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Stars Below (2000, 42.40) ****/TTT |
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| Ether Silver Garden Stars Below Angelhaze Angelwaves Light Chant Glassy Halls |
Je Suis Partie Pour ne Pas Revenir Siren Angel's End |
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Cloud Street (2003, 38.59) ***½/TT½ |
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| Miracle Alley In the Tall Grass Pipes of Pan Stalactites Rapunzel Her Window Somewhere Faraway Castle Walls |
Strumming Magnetic Shadow Chant Magnetic Curtain She Was Here |
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Angel Provocateur are part of the Ventricle Records interlinked group of darkwave outfits, along with the better-known (relatively speaking) Mauve Sideshow, concentrating on 'ethereal female vocals', not to mention a goodly helping of the mighty 'Tron. Their second release, Stars Below, is most certainly ethereal, with no discernable rhythms, and the only credited instruments being 'voice, Mellotron and electronics'. Dusty Lee's Mellotron takes a while to come in, but after the title track's faint cellos, Angelhaze consists almost entirely of voice and 'Tron strings, heavily reverbed, setting the pattern for the rest of the album's Mellotron use, although there's also a short burst of flutes on Je Suis Partie Pour Ne Pas Revenir. I have to say this is, while largely formless, quite beautiful in places; I expect it's meant to be listened to by candlelight, and that sounds like the best listening environment for this drifting, almost elegiac music.
Three years on, its follow-up, Cloud Street, is effectively more of the same, although I found it just marginally less engaging, although I've no idea why. Maybe because I'm beginning to feel I've heard it all before? There's little obvious difference between these two albums, and you feel Ventricle could go on churning these out until the sun goes cold, although I suppose that's a little uncharitable. Anyway, although there's a touche of background 'Tron strings (from Lee again, of course) on In The Tall Grass, the first major use occurs in Rapunzel, with full-on strings and flutes, right at the front of the mix, with more strings on Her Window. However, the album's real 'Tron track is also its longest, the eight minutes-plus Castle Walls, with stacks of strings and flutes; very nice.
So; if slightly experimental stuff's your bag, Angel Provocateur shouldn't disappoint, although they're considerably less 'out there' than Mauve Sideshow. Nice 'Tron, too, on both albums. Buy.
See: Kangaroo Kourt | Mauve Sideshow | Steeple of Fyre | Torn Curtain
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New Mother (1999, 70.23) ***/T |
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| Fragment Praise Your Name New Mother Angels of Light Inner Female This is Mine Shame Intermission The Man With the Silver Tongue |
Real Person Forever Yours How We End The Garden Hides the Jewel Not Alone Song for My Father His Entropic Highness Fear of Death |
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Angels of Light are Michael Gira's post-Swans project, sounding not dissimilar to that band's later work, i.e. after the 130-decibel period. I believe 1999's New Mother is their debut album, combining folk, electronica and even the odd progressive touch with a post-rock sensibility, although Gira would probably dismiss any attempts at categorisation. His raw emotional honesty leaks out of every track, for those who actually take any notice of the lyrics, while its instrumental diversity keeps the listener on their toes.
Bill Rieflin plays Mellotron, amongst other things, with string chords on The Man With The Silver Tongue and Forever Yours, and while there may be some other bits hidden away, these are the only obvious ones. Overall, then, a deceptively quiet album, menacing in its laid-back intensity, although with little Mellotron, probably not one for the 'Tron obsessive.
See: Swans | Eszter Balint
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Flukt (2008, 34.24) ***½/TU.F.O. (Intro)Silent Light, Alien Night A Song to the Sky Negativitetens Kveletak The Astroid Haemorhoids and the Drunken Sailor Slaves of Mental Distortion Beyond Andromeda Satan (outro) |
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Angst Skvadron are comprised of members of various other Norwegian bands playing under initials, chiefly T.B., a.k.a. Thondr Nefas (so not T.N.?) on vocals, guitar and bass, and L.F.F., a.k.a. Lars Fredrik Frøislie, known to us for his sterling analogue work with Wobbler, White Willow and a host of other Norwegian outfits. Frøislie actually plays drums here, unexpectedly, also playing the more typical MiniMoog, ARP Axxe, Clavinet, Korg Polysix and, of course, M400. I've seen Flukt described as 'melodic black metal', which strikes the non-believer as a bit silly; it's a relatively melodic metal album, never mind the sub-sub-sub-genre, with rather growly vocals that stop short of the full death-grunt.
Frøislie's keyboard work crops up here and there, though is far from ubiquitous, with sequenced ARP on U.F.O. (Intro), modulated Mini on A Song To The Sky, Polysix parts on a couple of tracks and what's with the 'Close Encounters' theme that opens the stupendously-titled The Astroid Haemorhoids And The Drunken Sailor? He only obviously uses his 'Tron once, with cellos and strings in the quiet end section in The Astroid Haemorhoids (etc.), although it's possible it's elsewhere, using an unusual sound, buried away in the mix.
So; modern metal that doesn't actually aurally crush the listener to an untimely death. Having just been subjected to a weekend of such things, I can say that this is a joy to listen to in comparison (I mean, have you ever HEARD Machine Head?), although it's unlikely to appeal to the average old-school hard rock fan. Only slightly over a minute of Mellotron on the whole record, too, but it's a good minute.
See: Wobbler | White Willow
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The Nightmare Becomes Reality (2011, 47.21) ****/TTTT |
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| Voices From Beyond Corridor of Blood The Revenant Contamination Passage of Darkness Solemn Graves Delirious Feast of Feralia |
The Nightmare Becomes Reality Things to Come The Dead Will Walk the Earth |
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Anima Morte (which I suspect is the Latin for 'zombie') are led by multi-instrumentalist Fredrik Klingwall (Rising Shadows), whose raison d'être seems to be to recreate Goblin's horror flick soundtrack/prog approach, updating it with heavier guitars and modern production techniques. 2011's The Nightmare Becomes Reality is their second album, a triumph of doomy key changes and analogue keyboards, although I'm not fully convinced by the cod-Dario Argento sleeve imagery. Best tracks? This is a 'listen to in one go'-type album; attempting to pick out highlights is futile, as is resistance.
A cursory glance at the album's credits will inform you that none other than Mattias Olsson (Änglagård, a million others) plays on the album, albeit in his traditional 'percussives' role, although it's obviously his Mellotron(s) we're hearing. Klingwall plays male voice choir on all but one track, adding strings to Contamination, Feast Of Feralia and Things To Come and flutes to Solemn Graves and Delirious, the title track being the lone (seemingly) Mellotron-free effort. So why only four Ts? Most of the choir work is a tad unimaginative, merely block chords layered over whatever else is going on, but when there's this much Mellotron to be heard, who's complaining? If you like the sound of dark, soundtracky prog (think: Morte Macabre), you really can't go too far wrong with this.
See: Rising Shadows
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Anka (1974, 32.35) **/TTT |
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| Bring the Wine One Man Woman/One Woman Man Something About You (You're) Having My Baby Let Me Get to Know You Love is a Lonely Song How Can Anything Be Beautiful (After You) I Gave a Little and Lost a Lot |
Papa It Doesn't Matter Anymore |
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Feelings (1975, 33.49) **/T |
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| Anytime (I'll Be There) I Don't Like to Sleep Alone Out of My Mind in Love It's So Sad to See the Old Hometown Again (I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love Wake Up Today, I Became a Fool |
Girl, You Turn Me on Walk Away Water Runs Deep |
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Paul Anka remains best-known for his early work, including Diana, Oh Carol and the English lyrics to My Way (he didn't actually write the song, contrary to popular opinion), although he remains musically active to the present day. In the mid-'70s, he was making soft pop albums, very much in contemporary style and still having hits, not least his doubtless unintentionally creepy US no.1, (You're) Having My Baby. Its parent album, '74's Anka, is actually a perfectly good album of its type, assuming you like its type, balancing on a knife-edge between mainstream pop and loungey MOR, including another major hit, his paean to 'playing away', One Man Woman/One Woman Man. What was that I was saying about creepy lyrics? Anyway, most unexpectedly, the album's stuffed with Mellotron, presumably played by either John Harris or Anka himself. The funny thing is, a few tracks have real strings, so it wasn't as if they didn't have the budget; maybe they actually, y'know, liked the sound? Anyway, we get flutes and strings on opener Bring The Wine and I Gave A Little And Lost A Lot, strings on Something About You, including a brief solo, a semi-infamous flute part on (You're) Having My Baby, with more strings on Love Is A Lonely Song and Papa, making for a remarkably 'Tron-heavy album in the field.
The following year's Feelings takes a backwards step, being even more traditionally balladic than its predecessor, most tracks smothered in real strings. There's nothing here as creepy as the hits from Anka, but then, nothing catches the ear like them, either, making for a bland, faceless album from someone who should've been able to do better. The album's worst crime isn't leaving you feeling vaguely soiled, just vaguely bored, exacerbated by a severe lack of Anka's Mellotron use, with nowt but a melodic flute part on closer Water Runs Deep, probably played by Barry Beckett.
Well, do you want to hear loads of Mellotron, well-played and recorded? Yup? Get hold of a copy of Anka, then, if you can bear it, although Feelings is pretty much a no-hoper on the 'Tron front.
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La Disparition (2002, 39.12) ***½/T |
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| Au Coin du Monde Le Sable Mouvant Les Rivières de Janvier La Corde et les Chaussons Surannée Ailleurs L'Illusionniste La Tentation |
Mes Pas dans la Neige Le Chien d'Avant Garde La Disparition |
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Nolita (2004, 46.08) ***/T |
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| Que N'ai-Je? Greatest You Can Find Chelsea Burns One Day Without La Forme et le Fond Nolita Roses & Hips Midi dans le Salon de la Duchesse |
L'Onde Amère For You and I Song of Alice |
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I know it's a bit of a cliché, but Keren Ann (Zeidel) sounds so, well, French, despite her Indonesian/Dutch/Jewish heritage. La Disparition, her second album, has a fair helping of that Serge Gainsbourg vibe about it, although the bulk of the material is subtly-accompanied acoustic material with beautiful French-language vocals, Le Chien D'Avant Garde (an avant-garde dog??) being typical. The Gainsbourg comparisons become less surprising when you see that the album's produced by chansonnier Benjamin Biolay, whose own Gainsbourgesque Rose Kennedy, from the previous year, channels the master with ease. One 'Tron track, with a credited flute part from producer Biolay on Mes Pas Dans La Neige that enhances the song nicely. As always, a little more might have been nice, but maybe that's being churlish.
Two years on, Keren's relocated to New York, released Nolita and started singing (partially) in English. Is it an improvement? Not really, no; I have to say I preferred her all in French. Anyway, not wildly different to La Disparition, but either not quite as good, or listening to two of her albums back-to-back doesn't work for me. One 'Tron track, with Jason Hart playing flutes on Midi Dans Le Salon De La Duchesse in a manner not dissimilar to Biolay's work above.
So; two albums for the Francophile in your life. Not all that much Mellotron, but what there is works well.
See: Benjamin Biolay
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Lost in the Woods (2007, 23.06) ***½/TTLost in the WoodsGhost Children Deadly Nightshade Roses Blue Sailing on the River Styx The Dark Lord |
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Annot Rhül are, essentially, Sigurd Lühr Tonna's solo project. His/their first release, 2006's Who Needs Planes or Time Machines, When There's Music & Daydreams? (reviewed here uses 'Tron samples, but the following year's Lost in the Woods, while far less eclectic than its predecessor (more dark psychedelia, I suppose), is, for this reviewer at least, a more satisfying listen. While several tracks are almost darkwave-influenced, closer The Dark Lord suddenly goes all sort of Scandinavian prog/metal on us, moving away from the ever-present Saucerful of Secrets/Ummagumma Floyd vibe of the rest of the EP.
Real and sampled Mellotron this time round (thanks to Sigurd for the info), played by him, with a brief flute part and choirs in the opening title track, cellos on the outro to Ghost Children and strings and choir on The Dark Lord. All other 'Tron parts (and it's pretty much all over every track, especially Deadly Nightshade) are from the M-Tron, for technical reasons. So, Mellotron, anyone? That's more like it.
Overall, I'd say this is worth a flutter; Who Needs Planes... is a little inconsistent, but Lost in the Woods is very good indeed. Worthwhile.
See: Samples
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Wonderful (1995, 46.53) **½/T |
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| Won't Take That Talk Beautiful Dream Wonderful 1969 Again Yin & Yang Image of Yourself Alien Gotta Be a Sin |
Vampires Angel Very Long Ride |
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By 1995, Stuart "Adam Ant" Goddard was over a decade out of teeny stardom, if not yet the tragic figure of a decade on, after his court appearance on firearms charges. I'm not sure if Wonderful was designed to kickstart his career again, or was merely made for the hell of it, but despite featuring his old sparring partner, Marco Pirroni, on guitar, it (thankfully) has nothing in common with his early-'80s hits, being more of a singer-songwriter's album. While a little over-produced, it quite clearly wasn't made in the Decade From Hell, so at least we're spared sampled everything and gated reverb all round, although the odd '90s production trick turns up here and there (spot the occasional percussion loop).
To be brutally honest, the material contained here is a little second-rate, although a few songs manage to be quite affecting (Won't Take That Talk, Image Of Yourself, Angel). The Caribbean-flavoured Beautiful Dream should've been drowned at birth, but otherwise, everything is just about acceptable, though nothing really stands out. Bruce Witkin's Mellotron is actually the only keyboard instrument (ostensibly) used on the entire album, and it crops up here and there, with some background strings on the title track, only really audible on the final chord, with more of the same on Vampires. There are other points on the album that could be 'Tron (the middle eight of Angel, for example), but are more likely to be sustained guitar or somesuch.
Wonderful is Ant's last album of new material to date, and after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, we can only speculate on whether he'll produce anything else in the future. I'd be lying if I said I actually thought it was good, though it does have its moments. Beats Robbie bloody Williams, anyway.
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Electronic Church Muzik (2011, 64.05) ****/TT |
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| Birth Living The Language of the Body Eye of Agamoto The Guff (Hall of Souls) Mallard Flies Towards Heaven Ant-Bee's Sunday Supper Flutter-Bye, Butter-Flye |
Endless Journey The Light Mannah Psalm 23 Hallelujah The Wrath - Part One Secrets of the Dead Pennies From Heaven |
The Wrath - Part Two The Lord's Prayer Angels Don't You Ever Learn Re-Birth Final Benediction |
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Berklee graduate Billy "The Ant-Bee" James is a current psychedelic explorer whose career kicked off in the late '80s, although 2011's Electronic Church Muzik is only his fourth release in two decades. James has pulled together a stellar cast, contributors including Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth (Gong), Michael Bruce (the original Alice Cooper Group), Peter Banks (Yes), Jan Akkerman (Focus), the late Bruce Cameron and several members of his beloved Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. It's hard to say for sure, but the album seems to have some kind of religious connection, not only in its title, but in the choral parts on several tracks, not to mention the disc's dedication 'to God'. It couldn't be further from your typical CCM horror, though, more an updating of David Axelrod's work on The Electric Prunes' Mass in F Minor.
So what does it sound like? True psychedelia, is the answer, in that every track sounds different to every other, sound effects are practically obligatory and nothing here could even remotely be described as 'normal'. Individual examples include Eye Of Agamoto, which sounds like Gentle Giant channelling Zappa, Sunday Supper credits 'Michael Bruce (vocal), Chickens (chickens)' and he ain't kiddin', Mannah is effectively a jaw-dropping Akkerman solo acoustic guitar piece, while Psalm 23 and Hallelujah form a two-for-the-price-of-one psychedelic church experience. So what does James himself do? Apart from composing, it seems he's overall co-ordinator, playing percussion on most tracks, plus tape manipulation, the occasional guitar part and... Mellotron.
Billy plays his M400 on four tracks, with flutes and cellos all over the gentle Flutter-Bye, Butter-Flye, flutes on Mannah and The Wrath - Part One and strings on Don't You Ever Learn. All in all, Electronic Church Muzik is a roller-coaster ride of an album, endlessly inventive, deeply eccentric and more than worthy of your attention. Incidentally, James plays Mellotron on 1994's With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik; review forthcoming when I get to hear a copy.
See: Gong
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The Crying Light (2009, 39.24) ***/½ |
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| Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground Epilepsy is Dancing One Dove Kiss My Name The Crying Light Another World Daylight and the Sun Aeon |
Dust and Water Everglade |
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British-born Antony (Hegarty) lurched into the public's consciousness with his second album, 2005's I am a Bird Now, fawned over by the press and thrown into the limelight after fifteen years of near-obscurity in New York. I seem to be almost alone in simply 'not getting' where he's coming from; imagine a camp torch singer attempting some of Kate Bush's quieter material and you might be getting close, complete with wavery voice and odd phrasing. His third release, 2009's The Crying Light, carries on in a similar vein, typified by its opening track, Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground. Nope, sorry, don't get it, although Aeon stands out slightly from the pack.
Although there doesn't seem to be any mention on the album, the single of Epilepsy Is Dancing credits Antony with Mellotron, which presumably provides the distant strings on the track, although the album overall features real ones. You're probably either going to love this stuff or hate it (the old cliché); I fall into the latter camp (pun intended), which isn't to say it's bad music, simply music I don't like. Either way, don't bother for the Mellotron.
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Aphélandra (2001, recorded 1976, 34.36) ****/T½AirsBelladonne Pat Aphélandra Corinthe |
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Aphélandra's sole, eponymous album is one of those 'lost tapes' affairs, recorded in 1976, but not released until 2001. Unlike many similar, it's actually deserving of release, being a decent French symphonic progressive effort, with some excellent piano work from Philippe Grancher, who released a solo album the same year, 3000 Miles Away. Actually, the more I listen to this, the more of a shame it seems that it wasn't released at the time, although then it would've been an utter obscurity ripe for a Musea reissue, rather than an unreleased utter obscurity that appeared 25 years after the event. Opener Airs, which would've been a side long had this ever appeared on vinyl, is probably the album's best track, with notable interplay between Grancher's piano and guest Didier Lockwood's ripping violin. Cyrille Verdeaux from Clearlight also guests, although the band do a pretty good job on their own. The album's chief flaw is its stylistic inconsistency, with the title track being a bit of a waste of time, although there's enough good material here to make the whole worthwhile. There are (French-language) vocals, though most of the album's instrumental, so foreign-language phobics shouldn't have too much trouble.
The oddest thing about the record is Grancher's Mellotron use; he's credited with it, but it's difficult to work out exactly where it's used. Most of the album's massed vocal work appears to be real, although it could be 'Tron on 'side two', and the only obvious strings are a background part towards the end of Airs. This leaves the album's main Mellotron work being the church organ in Pat, with the tapes slipping authentically at one point, although there's nothing else obvious, accounting for the low T rating.
So; Aphélandra's release is, generally speaking, a good thing, and while it doesn't hang together quite as well as it might, it's worth hearing, though not for the 'Tron.
See: Clearlight
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End of the World (1968, 35.13) ***½/TT½End of the WorldDon't Try to Catch a River Mister Thomas Rain and Tears The Grass is No Green Valley of Sadness You Always Stand in My Way The Shepherd and the Moon Day of the Fool |
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It's Five o'Clock (1969, 34.00) **½/TIt's Five o'ClockWake Up Take Your Time Anabella Let Me Love, Let Me Live Funky Mary Good Time So Fine Marie Jolie Such a Funny Night |
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Aphrodite's Child were, of course, the launching pad for both Demis Roussos and the rather more sublime Vangelis (Evangelos Papathanassiou), who left Greece, heading for England, but found themselves waylaid in Paris, where they recorded their debut, End of the World. It's decent enough psych-pop, if rarely that adventurous, but they reached their apogee on their last album and meisterwerk, 1972's double 666, for which they're chiefly remembered.
End of the World is actually pretty good, if not quite the equal of the leading UK/US bands, and it spawned a huge hit across Europe with the rather wimpy Rain And Tears, but we'll forgive them for that. Best tracks are probably the last two, The Shepherd And The Moon and Day Of The Fool, with the latter stretching out into a creepy ethereal Hammond-fest, paving the way for the band's later progressive adventures. Now, a lot has been made of Vangelis' dislike of Mellotrons, consistently refusing to use one on his symphonic electronic late '70s albums (although I believe his additional live keyboard players were issued with them, interestingly). However, anyone who tells me there's no Mellotron on End of the World has no idea what they sound like, to be honest; either a MkII or an early M300 are all over the thing, although seemingly not on the track I was initially told had some, Rain And Tears. Anyway, the album's Mellotronic highlights are You Always Stand In My Way, loaded with what sound like MkII strings and brass, and the string-heavy (M300?) Day Of The Fool, very clearly a 'Tron, plus what sounds like various Mellotronic woodwinds on Don't Try To Catch A River.
Their second album, It's Five o'Clock, starts off in a similar vein to its predecessor, but by its conclusion it's shifted heavily into Zorba the Greek territory; it's hardly surprising old Demis ended up as he did. In comparison to the albums on either side of it, this is a bit of a dud, to be honest. The first couple of tracks are OK, but they seem unable to sustain the momentum, and Vangelis also cuts back drastically on his Mellotron use. Background strings on the opening title track and more upfront flutes on Anabella are all you're going to get, so it's a resounding 'no' on all fronts, then.
End of the World is no classic, but it's an album that original psych-pop fans should enjoy, with the added bonus of a handful of good 'Tron tracks. Forget about the follow-up and buy 666 instead.
See: Demis Roussos
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Guitar Zeus (1995, 57.57/69.19) ***/T |
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| Dislocated (Paul Gilbert) This Time Around (Yngwie Malmsteen/Doug Pinnick) Safe (Neal Schon) 4 Miles High (Steve Morse/Jennifer Batten) So Long (Doug Aldrich) Nobody Knew (Black White House) (Brian May) Guitar Zeus Part 1 (Jennifer Batten) Killing Time (Ty Tabor) |
Where You Belong (Slash) Days Are Nights (Ted Nugent) Time to Set Alarms (Elliot Easton/Bob Daisley) Under the Moon & Sun (Mick Mars) Guitar Zeus Part 2 (Leslie West) [European ed. adds: Where You Belong (Paul Gilbert) Under the Moon & Sun (Edgar Winter)] |
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Guitar Zeus 2 (1997, 63.46/72.48) **½/½ |
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| Stash (Stevie Salas) Code 19 (Zakk Wylde) Perfect Day (Warren DeMartini) Gonna Rain (Richie Sambora) Gavotte in E Major (Stuart Smith) The Score (Ted Nugent) Out of Mind (Neal Schon) Guitar Zoo (C.C. Deville) |
Nothin' (John Norum) Trippin' Again (Ty Tabor) Dead Wrong (Dweezil Zappa) Doing Fine (Vivian Campbell) My Own Advice (Kenji Kitajima) [Japanese ed. adds: Where You Belong (Paul Gilbert) G.Z. Blues (Seymour Duncan/Steven Seagal)] |
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Carmine Appice's been around seemingly forever, co-founding Vanilla Fudge in the mid-'60s and going on to form Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice, also playing with Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne and a host of others. Presumably finding himself at a loose end in the '90s, post- the execrable King Kobra, he struck on the idea of the Guitar Zeus series, sticking a string of name players onto a consistent rhythm section, making the resulting albums a far more cohesive proposition than most various artists efforts. After the initial '95 release, '97 brought the follow-up, followed by Guitar Zeus Japan and (wait for it) Guitar Zeus Korea. Um, Korea? The same Korea that's produced a glut of world-class guitarists? That Korea? I'm sure ol' Carmine has his reasons, but I can't imagine this one doing too well internationally. Speaking of which, the latest entries in the series are Guitar Zeus International and (gulp), a partial compilation, Ultimate Guitar Zeus, at which point he's hopefully (please?) realised that he's milked the franchise dry.
The original Guitar Zeus is good enough at what it does, I suppose, although an hour of rather uninspired hard rock is about 45 minutes more than I can stand, generally speaking. Doug Pinnick and Ty Tabor from the criminally-underrated King's X both guest, Pinnick adding his distinctive vocals to a couple of tracks, although regular series vocalist Kelly Keeling doesn't half sound like him in places. The rest of the guest stars sound more or (mostly) less distinctive, the 'more' category being inhabited chiefly by Tabor and Ted Nugent, the one player whose style really stands out here, amazingly. Even Brian May's usually distinctive style fails to cut through on his contribution, while most of the rest sound pretty much like each other, not least the wildly overrated Slash. Keeling and bassist Tony Franklin add Mellotron to a couple of tracks, with flutes on the gentle chorus of Safe and a handful of volume-pedalled string chords on Killing Time, barely gleaning the album a whole T.
Guitar Zeus 2 is, essentially, more of the same. You expected anything else? Something I'll say in these albums' favour is that unrestrained shredding has largely been kept in check, even amongst the participating exponents, which has to be a bonus. Unfortunately, none of the album's material seems to be in any way memorable and the guitarists are almost all entirely interchangeable. As for some of the choices... Members of both Ratt and Poison? Are you sure? Ten years after their respective heydays? Even ol' Ted's contribution is less iconic this time round. Basically, the law of diminishing returns has kicked in; one such album is a novelty: more is actually less. Only one obvious 'Tron track (from Keeling) this time round, with 'Strawberry Fields' flutes on Perfect Day, so you're even less likely to want this one than its predecessor on the 'Tron front, I'd wager.
So; a sort-of vanity project, although Carmine's drumming doesn't especially stand out, and the series is designed to showcase guitarists, not percussionists. I'm not at all sure the idea holds that much water, but guitar heads will probably want to own at least these two volumes. Little Mellotron, though, particularly on the second disc.
See: Beck, Bogert & Appice | Ozzy Osbourne | Journey | Leslie West | Stevie Salas Colorcode | Black Label Society
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Tidal (1996, 51.38) ***/TTTT½ |
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| Sleep to Dream Sullen Girl Shadowboxer Criminal Slow Like Honey The First Taste Never is a Promise The Child is Gone |
Pale September Carrion |
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When the Pawn (1999, 42.43) ***/TTT |
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| On the Bound To Your Love Limp Love Ridden Paper Bag A Mistake Fast as You Can The Way Things Are |
Get Gone I Know |
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Extraordinary Machine (2005, 50.34) ***/TT |
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| Extraordinary Machine Get Him Back O' Sailor Better Version of Me Tymps (the Sick in the Head Song) Parting Gift Window Oh Well |
Please, Please, Please Red, Red, Red Not About Love Waltz (Better Than Fine) |
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Pleasantville (1998, 9.08) ***/T½[Fiona Apple contributes]Across the Universe Please Send Me Someone to Love |
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Fiona Apple is one of those Lilith Fair types, like a more acoustic version of Alanis Morissette, but with a worse voice (?!), aiming fairly and squarely at a female audience. You know, "Sometimes it's hard to be a woman"; er, didn't somebody else write that? She's far from prolific, with only two releases in over six years, but there are advantages to not flooding the market with substandard work, although it may just be that she writes very slowly.
I can't really say I'm into this stuff very much, to be honest, but there's shitloads of Patrick Warren and Jon Brion (the usual suspects again)'s Chamberlin to be heard, particularly on Tidal. Unsurprisingly, more strings than anything else, though I'm sure I caught some brass on Sleep To Dream and there are cellos all over the place. Actually, this is something of a classic Chamberlin album, whatever I might think of the music. Particular highlights are The Child Is Gone and Carrion, but with Chamby on all but one track, it's practically a demonstration record for the instrument.
Ms Apple's second album sports the unfeasibly lengthy and pretentious title When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth is the Greatest of Heights and if You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and if You Fall it Won't Matter, 'Cuz You'll Know That You're Right (Guinness Book of Records, anyone?), commonly (and unsurprisingly) known as When the Pawn. Patrick Warren is credited with Chamberlin on four tracks, but producer Jon Brion presumably plays one on opener On The Bound, too. Warren's use is as good as on Tidal; it's just a shame it's not on more tracks; again, mostly strings, but there may be bits of cello and brass in there, too. Like Never Is A Promise from Tidal, several tracks have real strings on them, so maybe she's heading more in that general direction, which would be a bit of a pity, as what tape replay there is here is excellent.
Fiona's third album has a rather tumultuous history; originally produced by Brion again, work dragged on and tracks were leaked, although the (supposedly) finished article never appeared (for what it's worth, it has no obvious tape-replay input). Recording began again with a different production team, including The Moog Cookbook's Brian Kehew, the eventual result, Extraordinary Machine, finally appearing in 2005, removing the original album's best track, Used To Love Him. Genius. Musically, the released version is fairly typical Apple; offbeat, quirky singer-songwriter stuff with vaudeville influences. Co-producer Mike Elizondo plays Mellotron, with Jebin Bruni and Zac Rae (more usual suspects, then) on Chamberlins, with upfront flutes on O' Sailor, background ones on Better Version Of Me and very obvious strings on Tymps (The Sick In The Head Song) and Red Red Red. It's perfectly possible that it's on other tracks, but, as so often with the instrument, it's hard to tell it apart from actual orchestral instruments, proving that old Harry Chamberlin was right all along.
So; can't say I'm over-keen on the music, but Tidal is a killer Chamberlin record, and When the Pawn and Extraordinary Machine aren't too bad on that front, either. Probably worth it for the Chamberlin alone. Startling.
See: Pleasantville
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Electric Jewels (1973, 38.01) ***½/½Weeping WidowJust Like That Electric Jewels You Opened Up My Eyes Come on Along Lady Run, Lady Hide I Can Hear You Callin' Cat's Claw The Band Has Just Begun |
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The Whole World's Goin' Crazy (1976) ***/T |
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| Gimme Love Child's Garden Rock'n'Roll Woman Wings of Love Marjorie So Bad Shotdown Like a Lover, Like a Song |
Kick Willy Rd. The Whole World's Goin' Crazy |
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Amazingly, for a band who only picked up any sort of recognition outside Canada with 1979's Harder, Faster, 1973's Electric Jewels was April Wine's third album, although they had originally formed as far back as 1969. It completely belies their early reputation as a not-very-hard rock band, notable for filling their albums with, er, filler; most of the album's material is typical early-'70s hard rock, opening with the excellent Weeping Widow, with its deceptively quiet first few bars and the boogie of Just Like That. There are some quieter numbers; You Opened My Eyes and the (real) strings-driven Lady Run, Lady Hide are pretty drippy, but most of the album sticks to their new, rockin' template. Vocalist/guitarist Myles Goodwyn adds Mellotron to one track, with some nice string surges in Electric Jewels itself, although while the strings at the beginning of Lady Run, Lady Hide sound real, or at least, un-Mellotronic, they sound more 'Tronlike towards the end of the track. Could this be another example of those surprisingly realistic M300 strings?
By 1976's The Whole World's Goin' Crazy their lineup only contained one original member, and their early reputation had clearly returned to haunt them. To be blunt, going by this album, you can see why it took them so long to break out of their home country, although it was available abroad (there's definitely a UK version). It's... boring. OK, that's probably a little harsh, but it's completely run-of-the-mill US-style hard rock of the period, with nothing to really differentiate it from a thousand other bands; in fact, they did pretty well, all things considered. It starts OK, although Gimme Love is never going to be on anyone's list of all-time favourites (is it?), and Wings Of Love isn't bad, but tracks like the clichéd Rock'n'Roll Woman, or the tedious rock'n'roll of the title track, complete with 'helium' backing vocals are just plain bad. The album's sole 'Tron track is the balladic Like A Lover, Like A Song, with much of the track's instrumentation (all the piano and Mellotron) provided by 'Serge Locas', almost certainly a.k.a. Serge Locat of Harmonium, another Montreal-based band (although April Wine actually originally hailed from the unlikely environs of Halifax, Nova Scotia). It's a pretty typical mid-'70s piano ballad, to be honest, although Locat's initially background 'Tron strings rise up to the front of the mix towards the end of the song.
So; one reasonably good and one entirely average album, only one so-so 'Tron track on each. Your choice.
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The Fury of the Aquabats! (1997, 51.19) ***/T½ |
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| Super Rad! Red Sweater! Magic Chicken! Fight Song! Cat With 2 Heads! Story of Nothing! Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates! Martian Girl! |
Attacked By Snakes! Idiot Box! Powdered Milk Man! My Skateboard! Phantasma del Mar! Lobster Bucket! Theme Song! Playdough Revisited! |
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The Aquabats vs the Floating Eye of Death! (1999, 46.14) ***/T½ |
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| Sequence Erase! Giant Robot-Birdhead! Anti-Matter! Lotto Fever! Lovers of Loving Love! Chemical Bomb! The Man With Glooey Hands! Monsters Wedding! |
The Ballad Of Mr. Bonkers! Canis Lupus! Tiny Pants! The Thing on the Bass Amp! Amino Man! Hello, Good Night! |
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The Aquabats (or Aquabats!) are a California-based ska band with a natty line in matching superhero costumes, all tying in with their constantly evolving formation mythos. Actually, they look like they're a lot of fun live, with members taking on nom de plumes and choreographed battles with their legion of enemies, not least Powdered Milk Man and the Floating Eye of Death. Ridiculous? Yup, but why not? Compared to the legions of overly-earnest indie twats, The Aquabats! are a breath of fresh air, albeit not the most profound band you'll ever encounter. Like they'd care.
1997's The Fury of the Aquabats! is their second effort, and if I may lay a criticism at its door, it's that it's too long; this kind of stuff (like punk) works best in short bursts, so 50 minutes at once is a bit of an ordeal. It's also a bit single-dimensional musically, but then, it's ska - not exactly a style known for its innovation of variety, right? This is music written to be played live, in the proverbial sweaty club, so, all things considered, it comes across pretty well on one of those shiny little discs. I'm not sure if it's actually possible to nominate a 'best track', but Captain Hampton And The Midget Pirates! made me chuckle, which isn't a bad thing on a grey Wednesday morning. Mellotron from two players, Charles Wallace Gray (a.k.a. Ultra Kyu, a.k.a. The Mysterious Kyu) and James Randall Briggs (a.k.a. Jaime the Robot, a.k.a. The Robot, a.k.a. Jimmy the Robot), with choirs on Cat With 2 Heads! and Playdough Revisited!, backing up the band's own b/vs and a string part on Attacked By Snakes! It all sounds reasonably authentic, though who knows?
Two years on, and The Aquabats vs the Floating Eye of Death! (technically The Aquabats vs the Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol.1), while still ska-influenced, has moved the goalposts to include new wave-style textures, with more straightforward rhythms and an increased reliance on synths. Somehow, this is slightly less appealing than its predecessor, although the lyrics are every bit as silly; maybe they NEED the ska? Anyway, no idea who plays the 'Tron this time round, but apart from the probably-not flutes on Monsters Wedding!, the only obvious parts are the choirs on The Thing on the Bass Amp! and the full-on attack of cellos, strings and flutes on closer Hello, Good Night!
What's the best way to approach this band? Essentially, if their lyrics don't raise a smile, don't bother, I'd say. Anyway, two 'good at what they do' albums, one good 'Tron track (Hello, Good Night!) and several average ones.
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Allez Dire à la Ville (1978, 43.05) ***/TT |
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| Allez Dire à la Ville Suite Ecossaise L'Amour Kerne Les Oiseaux et les Electrons de Brenilis Dimanche Apres-Midi Toi Fils de Roi Fils de Rien (Tu Lis Ton Ascendance) Farewell Bob Brown |
Requiem pour le Jet Les Saisons L'Amour le Nucleaire et le Crepuscule Plainte de Yann Vari Perrot |
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Breton Dan Ar Bras (born Le Bras, later Ar Braz) started his career in Alan Stivell's band, going on to solo success, culminating in the 1990s, with his vast group of Celtic musicians (including Stivell), L'Héritage des Celtes. Allez Dire à la Ville was his fourth solo album, following a brief (and unrecorded) stint in a struggling Fairport Convention in 1976, and is probably best described as mainstream Celtic folk/rock, not a million miles away from what Scotland's Runrig would do a decade later. As a result, traditional tunes such as Farewell Bob Brown and Suite Ecossaise, enhanced by Ar Bras' electric guitar, rub shoulders with acoustic balladry (Les Saisons) and straightforward rock tunes (Requiem Pour Le Jet and the title track), which haven't aged well, but probably helped to sell the record at the time.
Unusually for a European album, Allez Dire à la Ville features a Chamberlin (maybe the same one that graces Magma's Attahk, recorded the same year), played variously by Benoit Widemann and Patrick Audoin. Three credited tracks, with a clear, orchestral-style string part in L'Amour Kerne and subtler parts in Toi Fils De Roi Fils De Rien (Tu Lis Ton Ascendance) and Plainte De Yann Vari Perrot, all of which sound like they could easily have been played by real strings; maybe they couldn't afford them?
As an entrée to Ar Bras' work, I wouldn't have thought Allez Dire à la Ville was your first port of call, although having not actually heard any of his other work, I couldn't say what would be. It's not a bad album as such, just a little bitty and dated in places, with the synth in, say, L'Amour Le Nucleaire Et Le Crepuscule sounding rather out of context next to its folkier tracks. As far as the Chamberlin goes, you've got three tracks of real strings-substitutes, but they sound pretty good anyway. Not bad, but don't pay too much.
See: Alan Stivell
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The Red Thread (2001, 57.07) **½/T½ |
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| Amor Veneris Last Orders Scenery Devil Tips Long Sea Love Detective Infrared Screaming in the Trees |
Haunt Me Turbulence |
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The Arab Strap named themselves after an obscure sex aid; so obscure, in fact, that I have absolutely no idea what it is. The mind boggles. [n.b. Just found it on Wikipedia. Lovely.] Anyway, the Scots duo had an early Belle & Sebastian connection, although the bands fell out over the latter's The Boy With the Arab Strap album. There is, in fact, some considerable similarity between the two outfits' styles, both playing quiet indie, although The Arab Strap's version is more electronic than the fey Belles' one. 2001's The Red Thread is their fourth album (of six; they split in 2006), and I think it's fair to say, you've really got to be into this stuff to get it; a couple of tracks were OK, but it quickly irritated the fuck out of me. Sorry, chaps.
With no actual credited Mellotron, conjecture is rife over what the band actually used. Somebody (probably multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton) plays Mellotron-sounding strings on Screaming In The Trees and cellos and strings on Haunt Me, confusingly combined with real strings on both tracks. I think, until/if I should find out otherwise, I think I'm going to have to leave this here, good people. I wouldn't really go too far out of your way for this; UK indie fans probably already own a copy, and the rest of you are unlikely to go ape over it, so without enough Mellotron to make it worth the effort, I'll have to say: don't.
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Arachnoid (1979, 46.09/66.33) ***½/T½ |
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| Le Chamadère Piano Caveau In the Screen Side of Your Eyes Toutes ces Images La Guêpe L'adieu au Pierrot Final |
[CD adds: L'Hiver (live) Le Pierrot (live) L'Adieu (live) Piano Caveau (instrumental)] |
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Interesting one, this. Arachnoid are quite difficult to categorise, to be honest; a bit Genesis, a lot Crimson, definitely some Ange, maybe a bit jazzy... French-language vocals, but less 'harsh' than Ange, with two keyboard players. Although I think I can hear Mellotron on four of the album's tracks, the 'Tron player, François Faugieres also plays 'modified Farfisa organ', so like Ange, what sounds like 'Tron may not be, and vice versa... There's actually very little Mellotron, even on the highlighted tracks, so although it's a good album, I couldn't wholeheartedly recommend it for 'Tron fans.
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The Suburbs (2010, 63.57) **½/T |
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| The Suburbs Ready to Start Modern Man Rococo Empty Room City With No Children Half Light I Half Light II (No Celebration) |
Suburban War Month of May Wasted Hours Deep Blue We Used to Wait Sprawl I (Flatland) Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) The Suburbs (Continued) |
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Could somebody please explain to me just what, exactly, is supposed to be so wonderful about The Arcade Fire? They seem to personify North American indie with their rhythmically boring, lifeless songs; yeah, yeah, don't tell me: listen to the lyrics, right? Trouble is, I don't care. What about the music? What about the music, eh? Who cares about the fucking lyrics? What's the point in fantastic lyrics (all assuming they are) if the music's as dull as shite? Er... Their third album, The Suburbs, is essentially a concept piece about precisely that, although I'm of the opinion that fellow Canucks Rush covered the subject more than adequately in one song, Subdivisions (from 1982's Signals), but then I would, wouldn't I? Maybe I simply shouldn't bother reviewing music that other people love and I don't, eh? Pointless, really.
The Arcade Fire bought one of the first M4000 Mellotrons to roll off the production line (such as it is), members of the band allegedly using it on a track or two on the soundtrack to 2009's The Box; more news when the soundtrack's actually released. As far as The Suburbs is concerned, it's pretty difficult to tell where it might be for various reasons, not least the presence of real strings on much of the album and the 24 sounds available on the machine, making it just as likely that a band will use, say, oboes or bass clarinet as 'regular' strings, flutes or choirs. What we seem to get are an obvious string part on Half Light II (No Celebration) and strings and (eight voice) choir on Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), as far as I can ascertain. In fairness, any one track from this played in isolation isn't too bad, but the cumulative effect of over an hour of the stuff is enough to drive non-indie fans to fury. Good at what it does (he said, grudgingly), but little obvious Mellotron.
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The Akallabeth (2009, 66.29) **½/T½ |
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| Gift of Love The Forbidding The Shade of Numenor See Myself in You Rings of Power Raise the Sword Power Within The Faithful and the Faithless One |
Red Clouds War The Downfallen: 39 Days of Madness Lidless Eye The Price |
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Archangel are the creation of Gabriele Manzini, ex-The Watch and Ubi Maior, whose debut album, The Akallabeth, is a prog-metal concept effort based on Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Are you running away screaming yet? If not, why not? It's a pompous, overblown, deeply unoriginal monstrosity of an album, guaranteed to sell to Ayreon and Lana Lane fans, or anyone who doesn't start crying when the phrase 'rock opera' enters the conversation. I suppose it's possible this could've been reasonable, but only if its considerable excesses were heavily trimmed and Manzini could compose a few decent melodies. Although the album features several guest vocalists, the vocals are, frankly, terrible, whoever's singing; not actually tuneless, but certainly toneless, in a portentous, declamatory kind of way that sets the teeth on edge.
Manzini plays Mellotron, amongst other keys and 'stun guitar', proving his Blue Öyster Cult fandom, which puts him into Planet Mellotron's good books on that front, at least. However, said 'Mellotron' is kept low in the mix, for the very good reason that, along with much of the other 'vintage' gear onboard, some of it's almost certainly sampled, so at least he's had the good sense not to push it too high in the mix. However, the strings on Power Within, The Faithful And The Faithless One and Red Clouds War have that certain something that's only possessed by a real Mellotron, although the choirs throughout are muffled and distant-sounding (Mellotron choirs sample notoriously badly). Maybe the available Mellotron has no choirs on its tape-frame?
So; overblown prog-metal rock opera. Help! Some of you will go for this, though, and good luck to you. I find it almost unlistenable, but maybe that's just my '70s-attuned ears having trouble with modern sounds/concepts/production techniques. Or maybe it's shit. I dunno. I can't see myself playing this again for, well, quite some time, which may well be a euphemism for 'never'.
See: The Watch
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Bloom (1996, 40.25) ***/T½ |
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| Sweet Little Truth After Hell One More Good Night With the Boys Rian Falling I Like it So Breaking My Back I Would Love to Be Right You Made a Fool of Me |
Memory Give in With Grace In Your Garden |
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Tasmin Archer hails from Bradford, rarely regarded as one of the finer places to live in our small island (sorry, Bradfordians) and even more rarely recognised as a hotbed of musical talent. Archer is actually a fine singer-songwriter, even if her second album, 1996's Bloom, has something of a pop tinge about it. It's one of those middling kind of albums, where every now and again it grabs your attention (a hook, a witty lyric) before letting it go again.
Producer Mitchell Froom plays Mellotron, with a strong string part on opener Sweet Little Truth and an uncredited one on Give In With Grace, although Froom is credited with 'keyboards' on the track. So; not a bad album of its type, if a little unexciting, with a couple of 'Tron tracks. Good God, call that a review??
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Lights (2006, 62.02) ***/TTT |
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| Sane Sit Back Down Veins System Fold Lights I Will Fade Headlights |
Programmed Black Taste of Blood |
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Archive formed in the mid-'90s, working their way through a succession of vocalists over the ensuing decade or so. They started off as a Massive Attack-style trip-hop outfit, elements of that style staying with them to the present day, adding in generic indie and electronica along the way. 2006's Lights is their fifth album, and could almost (but only almost) have 'progressive' added in as an influence, especially on the 18-minute title track. But is it any good? Matter of opinion I suppose, like everything, really. It seems to do what it does well enough, but I rather suspect you'll have to be a fan of the style to get very much out of this album.
Mellotron on several tracks from noted owner and Rick Wakeman/Take That bassist and all-round nice guy Lee Pomeroy, with strings on Sit Back Down, Veins and Headlights, plus shedloads of choir and strings on the title track, particularly towards the end. Dense, murky choirs on Black and more strings on Taste Of Blood make for a reasonably satisfying 'Tron album, rather unexpectedly, as until I saw Lee was involved, I'd assumed sample use.
