1996 Review

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(More customer reviews)If I had to make a recommendation as to what two Ryuichi Sakamoto albums to purchase, they would have to be "1996" (a beautiful collection of his more recent work, in trio form no less) and the somewhat out-of-print "Soundbytes" (a U.S. compilation of his solo keyboard pieces from the '80s, otherwise available only via Japanese import.) "Soundbytes" portrays Sakamoto as a prophet of the state of electronica in 1994 (the album's release date), with his use of ambient and borrowed sound, unfamiliar textures and timbres, strong repetition and punctuated rhythm, and a certain "Futurist" concept in mind. "1996", meanwhile, relies on the other side of Sakamoto's musical personality that surfaces most readily in his movie soundtracks - beautiful melodies, nuanced chord and harmonic progression, both exaggerated and latent emotion - in an elegantly arranged piano/cello/violin trio that simply flows from track to track.
Most of these pieces are Sakamoto's best known work: the film score highlights. A couple are taken from the "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and "The Last Emperor" scores - yet gain either an acoustic reinterpretation (in the former) or a more intimate, chamber music affect (in the latter). The others are from mostly independent features, whereupon he here saves us the trouble of searching desperately for their respective soundtracks.
Other pieces are reappropriated into the extremely well-executed solo work "Smoochy" (1997), introducing the listener to his latest foray in popular music. "Aoneko no Torso" yields a nicely restrained performance in the later album, yet listening to a pseudo-trip-hop "Bibo no Aozora," including Ryuichi on vocals and Arto Lindsay on the guitar, especially after hearing the trio version, was truly mind-blowing.
"1919" is a new piece that yields a certain paranoia and intensity, using repetition as the primary means of conveying emotion (a la "Soundbytes"). It was most impressive seeing him recently perform this piece on a MIDI-enabled Disklavier in Los Angeles, where he began playing "out of phase" with himself, a Steve Reich technique. And he also pulls out some old favorites (as he did "Replica" from "Cinemage" and "Tong Poo" from "BTTB"): the avant-garde-ish "M.A.Y. in the Backyard" and "A Tribute to NJP" (which, interestingly, was originally a piano/sax/clarinet trio and performed with a certain jazz/Impressionist repose) are from his "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia" (1984). His intro piece, "A Day a Gorilla Gives a Banana", is to my knowledge first performed on "Media Bahn Live" (1986) - perhaps the most unaltered of all the pieces.
Long story short: good album.

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Featuring 16 Tracks Including High Heels (Main Theme), Rain (Last Emperor Soundtrack), Merry Christmas Mr. Lawremce, Before Long, Acceptance, and Others.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Friend Review

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(More customer reviews)Fuzz-rockers Grizzly Bear know how to keep people's attention until their next album -- in this case, putting out an album's worth of odds and ends.
And "Friend EP" is no more or less than that -- a jumble of covers (both theirs and other people's), alternate versions, and even a demo. It has one dud track, but the rest are pretty much mellow, arty little gems, sometimes rendered into something almost unrecognizable.
One of the biggest things here is the alternate versions of their songs -- it starts with the rippling, dreamlike, almost celestial version of "Alligator," as well as an electric-edged "Little Brother" and smoothly flowing "Shift." The final song is a lo-fi, home-recorded rendition of "Deep Blue Sea," which relies heavily on strummed acoustic guitar and faint whistling.
The only sour note is the Terrible vs. Nonhorse: Sounds Edit remix of "Plans," which is basically a big squiggle of psychotic flute, clatters, blown fuses, doorbells, and what sounds like a banjo dissolving.
Grizzly Bear also turn out a spooky, weirdly wistful cover of Carole King's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)". Additionally they also toss out a little demo called "Granny Diner," an ambient cluster of fuzz, meandering guitar, with a few ripples of soft organ and mournful vocals near the end. Not a bad song, but you can hear why it didn't make the cut.
And finally, there's a trio of bands covering Grizzly Bear's songs -- Band of Horses, CSS, and Atlas Sound. CSS rework "Plans" into a tight electronic squiggly dancefest, while Band of Horses go in the opposite direction, turning the same song into a music-hall country tune. And Atlas Sound turns "Knife" into a beautiful, hypnotically ambient pop tune.
"Friend" is not an EP in the sense of being short, but in the sense of not really being an album -- Grizzly Bear crammed plenty of material on here, and while it doesn't give quite the satisfied feeling of "Yellow House" or "Horn of Plenty," it's made up of individual songs that are, mostly, brilliant reminders of why we love them.
Their songs have the usual components of their music -- ringing guitar, flickering organ, subtle drums, bass, some synth, often buried under a layer of shifting fuzz. Even the angular edges of "Little Brother" doesn't disrupt their signature sound, and the smooth vocals all four contribute adds to their mournful, slightly dreamlike ambience.
In fact, they only really have problems in the aforementioned "Plans" remix, and the long stretch of verrrrrrryyyy sloooowwwwww buildup in "Granny Diner" before getting to the brilliant final two minutes. And the other bands do a good job adding their distintive sounds to Grizzly Bear too -- folky banjo, rapid techno, and a darker dreamy pop sound.
"Friend" is basically a collection of odds and ends, cobbled from Grizzly Bear and their pals. And until they come out with another album, it'll have to tide me over.

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Track Listing: 1. Alligator 2. He Hit Me 3. Little Brother 4. Shift 5. Plans 6. Granny Diner 7. Knife - C.S.S. 8. Plans - Band Of Horses 9. Knife - Atlas Sound 10. Deep Blue Sea 11. Untitled

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Double Fantasy Review

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(More customer reviews)Note: The Lennon songs alone deserve a five star rating.
While "Double Fantasy" was meant to be Lennon's comeback album, it ultimately served as his sweet farewell.
John Lennon was a very proficient artist throughout most of the 60s and throughout the first half of the 70s. Between 1963 and 1975, a year didn't pass by in which Lennon didn't release an album, first with the Beatles and then as a solo artist. The second half of the 70s, however, saw no new music from Lennon. Indeed, he virtually disappeared from the limelight.
In the early-to-mid 70s, before his musical hiatus, Lennon indulged in his infamous "lost weekend." During this time Lennon was separated from Yoko and indulged in drugs, alcohol and general excess. After this dark phase, Lennon took the second half of the 70s off to find himself. In that time he reconciled with Yoko, became a father, and worked on new music.
November of 1980 saw the release of "Double Fantasy." It was Lennon's first album of original material since 1974's "Wall and Bridges." Although it initially received mixed reviews from critics, it was a hit, achieving gold status within a few weeks. The album's first single "(Just Like) Starting Over" also proved to be a hit single. With a new world tour planned for 1981, Lennon was poised to make a strong comeback and take the 1980s head-on.
But then came December 8, 1980, a night in which the world was robbed of one of its biggest talents.
After Lennon's death, fans went to the record stores in droves to pick up "Double Fantasy." It became one of 1981's top sellers and earned a Grammy. Although it had initially received mixed reviews from critics, it is now regarded by fans and critics alike as one of his finest solo offerings. The album proved to be a sad-but-sweet farewell.
Because "Double Fantasy" was released so close to Lennon's death, it's hard to listen to it and take it out of that context. It's a rather paradoxical listen. The nature of the album is celebratory and positive, yet it was released in the wake of such a tragedy. It's so unfair that a man who was so gifted, so optimistic about the future, should have it all taken away. All this makes "Double Fantasy" a very bittersweet album.
John Lennon's music has always been autobiographical. After the demise of the Beatles, when Lennon was coming to terms with his life and fame, he released his brutally honest masterpiece "Plastic Ono Band" (1970). It was an album of letting go, a total catharsis, a release of all his pent up demons. In 1974, when he was separated from Yoko, lost, and didn't know what to do with his life, he released the confessional "Walls and Bridges," which was a diary of that dark time in his life.
In 1980, Lennon was as happy and fulfilled as he had ever been, and "Double Fantasy" is a testament to that. He was happily married, had a young child, and was eager to get back into world affairs, tour, and make a statement.
"Double Fantasy" sees a joint John Lennon/Yoko Ono collaboration. Both sing and pen every other song, so each artist is surrounded by a song of the other. Often the songs are a response to one another, like a dialogue.
Lennon's last few albums before his hiatus had been brilliant, if unfocused. "Double Fantasy" sees Lennon's best work in years. With Jack Douglas producing and backed by top-notch studio musicians, Lennon came up with a stellar collection of mature and polished, yet rocking songs.
The Fats Domino-esque "Just like Starting Over" gets the album off to a great start. The mid-tempo "Cleanup Time," with its infectious horns has a great hook and keeps the momentum going. The downdraught insecure "I'm loosing you" is reminiscent of Lennon's work from "Walls and Bridges." Lennon's tribute to his son Sean, the new age sounding lullaby-like "Beautiful Boy" is both sincere and gorgeous, without sounding corny. The album's big hit, the mid-tempo "Watching the Wheels" offers an explanation as to Lennon's absence from the music world for the preceding few years. Lennon shows his masterful pop-sensibility for the stunning "Woman." The up-tempo "Dear Yoko" is a good, if not spectacular pop song. The horns add a nice touch. The 2000 remaster addition includes a rough demo of the hymn-like "Help me to help myself," which shows Lennon's desire to keep on the straight-and-narrow path.
Although the format of the alternating John/Yoko songs is an interesting idea for a middle-aged love story concept album, in all honesty, it would have been better if John and Yoko each released their own songs on separate albums. Yoko Ono is creative and a gifted songwriter, but her songs just seem out of place next to John's. That said, there are some good Yoko songs to be found on "Double Fantasy," like the disco-esque "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss," the cabaret-like "Yes I'm your Angel," and the infectious club-beat of "Every man has a Woman who love him."
I never actually listen to "Double Fantasy" as is, per-se. Rather; I have a CDR of all the Lennon songs from "Double Fantasy," and all the Lennon songs from the posthumous follow-up, "Milk and Honey," (1984) which was done in the same John/Yoko alternating format. This makes for a far more consistent and enjoyable listen.
While Lennon's early death is the biggest loss rock n' roll ever faced, it is of some comfort to know that Lennon spent the last few years of his life in high spirits. "Double Fantasy" ultimately serves as an acknowledgment of that, bittersweet as it may be.

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MUTEMATH Review

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(More customer reviews)Mute Math have been labelled the New Big Thing, which is a pretty hefty label to carry. Somebody's going to be disappointed, and most bands aren't strong enough to carry the title.
But this solid self-titled debut just might rise above the average, with its solid rockers and knack for good harmonies. This fledgling band expands up the solid guitar pop with extra flourishes and solid melodies -- it's not the most mind-blowing, but it's a solid sound all around.
It kicks off with "Chaos," an infectious little song that is simply crammed with instrumental goodness -- sharp drums, swirling guitars and airy electronica. It's perhaps their catchiest song on here, and good way to get you into their music -- it's a more complex tune than it appears to be at first glance.
It's followed up by a colourful array of different sounds -- this music is almost paradoxical in its complex simplicity and solid subtlety. They dabble in various styles, including epic guitar pop, brief instrumentals, haunting electronica-edged pop, and even some colourful funky-edged pop. They wind down with "Stall Out," a softer song that quietly wraps the album up with an electropop edge.
Mute Math started impressing people with their "Reset EP," and as they gained a following, they started handing out their debut on concerts. You gotta love these boys for that alone. But the cycling complexity of their pop music is an extra reason to enjoy what they turn out on their debut.
At first listen, it sounds a lot like Mute Math is a pretty typical indiepop band. Listen more closely, and hidden rhythms and shimmers of sound will start to emerge under the hooks. They have the swirling (and fuzzy) guitars, solid basslines and similarly solid drumming by Greg Hill, Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas and Darren King respectively. But the sound is upped a notch by vocalist Paul Meany's swirling keyboards, which add an extra dimension to their hidden melodies.
Meany sounds kind of like a harder, hoarser Sting, and he's at his most compelling in the sprawling rocker "Break the Same," where he howls, "The different stars tonight/Will somehow fade the same/And all the tears we cry/Tell us were made the same!" The lyrics need a bit of work, since they tend to be a bit lackluster verbally, even as they rhapsodize on loneliness, collapse and "broken hopes." They become more compelling when you actually hear them.
Mute Math makes a solid debut in their self-titled album, and prove that they are a new band that definitely is worth watching. Keep on rocking, boys.?

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Every now and then a band explodes from the grassroots. Thanks to phenomenal Internet exposure that led to soldout shows across the country, Mute Math is just such a story. Playing this summer at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and on the Warped Tour has resulted in the group\'s major-label debut with a selftitled album. An inspired Alt-Rock band from New Orleans, Mute Math melds hip-hop–styled beats, moments of beauty and grandeur, big hooks, and vocals that pay homage to classic rock.

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Distant Bell Review

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(More customer reviews)The tracklisting is
1. Gently Johnny
2. So Uncool
3. Innocence Sleeping
4. Banks of the Nile
5. Simple Lyric
6. No More Words
7. Too Late
8. The Trees They Do Grow High
9. Greenwood Laddie
10. Timeless
11. Handful of Ashes
12. Farewell to Music (w. Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains)
13. Gently Johnny (Extended Version)
"A Distant Bell" is Caroline Lavelle's third solo album. She has collaborated with many artists ranging from BT ("The Great Escape"), Chicane ("Lost You Somewhere") and Massive Attack ("Home of The Whale") to Vangelis ("Come To Me"), Hector Zazou ("The Freeze, "Lies Will Flow") and the violinist Nigel Kennedy ("Breathing Stone"). She has also contributed to Muse's "Origin of Symmetry", Radiohead's "The Bends", Loreena McKennitt's "Book of Secrets" and the legendary Irish band Chieftains, attending live tours of these artists with her cello and backing vocals.
A versatile sought-after vocalist and cellist by artists of classic, new age, electronic, chamber folk genres, Caroline Lavelle established alongside her collaborations a parallel solo career that has been one of profound experimentation. Merging traditional Irish tunes with electronic blends (on debut "Spirit", produced by William Orbit), she released an album which surpasses all the likes of Enya. Her second album, "Brilliant Midnight" is a brilliant showcase of her own song-writing and producing skills as well as the depths of her personality.
"A Distant Bell", her third solo effort intermingles, again, the traditional British-Irish tunes with that very creative and sensual attitute towards song-wirting and performing that she exhibited in her previous records. All the songs are crafted with a careful sense of perfection alongside many moments of inspirational spontaneity.

To the changes undergone, "A Distant Bell" has a minimum electronics and maximum of acoustics. The majority of the songs are performed with strings, haunting guitars, pianos and Lavelle's wonderful voice. The result is a unique and fresh interpretation of evergreen traditionality. Her distinctive voice accompany the album's emotive melodies so smoothly as to put you into a state of insurmountable captivation of music.
The haunting emotional essence of the record is further reinforced with her well-crafted self-written songs like gentle "So Uncool", the catchy Irish gem "No More Words", "Too Late" and the glorious climax "Timeless", which goes

"But old love grows so long / that the part above the ground has less effect / and time can wither tender shoots / but leaves those roots secure and strong / But the best love has no time / no forwards, backwards but only now / It's strong arms hold you when you walk and / if you fall you're always caught"... This is exquisite poetry clothed with music, at its best! A perfect 50 min. for forgetting the day and embarking on an acoustic chamber folk journey!
Also don't forget visit Caroline's website carolinelavelle.com where you can stream all the the songs on the album plus discover background of her previous albums, her own record label and some B-sides!


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Armistice Review

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(More customer reviews)Sophomore albums are like sequels to great movies. At first you get excited about the prospect of seeing all your favorite beloved characters again. Then you become apprehensive. A thought pops into your head. "The Empire is striking back? Sweet!" Then another. "There's going to be a female Terminator?! Ah, crap!"
Mutemath's latest CD had me saying both. Their first, self-titled, album was nearly flawless. It has yet to leave my CD player. And when it does, it'll be a cold day in hell. So as I frolicked out of Hoodlum's with the CD in my hands, I thought to myself, "Wait... what if they can't do any better than that first album?"
So I set the mood for a fresh listen. I waiting until the evening, rolled the windows of my car down, lit some candles, poured a glass of wine, put on some smooth jazz (then took it off realizing how difficult it would be to hear two CDs at once), and slid Armistice by Mutemath into the CD player.
I was ready to rock. That was my first problem. I was initially let down. This was not the Mutemath I had fallen in love with. There were no catchy riffs, no loud, impassioned vocals, and no instrumental experiments.
But one day, upon my fourth or fifth listen with Armistice in the background, I got it. In a musical epiphany, I realized just how much soul these boys from New Orleans have. You can't rock to this album. You have to get down to it. That can be done with a little less head movement and a little more pelvis.
I realized that Mutemath was able to accomplish one thing twice. They were able to create a fresh album.


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Anointed by Alternative Press as 'the #1 band you need to see live before you die,' eclectic and inspired electro-alt MUTEMATH scored in late 2008 with 'Spotlight' (#1 Billboard Hot Singles Sales for two weeks) on the soundtrack album to Twilight. The track now also appears on the group's second album, Armistice. Produced by Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello, The Hives), Armistice melds moments of beauty with big hooks and booming vocals. Challenging the limitations of alt-rock, MUTEMATH has rightly earned a reputation as one of modern music's most daring young groups.

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Armistice Live (CD/DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been in love with Mute Math since the day I first heard them, and this CD makes me love them even more. I pre-ordered it the day I had heard about it and I'm so glad I did. These four guys are such amazing musicians, energetic performers, and all around great guys. Their live performances are truly second to none, and this set allows you to experience it without going to a concert (though I recommend you do!!!) All of the bonus material is great to watch, and the Control video is so cool!!! This CD/DVD set is worth every penny I paid for it, and so much more.

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'Armistice Live,' the new DVD/live CD combo featuring New Orleans band MUTEMATH. Recorded and filmed at the famous Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia, during MUTEMATH's Fall 2009 Armistice Tour, the DVD includes 90 minutes of concert footage, along with the 'Making of Armistice' documentary, previously unreleased studio vlogs, and bonus copies of MUTEMATH's now-popular short-form music videos,including the never-released 'Control' video!

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Lightning Bolt - The Power Of Salad (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I skipped summer school to watch this movie my friend just got and I will never go to school again! I learned everything I need to know from the Power of Salad. It's crazy - wild shows, rad rad rad music, funny stuff. The whole movie is great - but I LOVED the last 20 minutes of mind melting apocalyptic triumphant ROCK! The editing built to be as wild as the drumming and I couldn't turn away. I saw the band live last summer and they are a total mystery living in providence, ri, and I've never seen them interviewed until now. The filmmakers Glantz and Noe I never heard of before but do an amazing job of giving a feel for the band and the touring life, while maintaining the sweet mystery that makes LB so cool. The drummer may be deaf soon, I heard, so hang onto this awesome DVD!
The cartoons are really good too. They are super weird but make me smile so I like 'em!

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The Incident Review

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(More customer reviews)Another huge PT fan here, I have been counting the days until this album arrived on my doorstep and I like it. I like it a lot. It's everything a fan would ask for, like a kitchen sink chock full of PT. But I can't say that this album grabs me and shakes me and won't let me go like their other albums. I am listening to it nonstop, and some songs are very good--right now I truly love "I Drive the Hearse", "Black Dahlia" and "The Incident".
I don't know if that is because this is not a great PT album, or just that I have become too familiar with their sound. Maybe I need more time with it, not less--but I have the feeling that more time will just uncover more familiarity and that is possibly what is keeping me from raving about it.
ETA: After listening to this album for the past several weeks, I think I understand what the problem is for me. From the first track all the way until "Time Flies", I love this album as much as anything else I have heard by PT. But from "Time Flies" (which I just don't like, I have tried to no avail) up until the start of "I Drive the Hearse", which is the last track on Disc 1, I am gone mentally and emotionally, and nothing can keep me there. Then once "I Drive the Hearse " starts up, I love this album again all the way through the end of Disc 2. That's just me, though--other reviewers here love the songs during the stretch that loses me.
ETA: I need to stop editing this review, but I have to add one more thing, about PT in general. I am over forty, about to be forty five, in fact. I live in a suburb, I have two kids, a husband, a mortgage, a cat and a Subaru. In short, I am as far away from young and cool as you can get--I am not even old and cool yet. And that is fine, but one thing I used to mourn was the fact that I probably would never love a band the way I did the Beatles as a kid, or the Clash in high school, or Nirvana--you know, that electrified connective sense of discovery that you get. At some point for a lot of people, you realize you have crossed over and suddenly there is "the kid's music" and "your music", and while you might truly enjoy "the kid's" music, nothing seems to sound as brain-grabbingly amazing as the music from your youth. Well, I discovered PT about two years ago, and they brought back that kind of rush about music that I missed. They really are that good, deep, and enthralling to listen to.

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2009 two CD release from the Grammy-nominated modern Progressive Rock band. Porcupine Tree is fronted by Steven Wilson, who also is well-known for his work producing other artists, from Swedish Progressive Metal group Opeth, to Norwegian chanteuse Anja Garbarek. One of the only constants in Porcupine Tree's music is how it continues to evolve and confront the expectations of the band's fans from album to album. The Incident is their 10th studio album and takes the listener on a thrilling audio journey. In turns haunting, desolate, hypnotic and euphoric, its centre-piece is the title track: a stunning 55-minute musical statement that breaks down into 14 separate and often diverse (though interlinked) vignettes.

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f#a# (infinity symbol) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel, and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides, and a dark wind blows. The government is corrupt, and we're on so many drugs, with the radio on and the curtains drawn. We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death. The sun has fallen down, and the billboards are all leering, and the flags are all dead at the top of their polls."
With this harrowing, deep-voiced monologue begins _f#a#00_ (I can't make the infinity symbol so I'm improvising), a cinematic masterpiece lacking pictures but telling a lucid tale. Long, dusty, lonely elegies of smotheringly morose music illustrate a world on the brink of apocalypse. This is Godspeed You Black Emperor!'s first readily available album (forget trying to find their debut...only 33 copies were ever made ::sigh::), and to many it was their first experience to this band's stunning power. Calm but eerie silences can be extremely disarming as crescendos and loud dynamics can creep up unexpectedly, then retreat with equal abruptness. The band has seemingly concretized into a nonet, but here I'm not sure how many musicians actually worked on this record (I've heard numbers from nine to seventeen). Needless to say this is not a conventional rock band at all. I'm not sure I'd call this rock music anyway -- the writing is so structurally unusual, stylistically diverse, and instrumentally the band works more like a mini-orchestra. Each instrument, from violins to guitars to percussion, is an integral part of an organic collective rather than different musicians working together. Erm, those might sound like the same thing but they really aren't.
Each track is a lengthy suite (16-minutes, 18-minutes, and 28-minutes long) languidly flowing through several movements. Taken individually, each section is remarkable in its own right but the full power of the music is the meshing of different passages to splash different undertows of emotion over a general mood. One could easily say the individual passages have nothing to do with each other and feel randomly spliced together, but I couldn't disagree more. Each movement carries on from the last with coterminous emotions, establishing a congruous whole encapsulated within each track. Perhaps the different movements don't make cohering musical sense (though I don't know who would be actually qualified to say such a thing), but they _do_ make emotional sense.
"The preacher-man says it's the end of time...so says the preacher-man, but I don't go on what he says."
For all of GYBE!'s anguished dirges for apocalyptic endings, there is a faint sparkle of hope sluiced somewhere inside that doomed, lonely shell. This dichotomy of tone -- faint-but-defiant hope and crushing despair -- is emotionally twisting, uniquely powerful, and has resonated through me ever since I've started listening to this band. I'm not sure how long the feeling will last, but this stuff cuts deep. The crescendos this band peaks at are nothing less than utterly overpowering -- 11 minutes into track 2, "East Hastings", I come dangerously close to crawling into a dark corner, clutching myself in the fetal position, and whimpering , "mommy..."
"...hungover it's awful, the sound of trains collapsing back behind of here; outside there are distant birds circling in front of 7 miles of heavy cloud falling down, &from where you're lying one of those clouds looks like a hanged man leading a blind, indifferent horse...THIS IS MILE END MY FRIEND, the hollowed out ruins here &a train runs straight thru them... we made a record here in mile End..."
Those familiar with the band's mythic anonymity and vehement artistic credo may call them pretentious, but I'll be damned if they don't write some of the greatest music I've ever heard. Turn off the lights, crank the volume (this needs to be heard LOUD), and become lost in Mile End. It's a despairing, forlorn place, but you may never want to leave.

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Debut album from this stellar group. Not available for Japan/UK/Europe

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The Whirlwind Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the super deluxe version with the extra CD and the Making of DVD.
First of all, Bridge Across Forever is one of my fave CD's and Stranger in Your Soul is one of my favorite prog songs.
The Whirlwind CD is very good, and, compared to the other two Transatlantic CD's, is more consistent throughout. Bridge and SMTPe had some weak areas (Temple of the Gods).
One of the things that really stands out on the Whirlwind is the bass and guitar. The fairly well known rumors of grumbling by Roine and Pete over Bridge (and Roine's re-release of his own mix as proof) are not necessary here. The bass is strong with excellent tone! (I actually envy this bass tone). Roine's guitar parts are well executed with good tone, unlike the spacey wah-fest filler from Bridge.
The lyrics are overall very good. Some of Neal's vocals as usual are borderline too high; will be difficult to do live.
My favorite songs are The Wind Blew Them All Away, Rose Colored Glasses, EverMore, and the Finale. Although this is one big song it fits together nicely and some stand up on their own well.
This would be 5 stars.
The bonus CD (CD2) is hit and miss. The first four songs are new, but I really don't like any of them. Lenny Johnson has an interesting feel but it really doesn't go anywhere. For Such a Time is basically like I Can Only Imagine and would play well on Contemporary Christian (CCM) charts. Since I don't like candy-coated CCM, this is not necessarily a good thing.
These songs wouldn't be all that bad, but the Giant Hogweed song is SO GOOD that it makes these look like less than filler. The Giant Hogweed song has interesting parts, dynamics, funny vocals, and a great, fun feel. This song is 5 stars. The CD, however, is about 3 stars.
The Making of DVD is the usual. Not bad but about 15-20 minutes of interesting content in 90 minute DVD.


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2009 release from the Prog Rock supergroup featuring Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse of Spock's Beard, Marillion's Pete Trewavas and Roine Stolt from the Flower Kings.With The Whirlwind, Transatlantic has pulled out all the stops! Their first two albums expanded the boundaries of Progressive Rock with songs like 'Stranger In Your Soul' that span some 30 minutes. Then, nine years later the band comes back with a walloping triumphant record that is one piece of music sprawling over 78 minutes in length! This is unprecedented, and the sheer brilliance of it is that it flows like a Progressive Rock symphony, taking the listener from shadow to glory and back again. What a tremendous whirlwind of music this is!--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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First Encounter Tour 1996 Review

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(More customer reviews)My knowledge of this band comes from the work they have done with Brian Eno, "After the Heat", Cluster and Eno, "Begegnungen I, and Begegnungen II, to name a few. Cluster a band made up of the ground breaking electronic duo from Germany, Hans Joachim Roedelius & Dieter Moebius. This pair have never toured the U.S., this being the first I was thrilled to hear of this recording. Also performing with Cluster are the Brain and Bond Bergland, although I've heard of these two, I am not familiar with their work. This is a two CD set with each CD holding more than 75 minute of music each. The music ranges from Quiet background sounds to hardedged distorted guitar, with a little industrial thrown in. This music can be dream like or memory enhancing. Sit back and become one with the music, taking your own history along for the ride, with recollections of past and future, the dark and brooding, and the hopeful and inspiring. These disks contain it all. The electronic expertise, with the subtleties that come with maturity can be heard and seen in these performances. I have never been to a musical performance of this style of music, but with Roedelius currently touring the U.S. and Canada, I will find out first hand the power of the player.

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British Tour 75 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is for Softs fans of their guitar stage and this album really shows it. This album has no overdubs,feedback goes in and out of the songs and the production probably just the way it sounded as the concert did,nothings change, perfectly concent like. The thing that is odd is you got music from the Softs album that sounds undone and very different and song from Bundles that have change quite a bit like The Floating World is just a bridge to Ban-Ban Caliban or Out Of Season being faster and just electric then on Soft version.Karl Jenkins never even touches the woodwinds and this is the only album you hear Mike Rateledge and John Etheridge play together. The unreleash material is good to JVH is a great synth duet and is just full of sound. Sideburn is a 10 minute John Marshall durm showcase with shows no site of him slowing down. The grand finale in Sigh of Five with is a marvolous funk-rock driven song it features delightful callback reponse and delious band interplay worth the price. If you want some good intensive jams go for this pick.

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Recorded originally for a live radio broadcast at Nottingham University in October 1975, and at over 78 minutes, this amazing, previously un-released live recording, captures the band touring Britain between the releases of the 1975 album Bundles and Softs in 1976. The set list includes fifteen tracks containing numbers from both these albums plus three new numbers comprising over 30 minutes of previously un-recorded material. MLP. 2005.

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Blue Man Group - The Complex Rock Tour Live (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love everything about Blue Man Group: the concept; the music; the humor; and, of course, the weirdness. This DVD is NOT of one of the typical BMG shows from New York, Boston, Chicago, or Las Vegas, rather, it is a concert from their recent 'Complex Rock Tour', which is totally different materiel. The DVD was actually taken from two shows, one in Dallas, and one in Minneapolis. I was fortunate enough to be at the Minneapolis show that this DVD is partially taken from, and watching this is almost as good as being there.
The musical performances, showmanship, sound quality, and cinematography on the DVD are breathtaking, and make me want to go see BMG again as soon as possible. There are standout performances by guest vocalists Tracy Bonham and Venus Hum (in the greatest dress I have ever seen anywhere on anyone.) I would have liked to see the Bonham opening set (especially the Led Zeppelin violin recital), but unfortunately the producers didn't accommodate my desires. Here both vocalists are used to excellent effect.
The music itself is potently addictive (I have the soundtrack CD in my car) and intriguing. Of course BMG is known for percussion (which I adore), and that is spotlighted to excellent effect on the DVD. The whole band is wonderful, and provides an excellent, and often whimsical, backdrop for the antics of the three Blue Men. Particular standouts for me are "Above", "Time to Start", "Up On The Roof", and the beautiful, haunting tribute to September 11 victims, "Exhibit 13." Also of note are the comedic links used in which an offstage recorded voice gives instructions in 'Rock Star Movements' which the Blue Men then teach the audience (my personal favorites are Numbers 4 and 237.)
The DVD has a couple of extras, including the music videos for "Sing Along" (featuring a dazed looking Dave Matthews), "The Current", and the magnificently minimalist "Exhibit 13." Be sure to watch these, as they give a totally different perspective on the songs. You also want to catch the DVD credits. I won't say why, but trust me on this one.
All told, this is an excellent introduction to the eccentricity that is Blue Man Group, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in music, comedy, or general oddity.

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COMPLEX ROCK TOUR LIVE - DVD Movie

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