TRANSATLANTIC Kaleidoscope. quick review (sort of)

Brand new album (with bonus disc or dvd too) from super groupe transatlantic.

We’ll do it the quick way. Transatlantic is much more a Live band than a studio one. The epics works (at least for me) much more live than on a disc player or such.

But let’s sum it up quick. It is a classic (as in the first two ones) transatlantic album.

First an epic, not good, not bad. Typical if you like transatlantic..

Then a ‘single’ not very good song (Shine) and a great mi epic songs ‘Black as a sky’ showing how you do not need 25 minutes to do a great song.

Then the Traditional Neal Morse’s acoutic song (forgetable)

And the last epic which is Way better than the first one ( despite some feeble vocals by M Trewavas – sorry pete- on a chorus.)

The bonus disc is nice as always, classic and songs covered from prog bands.. or not. A curiosity for fans of the groupe mostly (but it was nice to rediscover Night in white satin and discover –shame on me- king crimson)

So to sum up. Nothing new nothing original, nothing badly done, return to the average Transatlantic disc with a wonderful song, a great Epic, a meh epic, and two forgetable /filler songs.

Not bad to discover Transatlantic the first time, not bad for the usual fan

Selfconsumming fire (or how the New Iphone6 changed everything...just kidding)

Talking about art and softpower. A few weeks ago I woke up to the usual newsflash à 7.30 am. Usual local politics, Ukraine, ebola and so on.

Then, near the end, they start talking about the New Iphone 6 presented by Apple (with all the traditional ‘one more thing’ etc, etc).

I was outraged.

Not by Apple because for the matter, they are really the perfect incarnation of the soft power.

Here is a company doing which is simply a traditional commercial presentation of a new product.

Of course they do it the American way. With style, U2, catch phrases and such. Apple is now renowned for that. It is a mass, it is expected.

And the crowds all around the world go wild with the new products they are putting out.

Because what they sell is a way of life, something that is supposed to be cool, Hype, make your life easy like a stroll in the park. ( won’t be asking which park and at what time….)

And all over  the world we got Medias relaying this.

And mind you, not in specialized technology reportage. No, plain regular information, just before the sport reviews.

What bugs me the most is that not they do not speak about it.

 We speak of movies that are out almost every week, have some here and then news about a CD or a concert but these are well categorised and moreover, most of the times, criticized.

They talk about stuff but they really have tested before (or saw or heard).

But not here. Not only Apple does have more coverage than the competition but the Medias relay the information solely based on Apple declarations. No test whatsoever.

And it makes me wonder as the song says, are they paid for that advertisement? Or is it free ? Because I can understand (not condone mind you) if a newsroom’s been greased to sell a product. But if they are doing it for free, it is as much frightening as it is astonishing. To witness the power of the soft, cultural and marketing prowess of selling something that makes it to the news. Imagine the new fruit yogurt unveiled for you right before the weather report. Thrilling isn’t it ? The soft power has many uses, it could be harnessed for ideology like during the cold war but it is also a powerful economic tool as shown (and a great communication bill saver to boot !).

But in the end, the insidious power softened our perception of the world, making the keen and sharp reporters believe that a commercial presentation is news. Meaning that if you hear about it on the telly or the radio, then it is true, it is important, it is worth investigating and moreover important to have and own !

If the people we trust to give us information are starting to get tainted with the slithering sneaky and insidious power used by merchants, we must rely on the sharpness of our senses to continue to be astonished, even year after years, that this kind of thing happens and are not so familiar that it seems so natural to accept them.

And nowadays, it is one hell of a fight.

IQ- Road of Bones ( kinda review)

 The brand new IQ album is out for some times now. And it is almost a double album.

I say almost because the darkly named ‘road of bones’ is single album that exist in a special edition with 45 or so minutes of bonus music.

So the first question is: is that bonus disc any worth?

Well actually the first question should be the first disc is any good?

For those who do not know IQ, they are a Neo prog band from England. Lots of keyboards and nice guitar sounds with a broken voice like (and full of cryptic lyrics) front man in the guise of Peter Nicholls.

For those who know them, we recognise the IQ sound (hell we have almost the first line up of the band, baring keyboardist Martin Orford, casualty of the download war) but with an edgier sound.

The guitars of Mike Holmes are more into riffs than solo on this release that sounds definitely more metal, or at least darker.

And the lyrics and the songs show that.

Hence the serial killer (that Steven Wilson would not forsake) song that gives the name of the album:  the road of bones or the not very bright future of living together in until the end.

All the songs (with the short exception of calm and peaceful Ocean) are very dark and loaded with heavy riffs and hard bass lines.

And it is a good one. Great lengthy songs, very moody as IQ tends to do them. A nice addition much more crafted and built than the previous one, Frequency.

So back to our previous question, what is this bonus CD all about ? Covers ? Crappy demoes ?

Well no, you have full length songs and instrumentals. Fully produced and original, some could have been on the main dish (Ten million demons but the disc would have been waaaay too dark) but the ‘mood’ of these songs do not really fit the album. Could they have make a EP-album on their own ? I would say almost. We’ve seen fill in songs worst than those.

But strangely, the concept as a double album does not really fit for between the first disc and the second, there are too much differences and yet they are all quality products.

So people into IQ or who wants to discover the band,  can buy this new album but preferably the double discs version, the second being not exactly a full album and way to good to be simply a bonus one. So great bunch of music for less than two albums ! Goody !

SOUND OF CONTACT review (sort of)

Just passing by to drop a few line on the debut album of sound of contact

http://www.soundofcontact.com/

Let’s get this out already shall we ? Yes SOC is the band of Simon ( I am the son of Phil) Collins where he sings and does the drums. Though there are some similarities (voice, face, prog rock) it is only fair to try to review this debut album just by itself.

SOC is a prog rock concept album around space. We’re facing a easy prog rock mostly in the vein of popish prog rock (with instrumentals and an Epic) but the album is musically ( but not lyrically) easy enough to enter with nice instrumentals and a few single possible (closer to you has that written all over it).

SOC is a very prog popish record, easy enough to listen. Not bad for a debut album but not a very powerful one. Though we can easily introduce people to the world of prog rock with this album, complete with nice melodies and catchy chorus that are an easy approach.

Worth listening to. I awaits the next one maybe not eagerly but I'll lend another ear.

On a side note, they did a pretty nice almost full album concert with the flower kings starting with the french date in Paris. MIssed Karmakanic but it was nice to get Moebius slip in full length.

Almost review - GAZPACHO – Demon

Brand new cd from the norwegian art prog masters.

And another cd that cannot be listen to like any other cd.

43 spins on the ipod before fumbling to these words.

Let’s face it, the band is now known for their conceptual records with no compromise.

Art rock, post rock, post art prog rock… who cares. The band delivers the music that they want to make and be damned with singles and easy listening.

Demon is no exception. 4 tracks with one (I’ve been walking) divided in 2. (plus bonus out-of-concept single song the cage worth having).

Let’s be honest: it is not easy music you can grasp and like after a couple of play in the sound machine.

No, Demon, as most of the music by Gazpacho, is something earned after many times, growing inside you each time you play it.

For here, all is about mood, ambiance. A real cinematic piece.

Gazpacho’s concept is not helping either: A demonical force moving through history, doing evil deed.

The lyrics are muddy at best; do not seek enlightenment in them (though there may be some message in there… Demon comes from the Greek meaning messenger).

These lyrics whispered by the slurry voice of Jan-holm is another part of the mood the Norwegians are crafting slowly seconds after seconds.

It is really hard to talk about this record. It is good, no question about that, but it is definitely for those who like having a world created before their very eyes…err…ears.

Gazpacho takes no short cuts, do not try to indulge producer or the listener. They present a diamond that needs to be shaped with multiple listening to reveal it’s purity and sparkling beauty.

Not the best way to discover the band but definitely one of their finest hour (along with pretty much the 4 prior albums).

 http://gazpachoworld.com/