BLACKFIELD

Yes, you might say this is a bit closer to pop than Porcupine Tree, but not so much that you need to be doubtful. It's obviously less edgy but not completely without dark, angry edges familiar from PT. Atmospheres are generally melancholic, dreamy, sad, introspective - the same adjectives I'd use with PT. If someone had introduced this album to me blindfold as a PT product, I wouldn't have doubted, only would have been surprised by the lack of proggier or edgier material.

The main disc is not even 37 minutes, so I wonder why there's a separate bonus disc of three songs (one being a live version of an album song and at least one of the other two appearing on Blackfield II). There probably was also some video stuff which I haven't yet checked out.

The genre of Blackfield II is soft rock and the songs are simple and pretty straight forward; verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, etc. Orchestral strings are always there to emphasize the album's atmosphere and emotion, and of course the album is dominated by different sounding guitars, like acoustic, atmospheric and distorted. The songs are mainly sung by Steven Wilson but hearing 'the other guy', Aviv Geffen is a breath of fresh air. The songs are mainly about emotional depressing things such as break ups. Here are some lyrics to give you the idea:

"...But I wanna die in this moment, I wanna die..." "...Tomorrow you'll be gone and I'll miss you..." "...So find the highest cliff and dive..."

The problems I must address are: The first song sounds too 'pop rock' and the second puts me off due to its 'I wanna die' lyrics. It's disappointing that such a great album begins with two weak songs but the rest make up for it. I especially love the beautiful 'End of the World,' which closes the album. Overall this is a pleasant album for when I feel like a laid-back listening session. I recommend this album. 4 stars.

While musical renaissance man Steven Wilson devotes most of his musical efforts towards his main band Porcupine Tree, he also has a number of side projects in which he shows off different dimensions of himself and his work. Pairing up with Israeli art rock icon Aviv Geffen, the project Blackfield shows Steven Wilson's trademark sound being done over with a succinct pop sensibility. The follow-up to the first Blackfield record shows a marked improvement, and seeks to set the project apart from merely being a piece of Porcupine Tree apocrypha as many deem it to be.

Even in interviews, Geffen and Wilson have stated that Blackfield is meant to be nothing more than an exploration of short, catchy, concise songs and simple expression of emotion. Indeed, there are no prog rock indulgences and complex instrumental sections, only songs that could just as easily be played intimately to a coffee shop audience without having lost any of their power. As might come to be expected from two highly esteemed artists as Geffen and Wilson, the songwriting is very strong, and conveys some sincere sadness in charming, bitesize portions. However, while the songwriting may be simple and to-the-point, the way in which these songs are produced and arranged is anything but. Much like Porcupine Tree, Blackfield's music is fleshed out beautifully through Steven Wilson's expertise with production, and the sound usually has just as much going into it as any prog rock album. Ambiance, vocal harmonies, and even a string section courtesy of the Downtown Session Orchestra take part in making the songs come alive, which takes 'Blackfield II' from being a merely good record, to a truly great one.

While Steven Wilson may be the one that receives the most accolades and respect for Blackfield, it is in fact Aviv Geffen who does most of the songwriting here, although he does seem to take a backseat when it comes to the execution of it all. Geffen's songwriting style is generally more melancholic and sentimental than Wilson's here, and such songs as '1000 People' and 'End Of The World' are instantly memorable pieces of writing. Wilson is also no pushover when it comes to the writing here, and pens some incredible work here like the catchy 'Once' and 'My Gift Of Silence', the latter of which being the album's remarkable highlight and could have easily fit on one of Porcupine Tree's more melodic albums.

Blackfield proves itself as being more than a mere experiment as some thought it out to be at first with the second album. Although the first certainly had some very good material on it, 'Blackfield II' outdoes it in virtually every way. Not a completely remarkable album from start to finish, but there is plenty of excellence to go around here.

Finally, here's the much-awaited third installment from Blackfield - that rather unexpected, unlikely, if not to say surreal collaboration between the British stiff-upper-lip über-nerd, Master Producer/singer/guitarist Steven Wilson and his Israeli counterpart - friend, emo-rocker, peace-activist and rebel - Aviv Geffen. While the majority of fans might have expected it to be called 'III', in line with the two earlier albums, this one actually carries a genuine title - 'Welcome To My DNA', and I'd like to say that it reflects on the music as well. However much still being a typical melodic, melancholic Blackfield-outing, this one is indeed a mite different from the pair's earlier outputs.

Don't worry, Blackfield still provides being the perfect alternative/refuge for all of those who feel like Mr. S.W. hammed it up a bit too much on his latest outputs with his main band, the much heralded Porcupine Tree , with which he increasingly incorporated heavy metal/industrial influences. As I myself quite appreciate those, I didn't mind that at all, but I did look out for this third Blackfield-outing to provide the much desired for counterbalance to that heavier stuff of his, as I must admit appreciating his - and Geffen's, of course! - lovely, intimate 'little' 'pop' songs just as much.

These differences don't yet show on the opener 'Glass House', a typical intimate, very melodic, orchestrated song, combined with highly melancholic lyrics, '' ...life is running out, I guess I had enough, I need to go now...'' The next song, however, is a genuine shocker! 'Go To Hell' gives us S.W. and Aviv singing "F*ck You All, F*ck You, I don't care, Go To Hell!" - NOT exactly what I expected to hear on a Blackfield-album ...

To understand the background of this album and quite a few of those rather prosaic lyrics, it should be noted that this is more Mr. Aviv Geffen's than Mr. S.W.'s album. As told many times by S.W. himself, his Israeli emo-rocker-friend quite often got too little credits for his work on Blackfield's former outputs, and it's rather obvious that S.W. wanted to set things right, here, claiming only ONE track - 'Waving' as his own on this entire album. Not just that - Aviv Geffen's background as rebellious Middle Eastern-peace activist quite shines through from all of the lyrics, and it's not that hard to see where his inspiration's coming from, considering the situation in his homeland and the countries surrounding it. S.W. has claimed that he at times doesn't want to sing Geffen's texts, as they sometimes are just too 'political' for his tastes, but apparently the ones on 'DNA' got the Green Light from him, and I'm very glad about that myself. Yes, I think they * work *, but I can well understand not everyone agreeing with me on this.

Some of the (many) highlights on this album, as I won't name them all... Not surprisingly, most of these happen to be among the most 'oddball' songs - very surprisingly, however, all of these are to be found on the second part of the album:

'Blood' - a dark, brooding, and even heavy song, obviously inspired by the Middle Eastern struggles going on over there. You just feel there's something 'nasty' looming in the background during this fantastic song. I just love the Arabic elements incorporated in this song, truly adding up to a genuine 'symphonic feel', which of course doesn't hurt either.

'On The Plane' - an intimate ballad, expressing 'loneliness' in both its lyrics as well as with its instrumentation, the moody slide guitar from 'Christenings' of Blackfield II making a welcome and fitting reappearance over here. Very personal lyrics from Geffen, about being a lonely child always waiting for his absent father, fantastically sung by the both of the guys - a perfect little intimate trademarked Blackfield tune.

'Oxygen' - very melodic, even 'poppy', this song. Geffen's vocals are immaculate over here, he truly sounds desperate in his account on '... so far away, we've lost the way - there's no oxygen left, on our planet'', which I interpret as a metaphore to his desperation about the never-ending warfare which is so apparent in his part of 'our planet'. According to the liner notes, one Mr. Trevor Horn has helped producing this one, and it shows the old Yes acquaintance hasn't lost his tricks yet!

'Zigota' - this one, in particular, is THE highlight of this album. WHAT a beauty! A remake of this earlier song by Geffen (it's on his 'Memento Mori'-album), this comes as close to progressive rock as Blackfield will ever manage. It starts off with S.W. singing very diminutively, over a Hammond organ-based orchestration, which adds up and becomes more and more symphonic over the course of the song. It's awesome, and yes, it even reminds me of S.W.'s classic 'Radioactive Toy' in certain ways - the organ, the slow, crescendo psychedelic background - any a fan shouldn't be allowed to miss out on this one. 'Don't you cry, don't you cry, you are just an Accident of Stars'' - what a heartbreaking line, how more melancholically poetic can it get?

' DNA' - the perfect, subtle - but very bittersweet - conclusion of this album. Initially an acoustic guitar-tune, it builds up very progressively, backed up by awesome string arrangements. Beautiful lyrics, ''Always remaining the same, my DNA (...) My deadly venom, soon we'll be dead. Go now, my love, Go now, and never come back... '

I'll be the first to admit it, the lyrics on this album, however emotional, and at times even prosaic, manage to touch my heart. I truly understand this won't go for everyone though, and some may even dislike this album for this very reason.

Musically, this one's a little less easily accessible than their two earlier outputs, but it does stand its ground - if you're just able to give it the time it deserves to discover the beautiful sad-but-uplifting melodies, the great singing jobs of both S.W. and Aviv, the fantastic orchestration, the outstanding job of all musicians involved, and of course, the pristine-as-ever production/mixing job by S.W., who once again proves himself as the current top in production/mixing.

My verdict: a well-deserved 4 stars. Perhaps 4 and a half for those who, just like me, LOVE the combination of sweet, melancholic and highly melodic prog-pop with highly emotional sung lyrics, perhaps 3, for those who don't appreciate the indeed at times 'over the top' emotional, if not right-out prosaic lyrics. Your's to choose which side your on.

''Trust me, there's no get away, from my DNA'' - AMEN to that, Blackfield!

Being the third Blackfield LP release, Welcome to my DNA shows songwriters/composers/band leaders Aviv Geffen and Steven Wilson in top form.

Welcome to my DNA isn't much of a departure from the basic Blackfield sound; pop hooks, melancholic lyrics and themes, and short, concise tracks. This may contain perhaps more of a melancholic tone than Blackfield's two previous albums, but it's not anthing radically different. Israeli artist Aviv Geffen has taken a step further into the spotlight, writing an extremely large majority of the material on this particular album.

The postives of the album are the great melodies and the wonderful string arrangements, which have a very organic feel to them. Aviv's vocals seem to have improved and Steven's are as soothing and pleasant as they have always been. The production of the album is, of course, magnificent. There are very few negatives to this album; one is the lack of change or evolution. Blackfield, though a pop-rock outfit, haven't changed much at all, though this is most likely what Aviv and Steven have intended. Another negative is the somewhat lack of substance. The songs seem a little more basic than usual, with less eclecticity than on previous efforts.

If you're a fan of Blackfield, get this album. Even if you're not a fan, I would certainly recommend a listen. While the album isn't a masterpiece, it's a very good release, once again, from Blackfield.

Standout tracks: "Go to Hell", "Waving", "On the Plane", "Zigota", and "DNA"

4 Stars.

Blackfield's typical style of semi-acoustic melancholic pop-rock is as catchy as ever here. Aviv Geffen's role as the major songwriter is a nice break from Steven Wilson's somewhat elevated status in the contemporary music world. Anyway, there are plenty of hooks to keep the listener engaged, and the occasional up-tempo or crunchier riff, just to keep sound fresh. There is nothing here that will challenge any Blackfield (or Wilson veterans), however, the passages of melodic distortion found in tracks like "Blood" and "Zigota" are very well done. And as usual, the production is immaculate. Now, as far as rock albums go, I can't have too many complaints about the music. It's all very introspective and emotional. Nothing groundbreaking, nor offensively dull. However, the lyrics define 'patchy.' There are some decent lines like:

"The wolves are out tonight, and they're looking for a fight"

And then there are some truly horrid ones like:

"F**k you all, f**k you, I don't care".

Now you can read whatever psychological interpretations into those lyrics that you want. And interpret them in the context of the entire album, but it doesn't change the fact that they are painful to listen to. Cathartic for the writer - perhaps. Not for me. On balance, the lyrics shouldn't hurt the album, but in my opinion they do. Whenever I hear Steven Wilson call some presumably antagonist character a "bitch", I can't but feel a sense angst that belies the album. Make no mistakes, it's all well indeed to write about melancholic sentiments and personal fulfillment, but such emotionally prozaic lyrics seem to contradict the mature and poised nature of much of the music, and indeed many of the other lyrical passages.

Now let's see what I didn't expect: "Go to hell" is the first really unexpected thing when you start listening to the album, irate lyrics later drowned in beautiful melodies, anger can be better understood as one natural state of the spirit when expressed with beauty.

"Waving", led by a lively acoustic guitar riff, it's the happiest song of the album and maybe the happiest Blackfield song ever, wich evolves in crescendo with vocals, strings and backing vocals gradually joining in and then exploding in a pop chorus. A hook song that has a videoclip, and you can consider a possible Single candidate.

"Dissolving with the night" shows a fabulous compromise with the songwriting, a somewhat dark ballad with heartbreaking vocals by Aviv. Then the quiet piano melody becomes sinister to be finally flood by an orchestral raid. A highlight with no doubt for me.

"Blood" is much like a crucial moment of the record, an omen warning that "Here comes the blood", a vivace suddenly emerged from beneath some Middle East sands.

"On the plane" is a subtle ballad with a memorable chorus, a very good functional song to mantain the flow in the record.

"Oxygen" is the most pop song I've heard from Blackfield, and when it comes to pop, Aviv is an expert, and he did it really well (helped by the production of Trevor Horn). If there were a single taken from the album some time, aside from "Waving", it would be probably this.

"Zigota" is definitely another highlight, courtesy of Aviv Geffen, a different version of a song included in his "Memento Mori" album.

"DNA", finally, helps you understand the whole background concept. I would liked an epic ending in the vein of "End of the World", this is rather a bittersweet ending but still a very good song that stands on its own.

Something more to remark: The album includes the best string and orchestra arrangement effort of the whole three albums, in my opinion.

Why not to give it five stars? Well, maybe some of the lyrics that are too simplistic, and a few songs seem to have an unfinished ending. But this is a very well balanced record and has the Blackfield standard quality you do expect, which won't disappoint you, and one more time Steven Wilson is vindicated as a genius of the audio engineering.

1.Open MInd Blackfield's debut song is a deceiving sogn becuase the first part of the song is just guitar then the drums and bass add in then stop suddenly giving the listener a treat of whats to come then it slows down again but with some percussion in the background and lots of harmonies and duets in the 2nd verse then back to our super heavy part and into the 3rd verse with slight distortion on the vocals then ochestral strings come in with some of the heaviness making the song sound brilliant.

2.Blackfield the albums title track starts with soft piano playing then teh others join in creating a dream like sound as soon as steve wilson starts singing i get goose bumps. also what teh blackfield he's singing about seems to be his one refuge from reality and he wants to go ther with someone he's loves for me its a song of love and escaping and this wonderous place called blackfield.

3. Glow

An almost mysterious song Aviv is singing this one and has lots of added in sounds from the synths its a much slower piano piece and full of harmonies. as the song progresses the song sounds hauntingly sad as if the singer is longing for the "glow" then it returns to the verse and the drums come in making the song sound "epic" and very good then techincally a gutiar "solo" but its more like a break in the singing and a little harmony ahs the ends

4. Scars

Aviv sings this one as well and is more electronic with the drums getting triggered and strings and synth during the chorus makign it sound very much like the "epicness" of glow lots of harmony on the vocals. the chorus though just sounds so cool and beautiful only 4 songs in and we already have the making of a great album.

5.Lullaby

Lullaby seems for like filler on this album because it is distinclly different from all the other songs being just on piano and one of the easiest piano tracks ever (it was the 2nd song i learned on piano) and i feel this song is here just to make the album longer, that being said it is a very good song but to different from the others.

6.Pain

One of the few blackfield songs to start with the drums this song was one that struck me as a great song on the album. the song is keeping with teh theme of the album longing and hope. not much to say here just a very good song

7& 8.Summer & Cloudy Now

This is where the album lost its way and stopped it from being an essential album while both songs have some high points summer is just way too bland and it seems to drag on and on. Cloudy now has the honour of being the only blackfield song i hate. its just really bad and has one of the worst ending to a song and they keep changin there mind on the message of the song is it about weather or about our generation?

9.)The Whole In Me

Sounds like a rip off of all my love-led zeppelin one of the reasons i don't listen to this song a lot though not a bad song

10.)Hello

THIS SONG IS THE GREATEST BLACKFIELD SONG EVER SIMPEL AS THAT. it is [%*!#]ing brilliant (pardon my french) it is truely great the piano is some of the best ive ever heard.

11.,12, & 14 Perfect World,Where Is My Love, And Once this is blackfield at their best this songs are the songs i would tell someone to listen to if they wanted to hear what true blackfield is

so while blackfield isn't going to inspire anyone to write an album like 2112 it really will get people excited about playing music becuase of there simple yet complex music

This project led by Aviv Geffen and Steven Wilson has released a couple of studio albums so far, and this DVD. Both albums are pretty good and easy to enjoy, however one may argue about if it's a progressive rock band or not, though that is not really important, seems that for some people it does matter.

Who knows Wilson's works might feel Blackfield is way too pop and catchy, that is evident if we compare projects, but the important thing is what music can create on you, no matter its style or labels, so please sit comfortable, buy you a drink, some chips and enjoy this DVD. Released in 2007, "Blackfield Live in New York City" is a great concert where the band performed most of their better recognized catalogue.

The show features eighteen songs and a total time of 90 minutes. If you are previously familiar with Blackfield, and like it, then you will have a feast of quality (pop) music. The five musicians on stage are very talented and that can be noticed in each and every of the songs. Wilson's skills on guitar are awesome as usual, and his voice is very gentle when it is needed, a clear example is the surprising cover of Alanis' "Thank You", which was a cool performance.

Aviv Geffen's vocals are usually criticized, though it is evident that he might not be the best singer, his voice within this project is indispensable because it puts a special, heartfelt flavor to the music. Tracks like "Glow", "Miss U" or "End of the World" are a good example of his potential. He also plays quite good guitars and keyboards.

I also want to emphasize the work of drummer Tomer Z, who plays actually good, despite I don't usually put my complete attention on drums, here that cannot be missed, because his style is awesome, powerful and exciting, the perfect example is the performance of "Once", which by the way was played twice in this show, an odd thing.

Once I listen to Blackfield, I have to finish the album, or in this case the whole DVD because I really like the music, some songs mean a lot to me. Some of my favorite moments are "Once", "Miss You", "Epidemic", "Glow", Where is my Love?", "Pain", "End of the World", "Someday" and "Cloudy Now", I actually cannot mention a song I don't like.

Curiously, I watched it last Saturday just before attending to a friend's wedding, and really enjoyed it. Visually it is not really spectacular, well, just if you like Aviv Geffen. Love this DVD, my final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!