Now What Are You Listening To? Febus Mark III

Drew wrote: If you don't own this album, I pity you.

Epignosis wrote: J-Man wrote: Epignosis wrote: Ricochet wrote: Epignosis wrote: J-Man wrote: Epignosis wrote: J-Man wrote: Epignosis wrote: That album really frustrates me. I think it has some REALLY cool moments in it, but it seems just like they cut and pasted them together. It's really a shame because it had a lot of potential... -Jeff It is indeed piecemeal cliche.  I listened to it this morning with ear to see if I should drop my rating to two stars...but I'm still unsure.  Normally I am an arrangement guy- I like solid arrangements over technical expertise, but much of the music on here is executed so well that sometimes I can overlook the bad arrangements. My biggest problem is that nothing has a concise feeling of a "song" so to speak. It sometimes seems like random sections thrown into a melting pot. Some of the sections are so awesome, but they just don't really work together IMO. I think their keyboard player is incredibly talented though. -Jeff There's a lot of that going around.  You gentlemen seem content with today's classic-influenced, or -reconstructing (to avoid the vague and ugly-to-use in this case "retro") prog. Because I'm not. A lot of flawed, inexpressive or upside-down visions and interpretations these days, a category which definitely doesn't include Wobbler. It's also uneasy to hear that faithfully (re)created but also considerably eclectic materials, such as this one, are suddenly "too progressive". Some the criticisms I have made of Wobbler (this album really, I gave Hinterland four stars) I make of some of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer as well. I don't have Hinterland yet, but I do ultimately plan on getting it if I get some extra cash. I generally don't like ELP much (though Brain Salad Surgery and Tarkus are very good) just for the record. I have a problem with the whole "trying to be prog" and sacrificing complexity for melody. I think Wobbler has a much worse case of that than ELP does though. By the way, if I didn't like Afterglow much at all would you say their debut is worth purchasing in my situation? -Jeff Hinterland is very similar to Afterglow, but a hell of a lot better.  Still hard to digest, but some great melodies involved.  See my review of it. Although you got it backwards I think....it should be, "sacrificing melody for complexity."   But yes...that's what I think- that's a good a simple way to put it.  Deluge Grander's 2009 album is the worst I've ever heard in this regard though (for symphonic).

Whoops... typo Anyway, that's what I meant; sacrificing melody for complexity. Everyone keeps telling me that Hinterland is better, so one of these days I'll probably pick it up. Thanks Robert for the advice

-Jeff

The Quiet One wrote: The Truth wrote: So Close to the Sky Itself-  Velislav Ivanov    What do you think of it?

Just the 2nd track by Nexus before settling down to watch a film with Mrs Kovacs!

The Truth wrote: So Close to the Sky Itself-  Velislav Ivanov

Epignosis wrote: Ricochet wrote: Epignosis wrote: J-Man wrote: Epignosis wrote: J-Man wrote: Epignosis wrote: That album really frustrates me. I think it has some REALLY cool moments in it, but it seems just like they cut and pasted them together. It's really a shame because it had a lot of potential... -Jeff It is indeed piecemeal cliche.  I listened to it this morning with ear to see if I should drop my rating to two stars...but I'm still unsure.  Normally I am an arrangement guy- I like solid arrangements over technical expertise, but much of the music on here is executed so well that sometimes I can overlook the bad arrangements. My biggest problem is that nothing has a concise feeling of a "song" so to speak. It sometimes seems like random sections thrown into a melting pot. Some of the sections are so awesome, but they just don't really work together IMO. I think their keyboard player is incredibly talented though. -Jeff There's a lot of that going around.  You gentlemen seem content with today's classic-influenced, or -reconstructing (to avoid the vague and ugly-to-use in this case "retro") prog. Because I'm not. A lot of flawed, inexpressive or upside-down visions and interpretations these days, a category which definitely doesn't include Wobbler. It's also uneasy to hear that faithfully (re)created but also considerably eclectic materials, such as this one, are suddenly "too progressive". Some the criticisms I have made of Wobbler (this album really, I gave Hinterland four stars) I make of some of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer as well.

I don't have Hinterland yet, but I do ultimately plan on getting it if I get some extra cash. I generally don't like ELP much (though Brain Salad Surgery and Tarkus are very good) just for the record. I have a problem with the whole "trying to be prog" and sacrificing melody for complexity. I think Wobbler has a much worse case of that than ELP does though.

By the way, if I didn't like Afterglow much at all would you say their debut is worth purchasing in my situation?

-Jeff


Edited by J-Man - December 05 2009 at 15:38