Now Playing Thread

[Steve Jones]

Just: Panic Room - Visionary Position
Now: The Flower Kings - The Rainmaker

[Teunis]

Hear, hear, soundclips from the forthcoming Sylvan-album 'Force Of Gravity'!!

Yeah, I just read that it will be released on 25th September. Already on my 'to buy' list  .

Just: Frost* - Milliontown
Now: Pictorial Wand - Face Of Our Fathers

[Steve Jones]

Just: Half Man Half Biscuit - Some Call it Godcore
Now: Jethro Tull - Aqualung

[Manatee]

NP: King Crimson - Red

It only gets better with repeated plays.   

[Teunis]

Neal Morse - ?

Got a mail that Neal's live DVD is on its way to me, preparing a bit  .

[Nicky007]

NP: King Crimson - Red

It only gets better with repeated plays.  

Believe ya, Greenie  

I'v had many hours of enjoyment with my KC albums, one of my pantheon groups  


JP  IQ:  Subterranea & Dark Matter

Nice, particularly Harvest of Souls, but very old-school neo-prog. When I hear this stuff, I think early 70's Floyd, Yes, and Genesis, and even these groups were more groundbreaking then.

I don't understand why you guys are so crazy about IQ  

But maybe I'm just an old f*, I'v seen too much rain fall (and sausages rise)  

Or maybe I'm just a bit more adventurous  


NP  Audioslave:  Revelations  (on repeat)

Guess the "revelations" relates to the lyrics, the music doesn't have much of that, but nice songs, and Chris' singing is fabulous as always, and you get the feeling that the guys worked well together during this period  

Seems like the three Rage guys are back with Zack. Will be interesting to see what they dish up after their different experiences apart. I was never much a fan of their earlier stuff, but they may have learnt a thing or two about melody from CC.


Might interest some:

"Chris Cornell is a rock icon who thrives on contradictions. An innovator who resists genre labels, he was nonetheless the chief architect of the 90s grunge movement. Frequently ranked as one of the best voices in music history, he has successfully maintained his own unique identity over more than two decades as a multi-Grammy award winning musician and universally acclaimed singer, songwriter and lyricist.

Seattle trailblazers Soundgarden were a law to themselves, edgy, dark and deeply individual. Their savage soundscapes, coupled with Cornell's incisive lyrics and predatory roar, seduced audiences hungry for musical depth and complexity while leading trends in street fashion and iconic design. In 1989, they became the first Seattle band to sign to a major label. Their sound continued to change and evolve over the course of five pioneering albums.

Celebrated side project Temple of the Dog had already shown Cornell's more soulful side and introduced future Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to the world. Later, Cornell shocked the business once again with richly melodic, critically acclaimed solo album Euphoria Morning, swiftly recognized for its alienation and despair. And as the millennium turned, he joined with three other musical pioneers from rap-rock's Rage Against The Machine to create Audioslave - a multi-platinum supergroup which lived to deny its detractors, producing three top-selling albums, touring the world and becoming the first American band to bring rock to Castro's Cuba.

Since then, Cornell has redefined his sound and vision to encompass new music, new collaborations and new activities ... His triumphant 2007 world tour brought together songs from every stage of his career, reinterpreting them for new audiences and blending their original fire with the shock of the new.

Outside music, Cornell fronted fashion designer John Varvatos's Spring 2006 collection and settled in Paris with his family, where he has helped revive a historic restaurant, the stylish Black Calavados.

Only the most confident would claim to predict exactly what comes next for Chris Cornell. Always eclectic, always experimental, his new collaboration with super-producer Timbaland ... will take him into fresh territory, establishing a new sound and marking the creation of a masterpiece that breaks all musical boundaries. Only one thing's for sure - Chris Cornell will continue to break rules, make history and challenge everyone's expectations."

Chris Cornell Bio by Clare O'Brien, on Amazon.com.


However, I think it's going a bit too far to call him "the chief architect of the 90s grunge movement". Imo Kurt Cobain and Jerry Cantrell were just as important.

But of course Euphoria Morning is an essential album, a very unusual, exciting experience brought about by very gifted, angular musicians gettin together 

Nicky.

[Nicky007]

NP  Marillion:  Fugazi

Oh, man, this is just sooo brilliant 

It's amazing how much more Fish-Marillion grip me than the later lounge metamorphosis 

Yup, Bups, there sure will be some of these songs goin on my SO-list. Thanks buddy 

Guess I'm a sucker for Fish - somehow or other 

Nicky.

[Steve Jones]

Just: Genesis - Selling England
Now: Hanoi Rocks - Two Steps from the Move

[Iggy]

NP  Marillion:  Fugazi

Oh, man, this is just sooo brilliant 

It's amazing how much more Fish-Marillion grip me than the later lounge metamorphosis 

Yup, Bups, there sure will be some of these songs goin on my SO-list. Thanks buddy 

Guess I'm a sucker for Fish - somehow or other 

Nicky.

I think I am in a minority of 1 but Fugazi is my favourite Marillion album.

NP Lunatic Soul

[Steve Jones]

Just: Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
Now: Anvil - Forged in Fire

[Iggy]

Just Riverside - Second life syndrome
Now Edenbridge - Arcana

[Steve Jones]

Just: Maria McKee - Maria McKee
Now: Dream Theater - Score

[Manatee]

JP  IQ:  Subterranea & Dark Matter

Nice, particularly Harvest of Souls, but very old-school neo-prog. When I hear this stuff, I think early 70's Floyd, Yes, and Genesis, and even these groups were more groundbreaking then.

I don't understand why you guys are so crazy about IQ  

But maybe I'm just an old f*, I'v seen too much rain fall (and sausages rise)  

Or maybe I'm just a bit more adventurous  

Personally, I prefer You Never Will and Born Brilliant from Dark Matter.  Subterranea I think suffers from classic double concept album disease -- It's a five star single album with filler songs added to adhere to the concept. It's got several outstanding songs, but I think they deserve to be on an album with only other outstanding songs.   I'm not really a huge fan of concept albums unless they're just brilliantly executed because the story as a whole is less important to me in the long run than the quality of the songs.  I'd rather the concept be more loosely covered and have each song be a winner than have a fully-developed concept with some just-OK songs in there only to advance the concept.  In essence, a story is only going to be interesting a certain number of times, but, as you know, really great songs can stand up to much more repetition.

Why are we so crazy about IQ?  Uh, cause they're great.      I ask myself the same question about Dream Theater actually, but sometimes one just has to admit defeat and accept being the minority opinion.  IQ sometimes gets criticized for not being "ground-breaking."  In one way, I can maybe see that in that they're basically the last banner carriers for what a lot of us considered classic prog (vaguely Genesis-like style, etc.).  First off, I love that style, so I'm glad someone still does it.  Secondly, I don't really think they sound a whole lot like anyone but themselves.  Also, for me, Peter Nicholls' voice is very unique and interesting, and I like his lyrics a lot (with perhaps one exception).  That alone lends some uniqueness to the music for me (I realize he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a fan).  I guess to me they embody as much as anyone "what prog sounds like."  Sure it would be dull if every single band did the same thing, but they're not just anyone.  At this point if there's any copying going on, I'd say it's newer bands copying them and not the other way around.  I'd agree that they've changed less over the years than most bands with this long of a lifespan, but I don't think all style changes are for the better, and in this case, they started with a pretty damned good one.  In short, maybe their progressiveness isn't progressing so much, but they still produce quality music, and it's nice to have a band or two in your stable that you can rely on.

"Adventurousness" is all well and good, but I think we're allowed to like some music just cause it sounds great, even if it doesn't shock the hell out of us.  And honestly, I don't think there are many Roomies who can justly be accused of listening to only "safe" music -- we just all have our own preferred sorts of adventures.


NP: Devin Townsend Project - Ki

Starring a gent who I think pretty much disproves any claims that I'm not adventurous.   

[Iggy]

Personally, I prefer You Never Will and Born Brilliant from Dark Matter.  Subterranea I think suffers from classic double concept album disease -- It's a five star single album with filler songs added to adhere to the concept. It's got several outstanding songs, but I think they deserve to be on an album with only other outstanding songs.   I'm not really a huge fan of concept albums unless they're just brilliantly executed because the story as a whole is less important to me in the long run than the quality of the songs.  I'd rather the concept be more loosely covered and have each song be a winner than have a fully-developed concept with some just-OK songs in there only to advance the concept.  In essence, a story is only going to be interesting a certain number of times, but, as you know, really great songs can stand up to much more repetition.

Why are we so crazy about IQ?  Uh, cause they're great.      I ask myself the same question about Dream Theater actually, but sometimes one just has to admit defeat and accept being the minority opinion.  IQ sometimes gets criticized for not being "ground-breaking."  In one way, I can maybe see that in that they're basically the last banner carriers for what a lot of us considered classic prog (vaguely Genesis-like style, etc.).  First off, I love that style, so I'm glad someone still does it.  Secondly, I don't really think they sound a whole lot like anyone but themselves.  Also, for me, Peter Nicholls' voice is very unique and interesting, and I like his lyrics a lot (with perhaps one exception).  That alone lends some uniqueness to the music for me (I realize he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a fan).  I guess to me they embody as much as anyone "what prog sounds like."  Sure it would be dull if every single band did the same thing, but they're not just anyone.  At this point if there's any copying going on, I'd say it's newer bands copying them and not the other way around.  I'd agree that they've changed less over the years than most bands with this long of a lifespan, but I don't think all style changes are for the better, and in this case, they started with a pretty damned good one.  In short, maybe their progressiveness isn't progressing so much, but they still produce quality music, and it's nice to have a band or two in your stable that you can rely on.

"Adventurousness" is all well and good, but I think we're allowed to like some music just cause it sounds great, even if it doesn't shock the hell out of us.  And honestly, I don't think there are many Roomies who can justly be accused of listening to only "safe" music -- we just all have our own preferred sorts of adventures.


NP: Devin Townsend Project - Ki

Starring a gent who I think pretty much disproves any claims that I'm not adventurous.   

Well said and very well written.

JP Last Human Gateway - IQ. A masterpiece. 

[Manatee]

Well said and very well written.

Thank you, sir.  Want to be my literary agent?  If you can get me a book deal, maybe I'll actually get around to writing one finally.  Maybe a young adults' series about a boy musician named Harry Progger?

JP Last Human Gateway - IQ. A masterpiece. 

Indeed, one of their best.   

Was playing sort of: Dire Straits - On Every Street

I allowed Devin to run into the first few songs of this (it's next alphabetically in my iTunes).  I gave up on it though.  As discussed elsewhere, DS were pretty much done by this point.  The title track is pretty good, but there's nothing special about the rest of it.

[maddox]

Demians ~ Building An Empire

[Teunis]

I don't understand why you guys are so crazy about IQ  

I'll never get bored of their music, it's so versatile. The tempo changes, keyboard- and guitarsolos. After each play I hear sounds I never heard before. Hard to explain, their music grabs me  .

IQ - Frequency
Pendragon - Pure

[Steve Jones]

Fish - Fortunes of War (1994 Live Acoustic)

[Steve Jones]

Ayreon - 01011001

[maddox]

Anathema ~ Hindsight

[Steve Jones]

Just: Beardfish - Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two
Now: Osada Vida - Three Seats Behind a Triangle

[Iggy]

Jp The grand design - Edenbridge

NP Criminal Record - Rick Wakeman

[Steve Jones]

Just: Osada Vida - The Body Parts Party
Now: Kaipa - Angling Feelings

[Nicky007]

NP: Devin Townsend Project - Ki

Starring a gent who I think pretty much disproves any claims that I'm not adventurous.   

Right, Greenie 

And honestly, I don't think there are many Roomies who can justly be accused of listening to only "safe" music -- we just all have our own preferred sorts of adventures.

Right too 

Guess Ten and Jeff Buckley are my "safe" trips ... and seems I like'm for the same reasons as you like Peter Nicholls:  Great lyrics, melody and singing, edgy without being shocking 

... sometimes one just has to admit defeat and accept being the minority opinion.

Right again. I'm often in the minority, in the Room, and even more elsewhere 

Also, for me, Peter Nicholls' voice is very unique and interesting, and I like his lyrics a lot (with perhaps one exception).  That alone lends some uniqueness to the music for me ...

OK, I'l give IQ another run and be attentive to that.

That's one of the great things about the Room:  That we can pinpoint things of special interest and value for each other 


NP  Daniel Lanois:  The Maker  (on Acadie, on repeat)

A terrific song re both lyrics, music and performance. It's on its way to my SO-list (and it'l fill up the gap a bit (1989)) 

Daniel's solo-albums are very mixed bags. Here and there are some very special experiences 

And he has produced several great albums 

None else into DL ?

Nicky.

[erik]

Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life

Now that the North Sea Jazz Festival is going on here in NL let's play something apt