Now Playing Thread

[Nicky007]

Jolly ~ The Audio Guide to Happiness Disc One.

Sometimes they sound like Alice in Chains, sometimes they sound like The Tea Party, sometimes they sound like Karnivool....

.....

You were baitin me on purpose, Mad

And then the Caamora musical pt II.   

"Musical" 

You were provokin me on purpose, Mad

I still haven't reacted to the Ten links. 

If it makes you feel any better, listened to a few tracks of the new Ten album and ordered the Twilight Chronicles, but haven't received it yet.

ooooo, I feel sooooo goooood 


JP  PT:  On the Sunday of Life...

Has the best of SW's early stuff, some of it started in his school days. Wasnt intended to be released as an official cd, but fortunately there were nuff fans who pressed Steve. Nice little pearl 

Not really a group effort, mainly Steve "with a little help from his friends," long before Gavin, Richard, and Colin got into the mix 


NP  Dimmu Borgir:  Abrahadabra

This could be characterised as "forbidden fruit" re me (don't tell the other Roomies that I'm listenin to it) 

Wikipedia: "'Abrahadabra', loosely translated as 'I will create as I speak', was created by author Aleister Crowley in his work, Liber AL vel Legis, or The Book of the Law."

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahadabra_(album)

About as baaad as it gets 

But the music 

Musically DB are one of the most groundbreaking bands around 

E.g.   Born Treacherous    www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQeZ93A9Q18&NR=1

&    Gateways    www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KzzbYp7NtY    with a tremendous video

Man, is that stuff good, as "forbidden" as it gets 

Guys, listen to this, and tell me what you think about it, your honest opinion, it would interest me. DB are a highly controversial group that observant proggies are talkin more and more about .....

Nicky.

[maddox]

Spock's Beard ~ Octane Spec. Edition.

Man, besides Surfing Down the Avalance, The Flash Before my Eyes suite is sooooo good!! 

[Bupie]

I am with you here for both songs Mad, A Flash ... is great and Surfing ... is really unpleasant even if the lyrics serve the story. By chance, it's followed by She's Everything and its gilmouresque guitar solo 

I haven't played the album for a long time but I don't remember anything significant on the bonus CD 

NP Angra - Rebirth

In one week, those guys went from just a name to my favorite prog metal band, no less 

[funkster]

Elbow - Build a rocket boys

Seems more Leaders of the free world than Seldom seen kid which is fine by me 

Then moving onto The Promise by Springsteen   

[Nicky007]

NP  Ihsahn:  After

Ingenious 

E.g.   Austere   www.youtube.com/watch?v=z30rEdUA0-4&NR=1

Surprisingly melodic for this guy 

Waitin for you guys to get to Norwegian dark metal .....

Nicky.

[aswas]

Hey guys. Good to be back. Glass Hammer One is cool if u like old synths. It is the 1st recording by Babb/Schendel before they were really Glass Hammer. All instrumental with 2 keyboards and a drum machine

[The Butterfly Man]

Hi guys, I was too busy with real life to post in the Room for the last week and a half. My girlfriend's dad went to hospital to undergo surgery on his hip and since he's living on his own I took care of him together with my girl once he got the doctors' clearance to go home. So that's where al my spare time went lately.

But let's move on!

OK Tom, thanks for the reply 

So now maybe you can tell me about Moon Safari since I asked you the question on this thread a few days ago ? 

Right, Moon Safari. Basically they could be described as keyboard-driven prog-light with some pop-influences and beautiful layered vocals and harmonies. Their new album Lover's End is perfect for a nice evening in the Spring with a glass of good wine. The music isn't dark at all which is a nice change of pace from what I mostly listen to. It's a very pleasant album, highly recommended!

Tom, thanx for your comments. You express what I too feel - and well formulated in English 

Thanks! It's nice to get such a compliment from a native English speaker.

There's so much going on in my life that lately I must confess that I tend to lurk more than actually be more active in here and that's a shame.
The visits to the Room were always a routine, a way to escape the hectic days but now the hectic days has caught up with me or in other words: became more hectic.
That's more on a personal subject. There are some problems we have in our little family that need our attention right now.

I hope these problems aren't too serious and wish you the best of luck in coping with them!

But I'm sure that the Room will be an interesnting place again once the new Arena albums is released!
And then the Caamora musical pt II.   

I'm not really a fan of the Caarmora project but I share your wiew regarding the impact the new Arena album will have on the number of active users here in the Room!

Elbow - Build a rocket boys 

Yeah it's great isn't it? Lippy Kids is such a beautiful song, it's really moving. Just like the rest of the album by the way. Another high quality record by the mighty Elbow!

NP: Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!

Tom

[maddox]

Hi guys, I was too busy with real life to post in the Room for the last week and a half. My girlfriend's dad went to hospital to undergo surgery on his hip and since he's living on his own I took care of him together with my girl once he got the doctors' clearance to go home. So that's where al my spare time went lately.

Hope your dad's okay now.
Surgery on a hip is a difficult procedure and demands lots of rest.
By coincidence, a colleague of mine (only 23, mind you) had to went through one herself about two months ago and she still hasn't come back to work.

I hope these problems aren't too serious and wish you the best of luck in coping with them!

Thanks, I'm sure we will do fine with it.
My daughter has some behavior problems, finds it hard to express her feelings and emotions.
After some tests the child psychiatrist even believes that my daughter might have either ADD (a different form of ADHD) or even have a form of autism.
Needless to say that this worries us. In about a week we will get the results.
Hopefully it will clear things up and we hear how to handle it.

np> Beyond Twilight ~ The Devil's Hall of Fame

If anyone of you is into metal (the proggy kind) and like the vocals of Jorn Lande then pay attention.
Because this album is really really good!!! 
It's also the only Beyond Twilight album that has Jorn on vox.

[Nicky007]

Hopefully it will clear things up, and we'll figure out how to handle it.

np> Beyond Twilight ~ The Devil's Hall of Fame

Danish group 


NP  www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOAkEfi124   

Great piece, gotta hear more of'm. Thanx Mad 

I can hear Tea Party, but not AIC, maybe in other pieces by Jolly. Even some Radiance - seems like there's some vogue in those lively and skewed bass runs 

Found their homesite:  www.jollyband.com/news.html

& a good review of The Audio Guide:  www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=384551


These days I'm listening mainly to Emperor. Awesome stuff 

More like KoK than DB and Arcturus, but while KoK are very melodic and harmonic (and I love that), Emperor are more avantgarde 

Of course, all these four groups are o'er the top in each their way 

Nicky.

[Nicky007]

NP  Love:  Alone Again Or

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yVBMUXr4xo

A wonderful classic from 1967, the year of l/Love 

Nicky.

[Nicky007]

NP  Jolly:  The Pattern  (on repeat)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOAkEfi124

What a discovery, real stuck-on, got it on my classic list now (the first 2011 classic song) 

And got their two albums, Forty Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music (2009), and The Audio Guide to Happiness (Pt. 1) (2011), on my SL 

How can such great music be sooo under the radar 

I even think that this one could become a Room classic    no growl - promise

Thanx again, you Mad Monster 


Interesting editorial review on Amazon:

"JOLLY is the summation of four minds set out to revolutionize the art of sound. Under the guise of rock music, JOLLY has devised a therapeutic auditory experience scientifically designed to bring the brain to a state of pure happiness. By combining sophisticated arrangements, ambient textures, aggressive dynamics, and infectious melodies with binaural brain wave technology, a new medium is born.

JOLLY's latest release, The Audio Guide to Happiness (Part 1), is a self-reflective sonic journey scientifically tailored to guide the listener through the strata of his/her own emotional make-up. The listener is subjected to musical mood dynamics and key lyrical triggers while the brain is fed corresponding binaural tones. These tones are carefully and deliberately interwoven within the music to support all appropriate peaks and valleys throughout the experience."

- www.amazon.com/Audio-Guide-Happiness-Pt/dp/B004KQK8CK/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1299952050&sr=1-3


Another great song by Jolly:  Red Sky Locomotive   www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl1u1bPG5Bo&NR=1

Nicky.

[The Butterfly Man]

NP  Jolly:  The Pattern  (on repeat)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOAkEfi124

One word: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll definitely check this out, thanks guys!

I also discovered a new band (project) just minutes ago. It's called For All We Know. Here's some info:

For All We Know is a project by Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie. He has recorded a lot of songs and albums with other artists, but the urge to write and record his own material has always been present.

So for the last 4 years he has been working on this music both when he was on the road with various bands (Within Temptation, Agua de Annique, Damian Wilson Band, Maiden uniteD, etc) and in his own studio. He considers himself very fortunate to be able to work with some of the greatest musicians and people imaginable on this project.

The album For All We Know, written and produced by Ruud himself, contains 12 original songs that range from very atmospheric and dreamily acoustic to heavy and pounding progressive metal tracks.

Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it?

Anyway, here you can have a listen to a preview here: http://vimeo.com/20167294

The album will be released on April 25th.

Tom

[Nicky007]

One word: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right, I don't yet know about all the intellectual stuff, but The Pattern is definitely a rock classic, smack in yer face 

Already found some other great pieces by Jolly 

Here's their MySpace:  www.myspace.com/jollyband

I havent heard about any of the guys in the band, but they'r under InsideOut, so they must have good credentials 


Tom, I now have For All We Know on my "Groups to check out" (also in my LP). Got some others before'm. I'l return .....

Nicky.

[Bupie]

Hey Mad, I do sincerely hope that everything will get alrigth for your daughter.

It's good to have news from Aswas and PH too, even a half-drunk PH 

Tom, thanks for the info on Moon Safari (not much to find on the web) and Nick, thanks for the tips on Anubis Gate and Beyond Twilight, both very interesting. Two bands I should get into, along with Circus Maximus.

NP I won't tell ...

[Nicky007]

Two bands I should get into, along with Circus Maximus.

Beyond Twilight havent really gripped me (yet), tho I should return to'm soon 

Anubis Gate and Circus Maximus are definitely pantheon with me 

NP I won't tell ...

Maybe ya need some Angra management, Bups 

even a half-drunk PH

Paxi 


NP  I'l tell:  Jolly:  Downstream

I usually go for heavier music these days    but this stuff gets under yer jolly skin 

Nicky.

[Peter]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I leave you alone for a few days, and what do you do is start discussing about the very basics of life, love and the other thing....

Here's my 2c on the issue of what this forum is and what it's not.

First of all, the forum itself was created due to the fact that I was very unhappy about the (yahoo?) ARENA mailing list that existed earlier. A mailing list has no structure at all, and I found it was not a good platform for a band to exist on the net, which started to take forms of "web 2.0" with everybody contributing and stuff. So I talked about that to Clive and the other band guys when I met them at gigs. They were all rather happy that someone would take it in their hands and do ... well: something. Clive and the guys also were okay with this place being the "official ARENA forum", and so I went and did this.

I had already seen a few bands' forum places and sectioned this place into meaningful areas, one of those now being the most vital (as in "survival" as well as in "filled with life") sections, the "now playing" thread.

On of the things that never really came to life for me was the participation of ARENA members. Clive's posts can be counted with a few hands, and I basically have forgotten if anyone of the others has ever come here to post. ARENA and the fans don't seem to be central parts of their lives, certainly due to their other liabilities.

So, what was left was to have the hope that the gathering of a few dudes who have at least their liking for ARENA albums in common, would lead to a fertile exchange of musical tastes, recommendations and even good discussions. (although I find "taste" is not a matter of discussion, actually.) This we find in this "now playing" thread, the Listening Profiles, the yearly returning "best albums of last year" thread, and so on. We are a bunch of good guys, and exchanging tastes is exactly what we do here, so this part of the concept seems to work, although it has a major turn down, that is: who would ever come here and enrich the discussions if he's not an ARENA fan?

This forum doesn't grow, and my own commitment has subsided, as you may have noticed. I am an album listener, I hate to have music playing "in the background", I like to sit down, take my time and get comfortable with the music. I can't do that very often lately, and therefor music has mostly left my life.

And so it turns out that we have a carousel of say max 10 active people here, (don't know about the silent readers), and we carry every new (and old) piece of music we get to know in here to post, and sometimes we're sad that noone seems to take notice.

My opinion on this: that's okay. We're all grown up. From time to time I read through the new posts and listen to the new recoms if they are available on myspace or youtube. If I find them interesting, I will repost, like I will do in a minute about the Angra track I just listened to

Let's keep this alive, it's a good thing, and maybe over time the word will spread... maybe more if the new ARENA release is as much a release as we expect it to be

Sorry for the wall of text

[Peter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ESt3FnJ7I

Angra - Shadow Hunter

Great stuff... will try to get more of it. The latin touch is very nice.

[Peter]

Fen - Colossal Voids

eh... noise? growl? not my thingie.

[Peter]

Ihsahn - Austere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z30rEdUA0-4&NR=1

Errr... more growl, suicidal moods here... can people please put a "contains growls" below their posts... what a waste (for me )

[PH]

Don't you know where to find the "edit button"? Tsk tsk tsk...

Was listening to some Spock's Beard lately.
At the moment: nothing really.


--Paco

[Peter]

Jolly - The Pattern
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOAkEfi124

---- Wow, amazing. This might be one of the things I've been waiting for, quite a while now.
Interesting video, btw.

P.S.: what should I edit, Paco?

[Nicky007]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I leave you alone for a few days, and what you do is start discussing about the very basics of life, love and the other thing....

Thanx, Cap ... altho I - really - don't know what you mean by "the other thing" 

hate to have music playing "in the background"

Depends 

Sorry for the wall of text

Not at all, Cap 

This is the first time that I'm informed about the background of the Room, and as I'v spent quite some time here    your report was very interesting to me 

And with all these hours here, I hardly need to state that I'm sure happy that you established the Room - and you did a great job of it, megakudos 

that's okay

... with me too. I'v of course on several occasions attempted to whip up some more action here, without much success, but since I now have increased the number of forums where I share music (YouTube, MySpace, Amazon, Metal Sucks, Facebook, and some others), I'm OK with whatever activity there is in the Room. Mainly I get good tips (like Jolly), report stuff that I expect Roomies would find interesting (like Jolly), sometimes inform on my special interests (like Norwegian dark metal), and respond to posts that I find interesting (like yours, Cap) 


NP  For All We Know:  Trailer 2  (on repeat)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJRv0F1e5ys&feature=related

Now the problem with trailers is that, altho you can get an impression of the styles covered, ya can't really get into the individual pieces properly 

This trailer and the 1-minute teaser is the only material I'v been able to find on the net, so Tom, if you can post some good links, it would be appreciated 

Teaser  www.youtube.com/watch?v=79gXbxx-o7E&feature=related

However, the comparisons with Ayreon seem to be valid, and as I'm no big Ayreon fan, I probably won't pursue FAWK much 

Ihsahn - Austere

Errr... more growl, suicidal moods here... can people please put a "contains growls" below their posts... what a waste (for me )

Ihsahn and Emperor (Ihsahn main person here) are probably as remote from you, Cap, as love is from Gaddafi 

"Suicidal moods" 

Grrrowl 

Nicky.

[Nicky007]

NP  Ratt:  Eat Me Up Alive 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebCvQHXQs0Q

Like Priest, which is no problem to me 

You can join in on this one, Cap 

Nicky.

[Peter]

NP  Ratt:  Eat Me Up Alive 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebCvQHXQs0Q

Like Priest, which is no problem to me 

You can join in on this one, Cap 

Nicky.

lawl, old dude metal pop very entertaining... but not more appeal to me than a David Hasselhoff tape. Oh wait, those guitar solos... ah nay.

[maddox]

Hey Mad, I do sincerely hope that everything will get alrigth for your daughter.

Thanks, Bupie! 

This Thursday we'll get the first results, a bit nervous about it.

Wow, you guys are amazing. I leave you alone for a few days, and what do you do is start discussing about the very basics of life, love and the other thing....

Here's my 2c on the issue of what this forum is and what it's not.

First of all, the forum itself was created due to the fact that I was very unhappy about the (yahoo?) ARENA mailing list that existed earlier. A mailing list has no structure at all, and I found it was not a good platform for a band to exist on the net, which started to take forms of "web 2.0" with everybody contributing and stuff. So I talked about that to Clive and the other band guys when I met them at gigs. They were all rather happy that someone would take it in their hands and do ... well: something. Clive and the guys also were okay with this place being the "official ARENA forum", and so I went and did this.

Wow, never really knew this.
I thought the forum was basically the idea of Arena, not of 'just an innocent bystander'.

On of the things that never really came to life for me was the participation of ARENA members. Clive's posts can be counted with a few hands, and I basically have forgotten if anyone of the others has ever come here to post. ARENA and the fans don't seem to be central parts of their lives, certainly due to their other liabilities.

That surprised me as well.
Clive came into the Room from time to time, and also Mick but his contributions were scarce to say the least.
Oh and JJII, but then he already wasn't a full member of Arena anymore.

(although I find "taste" is not a matter of discussion, actually.)

Amen to that.
Music is a personal issue. What you think is good, can be a totally disaster for others and visa versa.
This shouldn't be an issue at all.

who would ever come here and enrich the discussions if he's not an ARENA fan?

Good question.
I think that if anyone lurks in here and read the topics if anything he or she would presumably be confused.
We tend to discuss more about other bands, lately more metal, then Arena itself.

...and my own commitment has subsided, as you may have noticed. I am an album listener, I hate to have music playing "in the background", I like to sit down, take my time and get comfortable with the music. I can't do that very often lately, and therefor music has mostly left my life.

Busy life, it seems.
A shame, though understandable.
Even I have to search for time to listen to music.
When I'm don't have to work in the evening, I usually make time to listen to music and lately also in the weekend.
My kids have to get used to my taste.
I'm with you when it comes to music.
Of course there is music that is best heard in the background but prog however, is a different story.
In my humble opinion, prog or metal for that matter isn't suitable as just some background 'noise'.
Prog has a lot of concept albums for instance. I personally want to listen to the whole album in one piece, and not now part one, and tomorrow if I can find the time part II.

Sorry for the wall of text

And then to think that it's totally off topic. 

Well, a bit maybe.

Thanx, Cap ... altho I - really - don't know what you mean by "the other thing" 

Wild guess but.. religion? 

This is the first time that I'm informed about the background of the Room, and as I'v spent quite some time here    your report was very interesting to me 

As it was for me.

NP> Riverside ~ ADHD