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Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
There is, of course, no 'Tron rating.
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Le Notti di Salem (2000, 48.08) ***½WarningA Salem Echi Nel Buio Abiogenesi 3 Nuove Stelle Mr. Clive E Dr. Jones Similia Similibus Curentur Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War) I Warned You |
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Abiogenesi are on Italy's Black Widow label, which tells you everything you need to know about them if you're au fait with the scene: early '70s-inspired, organ- and guitar-heavy hard rock/prog, no modern rubbish. Despite a few weak moments, their third album, 2000's Le Notti di Salem, is an enjoyable listen for those into the style, although little of its material really stands out. It's notable for a guest appearance by flautist Clive Jones from the original Black Widow, which could be construed as completing the circle, I suppose. Best tracks? Maybe Similia Similibus Curentur and Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War), but there's nothing here that offends.
Marco Cimino's credited with Mellotron, but I'll be amazed if it turns out to be real, although it's not as obviously sampled as many of the efforts in this part of the site. There's nothing on the first several tracks, but then we get murky choirs on Mr. Clive E Dr. Jones, similarly iffy strings on Similia Similibus Curentur and Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War) and flutes here and there that pretty much merge with the real one on offer.
Overall, then, a decent enough effort from a band who only record occasionally, with a few tracks of (probably) sampled 'Tron. Fans of Black Widow, Uriah Heep et al. should almost certainly give this lot a listen.
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Skyward (2004, 67.56) *** |
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| Vector State of the Art Love Song Transcendence (Culture of Hospice) Milwaukee Tick Not One of My Better Days The Milwaukee Song Tock Pages That's Entertainment |
Shit-Eating Grin Titan Olympus Rising/Denouement Cul-de-Sacs of Venus Voyager Curvature Skyward Go Forth, Son of Mother Earth Ever Weightless (including The Cosmic Waltz) |
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Acuity are not so much a band as a solo project; Bradley Styles plays and sings almost everything on his debut, Skyward, with the exception of a violin solo by Matthew Parmenter, ex-Discipline. Styles' talents vary in different areas, from perfectly good guitar, bass and keyboard work to so-so drumming and, to be honest, pretty poor vocals. The album draws heavily on the progressive metal genre, although it reminds the listener of Rush and their ilk in places, too, particularly on one of the album's finest moments, the closing riff in Voyager. Unfortunately, Styles' ambitions rather outweigh his talents, with whole sections that, if excised, would actually improve the album. Like many similar efforts, it's also far too long, and should probably have been capped somewhere in the three quarter-hour zone.
There's no 'Tron input until track three, Milwaukee, and it sounds OK until a high-speed flute part suddenly cuts in, obviously sequenced. In other words... Clearly samples. Unlike many similar efforts, Styles doesn't over-use them, and plays them sympathetically, making them sound pretty authentic in the mix. The usual strings and choir can also be heard on Cul-De-Sacs Of Venus (alongside Parmenter's contribution) and Voyager, particularly nicely on the former, possibly the best piece on the album. In fact, it's a shame Styles feels he has to riff so hard so often, as his compositional talents seem to lie more in the progressive area. Sorry to be so hard on this album, as he's obviously operating on a tight budget, but listening to less Dream Theater would improve his style no end, as would a healthy dose of self-editing.
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Ad Infinitum (1998, 77.34) **½ |
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| Ad Infinitum Immortality Waterline Physician Heal Thyself A Winter's Tale Rain Down Overland All Hallows Eve |
Neither Here Nor There Ad Infinitum (Reprise) |
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Ad Infinitum's sole, eponymous album, was one of US neo- kings Kinesis' last releases, and fits firmly into the label's standard remit, being unimaginative, by-numbers neo-prog, although not as bad as some I've heard, chiefly other albums on Kinesis. In fairness, they do try to be interesting, but there are far too many bland, bog-standard chord sequences played for several minutes on end to actually hold the attention of the discerning prog fan for long. Then there's Todd Braverman's voice... I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's the chief reason I couldn't listen to this album in one sitting. His strained, whiny tones grate on the (or at least my) ear, and when combined with lyrics like, "Awaken in a mystic land/beyond the edge of time." Ouch... Fewer histrionics might've been nice, Mr.Braverman. Anyway, All Hallows Eve is about the best thing here, sounding an awful lot like (guess who) early Genesis, right down to Braverman's cod-Gabriel tones.
The band's one real coup was to secure the services of a little-known British illustrator by the name of Roger Dean to paint them a typically-Deanlike cover; the end result looks a bit like one of his backgrounds before he does something interesting to it, and was probably knocked out on a rainy Sunday afternoon, in the knowledge that the band would be ecstatic with almost anything he chose to throw at them. I'm reminded of Paul Whitehead's recent work (Submarine Silence, Colossus/Musea's Colossus of Rhodes project), where pale shadows of his early-'70s covers are treated like the second coming.
To clear up a persistent misunderstanding, there is NO Mellotron on this album. OK, I know the thanks list says, "Jim Rezek of Iluvatar for the Mellotron M400", but I've no idea why, as upon close scrutiny of the equipment list, despite several bits of decent vintage kit (Prophet, ARP Pro-Soloist, MiniMoog, Taurus), there's no mention of either a Hammond or a Mellotron, but every mention of the E-mu Vintage Keys and a Roland JV-1080 with both vintage synth cards. These are quite clearly what can be heard on a few tracks; in fact, I don't think Braverman or Ilan Goldman use anything other than the E-mu module, as the 'Mellotron' sounds have that awful murky, muted sound to them that seems to be the hallmark of those particular samples. So no, no 'Tron, just some highly unimaginative sample use.
So; do you buy Ad Infinitum? No. It's overlong, boring, and the singer makes me want to hit him. Fairly grotty sampled 'Tron, too.
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Spirit Stereo Frequency (2004, 42.10) ***½ |
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| Daylight Till Dawn We're on Our Wave Fall Down 7 You'll Be on Your Own Sky Bicycle Oh, When Sad K. Anchovya Suite |
Winter Light All Night Radio |
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All Night Radio are the ex-Beachwood Sparks duo of Dave Scher and Jimi Hey, who've ditched the rump Americana of the last Beachwood release to go fully psychedelic on 2004's Spirit Stereo Frequency. Of course, the usual caveat applies; such a lysergically-inspired album can only sound like pastiche, unless the participants are preternaturally talented and/or inspired. The standard end result is an interesting, fun album with not a shred of originality in its digital grooves, and so it proves here. Opener Daylight Till Dawn rips off the riff from Crimson's The Court Of The Crimson King something rotten, although that's probably the most modern reference on the record, the rest of it sitting firmly in the 1966-67 bracket. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just not a very original one.
Somebody plays something vaguely Mellotronic across much of the album, but I'm quite sure it's sampled, going by some of the higher notes, not to mention a lack of any specific credit (most artists these days boast about using real tape-replay). Which, of course, brings up the issue of whether or not Beachwood Sparks used a real one? Probably not, but it sounds less fake than here... Anyway, not-particularly Mellotronic strings on around half the tracks, notably the solo part on the intro to Anchovya Suite, plus what might be fakeotron flutes in places, though it's hard to tell. Overall, then, a good if highly derivative album, with plenty of sampled Mellotron, although the pair sadly packed it in later the same year. Now, about those Beachwood albums, chaps...
See: Beachwood Sparks
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It's Not Me, it's You (2009, 42.40) *** |
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| Everyone's at it The Fear Not Fair 22 I Could Say Back to the Start Never Gonna Happen Fuck You |
Who'd Have Known Chinese Him He Wasn't There |
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Lily bleedin' Allen? Daughter of Keith bleedin' Allen? On Planet Mellotron? After her ubiquitous debut, 2006's irritating Alright, Still (find it in a charity shop near you), her second album, It's Not Me, it's You, is actually (wait for it) not that bad. Going by the standards of mainstream pop, of course. The music is essentially composed and played by producer Greg Kurstin, with Allen apparently 'singling along' to his creations, the end result being surprisingly cohesive; that'll be professional producers for you, then. Allen's mockney (mock Cockney, for non-Brits) has become more than a little tiresome, especially as she's known to have attended a series of public schools (i.e. private, for non-Brits again), despite her protestations that she grew up in a 'working-class environment'. Well, I'm sure your parents worked, dear. In fact, I know they did; I saw your dad in a production at the National.
So what's the music actually like, I hear you cry (albeit faintly). Well, it ain't bloody R&B, which is a blessed relief after some of the unmitigated crap I've listened to recently. 'Mainstream pop with vaguely interesting bits thrown in' is probably the best I can do. Allen's voice is ridiculously close-up and high in the mix; she's very much the selling-point here, and her record company clearly want her to be heard. Opener Everyone's At It features some interesting backwards electronica, Not Fair, with its uncomprehending, self-centred lyric dealing unsympathetically with the topic of premature ejaculation (It's not fair! Wah wah wah!) samples a talented banjoist for its unusual rave/country mix, Never Gonna Happen's French accordion raises eyebrows, while Fuck You is almost swing.
Lyrically, Allen is actually pretty talented (he says through gritted teeth), commenting dryly on what it means to be young these days (OK, young and wealthy. Whatever), tackling drug use (Everyone's At It), going-nowhere relationships (Never Gonna Happen) her dad (He Wasn't There) and even racism and loathsome politicians (Fuck You, Him), making vague amends for Not Fair. Best track? Fuck You has the best music and lyrics on the record, actually making me laugh out loud, and not just for its contentious title and chorus. Kurstin adds Mellotron string samples to I Could Say, or at least, they sound like samples. I could be wrong (as usual), but I'm probably not... Anyway, to my great surprise, a superior pop album, with some genuine lyrical insight, certainly compared to the industry's usual banalities.
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CDS (2005) ***½ Time Will Tell (Radio Mix Edition) Time Will Tell |
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Alon produces an interestingly arty type of laid-back pop; an American Coldplay with less angst, maybe? Going by his current press release, he seems to be aligning himself with the US progressive scene, strangely, and is actually going to appear at NEARfest 2005. Anyway, Time Will Tell is a taster for his forthcoming album, The Artist Manifesto: Document 1, and despite having been fairly obviously Pro-Tooled into oblivion, actually features real playing from real musicians, with largish helpings of acoustic guitar, real drums etc., along with the ubiquitous programmed variety. Alon's voice is quite affecting, too, and if all his material is up to this standard, and if the world were a fairer place, he'd stand as good a chance as any of invading bedsitland over the coming months, which is where his loyalties should really lie, I suspect.
Rather than the usual 'cheats', Alon openly credits himself with 'M-Tron', and indeed, 'Tron strings are splashed all over the single in a fairly pleasing manner. Of course, the rise of computer-based Mellotron sample packages means that you no longer even have to make the effort to buy a module containing said sounds, and it seems there's been an explosion in their use recently. You can just about tell the 'Tron here isn't real (too clean and even), but a well-maintained machine wouldn't sound that different, making 'Tron-spotting an increasingly difficult game, so thank you Alon for coming clean.
If the album's up to the quality of the single, and if Coldplay/'art-rock' are your bag, you could do a great deal worse than to invest in The Artist Manifesto: Document 1, although a less pretentious title might've been welcome.
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The Impossible Thrill (2001, 50.55) *** |
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| Still Eon Dim South Almost Wise Especial Wishes |
Clear Sky Al Sation Fort |
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Alpha are one of a number of second-division trip-hop outfits, and yes, they're from the Bristol area. The Impossible Thrill is their second album proper, following 1997's ComeFromHeaven and a remix set, '98's Pepper, and it fits fairly neatly into the quiet, low-fi end of the genre, eschewing overt beats for orchestration and melancholy. But is it any good? Matter of opinion, I suppose, as always; plenty of 'Net reviewers have gone ga-ga over it, but it left me pretty cold, but what do I know?
Nicely done 'Mellotron' flutes on Al Sation from an unknown player, but with no obvious references to the machine and the sound's overly-pristine quality, I strongly suspect samples. This is the sort of album you want on in the background while being miserable, like a rhythmless Portishead, but don't come here looking for musical innovation; this is indie, just quiet indie.
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Sinews of Anguish (2009, 58.14) **½The Final PledgeWrapped in Ruins Behind the Veil of Nights My Pinnacle of Power A Retreat Into Delusions Casus Belli Stainless Steel Sinews of Anguish |
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As you might have guessed, Altar of Oblivion are a Danish metal band (sub-species unknown. Power?), whose near-hour long debut, Sinews of Anguish (stop laughing) is an interminable dirge of pointlessly over-stretched material, like Manowar on mogadons. The vocals are ridiculously portentous and overblown, though at least we're spared loads of widdly guitar, largely because the guitarist doesn't sound like he's up to it, I suspect, rather than for reasons of taste.
Although now ex-drummer Lars Ström is credited with Mellotron, it all sounds decidedly fake to me. Strings on a few tracks with extra cellos on My Pinnacle Of Power, and possibly choirs here and there, plus what sounds like quite generic string patches in places. Unless you're a metal must-have, I really wouldn't bother with this, and certainly not for the 'Mellotron'.
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Tierra de Especias (2000, 53.19) **** |
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| Dioses El Torrent de Colobres M'Gour Chenini El Caramillo del Alba Naki Naki Els Millors Bufons El Sran Bazar |
Danza de Samotracia Azabel Cuentacuentos |
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Mujer Luna (2002, 51.49) ****Mujer LunaEn el Parque Arabesca en 4 Mov. Sueño Sueños Duo Para Tabla y Saz N.1 Nana Para el Hijo de la Tierra Donde Estas Mi Amor Tierra Austral Donde Estas Mi Amor (Conclusion) |
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Quentadharkën (2004, 71.17) ***½ |
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| Hsieh La Ultima Expedicion Encantamiento Tierra Boreal La Espiral Alumbrado Quentadharkën Los Origenes Los Hechos |
La Batalla Final Coda Labirintos de Piedra Bocins de l'Emporda Venus Antigua Amos del Aire |
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Amarok (the Inuit word for 'wolf', also used as an album title by Mike Oldfield) are an extremely pleasant surprise; a modern progressive band who don't sound like either a poor cousin of Arena or an unholy cross between Dream Theater and Spock's Beard. They mix old-school symphonic progressive rock with Spanish and 'World' influences, incorporating any number of unusual acoustic instruments (saz, dulcimer, kalimba, and many neither you nor I have ever heard of) into their sound, making for a wonderful hybrid of prog and folk, sounding like no-one else. They are apparently heavily into the environment, going as far as to record 2000's Tierra de Especias (their fourth album overall) entirely using solar power. That album and its follow-up, 2002's Mujer Luna, are recommended to everyone looking for something a little different in their prog, with great material and a genuinely original sound. Sadly, their latest release reviewed here, 2004's Quentadharkën, is also their weakest, suffering from the twin handicaps of over-length and not enough top-notch material, leading them to even include a brief and unnecessary drum solo in the rather average Labirintos De Piedra, but is still worth hearing compared to the bulk of the current scene.
All three albums feature sampled 'Tron, far too 'smooth' to be the real thing; listen to Tierra Boreal from Quentadharkën to hear a classic example of 'stretched' choir. None of them over-use it, which is good to hear, compared with any number of bands I've heard slathering samples over their album like an overly-thick layer of cheap margarine on a horrid white-bread sandwich. Individual performances are sort of irrelevant; suffice to say, they're used with taste throughout, in keeping with the excellent music.
I haven't heard Amarok's latest, 2007's Sol de Medianoche, but I'm hoping it's a step back towards their best work. Decent sampled 'Tron throughout, but as always, don't blame me if you don't like its inauthenticity.
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The Isness (2002, 63.30) *** |
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| The Lovers The Isness The Mello Hippo Disco Show Goobye Sky (Reprise) Elysian Feels Go Tell it to the Trees Egghead Divinity Guru Song |
Osho Her Tongue is Like a Jellyfish Meadows High Tide on the Sea of Flesh The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |
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The Mello Hippo Disco Show EP (2002, 33.50) **½Yo-YoShe Sells Electric Ego The Mello Hippo Disco Show (Jacknife Lee Mix) Slo-Mo Hippo-Drone Trying to Make Impermanent Things Permanent The World's in Transience Life's a Flow |
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Amorphous Androgynous are, essentially, The Future Sound of London's psych side-project, with practically all of their dance influences removed, leaving... rather second-rate psych, to be honest. Their first album under this monicker, The Isness, was released under the FSoL banner in the States for 'commercial reasons' (bet that pleased the band) and while it has its moments (the first half of closer The Galaxial Pharmaceutical), it generally falls a bit flat compared to other revivalists, I'm afraid to say. I'm almost certainly missing some major point here connected with the UK dance scene, but that's the way it goes. Anyway, the credited 'Mellotron' here (from Mike Rowe, almost certainly sampled, as on FSoL's Papua New Guinea Translations) is the background choirs on The Mello Hippo Disco Show, itself the basis for the eight-track 'single' released from the album, more of the same on Divinty and cellos on The Galaxial Pharmaceutical.
The Mello Hippo Disco Show appears to be classed as a single, although it has eight tracks and is over 30 minutes long. Sounds like a short album to me, squire... Is this standard in the dance demi-monde? Anyway, the bloody thing's interminable, despite its relatively short length, featuring variations on the title track and other stuff which may or may not be connected to it. As for Rowe's 'Mellotron', there are flutes on opener Yo-Yo, with more of the same on Hippo-Drone, but I'm quite certain it's all sampled.
Well, Amorphous Androgynous may be loosely 'psych', but it's not my idea of the genre, and I can't imagine I'll be listening to these again in a hurry. Very little 'Mellotron', too; of course, if anyone out there has any more definite info on whether or not it's real...
Official Future Sound of London site
See: The Future Sound of London
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From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998, 54.13) ***½ |
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| Spark Cruel Black-Dove (January) Raspberry Swirl Jackie's Strength i i e e e Liquid Diamonds She's Your Cocaine |
Northern Lad Hotel Playboy Mommy Pandora's Aquarium |
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If you've never heard Tori Amos, think 'American Kate Bush' and you can't go too far wrong. After several releases, she's developed something of her own style, but her voice is still a dead ringer for Kate's, with no obvious American inflections whatsoever, not helped by her admittedly excellent piano playing. Mind you, top marks for inventing the concept of 'rock'n'roll harpsichord' on a previous album...
From what I've heard of Tori's music, From the Choirgirl Hotel is fairly typical, with the vocals right up in the mix and quite dry, to give that 'intimate' feel. The musicianship's excellent all round, and the songs are well-constructed, and I get the feeling that if I gave them the chance, many of them would worm their way into my subconscious for ever more. She's credited with 'Mellotron' on two tracks, i i e e e (strings) and She's Your Cocaine (flutes), but has admitted in an interview that they're samples. Naughty. Actually, the strings sound pretty awful, but the flutes are good enough to fool moi, for what it's worth.
Anyway, if you're a fan, you'll like From the Choirgirl Hotel, but then you've probably got it anyway, and if you're not, it's unlikely to convert you. Either way, don't bother for the fake 'Tron.
See: Tori Amos
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Who Needs Planes or Time Machines, When There's Music & Daydreams? (2006, 37.24) *** |
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| Mirage Evergreen Forest Planes or Time Machines Light Carlos' Brothers Sans Souci King Arthur Knife Valley |
The Haunted Mansion Aurora Borealis Stung By a Cactus |
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Annot Rhül are, apparently, less a band than a solo project, specifically that of Sigurd Lühr Tonna. His/their first release, 2006's Who Needs Planes or Time Machines, When There's Music & Daydreams? is an intriguing mixture of styles, mixing prog, psych (in its various forms), blues, twisted waltzes, surf... A truly psychedelic album, then, refusing to stick to any given style in the manner of so many retro acts.
Although the CD booklet carefully lists 'Mellotron' on most tracks, their website has some studio pics from the album sessions, including one entitled something like 'Burt recording Mellotron' (it's credited to Tonna and Burt Rocket), showing a guy with a small MIDI controller on his lap in front of a computer, and I've had it confirmed that a real 'Tron came nowhere near the studio, either M-Tron or unidentified samples being used. Said samples are used on most tracks, the usual flutes/strings/choir suspects, although they're a bit murky in places.
The only way to get hold of this at all easily is on a 2-on-1 with their subsequent mini-album, Lost in the Woods (reviewed here). Overall, Who Needs Planes... is a little inconsistent, but Lost in the Woods is very good; definitely worth a flutter.
See: Annot Rhül
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Feel. Melt. Release. Escape. (2004, 59.40) ***½End of DaysCoward Voyage of No Brain Discovery Path of Sorrow Penny is a Slut Machine Feel. Melt. Release. Escape. O The Anti-Depressive Delivery Bones & Money |
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Anti-Depressive Delivery's oddly titled Feel. Melt. Release. Escape. looks like it could be some variety of indie nonsense, going by the sleeve, but turns out to be sort-of progressive metal, sounding not dissimilar to fellow Scandinavians Opeth, or maybe Spiritual Beggars. Actually, ADD have something in common with the latter, being a 'supergroup', in a not-especially-super kind of way, being made up of members of other bands on a busman's holiday. The album's material varies from the more metallic through keyboard soundscapes to the closer, Bones & Money, a 15-minute epic that bravely enters pomp territory towards the end, although I'm not convinced the experiment works.
Keys man Haakon-Marius Pettersen isn't credited with Mellotron specifically, and it doesn't take more than a fairly cursory listen to ascertain that he's using samples. They still sound pretty good, mind, but a couple of solo sections give the game away properly, although none of it really sounds that authentic. Most of his use is the ubiquitous strings, although the choirs pop up in a couple of places, with the two sounds layered together at one point, though, as usual with samples, it's all just a little bit too clean. Most tracks feature at least a little, though, so if you're just after the sound, you can't go too far wrong here.
I believe ADD's various members have gone their separate ways now, which is a shame, as a second album could've been really interesting. As it is, you'll have to make do with their sole release, sampled 'Tron and all. Not bad, not great, worth hearing if you're into the heavier end of things.
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On the Aftertaste (2000, recorded 1989-91 (?), 67.27) ***On the AftertastePossessed How Could I Stop? Hibernation Falling to Pieces Don't Take it Bad |
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Apogee is Versus X's Arne Schäfer's solo project, active since the mid-'90s. On the Aftertaste is his/their third album, supposedly recorded between 1989 and 1991, years before his first official album, 1995's The Border of Awareness, although it sounds more like it was recorded around the time of its release. Maybe it was just written back then? Anyway, four of its six tracks range from nine to eighteen minutes, with a couple of relative 'shorties', the quality of material varying widely across the album, although I have to say, the album may well have been improved by some serious editing, not to mention more instrumental parts at the expense of the vocal ones. Schäfer has some good ideas, but they're often swamped by the sheer bulk of the tracks' lengths and page after page of lyrics.
Schäfer allegedly plays Mellotron, but the solo string part that opens the album is very clearly sampled, almost certainly the same sample-set as he used on Versus X's The Turbulent Zone, released the same year. The giveaway? Too smooth, attack too consistent, goes as low as F (the Mellotron keyboard stops at G), with noticeable 'stretching' on the low notes. Other rather inauthentic string and choir parts appear, but nothing's as overt as the album's opening. To be honest, this just scrapes three stars; near-ten minute closer Don't Take It Bad is a waste of space and several other tracks would be better shorter. Anyway, has its moments, a bit of sampled 'Tron. Your choice.
See: Versus X
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Katonah (2003, 42.07) **** |
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| Katonah Fear of Heights I was on the Moon Happening Blood is Wood The Egg Sheets With Stars Mayday Disorder |
Conscious Pilot Hot Air Balloon |
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Apollo Sunshine aren't a bad afraid to kick against the pricks, it seems; their debut album, 2003's Katonah (named for its recording location) mixes, psych, prog and pop in roughly equal measures, seemingly completely unworried about adverse critical reaction. The end result is a triumph of modern psychedelic pop, chock-full of great tunes and quite bonkers arrangements, and not always on the longer tracks. Top songs? Difficult to pinpoint anything specific, but Fear Of Heights stands slightly (and ironically) higher than its fellows, which isn't to denigrate anything else here in the slightest.
Jesse Gallagher plays keys, amongst other things, but I'm unconvinced enough by the Mellotron sounds used that I've dumped this straight into samples without passing go or collecting £200. We get flutes and strings on the title track and The Egg, choirs on fear Of Heights and strings on Sheets With Stars, for what it's worth; in fairness, the sounds enhance the tracks on which they're used and almost fool the ear in places. All in all, then, a fine album, more than worthy of your hard-earned shekels and several hours of your time, as you assimilate its psychedelic delights.
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Welcome to the Stage (1997, 73.19) ** |
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| William Tell Overture Valley of kings Out of the Eilderness Midas Vision The Healer Sirens Medusa Welcome to the Cage |
Jericho Solomon |
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Welcome Back! to the Stage (1997, 25.54) **½Empire of a Thousand DaysFool's Gold Crying for Help IV |
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Contagious EP (2003, 21.12) **½Vanishing ActThe Hour Glass Contagious I Spy Witch Hunt (remix) |
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Contagium EP (2003, 23.31) **½On the Edge of DespairThe March of Time Confrontation Salamander (remix) |
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For a concise summary of Arena's career to date, have a look at their regular reviews. Suffice to say, they're an extracurricular vehicle for neo-prog keys minor deity Clive Nolan and (very) ex-Marillion drummer Mick Pointer, and deal at the heavier end of the (admittedly rather narrow) neo-prog spectrum. Although Nolan's mostly managed to use a real 'Tron in the studio, he (sensibly?) doesn't take it out live, so first (and decidedly premature) live album, Welcome to the Stage, features reasonably decent samples, source unknown. I don't know why bands feel they have to release live albums so early in their careers these days; once upon a time, they were summations of a career to date, often a decade in, not after two albums... If you know the studio versions of these tracks, you basically know the live ones, admittedly with some different musicians and that indefinable 'live' sound; fans only, in other words. Nolan's samples crop up on a couple of tracks, leaving several bereft of their studio 'Tron work. Why only two stars? After over an hour of this drivel, I lost the will to live, but channelled my suicidal urges into a low star rating instead.
In an effort to squeeze the last few pennies out of their eager fans' hands, the live album was followed by a three-track mini-album, Welcome Back! to the Stage, possibly containing encores, possibly merely mopping up a handful of unreleased live versions. I believe it was only ever meant to be a fan club disc (thus the large 'The Cage' on the cover), meaning one fan club member got bored enough with it to sell it the shop I bought it from. Cheaply. As with the parent album, nothing here is significantly different to its studio version, and the only sampled 'Tron to be heard is on Empire Of A Thousand Days. To show how much care's been put into this release, two of the track timings on the rear are reversed; class act, chaps, class act...
Their Contagious and Contagium EPs bookended their fifth album, Contagion (d'you see a pattern emerging here?), and sound like outtakes from said album, although credit to the band for making this material available to their hordes of slavering, mainly continental European fans. In all honesty, there's little here for aficionados of non-neo prog to get all frothed up about; it's the same old same old, mixing pompousness with a lack of any especially discernable talent in true Marillion style, just heavier. And does vocalist of the day Rob Sowden actually sing, "Singing along with 'One For The Vine'" at one point on Contagium? We need to be told.
Despite Nolan's M400 ownership, the 'Mellotron' here sound overwhelmingly like samples to my ears; the choirs are mostly in the background, and quite possibly not 'Tron sounds at all (particularly on Contagium), and the upfront strings on Contagious' title track have exactly the same (slow) attack on every chord, and just sound far too, y'know, smooth for comfort. All very odd, all things considered; maybe it was in for repairs during the recording? So how real is the 'Tron on Contagion, then? Anyway, don't go out of your way for either of these EPs, particularly with regard to their respective closing tracks, nasty remixes of pieces from Contagion both. Incidentally, are the Rush references on Contagious deliberate? Not only is a track (admittedly from the album) entitled Witch Hunt, but the EP's exactly 21 minutes 12 seconds long. Doubtful, but I have to ask...
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First Live in Japan (2007, 75.32) **** |
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| Gravitá 9.81 Strips Corrosione Positivo/Negativo In Cammino Valzer per Domani Mirafiori Nove Lune Prima Mescali/Mescalero |
Nove Lune Dopo Aria Pesante Dimensione Terra Kawasaki Glory Marilyn Arcansiel Alba Mediterranea 2000 |
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A revitalised Arti & Mestieri appeared around 2000, and began gigging again, including their first visit to Japan in 2005. The 'can't argue with that'-titled First Live in Japan is a document of their Tokyo date on June 12th; the playing from the seven-piece ensemble is faultless, their fusion/prog crossover working well in a live context, without sounding cluttered, largely due to band members knowing when to shut up. The bulk of the album is divided into two 'suites', beginning with side one of Tilt played straight, following with an edited version of Giro di Valzer per Domani and winding up with a handful of more recent tracks. It's pretty obvious in this context how much jazzier their second album was than their debut, although the last Tilt track here, In Cammino, is almost straight jazz, leaving only a handful of tracks that fall more to the progressive side of the spectrum.
Now, I have to say that despite being assured that Beppe Crovella's credited Mellotron is real, there's no sign of it on either the CD sleeve or the pics from the trip on the band's own site. In fact, there's no sign of the Rhodes either, never mind the acoustic piano (which clearly isn't), although a B3 sits proudly at the front of his rig. The choirs at the beginning of Strips sound particularly authentic, key-click and all, so they're damn' good samples, but I'm quite certain that no Mellotrons were hurt during this recording. The rest of his 'Mellotron' use is split between the strings and choirs, switching deftly between the two on Glory, although he only uses it on a handful of tracks, sadly.
So; an excellent live album, showing that the ageing band have lost none of their chops. Fake 'Tron, but buy this and support the chaps at MoonJune.
See: Arti & Mestieri
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Demo (2007, 47.28) ****½Silent SleepThe Rising of the Black Sun The Weirding... Cosmic Wind The Dawning of Ophiuchus Winter Witch |
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The Weirding (2009, 78.45) ****½The Rising of the Black SunThe Weirding Silent Sleep The River Under Ouroboros Broken Glass The Dawning of Ophiuchus Beyond to Slight the Maze |
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Astra first came to the world's attention a couple of years ago (or at least those of us who care), when they posted some demos on their MySpace page. Forming from the remnants of Silver Sunshine, their Mellotron-heavy psych/prog/hard rock is an absolute delight in this age of ever-more-tightly defined sub-sub-sub-genres, although the kind of purists who have to label everything will probably call them 'prog/doom' or somesuch nonsense. Obvious pointers are Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep and Crimson, although a general early-'70s vibe pervades their work like the stink of old joss sticks and patchouli.
A kind man going by the name 'Gandalf' sent me a CD-R of those first few tracks MySpace tracks; what we're looking at here are six lengthy, prog/psych tracks, loaded with 'Mellotron', sounding like a vague cross between Crimson and Floyd's kid brother let loose in a studio. With a Mellotron, or at least, samples. That's the ten-minute Silent Sleep, anyway. The Rising Of The Black Sun is a lot darker, segueing into The Weirding..., a far heavier, jamming proposition, like Black Sabbath on (even more) drugs, or Crimso's Cirkus' bastard son. Since Gandalf sent me the CD, the band have added three tracks to their page, with the 'Tron-free Cosmic Wind, the acoustic Winter Witch and another mighty prog piece, The Dawning Of Ophiuchus. 'Mellotron' all round from Conor Riley, with flutes and strings on Silent Sleep, The Weirding... The Dawning of Ophiuchus, with just strings on The Rising of the Black Sun and standalone flutes on Winter Witch. Listen, these tracks are MAGNIFICENT; mad, epic progressive hard rock that could actually do something for the band, if they can hitch a ride with Black Mountain's audience, say.
2009 brings their debut album, The Weirding and guess what? It's every bit as good as you'd expect. Several tracks are reiterated from their demos, with a couple lost and a couple gained, pretty much as you'd expect. The title track still sounds like Crimso's Cirkus, and there are a few other fairly obvious reference points, too, but overall, it's a killer. It is overlong, as I complain so often regarding 'full-length' CDs, but this isn't an album to which you'll necessarily listen too closely; it's more about the mood it creates, and as such, nearly eighty minutes isn't that excessive. 'How do they get such a long album out of eight tracks?', I hear you cry. Two over fifteen minutes, that's how, most of the rest being in the 'long rather than short' category. Some definitely are better than others, the title track probably taking 'best track' prize, but there's nothing here, despite the free-form sections, that had me reaching for the 'next' button.
Conor Riley and Richard Vaughn both play 'Mellotron', although I have it on good authority that they used the Memotron-in-a-fake-Mellotron-case you can see on their site. There's quite unfeasibly large slabs of it chucked all over everything, though, notably, never gratuitously. Good trick if you can do it... Strings and choirs all over the place, as you'd expect, with heavy brass and flute parts on the title track, exacerbating the Cirkus comparison, while the strings in The River Under are heavily redolent of Genesis. OK, so originality probably isn't the band's strongest suit, but with this much fakeotron, who's complaining? Just go out and buy this album, or failing that, stay in and buy it. Astra deserve to be huge, but won't be, because in the unlikely event of the fashionistas ever hearing them, they'd be hounded out of town for terminal uncoolness. Except that, of course, they're probably the coolest new band around for those in the know. Buy. Just buy.
See: Silver Sunshine
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Ave (1999, 77.43) ****Time Border PassengersBreathing Under Pressure Japetus Dreams Time Seller Under the Rain Bach's Air Pray of RA Abarcus |
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Can Atilla's unique on this site: he's the only Turkish musician featured, probably because it seems pretty unlikely that any Mellotrons made it to Turkey, although several got to Greece and at least one to Bulgaria. According to his website, 1999's Ave is his eleventh album, released to celebrate Tangerine Dream's thirtieth anniversary, which it does by slavishly copying their mid-'70s to early-'80s styles across seven tracks, including a so-called 'bonus' one, although I heavily doubt whether there's a version of the album available without it.
This really is a Tangs-alike album: 26-minute opener Time Border Passengers even sounds like it should be on Phaedra or Stratosfear, doesn't it? And that's before you've even heard it... When you do, it sounds like it should be even more, with classic 'Berlin School' sequencers, electronic percussion, the full works. The next three tracks are similar, if (slightly) shorter, while Bach's Air is exactly what it sounds like and the 'bonus' track, the interestingly-spelled Abarcus, is a full-on sequencer piece.
Plenty of presumably sampled 'Tron, as the album was recorded at Atilla's own studio, with choirs and flutes all over Time Border Passengers and strings on Breathing Under Pressure, although the flutes on Japetus Dreams sound synthesized. Surprisingly, although that's about half the album's length, that's it on the fakeotron front, the other tracks relying on pseudo- (or real?) analogue synths. Overall, a good fake Tangs album, for those who just can't get enough of the style. There are several other acts sticking to that '70s Berlin template, but Ave does it as well as the best of them. Recommended, as long as you're into EM.
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Songs From the Year of Our Demise (2006, 54.54) *** |
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| Six Feet Under Bottom of the Bottle The Likes of You Four Letter Word Angelita You Used to Drive Me Around Song Noir Daytime Lullaby |
Josephine Cemetery Song My Sweet Unknown Adios Sundown Wicked World The Year of Our Demise |
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Jon Auer is one of the chief architects of The Posies, so it's no great surprise that his first solo album, Songs From the Year of Our Demise, tends towards the powerpop end of things. Unfortunately, for some strange reason, the album's sequencing puts several weaker songs near the beginning of the album, although it starts to improve around the fifth or sixth tracks. Best track? Maybe My Sweet Unknown, although most of its mid-album neighbours are reasonably good.
Although David Einmo is credited with Mellotron, it sounds (quite startling so, in places) like samples to my ears, with strings and cellos (under some cheesy organ) on The Likes Of You, very squeaky (i.e. above top-note) strings on Angelita, with what sounds like flutes and real strings on You Used To Drive Me Around and a brief string part at the end of Song Noir. So; decent enough album, but only sampled 'Tron, and not that good in places, either.
See: The Posies
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Glow in the Dark (2008, 77.37) *** |
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| Nothing Really The Sorrow, the Fish, and Glastonbury Hill God's Little Do-Over Chauncey Saucer Survives 2012 Moon v. Moon Stethoscope Resuscitation |
Glow in the Dark Something Probably Next Life... Let's Just Wave to Each Other |
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Kevin Bartlett has been around since the '80s, acting as musician, producer, label boss... A general mover'n'shaker then, it seems. It's difficult to tell how many solo albums he's released over the years, but 2008's Glow in the Dark is around the 30th on which he's worked, which isn't bad going by anyone's standards. I can't tell you anything about its predecessors, but this release falls into the new age/prog category, with drifitng, ambient material (Nothing Really, Stethoscope) shaking hands with tracks in more upbeat, almost AOR territory (The Sorrow, the Fish, And Glastonbury Hill, Moon V. Moon), with even a Celtic influence in places. Vocals, such as they are, are confined to wordless male and female voices, while Bartlett's Hackettesque guitar work does that sustained thing as well as anyone. Think: a gutsier Gandalf, maybe, and you won't be too far off the mark.
Now, I was told this album contains 'Mellotron', but Bartlett's booklet credit for 'GForce for the killer M-Tron Mellotron' rather gives the game away, as do the sounds; it might be possible to make a real Mellotron sound like this, given enough reverb, but the strings and choirs lack the immediacy of the real thing. His chief sample use is the choirs on choirs on Moon V. Moon, although several other tracks feature it too. So; the symphonic prog fan may not find enough to keep him/herself interested, but for those looking for a more relaxed ride, Glow in the Dark may be exactly what you're looking for.
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The Difference Machine (2007, 54.57) ****Hope This Finds YouPerfect Cosmic Storm Breathing Space Pick Up if You're There From the Wide Open Sea Saltwater Falling on Uneven Ground Summer's Lease |
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Well, Big Big Train have come a long way from their '90s sub-Grey Lady Down (yes, really) neo-prog incarnation. I haven't heard their two previous 'Tron-sampled releases, 2002's Bard and 2004's Gathering Speed, but 2007's The Difference Machine is quite startling in its scope, being an excellent modern prog album, like a less dour and more inventive Pineapple Thief, say. Long, slow pieces that develop over ten minutes or more are this album's stock in trade, with the occasional almost pop moment to catch you off guard, and more unusual instrumentation (viola and sax) than you might expect. It's actually quite difficult to describe this music; symphonic yet modern, without slipping into the neo-prog clichés of some bands I could name but shan't.
Famous guest spots from members of Marillion and Spock's Beard may help to sell this album, but are musically unnecessary; I'd forgotten they were on there, and didn't realise until I looked at the credits afterwards, but if they help to get this music to a wider audience... The 'Tron sounds (the now ubiquitous M-Tron) are used very nicely; enhancing without swamping, although a high choir note at one point lets you know they're fakes. Next time, chaps, you can use mine, OK? So; a very pleasant surprise. Like their contemporaries Galahad, Big Big Train have moved on from their copyist past into new and more interesting areas. Long may they carry on doing so.
See: Big Big Train
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Amplifier (1998, 65.20) **½ |
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| Still Breathing Lovely Mausoleum God Made Heaven Someday (Time and Space) Jimmy Star in the Book of Life Wouldn't it Be Cool Psalm 72 |
What Would Jesus Do? Ready, Steady, Go Thanks Real Thing Rivalry West Memphis Lawyer Come on People |
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Unsurprisingly, given their name, Big Tent Revival are a Christian rock band, so at least we're not talking generic CCM, although it's still pretty irritating stuff. Musically, it falls into a vague Tom Petty/Bruce Springsteen area, were those artists given to singing brain-mush about how much they love their lord (sorry, Lord), etc. And what the hell's going on with the ten minute-plus Thanks, which appears to be the album's credits, spoken by the band. Er, y'wot? CD inserts for the illiterate? Good of them to cater for their core audience I suppose...
David Alan's credited with various elderly keyboards, including Mellotron, although I have to say, the strings on Lovely Mausoleum sound Mellotronic, but are played far too fast and outside the Mellotron's range, although the ones on God Made Heaven sound a little more authentic. Strings on several other tracks and flutes on the Christian mantra (ho ho) What Would Jesus Do? (aargh!), but I'm pretty sure it's samples across the board, although I've been wrong before. So; Christian rock that doesn't even appear to feature a real Mellotron. Just don't.
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Blackfield (2004, 36.59/47.40) **** |
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| Open Mind Blackfield Glow Scars Lullaby Pain Summer Cloudy Now |
The Hole in Me Hello [bonus disc adds: Perfect World Where is My Love? Cloudy Now (live)] |
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Blackfield is a collaboration between Israeli musician Aviv Geffen and Porcupine Tree's inimitable Steven Wilson and, rather unsurprisingly, sounds a lot like the 'Porkies', as they're often appallingly known. The songwriting is of the type that grows on you with familiarity, while the sound is towards the darker end of the Porcupine Tree spectrum, without the metal edge they've developed over their last couple of releases. It's difficult to pick standout tracks on only a listen or two, but, basically, everything sounds good, in a melancholy singer-songwriterish kind of way, with plenty of Steven Wilson touches.
With real strings on several tracks, it's difficult to spot the sampled Mellotron, although there's a high, warbly string line on Glow that's a definite, as are the flutes throughout The Hole In Me. So; a very good album indeed that's bound to be a 'grower', although pretty low on the fake 'Tron front, along with most Porcupine Tree efforts. Buy anyway.
See: Porcupine Tree
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Science Fiction (1999, 49.33) **½ |
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| Londerla Dull Feeble Bee Gone Too Soon Too Far The Fjords of Zimbabwe Mu Dental Research '72 Nostra |
Smoke Gutter Iodine 3,000,000 Years From Here Soon Too Far Gone Far |
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Blackmail are a fairly unusual thing: a German heavy-end-of-indie band, singing in English, who could easily be taken for American. I'm not saying this is a recommendation, just that it is. 1999's Science Fiction is their second album, apparently completely remixed and reissued the following year as Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?. If it wasn't for the grungy, downtuned guitars, this could be yer typical wussy indie stuff, with those rather fey vocals that make you want to give the vocalist a slap. Why do these bands bother?
Rumoured Mellotron on the album, but upon listening, it seems it isn't to be. Opener Londerla features flutes and choir, although a choir chord at the end of the song holds several seconds too long to be 'real', giving the sample game away, with more flutes on Mu. In all honestly, this bored me rigid; landfill indie?
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Bleach (2000, 48.31) *½ |
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| Heartbeat Straight Shooter Once Again Here We Are The Race You All That's Sweet Reasons Breathe |
All to You Good Sun Stands Still What Will Your Anthem Be |
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Bleach are the kind of Christian rock band whose lyrics are largely un-overt enough not to offend the public at large, although their music still sucks. 2000's Bleach is a tedious pop/rock effort, replete with the obligatory whiny vocals and insipid melodies that the style seems to demand these days, even when the band rocks it up a bit, as on the strangely lifeless Sun Stands Still.
Pete Stewart allegedly plays Mellotron, but when it finally appears on closer What Will Your Anthem Be, the strings are quite clearly samples, especially obvious on the high notes. So why have you credited this guy with 'Mellotron', eh? Usual sample bullshit... If it's samples, don't credit fucking Mellotron, OK? Bah.
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The Blue Seeds (2008, 44.31) **½ |
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| Barcelona Outside the Rain Falls Lost Highway That Night in Amsterdam A Quick Killing in Art Lost and Delirious Cars Go By My Fair Weather Friend |
Black Birds Words From a Fairytale I Dream a Little Dream |
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The Blue Seeds are a female-fronted French-Canadian noirish outfit, whose eponymous 2008 debut has echoes of the pre-psych mid-'60s and Burt Bacharach amongst its influences. It's one of those albums where a couple of tracks sound really impressive, but a whole (even if 'vinyl-length') record starts to drag after a while. The lengthy Words From A Fairytale is probably the best track, at least for readers of this site, but a little goes a long way, I think.
Producer Dustin O'Halloran, from The Devics, plays 'Mellotron', with strings on Barcelona, choirs on Words From A Fairytale and flutes on I Dream A Little Dream, although since the choirs are quite clearly samples, it seems reasonable to assume that the other sounds are, too. Overall, then, a pretty downbeat release that definitely has its moments, just not quite enough of them to give it a higher rating.
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Listening Suicidal (2000, 54.36) *** |
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| Listening 40 (Burn Up the Club '99) Planet Foxy Kyogen Message Goodbye My Strange Number 28 Giniro Utsu Jikan Lucky Suicidal Pretend Daida Destroy & Search |
No Message Monmi Kumo Bannin B to Tsuribito A Don't You Listening 40 (Close Your Eyes '00) |
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So who are BOaT, anyway? Little-known in the West, it seems, they combine metal guitars with pop and funk rhythms, sampled and distorted vocals mixing with poppy harmonies in an unusual juxtaposition. I won't pretend I got an awful lot out of what appears to be their third album, 2000's Listening Suicidal, but at least it doesn't just meekly copy whoever's top of the bloody pops whenever it's recorded, like [insert one of a million names here].
A.S.E. apparently plays Mellotron, with flutes in a few places, notably on Kumo Bannin B To Tsuribito A, with an interesting pitchbend just before the song steps up a gear, but also a way, way over eight-second note towards the end, making me think... Samples. So; sort-of interesting. sort-of not, but at least you can say it doesn't sound like anybody else.
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Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (1996, 73.53) **½ |
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| All Around You (Intro) Cold to the Touch Donovan Said In India You No Come Down (Around You) Everywhere Jesus Before You Miss June '75 |
Anemone Baby (Prepraise) Feelers Bad Baby Intro Bad Baby Cause, I Lover (Baby) Love of My Life Slowdown (Fuck Tomorrow)/Here it Comes All Around You (Outro) |
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre may have one of the greatest names ever, but the (allegedly) smacked-out, stoner psych of their second album, the wittily-titled Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request is something of a disappointment, I have to say. Maybe if you're looking for a cross between early '90s 'shoegaze' stuff and late '60s psych, you might be happy, but its hazy drones left this particular listener cold. It goes almost without saying that the album's horrifically overlong, too; slash 30 minutes from this and it might actually be palatable.
Band leader Anton Newcombe apparently plays most of the album's instrumentation, although several other members are credited. The liner notes refer to a Mellotron, but given that 2001's Bravery, Repetition & Noise uses confirmed samples and the 'Mellotron' sounds here are muted shadows of the real thing, it seems highly likely that it's samples we're looking at here. Cue outraged e-mail from the band protesting it's a real, badly-maintained machine... Various string and flute sounds crop up on several tracks, notably the brief 'flute' solo piece Baby (Prepraise), which highlights just how poor the 'Tron sounds are here.
So; drugged-out psych. As it should be, surely? Only it isn't. This lot have a reasonable following, I'm led to believe, but I'd put money on most of them being young enough to see the band's immediate forebears as iconic, not tediously inept. Plenty of muffled 'Tron sounds, but that's hardly a recommendation.
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Tender Buttons (2005, 40.32) **½ |
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| I Found the F Black Cat Tender Buttons America's Boy Tears in the Typing Pool Corporeal Bit 35 Arc of a Journey |
Michael A Grammar Subject to the Ladder Evil is Coming Goodbye Girls You and Me in Time I Found the End |
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Broadcast are a British female-fronted indie outfit with influences from the pre-psych '60s and modern electronica. Did I hear anyone say 'Stereolab'? Or 'Saint Etienne', for that matter? 2005's Tender Buttons is their third album, mixing electronic glitches to rather insipid indie songwriting to no great effect, to be honest.
The rumoured Mellotron on Tears In The Typing Pool (from James Cargill) turns out to be distorted 'Tron flute samples, on the nearest the album gets to a good song. Generally speaking, you're probably not going to like this any more than me, and one track of messed-about 'Tron samples isn't going to change your mind.
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Looks at the Bird (2002, 39.24) ***From the Black CurrentLupé Name's Winston, Friends Call Me James Everywhere Down Here In the Reeds 50 Guitars The Suspension Bridge at Iguazú Falls The Wind-Up Bird Pearl's Dream |
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Brokeback's third album, Looks at the Bird, is a mostly instrumental Stereolab-type indie record, embracing strands of electronica and jazz, not a million miles away from Tortoise's quieter work (they even cover that band's The Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls). The 'dance-lite' beats that pervade several tracks are a bit of a distraction for this reviewer, though; why are these things necessary? They add nothing to the music and can actually subtract from it in some cases.
Not only is there no Mellotron credited, there's no mention of keyboards at all, apart from regular and reed organs, but the strings on The Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls are definitely sampled Mellotron, as against the real strings on the rest of the album. Overall, then, an album of quietitude, far more palatable than many similar I've heard, though probably not something to make the average Planet Mellotron reader's heart sing with joy.
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Häxan (2007, 75.22) **** |
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| World of Witchcraft Centre of the Universe Hell Fire Underground Love Potion Witch (Doctor) For Eternity The Devil |
Sleep Rites & Rights The Power of Lead Maria the Weaver The Monastery The Arrest of Maria the Weaver Preparations for Trial Conspiracy Anna, the Printer's Wife |
The Youngest Servant Inquisition Thunder With Water Confessions Torture Chamber Violent Despair Endless Pressure Hysteria Russian Book |
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Bronnt Industries Kapital is the musical nom de plume of Bristolian Guy Bartell, whose second album, 2007's Häxan ('hexan', or 'the witch') is not merely inspired by the classic 1922 Danish silent film (a combined documentary/dramatisation of the mediæval phenomenon), but is actually intended as a new soundtrack for it. While soundtracks have been written for the film before, not least Geoff Smith's contemporaneous one for hammer dulcimer, I doubt whether any of them quite conjure up the menace of the period to the same extent as Bartell's; this really is a triumph of modern soundtrack writing, eschewing the ludicrous melodrama of Hammer's '60s and '70s output for the quiet horror of synthesized drones, electric pianos, organs and surprisingly menacing glockenspiels. Picking out individual tracks is almost pointless; this really needs to be listened to as a whole, and despite its length, it doesn't drag, possibly due to the amount of timbral variety on offer.
Mellotron use has been rumoured, but you have to wait until track 25, Endless Pressure, until a haunted flute part rears its head, at which point suspicions are aroused that it all sounds a little to 'regular' for its own good. While not being able to prove it's sampled, it seems the most likely option, so it stays here until/if etc. etc. Don't bother for the sampled 'Tron, then, but I urge you to at least get to listen to this, or buy a copy of the film with this and Smith's soundtracks. Quietly excellent.
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Generazioni (2002, 53.21) ***½La ProvaPensieri Affascinani Margherita a Rodi Luci ed Ombre Non ci Credo Più Lunario La Terra dei Grandi Occhi |
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Calliope were one of a handful of halfway decent prog bands to come out of Italy in the '90s, fighting their way through a sea of turgid neo-prog tosh in an attempt to regain their country's '70s glory. As you can see from their main review, they owned an M400 and used it extensively on their first two albums, before major line-up changes and a rather average third record that may or may not have featured real 'Tron.
As if their previous line-up changes weren't confusing enough, their final album, the live Generazioni, changes almost everyone again (back to male vocals), the only survivor from Il Madrigale del Vento being second keyboard player Enrico Perrucci, leaving precisely no original members in under a decade. Consisting mainly of first album material, opener La Prova (from Città di Frontiera) is as 'Mellotron'-free as its studio version, with Pensieri Affascinani, Margherita A Rodi and Non Ci Credo Più featuring most of their studio counterparts' 'Tron sections (new song Luci Ed Ombre also has some), at least on strings, although it has to be asked: is it real? I'm rather doubtful, to be honest, so until I find out otherwise, I think this has to stay here. There is actually a short burst of 'Tronlike choir to be heard on the album, at the end of Non Ci Credo Più, but while it doesn't sound that authentic, at least it's a Mellotron sound...
See: Calliope
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Relocated (2006, 59.20) **½ |
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| Memory We Are Lovers Motif Sky Real Thing Passing By Confusion The Perfect Key Stream |
Dreaming The Pleasure Remains Bitter Taste Something Wrong Light How Do You Feel? |
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Camouflage are a German synthpop act who incorporate elements of mainstream rock into their thang. Their seventh 'proper' album, 2006's Relocated, mixes the two well enough to make them difficult to categorise; suffice to say, if you like their previous work, chances are you'll like this.
Although Heiko Maile is credited with 'Mellotron', it's almost certainly samples, although they allegedly used a real one on 1991's Meanwhile. The chief use here is the choirs at the end of Stream, although there's a couple of places where the string sounds are more Mellotronic than anything else. Overall, then, not the most interesting album I've ever heard, and not the most arresting Mellotron (sample) use, either.
See: Camouflage
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Man Made Machine (2005, 58.30) *** |
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| Titans Clash Aggressively to Keep an Even Score Sunshine Waters The Weakening Sound Tilting the Scales The Man You Just Became Man Made Machine Burn to Something New |
In the Centre of an Empty Space The Recipe This is Home |
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Carptree are categorised as 'neo-prog' by ProgArchives, but they have little in common with the '80s bands that define that sub-genre, sounding instead like a cross between 'modern prog' (Spock's Beard et al.) and the tuneless prog metal that seems to pass for mainstream progressive rock these days. 2005's Man Made Machine isn't a bad album as such, it's just rather faceless, and its pomposity is enough to make any old-school prog fan who appreciates a little subtlety run for the hills.
Although I've seen references to 'Mellotron' in relation to this album, the strings heard throughout are very clearly 'Tron samples, the upper end of their reach being screechy and stretched, though, in fairness, nothing's credited on the album. So; rather uninspired modern prog with sampled 'Tron. Your choice, methinks.
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The VIIth Coming (2002, 53.27) ***½ |
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| Phoenix Rising Resisting the Ghost Skullflower Aphrodite's Winter The Empty Mirror Nocturnal Fist Iconoclast Black Robed Avenger |
Congregation of Sorcerers Halo of Fire |
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The Garden of Unearthly Delights (2006, 65.46) ***½ |
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| Dearth AD 2005 Tree of Life & Death North Berwick Witch Trials Upon Azrael's Wings Corpsecycle Fields of Zagara Oro the Manslayer Beneath a Funeral Sun |
The Garden Proga-Europa |
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Cathedral have been ploughing their very particular furrow for the last twenty years as Britain's premier doom/stoner/whatever-you-like-to-call-it outfit, led by Lee Dorrian and Gaz Jennings. Several of their releases feature real Mellotron (reviewed here, although they used samples on 2002's The VIIth Coming and The Garden of Unearthly Delights, from four years later, principally due to the unreliability of their usual hire machine (nuthin' to do with me, squire) and not knowing anyone who owned one.
I personally find that The VIIth Coming is a more cohesive album than its predecessors, although with a welcome return to the keyboard use of those earlier albums. Munch (just Munch) plays 'Mellotron' strings and choir on The Empty Mirror and a few background string chords on Black Robed Avenger, but it doesn't, frankly, really sound like a Mellotron at all. If anything, though, The Garden of Unearthly Delights (nice touch) is even better, featuring another outrageous Cathedral epic in the sprawling near-as-dammit 27-minute The Garden, with help from members of the glorious Circulus. Bassist Leo Smee plays samplotron on the track, but not a lot, so don't bother if that's all you're after.
Two good albums in their genre, then, but no real 'Tron. Wait for their next album, I say...
See: Cathedral
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Stereo Type A (1999, 57.07) *** |
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| Working for Vacation Spoon Flowers Lint of Love Moonchild Sci-Fi Wasabi Clouds Speechless |
King of Silence Blue Train Sunday Part I Sunday Part II Stone Mortming |
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The New York-based Cibo Matto consisted of Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda; the band name translates loosely from the Italian for 'food madness', reflected in the gastronomically-related titles of most of the tracks on their 1996 debut, Viva! La Woman. Musically, they incorporated hip-hop, various Latin styles and mainstream pop, amongst other things, creating a veritable smorgasbord of sound, with considerable variety on their second and last album, '99's Stereo Type A.
NYC resident Sean Lennon was a band member at the time, though it has to be said that his influence isn't that discernable, unless you count what have to be sampled Mellotron strings on Clouds and choir on Mortming (from Yumiko Ohno and 'Zak'), although he used a 'some real, some sampled' approach on his '98 solo album, Into the Sun, also featuring Yuka Honda. So; if you're feeling eclectic, in a hip-hop/Latin kind of way, you may well go for this, but it's really not worth it for some sampled 'Tron.
See: Sean Lennon
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Artilleria Pesada, Presenta (1999, 58.39) **½ |
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| Pesada Si Señor Presente Unisono Instancias (Los Vigilantes) Interludio I Ileso Desde la Tierra (El Tercer Planeta) |
Esperanza Danzón Grita La Artillera Interludio II |
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Control Machete play growly Spanish-language hip-hop, which is probably all you need to know about 1999's Artilleria Pesada, Presenta. Someone who knows a little more about this stuff than me tells me it's wholly unoriginal, although I think I'd already guessed that. There is a little sonic variety on offer, with Danzón having a very distinct Latin flavour about it, but the bulk of it's yer usual generic stuff, albeit in Spanish.
A gentleman naming himself 'Toy' is credited with Mellotron, but all I can hear is a repeating string part on Esperanza that sounds most sampled, although, as so often, I could be mistaken. You don't seriously want to hear this anyway, do you? Do you? I didn't.
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The Resurrectionists & Night Raider (2009, 140.02) ***½ |
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| Burnt Reynolds Rise Up and Fight Whissendine Crossing the Bar 200 Tons of Bad Luck Please Do Not Stay Here Song for the Loved A Hymn for a Lost Soul 444 Littlestep |
Human Nature Dictates the Downfall of Humans Time of Ye Life/Born for Nothing/Paranoid Arm of Narcoleptic Empire Wendigo Bat Stack Along Where the Wind Blows Onward Ever Downwards A Lack of Common Sense Trust No One I Am Free, Today I Perished |
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200 Tons of Bad Luck (2009, 77.08) ***½ |
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| Burnt Reynolds Rise Up and Fight Time of Ye Life/Born for Nothing/ Paranoid Arm of Narcoleptic Empire Wendigo Littlestep Crossing the Bar |
Whissendine A Real Bronx Cheer 444 A Hymn for a Lost Soul A Lack of Common Sense I Am Free, Today I Perished |
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Crippled Black Phoenix are Britain's new great white hope in the post-rock stakes, as far as I can work out (they even boast a member of Mogwai in their ranks), although there's a healthy dose of psychedelia in what they do, too. Their second album, the double The Resurrectionists/Night Raider is an almost obscenely lengthy listen, near-impossible in a single sitting, featuring prog epics (the 18-minute Time Of Ye Life etc., the brilliantly-titled Burnt Reynolds), pokey indie rock (Rise Up And Fight, 444), acoustic whimsy (Crossing The Bar) and often all the above and more within a single 'song', for want of a better word. They suddenly morph into Tom Waits en masse on Along Where The Wind Blows, à propos of nothing at all, before lurching into a full-on Mellotron psych-out on A Lack of Common Sense, which seems to fit the band's ethos pretty well. Due to the album's inordinate length, a (still very lengthy) single disc version was released simultaneously, 200 Tons of Bad Luck, containing just one track not on the double, the 35-second A Real Bronx Cheer, which isn't exactly unmissable.
Mellotron strings pop their heads up above the parapet here and there, but it seems highly likely they're sampled, although the part on A Lack Of Common Sense could almost be genuine. The other major use is on the Time Of Ye Life medley, with other, faint parts in the background on a few other tracks. Suffice to say, this sprawling effort, while impressive, is far from an easy listen, and not always for the right reasons. I would say, 'buy the single disc version', but if you like what they do, it would be almost criminal not to obtain as much of it as possible, and it doesn't seem that the material left off the shorter version is noticeably inferior. Impressive, yet strangely empty, with snippets of something Mellotronic on occasion.
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Secrets (2000, 50.06) **½Bleeding in SilenceLittle One The Core Awakening Changed Reality Pall of Illusion Welcome to Utopia |
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Playgrounds (2004, 54.02) **Let The Play Begin...Déjà Vu A New Beginning The Battle Of Thalÿma ...And Enter The Game Fjärilshonung Mesmerizing Enterprize |
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Hansi Cross began working under his surname in the late '80s, writing the kind of neo-prog that was acceptable in some circles back then. I haven't heard his first few albums, but can state quite unequivocally that 1997's Dream Reality is shockingly bad neo-prog crud, to be avoided at all costs, unless, for some strange reason, you're of the opinion that later Galleon albums and the like are actually worth hearing. Actually, he makes Galleon sound good, ditto several other otherwise unworthy outfits.
His eighth album, 2000's Secrets, is a definite step up from Dream Reality, which isn't to especially praise it. The instrumental sections are a dead ringer for Trick/Wind-era Genesis, right down to the ARP sounds (maybe he's using an Omni himself?), which is all well and good as far as it goes, but originality clearly isn't even considered an option. Then he starts singing. No. Just no. Not that his voice is that bad, but his melodies are mostly stomach-churningly twee, making him sound like a soft-rock balladeer. Y'know, thinking about it, that's what so bad about so much neo-prog: it's essentially soft-rock with fiddly bits. Anyway, Cross plays 'Mellotron' strings on Bleeding In Silence and The Core, but it's all far too regular for its own good and almost certainly sampled.
Cross' follow-up and last album to date is 2004's Playgrounds, in a similar vein to its predecessors, albeit a bit less Genesis, although that appears to be its downfall, as without the retro-sounding instrumental sections, it's unbelievably dull. The modern keyboard sounds set this reviewer's teeth on edge and the vocals are as bad as ever, ditto the material. Mellotron samples crop up occasionally, principally the choirs on Déjà Vu, but nothing to get too (or indeed, at all) excited about.
So; bad neo-prog with sampled Mellotron, just to add insult to injury. Why? Just don't.
