What Are You Listening To Now? 6.0

[Blind_Justice]

The Art of Losing

The Anchoress

Here is a very interesting article on the making of this album: https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-anchoress-interview
Blind_Justice, I think you will get a kick out of the article. She explains a lot of the technical sides of making the album.

I'll have a look. Thank you.

*cough* Oooookay, that's several kidneys worth of synths she "just bought". For reference, someone I know just exchanged a vintage Oberheim OB6 with a new Moog-1 (worth 11,000€) and the guy giving up that brand-new Moog had to add a couple grand to make up the difference to the OB6. Old analogue synths are notoriously hard to keep running. A decent Yamaha CS80 (the " Blade Runner" synth) is in the 20,000$ range. A Prophet 6 is a steal in comparison. My next synth will be a Modal Electronics Cobalt8, for even more ultra-wide soundscapes...

Heh. But I get her sentiments about analogue gear. I have (at the moment) three analogue synths (a Korg Minilogue, and both a Microbrute and Drumbrute from Arturia) and they sound fatter and warmer than any of the digital synths or software emulations I run. Of course I tend to horribly ruin the sound by slathering it in reverbs and delays...

 

[MetaBob]

Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

I used lyrics from the first single, Skin Graph, as part of the emotional finale to the last (published) chapter of my (so-far) three-book Real Amazons, Real Magic. That was 21 months ago. Not sure why I'm going back to it now, except ... okay, comfort.

 

[AMYJB1972]

The Phoenix

Derek Sherinian

Derek is a great keyboard player.

 

[AMYJB1972]

Beat the Odds

Liquid Tension Experiment

New single off the forth coming third LTE album; it's been over twenty years since LTE 2 - Can't wait.

Now we are talking.

 

[AMYJB1972]

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

Academy of Ancient Music with Christopher Hogwood

And I thought I was all over the place in my musical tastes.

 

[Haulover]

The Anchoress is a Welsh singer who comes across like Tori Amos and Kate Bush but still uniquely herself.

She used to play guitar/keyboards and sing for Simple Minds when they were touring in the mid 2010s.

I really like her stuff. Art of Losing is her second album but she also does interesting remixes and acoustic versions of her stuff. I am a fan.

In a similar vein, one of my favorites is an American singer who made one okay album, and one excellent one. She channels Kate Bush, yet it's excellent.

Michelle Young : Marked For Madness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZQuTqhZQ4&list=OLAK5uy_lDIT6IDFrX393vwYDSFRmLsudQbplJB24

I need to spin it again, and I need to research this Anchoress...

 

[litfan10]

In a similar vein, one of my favorites is an American singer who made one okay album, and one excellent one. She channels Kate Bush, yet it's excellent.

Michelle Young : Marked For Madness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZQuTqhZQ4&list=OLAK5uy_lDIT6IDFrX393vwYDSFRmLsudQbplJB24

I need to spin it again, and I need to research this Anchoress...

Michelle Young is great, love her as well.

My current obsession is Anchoress. The album was supposed to hit Match of 2020 but was a victim of the pandemic. She didn't just sit on the album for a year, she played around with it. Other than a couple guitarists guesting on a couple of songs, one duet and a drummer for a couple songs she did everything herself including production.

She did the drum tracks on a couple songs herself but in a truly weird way- she never sat at a complete kit, she recorded each part separately, the toms, the high hat, the snare, the bass drum etcetera.

Also this is a deeply personal album. The recent years have been very hard on Davies: father died painfully of a brain tumor, she was diagnosed and treated for cervical cancer, and she had multiple miscarriages of wanted pregnancies. She was grieving but trying to stay positive - she started a podcast series 'The Art of Losing' where she interviews women grieving, some have bonded in the Sad Girls' Club.

She is working out a lot in the lyrics.

 

[Blind_Justice]

And I thought I was all over the place in my musical tastes.

I've watched your meandering through the musical wilderness and can say you're not the only one with wide-ranging tastes. Howdy and welcome.

 

[litfan10]

And I thought I was all over the place in my musical tastes.

Hiya Amy! You are a very welcome addition to the music thread - Love your selections which as B_J pointed out are very varied as well.

I can listen to most anything just don't give me death growls. No....just no.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Hiya Amy! You are a very welcome addition to the music thread - Love your selections which as B_J pointed out are very varied as well.

I can listen to most anything just don't give me death growls. No....just no.

No "Royal Destroyer" for you then?

 

[Blind_Justice]

Heather Nova - Pearl

All that talk about singer-songwriter ladies had me digging in my collection and I realized that my last Tori Amos record is "Strange Little Girls" from 2001. I thought it was "From The Choirgirl Hotel" but that was 1998. While zapping through the records Ms. Amos did since then, amazon recommended I check out Heather Nova as well. I have her first three albums, but after "Siren" she got too minimalist for my tastes.

Nice to hear that "Pearl" has a bit more fire under its butt. I love Heather's airy vocals, but they need a bit of contrast to fully pay off. In some songs the electric guitar whips up quite a storm. Contrast achieved.

 

[silvermoon_]

My kitty meowing.

 

[litfan10]

My kitty meowing.

She sings the blues well

 

[litfan10]

I'll have a look. Thank you.

*cough* Oooookay, that's several kidneys worth of synths she "just bought". For reference, someone I know just exchanged a vintage Oberheim OB6 with a new Moog-1 (worth 11,000€) and the guy giving up that brand-new Moog had to add a couple grand to make up the difference to the OB6. Old analogue synths are notoriously hard to keep running. A decent Yamaha CS80 (the " Blade Runner" synth) is in the 20,000$ range. A Prophet 6 is a steal in comparison. My next synth will be a Modal Electronics Cobalt8, for even more ultra-wide soundscapes...

Heh. But I get her sentiments about analogue gear. I have (at the moment) three analogue synths (a Korg Minilogue, and both a Microbrute and Drumbrute from Arturia) and they sound fatter and warmer than any of the digital synths or software emulations I run. Of course I tend to horribly ruin the sound by slathering it in reverbs and delays...

In 2017 she received a fourteen thousand British pound grant toward this album from the Art Council England.

She also received many prestigious accolades from her first album which I'm sure translated to financial support for her second album.

At least she spent wisely.

 

[litfan10]

Third Impression

3.2

Okay, I thought filling Greg Lake's shoes back when Emerson and Palmer first formed 3 back in the eighties was formidable but Berry did it well, but now with the two 3.2 albums Berry is now filling in the shoes of Emerson AND Palmer and doing it well.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Kaleida - Think
https://youtu.be/1CurN2Fg-2E

From the first John Wick movie soundtrack. The vocals are certainly an acquired taste, but the song as a whole is pretty damn cool. Minimalism is pretty hard to do and they pull it off very well. Their newer stuff is a bit more lavish, but still rather unique, thanks to these haunting vocals.

 

[litfan10]

Kaleida - Think
https://youtu.be/1CurN2Fg-2E

From the first John Wick movie soundtrack. The vocals are certainly an acquired taste, but the song as a whole is pretty damn cool. Minimalism is pretty hard to do and they pull it off very well. Their newer stuff is a bit more lavish, but still rather unique, thanks to these haunting vocals.

Gulp......

 

[Blind_Justice]

Gulp......

No death grunts

 

[Haulover]

Michelle Young is great, love her as well.

My current obsession is Anchoress. The album was supposed to hit Match of 2020 but was a victim of the pandemic. She didn't just sit on the album for a year, she played around with it. Other than a couple guitarists guesting on a couple of songs, one duet and a drummer for a couple songs she did everything herself including production.

She did the drum tracks on a couple songs herself but in a truly weird way- she never sat at a complete kit, she recorded each part separately, the toms, the high hat, the snare, the bass drum etcetera.

Also this is a deeply personal album. The recent years have been very hard on Davies: father died painfully of a brain tumor, she was diagnosed and treated for cervical cancer, and she had multiple miscarriages of wanted pregnancies. She was grieving but trying to stay positive - she started a podcast series 'The Art of Losing' where she interviews women grieving, some have bonded in the Sad Girls' Club.

She is working out a lot in the lyrics.

Wow - thanks for the background.

I have my research work cut out for me

 

[Haulover]

I've watched your meandering through the musical wilderness and can say you're not the only one with wide-ranging tastes. Howdy and welcome.

Welcome aboard, Amy - you are now free to unfasten your seat belt and float about the cabin.

Just don't give Litfan any cookie monster vocal. Give 'em to me instead - I can handle them

And be sure to hide your wallet when reading Litfan or Blind Justices posts. These guys will bankrupt you with their great recommendations LOL

 

[Haulover]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no. 1


Handel : Passacaglia Dream (Piano Solo)
Listening to multiple arrangements of the same piece, on YouTube.


DJ Okawari : Flower Dance


Beethoven : Piano concerto No.3

 

[Haulover]

Floor Jansen - Qué Se Siente

Nice - and I enjoy her work with Nightwish!

 

[Haulover]

Matthew Parmenter : Astray

Nothing like his earlier works with Discipline.

Discipline's Unfolded Like Staircase is a favorite album of mine. This is very good, but not quite in the same league.

 

[Haulover]

Magoria : Jack The Ripper 1888

A concept piece. Not too bad, a bit overwrought in places, and the weak voice-overs are thankfully rare.

Quite a good listen, that I'd place loosely in the progressive metal or hard-edged prog genres.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Magoria : Jack The Ripper 1888

A concept piece. Not too bad, a bit overwrought in places, and the weak voice-overs are thankfully rare.

Quite a good listen, that I'd place loosely in the progressive metal or hard-edged prog genres.

It's pretty obvious someone behind the scenes liked the Ayreon classics and they did end up with a nice "inspired by..." album.

As for Floor Jansen - I like her everywhere BUT Nightwish. Totally wasted on that band. I'm pretty sure she's physically incapable of singing poorly, but she's given so little to work with. It doesn't help that Holopainen has become a horribly pretentious windbag. In between all the orchestration and grand concepts, mundane things like arresting vocal lines and especially interesting guitar parts have all but vanished from Nightwish's sound. "Dark Passion Play" was the last album I really liked, everything after is well-made, sure, but a slog to listen through. Bah.