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Post by Grumpella on Feb 2, 2012 22:49:51 GMT -5
I get a kick out of befuddling, Solitude, but really all I was doing there was trying to refrain from a bit of troll-baiting with a pinky joke, is all. Me being bad. Bad me.
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Post by LostCause on Feb 3, 2012 1:15:43 GMT -5
In the words of Brian Wheeler I am betwixt, bemused and befuddled :-) Does that mean it rates higher than Sideways in Reverse?
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Post by solitude on Feb 3, 2012 7:18:06 GMT -5
I get a kick out of befuddling, Solitude, but really all I was doing there was trying to refrain from a bit of troll-baiting with a pinky joke, is all. Me being bad. Bad me. I like it when you're bad! Nice use of commas; otherwise I would, once again, be the object of your befuddling. Now quit bumping this thread. Clearly it is redundant.
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Post by comejanuary on Feb 3, 2012 7:24:57 GMT -5
In the words of Brian Wheeler I am betwixt, bemused and befuddled :-) Does that mean it rates higher than Sideways in Reverse? I'm glad he worked some ooh-oooohs into Quiver Syndrome.
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Post by gr0undzer0 on Feb 3, 2012 9:55:50 GMT -5
Does that mean it rates higher than Sideways in Reverse? I'm glad he worked some ooh-oooohs into Quiver Syndrome. Indeed on both counts, I find myself amazed at some points and incredibly disappointed at others...... Still digesting
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Post by Psychotropic Snake on Feb 3, 2012 11:58:31 GMT -5
Italian online music magazine Panopticon has written a review for BF (I'm one of the writers, but I didn't work on that review) I'm not reading any press regarding BF until I've given it a few listens, so if you don't mind waiting, I can translate it for you some time into the next few weeks. Here's the link: www.panopticonmag.com/v3/recensioni/rockville/1645-mark-lanegan-2012-blues-funeral.html I'd like to do it myself but, of course, if there's somebody else who can do it, go ahead!
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Post by rmichael on Feb 3, 2012 12:58:22 GMT -5
Italian online music magazine Panopticon has written a review for BF (I'm one of the writers, but I didn't work on that review) I'm not reading any press regarding BF until I've given it a few listens, so if you don't mind waiting, I can translate it for you some time into the next few weeks. Here's the link: www.panopticonmag.com/v3/recensioni/rockville/1645-mark-lanegan-2012-blues-funeral.html I'd like to do it myself but, of course, if there's somebody else who can do it, go ahead! Really cool, snake, thanks a lot! can wait, am used to it now... enjoy your weekend
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Post by kdub69 on Feb 3, 2012 22:11:15 GMT -5
can we get this back on subject please? Im trying to read reviews not al this other bs
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Post by solitude on Feb 3, 2012 22:18:57 GMT -5
Thoughtful 1st post. I am not disappointed one bit. I didn't like Quiver Syndrome on the first listen, now I tolerate it. Everything else is just brilliant. Phantasmagoria Blues is my current fave. The galloping rhythm and "Charlemagne"....and you're free again one more time... Thanks, Mark.
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Post by beyondthepale on Feb 4, 2012 0:26:30 GMT -5
can we get this back on subject please? Im trying to read reviews not al this other bs As you are someone who has contributed nothing to this board, are you really in a position to make requests like that? Just go with the flow, mate.
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Post by Grumpella on Feb 4, 2012 0:40:52 GMT -5
Hey, I thought I was the grumpy one! Clearly I've been a bad influence on Bey
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Post by beyondthepale on Feb 4, 2012 1:32:19 GMT -5
Hey, I thought I was the grumpy one! Clearly I've been a bad influence on Bey Not grumpy, just sick of all these personae non gratae. (but maybe you have been a little bit of a bad influence on me too )
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Post by wheels132 on Feb 4, 2012 9:19:16 GMT -5
Thoughtful 1st post. I am not disappointed one bit. I didn't like Quiver Syndrome on the first listen, now I tolerate it. Everything else is just brilliant. Phantasmagoria Blues is my current fave. The galloping rhythm and "Charlemagne"....and you're free again one more time... Thanks, Mark. Phantasmagoria is gorgeous. The lyrics are probably the most depressing on the album, and I honestly don't find this album depressing at all (despite all the professional reviews that indicate otherwise). His vocal delivery on Phantasmagoria is what gets me, aside from the magnetic lyrics of course. It's like he's found this mid range that you don't hear very often, a mix of his low and high that resonates with a kind of authoritative gentleness. I may also be talking complete shit, haha I'm not good at reviewing music I just know how it makes me feel, but this is indeed one of my favorite songs on the album for sure....and we're talking an album full of gems here.
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Post by solitude on Feb 4, 2012 9:21:25 GMT -5
Hey, I thought I was the grumpy one! Clearly I've been a bad influence on Bey Not grumpy, just sick of all these personae non gratae. (but maybe you have been a little bit of a bad influence on me too )Amen. Our goal here is to not chat amongst ourselves or have any fun, just simply throw out some reviews for newbies to read. Now quit with all of your other BS, boardies.
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Post by solitude on Feb 4, 2012 9:25:29 GMT -5
Thoughtful 1st post. I am not disappointed one bit. I didn't like Quiver Syndrome on the first listen, now I tolerate it. Everything else is just brilliant. Phantasmagoria Blues is my current fave. The galloping rhythm and "Charlemagne"....and you're free again one more time... Thanks, Mark. Phantasmagoria is gorgeous. The lyrics are probably the most depressing on the album, and I honestly don't find this album depressing at all (despite all the professional reviews that indicate otherwise). His vocal delivery on Phantasmagoria is what gets me, aside from the magnetic lyrics of course. It's like he's found this mid range that you don't hear very often, a mix of his low and high that resonates with a kind of authoritative gentleness. I may also be talking complete shit, haha I'm not good at reviewing music I just know how it makes me feel, but this is indeed one of my favorite songs on the album for sure....and we're talking an album full of gems here. Feeling it is what matters! His vocals on that one get me too. I woke up with HH in my head. Funny which songs take over your brain! Ode to Sad Disco is good to kickbox to. Mark is going to get me back into shape!
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Post by soonforgotten2 on Feb 4, 2012 10:23:02 GMT -5
My pre-order arrived from HMV today. Other than "Gravedigger's Song" I'd not heard anything on the album. It's pretty damn incredible, I must say. Really wasn't expecting all the stylistic shifts across the album, but they're magnificent. Mark knocks the vocals out of the park.
He borrows a bit from his own catalogue as "Mirrored" can be clearly heard in "Deep Black Vanishing Train" and "Burning Jacob's Ladder" gets some lyrical representation in "Gray Goes Black".
The best way I can sum this up is to say that Blues Funeral is Mark Lanegan's In Rainbows.
Can't wait to see how the new material works live.
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Post by obi on Feb 4, 2012 10:35:49 GMT -5
The best way I can sum this up is to say that Blues Funeral is Mark Lanegan's In Rainbows. very astute - a nice parallel and I agree completely.
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WC
Novice
Posts: 63
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Post by WC on Feb 4, 2012 17:40:06 GMT -5
I listened to it only once and haven't read too many reviews yet. In my opinion, Mark's voice is so strong and stand-out that it should be placed with simple/sparse instrumentation in order to give his voice the maximal effect. When everything around him is turned up to 11, his voice kind of washes out.
The only analogy I can think of is if you have one really loud, statement-making piece of clothing, then you need to dress down around it to have balance and to have the outfit work, you can't wear a bunch of bold, eccentric pieces around it. His voice needs to have a subtle background because it's so strong and powerful on its own. And this album throws that out.
I turn to his music for the sparse, bluesy, weathered Americana, but this is his "blues funeral" and evidently he wanted to give that up for a while. He started on this path with Weird Chill and Bubblegum, but Bubblegum is an American music masterpiece. I know he threw "Sideways" and "Death Valley" on there as he considered himself a rock musician and he didn't want to be perceived as a folk singer anymore. Now he is trying to elude being pigeon-holed again it seems. Oh well.
I support his trying new things, and I'll always have his past catalog, but I was disappointed to hear such a drastic change. I think "Muddy Water" and "St. Louis" are among his best songs, but the album just sounds like The Cure to me, and I'm personally not interested in that. I too hope it's a "grower."
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Post by Lungsey on Feb 4, 2012 17:55:28 GMT -5
can we get this back on subject please? Im trying to read reviews not al this other bs As you are someone who has contributed nothing to this board, are you really in a position to make requests like that? Just go with the flow, mate. well said.... i agree. kdub69, we are all just really excited about this cd and you'll find pretty much none of the current threads are on topic. So be it, we're having fun here. Once things slow down a bit we'll be able to contain our excitement and will live only to please others.
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Post by beyondthepale on Feb 4, 2012 19:24:21 GMT -5
Once things slow down a bit we'll be able to contain our excitement and will live only to please others. Hahaha! Count me out!
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Post by obi on Feb 5, 2012 3:45:34 GMT -5
I listened to it only once and haven't read too many reviews yet. In my opinion, Mark's voice is so strong and stand-out that it should be placed with simple/sparse instrumentation in order to give his voice the maximal effect. When everything around him is turned up to 11, his voice kind of washes out. The only analogy I can think of is if you have one really loud, statement-making piece of clothing, then you need to dress down around it to have balance and to have the outfit work, you can't wear a bunch of bold, eccentric pieces around it. His voice needs to have a subtle background because it's so strong and powerful on its own. And this album throws that out. I turn to his music for the sparse, bluesy, weathered Americana, but this is his "blues funeral" and evidently he wanted to give that up for a while. He started on this path with Weird Chill and Bubblegum, but Bubblegum is an American music masterpiece. I know he threw "Sideways" and "Death Valley" on there as he considered himself a rock musician and he didn't want to be perceived as a folk singer anymore. Now he is trying to elude being pigeon-holed again it seems. Oh well. I support his trying new things, and I'll always have his past catalog, but I was disappointed to hear such a drastic change. I think "Muddy Water" and "St. Louis" are among his best songs, but the album just sounds like The Cure to me, and I'm personally not interested in that. I too hope it's a "grower." A grower? You've only heard it once. Maybe play it a few times before spitting the dummy.
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Post by Psychotropic Snake on Feb 5, 2012 9:00:06 GMT -5
Had forgot about the review thread... anyway, I'll post this here too:
Allmusic review by Thom Jurek:
Those who liked the moodier, more atmospheric material on the last Mark Lanegan Band offering, 2004's Bubblegum, will find much to enjoy on Blues Funeral -- an album that has little to do with blues as a musical form. Lanegan has been a busy man since Bubblegum. In the nearly eight ensuing years, he's issued three records with Isobel Campbell, joined Greg Dulli in the Gutter Twins, guested on albums by the Twilight Singers and UNKLE, and was the lead vocalist on most of the last two Soulsavers offerings. Produced by Eleven guitarist Alain Johannes (who also fulfills that role here as well as playing bass, keyboards, and percussion), Blues Funeral finds Lanegan in a musically ambitious place. His voice is deeper, smokier, but more restrained, even on the few straight-up rockers. The grain in his voice is more pronounced, offering a sense of coiled menace on each track, one that is ready at all points to explode the musical confines these songs erect, and to overwhelm them all. To his credit, he never does. While the album is sequenced seamlessly, with varying textures and dynamics, there are standouts. Of the two tracks that feature the mysterious guitarist Duke Garwood, "Bleeding Muddy Water" is a mournful, midtempo dirge. Dulli's guest spot on backing vocals on the Ennio Morricone-inspired spaghetti westernism of "St Louis Elegy" is beautifully rendered; Joshua Homme lends his guitar to the over-the-rails rock in "Riot in My House." Electronics also have a prominent place on Blues Funeral -- and not merely as atmospheric add-ons: "Ode to Sad Disco," melds a four-on-the-floor drum loop to high lonesome guitars as Lanegan offers a drifting, surreal, quasi-mystical narrative worthy of Alejandro Jodorowsky. "Harborview Hospital"'s meld of keyboards and guitars touch on U2's Joshua Tree period and late-'80s New Order. Weird as that reads, if anything, these expansive retro sonics provide Lanegan's raspy baritone a foil, with added texture that lends not only a sense of beauty, but walks out the tension between elegiac lyric and harmonic lyricism. "Leviathan" is the only thing that really approaches blues here, though it's via a 21st century approximation of Led Zeppelin's darker, airier moments on Physical Graffiti. Blues Funeral, while an adventurous, strident, and complex album, will likely polarize longstanding Lanegan fans; but if they can't follow him into this new terrain, it's their problem.
Three stars and a half out of five
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Post by solitude on Feb 11, 2012 20:50:28 GMT -5
I cannot believe that I didn't like Tiny Grain of Truth at first. Now I appreciate what an incredible closer it is! It reminds me of both the psychedelic side of the Beatles and the music I listened to when I delivered my sons: mickeyhart.net/discography/music-to-be-born-by/
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Post by rmichael on Feb 12, 2012 15:03:43 GMT -5
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Post by dollarshort on Feb 13, 2012 11:02:16 GMT -5
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