New Phideaux album "Number Seven" now out

I just ordered this. I can't wait to hear it.

Great Album! LOVE it!

I have listened this new album and I loved it.

lolz, attack on the first post.


Your opinion is your opinion. It seems a lot of people think differently than you. I've even seen 1 star ratings for Close To The Edge and Thick As A Brick. Does that make them bad? No, not at all. If you don't like it then you don't like it. Sorry for you.

Just upacked and heard "number 7".
Oh God ! it seems to be my 2009 number 1 album!
congrats Xavier!  my review will follow soon 

I thought my 1,000th post would some memorable thing but here goes:

I have been through it four times and it is a challenging listen.  I am hamstrung in that I have difficulty with any of my music in being able to sit down and concentrate on what is going on.  Short commute to work. Although I listen at work, I lose focus on the music as I work.  Wife and kids at home who could care less about my music so I don't play it at home.  An album like this is something that needs to be listened to intently, not as background music.  It will be hard album to review and do it justice because a lot is going on and not many melodies stick with you.  I appreciate the scope and the desire to keep moving forward that Phideaux shows.  You are someone who stands out from the pack and defies convention.  If I had to rate it now, it would be four stars with the hope that more listens will hook me deeper than it has so far.  For those who like a challenging listen and appreciate what the man is all about, a must buy.  For those with simpler tastes, look before you leap.

Phideaux wrote: I However, I'm interested that the melodies don't stick, that was always something I thought we had, was simple melodies.

Hmm... interesting indeed. I find the melodies on this album to be much more memorable than on, for example, Doomsday Afternoon. The first vocal lines in 'Waiting for the axe to fall' will probably be stuck in my head for weeks

Phideaux wrote: I tend to think of it as an album of 3 or 4 songs with a lot of transitions.  However, I'm interested that the melodies don't stick, that was always something I thought we had, was simple melodies.  perhaps this one is getting more abstruse! I do know that the next one (which is mostly in the can) is a bit more stripped back and hence a bit simpler... Let me know if anything gets into your mind from this one, Johnobvious

PX, man you are cool.  I want you to know I think it is great you are spending time here on the forums and are looking for the stripped down truth from people on this site.  People who most usually are brutally honest and not the fan boys you would find on myspace and whatnot.

I am worried that you are to hung up on feedback here from people whose credentials are dubious at best.  I have never played an instrument or wrote a note of music. I am 43 and have heard my fair share of prog but am no expert.  You have made a wonderful album.  I have heard Chupacubras and DA and like both very much.  When you offered up Fiendish for free on your website, I downloaded it, hated it and threw my burned copy away.  I was never going to give you another chance but all the positives for DA thankfully convinced to do just that.  I also respect your business model.  Your CD's are low priced but I would assume you make money since you have your own label.  Since there is very little touring, I would hope you get compensated from CD sales since seeing musicians pour their heart and soul into their music and not get monetarily rewarded tends to depress me, especially when I like what they are doing.

I would like to think you and I have something in common.  We make something from nothing and hope people get it.  Stay with me here.  I work for a well known pet products company here in the states.  Pet products is a hugely fragmented industry with hundreds of companies selling tens of thousands of items trying to get their piece of the pie.  My job is to crunch huge amounts of data into a usable format that means something for my management, sales and marketing forces.  I would like to think that I am the preeminent authority on this stuff in the entire industry.  The pain I go through to do it is monumental but people only see the end result and are quick to find fault instead of appreciating the scope of what I have done.  I am sure you feel the same way.  The old saying, "Don't tell me about the pain, just show me the baby" is something we both can relate to.

What I am trying to say is you have put something out there that is good and the people here at PA will acknowledge that and hopefully that will translate to sales.  Please don't second guess yourself and worry about some of these ratings and other comments.  The cream rises my friend.  I wish you only the best.

"...I expect a bit of antipathy.  I say bring it on!"

Well, there you go, Phideaux. Your new album gets its first, unabashed, hateful review. Enjoy differing opinions! Though this one is a touch scant on actual reasons, at least it's not perfect glowing praise...