Panic Room - Incarnate (CD)

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Wow!  Is this good?  No, it's truly breathtaking!  Tracking down a copy of "Incarnate" wasn't easy but it was certainly worth the effort.  Packed with catchy tunes, this album surely has to raise the band's profile.  There are even potential hit singles here - "Into Temptation" in particular is radio-friendly and would be enormously popular if it got some exposure.  What a shame that the BBC ignores our finest bands while plugging dull formulaic pap.

 

"Incarnate" is a ten track album presented in a cardboard gatefold sleeve with a lyric booklet.  As usual, the artwork is pretty stunning.  It's the band's first album with new guitarist Adam O'Sullivan who adds a more conventional rocky feel to some of the tracks here.  For example, opener "Velocity" opens with a riff that soon develops into a tight, catchy song similar in feel to "Screens" from previous album "Skin".  The magical trilogy of "Waterfall", "Into Temptation" and "All That We Are" forms the heart of the album although in truth there isn't a weak song here.  In Anne-Marie Helder, the band have a formidable leader and singer.

You can buy the CD from your local record dealer, the band's website or if all else fails that well-known online book retailer...  MP3 downloads are also available, but you really need the higher quality CD to appreciate the band's consummate musicianship fully.  Buy it now!

 

Panic Room are on tour until the end of June.  Don't miss out.  The shows are fantastic, and the entry prices are more than reasonable. I hope to do Gloucester and London.  See you there?

Clannad - Nádúr (revisited)

Further to my recent review of Nádúr, I was lucky enough to catch one of Clannad's English shows last week.  The show was stunning, with the band augmented by two guest musicians, and encores featuring co-headliner Mary Black and her band.  Many favourites were played, but I did miss "Newgrange", possibly my favourite Clannad song.  Browsing YouTube for video footage of the gig didn't turn up anything, although I found a couple of promo videos I hadn't seen before:

 

The band are promising a return visit, so I recommend that you catch them if you get the chance.

Introducing...Black Submarine

Black Submarine is a new band risen from the ashes of The Verve.  Their first album is called "New Shores" and it's out now.  Nick McCabe (guitar, violin) and Si Jones (bass) from The Verve have teamed up with long-term Coldplay collaborator Davide Rossi, Portishead drummer Mig Schillace, and Amelia Tucker on vocals.  I like them a lot.

You can listen to the band's work at https://soundcloud.com/blacksubmarine-2/black-submarine and at their website http://blacksubmarine.co.uk/ .  I'd been tempted to buy the CD, but I see that current version has three tracks fewer than the initial "limited" version.  I'm afraid that's a deal breaker for me, so my money will be going elsewhere.

Clannad - Nádúr

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It's great to see Clannad back together after a 15-year gap.  During that time, singer Moya Brennan has released some terrific solo albums.

This new album, Nádúr, is really good without being their best work.  It features the single "Brave Enough" and the band are on tour with Mary Black.  I have tickets for one of the shows, so bought this album in great anticipation.

The tracks penned here by Moya are among the best.  All the tracks are unmistakably Clannad, with all five members of the hit line-up present.

The packaging of the CD is dismal, just a three panel digipak with no booklet.  There are some ridiculous sleevenotes which are worth reading for their unintentional hilarity.

Here are concert and official videos for "Brave Enough", which features someone called Duke Special on vocals.  I don't know who he is, but to me he is more Duke Ordinary than Special!  A daft attention-seeking haircut seems to be his main claim to fame, judging by the concert video.  Perhaps he's big in Ireland?

This one's an essential purchase if you're a committed fan, but otherwise there are better Clannad albums around including a tasty bargain 3-CD set featuring "Magical Ring", "Macalla" and "Sirius".  

The band's website is at http://www.clannad.ie/

Panic Room - Incarnate (preview)

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Panic Room's new album "Incarnate" was released this week.  The official sampler video is above, but it's only based on the album artwork.  There is a slightly different feel to this new material, no doubt due to the presence of new guitarist Adam O'Sullivan.  I haven't been able to find a copy of the CD in the shops, even in a major city like Oxford.  I shall have to order a copy, which is a drag in itself.  The album's been available a little longer through the band's website and at an expensive launch party.  

Despite their talent, I really can't see Panic Room achieving much unless they up their game.  They must spend a fortune on recording and production, whereas they should spend some of that budget on a proper song video.  As it is, there is no official video product to buy which features the visually captivating vocalist Anne-Marie Helder and the outstanding band.

I'll report more if I can lay my hands on a copy of the CD...in the meantime check out the tour details and latest news on the band's website http://www.panicroom.org.uk/home.html

Halo Blind - Occupying Forces (preview)

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Halo Blind (previously known as Parade) feature singer-songwriter and renowned Bob Dylan fan Chris Johnson.  Their previous album, The Fabric, was a big favourite here at Trisectorman Towers.  That album featured Anne-Marie and Gavin from Panic Room.  You can read my review here.  Gavin's here again but Anne-Marie isn't, which is a shame if not a big surprise as she has so many other commitments including playing in Mostly Humdrum Autumn.

The new Halo Blind album is "Occupying Forces" and you can sample two full-length songs at 
http://haloblind.com/occupying-forces .  Thankfully the album is available as a proper CD in a jewel case rather than one of those cheapo digipaks.  You can also buy it as a download, of course.  As a member of the mailing list, I can get my hands on an early release copy of the CD and it seems a bit daft not to.  So expect a review soon!  

Trouble At Church

I've long had a soft spot for Australian psychedelic band The Church.  Despite this, it's been obvious for some time that something wasn't quite right.  A series of unexciting releases, side projects, supplementary releases and reissues couldn't hide the fact that a killer album was overdue.  Now news has filtered through that one of the band's two outstanding guitarists, Marty Willson-Piper, is no longer a member.  More shockingly, lead singer Steve Kilbey is now referring to The Church as "his band"!  Marty's replacement is Ian Haug from Powderfinger.  I'm keeping an open mind on this one although it seems like a new band to me...Back to happier times, I've never shared the video for the band's big 80s US hit "Under The Milky Way" (Marty plays the first guitar parts on this one), anyway so here it is:

More interesting news is the Steve Kilbey is touring with Robyn Hitchcock, sometime Soft Boy and sometime genius.  Keep up with The Church at https://www.facebook.com/thechurchband

Simple Minds - Broken Glass Park

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Simple Minds aren't the band they used to be, but do still have flashes of brilliance.  "Broken Glass Park" is one such, and it is weird to see much-missed ex-members Brian McGee, Derek Forbes and Mick MacNeil featured as flashbacks in first of the videos above.  This nostalgic song is set around Glasgow's Toryglen estate, and the feel is very much of Arista/Zoom-era Minds.  This track is featured on a compilation CD set "Celebrate - The Greatest Hits +" (2 or 3 discs depending on the version you purchase).  It's also available as one of those squashed mp3 downloads.  I love this song and saw the Minds open with it at their recent Camden Koko gig.

Simple Minds - Mandela Day

Once in a while, a song that really means something comes along.  R.I.P. Nelson Mandela.

Iced Earth - free download

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American metal band Iced Earth have a free mp3 download of the title track of their forthcoming album "Plagues Of Babylon" available now.  The link is http://www.centurymedia.com/specials/plaguesofbabylon/ .  There is also a very gory lyric video of the song available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLBNRyGvG8.  I'm not going to share the video here.

Strangely big in Greece, the band are now on their fifth vocalist!  The new man is Stu Block and he joins an ever-changing line-up.  As the Babylon video is so gory, let's have a look at their most recent album release "Dystopia" and the two promos available from it which feature Stu in action:

My favourite Iced Earth vocalist was Tim "Ripper" Owens.  Stu is not quite in the same league, although his style does suit the band's music pretty well.  Iced Earth are touring Europe a lot at the moment, check out the band's website if you fancy some earache!  It is at http://www.icedearth.com/ .  More Iced Earth here.

Introducing...Luna Rossa

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Here is the promo video for "The Dark Room", a track from the debut album by Luna Rossa.  Quite why Anne-Marie Helder and Jonathan Edwards have launched a spin-off from their band Panic Room is a bit of a mystery to me.  However, the results are brilliant.  I recommend the album (CD or download) "Sleeping Pills And Lullabies" not only to fans of the parent band, but anyone who likes melodic acoustic pop.  There is also a sampler video for the whole album:

Check out more about Luna Rossa at their website http://www.lunarossa.co/.  Meanwhile, Panic Room have acquired a new guitarist Adam O'Sullivan who will feature on the band's 4th album and forthcoming live dates.  Panic Room Official (!) is at http://www.panicroom.org.uk/home.html

Atlantean Kodex - "Sol Invictus"

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Here is the promo video for "Sol Invictus" from the new Atlantean Kodex album "The White Goddess".  It's a bit heavy on the tacky Grampus imagery, but the self-styled "Regressive Epic Metal" band are on fine form musically.  I haven't managed to find a copy of the CD in the shops yet, so this and the other promo below will have to suffice for now.  

Europe - Last Look/Bag Of Bones (2CD)

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Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Europe.  There isn't a finer rock band treading the boards, and the current line-up is the original five members reunited.  The band are harder than in their "Final Coundown" hair metal era, and all the better for it.

A new release I found when browsing at my local stockist is this 2 CD box set of their two most recent albums, Last Look At Eden and Bag Of Bones.  Both albums have been reviewed favourably here in the past.  The price is low, a welcome sight in these hard times.  You don't get the two bonus tracks which appeared on initial copies of the Last Look At Eden album, but they were live recordings, good but hardly essential.

I'm not sure whether this box is a limited edition or not.  At the price, it would be foolish to miss out on it.  More Europe here soon!

Sankara - Guided By Degrees

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Courtesy of the band, I have received a review copy of this excellent debut album from Welsh rockers Sankara.  Formed from the ashes of the initial excellent The Reasoning lineup, here is a band that is destined for great things.  

As with their previous release, the Enigma CD EP, this album transcends a slightly pedestrian production and mix. This is a band that should be concentrating on the American market, as the potential there is enormous for the AOR they so skillfully produce.  I hope they are sending copies of the album to the US majors, and leading rock stations stateside.  They should appeal to the Fleetwood Mac, Boston and Heart market.

In Gareth Jones, the band have a singer of rare distinction.  His voice is strong and characterful.  That said, probably the best song on this 10-track album is actually a duet with Maria Owen Midlane of Noterminus.  The song is "The Doll's House."  Here, Gareth's keyboard work is really special and the way the two voices blend is inspiring.


Other songs here feature far more of Jay MacDonald's guitar.  With a modern cutting tone, it is the foundation of tracks such as "The Harm Priniciple" and "Chasing The Sun."  There are apocalyptic visions and a certain fatalistic quality to tracks such as "In God We Trust" and "Stolen Moments."

You can listen to a stream of this very fine album at the band's website http://sankara.co.uk/, so you can hear the quality of the performances for yourself.  The stream quality is pretty good, but you really need the CD to appreciate the performances and the quality of the songwriting to the full.  The CD is presented in a proper jewel case with fine artwork. It's available from Amazon worldwide at a very reasonable price. You can also download it via Amazon and iTunes.

The band has just completed a short tour with Noterminus.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch them this time around as things in Trisectormanland have been rather difficult.  However, I have promised myself I'll catch them next time around. I recommend that you do the same.  In the meantime, treat yourself to a copy of this outstanding release.

Atlantean Kodex - "The White Goddess" (preview)

With the sad demise of The Devil's Blood, I suppose Atlantean Kodex is now my favourite metal band. I love the heavy riffs, the long melodic songs and the pagan imagery.  The band has announced a new album "The White Goddess - A Grammar Of Poetic Myth."  This is kind of strange as their first album "The Golden Bough" has a track called "The White Goddess" on it. Anyway the new album is to be released in October. 

What's really weird is that the band is picking titles from books I've owned since my teenage years as their album titles!  Find out more about Atlantean Kodex at their new blog: http://thetrueatlanteankodex.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Earlier releases by the band are reviewed here and here.

Beady Eye - BE (2CD Deluxe Edition)

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Well, this is a real surprise! I never thought Beady Eye would amount to much, let alone produce a five-star album like this. Beaten by Black Sabbath's "13" to the top of the British charts, this is without doubt the better of the two albums.

This is basically Oasis without Noel. This time Liam and the boys have had pulled out all the stops, with some real quality  songwriting, a tastefully psychedelic production  and blissed-out artwork! Like many I had a love/hate relationship with Oasis. If I was in the mood, there was no more satisfying British group, but at other times Liam's whining voice and attitude were real downers.  Here, on the cleverly titled "BE", his voice is more interesting, with more effort to his singing and less of his nasal whinge. All told, he sounds much more natural. It's the music that really steals the show, however. Building on the combined heritage of Oasis, indie, Britpop and Oxford's finest Ride, this is a really tight band. There's little of the sloppy swagger that blighted the first Beady Eye album "Different Gear, Still Speeding."

"BE" kicks off with the astonishing "Flick Of The Finger", surely the best opener of the year.  It's short but immensely powerful, ending in a tirade by Kayvan Novak, reading a Tariq Ali piece. In under four minutes, I'm a little sad to say that this kicks into touch anything Noel Gallagher has produced in years. The You Tube item below doesn't really do the song justice. You need to hear it on uncompressed CD or vinyl to do it justice!

 

 

"Soul Love" (not the Bowie song) follows on in a similar groove, hypnotic and essential.  I've read some bad press about "Face The Crowd", but I really like this poppy number.  Should be great live. "Second Bite Of The Apple" may be a Beatles reference, and it shimmers in a Lennon-like way. Of course, the Gallagher Fab Four obsession is well known. "Soon Come Tomorrow", "I'm Just Saying" and "Don't Brother Me" are all finely crafted pop. The latter is no doubt about Noel, but it's not a bitter song, it's more reflective and retro in feel. "Shine A Light" is a song I didn't care for initially, but in truth it is a catchy number that's a real grower.

The album is available as a 2CD Deluxe bound edition. This has extra songs which are all worth hearing, with the possible exception of the backwards song, which isn't in the Stone Roses ("Don't Stop") league. This album is a real keeper, and promises even greater things to come. I love it.

 

Black Sabbath - "13" (2 CDs - 12-track edition)

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I was surprised by how much I liked this much-hyped new album by Ozzy, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.  

I've never been a huge fan of Ozzy's voice, much preferring other Sabbath vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan and Tony Martin. However, on this album Ozzy really shines and hearing him sing above Tony's killer riffs is indeed a nostalgic treat.

The album starts off with the unpromising dirge "End Of The Beginning" with Ozzy crooning some of Geezer's most banal lyrics. Tony's riffing diverts attention from this, and he is ably supported by Geezer's fluid bass and guest drummer Brad Wilks. The lyrics are total dross though - what the hell is a 'cybersonic soul'?

The really good stuff starts with the powerful second track "God Is Dead" which has been used as a trailer to publicise the album.

Riff-heavy "Loner" follows and Ozzy cackles just before the acoustic intro to unusual ballad "Zeitgeist" kicks in.

"Age Of Reason" is another great title for a Sabbath track, or even a Killing Joke one! Ozzy sounds world-weary and Brad's intro and contribution here are solid in a way Bill Ward may not have been able to match. "Live Forever" follows, and no, it's not the Oasis song! Tony lets rip on this one. A highlight, for sure. On "Damaged Soul", Tony goes further and sounds a lot like Jimi Hendrix in places. An unexpected treat! "Dear Father" closes the main album with the sound of a thunderstorm.

So, we have eight tracks which have captured the public's imagination so well that it's entered the album charts at Number One. The eight song version is available as CD, double vinyl LP and download formats. There is a deluxe edition with with three more tracks "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" (not the Boston song) and "Pariah."  These are all worth paying the extra for either as a double CD or an expanded download.  However, the real news is that there is a twelfth track available only in certain territories and outlets. "Naievete In Black" is a fast rocker in the "Time Machine" style.  It's available in the USA from Best Buy stores on a special 2CD set featuring an 8-song CD and a 4-song CD. Lately, it has been announced as available in Germany and Japan too.  Perversely, the German version tacks the extra track onto the main album rather than the second CD. So you get a 9-track main CD and a bonus 3-tracker.

You can probably find the extra track as a legal download, but I know a lot of fans have been hacked off by this tacky piece of marketing, which almost encourages illegal downloading. The extra track isn't even included in  special edition box set pictured above, which costs the princely sum of £69.99/US$74.98! It's pretty shabby to think that this track is not available in the band's home country.  No doubt it will appear at some stage, perhaps on a "Tour Edition" CD release? One last point - all twelve tracks would fit on one CD!

Tangerine Dream - The Virgin Years 1974-78 (3 CDs)

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There is some great material here, but the package as a whole is unsatisfying, so I am giving it four stars out of five. It's another cheapo multi-CD set from EMI.  The box contains my favourite Tangs albums: "Phaedra", "Rubycon" and "Ricochet". You also get the less essential albums "Stratosfear" and the vocal "Cyclone". There are also inessential 7" mixes, pointless bleeding chunk edits and bizarrely, two radio adverts. It's quite a mess in terms of presentation. I prefer the CBS/Sony "Original Album Classics" packaging where individual albums come in separate card sleeves.

There is a further Tangerine Dream set of later Virgin material, and a more tempting Edgar Froese solo set incluing his seminal "Aqua" and "Epsilon In Malaysian Pale" albums.  I recommend the latter.

At this bargain price, this set is worth the outlay if you are a fan of the fat analogue synth sounds the band pioneered. Check out the vintage footage below. It could convert you!

The Black Angels - "Indigo Meadow"

*****

A day trip to Marlborough allowed me to have a good look around outstanding record shop "Sound Knowledge."  Of course, I had to buy something, so I plumped for "Indigo Meadow," the new album by The Black Angels. It's psychedelia. American, retro, 60s-ish. I adore it. I can hear all those great Summer Of Love sounds, plus the 13th Floor Elevators, the Doors, maybe even the B-52s!

The songs are quite poppy and surprisingly short.  There are 13 tracks here, yet the total playing time is around 46 minutes. Curiously, I could have sworn that the songs and album were longer. I'm taking this as a good sign; that the album is satisfying. 

Lead release "Don't Play With Guns" is here and still sounding damn fine. It could almost be a hit, such is the pop sensibility only partially hidden by the grungy psychedelic veneer. All the tunes are strong; there are no duds here at all. Of particular interest to me is the track "I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)" which covers a topic I have been interested in ever since I discovered the works of Russian classical composer Alexander Scriabin many years ago.

My copy is the standard CD. It comes as a three-panel digipack. It's rather more substantial than the House Of Love one, with the booklet fitting nicely into one of the sleeve panels. A vinyl version is also available, and if all else fails there is the download option.

The band are touring. Keep up at http://theblackangels.com/  

The House Of Love - She Paints Words In Red (Full Review)

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I bought this on Tuesday from my local record retailer. Ever since, it's been on constant rotation here at Trisectorman Towers. It's a very good album, stronger than 2005's "Days Run Away." They should have called this one "More Songs About Eyes And Guns", as lyrically there's nothing new here. It's the singing and guitar from the Bickers/Chadwick axis that makes this album so very special.

There are twelve fine songs here. The album kicks off with "A Baby Got Back On Its Feet", familiar as a single and video release.  The video omits the band's fantastic rhythm section of Matt Jury and Pete Evans, which seems a shame as they are well worth watching.

Favourite tracks are closing track "Eye Dream", "Money Man", "Sunshine Out Of The Rain", the title track and the aforementioned "Baby".  It's hard to imagine the band without prodigal psychedelic guitarist Terry Bickers as he is once again fully integrated into the sound. The production is by the band and ex-Vibrator and Boyfriend Pat Collier. It seems that every album he is involved with is a true gem. This album is very easy to listen to, with no modern digital abrasiveness. The album's not long at just 39 minutes or so. This does mean you can burn both it and the even shorter predecessor album "Days Run Away" onto one CD-R for in-car listening!

The album is available on CD, limited edition red vinyl and download. The recording is owned by the band, but licensed to the Cherry Red label. I chose the CD which comes in one of those vastly-overrated digipacks and with childish artwork. My copy was torn around the area where the booklet is inserted. I suspect that this will affect other copies, as the fit is too tight. Frankly, for the £11 I paid, I would have hoped for something a bit more robust and with more collector appeal.  Don't let that put  you off buying a copy, as this album is a keeper and really rather special.

The band are doing a short British tour next month. Unfortunately, domestic issues may mean I have to miss out, but hopefully the momentum from the release of this album and the re-issue of their Creation debut will last and lead to a further tour.  A couple of festival dates have also been announced, so maybe the band will have a higher profile than of late. Keep up with the band at their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseOfLoveOFFICIAL