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MIND - VOL 2 LIVE

Isildurs Bane

Symphonic Prog


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Isildurs Bane Mind - Vol 2 Live album cover
3.80 | 41 ratings | 6 reviews | 39% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Live, released in 2001

Songs / Tracks Listing

CD 1 (76:02)
1. Extroversion (Phase 1) (1:03)
2. Opportunistic Medicine (8:00)
3. Cheval - Volonté De Roche (19:04)
4. Extroversion (Phase 2) (2:11)
5. Exit Permit (23:32)
6. La Rûche, Studio Nos 3, 4 & 7 (5:57)
7. Holy Fools (11:43)
8. Ataraxia (3:40)
9. Extroversion (Phase 3) (2:12)

CD 2 (77:02)
10. Extroversion (Phase 4) (1:14)
11. The Flight Onward (9:22)
12. Celestial Vessel (23:44)
13. Unity (3:25)
14. The Pilot (5:22)
15. Das Junkerhaus (5:22)
16. Extroversion (Phase )
17. The Voyage (16:09)
18. Exit Visa (6:48)
19. Extroversion (Phase 6) (4:07)

Total Time: 153:24

Line-up / Musicians

- Klas Assarsson / melodic, classic, latin & electronic percussion
- Jonas Christophs / guitar
- Fredrik Johansson / bass
- Mats Johansson / keyboards, theremin, accordion
- Kjel Severinsson / drums, percussion

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ISILDURS BANE Mind - Vol 2 Live ratings distribution


3.80
(41 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(39%)
39%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(46%)
46%
Good, but non-essential (10%)
10%
Collectors/fans only (5%)
5%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

ISILDURS BANE Mind - Vol 2 Live reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Greger
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I have been an ISILDURS BANE fan a long time now. I bought the two LP:s "Sagan om Ringen" (1981) and "Sagan om den Irländska älgen" (1982) a couple of years after they were released. These two albums are still some of my absolute favorite albums ever. The music can at times be compared to CAMEL (also one of my favorite bands). ISILDURS BANE's music has changed since then, but they're still one of the most interesting bands in Sweden. As you can see in the title "Mind Vol. 2 Live", this double-CD contains live music. It contains live recordings from all over the world. Afterwards it has been edited: some has been erased and new music has been recorded in their rehearsal studio. They have also added extra musicians such as Björn J:son Lindh on flute and Janne Schaffer on guitar. Both of them have played with ISILDURS BANE before. This is an interesting mix between chamber and classical music, folk, jazz and progressive rock. ISILDURS BANE's music is unique and you can't find any other band in Sweden to compare them with. I have almost every album in my collection and as long as they're releasing interesting music I will continue to buy their album. I suggest you do the same!
Review by lor68
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Another must have album by this extremely versatile Swedish band. I have to remark the same considerations and appreciations as well as the previous excellent "Vol. 1". The unique difference is their attempt to create a blend of experimental folk and music from Canterbury, which is more evident here in comparison to "Mind.Vol 1", but this new aspect is a minor question... Highly recommended anyway!!
Review by Fishy
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars This is one of the strangest kind of music which is labelled under the flag of progressive rock. Isildurs Bane started to record albums in the beginning of the eighties but there's really nothing on this record that makes you aware of that. This is a highly original mixture of classical music, progressive rock, chamber music, folk and fusion. It's hard to make any comparison to progressive artists. On some moments they seem to have elements from ELP or Camel but only slightly. Maybe this proves these guys created a unique sound of their own. After two decades I believe the band is well known amongst listeners to progressive music although I have the impression that many prog fans find this music too obscure for their liking. True, the music needs several spins and even then I must confess I rather like some moments than complete tracks but that's not a bad thing. It's an invitation to play this adventurous music again and again as this music never looses its mystery no matter how much you're listening to it. The music from "Cheval" is an excellent example ; a wide symphonic sound with many complex changes in moods and rhythm in case there is one present cause on some moments you could be confused by thinking this is pure classical. For being the story of a postman building his own palace I do find the overall feeling rather melancholic. On the large orchestral piece "Exit Permit" some parts are rather mellow sounding and could be used as part of a soundtrack while on other moments the music is sounding small like a chamber orchestra. Sometimes the changing of moods is getting so rapidly that you don't know what the hell is going on but later on you'll recognise some of these melodies have been used earlier in the track and the listening experience becomes a bit easier. Listening the album in one shot could be deadly, better play in parts. This stuff is just too complex to show itself in just a couple of turns. Also you'll get 150 minutes of instrumental music and that's quite a lot. You can ask yourself the question if music is intended to ask such an effort of your concentration, the title of this series of albums could not be better chosen. Once you'll get to know the music better, you'll be rewarded in many ways. You'll even wonder if you have ever experienced music which was more beautiful ; technically perfect, atmospheric and warm at the same time.

This is a live album. It's track listing includes some older material of the band as well as some new composed material which wasn't released till now. You can hardly notice the presence of an audience. Nevertheless the sound quality is excellent. The quality level of the music itself throughout the whole album is great, I haven't discovered any flaws so far. Only the "extroversion" parts aren't adding any substance, I suppose they are meant to bring more coherence into the album. Although no tracks are included from their first four albums a track like "The flight onward" grabs the essence of the early I.B. sound though the tracks were a lot shorter back then. The tracks contains energetic keyboard and guitar parts and breathes fusion. The second cd is less orchestrated. Tracks like "Celestial vessel" hold a lush atmospheric sound, like the title suggests. "Unity" and "The Pilot" sound a lot like Camel while the sound of the first album has the same feel of ELP on their works tour but I have the impression the music of I.B. is more subtile and complex and the guitar parts are more important. Also the band has a more varied instrumentation.

An excellent starting point to begin to explore the work of this Swedish band. If you want to get one album of them in your collection this should be the one. 4,5 stars

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars ISILDURS BANE are a band that i've had a hard time getting into simply because i've found their music to be too Classical sounding. So going into this double live album with over 153 minutes of music on it, lets just say I wasn't too enthusiastic at the prospect of having to give this the 5-7 listens needed before my review. Well it only took one listen for me to understand why this is regarded as their best recording,and it grew on me from there. While it is a live album, the band calls it a concept record and have done plenty of manipulation in the studio to get this to sound the way they want it to. And yes it sounds amazing.This is a recording that keeps my interest throughout. It has some variety on it and I like the way they input spoken word samples as well as sampled converstions and at one point it's like we're in the middle of some party. Also parts of this sound like an ECM recording. Classy and atmospheric with laid back horns. Sure there is that Classical element still but there's also some fairly heavy Rock passages intigrated with the guitar, bass and drums kicking ass.This has been such a big and pleasant surprise and given me a real appreciation for how talented these guys are, especially Mats Johansson the keyboardist and composer.The liner notes that come with this are thick and packed full of pictures and a description of each composition and more.This is truly a must have for fans of this band.There is a six part piece called "Extroversion" that is spread throughout this double album giving it some unity.

"Extroversion (Phase 1)" sounds interesting to get us started and it blends into "Opportunistic Medicine" where a beat with guitar and atmosphere takes over. It turns heavy before 3 minutes. Nice. Some excellent drum work follows then it's the guitars turn with vibes and prominant bass. It's heavy again to end it. "Chevel" is an over 19 minute piece divided into 4 songs. Drums pound as keys and atmosphere help out. Guitar 1 1/2 minutes in rips it up. Orchestral music comes in then a calm followed by children's laughter. Intricate percussion then the guitar plays tastefully.The guitar isn't so tasteful 5 minutes in. Haha. Sampled French spoken words as other spoken words come and go as the original speaker continues. Cool section. Percussion joins in.The suite ends in a laid back manner. "Extroversion (Phase 2)" features a sampled conversation with lots of activity going on in the background. "Exit Permit" is 23 1/2 minutes long.You can hear a plane fly over a couple of times then the violins start to slice it up. It kicks in with drums after 1 1/2 minutes. It settles as piano takes over then kicks in again with horns this time. A heavy beat and chunky bass 9 1/2 minutes in.The tempo and mood continue to change.

"La Ruche" is mellow with violin, flute, vibes and piano all helping out. "Holy Fools" is dark to start with spoken words. Some heaviness follows. It stops and changes before 4 1/2 minutes. Great section here with the bass, guitar and organ."Extroversion (Phase 3)" is another great piece with that atmosphere along with gutar and bass.

"Extroversion (Phase 4)" opens disc two with samples and sounds. "The Flight Onward" kicks in with drums and guitar. Killer sound here. It settles after 2 1/2 minutes then settles even more after 4 minutes. It kicks back in though and drums dominate late. "Celestial Vessel" is the almost 24 minutes 7 part suite that really blows me away. It's spacey, atmospheric, experimental and heavy as it takes us through a journey in our minds. "Unity" is a beautiful tune that kicks in fuller before 3 minutes. "The Pilot" changes tempos quite often and we get some excellent guitar. "Das Junkerhaus" is slow moving with atmosphere and guitar.it does turn aggressive around 4 1/2 minutes. "Extroversion (Phase 5)" is spacey with atmosphere.

"The Voyage" is over 16 minutes long and it is like a trip. "Exit Visa" is led by strings and horns. Impressive.The guitar, bass and drums take over before 3 minutes and they sound great.The orchestration returns though. "Extroversion (Phase 6)" ends the album with sparse piano and sounds in this melancholic conclusion.

For fans of adventerous music, others should stay clear of Mind Volume 2.

Review by Matti
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars This Swedish band is quite interesting, very hard to categorize. Some albums are mostly Fusion, some are more or less symphonic prog with album concepts and a dash of Canterbury or Camel (e.g. Sagan om den Irländska Älgen; Sagan om Ringen), some are Peter Gabriel-like art rock with vocals (MIND Vol 4), and some, like this one, are somewhere between rock and modern chamber music. This is a live 2-CD, but far from a typical rock live album. In its classical influences I'd compare the music to the Hungarian AFTER CRYING, even if the variety of instruments is not as wide. And on some tracks one could think of modern European jazz on the ECM label. Or think of some art happenings with dance, video art or something: this could be music for those purposes (and actually some pieces originally were too).

So maybe it's no wonder that at least some of this music is... how would I put it nicely, well, not exactly boring, but... too arty-farty for its own good. Background music, as one reviewer put it. There's a lot of material from Bane's previous albums but the versions differ more or less. Of those that I've now heard both versions, I can only say that there's no need for two, whichever is the better one. One thing is sure: the listener can't much feel the extra live atmosphere as on more commonplace rock live albums. In practise this doesn't feel very much live album at all, more like a compilation featuring revised versions and some previously unreleased or hard-to- find material. And even as such, quite one-sided in style. For example no vocals.

Musically this wasn't so delicious as several other Bane albums I've listened to this far. For me this served as a view into many albums new to me (and therefor I would have wanted more informative liner notes in this respect). But on other than musical levels there were many interesting things that this album introduced me into, thanks for the mentioned texts. For example monsieur Cheval who dedicated his life to building a castle with little pebbles, and a house called Junkerhaus (in Lemgo, Germany) which is like a wooden sculpture. I googled an internet page with a video of that house; indeed one cannot decide if its disturbing or charming! A couple of other themes also dealt with architecture and/or eccentric artists.

Otherwise this package looks boring inside and out, as there are so little colour pictures and so much blank space on numerous pages. Was there any band photos at all? Not sure. Anyway, I wouldn't say this is a must for fans, nor a best possible place to get into the band.

Latest members reviews

2 stars Yes, there are some interesting passages on this disc, but most of it is very mellow. If you like classical or chamber music then this is definitely work checking out, but if you're looking for progressive/rock music you won't find much of it here. This disc sounds like background music to a m ... (read more)

Report this review (#81280) | Posted by | Friday, June 16, 2006 | Review Permanlink

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