Myspace

På myspace er det egentlig mye rart.  For oss mer enn gjennomsnittelig musikkinteresserte er det en ypperlig anledning til å høre masse ny musikk. Vi har plukket ut seks artister som er temmelig forskjellig, og som kanskje noen kan ha interesse av å lytte til?

Vi kan vel si at myspace gir rikelig anledning til en vinnvinn situasjon, da både lytter og formidler kan oppnå noe. Lytteren kan i ro og mak høre ny musikk og gjøre seg opp en mening, mens formidleren av musikk kan nå frem bare musikken trigger folk, selv om musikerne til vanlig bor i Borneos dypeste jungler milevis fra sivilisasjonen. For en gangs skyld er det ikke promobudsjett, hva som spilles på radio og VG lista topp 20 som avgjør, men rett og slett hva de musikkinteresserte egentlig vil ha. Vi kan jo til en viss eller i høy grad grad snakke om musikk fri for markedskreftene, og det er jo i seg selv et artig poeng, og er jo kjernen i hva Merlinprog står for.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=245615341

http://www.myspace.com/2dface

http://www.myspace.com/koraiorom

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=4517856

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=266581199

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=78122379

MoonJune Records

Moon June Records er et lite plateselskap fra New York, som har spesialisert seg på kvalitetsmusikk som til en viss grad er relatert mot Soft Machine`s musikalske univers. Mannen bak labelen MoonJune er Leonardo Pavkovic som faktisk har en forkjærlighet for norsk musikk, og Terje Rypdal spesielt. Låten ”Moon June” som plateselskapet har hentet sitt navn fra, er for øvrig Robert Wyatt knalllåt fra Soft Machine`s tredje album, ”III”. Mer om MoonJune her, http://www.artist-shop.com/moonjune/index.htm

Magnesis

Magnesis er vel ukjent for de fleste, men de er franske og neo er sjangeren deres. Frédéric Przybyl og Eric Tillerot etablerte Magnesis i 1987 da de var elver på videregående skole. Forbildene var Ange og Christian Décamps, Peter Gabriel og Genesis, samt Marillion. Så langt har de gestaltet 6 album, som faktisk musikalsk henger overraskende bra med, mens cover art biten er meget ok som vi ser her.

Musikk er sunt året rundt!

En halv time om dagen kan redusere blodtrykket betydelig, viser ny studie. Studien sier ikke noe spesifikt om prog, men det er vel grunn til å anta at  prog også vil kunne ha samme helsebringende effekt. Vi skal slett ikke se bort fra at prog er stappfull av helsebringende antioksidanter, og at frie radikaler utvikles fra techno og rap og slikt noe?!

Lider du av høyt blodtrykk, bør du høre på klassisk, keltisk eller reggaemusikk daglig.
Det er konklusjonen fra en studie som nylig ble presentert for American Society of Hypertension, skriver Reuters.Undersøkelsen omfattet 48 voksne i alderen 45 til 70 år som gikk på medisin mot høyt blodtrykk. 28 av testpersonene lyttet daglig til musikk, mens de resterende ikke gjorde noen forandringer på sine daglige rutiner.

Blodtrykkmålinger en og fire uker senere viste at blodtrykket hadde blitt redusert kraftig hos de som lyttet til musikk, mens den andre gruppen hadde minimale reduksjoner i blodtrykket.

Han mener dette vil ha en positiv innvirkning på både pasienter og leger, som kan utforske musikk som en trygg, effektiv og medikamentfri behandlingsmetode alene eller i tillegg til vanlig behandling.

Har du fått diagnosen høyt blodtrykk er det også mye annet du kan gjøre selv for å redusere risikoen for hjerte- og karsykdommer. Ifølge Helsenytt.no kan noen enkle omlegginger i hverdagen være det som skal til:

Mosjon kan både forebygge og behandle høyt blodtrykk, og en halvtimes spasertur hver dag kan være nok. Enkle tiltak som gå i trapper i stedet for å ta heisen, sykle til og fra jobb og skaffe seg en turkamerat gjør det lettere å komme i bedre fysisk form.

Ved å redusere inntaket av mettet fett og salt, og spise mer fet fisk, frukt og grønt, kan du motvirke høyt kolestrol i blodet og redusere blodtrykket. Og er du overvektig og går ned bare noen få kilo, vil dette ha stor betydning for blodtrykket.

Kutt røyken: Risikoen for å utvilke hjerteinfarkt er dobbelt så høy hos blodtrykkspasienter som røyker sammenlignet med de som ikke gjør det.

MT9

Koreanske forskere har utviklet et nytt format der du selv kan velge hva du vil høre. Det nye formatet har separat volumkontroll (6 stk.) for hvert instrument så man kan dempe vokalen, trommene, gitaren, koringa, synthen eller bassen. Nyttig om man vil spille sammen med yndlingslåta.
Filformatet får endelsen, MT9, men et langt mer kommersielt navn: Music 2.0. Investorene sier at formatet intet mindre enn kommer til å ta over for MP3. For at det skal skje må piratene omfavne det.

Formatet eies av Audizen,  http://www.audizen.co.kr/solutions/solutions2.htm , og var en av MPEG-organisasjonens (Motion Picture Experts Group) kandidat i år. MPEG er en internasjonal gruppe bestående av selskaper innen den digitale musikk og video-industrien.

”Det er enda ikke sikkert at formatet vinner”, men Audizen-sjef Ham Seung-chul er optimistisk frem til det endelige valget legges frem i juni: ”Vi lagde presentasjoner for de som var med og de ble overrasket over det de så. De stemte med en gang på oss for at formatet skulle bli en kandidat som en digital musikkstandard”, forklarer Seung-chul.

Samsung og LG skal begge være interesserte i å integrere spilleren i kommende produkter som kan komme allerede tidlig neste år. Det er allerede nå mulig å kjøpe hele album i formatet fra Audizen,  http://audizen.com/.  Også gamle plater fra Queen er det mulig å lage MT9-filer av, så lenge de har blitt digitalt remastret. Og det viktigste for mange; formatet er uten DRM.

Mamas And Papas

The Mugwumps, The Journeymen, The New Journeymen er navnene på pre Mamas And Papas. I 2008 er det bare den herlige Michelle Phillips som lever av de fire medlemmene. Til å være 66 år holder hun seg meget godt, og både helsen hennes, og livet hennes virke å være godt.

Motorik

Motorik is a term coined by music journalists to describe the 4/4 beat often used by some so-called "Krautrock" bands such as Neu! and Kraftwerk (promoting the official CD release of Neu!'s back-catalogue, Klaus Dinger stated he called it the "Apache beat").[1] The word "Motorik" means "motor skill" in German.

The name perhaps derives from the repetitive yet forward-flowing feel of the rhythm, which has been compared to the experience of motorway driving -- indeed, the motorik beat is utilized in one section of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn", a song designed to celebrate exactly this experience. While The Velvet Underground's influence on Krautrock is often mentioned, Mo Tucker's drumming has specifically been characterized as "proto-motorik."[2]

Magenta

Metamorphosis

Review 1

I’ve remarked before on this very site that given his track record Magenta main man Rob Reed can do virtually no wrong in my view. I therefore welcomed Metamorphosis the bands fourth studio album with understandable eagerness. With a new release averaging once every two years this is the bands first album proper since 2006’s pairing of Home and New York Suite. They did off course venture into the studio last year to record the near hit single Speechless and breathe new life into several Magenta standards for the The Singles collection. Since then they’ve undergone a couple of personnel changes with the departure of drummer Allan Mason-Jones and guitarist Martin Rosser although the latter is credited with ‘detuned guitar’ on this album. Original drummer Tim Robinson stepped in for this recording but will trade places with new boy Kieran Bailey for the up and coming live shows. Replacing Martin on stage will be Ezra’s Colin Edwards, teaming up with Magenta lead guitarist par excellence Chris Fry. As with the bands earlier recordings Rob provides the bass in addition to keyboards, guitars and recorder although regular bassist Dan Fry will resume his usual place when they go out live. Completing the line-up is of course the all important, nay essential vocal splendour of Christina Booth.

As before, Rob provides the music for the album whilst his brother Steve Reed is responsible for the lyrics. And they’re some of the grittiest words yet for a Magenta album and the perfect match for the gothic cover imagery. Musically this has been proclaimed as the bands darkest, most modern sounding release yet. Personally after several spins I don’t see it as a major departure, more a natural progression. True the sound is punchier, but the elaborate set pieces we’ve come to expect from Magenta are still in evidence and they’ve never been shy of integrating mainstream rock and pop sensibilities into their music. In fact during the opening epic length piece The Ballad Of Samuel Layne, Christina sounds more youthful and buoyant then ever despite the subject matter. Here a soldier in the World War 1 trenches reflects on his past, aware that he is going to an almost certain death. From the outset, with its slow burning build to a synth fanfare and Christina’s energetic chant, you know you’re in for something special.

The main melody is a strong one with good harmony support and sharp synth punctuations, and I just love the full on bass articulations. There’s a part I particularly like around six or seven minutes in featuring stabbing, staccato string bursts followed by an electrifying guitar solo. Elsewhere the guitar provides gutsy riffs and later lyrical phrasing reminiscent of Pendragon’s Am I Really Losing You. Guitar doesn’t have things all its own way however with sub Wakeman fiery synths more akin to The Tangent, strident string parts and the stirring Uilleann pipes of guest Troy Donockley all making an impression. Following a sad and reflective acoustic ballad the pace quickens, racing towards a dramatic finale driven by the full weight of the band. A plaintiff recorder motif leads into the second song Prekestolen, a Norwegian mountain plateau that infamously provided the backdrop for a couple’s suicide pact. A haunting guitar lament evokes Peter Banks and Jan Akkerman, setting the tone against an incessant rhythmic keys line. Pipes once more take flight providing a majestic conclusion.

Although it’s still too early to say, I believe the title track may well turn out to be the bands most accomplished piece to date. Within its twenty three plus minutes Metamorphosis certainly crosses many borders, mixing edgy guitar and string sections with rich Yes flavoured harmonies and pastoral acoustic interludes. In fact the mood becomes downright angry around the half way mark with pounding bass, piercing guitar and bombastic synth work. The gorgeous acoustic guitar, piano and percussive chimes section that follows is a clear reminder of Rob’s admiration for Mike Oldfield. The guitar work that’s been stunning throughout takes on mammoth proportions from this point on, evoking Steve Howe’s flamboyant style and David Gilmour’s bluesy touch at various stages. As the song weaves its way to a powerful close the uplifting choral work has Tears For Fears’ Head Over Heels written all it, backed by a cutting guitar phrase. Given that the song is about a schizophrenic serial killer the overall tone is far more optimistic than you would expect.

It segues into the final song Blind Faith, which feels very much like a companion piece to the title track. Following a deceptively hesitant opening, heavy guitar descends, which in turn gives way to a melodic folk tinged acoustic section with mandolin. The song benefits from a memorable melody against a rhythmic piano and guitar backdrop. Yet another soaring guitar break before the string section provides a powerful and dramatic closing theme. It’s reminiscent of the coda to the title song that precedes it except here the voices are replaced by strings.

It’s been well publicised that this album was mixed at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth where amongst others Queen and Rush recorded Bohemian Rhapsody and A Farewell To Kings respectively. Whilst the songs here may not be destined to crack the charts in the same way that Bohemian Rhapsody or even Closer To The Heart did, it’s a fresh and vibrant work that will hopefully gain them wider recognition. It was Rob’s ambition to produce a modern progressive rock album and I feel he’s succeeded in style. It certainly has all the right ingredients but above all else it’s the spectacular guitar work that really elevates it into the realms of greatness. To be truthful, I didn’t find this album as immediate as Magenta’s previous releases but that’s not a bad thing. Now that it’s succeeding in sinking its hooks into me I feel that it will cling on for some appreciable time to come.

Review 2

Magenta's fourth studio album sees a somewhat reduced version of the band, at least if the photographic evidence in the booklet is anything to go by; only Rob Reed and Christina Booth are featured despite guitarist Chris Fry still being included in the core trio of musicians. Other performers include Tim Robinson on drums, Martin Rosser on detuned guitar, Troy Donockley on Uilleann pipes and Stephan Rhys Williams on backing vocals. Bass and additional guitar duties are performed by Rob Reed with lyrics, once again, penned by brother Steve.

So what is on offer this time round? Well for a start the sleeve is a bit more 'artistic' than previous releases with a central image more usually associated with a heavy metal band. And quite a strange image it is too, a heavily tattooed cadaver with no lower arms, one leg and a post-mortem midline incision. There is possibly some religious intent as the corpse, suitable attired in a loin cloth, is positioned crucifix like and the head is laid in some form of tube giving the impression of a halo. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it?! Whatever, the association between the art and the title (metamorphosis: a change in body form, such as a tadpole to a frog) is not immediately evident. Musically, the long tracks are back with two of the four tracks exceeding the 20 minute barrier. And yes, it is a concept album.

Opener The Ballad Of Samuel Layne is the first of the long numbers, relating the tale of a young couple married during a war and almost immediately being separated when the husband goes off to fight. The song is divided into three sections, an intro and scene setting, the war bride's prayer and the soldier's prayer, although it is mainly the lyrics that differentiate the sections. True to the Reed's recent statements, the album is more guitar focused than previous releases, with keyboards playing a more supportive role throughout. Some of the guitar work is reminiscent of Steve Howe particularly at the time of Tales From Topographic Oceans. A string quartet features periodically as do Mr Donockley's pipes and Christina's vocals are as good as they have ever been.

Unfortunately I found the whole thing rather a bore. Yes there are moments that spark the interest but overall the song seemed to drag and I wasn't totally engaged by the lyrics or the music. Prekestolen (which is a mountain plateau in Norway), is a short (relatively speaking!) piece that seems to primarily be a linking track as it doesn't really stand up by itself. Metamorphosis continues in a similar vein to what has gone before and accordingly suffers the same fate, some moments that strike an accord, others that seem just to extend the piece. However, there is greater musical variety in Metamorphosis which does give it the edge, even if a section 8 minutes or so in has a strong resemblance to early seventies Pink Floyd. Blind Faith sees the grinding, heavier guitars making a comeback but on the whole, did nothing to really make me sit up and take notice.

No doubt I will be in the minority in thinking that this is the least appealing of the Magenta studio albums, but I just did not get Metamorphosis, not as a concept, as a set of lyrics or as pieces of individual music. There is a lot more to a compelling song than the duration, the music should justify the length and not vice versa.

  Review 3

According to Magenta mastermind Rob Reed a new Magenta album usually orginates out of a song from the previous album. Apparently the song Demons off Home initially sparked the idea for their fourth album Metamorphosis. When I first read that news I was delighted; Home is one of my favourite albums of 2006 and Demons is my favourite track on it!

The artwork showing a severed torso hints at a departure from the accessable prog-lite of the previous albums. The presence of tracks over 20 minutes on the other hand hints at a return to their debut album Revolutions.
In truth, it's a bit of both. For starters the sound of the band has matured since Home. Magenta's music will always be called derivative, but it is no longer possible to reference each and every musical passage to another band like it was the case on Revolutions and Seven. The music is also slightly heavier than before, with several rocky guitar sections popping up throughout the album. On the other hand it is a return to the long song format of Revolutions -not my favourite of their discography- and judging from the photographs in the CD-booklet also a return to being a two-person project. On Home, and even moreso on the many singles and EPs the band released, it looked as if Reed wanted to portray Magenta as a full, proper band, with the entire live band appearing on these studio recordings. However, late last year both guitarist Martin Rosser and drummer Alan Mason-Jones left the band and seemingly this led to the decision of making a distinction between the studio and the live format of Magenta. So on the new album Magenta is once again presented as just Rob Reed and Christina Booth, with longtime collaborator Chris Fry a honorary third member (receiving a special credit in the liner notes).

The type of music Magenta is generally instantly likeable. Twiddly keyboard solos, heavenly guitar solos and angelic vocals - what is not to like? But for me the long running time of the tracks make the music far less easy to digest, and the dark concept about death and destruction even less so. So the two weeks I had to prepare this review did not seem long enough. There is a lot of good stuff on the album, in fact there are loads of really cool bits and riffs and solos and stuff, but on the whole it just doesn't seem work. The end result is just too patchy to my ears.

I won't be as negative as my colleague above however. I really like the music of Magenta. But somehow I wonder if the album wouldn't have benefited from a bit more work and possibly editing down the tracks into shorter ones. And coming from someone who listens to prog that is a rather odd statement, I know.

Let's just focus on the good bits for now. One of the first things to note about the music is that it is a bit heavier than its predecessors. Especially the title track and Blind Faith contain some fairly heavy guitar riffing. The sound has also been modernised and is combining seventies style analogue keyboards with present day vocal effects and drum loops, which work really well.
Rob Reed's keyboard solos echo the best of the Banks', Wakemans or Nolans of this world. Chris Fry, Magenta's lead guitarist since the beginning, excels with his many beautiful licks and Uilleann piper Troy Donockley makes a welcome return, adding his trademark sound to The Ballad Of Samuel Lane and Prekestolen. As for the bass, this is played by Rob Reed himself, and as he explains on the DVD, bass was one of his prime focuses for the album, and it shows, as the bass on Metamorphosis is definitely the best of all Magenta albums.

Though the album consists of four tracks, from a musical point of view there are only really two tracks on the album. The Ballad of Samuel Lane and Prekestolen are pretty much one track, as are Metamorphosis and Blind Faith. From a lyrical point of view though these tracks are to be considered separate songs, even though the short ditty Prekestolen doesn't really play as such. The second half is definitely the better half. The title track contains many good sections and good solos, and as said before, the heaviness of some sections gives it an extra punch. That said, the overly happy end-section sounds like a Spice Girls song with its 'la-la-la' chorus, and the final slide guitar solo comes too close to Pendragon's Am I Really Losing You? for comfort.

The album is available as a standard CD as well as a DVD, oddly titled The Metamorphosis Collection. The DVD contains several interviews and documentaries, as well as the entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound. And it is this surround mix that truly makes the music come alive. I have said this many times before: if there is one genre fit to take full advantage of surround sound mixes, it is the prog genre with all its layers, textures, multiple instruments, samples and generic weird stuff. Too few bands seem to be taking this road though, so I am particularly glad to be enjoying the album coming from all corners of my room. The surround mix just does the music so much more justice, you can hear so much more detail as opposed to the stereo mix.

The documentary and interviews are very informative, though a tad on the long side. The "Inside The Mix" section however is a gem. It shows Rob Reed behind his mixing desk talking through the entire album, highlighting each and every part in the music in what is basically the musical equivalent of a DVD commentary commonly featured on movie DVDs. The surround mix is worth the price of this DVD alone, though, so the rest of the content could be regarded bonus anyway. If you're only going to buy one version of the album, this is the one to go for!

My conclusion is a difficult one. How do you rate an album that contains wonderful music but doesn't work as a whole? The only song that I can truly say I like is Blind Faith which combines the best the band has to offer (great solos, beautiful vocals) into just six minutes, and sounds like a proper song. The rest of the album is just too patchy for my taste, proving that many good bits of music, don't necessarily make a good song. Had this been the band's follow-up to Revolutions I would probably have called it a great leap forward; after the magnificent Home it comes as a disappointment. However, that might be saying more about Home than about Metamorphosis.

Tracklist: Making Of Metamorphosis (47:49), Inside the Mix (54:57), Metamorphosis 5.1 Surround Mix (53:35) [The Ballad Of Samuel Layne (20:17), Prekestolen (3:43), Metamorphosis (23:15), Blind Faith (6:01)]
Bonus Material: Interview with Rob and Steve Reed (19:27), Interview with Steve Reed (8:28), Prekestolen video (3:27)

Mbira

Et gammelt afrikansk slaginstrument tilhørende familien idiofoner, med mange forskjellige navn og utforminger. På vestlig folkemunnet går det gjerne under navnet finger harp, gresskar piano, hand piano, thumb piano, sansa, sanza osv.

Navnet kan til og med variere innen samme språk, alt etter brukssammenheng eller utforming. Regionale navn som benyttes er bl.a. akogo, budongo, ikembe, kalimba, likembe, marimbao, marimbula osv.

Består av tynne fleksible metalltunger (lameller) som er festet til et brett eller kasse som er montert til en resonator. Det finnes varianter som har tunger laget av tre eller bambus. De lengste tungene, de med dypest klang, er gjerne plassert i midten av rekken. Den mest utbrette utgaven har 6-14 tunger. Enkelte utgaver har flere rekker med tunger. Antallet kan for øvrig variere fra 2 til 30 tunger.

Resonatoren er enten en enkel trekasse, en åpnet kalebass, et gresskar eller en stor hermetikkboks. Det finnes også nyere utgaver laget av glassfiberlaminat. En skramlete klang preger ofte instrumentet da det gjerne festes kjeder, metallbiter, sneglehus, ståltråd osv. til instrumentet eller på tungene.

Instrumentet holdes med begge hendene og spilles helst stående eller gående. Den frie enden av tungene trykkes ned og knipses på plass igjen med tommelfingrene, eller med tomlene og pekefingrene. Benyttes som soloinstrument, til sang eller også til dans. Visse regioner bruker instrumentet til seremonielle hendelser. Det finnes mange forskjellige stemminger

Mike Florio

Arisen

Note: If you hated the '80s, and/or think the '80s made Prog look bad, skip this review.

That being said...if Kansas, Styx, and Genesis had done a collaboration in about 1976, this is what it would have sounded like. Mike, a keyboardist/pianist very much in the Kansas/Genesis vein and vocalist with much in common with Steve Walsh, is backed on this album by Bill Thomas on guitars, Dave Bailey on bass, and Steve Golden on drums. And from the first seconds of Bells For 1827, a song referencing (but not about) the death of Beethoven, Mike and Co. show they're not amateurs. The opening keyboards, no less bombastic than any epic of the '70s or our own time (Symphony X's The Odyssey particularly comes to mind), lead into the heart of this beautiful song, driven by intricate piano chords and reverb-drenched guitar. In just over seven minutes, Mike manages to capture and summarize every element that made Leftoverture a great album, all while sounding fresh and modern (and remarkable - the recording on Arisen is flawless).

Binary World calls to mind the height of Styx's career, and not only musically but lyrically gives a nod to Mr. Roboto ("My blood is oil supreme/Fuelling the soul of my new machine/Computer memory extreme/Storing the images of my dreams"). Fractured opens with a brief harpsichord figure a la Siberian Khatru before returning to the Styx feel, complete with organs, soaring vocals, and a killer guitar solo. And now that I've name-dropped several prominent bands and a handful of albums and songs from the mid and late '70s, I need to point out that sonically Arisen has more in common with 90125 than Close To The Edge. Mike's voice certainly falls between Steve Walsh and Dennis DeYoung, but the music itself has that happiness and thought that fell between progressive rock's oft-pretentious adolescence and it's oft-politically-active adulthood. It's what sets, say, 90125 apart from both Close To The Edge and Magnification.

Pretending and Media Ride continue the Kansas-meets-Styx feel, while Paradise Of Stone brings a less cheery and bright mood to the album. If anything, this song has much in common with the depressing ballads of loss of the later '80s. Like any good song, I can't put my finger on it exactly, but this song just has that less-cheery FEEL to it, even the guitars and keys sound like they may be trying to cover up some inner sadness. It's a nice change, and shows a little diversity in the album's stylistic leanings. Mike has a "formula," sure, but it works very well, and he moves the variables around enough to keep the album interesting.

Violent Moods, the closer, is quite possibly the most beautiful song on the album. The first four minutes are all Mike, with piano and keys dancing sensuously under his voice, followed by an instrumental section featuring some great keyboard work and a wonderfully fluid guitar solo. The mood on this track is similar to drifting upward through a bank of clouds, very light and airy but not exactly sunny.

So, Arisen is an album with a '70s soul and an '80s attitude. If that makes any sense, go buy this album, you'll enjoy every second of it. Mike Florio has mastered that art of making songs that are both musically interesting and emotionally involving, so listening to the music and drawing parallels unfortunately only tells half the story (as evidenced by my attempt at explanation above). If you enjoyed anything you heard on the radio between 1979 and 1990, this album will probably at least make you smile as you reminisce; and if you own much Kansas or Styx, Arisen will be a refreshing twist on some familiar themes. Happy listening.

Tracklist: Bells For 1827 (7:24), Binary World (5:55), Fractured (4:38), Pretending (4:33), Media Ride (3:38), Paradise Of Stone (9:09), Violent Moods (6:58)

Mangrove

”Facing The Sunset” heter ”treskolandets” Mangroves siste studioplate, mens siste liveplate heter, ”Coming Back To Live”.  Smakebiter og info om disse symfoniske proggerne finner du her.

http://www.myspace.com/mangrovemusic

http://www.mangrovemusic.nl/

Hollenderne startet i 1995 når skolekameraten Roland Van Horst (gitar og vokal) og Joost Hegemeijer (trommer og tangentinstrumenter) slo seg sammen og begynte å skrive sine egne komposisjoner. Etter tre år kom albumet ” Cold Water” med bandnavnet Brainstorm. I en kort periode var sangeren Eric Holdtman med, men p.g.a. personlige problemer gikk han ut i 2001.  Samme år kom demoen ” Massive Hollowness” under Mangove fanen hvor også bassisten Peter Drost var med. Like etterpå kom keybordspilleren Chris Jonker med i Mangrove. Denne besetningen utgav i 2004 skiva ” Touch Wood”.

”Touch Wood” er en rolig, melodisk og symfonisk skive.  Musikken støttes av en meget stødig rytmeseksjon, og mellotronbruken er svært delikat. Sistesporet ” City Of Darkness” er knallbra, og tanken går til Genesis på sitt beste.

Dobbel liveplate kom i 2006.Tittelen var den noe misvisende,  “Coming Back To Live”. Smakfull, tilgjengelig og med stemningsskifter fra sakte rytmer tit mer bombastiske utbrudd, og fra drømmende og svevende saker til mer mid-tempo sekvenser. Dynamikk og substans med utmerkede kor-mellotron samplere, og Hammondorgel og Fender Rhodes i usedvanlig smakfull tapning.

Mangrove

Facing The Sunset

If a progband is meant to be sounding different on each of their albums, then Dutch Mangrove is probably the proggiest of them all. Their first album "Massive Hollowness" contained an interesting merge of funk and prog. Their second album Touch Wood seemed more of an ode to the music of seventies Genesis and eighties Marillion. And now their third self-produced album is a bit like their Tales From Topographic Oceans, with four epic tracks averaging around the 15 minute mark!

 This time there were no changes in the line-up from the previous album, which enabled the band to develop their musical style further. Though perhaps the difference between this album and its predecessor is not as big as it was between the first two albums, the band has certainly 'grown'. Musically the album is a pleasant mix mainly Genesis-inspired neo-prog, with some Floydian overtones and the occasional hint of Yes-like psychedelia. Where the previous two albums could use some more work in the vocal department, Mangrove and especially singer/guitarist Roland van der Horst certainly have put great work into improving the vocals. Van der Horst's vocals are bit of a mix between David Gilmour and Colin Blunstone, with the occasional Jon Anderson falsetto added in the mix. Where on the previous album Touch Wood (the first album with Van der Horst on vocals) he was stretching his vocals too much, on this new album he limits himself to a more comfortable range. By no means is he a great lead-singer, but I've heard plenty of prog-bands with worse singers too.

 The album opens with the title track, which is characterised by Pieter Drost's excellent fretless bass-work. Guitar and keyboard solos alternate, building to a long climax in which the guitar has a very distinct Steve Hacket feel. The next track I Fear The Day is like a Pink Floyd/Genesis hybrid, with nice piano and washes of Mellotron, backed with very laid-back drumming.

 Instrumental There Must Be Another Way is a good showpiece for the individual band member's talents. This is where the excellent musicianship of the foursome becomes evident. Roland van der Horst's guitar play is top notch and often reminds of a slightly harder edged Steve Hackett. Pieter Drost does a good Pete Trewavas impersonation by playing very melodic and effective bass-lines. Joost Hagemeijer's drums are solid throughout, though they may be a tad on the safe side (more Nick Mason than Phil Collins here) and finally Chris Jonker's keyboards once again excel in very Tony Banks-like keyboard solos. There Must Be Another Way is an excellent way of showcasing the band's talents and will certainly be a great track to hear played live. It is also the most varied track on the album, with both very fast passages and a mellow acoustic mid-section. The ending is like a David Gilmour solo played over the music of Marillion's The Space.

 Hidden Dreams is the band's magnum opus. The 20-minute epic starts very neo-prog style with shrill lead-guitar and very 'epic' drums. The vocals in this song are very Yes-like, with vocals duties shared between Van der Horst and Hagemeijer. To add to the mix are Tony Banks style keyboards (Lamb Lies Down era). The band keep this long song interesting by changing the direction of the (largely mellow) song some 180 degrees a couple of times with IQ-like up-tempo sections.

As with the previous releases, the artwork of the CD is top-notch. Some very nice close-ups of the band member's instruments. Furthermore an outline of the story of the concept is given - of course it is a concept album.

 Tracklist: Facing The Sunset (13:53), I Fear The Day (10:12), There Must Be Another Way (12:31), Hidden Dreams (20:58)

Me
Deg og dine ven
K

Musikkhatere

Ikke ukjente Drillo har i sin tid uttalt at stillhet er den beste musikken! Når så en utøvende kunstner går ut og sutrer over at kunst for øret tar oppmerksomhet fra kunst for øyet blir vi noe skremt av slikt trangsyn. For å gjøre det hele fullstendig latterlig hevder billedkunstner David Hockney også at Mp3-spilleren har også skylda for at vi kler oss stygt. Antakeligvis har mannen ikke speil, da hans bekledning neppe er velegnet til å fremkalle de store ovasjonene.

David Hockney liker ikke iPodens påvirkning på samfunnet generelt og kunsten spesielt. Storbritannias kanskje mest kjente nålevende billedkunstner, David Hockney, langer ut mot musikk.

Hockney mener lyd tar altfor stor plass i dagens samfunn og at blant annet iPoden er en direkte årsak til at britisk billedkunst for tida ligger brakk.  Vi iler til å si at det selvsagt ikke har noe med kvaliteten på det som lages, eller at billedkunst er en tanke "usynlig" i samfunnet generelt.

”Jeg tror alt handler om lyden. Folk plugger igjen ørene og ser seg ikke så mye rundt, mens derimot min største glede er øynene”, sa Hockney under en tale i sitt eget 70-årslag nylig.  Hvorfor vi ikke både kan tilfredsstille ørene og øynene til hver sin tid eller på likt, er for oss et under

Hockney hevder også at iPoden fører til at folk ikke bryr seg om hvordan de kler seg fordi det visuelle ikke har så stor betydning lenger.

En talsmann for iPod-produsenten Apple tilbakeviser Hockneys påstander, skriver Brisban Times.

”Bare se på hva folk gjør visuelt med iPodene sine. De lager kortfilmer og deler en haug med visuell informasjon”.

Morsomme musikkuttrykk

Definisjon av noen sentrale uttrykk i POP-leksikonet:

Musikk er lyd. Det er ikke alltid lett å bestemme hvilke lyder som er musikk, og hvilke som bare er lyder. Normalt vil man si at musikk er harmonisk lyd som representerer tonene i en skala. Det er også utbredt enighet om at rytme; taktslag ved bruk av rytmeinstrumenter, er musikk, selv om det ikke er toner. Musikk har lenge vært anerkjent som en kunstform, og opptrer gjerne sammen med språk (såkalte sangtekster) og visuelle virkemidler (såkalt dans og såkalte musikkvideoer). I det 20. århundret ble musikk en storindustri, som bl.a. gjør den til en viktig inntektskilde for Sverige, et lite land som er verdens fjerde største eksportør av såkalt >popmusikk.

Popmusikk er egentlig en fellesbetegnelse for all musikk som selger godt, men man kaller ofte bestselgerne ved sitt rette genre-navn, som f.eks. >dance, heavy, >rap osv. Ofte blir uttrykket "popmusikk" brukt om en egen genre, som kjennetegnes av melodiske sanger med markerte, fengende refreng, lett rytme og lettfattelige tekster. Popstjerner er ofte trendsettere som er vel så kjente for imaget sitt som for musikken.

Norsk musikk er en fellesbetegnelse for all musikk som tror den skal selge veldig mye, men selger veldig lite. Herunder finner vi også uttrykket "pophåp", som betyr "en nordmann som kjenner Ole Evenrud og snart har en stor avtale med et stort internasjonalt plateselskap".

Rock er stort sett den musikken folk som egentlig ikke liker musikk ikke liker. Rock stammer fra-, men må ikke forveksles med "Rock ’n Roll", som var en R & B/country-inspirert form for popmusikk man ofte kunne danse til. Blant dem som liker rock, regnes genren som mer seriøs enn >popmusikk. Rocken spilles gjerne av grupper der alle medlemmene kan spille minst ett instrument, og minst en person ikke er pen. Fordi både gitaristen og trommeslageren er mennesker, har rocken ofte et såkalt "mer bråkete" lydbilde enn pop’en. Rockestjerner kjennetegnes ved at de er umulige å bli kvitt. De ekte rockestjernene hadde sin glanstid på 70-tallet, men er fremdeles rockestjerner. Originalrockestjernene skiller seg fra ny-rockestjernene ved at deler av samtiden deres mente de var djevlens budbringere. I dag synes de fleste at rockestjerner er talentfulle folk som har stor respekt for musikk som uttrykksform.

Puddelrock var et 80-talls fenomen som gikk ut på å ha langt hår med permanent selv om man var fem gutter, men samtidig være for glad i snille jenter til å spille heavy, for kommersiell til å spille >rock og for opptatt av i el-gitarer til å spille >pop. Puddelrocken nådde sitt klimaks med Europes "The final countdown" i 1986, og siden har den klart å telle vekk alle stjernene bortsett fra Bon Jovi. I Norge var puddelrocken best representert ved Return, som dessuten (til vår elleville begeistring) solgte opptil flere konsertbilletter i Sverige.

Rap er mannlige svarte amerikanske ghetto- og gjengmedlemmers språk, som ble verdensberømt da "gangsterne" satte musikk til det. Dette førte bl.a. til at velstelte gutter fra indre Telemark snudde capsen bak fram og sa "fuck" i håp om en platekontrakt. Ekte rap-utgivelser kjennetegnes ved den svart/hvite firkanten på coveret som advarer foreldre mot uhemmet språkbruk. Rap eksploderte kommersielt på 90-tallet, men eksisterte på plate allerede sent på 70-tallet.

Dance er en blanding av >popmusikkk og >techno, til dels også >rap. Noen vil kalle det en moderne form for disco. Dance er det du hører på aerobictreningen og 90-tallets diskoteker. Genren har enda enklere tekster enn >popmusikk, og de uttrykker nesten alltid en positiv sinnsstemning. Dance-gruppene består som regel av en pen dame som nesten kan synge og en pen mann som nesten kan rappe. Siden ingen av dem kan lage musikk, er de avhengige av en datakyndig gutt eller to som er like glade for å tjene penger uten å måtte forlate rommet sitt som dance-stjernene er for å være på MTV. Dance blir også kalt "Euro-dance" fordi genren per definisjon er europeisk. Det amerikanere kaller "dance" er poetiske vuggeviser for euro-dansere. Dance-grupper oppløses som regel før den første hit’en er ute av listene.

Techno har omtrent samme forhold til >dance som >rock har til >pop. Genren er altså mindre kommersiell-, og etter sigende mer seriøs enn >dance, men de to genrene kan være vanskelige å skille fra hverandre for utenforstående. En tommelfingerregel er at >techo høres ut som to roboter som prøver å snakke i telefonen mens de plystrer, mens >dance høres ut som to mennesker som prøver å synge/rappe i takt mens de danser. Techno har til dels hatt liten kommersiell gjennomslagskraft, kanskje på grunn av sine lysskye komponister.


I tillegg til disse genrene finnes utallige andre. Heavy, grunge, house, acid jazz, soul, punk-rock, reaggae, black metal, r & b, blues, gospel etc. etc. Disse handler blant annet om kirkebrenning, ectasy, rastafletter, kobraslanger, strikkeluer og Jesus.

Mostly Autumn

The Spirit Of Autumn Past

 After being stunned by their first album, see above, I was eager to hear their second one. And the little criticism I had with the first (e.g. Heather Findlay not singing enough) was resolved on this one. After the first one, this one is really familiar since the whole construction of the album (where are the uptempo tracks, where are the slow ones, where Celtic, where Floydian) is almost identical.

In the wind that opens the CD, the guitar solo of the last song of the previous album can be heard, indicating that they just continue where they have left on the previous album.Winter Mountain is an uptempo cross between Floyd, recent Marillion and Celtic Rock. This Great Blue Pearl has a " modern Floyd" feel to it, with Jennings playing a cool Hammond. A nice track that ends with one of those by now familiar Gilmour guitar pieces. Findlay does lead vocals on the calm early Genesis-like piece Pieces of Love (think of the quiet Lamb tracks). Then the album goes a bit deeper with the stunning, crying, Please. Intense, with a melancholic powerful chorus not often heard, this song is one of the highlights of the album. Evergreen is a semi-acoustic piece, with Findlay showing the beauty of her voice. In a song of this lenght, compositional quality comes to light. The leaflet of Cyclops gave me a clue: this song reminds a bit of Stairway to Heaven. Indeed, in structure and melancholy it does.

Styhead Tarn is more experimental, with a firm beat and spooky sound effects. The album now enters the Celtic Rock part with violin and flute in Shindig and Blackey Ridge/When the Waters Meet. Underneath the Ice is difficult to put in a corner: a bit hippy-like maybe. Through the Window is again a Celtic/ Rory Gallagher track.

Then things turn to magic: The Spirit of Autumn Past opens with a Wright-like piano track, but intensly quiet and of great beauty. An electric guitar sets in, and a song that is typical of the starts of the last two Floyd albums arises. This flows into part two, that grows into a Dire Straits type of track with a powerful chorus. The last track, an epic called The Gap Is Too Wide is a sad song, in memory of Susan Jennings. A beautiful melody softly takes the listener into another world. Then a choir including friends and family of Susan set in, sending shivers down my spine. The guitar sings its song of sorrow and longing and on top of all Troy Donockley of Iona gives a superb Uilleann pipe solo. Wow.

Intense, almost 70 minutes of beautiful compositions and great musicianship. Mostly Autumn combine Floyd with Celtic music in a natural, non-forced way. Great vocals, guitar and keyboards, need I say more? Go get this album, and the previous one while you're at it! These people can, no should, become big.

Tracklist: Winter Mountain (6:55), This Great Blue Pearl (5:41), Pieces of Love (4:15), Please (6:10), Evergreen (8:00), Styhead Tarn (3:32), Shindig (3:07), Blakey Ridge/When The Waters Meet (2:12), Underneath the Ice (3:49), Through the Windows (4:41), The Spirit of Autumn Past (part 1) (2:43), The Spirit of Autumn Past (part 2) (6:30), The Gap Is Too Wide (11:37)

Mellotronfrelste

Enkelte får bare ikke nok mellotron, og da er vel en liste over "må-bare-ha" skiver ikke å forrakte.

Barclay James Harvest - Live

Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories

Druid - Towards The Sun

Earth & Fire - Atlantis

England - Garden Shed

Edgar Froese - Esiolon In Malaysian Pale

Genesis - Nursery Crime

Gracious! - This Is

Greenslade -Greenslade

Harmonium - Les Cinc Saiasons

Jonsey - Keeping Up

King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon

Landberk - Riktig Akta/Lonely Land

Matching Mole - Matching Mole

Mooy Blues - On The Threshold Of a Dream

Museo Rosenbach -Zarathustra

SFF - Symphonic Picture

Spring - Spring

White Willow - Ignis Fatuus

Yes - Close To The Edge

Änglagård - Hybris

Normalt er mellotron et bakgrunns-instrument, men en sjelden gang får det lov til å prøve seg i en solo-rolle:

Genesis - Nursery Cryme - 1971 - Seven Stones

Camel - Camel - 1973 - Never Let Go

Greenslade - Greenslade - 73 - Feathered Firends

Caravan - In The Land Of The Grey And Pink - 1971 - Golf Girl

Meat Loaf

 Bat Out Of Hell III

Denne artikkel er i sin helhet skrevet av Odd Inge Rand fra musikkavisen Puls, og er med for å få en noe annerledes vinkling på musikk enn mye av det disse sidene til vanlig gestalter.

Det måtte jo skje. 29 år etter Meat Loaf brakdebuterte med "Bat Out Of Hell" er han tilbake med kapittel tre, forøvrig 13 år etter den forrige "Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell". Men hjernen bak hele konseptet, Jim Steinman, glimrer med sitt fravær.

Det vil si, han har jo komponert blant andre singelen "It's All Coming Back To Me Now", forøvrig en duett med "vår egen" Marion Ravn. Forøvrig en flott låt, men Jim Steinman skrev den i 1995, og den dukket også opp på Falling Into You-albumet til Celine Dion i 1996, og ble en singlehit den gangen.

Videre er Bad For Good skrevet helt tilbake i 1979, og gitt ut av Jim Steinman selv på albumet av samme navn tilbake i 1981. Det til tross, Jim Steinman er hjernen bak hele konseptet Bat Out Of Hell, og det har ryktes om rettsaker og skittentøysoppvask mellom Steinman og kjøttpuddingen selv etter at Meat Loaf alene har dratt konseptet videre til enda et kapittel.

For å slokke alle flammer har Meat Loaf tredd inn i kompisrollen og klint til med "For thirty years of friendship and inspiration, Bat Out Of Hell III is dedicated to Jim Steinman på coveret til den nye platen.

Inn i rollen som musikalsk leder har Desmond Child kommet, mannen som har komponert millionselgere sammen med Bon Jovi, Kiss, Alice Cooper og Mötley Crüe. Ellers er produksjonen full av kjente navn som Nikki Sixx fra Mötley Crüe, John 5 fra Marilyn Manson, Steve Vai og Queens Brian May. Og alle sammen legger igjen sin signatur i form av låtskriving eller spilling.

"The Monster Is Loose" er første låt ut, og det er noe av det tyngste Meat Loaf noen gang har hatt fingrene i. Skrevet av Nikki Sixx og John 5 sammen med Desmond Child så er det moderne tungrock-riff gjennomsyret av en mektig produksjon som åpner skiva.

Videre fortsetter pompøsiteten med "Blind As A Bat" før Marion Ravn gjør entré med singlesuksessen "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". Og Marion gjør en fin jobb som sidekick til Meat Loafs såre signaturvokal. Nevnte "Bad For Good" er Brian Mays lekegrind, og hans doble gitarløp i begynnelsen er som å høre Queen på ny.

Sammen med åpningssporet er "In The Land Of The Pig, The Butcher Is King" en av de tøffeste sporene på skiva. En praktfull gitarsolo av Steve Vai løfter låten som også er signert Jim Steinman høyt. Videre gjør flere gjester bra ting i det Jennifer Hudson bringer sjel og dybde til "The Future Ain't What It Used To Be".

Kritikerne har vært lunkne til Meat Loafs nye epos, men faktum er at platen inneholder mye tøft, mye takket være solid produksjon og mange interessante gjester. Men med Jim Steinman ute av førersetet så er litt av magien og den røde tråden forsvunnet, og da blir Bat Out Of Hell III bare just another album fra den gamle storheten.

Magenta

It has been announced by the NEARfest organisers that Magenta to bring 'symphonic color' to NEARfest 2007:

We are very pleased to announce that the British quintet Magenta, without question one of the best "newer" bands in the symphonic progressive arena, will be performing on the Saturday slate of NEARfest 2007. Centered around the multi-keyboard attack of band founder Rob Reed and the soaring and emotive vocals of Christina Booth, Magenta's music is evocative of a hybrid of Yes and Renaissance textures, updated for the 21st century with an aggressive guitar and rhythmic edge. Their new release Home, a concept-themed work about the conflicting emotions of a young female British emigreé to the USA, along with its EP companion New York Suite, have cemented their international reputation and proven a very strong seller for their independent F2 Music label. Magenta has also garnered well-deserved accolades for their extremely strong live performances at festivals and prog showcases around the world. Be sure not to miss Magenta's stirring performance at NEARfest 2007!

Mostly Autumn

The first ever Mostly Autumn Convention is scheduled to take place at Thorpe Underwood Estate, over the weekend of the 14th & 15th April 2007.

With a venue as charming as this there is a danger that you will fall in love with the place as much as the band you are here to see! Thorpe Underwood nestles in 100 acres of beautifully maintained grounds and is situated in an ideal location just 10 miles North of York City centre.

Transport links to York are plentiful and we can arrange pick up from the railway station and Leeds Bradford airport.

Mostly Autumn have confirmed that they will be in attendance for the whole convention, an exciting itinerary has been organised along with some very special guests planned for the evening performance, together with a few surprises.

There will be a strong focus on the music during the weekend, together with social opportunities to meet kindred spirits and make new friends.

Please visit www.mostly-autumn.com for further details.

Musikalsk kodom

Musikalsk kondom er med på notene

En ukrainsk oppfinner har laget et musikalsk kondom som skal følge stemningen i senga.).

Musikkhandel på nett?

Er du en av dem som fortsatt er usikker på om nettshopping av musikk er sikkert?
Nå har tre driftige studenter lansert en nettportal som skal guide deg til en sikker handel på internett.

Stadig flere nordmenn handler musikk og musikkrelaterte produkter fra utlandet på nett. Netthandel har blitt sikrere, og den gode bredbåndsdekningen har ført til at nettsurfing og netthandel er i sterk vekst.

Det kan likevel være vanskelig å navigere blant tusenvis av nettbutikker, og mange føler seg usikre på hvordan de skal gå fram.

Nå mener tre studenter at de har funnet løsningen for usikre nettshoppere:

- Vi startet http://www.importalen.no/ for å samle sikre nettbutikker i en portal, samt gi forbrukerne råd og tips om importregler ved handel fra utenlandske nettbutikker, sier redaktør Erlend Ramsvik fra Sykkylven.

Han studerer sosialpsykologi i Trondheim og kom på ideen om portalen etter mange års erfaring med netthandel.

- Dette nettstedet gjør det enklere for forbrukerne å orientere seg i nettjungelen. Sidene våre presenterer gode internasjonale nettbutikker for de aller fleste varegrupper. I tillegg finner en all nødvendig informasjon om moms, toll, frakt, betalingsmåter også videre, sier Ramsvik.
 

Sidene inneholder også valutakalkulator, nyhetsmeldinger og forum hvor brukerne kan utveksle erfaringer.

- Mitt inntrykk er at det er kvinnene som er ivrigst på netthandel. Dette kan kanskje skyldes at dyre forbruksvarer som kosmetikk og hudpleieprodukt er svært lett å handle. Flere butikker tilbyr gratis frakt til Norge, og da er det ikke uvanlig at en sparer rundt 50 prosent i forhold til butikkpris i Norge.

Noen sider er selvsagt bedre enn andre, men her er noen jeg har god erfaring med:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/5174/ref%3Dtab%5Fgw%5Fm%5F7/002-6538733-3010431

http://www.missingpiece.net/

http://www2.recordheaven.net/

http://www.mamut.com/progrock

http://www.gft-cyclops.co.uk/

http://www.platekompaniet.no/index.asp

http://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?navroot=904&session=1

http://www.ginza.se/

http://www.djangomusic.com/

http://www.swedenrockshop.com/

http://www.secondspin.com/

http://www.spun.com/

McDonald And Giles