From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-digest) To: seven-seas-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-digest V2 #249 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-digest Tuesday, May 6 2003 Volume 02 : Number 249 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 09:22:33 +0100 From: "Steve Hodson" Subject: RE: seven-seas Slideling Review Good god the reviewer forgot to mention those two chaps from C******Y !! > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org [mailto:owner-seven-seas@smoe.org]On > Behalf Of K. F. Smith > Sent: 03 May 2003 18:48 > To: seven-seas > Subject: seven-seas Slideling Review > > > http://www.soundgenerator.com/burner/reviews_records.cfm?reviewid=319ww > 3 May 2003 Type: Album Review By: Editor Rating: 9 > Ian McCulloch - Slideling > Ian McCulloch loves writing songs. Here he proves that in the > twenty-five > years since he first started out with Echo & The Bunnymen not much has > changed. In fact he still wears the same kind of clothes and the > same kind of > hair. Probably smokes the same kind of cigarettes. Luckily for us he still > writes the same kind of songs. > 'Slideling' finds McCulloch getting a little more sentimental, perhaps a > little more mellow and certainly even more melodic. 'Love In > Veins' kicks off > the album, an up-tempo rocky blues number, strings and guitar > sing out with > that classic McCulloch/Bunnymen sound. 'Playgrounds And City > Parks' stands out > as a great song, a look at Mac's childhood perhaps? Lyrical and > poignant, very > Velvet Underground -what more do you want. 'Slideling' the > current and first > single taken from the album is really basic in structure but effective and > again immediate. 'Baby Hold On' again is melodic as you like and is a > beautiful cracking song and stands out as one of the albums > finest. 'Arthur' > sees Mac pacing the slow broken phrases over a slowish skippy beat, piano, > guitar and cello. Light colours painting a pastel scene of > maturity, dreamy > backing vocals and images of a perfect scene. > 'Another Train' which sits in two parts with different tempos, is > tinged with > those American influences. A poignant horn supports Mac's voice > with beautiful > country style guitar. 'High Wires' is reminiscent of a British 60's beat > combo. A really positive sounding up beat track. Perfect in > detail right down > to the backing vocals. > 'Kansas' is another guitar driven mid tempo, dreamy backing vocal > experience. > Strong but simple lyrics. The album finishes, as it started, immediate and > exact. Americana creeps in and we see the elements of Mac's influences un > ashamedly present. > The guitar work on this album is simple, great sounding and well > placed, the > production is basic the arrangements are gentle and uncluttered. > It is exactly > want we want and what works. What we are left with is space for > the songs to > breathe. Mac's voice has never lost it; in fact he has matured > with the voice > and with his heart. Slightly softer, darker yet positive and lyrical. > It is good to be able to reach out and grab an album by one of > the UK's most > effective and honest songwriters. Whilst many after twenty five years > disappear or fail to return with something of substance, here we > see McCulloch > do exactly that - produce an album worth having, worth listening > to and worth > calling great. > > > > ====================================== > http://www.bunnymenlist.com > > ====================================== ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 06:24:14 -0500 (CDT) From: amyr@jump.net (Amy Moseley Rupp) Subject: Re: seven-seas Slideling Review > Good god the reviewer forgot to mention those two chaps from C******Y !! Maybe he didn't feel they were worth mentioning any more than the various studio artists who were employed for the job! Though I'm trying to figure out why this reviewer thinks the album is 'tinged with Americana.' Okay, so there are some VU-reminiscent songs, but I also hear the Beatles-updated sound done more subtly than Oasis could. There's the "la"s and chiming piano a la (groan) "Ob-La-Di" and "Back In The USSR" in a couple of places, including "Slideling." In fact, I think the use of vocals-as-textural-instrument is well done -- Mac has the best sounding "la"s since "Hey Jude." The vocal bridge to "A Day In The Life" is found in "Seasons," which if you consider the two titles is appropriate ;-) The end of "Playgrounds and City Parks" reminds me of a pull-out- the-stops Beatles ending mixed with the end of "Ocean Rain," though it quiets to an ending like the abandoned merry-go-round in a park slowly comes to a halt when the kids go home. My thruppence ;-) - --Amy ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 06:55:42 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas Newsday review http://www.nynewsday.com/entertainment/local/newyork/ny-p2tope3268947may06,0, 5870827.column?coll=ny-nyc-entertainment-headlines Like Blur, Echo and the Bunnymen front man Ian McCulloch has tapped into a new vibe to freshen up his brand of Britpop on his latest "Slideling" (spinART/ Cooking Vinyl) CD. The bulk of the focus is going to the first single "Sliding" and "Arthur" because they feature Coldplay's singer/keyboardist Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland. Both collaborations work well, with "Sliding" sounding more like a McCulloch classic and "Arthur" more like a new Coldplay ballad. Though both those songs could give McCulloch a short-term boost, it's his rediscovered flair for guitar pop that may help him more in the long run. "Love in Veins" sounds as energized as old-school Bunnymen romps like "The Cutter" or "The Back of Love." On quieter moments like "Another Train" and "Kansas," McCulloch recaptures the majestic, ornate pop feel that made "The Killing Moon" and "Bring on the Dancing Horses" new wave standards. After years of stagnation, it looks like Britpop may finally be enjoying a revival. Can an Oasis breakthrough be far behind? ("Think Tank," in stores today; Grade: A. "Slideling," in stores today; Grade: B+) ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 10:05:30 -0500 (CDT) From: amyr@jump.net (Amy Moseley Rupp) Subject: Re: seven-seas Slideling Review > Good god the reviewer forgot to mention those two chaps from C******Y !! Not to worry, Steve, the review from Newsday that Kristin posted features a mini-mini-bio of the pair, but it does well by suggesting that the tracks they *aren't* on are the best/most Bunnymen-like/most Mac-like of the album. Frankly, I think that the name recognition is the only reason to release Slideling as first single. It is not the best track on the album; in fact I don't even think it's in the top three. - --Amy, choking because the air is full of smoke exported from Mexico; it's been like night here for three fucking days (cough, sneeze) ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-digest V2 #249 ********************************