As pointed out there and other places, Pepe Deluxe now joins the likes of Marillion, U2, REM, David Bowie, Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode, In Flames, Iggy Pop and Nick Cave among many others to have recorded in Berlin's famed Hansa Studios.
2012's Queen of the Wave is all-time favorite of mine, so this only adds more anticipation for their next record which it sounds like it could be coming out finally in the near future (2019?).
also neat 90 minute documentary shows a lot about Hansa here:
12/6/16 12:02PM
My preorder arrived yesterday. Very nice package with a finely crafted hardbound book.
Nice white Tee also, though given it was shipped in packaging, I need to wash it 1st.
That is the good news.
The not so good news is, I've checked out a little over half of this album and am struggling with much of it.
The band have sort of gone the way of Tangled Thoughts of Leaving; apparently in love with noise/noise-rock/noise-guitars. And LAYERS.
This is like a Meshuggah album in some ways. VERY DENSE.
Or similar to The Red Paintings last album.
I'm worried that despite some nice melodic and harmonic moments, and ambient passages, etc..the dominant sound is the dense, almost Metalgazey style. And the vocals even are more for affect of another layer, rather than a lead melody/sound like most if not all their previous music.
This is almost like their tribute to My Bloody Valentine or something.
Or Sun O))), Earth, Boris in the wall of sound(noise).
But I suppose the artwork fits that mood.
I will give it some more time as my wallet and history with this band owes it that much, but I worry that this could go down as a band whose ambition and direction of their ambition (and producer they used) changed in a way that I struggle to even recognize what I loved about them in the past.
Now, perhaps this could be a 1-off, and they may follow it up in a few years with an album sonically at least, if not stylistically, that resembles Dopoguerra or any of their others. But then again, they may not and feel this is their muse now and in the future, much like I look at Tangled Thoughts of Leaving now.
Granted, there are cases of comebacks/returns like Umphrey's McGee, East of the Wall and just this past year, Long Distance Calling and Avenged Sevenfold, so who knows.
I should add, I likely will include/show my copy in a video soon (the 2016-2017 preview likely).
11/12/16 12:10PM
1st new track "Comandante" which is the 2nd track on "Sentimentale" the 1st disc.
Enjoying it. Gonna preorder now that some of my bills have cleared.
10/16/16 3:50PM
Finally the details, release date being December 2nd, track list, artwork and just with the title now being shortened to Sentimentale Jugend.
I am naturally excited for this, and am awfully curious per the description, tracklist, etc.
I do wonder a bit given it is so much, how addictive it may get. But some double albums still demand the headphone in recent years like Sun and Moon from Timbre or The River Empires of course.
US Release? unlikely right away, but I very well may just have to import it per Prophecy or another source.
The new Klimt 1918 album "Sentimentale Jugend" as 2CD hardcover book plus a Klimt 1918 shirt for a special price. One has to be a decided connoisseur of alternative music culture to associate the title "Sentimentale Jugend" (sentimental youth) with the short-lived experimental noise act of the same name, founded by Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten) and his then significant other Christiane Flescherinow (also known as Christiane F. from the bestselling non-fiction book "We Children From Bahnhof Zoo") in the early 1980s. However, it is for a reason that Italian indie rock flagship Klimt 1918 names its latest double album after this footnote of pop history, namely a conscious hint at the underlying mood of the songs. "Sentimentale Jugend" captures West Berlin in its pulsating, nihilistic glory during the late 70s - just as David Bowie did with his Berlin Trilogy of the albums "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger" - and processes notions from Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's award-winning movie "The Lives Of Others", be it the foggy winter atmosphere in East Berlin during the early 80s or the female protagonist's melancholy. Eight years after the 'Soundtrack For The Cassette Generation' "Just In Case We'll Never Meet Again", Klimt 1918 stay true to their sound, alternating the energetic with the wistful by means of shoegaze, indie and new wave from the 80s and 90s, yet for the first time, the sonic spectrum gets expanded with the signature guitar effects and drum rhythms of 50s and 60s pop. Ultimately, "Sentimentale Jugend" harks back to such diverse artists as The Chameleons, iLikeTrains, Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Everly Brothers, Sigur Rós or Dead Can Dance and may be suitably tagged "dirty and noisy three beats dream pop". "Sentimentale Jugend" consists of the separate albums "Sentimentale" (9 songs, 54 minutes) and "Jugend" (10 songs, 53 minutes), the former being the more "serene" chapter with its slow and partially long tracks, whereas the latter with its faster tunes is the more driving counterpart. Both albums are also available together with the exclusive bonus track "Lycans" as a high-quality book edition (hardcover, 18x18 cm, 48 pages). Release date: 02.12.2016 Available editions: - 2CD hardcover book (48 pages, 18x18 cm), containing both albums plus bonus track (700 copies) - CD Digisleeve "Sentimentale" - CD Digisleeve "Jugend"
Tracklist "Sentimentale":
1. Montecristo
2. Comandante
3. La Notte
4. It Was To Be
5. Belvedere
6. Once We Were
7. Take My Breath Away
8. Sentimentale
9. Gaza Youth (Exist/Resist)
Tracklist "Jugend":
1. Nostalghia
2. Fracture
3. Ciudad Lineal
4. Sant’Angelo (The Sound & The Fury)
5. Unemployed & Dreamrunner
6. The Hunger Strike
7. Resig-nation
8. Caelum Stellatum
9. Juvenile
10. Stupenda e Misera Città
11. Lycans (bonus track, only on 2CD hardcover book edition)
7/20/16 1:54PM
Fantastic news! It's been so long since Just In Case We'll Never Meet Again...Double album? Feast or Famine perhaps, but I'm optimistic given it's been so long, the songs could have been refined and tweaked a lot, and there will be more of them.
Perhaps a concept album as well?..will bump with more info obviously. Facebook post Dear friends, just want to inform you that we will post soon some news about the new Album *** Sentimentale Jugend *** as some of you might know, it will be a Double Album, the first one is called " Sentimentale" and the second one is called "Jugend". It will be available as two separate CDs or together in one ArtBook We know is taking ages and we really thank you for your patience and support. K1918
Fantastic live cover. These guys often do some of the best covers (Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" for example), and this is no exception. Very much made me think of Bowie and nostalgia. The strings really do add a new flavor/flare to it.
I really loved this guy at times, after I think initially not being a huge fan. I don't recall even knowing it was him who played the villain in Die Hard until years later.
But from Hitchikers Guide, to Snape in all the Harry Potter movies, to Galaxy Quest to Bottle Shock (he was a hilarious wine snob/critic), to Nobel Son, to Love Actually. The guy was always worth watching.
I also thought he should have played Count Dracula, in a Christopher Lee-esque way, although maybe that would have been less unique or original. Snape was similar I suppose.
Really sad though, he's gone the same week as Bowie and in very similar circumstances of a secretive cancer.
So to Cancer, this is fitting.
Even though Bowie and Rickman's cancer was secretive, there are many whose is not (like Bruce Dickinson). I would go for trying to find a Wiki page or website that listed them. I only found a couple of gossip sites, here's one: Celebrities Who Survived Cancer
Worth a share. Robert Frip of course plays on "Heroes" so I suppose it's not weird for Crimson to have covered this, but it's still a pleasure to see along with the rest of the band do it live, and updated a bit. Belew does a pretty good Bowie.
I'd like to believe Bowie caught Crimson live a number of times, including when they would have covered this.
With all the Bowie stuff that has come up and thought about over the past 24 hours of course, this is another one that crossed my mind.
I've always loved Saigon Kick, In fact it's kind of a travesty how little if any content I've ever included about them, as I own more or less everything they did.
And I have strong nostalgia for them in the mid-late 90's, and even through the 2000's.
Time is limited of course for me as I need to head to work; but this song I can honestly say, increased my inteerst in David Bowie's music a lot., While the arrangement isn't dramatically different from the original, there's enough of their stamp on it, to give it distinction.
And it inspired me to see what they said on Social Media yesterday here Getting a message that David Bowie thought a cover you did “was really good” was a massive career highlight, even if he was just being kind. And it seems Bowie enjoyed their cover. As for SK, I really should try and include some content about them and their impressive catalog as they've been a band I've enjoyed for a long time and they are sort of forgotten by the prog/prog-metal scene among others.
an 18-month battle with cancer, which I guess his family kept private understandably.
Jeez, Lemmy and now Bowie.
I don't have time to talk more in detail about my experience with Bowie, but maybe later today or this week i will. It does put his new album Blackstar into a different light.
Okay, well this is the 1st part of a 2 or 3 part series of entries about the current and upcoming albums for the year. Of course as I adopted a couple of years ago, the year began November 1st, and so November and December albums are included.
As for this entry, it is the stuff that has come or are scheduled to be released at this point, along with a few that seem highly likely given the information.
The next entry or two though, is where a lot of the blue chips will show up, but of course many may come much later, or of course not even at all. But to say a lot of the names in the next 1 or 2 are on my mind a lot, is accurate (Fjokra and Pepe Deluxe to name just a couple of them).
But as far as the below list/calendar, it does include some strong and optimistic stuff. Having just heard the Brooke Waggoner album finally in the last couple of days, I can already say that is one I enjoy and should go back to a lot (maybe even an early leader?).
The metal titles seem potentially formidable, with Vektor and Hands of Despair definitely something to be excited about, among some others.
Dream Theater: I just read a couple of actually pretty positive reviews of their new record, which adds something more I suppose.
Cloud Cult's new album and film keeps sounding better and more intriguing.
And then there are the November/December titles, which Falling Up and Mutemath certainly factor into this season's crop. And the SikTh EP/Mini-album as well.
------------November-------------
13: Chris Isaak - First Comes the Night
My fiancee is a pretty big fan, and I did see him a few years ago with her. And I at least can claim to enjoy both his and some covers of "Wicked Game" (Kaddisfly namely). The reviews for it actually have been decent; although the amount I'll be hearing it largely depends on the fiancee's interest and possibly if he comes back into town and we go to see him.
13: Mutemath – Vitals Despite a lot of polarizing feelings about this album from longtime fans, I am enjoying this album a lot. It has great energy, like many Mutemath albums. The use of synths I am finding really work well on this album, despite them usurping the guitar presence. From the wall-of-sound instrumentals "Bulletproof" and the title track, to tracks like "Stratosphere," "Light Up," and "Joyrides," this album is consistently engaging. I even think some of the slower/more ballad-y tracks still work rather well and don't disrupt any flow to this album. Where it lands come next November/December is unclear, but I can see myself continuing to listen to it over the next year certainly, especially around the time of the concert at First Avenue on April 3rd.
13: Falling Up - Falling Up The final Falling Up album. Some of the initial details were given in the interview I did with Jessy Ribordy last Summer. My overall feeling about Falling Up has been, I am a fan of their albums, namely the ones since Fangs from 2009. Although I find Fangs to be my favorite, I do enjoy a lot of the music on Sparkling Death Cometh and the Hours/Midnight on Earthship records, but especially the latter 2 I probably didn't invest enough time to fully get into them. Part of that was due to lack of time, and possibly part of that was how they got released, 1-track at a time, I sort of lost momentum in trying to listen to them. Blech, cutting-to-the-chase, this album is really bloody good. I'm not exactly sure why I am enjoying it more than even the previous records, but I think it could be given how much time and thought I think may have been put into it. As Jessy explained in that interview: ALLMR:How does it differ from even the most recent Falling Up records like Hours, Midnight on Earthship and Your Sparkling Death Cometh, and how is it similar?
Jessy: Well I’ve taken a lot more time to write this album than the others. YSDC I wrote in about three weeks ha! This one I took three months to really get the songs the way I wanted them. Not to say that the songs lacked anything on those older records. In fact normally I write better under pressure and in a shorter amount of time. Sometimes when I have too much time I second guess myself way too much. But it was different with this album. Time was a good thing. I needed to be in the space that my life was in at the time to really absorb inspiration. But it’s similar in ways of recording. Since we’ve become independent we’ve lived by the standard of not holding back with our albums. We let the songs be the songs that they are meant to be instead of trying to form them into anything for any other purpose than just being music.
As for tracks, etc the 1st single/video "Into the Woodshop" probably stands as my favorite as it has this great story of sorts it seems to tell. The guitar lines are melancholic and yet beautiful. And the emotion comes across really well in Jessy's vocal delivery.
Other highlights include the opening track "Boone Flyer" and the 2nd epic track "Flora" which each time I listen to it, I notice new things to like. "Hydro" and "The Insect" are a couple other favorites that musically work well, and lyrically, add to the intrigue of the concept/story that it being told with this album, which seems to be about stories about/in a house as Jessy mentioned in the interview.
I guess part of why I may also be enjoying this album so much as it is their final album, and it seems they wanted to go out on a great final note/swan song. The beauty and magic and cinematic element is as great as it's been with any Falling Up album, and much like some of Jessy's other work which I happen to love (The River Empires, The Gloomcatcher). It is kind of bitter-sweet in that sense. And I'm hardly the only one taking notice as on the rateyourmusic page, it is getting rather favorable ratings thus far.
But even though it is their last album, I am really happy it came out so good, and it does have me curious what Jessy and people like Nick Lambert and Josh Shroy will do now. Josh for example, really stands out on this album, probably more than any other record, as his drum work is outstanding. Even how well it is emphasized and mixed. The drums are at times my favorite part of many songs.
I probably will continue with this album from now until next October, and unless something changes, I can't see this not finishing pretty high among my favorites from 2015-2016. --------------December------------
4: SikTh - Opacities [EP] (December) The first SikTh release since 2006's Death of a Dead Day. And of course the 1st since they broke up in 2008? and then reformed a couple of years ago to play live. I do enjoy a lot of this, as I am SikTh fan, and a fan of their chaotic, theatrical and technical style of Prog Metal. "Walking Shadows" is the stand out track early-on, and it also doesn't seem to have any of the clipping cymbal mix that is on other parts of this Mini-Album. But the compositions are certainly on par with their older work. the djent moments come, but I guess I'm not bothered by them, as much as other more recent bands. And the spoken sections still add charm but don't seem too excessive. SikTh are back finally, and there isn't another band doing this kind of music like them (or as good as them, although I suppose I would love for uneXpect to comeback at some point and compare).
11: JennyLee (Jenny Lee Lindberg) - Right On! Debut solo record from Warpaint's bassist/vocalist. I honestly only checked out about 1/2 of this album, and the jury is still very much out about it. I guess the mellow/moody vibe still seems to be apparent in the writing, which does remind me more of the last Warpaint record from 2014, which overall I didn't love . But given how little I've heard of this still, and it's her own project, rather than what Warpaint are doing collectively, my expectations aren't as high.
-------------January-------------
8: David Bowie - Blackstar The 1st single, which was the title track, just remembering, I did enjoy. But not to the point of addiction. I am a David Bowie fan, but not massive; so while I will be checking this out, I don't have huge expectations for it, but if it surprises me, I won't be surprised, lol. It also only includes 7 tracks, and just glancing on rym, it is being rated rather highly right now. Sleeper?
15: Brooke Waggoner - Sweven The 1st 2 singles "Widow Maker" and "Ovenbird" are both really good, and sound like Brooke may be using more orchestral elements on this album, maybe more than on her last record Originator from 2013. Although regardless, all of Brooke's records have been really good, so I honestly almost expect to love this thing, and hopefully soon since January 15th is right around the corner. edit: Stream it in Full here
Thumbs up on "Pennies and Youth"..reminds me a bit of Go Easy Little Doves.
The whole thing, not surprisingly, has impressed me a ton.
22: Steven Wilson - 4 1/2 The next release which per the title, is like a Half-Release or an EP, etc. Although rym shows it as a full-length. It is 37 minutes of music I guess, for what that's worth. It includes "Don't Hate Me" which from memory, is a Porcupine Tree track from Stupid Dream. I am assuming the version on this album will be different, re-arranged, etc. It also includes the opening 9+ minute "My Book of Regrets" which I think is the track that was played at many shows on the tour of the US I saw last Spring (in Minneapolis), but it wasn't named at that point. Looking forward to this, although given it is only 6 tracks, 5 new original/ etc I suppose my hopes aren't as high as they would be for his next full-length. Then again, I find Nil Recurring to be one of the best Porcupine Tree records.
22: The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum
Atmospheric psych/rock band from Canada who are still around. They released something a year or 2 ago which kind of put me to sleep, but I can't deny, I loved the 1 show saw them. I'll check this one out certainly, but even if I don't go apeshit over it, I probably will continue to look at their best heard in concert where their trippy-ness comes out best.
29: Dream Theater - The Astonishing
34 track, and a double Concept album. And the band are to perform the whole thing live next Spring.
And the concept is so overtly-fantasy Game-of-Thrones/Dungeons and Dragons/Lord of the Rings like, at least just based on the track titles, I think I'm hardly alone in just expecting an all-out cheesy nerdfest.
That being said, I am a lifer Dream Theater fan, and will always pay attention to what they make, even with their approach to songwriting/composition in recent years.
This at least has them trying something different, with the big concept and another double-record, their 1st since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence from 2002.
I guess I don't expect to get attached to this record, but if I somehow enjoy more than half of it, I'll be pleasantly surprised. I guess it wouldn't even surprise me if I and many other fans love it or just forget about it. Which from a time standpoint, is kind of a win-win situation.
----------------February--------------
5: Obscura - Akroasis One of the better technical death metal bands returns with their 1st album since 2011's Omnivium. I do enjoy them, but can't say I love them like some other bands. They do at times sound a fair amount like early Cynic, which is a plus. But I can't forget, how I love Necrophagist, and this band along with Hannes Grossman's solo work has kind of killed the chances of more music coming from Necrophagist. I.e. I kind of see Obscura as the next best thing if Necrophagist never comes back.
5: Field Music - Commontime I certainly will check this out, from this british group who some compare to XTC. I seem to recall enjoying their record their 2010 record Measure, more than Plumb, the follow-up in 2012. Although just scanning their rym, they made music for a film titled Music For Drifters in 2015, so that may be worth checking out as well. 5: Textures - Phenotype
Another record from Textures, which I know they sort of moved the whole Djent thing along before Periphery sort of mainstreamed it. 2011's Dualism I rated at 2.5 stars, whereas their previous 2 albums I have at 3.5. But their last record was 5 years ago, so the break in time may help. Definitely an album I will check out.
12: Cloud Cult - The Seeker The cover art I'm using is just for the 1st single "No Hell" (and I should edit/replace it when the official cover comes). Another Cloud Cult album, which I am certainly excited about, as they have yet to put out a poor record, and especially Feel Good Ghosts in 2008, I've enjoyed their music more and more. Love, from 2013 though I did enjoy, not as much as the previous two. But where this album seems to be different or have more/different potential is the approach. It not only is an album, likely a concept album, but it goes along with a film of the same name. But not apparently a film with any actual heard dialogue, but I guess the album/music is synchronized to. Quite ambitious idea. Also having Cloud Cult Superfan and How I Met Your Mother/Independent Film Actor/Screenwriter Josh Radnor involved, as he does play a part in the movie. But the 3 or 4? tracks (No Hell, Through the Ages, No Hell just from memory) I've heard thus far are all quite good, and sound like Cloud Cult. I suppose the big thing musically is how varied or different the album will seem compared to their others. I recall 1 or 2 clips being mostly instrumental, and given it's used for the movie, there may be more all-instrumental or longer instrumental-features.
15: Hands of Despair - Bereft Hands of Despair I recall getting introduced towards the end of 2011 and their album Hereafter. That album featured a ton of bone crushing riffs, extremely clear production; plus a very well thought-out and executed blend harsh and clean vocals. Progressive Death Metal of a kind, that really worked on many levels, that it's sad that they are still unknown, even among the progressive and death metal communities I see online. And the 1st single "Sleeper" is 9 minutes of a lot of the same. if the rest of the record is like this, I can definitely foresee listening to this record a lot this year.
-------------March------------- 4: Tiles - Pretending to Run I used to be a pretty big fan of this Michigan-based prog rock band, who definitely were big fans of Rush. Namely with their 1st 3 albums, the 1994 Self-Titled debut, Fence the Clear and 1999's Presents of Mind. The other stuff they've done since, I never got too into, despite some impressive guest musicians from memory (Ian Anderson, Alex Lifeson). The list of guests is maybe more expansive on this one: Pretending to Run was produced by Terry Brown (Rush, Fates Warning) and features a remarkable collection of guest musicians including Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Mike Portnoy (Flying Colors, Winery Dogs, ex-Dream Theater), Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson Band), Mike Stern (Miles Davis), Kim Mitchell (Max Webster), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Kevin Chown (Tarja Turunen, Chad Smith), Matthew Parmenter (Discipline), Mark Mikel (Pillbugs), Joe Deninzon, Max Portnoy (Next To None) and many others. And I guess this is a Double Concept album, that the band spent quite awhile making, which adds some to the curiosity about it. Although I remember seeing a comment about how given Dream Theater are also making a double concept album, that's being released not too long before this, it may steal some of Pretending to Run's thunder, at least in the progressive rock communities. I guess we'll see. 4: Ihsahn - Arktis I reall enjoyed a lot of 2010's After. The blend of Black Metal and featured saxophone really seemed unique. The follow-up 2012's Eremita, I honestly only recall liking some moments, but still struggling with. And Ihsahn's most recent record, 2013's Das Seelenbrechen, I don';t recall even knowing about, let alone hearing. Rateyourmusic.com doesn't give it a bad rating, but it's not scored as high as the previous 2.
11: Vektor - Terminal Redux 2011's Outer Isolation is an awesome record. Pretty much a go-to for modern Thrash Metal for myself, per it's technical and progressive tendencies. Plus like the previous Vektor record, Black Future, has this infectious amount of energy. Why I am extremely excited to get to hear a new record from these guys. And finally get to see them live for the 1st time with Voivod next month in St.Paul, MN. The 1st single is below, and hopefully is just a taste of what's to come. 2016 very well may be a huge year for these guys.
25: White Denim - Stuff
I have enjoyed a good amount of the music from White Denim, ever since being introduced to them back in 2011 or 2012 when they were on the same tour with The Dear Hunter and Manchester Orchestra.
They have this fun style of almost progressive jam-band or progressive blues rock, reminiscent of The Allman Brothers or even Umphrey's McGee in some ways.
Their last album Corsicana Lemonade from 2013, I did enjoy, although it was kind of late as I remember not checking it out very late in the year, or even early in 2014.
The previous LP D, from 2011 I remember being pretty addicted to.
As for this album, the cover are is quite odd, but the 1st single at least doesn't seem vastly different for White Denim, but that also could be a good thing.
-----------------April------------- 22: dredg - Catch Without Arms (Vinyl)
A favorite band of mine, and certainly one of my favorites. I already preordered it of course. It looks pristine and highly colorful.
Radical Face - The Family Tree III: Leaves
From some of the updates on Facebook, this album could have come out last Fall, but Radical Face released The Bastards album instead, and Ben Cooper decided to wait until early in 2016 to release this.
I love a lot of Radical Face's music, with the cinematic style of folk-rock. I haven't really felt anything they've released has been bad. The Family Tree series included. And this concept/series may be the final part, from memory when it was introduced a few years ago, which adds even more to the anticipation for this one.
No certainty when this album does come out, but they have been posting on Social Media a lot over the last 2 years about writing and recording, including I recall last Summer and Fall.
It's been nearly 8 years since 2008's Just In Case We Never Meet Again (Soundtrack for the Cassette Generation), so the timing of when this does finally drop just seems unclear, year after year. But given their Social media presence and the fact they did recording recently, seems to support it'll finally be coming relatively soon.
I hope so, as I really love a lot this Italian college-prog/post-rock band's music, especially 2005's Dopoguerra.
The Woods Brothers - The Woods Brothers This is the long-worked on debut record of these 2 brothers from Southern California. The 1st 2 shared songs are really good, namely "Terra Firma" which features Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter on vocals. Casey did a lot of work with them on this record, including producing. As well, members of some other bands, including The Fall of Troy, also make appearances.
Definitely a record to look forward to. which given a lot of the details shared in the last 9 months, it may be released early in the year.
I guess I have no issue with them having Thick as a Brick (as I happen to love that record) and Sgt Pepper's as well..; the Volta, Queensryche, The Who and even Rush and Dream Theater titles I would personally take a different record from
Frances the Mute
Promised Land
Quadrophenia
Hemispheres
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
but I like more or less all of those albums at least. Although I consider Quadrophenia a MUCH better album in general to Tommy, I still enjoy Tommy, but maybe not the concept nearly as much as Quad's.
Now with The Wall, like Tommy, I like a lot of the music (probably about 2/3), but find both with the concept to be too overblown and preachy; and just doesn't work as a whole.
I noticed Animals relatively high on the voting list, and I would easily choose it over both in terms of the music of course and the CONCEPT in fact. Less is definitely A LOT MORE with Animals vs The Wall.
The David Bowie I can take or leave. I enjoy Bowie and that album, while not my favorite Bowie record, I still can understand why it may make this list.
Green Day? so typical, but blech..terrible concept and maybe even more terrible music from a terrible band; but I suppose it hardly is surprising to see based on the voters and what kinds of picks WMJ tends to include in these lists.
It was nice to see in the HM's Genesis The Lamb among a few others.
What albums did they miss? for my personal taste, I would look no further than basically my 4 favorite albums of all-time
-Marillion - Brave (or Misplaced Childhood I would have had no issue with still)
-Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True
-Soundscape - Discovery (no chance it'd ever make this list, but it is a concept album and it is an all-time favorite. I suppose if Fates Warning had been included, something like A Pleasant Shade of Gray or Awaken the Guardian I'd be satisfied at least in a way)
-Apes and Androids - Blood Moon
This is the new/2nd video (and single?) from this record "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
rather provocative and gender-bending with Bowie and Tilda Swinton featured . I guess Tilda has been likened often to how Bowie looked especially in the 70's. (not sure if this is NSFW, as I had to stop it out of concern).
The song itself I heard on 89.3 this morning and I'm liking it a fair amount more than "Where Are We Now?"
which may raise the optimism for this record a little more being as good a song as this new song/single is.
1/8/13 5:59AM http://www.davidbowie.com/news
This album drops on March 11th. The 1st video/single is below. Not a bad tune, namely how it picks up towards the end. More to add later, but I guess Tony Levin played on this album which is noteworthy.
I guess I'll add just briefly my 2 cents about this/Bowie. I never was hugely into him, until about 10 years ago when a co-worker at my old job burned me a bunch of his records. And at that point, I realized how diverse he was, including a period of his music could be described as prog. I'm referring to mainly the Ziggy Stardust period, and from an album like Hunky Dory, the string arrangements drew me to some of his songs, namely "Life On Mars?" Rick Wakeman even played with Bowie, although not on Ziggy Stardust (as many think of). It was the fact he had the 2 offers at once, 1 to join Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders band, and the other was Yes. Whether he chose the right band, who knows. It can be argued either way, but the fact is, he did play with Bowie and his impact is noticed on a lot of those early Bowie records.
And I enjoyed parts of more or less every record this coworker burned for me, but I can't say any one specifically ever stood out over others, although I'll admit to not spending great amounts of time with them. I do recall of his 2 most recent records, I enjoyed Heathen much more than Reality. I remember Heathen being more consistent, more energetic, and layered (and heavy even?). Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater, even made an appearance on it.
So, I am not expecting a ton with this album, but, if resembles Heathen more than Reality, that would be my preference at this point.And having Tony Levin on it can't hurt.
I'm not sure if the way the image below is, with the title like that, is the actual cover, or the image on his website without his name and the title is. But I'll go with the 1 below for now.
1 The Next Day3:51
2 Dirty Boys2:58
3 The Stars (Are Out Tonight)3:56
4 Love Is Lost3:57
5 Where Are We Now?4:08
6 Valentine's Day3:01
7 If You Can See Me3:16
8 I'd Rather Be High3:53
9 Boss of Me4:09
10 Dancing Out in Space3:24
11 How Does the Grass Grow4:33
12 (You Will) Set the World on Fire3:30
13 You Feel So Lonely You Could Die4:41
14 Heat4:25
Bonus tracks:
15. “So She”
16. “I’ll Take You There”
17. “Plan”
