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The Black Noodle Project - Play Again CD (album) cover

PLAY AGAIN

The Black Noodle Project

Psychedelic/Space Rock


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erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars It's the third release of this French five piece progrock band but I had never heard of The Black Noodle Project, not really a progrock name or I must have missed the name is derived from Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings...

The 11 compositions sound very melodic and harmonic with the emphasis on creating emotion and atmospheres. I was often carried away by the huge tension between the mellow parts and the more bombastic pieces: very tasteful embellished with a soaring organ sound that reminds me of Rick Wright his Farfisa (70-73 Pink Floyd) and sensitive electric guitar featuring a great build up and intense final part in Tomorrow Birds Will Sing, a slow rhythm with Fender Rhodes piano and emotional, a bit theatrical vocals in the melancholic The Great Northern Hotel, between soaring and fiery rock in Garden Of Delights, spacey organ and swinging piano and clavinet in the compelling, Floydian-inspired To Pink From Blue and the highlight Happy End: first melancholic piano and vocals, then sensitive violin work and finally an excellent 'grand finale' featuring breathtakng interplay between violin, piano and electric guitar, goose bumps!

If you like 70-73 Pink Floyd, early Porcupine Tree and the melancholic progressive pop from bands like The Cure, Coldplay and Radiohead, check out this wonderful and compelling new French band The Black Noodle Project!

Report this review (#89153)
Posted Thursday, September 7, 2006 | Review Permalink
Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars 3.5 stars. I probably like this one about equally with their debut although there are more highs and lows with this one. Again we get some melancholic and atmospheric music from this French band but this time we get a guest female singer helping out.

The first two tracks are my favourites, I just wished this continued throughout. "Introspection" is dark and atmospheric then it kicks in before a minute. It settles again as contrasts continue. "Tomorrow Birds Will Sing" features gentle guitar with keys (great sound). Bass and reserved vocals follow. A beat before 2 1/2 minutes. It kicks in before 5 minutes. Nice. "Wave On A Soul" is an okay tune I guess. We get some violin and I like the guitar later. "Not Yet" is mid paced with laid back vocals. Female vocals too which i'm not a fan of.

"The Great Northern Hotel" is a song I don't like at all with those theatrical Roine Stolt-like vocals. "Room For Everyone" is interesting as we get this speech that is quite passionate. "Garden Of Delights" builds until it kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes.Then it calms right down when the vocals arrive. "To Pink From Blue" is spacey to start then drums, bass and guitar take over. Vocals after 3 minutes. It's pretty heavy before 7 1/2 minutes. "Square-Circle" opens with piano then acoustic guitar and bass join in. "1 (3Bute) 2" contrasts the mellow and fuller sections. "Happy End" is mostly reserved male vocals and piano with some female vocals. Not a fan.

A good album, but compared to other dark and atmospheric albums I have, this is found wanting.

Report this review (#282555)
Posted Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | Review Permalink
kev rowland
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Reviewer
3 stars Formed in 2001 by guitarist and singer Jérémie Grima, The Black Noodle Project are already back with their second album, following on from 2004's 'And Life Goes On'. I enjoyed that album, and was in contact with Jérémie at the time, and am pleased to note that the second album continues in the vein of the first but is also moving forward into new directions. That the band is very influenced by Pink Floyd is never in doubt, yet there is much more coming into the music as the band continue to develop. There are some female vocals taking the lead at times, some violin here and there, and the band have also moved into Muse territory and Porcupine Tree with some hard hitting guitar. This is a band that are still moving onwards but this album is a step change on from the last one, and I enjoyed that! Here there is much more power and depth, so that the listener gets more out of it each time that is played ? and it certainly does repay repeated listenings.

By going onto their website it is possible to play some of the songs, and is definitely worth trying out as the band move away from the pure Floydian emphasis (although that is here as well) into something that has more bite and edge. www.theblacknoodleproject.com or www.musearecords.com

Feedback #89, 2006

Report this review (#906878)
Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2013 | Review Permalink

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