Looking for answers

Nice exposition on the gates surrouding the Jardin du Luxembourg about the satyrical cartoons in press across the years... starting way back between The wars up to recently.
What strikes is the keen eye of the artist who channeled sometimes great insight of the History.
From laughs to the frightful sight of Hitler's ascension to power and also the still sadly fight against the rampant capitalism.
Here's a few of them (to think and to laugh)

Blind ?

Small review on the new record by french symphonic metal (prog) band Whyzdom.
New singer Elvyne Lorient who sadly departed before the touring to be replace by Marie Rouyer making the 4th (or 5) lead singer since the debut album., making Whyzdom the Ayreon of symphonic metal. The Queen is dead , long live the Queen.
Elvyn does a nice job though her english prononciation sometimes makes her hard to understand the lyrics (and she's a bit just on the start of cathedral of the damned)
Other than that you got a typical metal symphonic band with the usual  artwork with lead singer on top, mystical cryptic lyrics of devil, death, earth dreams whatever...You got double pedal, choir, violins etc.

So nothing new under the sun you might say for a second album. But I must admit as not a big fan of sympho metal I was surprised. First record was good but this one really sounded professional and well done on lots of counts.
The production is great, you hear a bit of everything (even the occasional grunty dark voice of doom in vocals), all instruments sounds great. the songs are very weel done, having each their own identity. (only real weak song on the album for me is paper princess.... not enough slow to stand by it self and way to cheesy... should have called that Power princess and put on a big riff in it...^^)
Otherwise great songs, road to babylon and cathedral really shine in the pompeous clive Nolan orchestral style (and that is a compliment coming from me).
With this record, Whyzdom proves they have what it takes to make records who can be up there along the big ones  like within or any other nightwisherie and Blind ? is indeed worth listening to for those you like sympho metal or even prog metal.
Now only if they could keep a singer long enough... (or indeed go full ayreon but that might hurt a bit to sell to the public...good luck Marie hope you're here to stay... it is really a good opportunity if the band keeps on increasing again their level of production....)

Images

Small exposition at the Fondation henri-cartier Bresson with a retrospective of the Greenberg Collection.
An NY gallerist showing pieces of his collection.
the great things of these 2 small but nicely filled rooms is the difference of pictures displayed, from many photographs (mainly US, Abbott, Weegee, Airbus,...)
It is filled with portraits, composition, social and war pictures, some very famous, some not (well to my knowledge so I can guess you can say less famous than the aformetioned one but I digress).
My favorites of the bunch are the porytrait of Gloria Swanson, mesmerizing. and the following taken during the war.(Berlin in 45 red army marching in) plus one for my father, which he did like very much. (taken without a flash god I know it is not very good to take pics in an art gallery specially build with low lights but people doing it with flash AND sound... The nerve...Anyways...)
Very much an interesting look at the power of pictures (all in black and white). From the social colored ramp from the 40ies, to execution, walks in Paris, musicians, artists, workers, murders... with small sentences from the artists on their view of photography. Very good choice to sensibilize people to art pictures.

http://www.henricartierbresson.org/

Sounds that can't be made

Going round in circles.... Been to the marillion concert... despite some technicals problems and 30 minutes of good music (damn Kayleigh, lavender and sugar mice...) great moments with the band... with highlights being  Ocean Cloud and the final songs.. a bit screw up Warm wet circles and At that time of the night.
Thanks you guys. The new album is not bad but not exceptionnal also... not a bit of great stuff besides Gaza, final of STCBM, power and the sky above the rain (personal reasons)
Seen Bride of Frankenstein, Andromeda strain (nice but a bit wayyyyy too slow... especially at 21H00).
Discovered also a great photographer that I must say makes portrait way much more huamn than Avedon. Enter Louis Stettner, I'll watch for new exposition from him. not very original (NY-paris lanscapes and portraits) but so simple and so true, I was touched.

Coming up lots of concerts, flower kings, neal morse, pinapple thief, long distance calling, pain of salvation & anneke, steven wilson, sigur ros, whyzdom, peter gabriel, steve Hackett, spiritual beggars, iron maiden, Riverside....

Listening to the new whyzdom, with some north atlantic oscillation, riverside coming up for inspiration.

The scarred people

The new album by Tiamat is a bit of a let down.
Surprisingly short, it is not a bad album per se. It is just an average Tiamat album, or a great jump on point...
The album still surf on the same recipe the last one did. Great goth prog with dark voice By captain en chef Johan Edlund.
Dark mood and heavy rythmn, some seemingly coming from the past (one track seems to be The long version of opening track wildhoney, while another  gets the gaia drum tracks repated...)
So no great investigations, good old traditionnals Tiamat songs (like 'thunder and lightning')
Oddly enough the limited edition got 4 bonus tracks : two live and two covers.
Paradise from springsteen is interesting but very lightly done , the second is an amazing cover of 'born to die ' de lana del Rey with great Gilmour/Rothery like guitars and special effect that really makes the LE edition worth it...being may be the highlights of it... Is it time To try to get some more changes... Really feel like it though.

Tightly Unwound

Hello small transition post here.. some concerts have come and gone (pineapple thief, katatonia, Devin OMG Townsend, Arena....) and some coming (Marillion, Steven Wilson and More).
I'll try to make a bit more presence here anyway from now on.
Coming up is some words on a bit of albums I've been listening to....
Hopefully , the best is yet to come...

All the wars

Meet The Pinnapple Thief. The band as a long past history of many albums in the rock post prog stuff.
The lastest effort of the band is called all the wars.
The short record is apparently in the continuity of the precedent efforts, a gentle post prog rock very much inspired bu th elikes of Muse or Radiohead.
Great short strong stuff with orchestra, lots songs about love and relationship.
Short and sweet, it is a nice introduction to this band who , if they have maybe not that bit of stuff that make Muse and RH who they are, deserve some attention at least for the great effort they put out.
The limited edition makes the record a bit longer with a bunch of acoustic versions.
The highlights of this album for me are of course the ending, the long orchestrated going crescendo Reaching Out and the great and catchy Warm seas that probably echoes a lot for me.

Go treat yourself , listen to the thief that stole some fruit. Definetly worth it and easy to access.

http://www.pineapplethief.com/tpt/

On concert in paris this november and somewhere probably.