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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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Little Girl Lost (2002, 48.13) **½ |
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| These Things All Over Air I Need My Soul I Need My Love Never Fall Again Mermaid Vandalist Virgin |
Little Girl Lost I Take the Blame Green Dragon |
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Magenta (nothing to do with the outrageously unoriginal UK 'progressive' band) seem to be a Norwegian goth band, for want of a better description, although their sound is rooted as much in 'traditional' indie as anything. They're an augmented trio, effectively, with any number of guests joining the core of vocalist Vilde Lockert and guitarists Anders Odden and Daniel Hill, both of whom double on almost everything. Little Girl Lost is their second full release and, apart from the odd moment (the first part of Mermaid, the electronic title track), made me want to take it off immediately, I'm afraid. Bored-sounding female vocals intoning in bad English doth not a dark, scary album make, people.
Andreas Bjørk and Tore Ylvizåker are credited with 'Mellotron', but none of it sounds that authentic, the real giveaway being the muted choirs on I Need My Love, which just don't cut the mustard at all. The rest of their sample use consists of strings on opener These Things, overdubbed strings and flutes on Mermaid and 'Strawberry Fields'-esque flutes on closer Green Dragon, some of which doesn't sound bad, but none of which convinces me it's real. Now, of course, I'll be proven wrong... Anyway, half-arsed goth, sampled 'Tron, don't bother.
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A Single Book of Songs (2001, 55.33) *** |
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| To Gloria Vipera Berus K Aum The So Called 4th Sect What Happened in Antioch? Evening Streeted Pleroma |
Brave Manic Mover Out-Take Noara Dance What if Instead of Circles |
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Mammoth Volume are part of the 'third wave' of stoner hard rock/metal, following the late-'80s burst of activity from Trouble, Monster Magnet et al. But are they any good at it? I hear you cry. Well, I've heard better, to be honest, although they have a certain level of competence going for them and a disinterest in 'playing the game', making every track sound like every other, all of which sound like a bad amalgam of Black Sabbath and Hawkwind. You know the type. Maybe I'm just becoming incredibly jaded, but even on a second listen, I can't really warm to their second full-length effort, 2001's A Single Book of Songs, although it has its moments.
The 'Mellotron' parts are fairly obviously sampled, with strings on opener To Gloria, The So Called 4th Sect and Evening Streeted, with distant, phased choirs on Pleroma, strings and cranky flutes on Brave Manic Mover and finally, more strings on closer Instead of Circles, which would've given the album something like TTT were the 'Tron genuine.
There's supposed to be more 'Mellotron' on their eponymous 1999 debut, but all I can hear is some dodgy generic string samples, though I've been wrong before... As far as A Single Book of Songs goes, it's fairly adventurous for a stoner band, but somehow, I just couldn't engage with it properly, (fake) 'Tron or no. Sorry.
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Lycanthrope (2005, 62.17) ***Echo AbsoluteWerewolf Suite: Cosmotraffic Jam Call Me Alias Lycanthroparty Hum/Animal Song The Boy That Howls at the Moon The Mask The Transparent and the Obscure |
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Mangala Vallis' first album, The Book of Dreams, features real Mellotron, although that's just about its only redeeming feature. However, their follow-up from three years later, Lycanthrope, proves that neo-proggers can improve, if only slightly. It starts off as a vast improvement on its predecessor, although it still opens with a Genesis steal (Watcher this time). Guest vocalist on their debut, ex-PFM man Bernardo Lanzetti, seems to've become a full member by this time, making Chocolate Kings comparisons inevitable; better than Script though, eh kids? Mangala Vallis' previous Spock's Beard influence seems to have become more dominant here, with the vast bulk of the hour-long album taken up by the sort-of title track, the Werewolf Suite, replete with loads of Enzo Cattini's Hammond and fake Mellotron work. Hurrah! This isn't to say it's all good, by any means; Lycanthroparty pumps away at a mainstream rock groove for far longer than necessary, including the obligatory dullsville guitar solo, and in fact, the quality dips as the album progresses, until by the end, it isn't an awful lot better than its predecessor. What a shame; if only the album had been shorter, maybe the band could've tightened up their arrangements and made for a better release all round. 'Tron samples across the board, mostly strings, with bits of flute and choir here and there, although some of the notes hold just that little bit too long.
So; a partly good partly non-neo-prog album with fake 'Tron. Concentrate on what makes the first half of Lycanthrope good, lads, and your third effort could be very reasonable. Incidentally, many thanks to my old pal Gary for extracting a sample use confession out of the band.
See: Mangala Vallis
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This is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998) *** |
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| The Everlasting If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next You Stole the Sun From My Heart Ready for Drowning Tsunami My Little Empire I'm Not Working You're Tender and You're Tired |
Born a Girl Be Natural Black Dog on My Shoulder Nobody Loved You S.Y.M.M. |
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The Manic Street Preachers' story has been one of tragedy; their arch-propagandist, Richey James, disappeared in the mid-'90s, having almost certainly thrown himself off the Severn Bridge during a bad bout of depression. The band regrouped, recording Everything Must Go as soon as possible to try to overcome the trauma. In retrospect, Richey didn't seem to actually do an awful lot in the band, existing more as their public face than anything else, so their subsequent career hasn't suddenly taken a lurch in a different direction. The Manics started off wanting to be The Clash, but quickly mutated into a stadium-rock outfit for disaffected teenagers, an area they still inhabit today.
This is My Truth Tell Me Yours does nothing to change this state of affairs; mostly mid-paced, with a great deal of rather hollow lyrical rhetoric and somewhat clichéd song structures. Session keyboardist Nick Nasmyth brought in a raft of vintage gear, principally a Hammond and a Wurlie piano, and makes reasonable use of them across the album, although it's interesting to note that the band's next effort featured a noticeably stripped-down sound, as they apparently felt that This is My Truth was a bit 'lush' in the production department. I've always been under the impression that the credit for 'Mellotron' meant exactly that, but going by the interview with producer Dave Eringa here, it seems they're samples.
Anyway, fake 'Tron on three tracks; the rather pretentiously-titled single, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next has some nice 'Tron strings running through it, while the balladic You're Tender And You're Tired has a short arranged string part in the middle. The Manics also used a proper string section on the album, so Nasmyth was obviously going for a distinct 'feel' by using the pseudo-'Tron here. Album closer S.Y.M.M. (South Yorkshire Mass Murderer, apparently) has a background strings wash, with a slightly more upfront part on the second verse.
So; as a non-fan I'm really not in the right place to recommend this or otherwise, while the Mellotron use is OK but not stunning, or genuine. Interesting to note that 'Mellotron/Mellatron' manages to be spelled two different ways in the liner notes... Anyway, your choice, as ever.
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Expo (2005, 25.27) **½ |
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| Circuit When You Open Magic Out of Zone Jewel of India Hello Sun |
Expo Cruel Sound Blossoms Move on |
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Marbles are basically the solo side-project of Apples in Stereo mainman Robert Schneider, taking less of a '60s and more of a late '70s/early '80s turn on 2005's mini-album Expo. Largely informed by synth-pop, a handful of tracks work well enough in isolation, but the overall effect, even in under half an hour, is of tedium, I'm afraid, and as for Schneider's well-documented ambition to sound like ELO...
Given my chariness at the Apples' Mellotronic veracity, it comes as no great surprise to report that the credited 'Mellotron' here... isn't. Some of the strings barely sound like one at all, although it's possible they're actually something else, but the supposedly definite 'Tron strings don't sound right at all, ditto the choirs, leaving only the easy-to-sample flutes sounding at all genuine. Sorry, but if you want to hear retro synth stuff, there's an awful lot better around than this. I like the Apples' albums, but I'm afraid this leaves me cold.
See: Apples in Stereo | Beulah | Ladybug Transistor | Of Montreal | Sunshine Fix
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The Pillory/The Battle (2005, 148.02) ***½Battle 1 [Soundscapes/Choir/Mellotron]Battle 2 [Contemporary Classical/Orchestral] Battle 3 [Tribal/Prog Rock] Battle 4 [Anarchy/Freeform/Percussion] Battle 5 [Mellotron/Celestial Pipe Organ] Battle 6 [Ambient] Battle 7 [Industrial/Noise/Ambient] |
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In 2004, word started circulating of a follow-up to Martz's '78 avant-classic, The Pillory, finally released in 2005 as The Pillory/The Battle. Yours truly was asked to participate in the recording, along with many others, but sadly, didn't get his act together in time to contribute, or it may not have been necessary to put the review here. Mind you, I rather doubt whether the end result has been seriously compromised as a result... Stylistically, the album isn't a million miles away from the original Pillory, being largely dissonant modern classical, crossed with just plain 'weird'. Battle 3 lives up to its subtitle of 'Tribal/Prog Rock', with some (relatively) straightforward drumming and riffy guitar, overlaid with a killer violin solo by Benedict Brydern, while the disc-long Battle 7 is possibly the best piece on the album, including a ten-minute plus solo organ part.
Upon being asked directly, Jasun admitted that while the album featured 'Mellotron sounds', and while he has owned several 'Trons over the years, this time round there was no actual tape-replay involved. Apart from the fact that all too many current releases feature samples (damn you, M-Tron!), my suspicions were aroused for all the usual reasons: too clean, long, sustained notes, not enough real Mellotron 'feel'. Who'd have thought it was so difficult to sample a keyboard instrument properly? Anyway, the fake 'Tron parts vary in quality, though the 8-choir on Battle 5 is good enough to fool the ear, and the super-loud, distorted strings on Battle 1 (repeating on 7) are excellent.
So; while the overall feel of the album is subtly different to its predecessor (hardly surprisingly, given the 25-year gap), if you liked The Pillory, you stand a good chance of liking this. Just don't come looking for more full-on genuine 'Tron... Incidentally, Jasun has expressed his intention to produce the third album in the trilogy in ANOTHER 25 years, which by my reckoning makes it around 2030. Now, I'll be nearly 70 by then, and I'm sure Mr.Martz has a few years on me... Good luck, Jase!
See: Jasun Martz & the Neoteric Orchestra
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In Concerto (2004, 78.40) ****Il Canto dell'InvernoIl Grande Labirinto Ai Confini del Mondo Il Viaggio Nell'Oceano Capovolto Pt 1 La Maschera di Cera Del Mio Mondo Che Crolla el Mio Abisso e del Vuoto/Del Mio Volo |
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La Maschera di Cera's studio albums feature real Mellotron, but their 2004 live effort, In Concerto, clearly doesn't, as can be seen from the lack of anything Mellotronic in the booklet pics. The album itself is a good representation of the band live, warts'n'all; they seem to feature a 'garage prog' sound on stage, rough as hell, but very live. Bassist and bandleader Fabio Zuffanti plays the entire set through a fuzzbox, for reasons known best to himself (an attempt at a Ricky impersonation?), and what has to be a straight-from-the-desk recording has Agostino Macor's Roland monosynth (not sure which one) too high in the mix, but it's quite nice, for once, to know that what you're hearing is what was actually played on the night.
Macor's 'Mellotron' work goes to some lengths to sound genuine, so credit there, with sustained chords faded quickly out and back in, as you might with a real 'Tron. Plenty of strings, with bursts of choir and flutes here and there, source unknown, though they sound as good as any samples I've heard before. So; a raw-but-real live album, with the band taking chances (always good to hear), and plenty of fake 'Tron work, so pick this up if you see it at a decent price.
See: La Maschera di Cera
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Welcome to the Western Lodge (1999, 38.39) ***½ |
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| It's Shit Moriah The Great Spelunker Time to Burn Take a Shot at the Clown Baby Mae Why the Fly Ember Day |
Annihilation of the Spirit Call Dr. Carrion Boymilk Waltz Lover's Sky Also Ran Song |
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Deep in the Hole (2001, 39.43) ***½ |
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| Third Man on the Moon A Wish for a Fish Counting Horses Major Lance Scatagoria High Noon Amsterdam Corpus Scorpios Electrified Deep in the Hole |
Roof of the Shed Shotgun Son |
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It took the Masters of Reality seven years to follow Sunrise on the Sufferbus up with 1999's Welcome to the Western Lodge, and guess what - it sounds like a Masters of Reality album. Opening with the statement of intent It's Shit, the album covers several bases across its refreshingly vinyl-length, er, length, not least the largely acoustic Baby Mae and the under-a-minute Ember Day, although its most Masters-like track (i.e. the one that sounds most like their debut) is probably excellent closer Also Ran Song.
This is an assumption, but the 'Mellotron' to be heard on a handful of tracks here is almost certainly sampled. What you get is a strings part on the chorus of The Great Spelunker, a repeating flute melody and phased choirs on Take A Shot At The Clown and background string chords on Ember Day, while the overly-slick string chords on Boymilk Waltz give the game away; I mean, a Mellotron played that fast and that accurately with no key-click? Yeah, right.
Getting back into the studio clearly galvanised Goss, as Deep in the Hole appeared a mere two years later, a blink of an eye in Masters terms. More than its predecessor, this album rocks out, despite its occasional quieter tracks, notably Roof Of The Shed, ending on a particularly raucous note with Shotgun Son. 'Mellotronically' speaking, the brief Major Lance features strings and cello parts that sound far too clean to be real, although I'm willing (and happy) to be proven wrong, plus background strings on Corpus Scorpios Electrified.
Two very good albums that will almost certainly grow on me, given the chance. I'm quite sure that none of the Mellotron here is real, but as always, if anyone knows better...
See: Masters of Reality
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Certitudes (2005, 49.21) *** |
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| Je M'Incline Entre Toi et le Vent Perseides Deux Printemps Attends-Moi Les Champs Brûler Certitudes Rien à Dire |
Je T'Aime Je Crois Fleuve |
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Essentially a duo of vocalist Claudia Côté and guitarist Stéphane Desbiens (Sense, Ère G), Mélia's debut, Certitudes, has garnered surprisingly few 'Net reviews for a three year-old album, probably because it isn't easily pigeonholed. Folk? Prog? 'Melodic rock'? All of the above? It starts off in a bright'n'breezy folk style, until the rockier Perseides, three tracks in, after which the rest of the record chops and changes between styles. You can see this as 'varied' or 'directionless', largely depending on whether your glass is half-full or half-empty, I suppose. My chief criticism is that it all starts sounding a little samey after a few tracks. Côté's voice is slightly bland, although perfectly 'nice' in an Annie Haslam kind of way, but without her distinctiveness, and Desbiens' electric guitar work is rather faceless, too.
'Mellotron', presumably from Desbiens, on opener Je M'Incline, with decent helpings of strings and choir throughout the rest of the album. I'm afraid M. Desbiens is known as a sample user round these parts, and it's all too easy to spot here; there's no dirt under its fingernails, some of the notes hold for too long, and it's all just a bit too smooth for its own good. I know there are several working Mellotrons in Québec, but it's a big place, and there's no good reason Desbiens should know any owners, but if you're going to fake it, try to keep it a bit lower in the mix; it's just all a bit too obvious here, but then there's a good argument to be made that 'it's just another colour in the instrumental palette, who cares if it's real?' Well, me actually, but who cares that I care?
Anyway, a decent enough record, although not very exciting, to be honest. Some nice moments, not least those involving the 'Tron samples, but not really world-class.
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Perfect Colors (2004, 50.56) *** |
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| Perfect Colors Fantastic Love Ain't the Answer Goodbye Drifting Out of Sight It Was Raining Where Flowers Don't Grow Between the Lines |
Going Downtown Out of Reach In the Meantime Drifting Out of Sight (orchestral version) A Place for Meditation |
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Mellow's second album, Perfect Colors, is essentially a more insipid version of their debut (variously known as Another Mellow Winter, Another Mellow Summer and Another Mellow Spring), with most of its interesting bits removed. Any of the proggy excess shown on this album's predecessor have been ruthlessly excised, leaving a bunch of the modern equivalent of middling soft rock songs with little real individuality. It's not that the material is actually bad; it just isn't that good, either, and doesn't make this reviewer want to press the 'play' button again.
There seem to be a couple of major pointers towards the album's 'Mellotron' use being samples; nobody's credited with playing it, and the choirs on the semi-unlisted track, A Place For Meditation, are far too clean to be the real deal. Anyway, what we're left with are a couple of string chords on Where Flowers Don't Grow and the previously-mentioned choirs, though this time round, the flutes are all real. Anyway, if you liked Another Mellow..., don't automatically assume that you're going to get more of the same this time round, although some of you may like it anyway.
See: Mellow
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Deserter's Songs (1998, 44.46) **** |
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| Holes Tonite it Shows Endlessly I Collect Coins Opus 40 Hudson Line The Happy End (the Drunk Room) Goddess on a Hiway |
The Funny Bird Pick Up if You're There Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp |
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All is Dream (2001, 49.47) **** |
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| The Dark is Rising Tides of the Moon Chains Lincoln's Eyes Nite and Fog Little Rhymes A Drop in Time You're My Queen |
Spiders and Flies Hercules |
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Mercury Rev had been around for years, starting life as a vastly more abrasive proposition than the one into which they've mutated. Deserter's Songs has been reviewed extensively by people who understand the music a great deal better then I, so suffice to say, it's a sort of Appalachian folk/intelligent pop/singer-songwriter crossover thing, with great songs and a beautiful, relaxed sound. I know it's a cliché, but this is perfect late-night (nite?) music, with more than a touch of the Neil Youngs in the vocals, and almost Beatley arrangements in places. Another obvious reference is The Band, with Levon Helm guesting on one track.
There's no credit on the album for anything orchestral, although the strings on some tracks absolutely have to be. What is credited is both Mellotron and Chamberlin (strings only, apparently), played by three different band members; Jonathan Donahue (Chamberlin), Adam Snyder and Dave Fridmann, although a little bird tells me that when Snyder was confronted with a real Mellotron, his comment was along the lines of, "Oh, so that's what they look like", ergo, he'd never seen one before, ergo, everything on the album is samples. Various brass, flutes (some real) and woodwind instruments on many tracks, which are sometimes definite 'Tron samples (Holes) and sometimes not (Endlessly), although they all sound a bit suspect, and now we know why.
Three years on, and All is Dream carries on from where Deserter's Songs left off, with even more Neil Youngisms on the vocal front, and a more dramatic sound overall, and fewer, but longer tracks. Credited string players confuse the issue on the Mellotron front, although veteran producer and 'Tron user of old, Tony Visconti, is credited with Mellotron flutes on Spiders And Flies, which I find highly suspect; he's known for hating Mellotrons these days, so given the disinformation on their previous album, I think it's fairly safe to say these are samples. It appears that Dave Fridmann plays all other 'Tron' parts (almost certainly samples, then), not that there's many apparent; flutes on Little Rhymes, strings on Spiders And Flies alongside Visconti's upfront flutes, and strings on Hercules.
So; two great albums, despite the fake 'Tron. Buy them anyway. Excellent.
See: Grasshopper & the Golden Crickets
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Starfooted (2000, 73.58) ***½ |
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| Ladder From the Sky Chaos With a Crown of Gold Starfooted in a Garden of Cans The Illusion of Flesh In the Cave Seed The Bridal Chamber Don't Sleep |
Battle of the Archons Assumption |
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Metaphor have been around since the early '90s, initially as a Genesis tribute band, before switching to writing their own material. It took them until 2000 to release their debut, Starfooted, but the wait seems to have been largely worthwhile, with the band's various prog influences melding into a (relatively) unified whole. I'm not so sure about the lyrics, mind you, which seem to be based around the Christian creation myth, although this isn't what I'd call a 'Christian' album, unlike, say, the dreadful Akacia. Despite an occasional slip into dreary neo-prog territory, most of the album is pretty inventive, with a good dose of melody thrown in (remember that?), although it is a little over-long; you don't actually have to fill that disc up, chaps...
Marc Spooner uses a variety of keyboard sounds, though whether any of the older ones are 'authentic' is difficult to say; the Mellotron definitely isn't, as was confirmed for me by a new band member. The giveaway (as with so many similar) is the amount of fake 'Tron used on the album (mostly strings, with bits of flute and choir). It seems to me that most bands using a real one will restrict its use, as too much can be overwhelming and swamp the mix. On the other hand, samples will usually sit nicely in a modern, stereo-reverbed mix, and as such are frequently wildly overused, often tipping well over the 8-second limit; a serious giveaway. Nonetheless, it's nice to hear it here, and their new guy assured me they'd be using real 'Tron on their next album. That came out two years ago, so I'll be doing a bit of research into the matter. (n.b. They didn't).
Should you buy Starfooted? While not 'classic' prog, it isn't at all bad, and I can't see too many aficionados being upset by it. Not bad, and looking forward to hearing their newer material.
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Maritime (2005, 52.39) *** |
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| Muesli (She's in) Dry Dock Now Vigo Bay Six Foolish Fishermen Hilly Twosley Somebody Once Told Me it Existed But They Never Found it |
Luck Shield Mistaken Tourist The Broads Four Magpies |
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Bristol-based David Edwards' one-man-band project Minotaur Shock specialise in electronica, I suppose. His/their third album, Maritime, consists of a host of sampled instruments juxtaposed with considerable care and harmonic invention, although his use of percussion samples becomes wearing after a while (closer Four Magpies in particular). You've probably really got to be into this style to get very much out of this album, although parts of it could be considered restful, if that's what you're after.
Edwards plays 'Mellotron' on a couple of tracks, although I'm quite sure it's sampled, with flutes on Vigo Bay and strings, choirs and background flutes on (deep breath) Somebody Once Told Me It Existed But They Never Found It, although the cellos on Luck Shield sound like generic samples. So; British electronica on 4AD (home to the Cocteau Twins, amongst others), a couple of tracks of sampled 'Tron. Done deal.
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Mizukagami (2003, 48.06) ***SakuraHaru no Sono Suzukaze Shinato no Kaze Takamura Yukimushi |
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As detailed in my review for their second album, Mizukagami are a decent enough modern Japanese progressive outfit with one fatal flaw: the singer's horrendous pitch. Their eponymous 2003 debut is ruined by the awful vocals (actually very pleasant, aside from her pitch issues), and while small doses of it are impressive, nearly fifty minutes is quite brain-deadening, I'm afraid to say.
Junya Anan's credited 'Mellotron' work is all over the album, although I'm pretty convinced it's fake, with upfront flutes and background strings on Sakura, choirs on Haru No Sono and strings and/or flutes across the rest of the album. OK, it might be real, but I wouldn't put any serious money on the possibility. Overall, then, not bad, not great, infuriatingly bad vocals, sampled Mellotron.
See: Mizukagami
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De l'Ombre à la Lumière (1998, 56.43) ***½Captif de la NuitL'Échiquier de la Vie Les Guerriers Passions Voyage Avec les Morts Souvenirs Quelque Part sur un Quai Les Noces de Cendre Comme un Songe |
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To my total lack of surprise, Mona Lisa's 1998 reformation album appears to contain (at best) sampled Mellotron, which may actually only be decent string samples that have a 'Tronlike quality when un-stringlike block chords are played. Somewhat more to my surprise, De l'Ombre à la Lumière is actually passably good, albeit overlong (so what's new?) and with too much filler (ditto). Even more than on their '70s material, they sound like Ange here, although Dominique Le Guennec's theatrical (French language) vocal style makes for lazy comparisons. The material veers between the 'almost as good as they ever were' opener, Captif De La Nuit, through the better-than-you'd-expect ten-minute Voyage Avec Les Morts, complete with lengthy guitar solo, to some more average fare towards the end. Fake 'Tron strings on several tracks, which never really convince, though you can see how they could deceive the ear in places.
So; nowhere near their classic, 1977's Le Petit Violon de Monsieur Grégoire (****½), but a respectable enough album from a reformed band, given some of the competition. Incidentally, it seems that the band is essentially Le Guennec backed by the members of '90s French act Versailles, so there's little musical connection with the old outfit.
See: Mona Lisa
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You Are There (2006, 60.00) ***The Flames Beyond the Cold MountainA Heart Has Asked for the Pleasure Yearning Are You There? The Remains of the Day Moonlight |
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Mono are a Japanese post-rock outfit who do that 'build, crescendo, fall' thing as well as any and better than many. I can see how they could grab prog fans with their lengthy atmospherics, although I suspect a chemically-altered state probably helps in their appreciation. There's nothing much to choose between the six pieces on 2006's You Are There, four long, two short; this is an album that really needs to be listened to as a whole, and singling out individual tracks is fairly futile, although, er, closer Moonlight stands out slightly from the pack. Actually, the best way to approach this music is to think of it as a soundtrack; amusingly, their website includes a small section aimed at directors looking to use the band's music in their films, which pretty much sums them up, albeit not in a bad way.
'Mellotron' strings (from ?) all over Yearning, fairly obviously sampled, although all other string sounds on the album are presumably generic samples. Overall, then, one of the better post-rock releases I've come across lately; these guys know how to handle dynamics better than almost anyone else I've heard in the field. It's still overlong, but it's post-rock; what did you expect?
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Brainstorm of Emptyness (1995, 71.07) **½ |
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| Sea Memories Who's Wrong? Sonya in Search of the Moon: Silver Tears Gun Child Is He Mommy's Little Monster? Sonya in Search of the Moon: Alone in the Nightfield |
Chrome Heart Sonya in Search of the Moon: The Search Sherylin's Mistake Sonya in Search of the Moon: Moonman Return The Losing Dawn |
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Moongarden's amusingly misspelt second effort, Brainstorm of Emptyness, starts off quite well, with a few minutes of laid-back progressiveness, until the whole band kicks in around the four-minute mark. Oh shit, it's Marillion. Actually, more IQ than Marillion, but poor neo-prog whichever way you look at it. To add insult to injury, the album is quite interminable, and would've been overlong at 40 minutes. It's not all bad; when the rhythm section quietens down and the guitarist picks up an acoustic, it's actually quite nice, as on the first two parts of Sonya In Search Of The Moon, but as soon as that herky-jerky bass riff starts again, my brain shuts down in a vain attempt not to be reminded of the horrors of the '80s.
Cristiano Roversi plays a good bit of fake 'Tron, (he's admitted it's samples), even though '95 is a bit early for such things (Vintage Keys module, methinks). Flutes some minutes into opener Sea Memories, with a major string part on Who's Wrong?, whiile the strings on Gun Child rip off Yes' Heart Of The Sunrise quite effectively, although the rest of the album's string work is pretty decent. The choirs don't sound right at all, to be honest, which is hardly surprising, although there's a nice part in Sonya In Search Of The Moon: Moonman Return.
This really is only worth the effort for the dedicated neo-progger, I suspect, although there's a fair bit of sampled 'Tron, too. Sorry chaps, unoriginal, overlong and boring. Incidentally, Roversi's other main project is Submarine Silence, whose eponymous 2002 album is a rather better effort, although given that its 'Mellotron' has also been found to be fake... I believe the two subsequent Moongarden albums are better than this one; more news if I get to hear them.
See: Submarine Silence
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Neal Morse (1999, 55.47) *** |
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| Living Out Loud Lost Cause Landslide That Which Doesn't Kill Me Everything is Wrong Nowhere Fast Emma |
A Whole Nother Trip Bomb That Can't Explode Mr.Upside Down The Man Who Would Be King It's Alright |
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Testimony (2003, 123.43/137.22) ***½ |
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| The Land of Beginning Again Overture No.1 California Nights Colder in the Sun Sleeping Jesus Interlude The Prince of the Power of the Air The Promise Wasted Life Overture No.2 Break of Day |
Power in the Air Somber Days Long Story It's All I Can Do Transformation Ready to Try Sing it High Moving in My Heart I am Willing In the Middle The Storm Before the Calm |
Oh, to Feel Him God's Theme Overture No.3 Rejoice Oh Lord My God God's Theme 2 The Land of Beginning Again ['Special edition' adds: The Fang...Sings! Tuesday Afternoon/Find My Way Back Home] |
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One (2004, 79.57) ***½ |
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| The Creation One Mind In a Perfect Light Where Are You? Reaching from the Heart The Man's Gone Author of Confusion The Separated Man I'm in a Cage I am the Man |
The Man's Gone (reprise) Something Within Me Remembers Cradle to the Grave Help Me/The Spirit and the Flesh Father of Forgiveness Reunion No Separation Grand Finale Make Us One |
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? (2005, 56.30) *** |
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| Temple of the Living God Another World Outsider Sweet Elation In the Fire Solid as the Sun Glory of the Lord Outside Looking in |
12 Deliverance Inside His Presence Temple of the Living God |
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Neal Morse kicked off his solo career while still seemingly happily the leader of Spock's Beard, with his eponymous debut in 1999. Those expecting a Spock's carbon copy have come to the wrong place; sensibly, Morse took the opportunity to record material that may not have worked so well for the band, although the heartfelt/cheesy (delete according to taste) ballad Emma and the closing four-part epic, A Whole Nother Trip, could have fitted quite easily onto, say, V. Much of the remainder veers far too close to AOR for this listener's comfort, though Morse could (rightly) be accused of sailing far too close to the wind on this issue right through his career. The 'Mellotron' on the album is highly suspect, not least as Morse doesn't own one, and apart from the drums, the whole thing was recorded 'at my house', so I've finally taken the decision to move it here. Anyway, faint strings on Lost Cause, Landslide and Nowhere Fast, although nothing in its obvious home, A Whole Nother Trip. Morse followed it with It's Not Too Late two years later, which is apparently very mainstream pop/rock; no idea if there's any 'Mellotron', though.
Oh Christ... Exactly. Morse made his dramatic exit from Spock's in 2002, after 'hearing the word', i.e. becoming a full-on God-botherer. Now, I'm all for religious freedom (including, of course, the freedom to have none at all), but when a public figure suddenly starts ranting about having seen the light, then seemingly throws up their career, you have to wonder if what's happening isn't nearer to nervous breakdown than Damascene conversion (see: Rick Wakeman...). Looking back, I suppose we should've been expecting this; I haven't heard his Christmas CD, Merry Christmas From the Morse Family (thank you very much), but I'm told it's absolutely excruciating.
Musically, Testimony isn't that bad, although not a patch on the best 'Beard stuff (than again, nor are later 'Beard albums); its most irritating quality is the sickly lyrical content, with reams of 'I love God so much' stuff that can turn the stomach of the non-believer. I mean, Oh Lord My God? WHY does all 'Christian music' have such a restrictive lyrical palette? I suppose it's what defines it as 'Christian'... Whatever happened to singing about life, love, an' all that? Maybe they'd argue that since God apparently encompasses all of those things, that's exactly what they are doing. Sorry, but gimme real-life stuff or, in fact, anything but this. Ironically, Oh Lord My God is the point at which the largely anodyne second disc picks up, but there you go... I've seen online reviews (from non-Christians) that rate this as one of the best albums of 2003, Morse's best work ever, etc., but I'm afraid I really can't see it. I mean, it's quite good in places, but harmonically, Morse is a one-trick pony, and he pulls out his usual chordal stuff yet again; I suppose at least you know it's him.
There's a real string section all over the album, but in many places, that 'Tron sound comes leaking through the mix, although I know Morse uses samples at home (see the diary page on his website). Restrained string use on most of the highlighted tracks above, although it sounds like flutes on Sleeping Jesus and Wasted Life, and choir on several, including California Nights and Moving In My Heart, although the gospel choir (as in The Water from The Light) obfuscate the issue. It's more than possible that I've got it entirely wrong above, and it's on more, or less tracks than I've listed; real strings, synths and massed harmony vocals don't help, but there you go.
So; your potential enjoyment of Testimony rather depends on whether or not you a) are a Christian, b) aren't bothered by the lyrical content if you aren't, or c) can simply ignore it. I can usually get round dodgy lyrical content by simply not listening, but it's so overt here that it's impossible to ignore. It would seem that the medium really is the message in this case, and this is, as the title says, Morse's Christian testimony to the world. There are artists who manage to put their spiritual message across without beating you over the head with it (the wonderful King's X spring to mind), but Morse doesn't appear to be one of them, so although the music isn't bad, I have to say, approach with extreme caution.
The basis of Morse's concept for 2004's One appears to be what botherers refer to as a 'crisis of faith', which he overcame, of course, otherwise we might have been presented with an album with less puke-inducing lyrics. HOWEVER... I have to say that I found this a far easier listen than its predecessor, despite Morse's ongoing total obsession with an imaginary deity; maybe the lyrics are actually less all-consumingly barking? Not sure, but while the musical palette remains the same, I wasn't offended as I was with Testimony. Musically, Author Of Confusion resembles the heavier stuff Spock's do occasionally, before lurching into one of Morse's patented multi-vocal parts, although most of the tracks do that standard Morse thing - you know, just like later Spock's. Towards the end of the album, he uses a small string section in preference to the 'Tron', with a brass section on closer Reunion, but otherwise, it's business as usual, with sampled 'Tron choir and strings dipping in and out during the lengthy The Creation, what I take to be flutes on The Man's Gone, watery strings on Author Of Confusion and repeats of these throughout. The booklet pics show both a smaller Hammond and a MiniMoog, but no Mellotron, so I think I'm fairly safe in assuming sample use.
? has to have one of the most confusing titles I've seen in a while - you try searching for it on Google... It doesn't differ markedly from its predecessors, although it could be argued that it's slightly more musically diverse, notably Solid As The Sun, with its brass and programmed beats. Lyrically, there are absolutely no surprises at all, with Morse obviously having completely regained his faith in something that doesn't exist, writing about it with nauseating intensity. Jolly good... Why bleat on to us about it, though? Maybe some of us would like to hear your music without being preached to about this post-nervous breakdown drivel? Also, do you think, Mr. Morse, you could stop regurgitating your early albums? In a ten year-plus career, the essential difference between the thirteen (count 'em) albums of original material you've produced is largely only apparent to those immersed in the progressive genre, and even then, the similarities are far more obvious than the differences. At least this album comes in at under an hour, rather than filling the disc to capacity, as you do so often... Anyway, the usual 'Mellotron' strings/choirs/flutes combo on most tracks, sounding more and more like good, high-end samples to my ears.
So; buying these albums means you have a cast-iron constitution, or are a Christian. Spock's Beard fans should probably get them all, but only if they can ignore the lyrics - I'm serious. Musically, it's pretty much the same old same old, but there's an awful lot worse than Neal Morse doing Neal Morse again. Your choice.
See: Spock's Beard | Transatlantic
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Prince des Hauteurs (2004, 46.33) **** |
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| Roman de Renard Chanson à Boire Prince des Hauteurs Sorcellerie Le Rire et l'Épée Le Temps, la Terre, et l'Homme Les Damnés Dans Dix Jours, un An, ou Six Mois |
Les Sirènes L'Éveil des Gargouilles Cornemuse |
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L'Homme-Loup (2007, 53.54) **** |
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| Isengrin P'tit Louis L'Ermite La Dame et le Dragon Les Normands La Trahison L'Enchanteur Allons Mes Compagnons |
L'Artaban Madrigal L'Homme-Loup |
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Motis were originally a one-man band, consisting of Emmanuel 'Motis' Tissot on all instruments, before expanding to a trio in 2004. Unlike so many other Continental prog outfits of the last couple of decades, we're not looking at tired, rehashed neo-prog drivel here, but inventive progressive rock that references both the genre's forbears, including the ubiquitous Ange and the more worthwhile Gallic acts of recent years, not least Halloween and Minimum Vital. Another obvious comparison are unsung French medieval folk-rock heroes Malicorne, whose catalogue's general unavailability is an ongoing travesty.
According to their website, Motis released two studio and three live albums under their own steam before hooking up with Musea for 2004's Prince des Hauteurs, loosely comparable to the first Willowglass album, although, unlike them, Motis were no longer a solo project by this point. Its content strays interestingly and welcomingly from prog orthodoxy in places, not least Le Rire Et L'Épée's chanson moments and the 'none more Celtic' bagpipes on closer Cornemuse. Sampled Mellotron throughout, with choirs on Chanson à Boire and Sorcellerie, strings on the title track, Le Rire Et L'Épée and Les Damnés, with more of the same on a few other tracks. Little of the use is anything other than standard background chordal work, but it all adds to the overall effect. What a shame it isn't real...
They followed up in 2007 with L'Homme-Loup, featuring a slightly more 'rock' sound in places, possibly due to better integration of the new members. It's hard to say if this is a 'better' work than its predecessor; despite having much in common with it, it's a different album, and doesn't bear direct comparison. Again, some welcome 'non-standard' parts, not least the raucous, jazzy trumpet solo on Madrigal. 'Mellotron' on most tracks again, with choirs on Isengrin, strings and choirs on P'tit Louis, then, unusually, rather murky mixed brass on L'Ermite, with more strings, flutes (notably on the title track) and choirs throughout.
I don't know what the first two Motis albums sound like; folkier, I suspect. These two records are really very good, even if you're not quite so into the folk end of things, as there's plenty of crossover with more 'mainstream' prog (is that an oxymoron these days?). Plenty of sampled 'Tron, not all 'standard' use, either, which makes a nice change. Recommended. Incidentally, although various older bits of kit are credited, I'd take all of them with a pinch of salt; all the live albums credit 'Taurus', yet all that's visible in the live pics on their site is a set of Roland MIDI pedals. So much for that, then.
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Demon Box (1993, 73.48) ***½ |
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| Waiting for the One Nothing to Say Feedtime Sunchild Tuesday Morning All is Loneliness Come on in Step Inside Again Demon Box |
Babylon Junior Plan #1 Sheer Profoundity The One That Went Away [Double LP adds: Gutwrench Mountain] |
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Timothy's Monster (1994, 97.55) **** |
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| Feel Trapdoor Leave it Like That A Shrug and a Fistful Kill Some Day On My Pillow Beautiful Sister Wearing Yr Smell |
Now It's Time to Skate Giftland Watersound The Wheel Sungravy GrindStone The Golden Core |
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Blissard (1996, 53.09) **** |
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| Sinful, Wind-Borne "Drug Thing" Greener 's Numbness The Nerve Tattoo True Middle S.T.G. Manmower |
Fools Gold Nathan Daniel's Tune From Hawaii |
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Manmower EP (1996, 18.39) ****ManmowerA Saw Sage Full of Secretion Heaven + Hell 7th Dream Sterling Says |
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Trust Us (1998, 81.36) **** |
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| Psychonaut Ozone The Ocean in Her Eye Vortexsurfer Syddhardtino 577 Evernine |
Mantrick Muffin Stomp Radiance Frequency Taifun Superstooge Coventry Boy Hey, Jane Dolphyn |
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Phanerothyme (2001, 43.37) ****Bedroom EyesFor Free B.S. Landslide Go to California Painting the Night Unreal The Slow Phaseout Blindfolded When You're Dead |
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Serpentine EP (2002, 20.50) ***½SerpentineShane 2AM Little Ricky Massenburg Snafu Fade to Gray |
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It's a Love Cult (2002, 48.24) ***½ |
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| Überwagner or a Billion Bubbles in My Mind Circles Neverland This Otherness Carousel What if... The Mirror and the Lie |
Serpentine Custer's Last Stand (One More Daemon) Composite Head |
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I used to have a whole slew of Motorpsycho releases on the albums list, until I was forwarded an e-mail from the band, saying, "We do not own our own Mellotron... what we have used, and still use for gigs, is samples of the strings (two versions), flutes, cellos, brass and choir from a M400, recorded onto a DAT by a friend and put unaltered into an Akai sampler..." (my italics). So although the excellent discography on their website lists 'Mellotron' on various releases, I think it's safe to assume that sample use all round is the order of the day.
So; who are Motorpsycho, anyway? One of the most unique rock bands around, it would seem, although their appeal is still discouragingly selective, probably not helped by their frequent side-steps into other musical areas. Although they're quoted as beginning as a full-on metal outfit in late '89, even their first demo, Maiden Voyage, is more interesting than that sounds, and their first release 'proper', Lobotomizer, is an interesting and varied selection of eclectic hard rock songs as they used to be, without all that one-dimensional '80s metal tedium that we've had to put up with for so long.
1993's Demon Box is possibly just a tad too eclectic for its own good, to be honest, with the 'side-long' title track being 17 minutes of audio cut-up, and several other tracks that could be uncharitably described as 'messing about'. Plenty of good material, both loud and soft, although the album overall suffers from a slight lack of direction. 'Mellotron' on one track, Plan #1, although whatever's been used on it is effectively inaudible. The following year's Timothy's Monster, while still eclectic, seems more focussed than its predecessor, with several killer tracks, not least 13-minute closer The Golden Core. The Wheel is even longer, if less remarkable, but overall, a good album. Five 'Mellotron' tracks this time round, with flutes on Feel, a high string melody on Kill Some Day, flutes and strings on the excellent Giftland, cellos on GrindStone and strings and cellos on the aforementioned The Golden Core. If only 'twere real...
'96's Blissard proved that the band could edit their outpourings of ideas down to a normal-length album, or it's possible (although unlikely, going by previous form) that they only had that much material. Once again, a wide range of styles was covered, from the almost 'alt.rock' of Manmower through the acoustic Fools Gold, to the epic hard rock of S.T.G. (Sonic Teenage Guinevere). Fake 'Tron on two tracks, with some background flutes towards the end of Greener, and a very authentic string part on Manmower. Said track also gave their next EP its title, which can almost be seen as a microcosm of the band's career, covering several bases in only five tracks, including a killer cover of The Who's Heaven + Hell. Aside from the title track, there are more strings on 7th Dream, also sounding very authentic.
By 1998's Trust Us, Motorpsycho had become pretty reliable at sticking out another lengthy, eclectic, psychedelic hard rock album, pushing all the right buttons. Highlights included The Ocean In Her Eye and Radiance Frequency, but, amazingly for an 80-minute+ album, no stinkers. Fake 'Tron on several tracks, with faint cellos on Vortexsurfer and background flutes on EP lead track Hey, Jane, but the strings on Evernine, Mantrick Muffin Stomp and Radiance Frequency are all pretty full-on, probably giving the album TTT if I were able. Incidentally, I haven't heard the Hey, Jane EP, so can't comment on its 'Mellotron' tracks.
Phanerothyme is named for Aldoux Huxley's original term for what became LSD: "To make this mundane world sublime, take half a gram of phanerothyme". His friend Humphrey Osmond wrote back, "To fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic". Anyway... the album opens on a gentle note with Bedroom Eyes, and despite the heavier For Free, it's a more laid-back proposition all round, adding more strings to the band's already well-laden bow, quite literally on some tracks. There's an almost chamber-pop sensibility going on in places, too, not least on the intro to Go To California, which also features a sly little musical Who quote, while the subtle brass on Painting The Night Unreal was a departure for the band. 'Tron string samples on For Free, played just that little bit too fast and too accurately for authenticity, although whatever's added to The Slow Phaseout remains completely inaudible.
It seems that Motorpsycho have only been a part-time proposition since 2003 or so, and don't seem to have used their Mellotron samples on the few recordings they've made since 2002's It's a Love Cult and associated sessions. The Serpentine EP preceded the album, with four non-album tracks on board, of which the best is probably the jammed-out Fade To Gray. 'Tron samples on Little Ricky Massenburg, with a melodic flute part that enhances the song and quieter flute and string parts on Snafu.
It's a Love Cult retains its predecessor's eclecticism, giving the impression that most things hard'n'heavy have been left behind, although, of course, things are rarely that simple in Motorpsycholand. The album features their well-used 'Tron samples on six of its ten tracks, although opener Überwagner Or A Billion Bubbles In My Mind's strings only really make themselves heard at the end of the song. Flutes on the acoustic Circles and possibly buried under a morass of near-Motown instrumentation on Neverland, with pitchbent strings on Carousel giving the sample game away. Nothing obvious on What If..., leaving Custer's Last Stand (One More Daemon) as the band's last 'Mellotron' track to date, with heavy (and unusual for them) use of the choirs, plus background strings.
Motorpsycho are one of those bands who struggle along forever, slowly gaining a small but fanatical fanbase, while vastly less deserving acts go on to fame and fortune. Listening to their catalogue in sequence makes you realise how they've progressed over the years, taking on new influences and maturing along the way, even when that means leaving a favourite style behind. For those into epic hard rock, most of their releases up to and including Trust Us are worth hearing, with more recent albums suitable for those with more eclectic tastes. Trust Us and It's a Love Cult are probably their top fakeotron albums; there's a couple of EPs missing from the above reviews, which I'll tackle when I manage to track them down.
