently put out an album “An Irosmic Tragedy” and here is what he says about it, among other things.

Hey Aitor. How are you doing?

I’m fine, thank you! Enjoying the great reception of my new album!

You just released new album titled “An Irosmic Tragedy.” How do you feel about the release?

It’s being absolutely fantastic. It took two years since I started composing “An Irosmic Tragedy” until its release. It’s been so long because of my duties at work and University, but the final result is totally worth it. I’m very happy with it and, as I said, its reception is being awesome.

Continue reading “Interview with Alms” →

How GENESIS REVISITED II Informed WOLFLIGHT

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock7 Comments
wolflightFrontCover
WOLFLIGHT (Insideout Music, 2015).

Wonderful interview with Steve Hackett at Ultimate Classic Rock.  Just one good quote below, but it’s worth reading the whole interview.

I’ve always had a strong love of Hackett’s art (well, at least since 1978 or so), but that appreciation has grown exponentially over the past several months.  Can’t believe I’m finally listening to WOLFLIGHT.  Had I done so before, it would’ve been a top three album of 2015 for me.  So artistic.

I hate to admit it, but I avoided listening to this album simply because I thought the cover was cheesy.  Now that I understand the album, the cover makes perfect sense.  So much for not judging an album by its cover!

Yeah! I think the response to the whole Genesis Revisited idea was so strong, it really turned things around for me in every sense of the word. I still love the Genesis songs that we all wrote and crafted together, and I have been able to work with a wonderful band live for many years. The bass playing position, which is also a 12-string-playing position, had been somewhat flexible. So far, it’s been between Nick Beggs and Lee Pomeroy, both of whom are great players and lovely guys. So, sometimes it’s one, sometimes it’s the other. And it may be that this year I have to work with some other player live, because they’re much in-demand. I share Nick Beggs with Steven Wilson — so, some years, Steven gets the priority, and other years, I get the priority.

Read More: Steve Hackett on Rangy ‘Wolflight,’ the Joys of Collaboration and Genesis: Exclusive Interview | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/steve-hackett-interview-2015/?trackback=tsmclip

New Cailyn Video: Fantasia

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Who doesn’t love the work of Cailyn Lloyd?  Incredible.  Here’s a video from her 2012 album, FOUR PIECES.  Stunning.  Really stunning.

Metal Mondays: Gygax, “The Rope of Shadow”

On By Time LordIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

One of the terrific 2015 releases that I missed but am getting caught up on in 2016 is Gygax’s Critical Hits.

Here’s my favorite track from it, to celebrate Metal Monday:

The Musical Momentum of Steven Wilson

On By carleolsonIn Progressive rock1 Comment
stevenwilson_poland2007
Steven Wilson live with Porcupine Tree at Arena, Poznan, Poland. 28 November 2007. (Wikipedia)

John Kelman of AllAboutJazz.com has written an excellent piece about the trajectory of Steven Wilson’s career, intertwining details about Wilson’s music, career choices, and closest collaborators:

Continue reading “The Musical Momentum of Steven Wilson” →

Celebrating Mediocrity, Part II: Genesis

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock9 Comments

In part I of this review, I attempted–and I hope succeeded–in professing my respect for Genesis, 1978-1983, while admitting my disappointment in INVISIBLE TOUCH (1986) and my nearly complete ignorance of anything the band released after 1986.  When Steve Hackett first introduces the [insert positive descriptive] Ray Wilson on one of the Genesis Revisited concerts, I had to google the guy.  I had no idea who he was.  This, for better or worse, probably tells you how little I know about Genesis’s later history.  I also noted that there were a few good things about the documentary the BBC made a year or so ago, Genesis Together and Apart.  Some of the questions, the footage, and the memories truly moved me.  I’d never heard of one of the talking heads, but, frankly, they were pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed their enthusiasm.

51CHcrcL4sL
The documentary that teaches selling Britannia is better than SELLING ENGLAND

Overall, the BBC narrative just infuriated me.

Some smart guys meet in an elite school.  They really like one another, except for Tony, whom everyone simply tolerates because of his talent.  Oh, and when there is disagreement, Tony gets grumpy.  Rather than backing down, everyone gives into Tony.  His moodiness isn’t worth combatting.  The friends write music that taps into nostalgia for pre-industrialized, Edwardian England.  From there, they create complex, artful tunes and dress in funny costumes.  Along for the ride comes some guy–who according to Tony–plays the guitar “stiffly” and another guy who plays the drums fiercely but who also smiles a lot and loves fun and gets along with everyone.  Weirdo costume guy leaves the band and becomes happy, even writing a pop anthem.  Stiff guitarist guy leaves the band and no one really cares one way or the other if he is happy or not.

Continue reading “Celebrating Mediocrity, Part II: Genesis” →

Celebrating Mediocrity as Success: Genesis Together and Apart

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock5 Comments

Review of the documentary, Genesis: Together and Apart (BBC), Part I.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v78665528YFza6yzt

As someone who grew up with Genesis in the 1970s and followed the band’s career very carefully until 1986, I found the most recent BBC documentary, Genesis: Together and Apart (2014 or 2015–I’ve seen both dates listed for its copyright), a serious disappointment.

Not that there weren’t some fine moments in the film.  There most certainly were.  Some great conversations?  Yes.  Some great scenes?  Absolutely.

51CHcrcL4sL
Celebrating the Worst in Our Heroes

But, overall, watching the documentary made me feel as though I’d entered a de Tocquevillian nightmare.  What is common becomes what is great in this story.  Indeed, the documentary argues that it’s best to take one’s highest art and pander some low form to the masses, mediated by corporate marketers and profit-grubbing labels.

And, please don’t get me wrong.  I’m not such a snob that I don’t enjoy post-Hackett Genesis.  I do.  I still consider ABACAB (1981) a great art-rock album.  For me, there’s not a dud on the album, and it has never grown stale for me.  While I don’t listen to it as much as I do MOVING PICTURES, which also came out that year, I listen to it constantly and have for 35 years.

I don’t have a problem with GENESIS (1983), either.  While there’s a song or two on the album that does nothing for me, I still find “Mama” quite haunting and “Home by the Sea” outstanding.  And, as much as Genesis fans mock “The Silver Rainbow” as sophomoric, I think it’s quite endearing, having captured the mystery (and clumsiness) of a moment of love quite accurately.

Continue reading “Celebrating Mediocrity as Success: Genesis Together and Apart” →

50-50: THE ASTONISHING Considered

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock1 Comment

Four progarchists have now weighed in on the matter of Dream Theater’s new release, THE ASTONISHING.  For your convenience, here are links to each four.  Enjoy.

The opposition

Chris: https://progarchy.com/2016/02/12/the-astonishing-pile-of-crap-from-dream-theater/

Bryan: https://progarchy.com/2016/02/12/the-astonishing-failure-the-album-nobody-asked-for-from-dream-theater/

 

The defense

Kevin: https://progarchy.com/2016/02/11/they-cant-stop-thinking-big-dream-theaters-the-astonishing/

Brad: https://progarchy.com/2016/02/10/astonished-dream-theaters-complex-audacity/