From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-digest) To: seven-seas-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-digest V3 #290 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-digest Thursday, August 26 2004 Volume 03 : Number 290 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 15:33:02 +0100 From: "Shaz" Subject: seven-seas Fw: [villiers-terrace] The Open > Just got this album - The Silent Hours by The Open > (some of them from Liverpool I think).... > > I really like it, anyone else? > > Here's a review from Amazon which pretty much > sum up my thoughts on it too.... > > Shaz > Customer Review > The Silent Hours actually reminds me of a band called Leaves whose eponymous > album of last year trod similar unequivocally in your face territory. > Comparisons to The Verves "A Northern Soul" are also very apt. There's even > a wiff of seventies prog-rock in its grandiose arrangements and sometimes > po-faced emotional hand wringing. > None of this stops however, some and I stress some, of the songs on this > album being terrific and actually quite stirring in their chest beating way. > "Lost" is magnificent, from its Moody Blues style backing vocals to the way > the chorus surges with huge swathes of grunged up guitar. "Forgotten" > justifies those Echo and the Bunnymen comparisons, there's definitely a > touch of Will Sergeant in those chiming chords. "Just want to live" marries > a lovely lilting melody to spine tingling peals of guitar .If only there > were more tracks like this > . "Coming Down" sounds so like Elbow it could be a tribute band while > "Elevation" has an air of "Strange Times" Chameleons about it. Neither of > these are bad things. > I can understand why people love this album and maybe I'm being a touch too > harsh but no way is this a five star album. I initially veered towards > three, now I'm contemplating four, mainly because it's produced beautifully > by Simon Raymonde of the god-like Cocteau Twins, but no-that's far too > facile a reason for an extra star. Three and a half then. What can I say about this album? Soaring, majestic, epic, grand, heartfelt, > dramatic, and otherworldly. I could go on and on. Sky scraping guitars, > moody synths, dramatic textures, impassioned vocals. This is, for me, the > album of the year and the best debut album from a UK group since > "Crocodiles" by Echo & The Bunnymen. > This is an album that seemed to come from nowhere (actually Liverpool via > Stafford but you know what I mean). Without warning UK rock has been shaken > from its torpor by a load of groups all looking to the late 70's / early > 80's new wave sound for inspiration. Most sound like pallid copies of the > originals (The Ordinary Boys are a karaoke Jam, Dogs Die In Hot Cars an XTC > tribute band) apart from two - The Killers and The Open. > The Open hark back to a time when music meant something, when bands were > unashamed to demonstrate vision and emotion, before musicians were concerned > with being considered "ironic". The Open have been compared to The Verve ("A > Northern Soul" era) but although there are elements of the likes of "This Is > Music" their influences reach back further to the days of long raincoats and > photo shoots by Anton Corbijn. Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, The > Blue Nile, early U2, Japan, Joy Division, Talk Talk all have echoes in their > music. > But what emerges is quintessentially The Open's own sound. They are not > consumed by their influences in the same way as someone like The Futureheads > . Steven Bayley has constructed a set of songs that soundchecks the past > whilst looking to the future. First single "Close My Eyes" gets things > underway with a glorious, chunky riff and a chorus that will worm its way > into your brain. Next comes "Bring Me Down", one of the album highlights, > guitarist Jon Winter's harmonies take the track to another level. Chiming, > bright guitars give the song its edge - think "Gloria" or "I Will Follow". > Next comes "Lost". Starts of quiet, builds into a great climax. "Forgotten" > whirls by in flurry of interlocking guitars and keyboards. Stripping the > song down to a two note mournful guitar before unleashing its fury. But even > this can't prepare the listener for "Daybreak". Gentle, pulsing synths issue > the song in. The song almost hesitates in the middle, brought back into the > light by a circular bass riff that recalls The Bunnymen's Les Pattinson at > his absolute best. Then layering wave upon wave of melody until the final > seconds cathedrals of sound overpower you. Pure class. > The second half of the album begins with "number 1 single that never was" > Just Want To Live and ends with next single Elevation. Bookended between > them are three tracks of such beauty, vitality and classic songwriting that > you really should hear them for yourself. > Finally a word on the production. Whoever had the idea of getting Simon > Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) to produce and Dave (Tears For Fears, Depeche Mode) > Bascombe in for the mix deserves a knighthood. It's the final piece of the > jigsaw. > As you may have guessed I cannot recommend this album highly enough. Don't > take my word for it - buy it, draw the curtains, lay back and immerse > yourself in it. Whether you ever come out the other side is another issue. I > never did. I'm still Lost in The Silent Hours. ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 10:47:51 -0400 From: Red Subject: seven-seas Nick Cave tidbits Anyone else catch Nick on Letterman last night? I was rather disappointed. A bit. He's supposedly promoting a NEW cd...and he goes on Letterman and plays a piano version of The Mercy Seat??? Just plain weird. That song is ancient! Someone said this on the Cave list about him: The hair's leaving the top of his head faster than old band members though isn't it? OUCH! hehehee although I was thinking the same thing! ;-) Someone else posted this taken from 'Word' magazine Issue 19: In the 'Word of Mouth' section, Sam Herlihy, "Well-read frontman of Hope of the States", speaks about his favorite book: "My favorite book, and the one I'd wholehartedly recommend, would be Nick Cave's ATASTA, his Biblical fantasy set in the Deep South with all the phonetic spelling of Southern accents. It's just awe-inspiring, this towering, Old Testament, doom laden story - I've had about four copies and I re-read it over and again. It made me want to be a fire-and-brimstone preacher myself. He's one of very few rock musicians who are capable of pulling a novel off and it just sweeps over you." The novel they're talking about of course is And The Ass Saw The Angel. I've read that novel and it's amazing!!!!! Highly recommend it, although be patient, it starts off a little slow. That's all for now..... Red ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-digest V3 #290 ********************************