Review - -Desolation Rose by the Flower Kings

The new opus from the flower kings, getting back to their traditional every two years album, is not a double though but with bonus disc.

After the nice Bank of Eden, the new opus, called Desolation Rose is a direct follow up thematically wise. Not really a concept album, the disc is very tightly bound though from the political thematic and the lyrics and musical themes that run through it.

Strangely the album is less than a hour long and with only one epic… and a less than 20 minutes one to boot !

Opening, Tower One is a very nice song, typical of the Flower kings with great vocals lines.

The epic is a very nice and tight piece with a great finale.

After that strangely, the remaining songs kinda seems like leftovers exploring the theme of the disc. Short stuff with interconnecting lyrics and musical themes, giving a small sense of conceptual album and a strong unity and coherence also.

Strangely the bonus disc features even much shorter songs and instrumentals. And there are very strange and interesting songs there. Either catchy and odd or just plainly sorrowful gentle guitar weepings definitely worth getting if you’re buying the album.

So a nice epic and a cool bonus disc (cooler than most bonus disc we usually get), good disc for discovering but definitely not the best album out there by the Swedish prog masters.

Review FISH- Feast of consequences

Brand new Opus from the Scottish singer, few years after the bitter-borned 13th Star.

Reuniting with Robin Boult and with Foss Patterson (from the Internal Exile, Suits days) and with Steve Vantsis on bass guitar for the creative force, the former Marillion frontman delivers another disc. Always faithfully seconded by Illustrator Mark Wilkinson, Fish delivers here a brand new rock album in two editions, a traditional CD one and a deluxe with a dvd retracing the doubts stories and forces colliding during the conception of the album and a 100 pages book full of illustrations by Mark and his wife Julie.

I must of course talk about the art because they are so perfectly intertwined. Mark Wilkinson depicts and gives full life of the concepts between the songs that taking a dematerialised support is loosing a third of the Art.

That said, onto the music and the lyrics. The opening track is very progressive (in all the meaning of the term), taking off slowly and installing a great atmosphere, pretty much in the tone of the Apocalypse now movie.

The second track cut short of that and delivers a good old rock with acid lyrics on the reality TV and the desire of today to be famous for the sake of it. Very much in the vein of Incommunicado.

The next coming up is the obligatory ballad. The strength on this one (and pretty much on all the songs) is the lyrics which are about, not lost love for once, but the destruction of Mother Nature because of greed and no-action. The title track is more on the relationship statement and much more rock.

Then, as it seems that the album starts to slow its pace, comes the High wood suite. A big blender of songs, calm, rocky which great orchestration who once again showcase the craftsmanship of the Scottish lyricist. The Great world war is the theatre of these songs, a wonderful retelling of the events, the calling, the fear, the shells dropping and the dead and the survivors.

The album comes to an end with two nice songs with nice vocal additions by Liz Atnwi.

So all in all, what can be said of this album? Is it the greatest FISH album? No but it is far from its worst.

FoC is a great rock album with hints of prog whose primary strength are the great lyrics and universe depicted by the singer who is nicely backed by good musicianship and really great artwork. This album is definitely worth checking out from both old and new listeners. Fish now sails more into a nice lyric-based rock but songs like perfume river, shows that the prog affiliation still holds its ground in term of ambiance and strength in the very cinematic view of music that the singer has to offer.

Review Promises - The Boxer Rebellion

The fourth album from the english band is here. As the name (again) says it all, this album is (at least a bit) full of promises.

The basic structure is still the same, great musicianship for post pop prog rock, aerial guitars and lyrics with very repeated sentences and chorus.

The single that starts the album is a good indication of the things found in this new album. The songs are still catchy

The very highlight is the very sad ballad New York that starts only in piano before developing a great multi drums rhythm that reminds of the Bronx bands.

This albums is very tainted in its lyrics by Love and relationships, or sadly the loss of relationship that gives a bit more of sadness and depth in the songs, as bear witness the great  ending and title track promises.

With Promises, the band delivers a good and solid album with many great songs. Definetly a step up from the previous one and a experimentation that I hope will help the band strengthened their creative forces to deliver with the next album a bit more than just promises.

Review the cold still by the Boxer Rebellion.

(almost a month since posting.. damn concerts)

3rd album from the pop londoners of the boxer rebellion.
Once again the band  follow the path chosen with the second record (union) and goes into the popish , lavish rythms, with repeated lyrics, keyboards .
The cold still, sadly is a title that really fits the record
The songs on the album are more slow, nostalgic, less lively. Not completely unmoving in any ways but indeed the band seems to slow the pace, almost freezing the rythm, making more autumnals songs, slow and lingering (lots of acoutic guitars and keyboard) as the debut songs No harm heralds .
They experiment less, (a bit of organ sound  on the almost self title song ) take not a lot of risks, cimenting what they are building.

Is the record no good ? No but it is not a firm step forward, a mere tasting of the water... the cold still water.

Here's one of the best track of the album. (and most rocky)

Review Union by the Boxer Rebellion

Running a bit behind my reviews... following their first inception and album, the Boxer Rebellion came back in 2009 with the dreaded second album which is most often a do-or-die kind of deal.

The band opens with a big drumming sound and the flashing red light means go actually shows the direction the band is taking. Off with the staurated guitars and pixies grungy sounds, the 4 englishmen drive their car is the direction of more melodic weeping guitars and solid rythms and riffs. The lyrics conveyed by the high pitched voice make use of frequent repetitions that is slowly  becoming the band signature.
The quick paced songs are nicely alterned with soft ballads very haunting that may end up in a big way (soviets, misplaced, silent movie...)

The hidden gem of the album is the oddly rythmed Gospel of Goro Adachi, with it's use of  keyboards and electronic drumbeats supported by great choirs.

The band consolidates its style with this trait d'union between their first effort and the following albums.

http://theboxerrebellion.com/

The boxer rebellion - Exits review

Here 's a- not so new -band I really wanna talk about.
I discovered the Londoners of  the Boxer Rebellion during a concert of (RIP) Oceansize.
There was something there,  a sound, a voice. It was pop , good old british pop like it was outta be done.
It was hard to track down their first realease (full album realease) but it got reedited.
So It was a surprise when I actually listen to that album because, make no mistakes,
it is a good album, pop rock with the sounds that will (at least should) make The boxer rebellion a  fan favorite. Great vocals with kinda repetitive lyrics and elated guitar sounds. Strong rythmic section.
But this first disc strikes with a great emphasis on saturated guitars making a really edgy sounds that made them sounds like the natural child of Coldplay and the Pixies.(listen to Watermelon or the New Heavy to hear it).

The direction the band will choose will lean more toward songs like The Absentee.
Of notice is in all the fury of this first effort, the sad and utterly beautiful ballad, World without end.They may not create new stuff, they may not have the "it" factor or the single but they are indeed a very talented band with its own sound.



http://www.theboxerrebellion.com/

The Boxer Rebellion Live @la fleche d'or.

Another venue  quite  full for the boxer rebellion, including fan and promoter Zegut from the RTL2 poprock station broadcast on french radio.
First we had a couple of acoutic bands : Christof and then Brothers & Bone.
Honestly  it is not bad but I tend to start feeling sleepy (hey I'm old dammit) while listening to acoustic stuff on a live concert.
It would be great in a pub with a beer but well it seemed quite  well liked by the audience for both of the sets.

After a while enter the londoners of boxer rebellion.
Great band with sadly a small set (80 minutes) for their fourth album.
Nathan, the front man lacks a bit of playing tricks with the crowd (but hell I was bred by Fish on that... kinda hard) but a run-through the public on watermelon makes up for it.
The new songs went down pretty nicely and the music stands clear with many of fan favorite, the crowd was really into it.
Special mention to New york that works really well from the new album and the final song, an extended version of the gospel of Goro Adachi that really sends us home wishing for a next time.. and a longer setlist.

Here was the set list for tonight


Step Out of the Car
Semi-Automatic
Take Me Back
The Runner
New York
Evacuate
Spitting Fire
We Have This Place Surrounded
Diamonds
No Harm
You Belong to Me
Keep Moving
Fragile
Watermelon

ENCORES :

Always
Both Sides Are Even
The Gospel of Goro Adachi

theboxerrebellion.com