LOVE.BLOOD.LIVE

True artists are difficult to find nowadays. I don't mean people that can simply make music, even well. I mean the real deal, those people that are saturated with eccentric-ism, and those people around the world that have an aura of creativity and imagination in everything they do. Hamlet Transportinae is one such individual, and he is rather proud of that fact. His 2013 album "Bleeding" was an excellent example of his eclectic, unique style, and that album even received an HD re-release through Melodic Revolution Records a few weeks ago.

So, on the heels of all that, Transport Aerian has released his first live album, "LOVE.BLOOD.LIVE". As you might have guessed, this isn't your normal live album. There are no cheers, applause, or any crowd noises at all. Plus, the entire show is put on by only two people: Hamlet and his friend Stefan. These two put on a fine show that includes plenty of real-time triggered programming, but also plenty of amazing instrumentation and splendid vocals. Like I said, "LOVE.BLOOD.LIVE" is not your normal live album.

But how does all this translate? Incredibly, the show goes on without a hitch, and it's often difficult to tell where the programming starts and ends. Another thing I've noted on each listen is how different the music sounds. Transport Aerian's sound is a rather unique mix of darkness, melancholy, wonderful guitars that range from riffing to soaring solos, synth that sounds unlike any I've heard, and Hamlet's accent-laden, rich voice. Yet, he messes with the structure and sound of many of the tracks, to great effect. The music sounds warmer, more inviting, and incredibly sophisticated. There is a poetic vibe to the whole "LOVE.BLOOD.LIVE" experience that sucks you in, and I think much of that may even come from the excellent sound and mix.

The track list is also a real treat. Some of my favorites off of "Bleeding" make an appearance, such as "Love", "Inspire", and "Winter", but also tracks that I'd never heard, such as "Minor Moody" and "Radio Void". The former three are tweaked and polished to perfection. Of greatest note is "Inspire", an excellent song that has been made into something even more spectacular through the use of a great mix, awesome programs, and a rethinking of some parts. It may be my favorite on this live album, especially because I appreciate the incredibly unique synth solo that is simultaneously catchy and hard to follow. The latter two tracks range from atmospheric to astonishingly bold and even heavy at parts. All the while, Hamlet excels in the vocal department, as his live voice seems to have even more personality and depth.

Transport Aerian's first live album, then, is a true success. "LOVE.BLOOD.LIVE" is interesting, never dull, and keeps even the fans on their toes. Whether it be the poetic readings of "Triangle Town" or the meatier version of "Winter", this album mixes up everything to a level of elegance, maturity, and refinement. If you are interested in unique, fresh progressive rock, I highly recommend this fine live album.

In between 2013's Bleeding, and what would eventually become Darkblue, Transport Aerian released Love.Blood.Live, a compilation of live recordings made during live shows on Bleeding. The idea was to give fans world wide, who would not be able to attend shows in Europe, a feel for what Hamlet and his accomplice at the time Stephan Boeykens were capable of live. In doing that, they also created an nice introduction into the repertoire and style of Transport Aerian at the time.

From the opening track Love it is clear that Transport Aerian is not about party music. The atmosphere is gloomy and dark. The music, minimalistic - a pulsing bass, with (percussive) noises around it gives it an industrial feel, perhaps even more postrock, with some interesting guitar work by Stephan Boeykens near the end. The spoken word vocals of Hamlet tell of someone looking desperately for love in a voice that seems to be on the edge of breaking...

Inspire shows a different face of Hamlet - loose piano notes are the basis of the song, which features a higher pitched, singing vocal, but still with a desperate ring to it. Drums and guitar loop kick in half way to make it more powerful, and near the end we get a haunting guitar and bass piece that is replaced by a horror movie like piano crescendo to finish the track.

With Fog Vision, another post rock like track appears - this time a bit faster played, and with an almost whispering vocal. A vocal that disappears completely for 2 minutes on the instrumental Float - a track by Stephan Boeykens, featuring a single guitar and a loop station, playing picked melodies.

This guitar seems to return briefly at the beginning of Nightsky, but switches to strumming when the vocals come in. In between verses, the guitar plays a simple 3 or 4 note repeating tune, which draw attention in a weird way. When singing on this one, Hamlet suddenly adds an aggressiveness to his vocal that wasn't there earlier. Involuntarily, in some places he manages to sound like a hoarse version of Klaus Meine - but only if one wants to hear that.

The aggression gives way to melancholy on the slightly sad, moody Winter, which also contains some nice, haunting postrock guitar work.

After this, its time for another instrumental by Stephan Boeykens, once again guitar and loop station, Minor Moody. A moment of peace in between the darkness of the other tracks.

And then, the two closing tracks Triangle Town and Radio Void bring us back to the opening - spoken word, dark music and a stronger beat than elsewhere on the album. Triangle Town also shows a little bit of jazz influences, when the bass and piano join the guitar and speed things up a bit halfway the track.

As I wrote in my review for Darkblue, this is not music to be played as background noise. No music ever should be, but in this case its impossible - you have to listen to be able to appreciate this, and that is what music should be about. Even though it's dark and gloomy, there are times when this is worth putting on and sitting down for - even if only once, to get a feel for what Transport Aerian is about.