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Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
There is, of course, no 'Tron rating.
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What is to Come...? (2004, 38.04) *** |
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| What is to Come...? Victoria Rainfalls 10 Naked Women Don't Disturb the Dreamer Sir Horny Humperdink Eulalie Late in the Forest |
In the Big Picture The Sound of Yesterdays Dream About a Princess |
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Norway's Sir Haakon is otherwise known as Haakon Ellingsen, once of reputed 'Tron users The Last James, alongside Lars Pedersen of When. What is to Come...? appears to be his second solo album and the only one released under the monicker Sir Haakon & the Popular Musicians, its predecessor being labelled just Haakon and its two successors appearing under his full name. It's probably best described as low-fi folk, although not all of it adheres to both of those appellations, although it all adheres to one, if that makes any sense. Its chief problem is that three or four tracks are great, but a whole album (even a short one) begins to drag after a while; an EP consisting of the title track, Victoria, Don't Disturb The Dreamer and maybe the scratchy Eulalie would get a rather higher rating from yours truly, but too many jokey efforts like Sir Horny Humperdink drag it down, at least to my ears.
With no-one credited with Mellotron, my guess is that we're looking at (or rather, listening to) samples here; the flute parts on the opening title track and The Sound Of Yesterdays are a little too 'smooth' for their own good, while the strings on In The Big Picture pretty much confirm it. Overall, then, a partially good effort; maybe I need to hear a compilation of Ellingsen's best work? Mind you, that's always someone else's choice... When was the last time you encountered a non-'greatest hits'-type comp that matched your taste EXACTLY? Exactly.
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Corridors of Time (2001, 59.08) ***½ |
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| A Summer Air For Kristina Sundown Mother Nature Questions The Northwinds Blow Mountain Song Nobody's Listening |
Sweet Tender Sofie For Ulf June Afraid Remember Dragonfly Dance |
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Hagen were formed in 1995 with a remit to meld Swedish folk and metal together; an actual fusion of the styles, rather than laying folk melodies over a rock backing. The end result is strange, but reasonably good, although the fusion doesn't always work. Opener A Summer Air is magnificent, but some of the faster material (at least to my ears) doesn't have quite the same punch, despite being heavier. One notable member of the band is Hans Lundin, from one of Sweden's best progressive bands of the '70s, Kaipa, who plays Hammond, 'Mellotron' and synths here, although I'm pretty sure the 'Tron's not real (Lundin never owned one in Kaipa days); the string chords at the beginning of The Northwinds Blow, for example, sound just a little too even to be genuine.
His 'Mellotron' use here is variable, with an upfront string part on A Summer Air and the previously-mentioned solo chords in The Northwinds Blow. The rest of it is more background string and choir chords, which leaves me unsure whether or not to recommend this. The music is a brave experiment, though I'm not convinced it's an entirely successful one, and two tracks aside, the 'Tron' use is less than overt, so the jury's still out, I'm afraid.
See: Kaipa | Kaipa (samples)
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Music for Film, Television & Radio Vol I (2005, 40.00) **** |
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| Optigan Space Interval 1 Marionette 59 Sec Sting Carousel Bossa Nova Supernova The Shapeshifter Funky Duck Marionette |
Departure Lounge The Dream Sequence Space Interval 2 Paranoia Space Interval 3 Shadow Marionette 29 Sec Sting Pianet 54 |
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Harmonic 33, a.k.a. Dave Brinkworth and Mark Pritchard, have produced an interesting little album in Music for Film, Television & Radio Vol I. I don't believe any of it has actually been used for those purposes, but all of it could have been, and still could be (and already is?). Online reviewers have pointed out similarities to the work of John Barry and Lalo Schifrin, and you barely need to close your eyes while listening to be transported to the set of a seedy '60s film, probably low-budget, probably British. Carousel and The Dream Sequence (squaring up nicely to a well-worn film music cliché), amongst others, conjure up precisely the images their titles suggest, making a straight run-through of the album akin to channel-hopping UK TV at three in the morning, catching snippets of long-forgotten films no-one watched in the first place.
The excellent liner-notes refer to the 'Mellotron' to be heard on, amusingly, opening track Optigan (is that a real Optigan?), but I have to say, it doesn't sound particularly authentic. Of course, I could be utterly wrong, but the flutes don't sound grungy enough to be real, although I suspect the choirs are (or are meant to be) from the titular optical disc-playing device. There are other moments on the album, mostly flutes and cellos, which could also be the real/fake 'Tron, but it's rather hard to tell. I suspect the analogue synths heard on several tracks (not least Departure Lounge) are genuine, although I could be wrong there, too.
Anyway, an excellent album of faux-soundtrack music, although I rather doubt that the 'Mellotron' is anything of the sort. I've heard this referred to as 'the best album on Warp', and it's certainly better than the Vincent Gallo CDs I've heard, and I expect Brinkworth and Pritchard are nicer people, too.
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Lets Get Killed (1997, 59.21) **½ |
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| Listen My Mate Paul Lets Get Killed Gritty Shaker Head Rush on Lafayette Rodney Yates Radio 7 The Parcus & Madder Show |
Slashers Revenge Freaknik Caddell Returns Don't Die Just Yet For You |
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David Holmes is a Northern Irish (note: not Irish) DJ who moved into making albums in the early '90s, around the same time as his contemporaries on the mainland. His style incorporates found sound, programming and film soundtracks, making for an eclectic mix that may appeal to those with an electronica bent. Lets Get Killed (sic) was his second album, which shifts from the faux-'60s-via-'90s My Mate Paul (apparently a hit), through pseudo-lounge and the James Bond theme to the near-prog of Don't Die Just Yet, all intercut with New York street sounds and dialogue.
With no credited Mellotron, it's no great surprise to realise that the 'Tron choirs on Don't Die Just Yet are sampled, and not very well at that (maybe that's the point?). Overall, then, one for people who like to go to middling trendy clubs, or did in the late '90s, when I believe there was a brief lounge revival, for no obviously good reason. Good at what it does, but if you don't like what it does, that's of little use.
See: David Holmes
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Hostsonaten (1997, 63.18) ****½ |
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| Sinfonia Della Luna part 1 Höstsonaten Sunset Starfields Forest Ghosts of Summer Evenings Watersong Spirals Seascape Morning |
Remember You The Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
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Mirrorgames (1998, 70.21) **** |
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| The Dream (Overture/parts 1-8) Mirrorcloud Season of Eve (parts i-ii) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner part II There's a Certain Slant of Light |
Ellipsis I.Origin II.In Focus III.Signal IV.Transparence V.Twilight Dance VI.Return |
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Springsong (2002, 45.03) **** |
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| In the Open Fields Kemper / Springtheme Living Stone and 1st Reprise She Sat Writing Letters on the Riverbank The Underwater and 2nd Reprise Lowtide The Wood is Alive With the Smell of the Rain |
Evocation of Spring in a Fastdance Toward the Sea Blackmountains 3rd Reprise Springland |
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Höstsonaten (with or without the extraneous umlaut) are effectively Finisterre bassist Fabio Zuffanti's side-project. Finisterre are one of the few current Italian bands to have taken their country's 1970s heritage and run with it, rather than simply sunk into a mire of tedious neo-progisms like many I could name. Zuffanti carries on the good work here, with a type of lush, folk-influenced symphonic Italian progressive that has barely been heard since the glory days of the mid to late '70s; think Celeste, Locanda Delle Fate, or even PFM. The only real downside to these albums is their thankfully infrequent lapse into neo-prog territory, both in the odd bit of straightforward composition, and the occasional use of riffing guitar, when keyboards/bass pedals can provide more genuine bottom-end power.
There's some confusion over their debut, Höstsonaten, as while the front cover clearly only says 'Hostsonaten', the CD spine has the artist as 'Finisterre Project'. It would appear that this was Mellow Records' attempt to attract Finisterre fans who otherwise may have been unaware of the connection; it seems those 'in the know' tend to ignore this, and class the album as the first by Hostsonaten. It basically consists of a brief cover of Japanese prog gods Mugen's Sinfonia Della Luna, two middling-length tracks at the end, and a huge, sprawling epic in the eight-part, 40-minute plus title track. The music is generally of a very high standard; those of you into the '70s greats are unlikely to be disappointed by the bulk of this album, although their compositional standards slump slightly on the rather ordinary Remember You. Osvaldo Giordano's sampled Mellotron work crops up here and there across the album's length, without ever being that obtrusive or overbearing; subtlety - remember that? Anyway, all I can hear are string parts on all but the first track; the choirs are generic mushy samples, and all the flutes are real.
Mirrorgames, from the following year, is a worthy effort, but suffers slightly in comparison to its predecessor, although had you not heard Höstsonaten, it would probably strike you as excellent, as against merely very good. Zuffanti still occasionally slips into neo-proggish writing mode, particularly on the rather unimaginative end section of Ellipsis, which sounds closer to IQ than, say, Le Orme. Like its predecessor, the album is a little overlong, with its two multi-part epics adding up to about the length of Höstsonaten's one, although these criticisms are rather unfair, given the overall quality of the material. Hats off to Zuffanti for refusing to bow to the Europe-wide neo-prog hegemony that has produced so much rubbish over the last fifteen years or so; amongst the few honourable exceptions, Finisterre and Hostsonaten are somewhere near the top. Osvaldo Giordano does a similar job as before on the fakeotron, with short bursts of strings throughout, with few parts lasting longer than 30 seconds.
It took Zuffanti four years to come up with their third album, the all-instrumental Springsong, which has a decidedly folkier influence than its two predecessors. His band seem to be at their best when they do that 'acoustic guitar plus flute or violin' thing, but when they try to 'rock out' it all falls a bit flat. Saying that, the album has many moments of musical ecstasy, not least opener In The Open Fields, and the last part of Toward The Sea, Springland, despite its being one of the more uptempo pieces. Agostino Macor is on 'Tron samples this time round, and his work is excellent throughout, particularly on the strings, although I'm sure I'd have preferred it if the band had throttled back across the entire length of the album. Then again, variety is the spice of life...
So; an excellent band, almost rivalling the '70s Italian greats in places, although they can be a little inconsistent. To my ears, Höstsonaten probably has the edge over the other two, although Springsong is the one that breaks the mould, being both more acoustic and fully instrumental. To be honest, if you like the style, you can't really go too far wrong with any of these, with the caveat that Zuffanti's chief influence is '70s progressive, as against the pot-pourri of styles soaked up by his influences themselves. Isn't that always the way, though? Mellosamplingly speaking, all three albums feature it used with great restraint, so don't go expecting huge slabs everywhere you look, despite the number of highlighted tracks.
Fabio informs me that although these three albums all used samples, their subsequent release, 2008's Winterthrough, uses a real one. What's more, Springsong has been reissued in 2009 as Springsong Restyled, remixed and with new parts added, including genuine 'Tron. Reviews of both forthcoming in the main reviews section when I get to hear them.
See: Finisterre | Finisterre (samples)
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The Shining Example is Lying on the Floor (2004, 39.07) *** |
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| The Season for Working Comeback Kid It's Obvious Now Broken Sparrow Superman & Vitamins Blue in the Blackout The Quiet Life Dapper Dan |
My August Name OK I Will Arrange for You to Fall Queens & the Soft King |
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Goliath, I'm on Your Side (2004, 64.35) *** |
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| Soft Soft War San Diego Backslide I Will Arrange for You to Fall II Thicket Suddenly, It's You & Me The Silent One Sister Ray Silver Waves Crash Through the Canyons |
Owl Hummingbird/Indian Dog The Range The Devil Knows My Handle Oh, the Loneliness Our Good Captain |
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The Hotel Alexis is essentially a one-man band comprising Sidney Alexis a.k.a. Sidney Lindner. His debut, 2004's The Shining Example is Lying on the Floor, could well be described as 'dusty'; its contents largely drumless, mournful vignettes overlaid by Alexis/Lindner's fragile tenor. Sometimes this kind of stuff works amazingly well; I'm not sure that this is one of those times, but maybe the album requires more detailed listening than I really have time to give it. Rumoured Mellotron, with two interweaving flute parts throughout The Season For Working that just don't sound 'real' enough, to my ears, so samples it is unless proven otherwise.
Three years on and the less murky Goliath, I'm on Your Side expands Alexis/Lindner's sonic palette with full-on Americana (The Devil Knows My Handle), drone rock (the enormously lengthy Hummingbird/Indian Dog) and vibraphone-driven ambient (Oh, The Loneliness), although the bulk of the album sounds like a better-produced version of his debut. After an entirely 'Tron(sample)-free 62 minutes, two minutes from the end of closer Our Good Captain those flutes appear again, still sounding a little bit too good to be true.
So; albums for when you'd like a little peace and quiet, but not enough to switch off your stereo. Very little 'Mellotron' content, which may yet be proven to be real, though I'd be surprised.
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The Eclectic Measure (2006, 48.21) ***½ |
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| I and You and Me (I) The Eclectic Measure Forgotten Souls My Ambiguity of Reality The Antagonist Halfway to the Stars I and You and Me (II) Ominous (But Fooled Before) |
The Point of No Return Deus Ex Machina |
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Hypnos 69 are a Belgian psych/prog outfit who used (apparently real) Mellotron on their third album, 2004's The Intrigue of Perception. Two years on, the fittingly-titled The Eclectic Measure appeared, sounding nearly as, er, eclectic as its predecessor, highlights including the trippy title track, the gentle My Ambiguity Of Reality, Halfway To The Stars and closer Deus Ex Machina, although there's nothing here that disappoints.
Tellingly, although there's a 'Mellotron' credit on The Intrigue of Perception, there's no such thing here, and the sample use is given away almost immediately with the 'infinite sustain' 'Tron strings on the title track. Strings and/or flutes on most other tracks, top marks going to the full-on strings on Halfway To The Stars; this would probably have been a TTTT had it been real. Anyway, a cool modern psych album with loads of fakeotron. Like its predecessor, worth hearing.
See: Hypnos 69
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I.E.M. (1998, 45.05) ****The Gospel According to the I.E.M.The Last Will and Testament of Emma Peel Fie Kesh Deafman Headphone Dust |
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I.E.M. Have Come for Your Children (2001, 72.37) ***½(untitled 1)(untitled 2) (untitled 3) (untitled 4) (untitled 5) (untitled 6) |
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Arcadia Son (2001, 46.00) ***WreckBeth Krasky We are Not Alone Circadian Haze Politician Arcadia Son Shadow of a Twisted Hand Across My House Goldilocks Age 4 |
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A.k.a. the Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, if you like, or even if you don't. Basically a Porcupine Tree side-project, I.E.M. has no personnel credits (I believe it's mostly Steven Wilson), although it manages instrumental ones, first of which is 'Mellotron'. Indeed, within a minute of 12-minute opener The Gospel According To The I.E.M., pitch-bending 'Tron choirs enter the equation before the first of many spaced-out guitar solos over a driving rhythm section. A few minutes in, the piece quietens down as some string chords come out of nowhere, apparently played via a sampler, despite their wobbliness. Direct samples, rather than third-party efforts? The Last Will And Testament Of Emma Peel has some more strings, and there may be a little choir at the end of Fie Kesh, but that's about it on the fake 'Tron front. I'm led to believe that the title of closer Headphone Dust (recorded two years after the rest of the album) refers to a ratings system for music, of which 'dust' is the lowest possible score. It's actually a nice drifty acoustic track, with some of Wilson's trademark slide guitar laid over the acoustic, finishing the album off in a serene kind of way.
The 'band' have a rather convoluted discography, but the next album 'proper' after '99's An Escalator to Christmas EP was 2001's I.E.M. Have Come for Your Children, largely recorded in 1999, which takes the concept of their debut a stage further, not least by refusing to give any of the tracks a title. To add to the confusion, the double vinyl edition (allegedly only 90 copies pressed) is longer, with an extra eight-minute piece inserted between tracks 4 and 5, and with track 1 split into two (you can still hear the division on the CD version). Much of it isn't actually that difficult a listen, certainly compared to some of the more out-there work of, say, Julian Cope, although 'symph or die' progheads probably won't get much out of it. Track 1 dominates the hour-plus album with its 30-minute plus length, dwarfing even the lengthy Track 4, and is also the second-'easiest' listen on the record, after Track 6, recorded at a different session. In fact, Tracks 1 and 6 are the only two fake 'Tron tracks on the album, with track 1 containing several shortish bursts of choir, while track 6 is solely hammered dulcimer and choir, making it a minor sampled 'Tron classic.
I expected Arcadia Son, from later the same year, to be more 'normal', for some reason, but if anything, it's weirder, with more sampled cut-up stuff, including a hapless female American musician called Beth Krasky who makes herself look slightly silly on the track of the same name. The oddest part of the album, though, has to be a recording of (presumably) Wilson himself, aged four, reading in an extremely cute manner from 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' onto a hissy old tape. Not an awful lot of fake 'Tron here, although there's a string part towards the end of Circadian Haze and some choirs on the lengthy Shadow Of A Twisted Hand Across My House.
I.E.M.'s an excellent space-rock record with much whooshing synth and glissando guitar; definitely an exposition on one strand of Porcupine Tree's sound, which they now seem to have left behind them. The fake 'Tron stuff's not bad, but probably not worth buying for that alone. The other two are both harder work and less rewarding on the 'Tron sound front. Buy according to taste.
See: Porcupine Tree
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Two Sides Live (2002, 62.12) ****Eleventh Earl of MarFountain of Salmacis A Trick of the Tail Carpet Crawl Follow You Follow Me Supper's Ready Duke's Travels/Duke's End |
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In the Cage are now probably Britain's second most popular Genesis tribute outfit, and still on the way up. Musically, they're pretty close, although vocalist Trevor Garrard doesn't particularly sound like any Genesis singer, although that isn't necessarily a problem. His approach to their stageshow is influenced by his theatrical background, so, as well as the expected costumes, he's come up with a few of his own, which would probably get him shot if he tried it in Québecois The Musical Box. In the Cage started by concentrating on the early Collins period, but have moved backwards into the Gabriel era, too, usually splitting gigs down the middle into later/earlier material.
Their Two Sides Live CDR (ho ho) mixes the eras up, and features several of the highlights from their (lengthy) live sets, including several pieces rarely heard on British stages, namely Eleventh Earl Of Mar, A Trick Of The Tail and Duke's Travels/Duke's End. Keyboard man Mark Rae (hi, Mark), uses a Roland with the vintage synth board (the same as their M-VS1 module) for his Mellotron sounds, getting as reasonable a likeness as you're likely to from samples. Eleventh Earl has most 'Tron parts present and correct, although the stupendous crescendo on the intro and outro are less 'in your face' than I'd have liked. Fountain Of Salmacis has all the right parts in all the right places, as does Supper's Ready (bit obligatory for Genesis tributes, this one...). In fact, most of Mark's sounds are pretty good, whether he's emulating an ARP Pro-Soloist or a 2600, although there's a couple of parts on Supper's Ready which could've been slightly smoother.
Anyway, as with the ReGenesis albums, if you want to hear a Genesis tribute on CD, this is worth the effort, but as with all the others, don't expect any real 'Tron. Incidentally, the song selection here has obviously been quite deliberately chosen so as not to cross over with ReGen more than it has to.
STOP PRESS: Mark has now left the band, and has been replaced by a guy who's hauling a genuine Hammond and M400 around, so the next album should feature the 'real thing'. Shame about the vocals, though...
See: Genesis
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Cosmogonia (1998, 59.00) *** |
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| Anshar Alexandria First Rebellion The Sun Machinery Thorn Clad Malvasia Helionaut Lunar Drive |
The Cyclotron Psychopompe Hermanubis Crystal Eclipse Kishar |
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As you might've guessed, Into the Abyss began as a metal band (of Greek émigrés in Germany, as it happens), although by 1998's Cosmogonia, they'd moved into more interesting areas, viz Arabian scale-influenced psychedelic metal, with the accent on the psychedelic. Every now and again, the band go off-piste, as on Lunar Drive's space-rock (actually, this could almost be Litmus), but the bulk of the slightly overlong album concentrates on those raga scales and band mainman Janis Kalifatidis' rather overwrought vocals.
Kalifatidis is credited with Mellotron, amongst other things, but if the strings on Thorn Clad and Crystal Eclipse turn out to be real 'Tron, I'll be stunned. They almost get away with it on the former, but the latter's unadorned parts give the game away. The rest of the album's strings are either samples or real violin, by the sound of it, the real one working particularly well on Malvasia and Helionaut. Overall, then, one for jaded metal fans looking for something less generic or psychsters who don't mind a bit of riffy guitar.
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More Than Meets the Eye (1992, 46.58); ***½SleepwalkHiding in the Corner G.13 Wonderful World More Than Meets the Eye The Beginning and the End Holding Your Breath |
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You know, once upon a time (no pun intended), I was quite a Jadis fan. Followed 'em about all over the place (well, relatively speaking), must've seen 'em several dozen times. I missed their early 'two guitars, no keys' phase, but I saw their '87-'89 lineup loads, then after they split and reformed I saw them many more times. And now I sit here listening to their first widely-available album, More Than Meets the Eye again and thinking, "So what was all that about, eh?" Not that it's an intrinsically bad record, you understand; I think I've just moved on. Just to put the record straight, by the way, their first release was the Baboon Inquiries tape way back in '84, then the limited edition Jadis (***½) vinyl-only LP from '89, designed as a memento of the late-'80s version of the band, making this their third album, rather than their debut.
Jadis are often (doubtless to their irritation) referred to as an 'IQ offshoot' or similar, as there always seems to've been some sharing of musicians between the two bands. This came to a head with this lineup, as IQ's Martin Orford came in on keys, as did bassist John Jowitt (guesting here), replacing Nick May after some rather unfortunate skulduggery. The material is an intensely melodic and very British neo-prog, but lacks, shall we say, a certain energy. Gary Chandler's guitar playing tends to be pretty squeaky-clean, but I have to say, he has a way with a melody. The songs are mostly of quite unusual construction, often with several minutes of instrumental work before a short vocal section, then more instrumental stuff to the end.
The general feel of the album is very 'up', to be honest; I'm not sure who writes what in the band, but Martin has been known to say that he 'keeps his darker material for IQ'. The keyboards are mostly of the 'new at the time' variety, so much D50 et al. (but at least no bloody DX7), but to bolster up some of the crescendos, Martin brings in the odd bit of 'Tron choir here and there. I am, however, reliably informed that it's sampled, as on IQ's Ever, reviewed above.
It would appear I've been labouring under a misapprehension for some time, viz, their follow-up, Across the Water (***), also contained (sampled) Mellotron. Well, it doesn't; God knows what I was hearing, but there's not a trace of it on re-listening. The band had been gigging regularly for a couple of years by the time it came out, and I seem to remember a great atmosphere at gigs, but somewhere along the road it all rather tailed off for me. I think I realised after my third gig on the trot where I just stood at the back talking to people that maybe my brain was trying to tell me something. And that something was, "No more wussy neo-prog". After more lineup shuffles, I believe the current state of the band is back to that of the one that recorded these albums, but I no longer feel able to connect to their music as I once did. I suspect that after hearing Änglagård, nothing was ever quite the same for me again...
So; if you like your prog dark and moody, go somewhere else. If you like tons of Mellotron, go somewhere else. If you like bright, uplifting neo-prog, I think Jadis might just be your band.
See: IQ
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The Bruised Romantic Glee Club [as Jakko M. Jakszyk] (2006, 86.32) ***½ |
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| The Bruised Romantic Glee Club Variations on a Theme by Holst Catley's Ashes When Peggy Came Home Highgate Hill Forgiving No One Left to Lie to The Things We Throw Away Doxy, Dali and Duchamp |
Srebrenica When We Go Home As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still (incorporating: That Still and Perfect Summer - Astral Projection in Pinner) Pictures of an Indian City Nirvana for Mice Islands The Citizen King Soon After |
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Jakko Jakszyk's had a long and varied career, working in all kinds of areas, some of the better-known being the 21st Century Schizoid Band and Level 42, which may give some idea as to his versatility. His early-'80s solo album, Silesia, contains a smattering of Mellotron, but despite a credit, I'm of the opinion that 2006's The Bruised Romantic Glee Club features nowt but samples.
The one thing it has in common with its distant ancestor (aside from Jakko's voice and guitar) is a certain way with a vocal melody, although stylistically, it's more Porcupine Tree than Japan; unsurprisingly, as that band's ex-drummer, Gavin Harrison, plays here, along with many more famous friends than before, not least Dave Stewart (again), Danny Thompson, Mark King, Hugh Hopper and even Fripp. Speaking of whom, Jakko gives a couple of nods to his Crimson connection with Pictures Of An Indian City, a slightly Indianised (!) version of the Wake of Poseidon track, and a beautiful version of the very underrated Islands. Jakko's credited with Mellotron on one track, disc two's As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still medley, but 'that string sound' is all over both discs, with strings on all highlighted tracks plus flutes on No One Left To Lie To, but I'm quite sure they emanate from a sampler of some description. All a bit too smooth, frankly.
So; a good album, very good in places, definitely one for older Porcupine Tree fans to investigate, though I'm not sure I'd bother for a bunch of Mellotron samples alone.
See: Jakko Jakszyk
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If I Could See Dallas (1999, 73.27) **½ |
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| Now Wait for Last Year Elevator Headphone Vocode-Inn Toomsuba A Short Mile Pole Tricks Elephants Westworld |
Baker Beats Dallas Allah Rahka |
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The Sleepy Strange (2001, 49.28) **½The WaitingDisconnect the Cables The Year's Beat Vanishing Point Soft n EZ The Sleepy Strange Vinyl Fever |
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Japancakes are yet another entrant in the over-subscribed post-rock arena, recording lengthy albums full of lethargic, mostly instrumental pieces that seem more suited to creating a mood than to actually be listened to at all closely. I'd imagine that the best bands in the genre are those who create said mood most successfully, leaving Japancakes somewhere in midfield, I suppose. Their debut, '99's If I Could See Dallas, is a little on the interminable side, trapping on for a good half-hour longer than they needed to make their point, although I can see genre fans going for it. No-one's credited with Mellotron (often a bad sign), although there's a fast, high flute part on Baker Beats, sounding most sampled, with more 'standard' flutes and strings on Dallas. Of course, these may not be samples, but the faster bits don't sound particularly real, at least to my ears.
They followed up two years on with The Sleepy Strange, essentially more of the same, although at least it's shorter. More uncredited 'Tron samples, with ethereal (sorry) strings on Disconnect The Cables with a flute line later on, strings (alongside real cello) on The Year's Beat and more strings on Vinyl Fever alongside some quite cool echoed monosynth portamento work. Overall, these are albums you're unlikely to study in great detail, but if you want something modern and not too intrusive in the background, they knock spots off, say, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Still boring, though, although plenty of sampled 'Tron, if that's what you're after.
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Plugged (1997, 73.30) ***Erstes SchattenspielZweites Schattenspiel Drittes Schattenspiel |
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Jiannis Zedamanis is a Greek electronic musician, working firmly in post-Tangs 'Berlin School' territory, whose early releases appeared on cassette, before the cheap CD pressing revolution later in the '90s. 1997's Plugged (ho ho) appears to be his first CD release, possibly recorded in Germany, as all track titles are in German and it was released on a German label. Then again, the market for this kind of stuff tends to be in northern rather than southern Europe, so the Germanic connection makes sound business sense. The material's exactly what you'd expect: three very lengthy tracks of Tangerine Dream-ish EM with what sounds like some improvised parts over the ubiquitous sequenced backing. Frankly, if you like EM, you'll like this; it seems to be as good as any, while sticking firmly to the genre 'rules'.
Despite the preponderance of Mellotron sample use in the EM field (not to mention zero information on Jiannis' ownership of a real 'Tron), much of the album's 'Mellotron' use made me think it was real, until some unfeasibly sustained string chords on Drittes Schattenspiel, unless some studio trickery was involved. Might this be a German studio machine? Doubt it, to be honest, although the flute, string, string section and choir parts all sound reasonably authentic. Anyway, pseudo-Mellotron-laden EM, just like lots of others. Your choice. Incidentally, other Jiannis 'Mellotron' albums include 1990's Paramorphon 1 & 2 and the following year's Das Tonale Schweigen cassettes and 1998's Nightsessions.
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Starfire (2000, 47.45) *** |
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| Starfire Edge of the Blade Break it Up The Day the Earth Caught Fire Burn End Comes Easy Just the Same Abyss of Evil |
Forever Yours Gate of Tears |
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Jørn (Lande) is a Norwegian rock vocalist who straddles the borderline between hard rock and AOR (yes, there is one), keeping a foot firmly in each camp, although, admittedly, more in the latter than the former. I gather Starfire is pretty typical of the man's style; it's pretty cheesy, truth be told, without actually slipping into full-on Journeyisms, for which we should be truly grateful. More epic rockers like The Day The Earth Caught Fire and Gate Of Tears redeem the album slightly, but they sound pretty flat up against anything from, say, Rainbow Rising. Speaking of which, Jørn really shows where he's coming from with his rather pointless cover of Purple's Burn, although he manages a pretty credible Coverdale impersonation. Suffice to say, it's the album's best track by a fairly wide margin; why do artists cover tracks that make their own look crap in comparison? Discuss.
'Mellotron' on the acoustic-ish/Eastern End Comes Easy from Jon A. Narum (NOT John Norum, original guitarist with Europe, when they were good. No, really; lovers of UFO/Lizzy/Rainbow-style hard rock will love their first two albums, particularly the second, the magnificent Wings of Tomorrow. Then came The Final Countdown, and it all went both up and downhill from there, depending on your point of view. Er, I digress). Anyway, said 'Mellotron' quite clearly isn't anything of the sort, being ultra-smooth 'Tron string samples that barely even count as that. Well, we wouldn't want anything as grungy as a real Mellotron here, would we?
You really don't need this album unless you're a massive fan of the style, or have to have every Purple cover ever recorded, to be honest. I dunno; there's a market out there for this kind of stuff (hi, Phil), but I really don't get what's supposed to be so good about it. Maybe it's me. One average 'Tron sample track doesn't add to the album's appeal one bit, I'm afraid.
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American Whip (2004, 42.49) ** |
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| Sunstroke Christmas Song Baby You Should Know 33x Out of the Sun Drugs Dosed and Became Invisible Alzheimers |
Ron In the Never Ending Search for a Suitable Enemy VSX Valley Stream |
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Joy Zipper are the Long Island-based duo of Tabitha Tindale and Vincent Cafiso, who specialise in a kind of vaguely Velvets-inspired indie thing, while missing most of what made that particular band so iconic. I'm sure their second album, American Whip, has its devotees, but I'm afraid I'm not among them, being unable to see why anyone would want to listen to this rather dull record a second time. I'm obviously missing something, probably related to my age and overall taste.
I'd already decided that the 'Mellotron' flutes I was hearing weren't, when a 'Tron string note in Ron held for what must be well over a minute, satisfyingly proving my point. Flutes (mostly background) on several other tracks, but that's it for the-'Tron-that-isn't. This bored me rigid, and the Mellotron doesn't even have the grace to be real.
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Book of the Dead (2005, 46.46) ***½Chapter 1: Infinite VoyageChapter 2: Mirror to the Spirits Chapter 3: The Edge of Light Chapter 4: Aten (Window of Appearances) Chapter 5: Cloak of Antiquity |
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The LA-based K2 (to spell their name correctly) are bassist Ken Jaquess' prog project, who have released just the one album so far, 2005's Book of the Dead. Sadly, vocalist Shaun Guerin died soon after recording his parts, although going by their MySpace page, they've found a replacement. The band certainly has more of the feel of a project than a 'regular' band, with Jaquess somehow roping in not only Spock's Beard's Ryo Okumoto, but also legendary Brit fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth, amusingly referred to as 'ex-UK' on prog reviews sites, although they were really only a blip in his lengthy career. Notably, another guitarist is listed on the aforementioned MySpace page.
So, the album: in some ways, it's a typical modern progressive release, although it has elements of fusion (mostly from Holdsworth) and thankfully lacks the heaviosity of many current bands. However, it also lacks much compositional complexity, clearly written by someone whose chief listening is other progressive bands, so interesting key modulations are notable only by their absence and the material often plods. For those who love prog epics, opener Chapter 1: Infinite Voyage is 23 minutes of, well, prog, although to call it 'a Supper's Ready' of the new millennium', as their wildly over-enthusiastic biographer at ProgArchives has is a little optimistic. Yes, the band utilise elements of Genesis and Yes, particularly in Jaquess' slightly unwelcome bass solos, but the song structures are more '80s neo-prog than classic-era, although Yvette Devereaux's violin makes a welcome change from the usual instrumentation.
The 'Mellotron' is almost instantly obviously sampled, although there's quite a bit of it (strings and choir) on most tracks, particularly Infinite Voyage. Er, there isn't much more to say about the fakeotron, really; it's there and that's it. So; a decent enough modern prog release, but as with so many others, few real chances are taken (that's what made the first couple of Spock's albums so exciting) and even though it's not overlong, it drags in places and finishes fairly abruptly, lacking any kind of musical closure. Reasonable modern prog with plenty of sampled Mellotron, then.
See: Ryo Okumoto
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Notes From the Past (2002, 79.09) ***½ |
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| Notes From the Past - part I Night-Bike-Ride (on Lilac Street) Mirrors of Yesterday Leaving the Horizon In the Space of a Twinkle Folke's Final Decision The Name Belongs to You Second Journey Inside the Green Glass |
A Road in My Mind Morganism Notes From the Past - part II |
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Keyholder (2003, 78.29) ***½Lifetime of a JourneyA Complex Work of Art The Weed of All Mankind Sonic Pearls End of the Rope Across the Big Uncertain Distant Voices Otherworldly Brights |
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Mindrevolutions (2005, 79.21) *** |
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| The Dodger Electric Leaves Shadows of Time A Pair of Sunbeams Mindrevolutions Flowing Free Last Free Indian Our Deepest Inner Shore |
Timebomb Remains of the Day |
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After a 20-year layoff, Kaipa reformed around 2001, or at least, Lundin (fresh from his work with Hagen) and Stolt got back together to breathe fresh life into the name. As with Hagen, despite Lundin's 'Mellotron' credit, I'm pretty certain we're in Sample City here. The Flower Kings' occasional credit for the instrument is definitely bogus (I asked them), and Stolt's 'Mellotron' work on the Transatlantic albums is fake, too, so I reckon I'm onto a winner.
2002's Notes From the Past sounds rather like a cross between Kaipa of old and The Flower Kings, although Stolt apparently had no hand in the compositional process. It's a good album, but without the moments of greatness that the original band could conjure up occasionally, and at almost 80 minutes, it drags in places. The part-time female vocals are a bit unnecessary, too, giving the thing a slight MOR feel on some tracks. Yet again, just because you can fit 80 minutes of music on a CD... Maybe a few more plays will reveal the album's charms, but on first hearing it seems to lack something. After Stolt's semantics-juggling on his own albums, I'm somewhat suspicious of the huge slabs of Lundin's 'Mellotron' splattered all over the album; loads of great 'Tron' work on every track, anyway, with several unaccompanied sections dotted about, and much overdubbing of strings, flutes and choirs.
As with The Flower Kings, Kaipa followed Notes From the Past almost immediately with Keyholder, effectively more of the same, but possibly with slightly stronger songwriting. It's difficult to find anything much to say about this album that I haven't just said about its predecessor, to be quite honest; halfway between old Kaipa and the Flower Kings, with rather too much of the latter, especially in Stolt's guitar work, overlong, but overall perfectly pleasant, loads of 'Mellotron'... I think you get the general idea. You're just gonna have to hear it and decide for yourself...
Another two years on, and Mindrevolutions sounds more like a Flower Kings album than ever, to be honest, with a horrible 'funky' bit in the extremely lengthy title track that made me shudder. Once again, this could've been at least twenty minutes shorter and correspondingly more effective; what IS this obsession with length? (Fnar fnar). Anyway, more of the usual, although it's actually Stolt's last album with the band, leaving the reins firmly in Lundin's hands. 'Mellotron' on most tracks, although it takes a while to kick in, with some barely audible flutes at the end of Electric Leaves. From Mindrevolutions itself on, though, it's 'Tron-a-go-go, with flutes, strings and choirs all over, although looking at the credits on the band site for their 2007 opus, Lundin is credited with 'electric, acoustic and virtual instruments', so I really wouldn't put too much money on the 'Tron being real.
So; three reasonable albums, but to hear what Kaipa really sound like, buy The Decca Years box-set, containing all three of their original studio albums, plus one disc of demos and one of live material.
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Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001, 50.39) **½ |
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| Dispossession Chrome We Must Bury You Teargas I Transpire Tonight's Music Clean Today The Future of Speech |
Passing Bird Sweet Nurse Don't Tell a Soul |
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Katatonia are a vaguely doom metal bunch from Sweden, who, by their fifth album, 2001's Last Fair Deal Gone Down, seem to've mutated into some kind of unholy metal/indie crossover thing. I've heard heavier bands use programmed percussion and get away with it, but Katatonia are not one of those bands. It's not that the album's terrible, but it is too long (even at fifty minutes) and their 'metal-riffs-by-numbers' thing gets very dull very quickly. Basically, it sort of drones on for a while and then it stops, which is the bit I like.
Anders Nyström is credited with Mellotron, to which I can only say, "You 'avin a larf, then?" OK, I could be wrong (as so often), but the consistently long attack on the strings and the 'too high for the keyboard' notes, particularly noticeable at the beginning of The Future Of Speech, sort of give the game away. Anyway, you get strings on most tracks, plus flutes on a couple, but it all falls a bit flat when you realise it's samples. So; a rather dull album (again) with more fake 'Tron. Next...
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Unholy Majesty (2008, 49.28) **** |
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| Dirt Glow Nanny's World Bitter And Sweet Flawless Saturday Night Nature's Hymn Wholeness Sounds Vacancies |
Milky White The Unholy |
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Rose Kemp is the daughter of UK folk-rock legends Rick Kemp and Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span (Rick has also played with the mighty Gnidrolog) and she's played with the band herself, so you might expect her fourth solo release, Unholy Majesty, despite its title, to be in a similar vein. The sleeve paintings, with their gothic imagery, could be at the darker end of the folk spectrum, and you'd think the presence of a violinist pretty much seals the deal. However... What you actually get is a folk-influenced, progressive gothic metal album, that probably sounds a bit like somebody, but I'll be buggered if I can think of whom. Kemp gleefully mixes genres, shifting from acoustic sections to full band arrangements, (real) Hammond blasting away alongside her goth-metal riffs, suddenly switching to dark violin or prog keyboard passages. Best tracks? Probably Wholeness Sounds, with Rose sounding uncannily like her mum, if her mum sang in a goth band and lengthy closer The Unholy.
Fakeotron on one track, with strings all over The Unholy. A mate of mine has seen Rose play live, asked her about the 'Tron on my behalf (cheers, Adrian!) and let her know I have one for hire. I certainly do, Rose; there's a link to my contact page at the bottom of this page.
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The Hustler (2005, 45.01) *** |
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| The Hustler The 19th Hole Nearly Motionless Suzanne Ironside Stripped All I Want Cobalt Hue |
Pity Put You to Sleep The Red Lantern Nobody's Favourite Girl |
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Jeff Klein is an American singer-songwriter whose third (and to date, latest) album, 2005's The Hustler, is a bit of a mish-mash of styles, to be honest, veering from a primitive rock'n'roll/indie crossover (Nearly Motionless) through not-especially-mainstream pop/rock (Suzanne) to slightly menacing hushed balladry (closer Nobody's Favourite Girl). I'm not sure about some of the album's production tricks, notably the distorted drums on Cobalt Hue and the programmed percussion on Pity, but I'm sure Klein could always blame it on his producer. The album also features appearances from some of Klein's co-conspirators, not least Ani DiFranco, Mike Napolitano and Afghan Whig/Twilight Singer Greg Dulli, which may explain some of its quirks.
Jacob Schulze (or possibly Schultze) is only credited with Mellotron on one track, Nobody's Favourite Girl, although it's basically inaudible. Ironically, however, it turns up on three other tracks, with strings on The 19th Hole, Nearly Motionless and Pity. Or does it? Not really, no; while the first two just about pass muster, the solo strings at the end of Pity give the game away quite comprehensively. I mean, these aren't even good samples... A partially good effort, then, with too many uptempo tracks that spoil the overall feel.
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Polku (2007, 38.42) ****Polku IVieras Kieli Kesä Omini'i Dakakos Lahja vai Kirous Eksyin Ouija Nuoruus Polku II |
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Kosmos' second album, Polku, looks like a prog album and gets reviewed on prog websites. It is, however, a slightly progressive Finnish folk album, and probably all the better for it, featuring many traditional instruments alongside the more familiar tools of the trade. It's hard to pick out 'best tracks'; there's nothing wrong with anything here, assuming you like folk-with-a-touch-of-prog.
Although both Kimmo Lähteenmäki and Ismo Virta are credited with 'Mellotron', it's fake, but their samples are used well, with low strings and flutes on Omini'i Dakakos, murky choirs and strings on Eksyin and strings and flutes again on Nuoruus. They clearly aren't acquainted with Esa Kotilainen or I'm sure he'd have lent them his. Overall, then, a fine album that'll keep folk-rock types happy as well as appealing to many prog fans. Buy.
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Krux (2002, 50.04) ***½ |
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| Black Room Krux Nimis Sibiria Omfalos Enigma EZB Popocatepetl Evel Rifaz |
Lunochod Sputnik II Ural Space Nation Mother Russia Oceanus Procellarum Moon/Doom Sputnik Bring Me the Head of Nikita Chrusjtjov |
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Leif Edling from seminal Swede doomsters Candlemass put Krux together in 2002, producing a doom/trad metal crossover classic in their self-titled debut. I only hover on the edge of this world, to be honest, but the quality of the material is fairly evident; comparisons with the ever-improving Spiritual Beggars are decidedly valid. Basically, it's heavy as fuck, but with sensible vocals (from Mats Levén) and guest keys from Carl Westholm. Now, I've found various sources claiming that he plays 'Mellotron, organ and Moogs', but the whole lot sound decidedly suspect to me, so I'm sticking this in here until/if I find otherwise. Standout tracks? Evel Rifaz seems to be a fuzz bass solo (whether or not you consider that to 'stand out' is entirely up to you), while the seven-part twelve-minute epic Lunochod (about the Russian space programme) is probably the most focussed piece here.
Westholm's 'Mellotron' work consists of string parts added to most tracks, usually in a supporting role to the guitars. On Krux itself, the strings sustain at the end, displaying their sounds' deficiencies, although I was already somewhat suspicious as to their origin. As I said, I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time... Anyway, if you're into that whole Sabbath/doom thing, you stand a good chance of loving Krux, and real or not, the keyboards lift the whole thing to another level.
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CDS (1997, 19.26) ***½ Hush Raagy One (Waiting for Tomorrow) Under the Hammer Govinda (live) |
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Pilgrims Progress (2010, 41.42) *** |
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| Peter Pan R.I.P. Ophelia Modern Blues Only Love All Dressed Up Cavalry Ruby Figure it Out |
Barbara Ella When a Brave Meets a Maid To Wait Till I Come Winter's Call |
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One of many singles released by Kula Shaker, or rather, their grasping record label, around the time of their excellent K debut, their cool version of Hush (Joe South via Deep Purple) featured a live b-side track that appeared to feature the mighty 'Tron. I've been informed, however, that Govinda is all samples, and they never used one live. Probably never owned one, thinking about it. They're good samples for the time - eMu Vintage Synth? Anyway, a good track, with a 'Mellotron' part not on the studio version, making it worth hearing, assuming you can track a copy down. Could've done without Crispian's cringe-inducing intro, though... Old CD singles are a bugger to trace, aren't they?
Moving on to 2010... Proving that the reformed band weren't just a one-off flash in the pan, they've followed up 2007's Strangefolk with Pilgrims Progress [sic], a good, if slightly uneven album, highlights including opener Peter Pan R.I.P., Ophelia and cataclysmic prog epic Winter's Call, finishing things off nicely. Unfortunately, despite the album's nice, sensible length, it contains rather too many lightweight, faux-'60s efforts (Cavalry, Ruby) or rather generic indie ones (Modern Blues) for its own good. The only obvious 'Mellotron' is a big string part opening Winter's Call, but the even, long attack on every note gives the sample game away. So; a handful of great tracks, rather too many ordinary ones, probably worth hearing anyway.
See: Kula Shaker
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Alpacas Orgling (2006, 35.54/38.37) *** |
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| Overture Goodbye Innocence Ya Had Me Goin' Distracted Make Me The Ol' College Try Nothin' Will Ever Change Don't Let it Go |
Private Line Sukaz Are Born Every Minute Don't Bring Me Down [iTunes version adds: Money and Music] |
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L.E.O. are probably best described as powerpop, although the usual influences are largely missing. Alpacas Orgling (er, huh?) contains a mixture of styles, with the funkyish Ya Had Me Goin' (spot the clavinet) and the slightly rocking Make Me contrasting sharply with the near-psych of Goodbye Innocence and Distracted, which sound like a superior E.L.O. as much as anything. Er, L.E.O.? E.L.O.? Is there something we should be told? Of course, Jellyfish established the E.L.O./powerpop connection in the early '90s, but it's rarely as overt as here, in my experience; I mean, just listen to those backing vox and (real) strings on Don't Let It Go... The album features several nice production touches, not least the reverbed baritone guitar on Private Line, although the overall effect is a little on the sweet side, as you'd expect from faithful followers of Jeff Lynne. Turns out it's all quite deliberate and they're a pick-up band featuring Bleu and Jellyfish's Andy Sturmer, amongst others, not to mention their 'hidden' version of Don't Bring Me Down...
Maclaine Diemer plays 'Mellotron', but going by the obvious Chamberlin samples on Make Me, it's probably fake throughout, which shouldn't really come as that much of a surprise. Anyway, strings and cellos on brief opener Overture, with a little more of the same on Goodbye Innocence and that Chamby solo male voice on Make Me, plus upfront strings (too smooth! Too smooth!) on Nothin' Will Ever Change and Sukaz Are Born Every Minute (is that the MkII 'moving strings' I hear on the latter?). So; a decent-enough record in its chosen genre with some reasonable 'Tron/Chamby samples. All a bit too 'decent' and 'reasonable' enough for me, though. More dirt next time round, please, although I'm fully aware that that's entirely beside the point. Whatever.
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Argyle Heir (2001, 46.14) *** |
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| Fires on the Ocean Echoes Perfect for Shattering Going Up North (Icicles) Wooden Bars Catherine Elizabeth Nico Norte Words Hang in the Air |
Fjords of Winter In a Certain Place Brighton Bound The Reclusive Hero The Glass Pane Caton Gardens |
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The Ladybug Transistor are yet another Elephant 6 Collective outfit (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Marbles, Apples in Stereo) and, I have to say, one of their more twee examples. Their '60s-pop-just-about-crossing-into-psych schtick works for a few tracks, but quickly becomes tiresome, although Going Up North (Icicles) and Catherine Elizabeth work well enough.
No-one's actually credited with Mellotron, which is probably a good thing, as it sounds heavily like it was sampled. We get strings and cellos on Going Up North (Icicles) plus flutes on Catherine Elizabeth, Fjords Of Winter and closer Caton Gardens, but something about the timbres (not to mention the speed at which they're sometimes played) gives the game away. So; good at what it does, if you happen to like that kind of thing, I suppose. I'd stick with some of the other Elephant bands myself.
See: Apples in Stereo | Beulah | Marbles | Of Montreal | Sunshine Fix
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Scary World Theory (2001, 37.26) **½ |
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| Nin-com-pop Middle Curse Bi-pet Contratempo Scary World Theory 50 Faces of Lowdown Don't Think |
Come on Home Satur-nine |
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Lali Puna's second album, Scary World Theory, is a record of entirely average electronica, German-style, with lacklustre female vocals from Valerie Trebeljahr, who may be enjoying herself although it's rather hard to tell. In all honesty, I'm finding it difficult to think of anything constructive to say about this album at all; it's sort-of electronic, sort-of gothy, and definitely dull.
Sampled 'Tron on a few tracks, notably the flutes on Don't Think, where you can actually hear the loop point; extra low marks for using such a low-rate sample - the loop seems to be under a second long. So; Continental electronica freaks may go for this, but I can't imagine anyone much else will.
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Natural Selection (1997, 74.00) ***Strictly Speaking in Geographical TermsFrom the Ruins of a Fallen Empire Love Through the Winter and Blood in the Spring An Emptiness That's Never Filled... My Home Natural Selection Unraveling the Threads of a Waning Moon Meridians of Time The Theory And Practice Of Hell: Practice/Theory/Hell Awaiting Extinction |
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Cyclops: The Second Sampler (1995, 8.46) ***[Lands End contribute]Eyes of Venus |
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The Third Cyclops Sampler (1996, 9.43) ***[Lands End contribute]Breathing Deep |
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Lands End's second album, '95's Terra Serranum, apparently features a real Mellotron, though not one that's sounding particularly well, which probably prompted the band not to use it again. '97's Natural Selection features faux-'Tron on most tracks, with a string part towards the end of its closing 30-minute epic title track which exposes its fakeness for all the world to hear. The album itself is reasonable US neo-prog, better than the dullsville North Star, but not a patch on Echolyn or Spock's Beard, not that either band actually counts as 'neo-' at all, begging the question, "What exactly do you call something that's newer than new?"
Anyway, a passable effort, a statement which belies the enormous amounts of work I'm sure the band put into it; sorry, guys. Rather dodgy 'Tron samples, too, though fans of modern US prog may well like this. Incidentally, the band provided exclusive tracks for the second and third Cyclops Samplers, the neo-orientated British Cyclops label probably being their spiritual home. Both Eyes Of Venus and Breathing Deep are pretty typical Lands End fare; not bad, not that good, quite neo-. I'm sure the 'Tron strings on both tracks are sampled; they're far too smooth to be the broken-down relic they used on Terra Serranum...
See: Lands End
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3001 (2000, 49.54) *** |
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| 3001 2001 Voce Vem Erva Venenosa Mentira Rebeldade Pagu O Amor em Pedacos |
Cobra Entre sem Bater Aviso Aos Meliantes Historia Sem Fim |
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Aqui, Ali, em Qualquer Lugar [a.k.a. Bossa'n Beatles] (2001, 39.58) *** |
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| A Hard Day's Night With a Little Help From My Friends Pra Você eu Digo Sim All My Loving Minha Vida She Loves You Michelle Aqui, el, Em Qualquer Lugar |
I Want to Hold Your Hand Tudo por Amor Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds Here, There and Everywhere In My Life If I Fell |
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Rita Lee (ex-Os Mutantes) used a Mellotron on her 1974 release, Atras do Porto Tem Uma Cidade, but by the time, 26 years later, Lee finally uses the sound again, it seems to be only in sampled form. 2000's 3001 is a passable modern Latin pop album, but nothing to get too excited about, frankly. 'Mellotron' flutes on Cobra, one of the album's better tracks, but nothing to really write home about.
2001's Aqui, Ali, em Qualquer Lugar [a.k.a. Bossa'n Beatles] is Lee's Beatles covers project, tackling their songs in both English and Portuguese, mostly in a vaguely Latin style. Whether or not you like what she's done to them, the quality of the material is, of course, impeccable, and the whole thing's done to perfection. The samples here are a bit more obvious, with flutes on With A Little Help From My Friends, All My Loving, Minha Vida and In My Life, all used well. Shame she couldn't have found a real one, really. (Or is it??!).
I'd say, stick to her '70s work, or in fact, stick to Mutantes. Two so-so albums, but nothing you're going to miss if you never hear them.
See: Rita Lee | Os Mutantes
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Electric Pocket Radio (2001, 53.03) **½ |
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| Beep Beep Love Fuzzy Anthem It's Better Our One Millionth Customer Roscoe 1983 Electric Pocket Piano |
Christmas in the Summertime It's a Sunday Treble Tomato Soup My Best Friend Don't Say to Me It's Over Last Song [Bonus track] |
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Ron Fountenberry reinvented himself as The Incredible Moses Leroy, playing a kind of home-grown indie, big on cheap synths and cheerful, summery songs like Beep Beep Love, Fuzzy and It's A Sunday, slightly soured by rather more experimental stuff along the lines of Treble. Unfortunately, the cumulative effect of the material is fairly soporific, unless the stylistic combination above particularly appeals to you, I suppose.
'Leroy' is supposed to play Mellotron, but the flutes all over Fuzzy don't actually sound that Mellotronic and the cellos on It's Better even less so. As a result, samplation is assumed - that's if they're even meant to sound like a Mellotron, of course. Anyway, a handful of only halfway decent powerpoppish tracks do not a great album make. Next.
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Minutes to Midnight (2007, 43.50) ** |
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| Wake Given Up Leave Out All the Rest Bleed it Out Shadow of the Day What I've Done Hands Held High No More Sorrow |
Valentine's Day In Between In Pieces The Little Things Give You Away |
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Of the several nu-metal (aargh!) bands to actually break through to some sort of commercial success, Linkin Park have always had the least credibility (strange, in a world where Limp Bizkit exist), even being accused of pseudo-'boyband' status. This seems to be an unfair allegation - the band seem to have formed in a genuine enough manner - but they're certainly at the lighter end of the mini-genre, sounding rather 'plastic', to use a particularly cutting term of which an old school friend of mine was fond. Minutes to Midnight (how many? Two?) is their third album in seven years and is generally regarded to be their most diverse yet, heading even further into the rap/rock mainstream. Personal opinion? Absolute tosh. What is the point in this nonsense? Call me an old fart, but this is bloody rubbish; giving it two stars is doing it a favour. As far as I'm concerned, nobody since Faith No More has successfully combined the two genres, and it seems unlikely that anyone's going to now.
I've read all over the place that there's 'Mellotron' on the album; upon actually listening to it, most of the string parts are either real or sound like samples, leaving the cellos on In Between sounding like a Mellotron, but sampled. Rick Rubin may've produced some fine albums, but he doesn't appear to've found a real 'Tron for these boys to play. If you're lucky enough not to have this drivel forced upon you by your teenage children, avoid like the plague. Completely pointless.
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Liquid Scarlet (2004, 52.46) ****GreyroomHesitating in the Foyer Città Nuova Molok Talking in Ashes Comes Near, Lingers Far The Red Stairs One Last Masquerade |
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Liquid Scarlet II (2005, 56.16) **** |
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| Lines Are Drawn Again The Carafe (part II) The Marriage of Maria Braun Rhododendron Everywhere Just Like You Killer Couple Strikes Again There's Got to Be a Way to Leave |
The Thorn in Your Flesh Lines |
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There's been a bit of a fuss over Liquid Scarlet recently, though less so than for, say, Wobbler. Unjustly, it seems, as they're actually really good, with plenty of 'that Scandinavian sound' about them, without actually sounding like they're trying to rip Änglagård. Thinking about it, they're more like Anekdoten, actually, though with enough of themselves in there to deflect any major criticism.
Liquid Scarlet is a fine album, not too long, nice and varied (within the genre, obviously) and with good playing and writing throughout. It's going to take rather longer than I've got right now to extract its highlights for general consumption, but suffice to say, there's nothing here that's going to upset anyone into complex, symphonic progressive, with zero neo-prog influence, thankfully. On the fake 'Tron front (from Frida Lundström), Greyroom opens with strings blasting away over a jerky rhythm, and most tracks feature at least a little of the instrument, mostly strings and flutes, though the vibes on The Red Stairs could be 'Tron samples, too. Most accomplished, although it's a pity (of course) that they couldn't have sourced a real 'Tron, at least for the recording.
A whole year later, Liquid Scarlet II is a revelation, showing how dramatically a band can change in a short period of time. Far more 'progressive' than its predecessor, the album takes influences from a much broader palette, using a string section on several tracks, alongside the 'Tron samples. The nine-minute Rhododendron is one of the album's highlights, although the combination of Markus Fagervall's intimate vocal style and the band's original approach towards songwriting make pretty much every track a winner. In fact, I think it's fair to say that Liquid Scarlet II doesn't really sound like anybody much else, and it's not too often you can say that these days. Those 'Tron samples crop up on probably half the tracks, with new keyboard player Olle Sjögren clearly preferring to use Fender Rhodes or organ in preference.
So; two worthwhile albums, with the former being more for the symphonic fans, and the latter for those who actually want to hear something new. If you favour both approaches, you're laughing. Buy.
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Exploring the Psychedelic (1996, 46.05) ***½A Splash of ColorMesmerizing Eye Ride the Coaster Pyramid Let the Incense Drift Golden Gate '67 Swallow Sadhana Siddhi |
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Liquid Sound Company are a Texas-based psych outfit (no surprise there; let's face it, the state has some serious psychedelic history), led by guitarist/vocalist John Perez, better-known for playing doom with Solitude Aeturnus and the like. Their debut album, 1996's Exploring the Psychedelic, covers several different psychedelic styles, going from the shortish A Splash Of Color or Ride The Coaster Pyramid to the lengthy, jammed-out likes of Mesmerizing Eye and Sadhana Siddhi. The vaguely Neil Young-ish Golden Gate '67, with its blatant Rush lift is a bit of a surprise, as is the psych/doom crossover Swallow, just going to prove that the band have more strings to their bow than you might at first expect.
Perez is credited with Mellotron, but when it finally appears, with a floaty strings part on closer Sadhana Siddhi, a combination of its 'too smooth' tone and 'too bloody long' notes gives the sample game away. Guys, PLEASE don't credit 'Mellotron' when it ain't, OK? Like that'll make any difference. Good album, anyway, but no actual 'Tron.
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The Curtain Hits the Cast (1996, 65.08) **** |
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| Anon The Plan Over the Ocean Mom Says Coattails Standby Laugh Lust |
Stars Gone Out Same Do You Know How to Waltz? Dark |
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The rather wonderful Low's 1996 effort, The Curtain Hits the Cast, was produced by Steve Fisk, a man with many Mellotron credits to his name, although I'm told everything prior to 2005 is of the fake persuasion. It's a good album, if not quite up to 2001's beauteous Things We Lost in the Fire, chief highlight being the 14-minute Do You Know How To Waltz?, one of those tracks that builds slowly to a sustained crescendo without sounding anything like post-rock.
Fisk adds strings to Coattails, to reasonable effect, despite the fakery. A good album all round, then, although I'd go for their 2001 release if you're new to the band.
See: Low
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In Anadi's Bower (2000, 52.15) ***½ |
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| Behind Black Rider Darkness Blunderd in Homes Ship on the Ocean Windows of Time In Anadi's Bower Kill the Rats Legends (Waiting to Appear) |
Little Child Clocks Lighthouse and Train Spinning Around the Sun Order Now My Mind Said Stop |
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Blues From Hellah (2004, recorded 1983-2002, 42.10) *** |
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| Blues From Hellah Come Drug Me Babe Mire Armworth Old in Eden Za Za Banshee Lucilla's Gone When the Crossword's Done |
Leave and Let Leave Sleeping House |
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Shockingly, Lucifer Was formed in 1970, despite not releasing their debut album until 1997, citing no especial reason for the delay. They're heavily influenced by '70s hard rock/prog; think a Scandinavian take on Black Sabbath or Budgie being given a kicking by Jethro Tull (complete with flute) and you won't be too far off the mark. After said debut, Underground and Beyond, consisting of old material, the band released In Anadi's Bower three years later. It's a decent enough album of its type, if rather unoriginal, but, aside from the production, it sounds like it's beamed straight in from 1975, which I take to be a good thing. Best track? Probably the four-part, eleven-minute Little Child, although the entirely bonkers Kill The Rats is both amusing and memorable.
The 'Mellotron' work on the album, from Knut Johannessen and Jon-Willy Rydningen, appears to be fake, despite the band's website's frequent mention of the instrument; Windows Of Time is the final giveaway on the sample front, as a string chord is held for a ridiculously long time, but little of the work sounds that authentic. Strings on several tracks, plus flutes on the title track, with the best work probably kept for the aforementioned Little Child.
2004's Blues From Hellah started life in the early '80s as band leader Thore Engen's solo project, and is indeed quite blues-heavy, although some of the material sidesteps that particular musical ghetto. More than anything else, it reminds me of Tull's pre-Aqualung work, but without the songs. It's rather less arresting then its predecessor, lacking much of its epic hard rock approach, while adding some dodgy keyboards in places. Speaking of which, more fake 'Tron, this time just from Rydningen, though rather less than before, with just a few flute parts scattered about, alongside real strings and brass.
Of these two, I'd definitely recommend the former over the latter, at least from a non-blues perspective. It's also better on the fakeotron front, and would probably pick up TTT½ were it real. I haven't heard 2007's The Divine Tree, so I've no idea whether or not it features any Mellotron, real or otherwise; I shall report back when I get to hear a copy.
