Review Ayreon - the theory of everything

Brand new Ayreon album out a while ago. Exit the Aliens and space travel.

Welcome theory of everything and family problems.

An Ayreon is not a typical album. For those who don’t know, Ayreon is the covert name for the tall hippie prog dude known as Arjen Lucassen. Surrounded by his faithful assistants (Ed Warby on the drums and Lorie on production and a dark figure of his family…probably an evil twin), he fights conventional rock album boredom with the help of guest singers and musician, doing prog rock opera.

Because that‘s what it is.

Here you have a story (like a concept album) complete with instrumental, multi voice songs and flash backs in the narration.

Listening to an album by Ayreon is an adventure. You can’t buy the digital version and put it on your Ipod. The music has to be listened to in the same order and the songs (especially on this release) really lead one onto the other. Hell it is only 4 big epics with the lyrics mettant en scène (‘scuse My French) a cast of characters telling a story.

Listening to it without the wonderful booklet is missing half the fun. Even if you know the concept (a boy with mental problems who is also a math genius is gonna work on the theory of everything, the equation holding the universe together with his father, to sum it up), you barely can understand what is happening to the characters. Even if you get the lyrics out of the net, you’ll probably not get the didascalies and flavour text that describe the scenery (told you it’s like an Opera)

So you get it and play it on the cd player (or Vinyl). You sit back and enjoy the story at it unfolds.

You’ve got these 4 tracks divided in 42 ones but you cannot listen to them at random, they all lead one into the other (except the 4 majors one)

As usual, this album is a typical Ayreon album. From the first riff or melody, you recognise the touch of Arjen. Fan of diversity beware, Arjen like Woody Allen does seemingly the same stuff over and over but hell, he sure knows how to make a good, solid guitar riff.

For those who do not know, it’s prog a bit metally because Arjen is very inspired by 70ies prog, pink floyd (“what have we done ?” ) and Maiden , Led Zep…

So you know what to expect if you know the lad but he does not deceived and stills knows how to shape a nice, intriguing story.

If not, then you‘re in for a treat, do purchase the cd or vinyl, especially with the DVD to boot (so you can see the building of this fantastic stuff. And Arjen always put on some funny stuff in it worth watching it even though, as the usual  promotional dvd goes, everybody is sooo happy to work with everybody… must be the hippie  way of life. ^^) so you can really experience the full power of this grand brand new prog rock opera.

On the side minor note (cause when you love, you cannot help to bicker and pester), I must grind my teeth a bit as the singers (the few) do not seem to sound much apart for my poor ears (maybe the father and the prodigy ARE supposed to sound alike) but just listening I sometimes do not know which one is singing.(need the book let, need the booklet !)

And as a friend of mine noticed (and I know it applies also to some male characters too, especially here), women tend to really have, how to put it, not very gratifying appellation. The girl, the mother… whereas you have prodigy, teachers, psychiatrist (yes rival and father too). But maybe next time the genius can be a girl too hey what do you say Arjen ?

http://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/

The third man (or wrestling applied to live concert)

Something I got from my wrestling hobbies (yes I’m a referee for wrestling matches on my spare time)

Think it could be applied to lots of things including music and especially live music.

On the typical wrestling match you’ve got two guys fighting each other, one playing the good and favourite of the crowd, the other a vile and evil one prepared to any treachery to win.

They do their story, the traditional good versus evil with come backs and coup bas and else.

But as any live show or entertainment, a great part of success comes from the Third man (no. Not the referee. I’m not that ego maniac) that is the audience.

On a wrestling show, who cares if it’s too long, or botched, truly great or a miserable failure, the real success depends on the Third man (which hopefully would be more the thirty hundred or so men depending on the venue capacity.)

You could debate the value of an act, if the audience loves it then it is great.

Quantity is not quality, especially in art, meaning 1 000 000 readers does not really make a novel pure genius.

But as far as live entertainment goes, the way the public react makes a big part of it, if not all. If the crowd is into the fight, it will be great no matter what, the people will be entertained and delighted and that is a big part of it. As the tree falling down in the forest, if no one ids there to see an act, what good is it really?

Works a bit the same for concert. 

No matter how great the songs are, the show is, if there is nobody to see it, it’s kinda useless.

Someone on the internet was talking about a band from Norway called Leprous. Big metal prog show.

She said she saw them live and was untouched by their performance.

Different strokes as they would say but my experience with the band is a bit –ah- different.

I saw them twice and I never even heard a single note of the studio albums prior to going to see them.

I wanted to see by myself. I do not know if (like most of the metal rock I hear) it will not be as great on disc as live but the live act is really something.

The guys are giving everything they’ve got on stage wetting the shirts reaaaaal good.

But that feel so great without other people into it ? Intimate, just the band and me ? The fact that lots of energy was pouring and the crowd was reviling in it really makes the venue special.

Was it better played than last time ? Maybe not. When the people on the stage is giving itself and the crowd feel ready to receive, it does not really matter in the end if the music is really good by itself.

There’s a magical connexion between the stage and the crowd, this third man that really makes it worthwhile sometimes.

So there is definitely a quality factor in the songs and the show played, but if the actors push themselves on and more importantly if the crowd follows, you can really get a great moment of Live music, a nice piece of entertainment. Because it is for the people that bands are playing and nothing works better if everybody is into the mood display. Because that is what concert means to me.. It is about the third man, you in the venue, how you feel, listen, move, and react to what is going on. And because the people around you also depend on that… Kind of mob effect.