In the four new pieces Haines takes further dive in to classical music. Most of the music is recorded in a the Grunewald church in Berlin, together with Nils Frahm. Together they assembled the different musicians who would play the score that Haines had written.
If we compare the new pieces with the previous work, and especially Slumber Tides, we notice that Greg Haines developed a huge amount. Where his previous work already showed a promising musician, experimenting with electro-acoustic sounds, here he develops into a true composer. One with a keen eye on musical development.
The album opens with Industry vs. Inferiority, a piece for piano. A very minimal quiet piece. It is a sad piece which reminds a bit of the music by Goldmund.
With Marc's Descent, though, the album really seems to start. Long violins set the start of the piece. For the first time one of the young composers coming from the electronic scene make a piece that could really compare with the music by Arvo P
just got through burning that one from cassette to cd last weekend.
speaking of beer, a brewing company is releasing pints commemorating each of Zappa's albums;
i think freak out, absolutely free, lumpy gravy and ruben and the jets are out so far.
i have the last 2, the beer is a pretty tasty IPA
a related discussion and details here: Zappa Beer
@elwoodicious - Just saw your tweet. Had no clue that album was actually on eMu now. I've been looking for a while, guess it's time to re-up for a month...
Back in the days when I was a teenager,
Before I had status and before I had a pager,
You could find the Abstract listening to Hip Hop,
My pops used to say it reminded him of Bee Bop.
Richard Skelton is an artist from Lancashire in the UK. He started his Sustain-Release Private Press in 2005 as a commemorative tribute to his late wife Louise, with the intention of publishing her artwork alongside his own musical offerings. Since its inception he has released a slew of raw, beautiful recordings presented in lovingly-assembled, individualised editions.
Operating under a variety of guises, including Heidika, Carousell, Harlassen and Clouwbeck, Skelton creates powerful, instrumental music out of densely-layered acoustic guitar, bowed strings, piano, mandolin and accordion, often laced with delicate, shimmering percussion. The result is something utterly unique a music which is both life-affirming and yet etched with memory and loss, evoking equal parts Arvo Pärt and Ry Cooder, Nick Drake and Henryk Górecki.
It is with A Broken Consort, perhaps, that Skelton most-assuredly draws these elements together, creating an ever-changing drift of rich textures and interleaved melody that effortlessly evokes the landscapes which inspired it. Box Of Birch, his second album in this guise, was originally published in a boxed edition that contained, among other things, birch twigs collected from the West Pennine Moors. For Skelton these things act as a synecdoche for the landscape itself, a physical connection to the places in which much of his music is recorded. In this new edition for Tompkins Square, Skelton has created an exclusive series of artworks which draw on the hidden histories of the English landscape, and their narratives of displacement and loss. The result is something which perfectly complements the music whilst adding another dimension, providing a fuller picture of the artists vision. - Tompkins Square (1 free track from the album)
This is my third Dacapo dl (second opera/cantata) in the last month.
This is an unusual work because of its libretto (Rilke), its influence (Schoenberg, Strauss, Mahler, Delius), and the identity of the composer: Klenau largely gave up on Danish music, living and composing in Germany and Austria under the tutelage of serialists, combining the arrogances of German nationalism and modernism.
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks - Alex Bleeker and the Freaks - the samples for this really grabbed me - and I've been loving it ever since; sounds like Crazy Horse's grandkids - which for me is a good thing. Sometimes the 17dotsters are right on.
That Broken Consort album is pretty amazing stuff.
This morning I've been on a Gui Boratto kick. I still don't understand how Take My Breath Away seemed to be completely ignored last year. It's an amazing album. I could probably leave "No Turning Back" on repeat for the next week.
Jury is still out. Overall it feels disjointed, sloppy, and poorly conceived but then again I'm not sure what my expectations really were going into listening to it. I like the two Reich pieces, and that might be because his work lends itself to production noodling and sampling by its rhythmic nature, though he could have left off the horn section to Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ as it detracts profoundly from the source material. However, the other pieces come off as confused sketches.
the classic album Humble Pie could have produced if Steve Marriot hadn't fallen off the boogie edge and Peter Frampton hadn't floated away on a cloud of pop fluff.
absolutely excellent realization of an early 70s sound
This appeared early Friday morning. It's seems like he's trying to change his approach to music without changing his sound. He uses the same timbres and textures on the guitars, but they tend to be more supportive than melodic, giving more flow to the chord changes and singing. Some songs sound like he's trying to channel Andy Partridge. Others seem like a mash up of shoegazer and soft rock. I like it enough, though others may find it disappointing.
not on emusic or amie, and at 9.99 for 10 tracks, not cheap, this,in my opinion, is some of the best psychedelic blues rock around these days.
imagine if Jimi had given Billy Gibbons more than just his pink strat back in the late 60s and The Moving Sidwalks had released a second album-this is somewhere in that general vicintity.
Hearing the expertly constructed and deeply sensitive post-classical pieces featured on Slumber Tides it is difficult to comprehend that the musician is only a mere 18 years of age. Harking from the boredom filled lands of Greater Surrey in England, Haines quickly tired of school life and found himself immersed in music, and in a move indicative of the current trend of our disillusioned youth, became obsessed with the intrigue of experimental sound. Travelling through Europe whenever he could and sleeping on the floors of musicians he would contact by email he quickly built up a network of friends, most importantly in Oslo, Norway where he spent time with Deaf Centers Erik Skodvin (who also runs the Miasmah imprint) and his collaborator Kristin Evensen Giaver who contributes her haunting vocals on a number of Haines tracks. In Sweden Haines met up with Lampses Dag Rosenqvist (Jasper TX) who kindly provided his pump organ skills and was another important musical influence in Haines journey, helping him to return home with a sense of Europe and a sense of unity far more mature than his years would suggest. This nomadic existence is represented beautifully on the album, which opens majestically with Snow Airport a slowly building work of looped cello sounds played by Haines himself. The structure is similar in sound to the phasing experiments of Steve Reich or the electronic/acoustic works of Ryan Teague but Haines has injected enough of his own personality and experience to give the compositions a distinct sense of gravitas and a refreshing narrative. The second piece Submergence builds over nine minutes with Kristin Evensen Giavers shimmering vocals drifting over waves of cello and subtle electronic structures until it reaches an almost cacophonous peak and dips into breathless squeaks and groans. By the time we reach the albums centrepiece and highlight Arups Gate we have already been on a rich emotional journey, but Haines doesnt let off yet, instead he takes us even further into epic territory with xylophone and glockenspiel tones serving as the backbone of the track as those signature cello sounds swoop overhead. This track feels as if it could be married with any number of films or stories yet Haines shows an incredible sense of restraint never letting the music get too melodramatic or overdone. For a debut album Slumber Tides is a simply remarkable accomplishment, and a clear indication that we will be hearing a great deal more from Greg Haines. - Miasmah
Comments
The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton by Clogs
This really is like a collection of modern madrigals. Truly beautiful work.
Beowolf Kingsley-arphus smarphus horkus porkus
low slung choogles and hums for howling at moons and crawling through day glo shadows
free at amie
Greg Haines - Until The Point Of Hushed Support
- WOW !
I just have to have the one on Miasmah too . . .
greghaines.co.uk
Nigeria 70 Vol. 1
(As if I even need to provide a link to this album to folks on this board!)
Absolutely perfect soundtrack to a Friday before Memorial Day weekend when half the office is already at the cabin.
Craig
On deck I'm spinning this thanks to the booster crack sale...
Leslie Kong's Connection
Getting me in the mood for the weekend.
The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend by Baby Huey
The sound is larger than life. How I have lived my life without this album is beyond me.
just got through burning that one from cassette to cd last weekend.
speaking of beer, a brewing company is releasing pints commemorating each of Zappa's albums;
i think freak out, absolutely free, lumpy gravy and ruben and the jets are out so far.
i have the last 2, the beer is a pretty tasty IPA
a related discussion and details here:
Zappa Beer
Just got finished with:
The Black Keys - Brothers
So awesome. Gritty, grimey, and soulful. I could listen to "Tighten Up" 24/7.
Now I'm onto:
Marco Benevento - Between The Needles & Nightfall
I have no idea what made me buy this album or how to describe the music other that fantastic.
I'm now listening to the Summer Burn CD I got last year. Currently playing is Sigue Sigue Sputnik with "Atari Baby ('97 Remix)".
Craig
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Back in the days when I was a teenager,
Before I had status and before I had a pager,
You could find the Abstract listening to Hip Hop,
My pops used to say it reminded him of Bee Bop.
Craig
Come on over and shoot the shit
I just found out that this album is available at Guvera
You Can't Do Disco Without a Strat
It's from The Bullet Catcher's Apprentice. Thanks in advance.
- I could'nt find these lyrics.
Right now, from Tompkins Square:
A Broken Consort - Box Of Birch
Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Kornetts Christoph Rilke (Lay of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke) by Paul von Klenau
This is my third Dacapo dl (second opera/cantata) in the last month.
This is an unusual work because of its libretto (Rilke), its influence (Schoenberg, Strauss, Mahler, Delius), and the identity of the composer: Klenau largely gave up on Danish music, living and composing in Germany and Austria under the tutelage of serialists, combining the arrogances of German nationalism and modernism.
That Broken Consort album is pretty amazing stuff.
This morning I've been on a Gui Boratto kick. I still don't understand how Take My Breath Away seemed to be completely ignored last year. It's an amazing album. I could probably leave "No Turning Back" on repeat for the next week.
I had read that it was recorded after this jazz supergroup got together to do a record with Chaka Khan. Just looked and found that that album is available on eMu: http://www.emusic.com/album/Chaka-Khan-Echoes-Of-An-Era-MP3-Download/11749289.html I will be checking it out soon...
More info at the Return to Forever website: http://www.return2forever.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/427359/pid/400132
Deutsche Grammophon Recomposed By Jimi Tenor
Jury is still out. Overall it feels disjointed, sloppy, and poorly conceived but then again I'm not sure what my expectations really were going into listening to it. I like the two Reich pieces, and that might be because his work lends itself to production noodling and sampling by its rhythmic nature, though he could have left off the horn section to Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ as it detracts profoundly from the source material. However, the other pieces come off as confused sketches.
Howlin Rain-Magnificent Fiend
the classic album Humble Pie could have produced if Steve Marriot hadn't fallen off the boogie edge and Peter Frampton hadn't floated away on a cloud of pop fluff.
absolutely excellent realization of an early 70s sound
Adam Franklin's I could sleep for a Thousand Years
This appeared early Friday morning. It's seems like he's trying to change his approach to music without changing his sound. He uses the same timbres and textures on the guitars, but they tend to be more supportive than melodic, giving more flow to the chord changes and singing. Some songs sound like he's trying to channel Andy Partridge. Others seem like a mash up of shoegazer and soft rock. I like it enough, though others may find it disappointing.
Coming up next:
Before Today by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitiby Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
First time ever hearing the band, pleasantly odd.
Dengue Fever presents Electric Cambodia
This is an absolute gem of a collection. I love the Santana vibe of Jombang Jet and Ros Serey Sothea's voice blows me away (she was a victim of the Khmer Rouge).
Mojo Perry-Echoing endlessly Inside My Head
not on emusic or amie, and at 9.99 for 10 tracks, not cheap, this,in my opinion, is some of the best psychedelic blues rock around these days.
imagine if Jimi had given Billy Gibbons more than just his pink strat back in the late 60s and The Moving Sidwalks had released a second album-this is somewhere in that general vicintity.
The Nels Cline Singers - Initiate (disc 1)
- Oh..... My..... Goooood !
Bluebrain - Soft Power
One of my favorite albums of the year thus far.
Craig
God, I love all the album artwork y'all posted in this thread. Just saying thanks. Wonderful, wonderful!
Greg Haines - Slumber Tides - Magic !
greghaines.co.uk