Nordic Giants: Post Rock w/chamber + [female] vox + samples + electronics

1. Little Bird 05:36
2. Mechanical Minds 04:47
3. Strangest Tides (Feat. Heymun) 05:08
4. Dark Clouds Mean War 06:01



1. Violent Lights (Feat. Alex Hedley) 04:12
2. Drumfire 03:53
3. Neotenie 04:52
4. Between Two Worlds (Feat. Freyja) 07:41

What the hell KScope? yet ANOTHER band, like iamthemorning, that appear to be right up my alley on their label.

Holy shit this is some atmospheric, incredibly dreamy stuff! And this (British but at also East Indian-based?) band, it appears are taking the Pure Reason Revolution/Revere approach of releasing a bunch of singles and EP's before their 1st full-length, which it sounds like they are working on? or maybe close to finished and I imagine may get released this Season.

Some stuff here about it on their website

Some of this stuff reminds me of maybe 2 bands, 1 being the late/great Post/Dreamy Rock band from Portland, Oregon Forest Park, but maybe even more, Canadian chillwave/dream/post rock band who I last heard about in 2012, Memoryhouse.

edit: They also remind me a fair amount of the band *Shels, mainly the percussion, vocals, and use of grand sounding trumpet almost as a texture. And when they use electronics, they can sound a bit like God is an Astronaut (or Toria).

That seems vague. I suppose I hear elements of many other "post" bands (Sigur Ros?, *Shels? God is an Astronaut), including KScope band Nosound I suppose. But regardless, I am rather intrigued by this group in just hearing some of their music on the latest KScope Podcast and now online.

Love the samples (although the ones that include yelling are hit and miss sometimes).

Damn this stuff is dynamic and also very sublime.

Kimbra - Miracle [McCarren Park Session]

Oh man, the version is gorgeous like the version she did a few years ago of "Wandering Limbs."

And, well, given it's a video and how she's dressed, the music isn't the only gorgeous thing in this video :p

She really ought to record a live all-acoustic record.

Fjokra - Mellowsound Sessions #1 "Salty"

Only just checked it out at a low volume once, but it does sound rather hypnotic, like a lot of other parts of Fjokra's music. Kindo f a trippy video with a girl with blue--ish painted skin and what seems like a small Squid or Octopus moving around in her hand.

Dream the Electric Sleep - Heretics (2013-2014)

1. Heretics 04:50
2. Elizabeth 08:22
3. Utopic 06:38
4. To Love Is To Leave 08:01
5. The Name You Fear 06:09
6. It Must Taste Good 08:31
7. I Know What You Are 06:42
8. Fist To Face 04:15
9. Lost Our Faith 02:05
10. How Long We Wait 09:28
11. Ashes Fall 08:07

I'm again not going to go into great detail as this is another case of a record/band I slept on this past Season, but knew about, and didn't finally give the attention it probably deserved until now. And I still need to give it more time, of course, but I will only add the vague amounts of observations about it in this initial posting. Maybe an edit coming later?..I know how I habitually do that.

But this band from Lexington, KY and their new album Heretics is definitely a nice blend of modern progressive rock, some retro or classic rock, and post rock.

I did read a fair amount about them among progressive rock forums and rateyourmusic.com this past season, which is how I even knew and became curious about them. I recall 1 or 2 reviews saying there was a lot of good moments on this album, but it was a bit lengthly. Which I wouldn't disagree with, but I don't find it drags as much as I suspected it would.

The singer, sounds like a few different singers I enjoy, but like the singer from Grimus, he sounds probably most like Jonah from The Velvet Teen and maybe even more, Evan Konrad of Bed of Stars and whose sung with Neverending White Lights.

Favorites: probably the track "Elizabeth" stands out the most. Rather epic and a climax that really works well.

But I'll confess, it'll end up the hopefully soon to come Season Ending Countdown, but definitely higher than I would have put it a week ago. I feel bad though, like with iamthemorning's album, I slept on it all season, and thus I didn't get to experience it during this/its season of release, but so be it.. As I said aboiut Belighted, definitely better late than never.

Also given they are from Kentucky, I wonder if they ever do any touring, even in the Mid/Upper Midwest? because seeing them live might be a little more realistic than seeing iamthemorning sadly.

iamthemorning - Belighted (2013-2014)

1. Intermission IX 01:20
2. The Howler 03:57
3. To Human Misery 04:18
4. Intermission X 00:53
5. Romance 03:01
6. The Simple Story 03:30
7. Intermission XI 01:21
8. 5/4 03:50
9. Crowded Corridors 08:44
10. Gerda 04:52
11. Os Lunatum 04:31
12. Intermission XII 02:36
13. K. O. S. 06:06
14. Reprise Of Light/No Light 05:16
15. Intermission XIII 00:58

I'd like to write an extensively detailed review about this band and album, but I can't promise that. But I do want to post something, however short or not this is.

I recall hearing about iamthemorning at least a year ago or more, but don't even recall if I checked any of their music out. But this past Season, this album received a fair amount of buzz among progressive rock fans. That and I recall it was per the KScope Podcast and them announcing the signing to KScope sometime in the last year, which brought their name to me.

I eventually checked a little of this album out, and kind of forgot about them. But then I think it was around the time I checked out Marketa Irglova's new LP Muna, I also finally gave this whole record a go. And I remember liking it, but also thinking people were overhyping it a bit. And given the receny, thinking Muna was similar but better. However, now I'm not so sure.

But in going through the end of Season records, I gave it another shot the other day and I must say, I am a fair amount more into it and the band.

What are they like? they use very tasteful string and other chamber or classical arrangements along with very clean, delicate female vocals. Which on paper is nice, but I suppose it is how they are written/composed which stand out. The dynamics, crescendos, twists and turns at points. They even use samples on the 2nd track "The Howler" which is from an episode of  Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled "Human Interest Story"(by Googling "Howard Wilcox" an "TV Episode" reveals it).

This album and band combine very lush arranged songs that segue very well with the interludes or "Intermissions."

I feel bad I slept on this album and band this year, but better late than never. It's hardly the 1st nor last time this kind of late/pre-end-of-Season post changes with review/revisiting of an album I was not as high on earlier in the Season.

iamthemorning I guess are just a duo of Gleb Kolyadin & Marjana Semkina. From St.Petersburg, which sadly is quite a ways away, to hope for a tour of the US. But who knows, maybe they could open for KScope labelmates Steven Wilson or Anathema at some point in North America. But until then, enjoying this record and their previous work will have to do.

Favorite tracks: 5/4, Gerda, K.O.S. Os Lunatum, The Howler





http://iamthemorning.com/
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Thomas Giles - Modern Noise (2014-2015)

11/21/14 2:31AM

digging this 2nd track"Siphon the Bad Blood." + Interview


11/11/14 6:06PM



Being released on November 20th, Modern Noise is the upcoming solo LP from Between the Buried and Me's lead singer/keyboardist. I'm digging this, and I'm probably more optimistic about this album than his last solo record from 2011 Pulse.

http://www.metalblade.com/thomasgiles/

http://www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords/item/28910



01. Wise and Silent
02. Mutilated World
03. Siphon the Bad Blood
04. I Appear Disappear
05. Blueberry Queen
06. We Wander Lonely
07. M3
08. lkcvjvhljbvj≥˜∆˚nnnjmkjijm
09. Noise Upon
10. Wander Drug
11. The Devil Net
12. Modern Noise

Dave Kerzner - My Old Friend (Thud Reunion)

Dave Kerzner, who played with Kevin Gilbert on THUD and was a touring/live member with that era/band has been buzzing in the progressive rock world a lot this year with his solo record (and he many guests, one being Steve Hackett I recall).

But today, which would have been Kevin's 48th Birthday, Dave was very cool to share a recording him along with some of the other THUD band members made I guess in honor of Kevin. Nick D'Virgilio + Russ Parrish are on this.

Rather dreamy sounding. I probably need to be more conscious of this upcoming solo album of his, which it sounds like should be released rather soon, and will include a version of this track.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4784414683/permalink/10152896734279684/

Happy Birthday My Old Friend Kevin Gilbert!
In honor of the late Kevin Gilbert's would-be-48th birthday I am streaming a song from my solo album that features a mini "Thud Reunion" with Nick D'Virgilio, Russ Parrish and myself. This is the second song I've written about him. The first was SOC's "Not Coming Down". I'll just be streaming this for 24 hours, today November 20th, for Kevin.
https://soundcloud.com/davekerznerband/my-old-friend
A lot more information about the song, the players and the lyrics in the Sound Cloud description.



https://soundcloud.com/davekerznerband/my-old-friend

20 years ago I played in a band called "Thud", which was the late Kevin Gilbert's solo project after "Toy Matinee" split up. Today would have been Kevin Gilbert's 48th birthday if he was still alive. In many ways, his spirit is still alive through his music and his influence. Working with him had a profound impact on me as a musician and lyricist.

In 1998 I wrote a song about him called "Not Coming Down" that later got revised and recorded for the Sound of Contact "Dimensionaut" album. Now, many years later I've written another song dedicated to him for my first-ever solo album "New World". What made this even more special for me is, for the first time in 20 years two other former members of "Thud", Nick D'Virgilio and Russ Parrish, play drums and guitar along with myself on vocals and keys, Fernando Perdomo on bass and special guest Maryem Tollar on "exotic vocals from another land". So, it was like a mini-Thud-reunion for us and it was very fitting given the subject matter of the song. It was also very nostalgic! While I work with NDV a lot, I had not seen or talked to Russ in probably 18 years? So, it really was great to catch up with him and he was thrilled that I asked him to play on it. Maybe we'll do it again sometime!

I wasn't planning on posting any more full songs until my album is out (which is very, very soon) but, since it's Kevin's birthday, I thought it might be nice to stream a pre-mastered version of the song "My Old Friend" just for today, November 20th, in honor of Kevin on his would-be-birthday.

If you aren't familiar with Kevin's music, he was a brilliantly clever lyricist and virtuoso musician. I strongly recommend you check out the latest Kevin Gilbert and Giraffe releases coming from Kevin's estate. www.kevingilbert.com and look him up on YouTube. The "Thud Live At The Troubadour" DVD gives you an idea of what some of these same combinations of musicians sounded like back then.

Happy Birthday Kevin wherever you are!

My Old Friend
(Music and Lyrics by Dave Kerzner)

Hello, my old friend 
From the other side of the end 
You’ve come to visit me again 
Poetic license to pretend
Hello, to the shape unknown 
Waiting dauntless on my own 
Bare and fragile flesh and bone 
I am eager to be shown

Give me reason, give me art 
Unearthly wisdom you impart 
Crossing over, shaking hands 
With someone who understands

Hello, my old friend 
From the other side of the end 
We both took that drive 
To an unexpected curve 
With hollow people 
Who’ve got a lot of nerve 
Restrained what we deserve 
In a cloud you observe

Give me reason, give me art 
Unearthly wisdom you impart 
Crossing over, shaking hands 
With someone who understands
Give me courage, give me grace 
Spin the dogma that I face 
I am tuning to the signs 
Etching truth in cosmic lines

©2014, Dave Kerzner ASCAP, RecPlay Inc. All Rights Reserved.
So long my old friend One day we shall meet again

Mayer Hawthorne: Playboy.com Video Interview

Good interview asking Mayer about his favorite records; Steely Dan included! Favorite Artist: I knew about his Barry White influence, but he adds a little more here., His shows, his favorite record stores. The store in the Bay Area, Groove Merchant I can't say I know, and when he mentions Amoeba, while I guess the Hollywood store is the largest, I have yet to go there, and know Amoeba for their Bay Area stores.

Kimbra: The Song that Changed Her Life (from The Mars Volta)

"Cicatriz E.S.P."..not a bad choice/explanation from her. I also like the fact she mentions later getting into bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Genesis.

Now if only a lot more of her fanbase would seek out The Volta and some others, I probably wouldn't feel like I'm weird for suggesting Kimbra is for people who love progressive rock.

This podcast of a kind, I'd be curious on who else has appeared, namely in music.

Faith No More: News, new album?; 11/19/14 SINGLE "MOTHERFUCKER" (ALBUM COMING APRIL 2015)

11/19/14 5:01PM



Studio Version of "Motherfucker"streaming per Soundcloud HERE

of course no Embed Code as most well-known artists who-give an exclusive stream to certain websites from their Soundcloud stream are.

Rather catchy; the opening vocals almost doesn't sound like Patton.

in a slightly related note, I saw a newly pressed/issued copy of Angel Dust the other day at Cheapo. $44.99, I passed on it for now, but I may have to do some hunting as it's really the only FNM Vinyl I really want.


9/2/14 12:17PM

RS link/interview

well it's finally happening. April 2015.

"Motherfucker" the single being released on Black Friday Record Store Day as a 7-inch with a b-side.




I'll say it again, this is cool they are (obviously better than no album at all), but if Jim Martin were involved, this would be an even bigger deal.

They have a tour planned around the time:

Though no dates have been booked, the band is planning a full U.S. tour around the album's release. Since their return to the stage in 2009, they've only played five American cities.


A Minnesota date? I would imagine they'd be at XCel or Target Center and tickets would be at least $70 or $80. I'd still have to think about trying to go as I've always wanted to see them.

6/20/12 10:40AM


A new album from them would be welcome and everything, but, I still hold on to the fact it would be even greater if JIM MARTIN were involved.

But beggars can't be choosers I suppose. A new Jellyfish album, tour, or anything would probably mean even more to me, so at least FNM are at where they are compared to the long yet mostly impossible dream of a Jellyfish reunion (or for that matter, Peter Gabriel with Genesis, etc).

fnm.com

Who would have thought, but here we are, 11 years dead and now back...posting news again!! Along with revitalizing the band, we've been working on FNM.COM, and while it is still a work in progress, we also hope it can begin to serve as a main information point regarding tourdates, announcements, confirmations, tshirts...and all things Faith No More. As for now, and thanks to the good folks who created the original fnm.com, this will be functioning as a band run site.

WIth this spirit, we're trying to keep our operation small, the theme of this site as simple as possible. There will be no marketing teams, record labels, PR firms involved in gathering your personal info; hopefully just real info passed along from us to you.

There are lots of things coming up—especially new show announcements—so please try to check in every now and then for the latest. In the meantime, we'll leave you with our official statement:



Faith No More has always stood out as some sort of unique beast; part dog, part cat—its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members. When it all worked, it worked really well, even if the chemistry was always volatile. Throughout our 17years of existence, the mental and physical energy required to sustain this creature was considerable and relentless. Though amicable enough, when we finally split, we all followed paths seemingly destined to opposite ends of the universe.

Yet during the entire 10 years that have passed since our decision to break up we've experienced constant rumors and requests from fans and promoters alike. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, none of us kept in regular touch, much less to discuss any possibilities of getting together.

What's changed is that this year, for the first time, we've all decided to sit down together and talk about it. And what we've discovered is that time has afforded us enough distance to look back on our years together through a clearer lens and made us realize that through all the hard work, the music still sounds good, and we are beginning to appreciate the fact that we might have actually done something right.

Meanwhile we find ourselves at a moment in time with zero label obligations, still young and strong enough to deliver a kickass set, with enthusiasm to not only revisit our past but possibly add something to the present. And so with this we've decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff....
BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!

We can only hope that the experience of playing together again will yield results erratic and unpredictable enough to live up to the legacy of FNM.
Who know where this will end or what it will bring up...only the future knows. But we are about to find out!

FAITH NO MORE are:
Mike Bordin, Roddy Bottum, Bill Gould, Jon Hudson and Mike Patton

Kevin Gilbert Shaming Live Tribute - "Imagemaker," "Water Under the Bridge" + "Suit Fugue"

Very cool sync-ed video montage, at a recent complete The Shaming of the True Tribute show in Germany I recall a few weeks ago.

I also just noticed the user who uploaded it, also uploaded "Water Under the Bridge" which if I had to pick 2 songs from 'Shaming, those are probably my 2 favorites, although I love the record so much that's not totally fair I suppose.

Also a note, how Monday the 17th of November would have been Jeff Buckley's 48th Birthday, and of course tomorrow, the 20th would have been Kevin's 48th as well.



edit: Here's the FB Page:
https://www.facebook.com/shaminglive



edit 2: Suite Fugue

Jaco: A Documentary Film

I'm failing to find an Embed Code for the actual Video unfortunately, but so be it. It says the project for this to come out will be Record Store Day 2015 in April.

Just preordered/pledged.

Also the BBC Audio Documentary should be linked below on Similar Entries, and for those who haven't listened to it, it's well worth checking out when time allows.

http//www.pledgemusic.com/projects/jacothefilm


Hola everyone, thanks for checking out our project. Jaco has always been a hero of mine and one of the reasons I play bass to this day. This film has been a project of love and passion for me. This amazing film has been four years in the making, and we need your help to get this film across the finish line!

Our film tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger than life musician who made an undeniable impact on music, and reinvented the electric bass; giving the instrument a powerful dynamic voice that had both edge and beauty.

We have assembled an offering of exclusives with PledgeMusic that reflect the documentary and draw upon some of Jaco’s friends and admirers. Pledge and become part of the journey of making this film a reality.

- Rob

Produced by Metallica’s Robert Trujillo in association with Passion Pictures, the film includes some incredible insights from an array of artists (Flea, Joni Mitchell, Sting, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Geddy Lee, Bootsy Collins, Carlos Santana) as well as Jaco’s family, and friends. It unveils the story of his music, his life, his demise, and ultimately the fragility of great artistic genius.

Team Me - F is for Faker [Official Video]

kind of non-descript video for a great tune. Goofy and there are some metaphors that are sync-ed up okay I suppose. I really do dig th Blind as Night and this song probably still being my favorite.

New Mew songs (Live)

I often don't treat live versions of new songs, that especially I haven't heard before, all that important when evaluating new music. But, this is Mew, and I and others a bit famished for new music from them, so to hear even live versions of some of the music presumably that will be on their soon-to-be-released next LP (early 2015 in all likelihood), is worth something.

At the same time, I'm luke warm about hearing these; perhaps in 6 months after the record has come out and knowing many of these songs better, I'll laugh about that. But for now, this is just a glimpse of what Mew fans like myself have to look forward to soon.

I will say, the 1st video for the song "Water Slides" sounds pretty nice.

Also, I noticed how "Coffee Break" is included in the setlists for the recent shows they played in Finland and Norway. "Coffee Break" being the closing track from Mew's debut record A Triumph of Man, an album I own along with their follow-up Half the World is Watching Me, remastered in fact, but have only listened to a few times both (and should know much better than I do, given my love for Mew).

"Water Slides"
"Russle"
"Satellite"
"Grizzly" (or it may be known as "Cross the River On Your Own")
"Witness"

"Changes (Outro/Medley)" (NOT NEW I DON'T BELIEVE)
"Coffee Break" (NOT NEW)

Hardcore Crayons - Zozzled (2014-2015)

No time yet to listen and add any more info, but will later. Excited for this album regardless. Album Release show next Friday November 21st at The Triple Rock Social Club.

The Tea Party - The Black Sea (Official Video)

The Official video for The Black Sea from the new record The Ocean at the End. This footage was shot on October 12th, 2014 at the Melbourne Palais. 

A special thanks to the fans of Australia and Melbourne in particular!

Nothing spectacular visually, but nice to see them performing live. The *Black* and White footage may have nothing to do with the concept/style/message of the song/video.

But a good tune, from a great record. I wish i could see them live, but they only have a few shows in the US scheduled right now this Fall. A long list in Canada of course. If only I'd have planned, Winnipeg might have been a possibility.

http://www.teaparty.com/#tour-section

Nov 17 The Venue                         Peterborough, Canada
Nov 18 Impérial de Québec           Quebec, Canada
Nov 20 Olympic Hall                     Halifax, Canada
Nov 21 The Centre at Casino New Brunswick/Nouveau Brunswick Moncton, Canada
Nov 23 London Concert Theatre    London, Canada
Nov 25 Hamilton Place Theatre     Hamilton, Canada
Nov 27 Kool Haus                          Toronto, Canada
Nov 28 Métropolis                          Montreal, Canada
Nov 29 Town Ballroom                   Buffalo, NY
Dec 02 Burton Cummings Theatre Winnipeg, Canada
Dec 04 O'Brians Event Centre         Saskatoon, Canada
Dec 05 Flames Central                     Calgary, Canada
Dec 06 Union Hall                           Edmonton, Canada
Dec 08 Key City Theatre                 Cranbrook, Canada
Dec 09 Commodore Ballroom         Vancouver, Canada
Dec 10 Commodore Ballroom         Vancouver, Canada
Dec 12 The Showbox                       Seattle, WA

Introducing TUXEDO (Mayer Hawthorne + Jake One)

Official video for their song "Do It."

Tuxedo is a relaively new musical project/collaboration between Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. I guess Jake One is known for his work with the Doomtree label, which is a well known Hip-Hop label from my hometown of Minneapolis, MN.

Tuxedo per a recent interview Mayer Hawthorne gave when he did a live stream on Yahoo below, mentioned how Tuxedo's debut album is looking to be released in February 2015. And per the video, it seems it'll be released on Stones Throw which is the label Mayer originally was with, and includes ex-Apes and Androids live performer Morgan Z's Chrome Canyon project.

Musically, Tuxedo differs from Mayer's solo work in some ways, sounding more funk and electronic I guess. Take Mayer's track "Designer Drug" I suppose their music resembles.

Also this new song/video "Do It" I like how the lyric "Her Favorite Song" is mentioned many times, which of course is the title of the track that received maybe the most exposure from his LP from 2013, Where Does This Door Go. Connection?..sort of Beatles or Zeppelin-esque if there is any.

Also "Do It" and the Nike catch phrase "Just Do It" keep coming to my mind, namely also Mayer's interest in Basketball Shoes (Air Jordan's I recall), although I suppose the odds of there being any connection with the title of this new song and Nike probably isn't likely.

https://www.facebook.com/tuxedo
https://twitter.com/Tuxedo

sElf on Last Call with Carson Daly 11/10/14 (and 9/25/14)

The videos of these 3 classic tracks from Gizmodgery, Breakfast with Girls and Subliminal Plastic Motives at least for me are a bit choppy, but the sound seems to stream fine. I did see Matt Mahaffey post this on Facebook last night, but I forgot to try and set up my DVR. I wonder if Carson said anything about sElf or Matt or interviewed him. Not that I'm a huge fan of Carson Daly, but it is cool he is giving sElf this kind of exposure now, and I'd be curious if there was more that I am not finding on the show's website.

That is now 2 or more? talk show appearances for sElf (Jimmy Kimmel Live I recall). I wonder what it may mean though as it appears the sElf/Matt Facebook Page is only at 5000+ likes still, for what it's worth.

Maybe it's worth repeating, but the more I have thought about it, I see Matt very much like how Kevin Gilbert would be if he was still around, career-wise. His talent for songwriting is uncanny, and it may only be a matter of time when he writes a song so good, it will become a hit. But then again, be careful what you wish for or speculate, I suppose.

I do know that after seeing those videos, I really would love to see sElf live someday. Tennessee to Minnesota isn't all that far, so a small tour that hits Minneapolis may happen eventually, as long as sElf still plays live.

and here's a clip of "Sophomore Jinx" back in September

Pain of Salvation - 1979 [Official Video]

not a bad video, for a decent song from Road Salt 2. Very 70's-ish naturally. The video might be home video from Daniel's family when he was a kid, or someone else in the band or someone the band knew, just observing/guessing.

On Pain of Salvation recently:



I don't talk much about live albums in here, mainly because most live albums aren't as impressive or addictive as the studio releases. I.e. why I never got around to posting about Pain of Salvation's new mostly acoustic live? record Falling Home.

But when I get a chance, I hopefully will give that a go, as they covered Dio's "Holy Diver" and some of their less popular tracks from their more recent records "Spitfall" being another one.

I might add did really love 12:5 though.

edit: well I have heard it and it isn't actually a LIVE record (I wasn't aware, silly me); but sort of an acoustically arranged compilation of some of their more recent tracks and some covers including Holy Diver and a Lou Reed tune titled "Perfect Day."

Plus the title track "Falling Home" is actually a brand new tune.

So what Falling Home is a lot like, is the Marillion album Less is More, which is also a compilation of older songs that are acoustically re-arranged and recorded; along with 1 new tune.

But I guess I can say after hearing it, I was more impressed than I expected and was reminded in a good way of 12:5.

Anyway, Pain of Salvation are still active, even if their lineup has only Daniel Gildenlow in resemblance to the band I was obsessed with a decade ago and saw play live 3 times. But given Daniel is still the heart and mind behind them, I still keep tabs on them; but I just don't have the hopes and expectations from them like I used to.

The Road Salt records, are not terrible, just so dramatically different, that I never attached myself to them for the most part. By the miracle of time and namely when a new studio record comes, I may have to revisit them again, namley RS 2 as I recall enjoying a lot of it, just not having a lot of time given when it was released and so many other records taking priority said year/season.

And I still would love to see them live again, especially after the show in May 2013 at Station 4 in St.Paul, MN  had to be canceled due to Daniel's battle of Pneumonia if I recall, ended their North American tour not that far into it.

Their return to North America tour recently did not bring them back unfortunately, but that did not come as a huge shock. I wonder if Nathan aka SwordLord wasn't to book them again due to venues and their already confirmed Tour Schedule. I dunno.

The Barnum Meserve - Colours (Single) [Official Video]

New song that was released a few weeks ago I guess. It has a big chorus and soaring strings which I recall were parts of their music that attracted me initially.

Also Per this article their debut LP should be released in early 2015; which is not a surprise to me having gone back to their FB page a few times in the last few months, I recall actually them mentioning having enough material for 2 albums or something. Perhaps they are recording album #2 currently.

Anyway, certainly a band I've been curious about the last few years; 2014-2015 may be a big season for them.




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Marillion & Fans: The Movie (2015)

11/10/14 10:16PM

Kickstarter aka "Preorder" + a detailed background on Jeff Denis and his experience as a Marillion fan.





10/2/14 12:30PM

edit:

well apparently the 17 minute short film embedded  below has been pulled for now. Why? unsure, but perhaps having something to do with the Feature (distribution and whatnot maybe?).

if it reappears, I'll try and re-embed it or link it.



9/26/14 9:53AM
Per http://www.jeffdenis.com/?page_id=17 and this story

I guess the below nearly 17 minute video is an excerpt to what will be a full-length feature documentary coming in March 2015.

Just looking at dates and some Youtube clips, I suspect this film-maker (and Marillion fan I suspect), ended up changing some plans for the footage he shot at the 2011 Montreal Fan Weekend. It was to be a short film only, titled "Marillion: A Visible Band," but perhaps due to delays and wanting to put together something longer after all the great footage, he decided to just do that for the short and make a full-length titled "Marillion & Fans: The Movie."

Semantics really, anyway. As a fanatic lifelong fan since being introduced to Marillion, I certainly am looking forward to this. My obvious envy/jealousy and disappointment is of course I am not in it, or involved in some way. But, as I'm not sure how many times on this blog, but certainly a handful of times on some of the forums I've expressed my issue with the Fan Weekend.

Pretty much entirely due to cost. I know of course after seeing the band or Lucy Jordache address it a few times, about how Montreal is the best time and cost-effective way to hold a Fan Weekend in North America. I.e, parts of the States themselves adds more. But, I have always wondered why Las Vegas couldn't compare. But it frankly, just doesn't.

From my perspective, it'll run easily up to $1000 or more, and if by some chance the gf wanted to go, double that. But if she didn't, I just have never been able to justify it sadly, even when they played Brave in 2013? and 1 or 2 other occasions.

But, one of these years I may just bite the bullet and go. Earning more doesn't hurt (but at the same time, needing more $ for things as well I suppose).

But as far as this 17 minute short film, and the more extensive film coming in March, it certainly captures that fan experience that I love or have loved when I did see them. Not only seeing them play, but mixing with the fans. Sadly, back in 2012, I didn't do a ton of it per time (and the gf's wanting to get home, etc).

It kind makes me want to start posting more Marillion kool-aid inspired posts in here soon. Maybe a discography summary or something, or a top 30 songs list maybe. I dunno. As much as I love and talk about the 100's of other bands in here, they do still hold that spot as the most important band to me, historically. Which I've explained many times with some different details. But I have not ever really dissected so many of their specific works, namely the music that was released before starting this blog in 2006.

A thought to ponder, perhaps even I could find the time to make a video about it on YouTube (we'll see, as most of my attempts to make videos have had issues with time, editing, or some kind of poor amount of prep or something else messed up with the video like mentioning incorrect information or forgetting something, etc).

But at a minimum I'll try and bump this entry up when more information about the full length film comes out. But the 17 minute short is a nice introduction for now.


Marillion: A visible band from Jeff Denis on Vimeo.

Kimbra - 90's Music on David Letterman 11/7/14

Saw her last week in Minneapolis, some of the new tracks are better live. Her band is pretty boss. I agree with some of the comments on there in that 'Miracle" or even "Nobody But You" probably would have been more accessible, but then again, I felt the same way about "Cameo Lover" as a lead single instead of "Settle Down."

But I applaud her in these situations in not compromising. Some of the other comments say if you don't get or care for this song, than you may not as well get or care for her, even though there may be other songs you may like if you heard them.

She's directing her music to more open-minded/liberal-minded listeners in some ways I suppose.

i.e. if you don't like it, she doesn't need you, lol..in a matter of speaking.

But yeah, her band is badass.

I also could add, I ran into Josh Rheault formerly of The Receiving End of Sirens and The Dear Hunter and now the great jangly Power-Pop band Mercies (and Mercies have a new album coming in January from what he told me). Josh does tech/stage work for Kimbra, at least on this tour. I wonder if Josh has had the chance to share any of his music with her (beyond TDH, which she knows). She probably would like Mercies anyway.

Steven Wilson upcoming album Video(s)

11/05/14 12:09AM

A little more intrigue added about the concept, the female singer, the boys choir, the inspiration of Kate Bush's The Dreaming, and this documentary film Dreams of a Life. about this what sounds like a sad story of a woman named Joyce Carol Vincent. Naturally, I may have to seek this doc out soon just for curiosity sake.

Some comments I noticed compare the opening sample to Rush which I hear a bit I suppose, although I have often heard Rush in a lot of his music, so that's not surprising to me.




10/5/14 10:10AM
similar sounding to The Raven in a lot of ways, but that certainly is not a bad thing.

edit: I didn't notice until now, release month is February 2015.




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Here is a 6 minute short by Lasse Hoile of Steven Wilson and band working at AIR Studios last month, including previews of his new album as a work in progress.

The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (2014-2015)

11/4/14 4;05PM
New song which comes as a download with  the Preorder

Release Date: January 20th, 2015.





1 The Singer Addresses His Audience
2 Cavalry Captain
3 Philomena
4 Make You Better
5 Lake Song
6 Till the Water is All Long Gone
7 The Wrong Year
8 Carolina Low
9 Better Not Wake The Baby
10 Anti-Summersong
11 Easy Come, Easy Go
12 Mistral
13 12/17/12
14 A Beginning Song

Also some European Tour dates are listed on their site.