Next up... a battle of two greats! In previous rounds we did song samples, great PA's reviews, with this
round I wanted to do something a different. So I went outside PA's..
what do people outside of this site say about these albums.
First up..
Part the Second by Maudlin of the Well
Last night, I was up until 2:00 a.m. despite the fact I had to wake
up early. I blame maudlin of the Well's brilliant new album, part the Second.
The story behind the recording of this album is amazing and shouldn't
be glossed over. From 1999-2001, maudlin of the Well released three
albums. The latter two, Bath and Leaving Your Body Map are
among the most genius pieces of music I've ever heard. These albums
seamlessly blend metal, jazz, and indie in an amalgamation that is
breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
However, maudlin of the Well's avant-garde nature also kept them from
being more widely known. They disbanded in 2001, some members of the
group going on to form Kayo Dot, an even more avant-garde group, which,
ironically, is more well-known than maudlin of the Well.
Yet over the years, through music message boards, forums, and blogs,
maudlin of the Well slowly began to pick up a devoted following. They
gained what notoriety they had the hard way — through the mouths of
people who could not shut up about how great they are.
In a MySpace blog post in 2008, maudlin of the Well front man Toby
Driver mentioned he wanted to record some older songs that were never
recorded, but was restricted by financial issues. Response and
enthusiasm from fans was massive. Several people made large donations so
Toby and the band could accomplish this. The donations made it possible
to go beyond the one song and record a full-length studio album, not an
album of leftovers, but of mostly new material.
Yesterday on May 14, 2009, this dream and hard work manifested when part the Second, was released over the Internet completely for free, In Rainbows style.
I was among the first to download the album, and I was absolutely
enthralled with what I heard. maudlin evolved their sound in a way that
was unexpected and surprising to me. Most strikingly, though maudlin of
the Well is considered a progressive metal band, most of part the Second
is comparably soft and soothing, almost post-rockish. In fact, I would
hesitate to call any part of this album metal, though glimmers of it are
hinted at in various strains. The new incorporation of violin and piano
blends in perfectly with the inimitable maudlin of the Well sound, and
both instruments fit in as if they they had always belonged.
The compositional layering is practically on a symphonic-level
cerebral listeners will enjoy its complexity. The sing of a good band is
a natural, evolving progression from album to album, and maudln of the
Well has achieved that. Hints of Kayo Dot abound, especially evident in
track four, "Clover Garland Island," though the album itself is
undeniably maudlin of the Well.
Part the Second is a softer listen than maudlin's other
albums. Genre-wise, as with all of maudlin's music, it's difficult to
classify. I would say it's highly experimental and would call it
post-rock, perhaps post-metal. Track one is great, and is very laid back
and relaxing. The piano outro at the end is reminiscent of Radiohead's
"All I Need," to use the In Rainbows comparison again, though maudlin of the Well are nowhere near that band's genre.
Track two is a little harder – though hard, it is absolutely
beautiful. Another highlight is the piano outro on the last track, which
is the perfect ending for this album. Though picking highlights might
cheapen the rest of the listening experience – know that I think that it
is all good.
Fans of post-rock will love this new release. In fact, anyone who loves experimental music that pushes boundaries will love part the Second.
Of course, if you're already a maudlin of the Well fan or a Kayo Dot
fan, or just love interesting music, what are you waiting for? If you
have gotten this far, then chances are you're somewhat interested. Do
yourself a favor and download this album – and why wouldn't you, when it
is completely free? It is available in three different formats,
including higher than CD quality, which will appease all the audiophiles
out there. While we're on that note, download Bath and Leaving Your Body Map
as well – they're now out of print and the CDs go for $50 plus on the
Internet. No one's going to be losing any money off you, and from what
I've read, the members of the band themselves are cool with this.
So what are you waiting for? Go listen to part the Second and
download it at maudlinofthewell.net. You can also listen to it the site
if you wish to hear it before downloading. And also, consider giving the
band a donation, as they worked very hard on this release.
and in the far corner.. Detta Har Hant by Gosta Berling Saga
I just read on their website that Gösta Berlings Saga
entered the Roth Händle Studios; the studio of former Änglagård drummer
Mattias Olsson to start recording their third full length album. It
should be ready for release in spring 2011,
so maybe a bit late, but here is the review of their second release;
2009's Dette Har Hänt.
Gosta Berlings Säga, I believe, was named after a film of the
same name from 1924. The film was based on a book written by Selma
Lagerlöf - (she also wrote Nils Holgerssons in 1906-07 and received the
Nobel Prize for literature in 1909. Since 1991 her picture is on the 20
Swedish Crown bank note.) in 1891. The film featured Greta Garbo. The
band were formed in 2004 as Pelikaan but changed their name to Gosta
Berlings Säga. They released their debut album;
http://www.dprp.net/reviews/200702.php#gosta" rel="nofollow - Tid är Ljud in 2006. That album
received a DPRP Recommended review and now, three years later, the band releases their second album.
For this album the band consists of Gabriel Hermansson (bass),
Einar Baldursson (guitar; replacing Matthias Danielsson), David Lundberg
(keyboards) and Alexander Skepp (drums and percussion). Dette Har Hänt
is an entirely instrumental affair. But who needs vocals when you write
killer tunes. And that is what this album is full of. The album sounds
vibrant, self assured, urgent and adventurous. It also sounds as if the
band recorded the album live. There is a distinct 70s feeling present
but the band combines this with an attitude that is firmly rooted in the
here and now, not unlike other new bands like Astra, Zombi and Diagonal.
The album opener waists no time in letting the listener know what
will be on offer for the next 45 minutes. David Lundberg's Fender
Rhodes and Einar Baldursson's guitar backed by the tight rhythm section
open the album with some great melodies but also some great and
aggressive soloing on the aptly titled Kontrast. Music from bands like King Crimson, Landberk and Anekdoten come to mind. The song has a dark atmosphere and an atmosphere that will return on most tracks on the album.
Sorterargatan 3 however starts very stately with piano and
acoustic guitar but around the three and a half minute mark the track
starts to build and build with addition of a great guitar riff and
mellotron strings. That's what these guys do very well. Slowly building
up and slowly taking the song down again. Especially on the three
longer tracks. The shorter tracks are more focussed on the melody and
less on exploring where the track will take them. They share that spirit
with a musician like Frank Zappa. It is Baldursson's guitar (beautiful acoustic guitar on the short Innilegur?)
and Lundberg's keyboard work (mostly the Fender Rhodes sometimes with
piano, Moog, pump organ or mellotron) that shine on this album (listen
to Baldursson's mighty soloing on album closer Västerbron 05:30) - but let's not forget Skepp and Hermansson who form the solid backbone of every track.
It's difficult to pick highlights on this album but when held at gunpoint I would go for the mighty Fem Trappor, a track that combines a lot of energy with a great melody. And Bergsl*g.n
a track that keeps changing colour and showcases the musical skills of
this quartet best. The second part of this track sounds improvised.
With Detta Hart Hänt Gösta Berlings Saga have released an
album full of impressive, instrumental, dark and sometimes psyche
related music. And I'm really looking forward to their third album which
I hope to review a little sooner after its' release
date.
------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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