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Post by silence on Sept 25, 2014 7:27:04 GMT -5
May as well start this then  There's an 8/10 review in this month's Uncut, although I can't get to the shops to have a gander at the whole review until my sofa gets delivered (any time in the next 5 and a half hours apparently!).  |
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Post by SheBangsTheTrums on Sept 25, 2014 8:13:11 GMT -5
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Post by silence on Sept 25, 2014 8:58:01 GMT -5
Hmm. Some parts there I agree with, but 'by numbers'? Definitely not. Middle of the road? Nope. This is an album that will divide (more so than the EP), but it's largely because it's out on a limb and not because any old ground is being covered. Each to their own though a bit of proofreading mightn't go amiss as well, in oder to avoid any unintentional racist terminology |
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Paul
New Recruit
Posts: 30
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Post by Paul on Sept 25, 2014 18:51:13 GMT -5
I'll be publishing a review on Alternative Nation eventually [which I'll post here], but here are some thoughts I've had the last few months:
- Lanegan switches up his sound again on PR. Not more towards Blues Funeral's sound but instead towards a lighter, 80s new wave vibe.
- Great, classic Lanegan songwriting on the album as per usual. This will translate to continued greatness in his live performances.
- I don't really feel the emotional intensity on PR that I love about his other work. the album is a bit soft in content and sound.
- PR's lightness reflects Lanegan in 2014. reaching 50, much happier, settling down with his girlfriend in LA.
- overall, ok album with great songs but nothing dark & nothing that really draws me in. good album but by far not my favorite Lanegan LP.
favorite songs: Harvest Home // Floor of the Ocean // Killing Season [great upbeat rock tunes + synths. 2/3 of these songs have already been released and these are the album's standouts imo so I hope you like them]
least favorite: I Am The Wolf // Judgement Time [would have fit on Black Pudding but feel out of place on the album, they make the album feel inconsistent, in addition I dislike Garwood in general]
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Post by silence on Sept 26, 2014 16:52:10 GMT -5
Uncut review too bloody long for me to want to be typing out on a Friday, general jist of it is: 1st third - recycling the press release (not a favourite thing of mine) Rest of it - really positive, special mention to Torn Red Heart, don't seem too keen on The Wild People (although I do get the point about it being a bit retrograde, which is odd to say on a largely retro album but it's pretty accurate) Ooh - and the covermount CD has Floor Of The Ocean on it. Personally, it's an incredibly hard album to place among anything else he's done, because it's unlike anything else he's done. It's very weirdly sequenced right from the start, which means my favourites change with my mood (ie, often and randomly), and it does eventually work - but there's a fair bit of adjusting to do. There's a couple of genuinely surprising songs in there, even in the context of it being a surprising album as a whole. Torn Red Heart is astonishing (and Alain's voice has never sounded lovelier in harmony), blending the essence of at least two of my favourite ever songs and doing something that I don't think he's ever done in any of his songs before. For an explanation of that though, my review should be out and up soon/eventually/whenever (or never if the editor discovers that I'd been hiding New Order song titles in the text without telling him), or - even better - you'll have to listen to it |
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Post by wheels132 on Sept 26, 2014 19:39:03 GMT -5
Thanks for the mini reviews/summations. Surprised to see the remark about the Wild People more on the unfavorable side--I think that's actually been my favorite of the 4 live songs we've heard from PR thus far (my hopes are high for that one). Torn Red Heart sounds like a gem, too, evidently Mark's favorite from the new LP.
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Post by silence on Sept 26, 2014 19:54:57 GMT -5
To clarify my own opinion on The Wild People - it's the second to last track, and the way that the album is put together is a little bit "unfair" (it's late, I'm a bit tiddly, it's almost certainly the wrong word) on the song. It fits on Phantom Radio as a whole just fine, listened in isolation it's even better, it's just that it appears at the end of a run of amazing songs (how long that run is, is down to personal taste!) and puts the brakes on the whole thing a bit before the closing track. The record's very cleverly put together though so it does seem as though this was the idea, and lyrically it's something that had to be positioned near the end.
As an aside, I've been in conversation with a friend about this record - we both agree that the same all-time favourite song of ours is almost certainly referenced on Phantom Radio, where it gets a bit strange is that we don't agree on which song references it!
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Post by foriamtheway on Sept 27, 2014 19:19:38 GMT -5
I'm scared for this one...
I prefer a certain intensity in music, all music not only Mark's.
The songs I've heard so far, I feel a bit indifferent about, they sound rather ... i don't know... meh
Any other Lanefans have concerns or is it just me?
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Post by nobody on Sept 28, 2014 4:00:47 GMT -5
I'm scared for this one... I prefer a certain intensity in music, all music not only Mark's. The songs I've heard so far, I feel a bit indifferent about, they sound rather ... i don't know... meh Any other Lanefans have concerns or is it just me? Pretty much my reaction to the EP...hoping Phantom will be a bit better. Whatever, Lanegan has given me such incredible music over the years, I don't mind an occasional snoozer. |
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Post by Maidli on Sept 28, 2014 5:00:24 GMT -5
I'm scared for this one... I prefer a certain intensity in music, all music not only Mark's. The songs I've heard so far, I feel a bit indifferent about, they sound rather ... i don't know... meh Any other Lanefans have concerns or is it just me? ...I am afraid of the phantom too ... |
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Post by silence on Sept 28, 2014 5:29:14 GMT -5
Oh, it's intense all right. Especially when it's listened to from beginning to end in the order it was intended, and you get to the song where the music is so overwhelming that sometimes it's hard to concentrate on the voices within, which is surely a first for someone who usually commands a song with an iron will. That said, it's certainly not going to be for everyone, the influences he displays so vividly are things that people will either love or hate. And for them, at least there's every even-numbered track  |
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Post by SheBangsTheTrums on Sept 28, 2014 7:32:07 GMT -5
I'm scared for this one... I prefer a certain intensity in music, all music not only Mark's. The songs I've heard so far, I feel a bit indifferent about, they sound rather ... i don't know... meh Any other Lanefans have concerns or is it just me? ...I am afraid of the phantom too ... Not at all scared - can't wait - love NBOS there are quite a few of his older songs that I am not into but I don't let that cloud my thoughts for new stuff/style |
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Post by silence on Sept 28, 2014 9:07:58 GMT -5
Mojo's here, will give it a read later on (still moving in, boxes apparently breeding)
Edit: Short review, 4 stars, "a brave, inspired step into the unknown"
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Post by foriamtheway on Sept 28, 2014 11:09:02 GMT -5
...I am afraid of the phantom too ... Not at all scared - can't wait - love NBOS there are quite a few of his older songs that I am not into but I don't let that cloud my thoughts for new stuff/style Pretty much my reaction to the EP...hoping Phantom will be a bit better. Whatever, Lanegan has given me such incredible music over the years, I don't mind an occasional snoozer. It's definitly not the change of style, that worries me. I love it when artist shake things up a bit and have the courage to experiment out of their comfort zone. It's a feeling that it lacks a certain sense of urgency and even the lyrics sound a bit 'thought-up' to me, bordering on the cliché edge. But I like about 60/40 of NBOS so I still have hope But don't get me wrong, Mark Lanegan is like pizza to me ... even when it's bad, it still is pretty damn tasty so I'm still excited and can't wait to hear Phantom Radio |
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Post by wheels132 on Sept 29, 2014 21:01:25 GMT -5
After Blues Funeral, I've honestly been expecting a more "upbeat" album from Mark. The bulk of the songs on BF seem to be a reflection of a period in his life that he's not proud of; i.e., struggles with addiction (Muddy Water, Harborview, Riot In My House) and "finally freeing" himself (Vanishing Train, Tiny Grain) from those shackles.
While I'm not expecting songs about sunshine and lollipops nowadays, I'm certainly expecting PR to a new reflection of his fresh take on life. I've really dug almost everything we've heard from NBOS and PR (only song I'm still not crazy about is Dry Iced).
Not really counting Imitations here since that is more his interpretation of songs already written--paying homage to some of his favorite crooners. That said, I would've never expected him to release Andy Williams covers back in the 90s.
this board should get quite interesting once PR finally drops.
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Post by spentbullets on Sept 30, 2014 18:41:17 GMT -5
I made a mix on my mp3 player to get ready for the album / shows. I think it's pretty good, but will be better once the other songs from Phantom Radio in same style are added
Harvest Home
Grey Goes Black
Dry Iced
No Bells
Harborview
Below Cherry Moon
Sad Lover
Gravediggers
Ode to Sad Disco
Floor of the Ocean
Tiny Grain
Smokestackmagic
Singin' Man
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Post by wheels132 on Sept 30, 2014 19:07:32 GMT -5
Nice list! Is Singin' Man available to buy somewhere? Can't find it here in the States. Great tune.
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Post by wheels132 on Sept 30, 2014 20:30:49 GMT -5
Also Heavenly's facebook page has posted screenshots of the full Mojo and Q Magazine reviews if anyone is interested. Q Magazine is also saying the album will be out in Europe on 13 Oct....
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Post by silence on Oct 1, 2014 1:31:41 GMT -5
Heavenly's mail order site's been saying the 13th for a while. It's difficult to describe the record with those bite-sized reviews, especially when 1/3rd of them are taken up with press release fluff (which is why the opening sentences of the Q & Mojo ones are almost identical!). Q does get one thing absolutely 100% nailed on though, although it's a short wait to find out which bit |
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Post by wheels132 on Oct 3, 2014 13:54:33 GMT -5
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Post by silence on Oct 3, 2014 14:52:23 GMT -5
That review genuinely confused me, and I've got the album! I guess with Phantom Radio is that - more than anything else he's done - the influences are so out there that comparisons from review to review will be a lot more disparate than usual*. There's very little I agree on subjectively (which is a good thing, and I'm positive that mine'll elicit similar responses) and the objective side is a bit odd ("while he hasn't got a huge vocal range" - really?) but it seems to go down well with the reviewer so it's all good Semi-amusing sidenote - a conversation with a friend who has also heard Phantom Radio revealed that while both of us recognised a particular mutual favourite song of ours in the album, we both heard it in different tracks... It's probably best to ignore anything that we try to write about the bloody thing and soak it in yourself. |
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Post by wheels132 on Oct 3, 2014 16:01:50 GMT -5
Yeah not trying to sound like a Mark fanboy or anything but I totally disagreed with the lack of vocal range comment. Mark doesn't seem to hold back on using his upper register these days, which is my absolute favorite part of his voice. Sounds like that trend will continue on PR which is exciting. It was nice to read a few more details, though, on the songs we haven't heard yet.
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Post by wheels132 on Oct 9, 2014 21:11:22 GMT -5
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Lucy
Novice
Posts: 81
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Post by Lucy on Oct 10, 2014 9:59:27 GMT -5
Dying to hear Torn Red Heart.
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Post by wheels132 on Oct 10, 2014 10:15:06 GMT -5
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