ROOM V

Small not to say that I had the honor to see Shadow Gallery LIVE !
Sadly problems withe the soundcheck and a lousy mix almost toned down the show who was great.

the set list as follows.

SETLIST

Stiletto In The Sand
War For Sale
Mystery
Pain
Destination Unknown
Questions At Hand
Ghost Of A Chance
Andromeda Strain
Crystalline Dream
Haunted

Rappel :

Room V
Gold Dust

Hindsight

Yesterday was a good day for culture.
first we managed to get (thanks camille and FB) an invitation for the moebius transe-forme exposition @ the fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain. Wonderful stuff, great for original art lovers with also the 3D animation film (did not have time for that one sadly) and a documentary on the great artist (did not have time for that one either). Ranging from all horizon from Blueberry to arzach and edena and difool...
Go check it out. Lots of kids but I must reckon it is not very kid-friendly...

Had to move quickly (in front of an HUUUUUUUGE line of people waiting to go in) in order to go at the Elysée Montmartre where they had a 4 for one concert
First a double acoustique show from PETTER CARLSEN and ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN with bits of the Cavanagh Bros in both.
Then the show in a monstrous heat.(free sauna for the price)
2.30 hours of music with a Vincent a bit rough on voice at first but the heat actually managed to make his vocal chords in shape by the middle of the concert. And they play the wonderful last album in its entirely ! (and get off get out DO sounds like written by Wilson)

The set list.


Thin Air
Summernight Horizon
Dreaming Light
Everything
Balance
Closer
A Natural Disaster
Angels Walk Among Us
Presence
A Simple Mistake
Deep
Pitiless
Forgotten Hopes
Destiny is Dead
Shroud of False
Lost Control
Destiny
Empty
Panic
Temporary Peace
Flying
Get Off, Get Out
Universal
Hindsight
------
Are You There?
Parisienne Moonlight
Sleepless
One Last Goodbye
Fragile Dreams


http://fondation.cartier.com/

www.pettercarlsen.com
www.myspace.com/pettercarlsen
www.aguadeannique.com
http://www.anathema.ws/

The spirit carries on

Siff portnoy leaves Dream theater... burn out syndrome.
Now to see how the group will react... A new breath in teh creativity that maybe was a bit running dry lately.
Anyway a major shock for the small rock prog society.

Someone here is missing

Again a small note to talk about a band not entirely original yet very interesting for fans of groups like Muse, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead and such.
Great pop prog band called The Pinnapple Thief you just released their new album 'someone here is missing'. After half a dozen albums and a best of (3000 days), the band are now at Kscope so you can grab their stuff cheap.
It is a nice effort now very original perse indeed but at least the riffs and rythmic are entertaining and provide a good fill in for oasis fans who are thirsty for good pop and melodies.

Go check them out.

http://www.pineapplethief.com/

Ayreon - The Final Experiment

During a tour in Ireland, we switched quicly from the pogues to something more close to my prog roots. Hence the final experiment by a band called Ayreon. Okay not a band but a rock opera made by hippie ministrel reincarnated prog meister Arjen Lucassen whom works I already talked about in some previous entry (go forth and search !).
TFE is a concept album about a blind ministrel from arthur's court receiving vision from futur scientists (via an experiment - the final one- called time telepathy) as warnings about 3 majors events that will destroy the Earth in the futur 2084.

Lost and confused ? So is Ayreon. He decided yet to go and sing his visions at the Court of Arthur and thus wins the intimacy of Merlin.
All the songs are sung by a bunch of different singers.
This adventure (a bit of la jetée/army of the twelve monkeys rolled unto arthurian excalibur) is not exempt of flaws (it is the first release of an ayreon disc) yet is charmful to say the least with a bunch of songs rising up thanks to the catchy riffs from arjen. We think here 'sail away to avalon' and 'Merlin's will'. But the whole story helps make the solid a tight ensemble who gives a eerie feeling of going back to the dark ages in the middle of all the green pastures and rocky mountains of dingle peninsula and such...

Enjoy the ride folks.

http://www.arjenlucassen.com/

We're here because we're here

It's been a long time as the song says but I must admit I had a pretty heavy couple of months with my work and exams and university and such...
After a quick listening of the three albums from Shadowland (with Clive 'arena /pendragon' Nolan et Karl 'vrooom vrooom threshold' Groom ), which are great neo prog from the 90ies but if you' re not fan just stick with the best of or the double live 'edge of night' it should do the trick; I have received quite a couple of new discs that are turning round on the Ipod and CD player.

I'm gonna do a quick review of the last one which is the new and eagerly awaited album from Anathema.
The album is called We're here because we're here and is in the vein of the last ones (not the earlier doom metal ones mind you), very peaceful , full of small arrangements and harmonies.
Mixed by steven 'Porcupine tree and a thousand more bands' Wilson, the whole album seems very easy to enter but in the end you discover that it is very intimate and deep at the same time. There is a big intimacy and atmosphere of self search that bleeds from most of the songs, wonderfully axed on the 'presence' track and it's spoken story.
There is a couple of songs that may feel a bit weak or out of place ( like 'dreamlight' or 'get off, get out' ) but it does not disturb the order and the flow of this great album that hails the return of a great band.

Oh and check out this great song, simple but powerful that should be rocking your world...'Everything'.

www.anathema.ws
www.shadowlanduk.com

Down and out in Paris and London

Not the book but the CD... and with no relation.
Just a small thought after 25 listenings while running (before I got hurt) of the last album from Tillson (under the tangent moniker). It's classical prog from the 70ies with nice addition of Flute from theo travis. Niot very original but well done though Tillson voice is a bit weak sometimes.
Highlights of the album is (but I'm a sell out on this one) "Perdu dans Paris" which has a nice vibe and middle section with mellotron.

http://www.thetangent.org/