Actually, Gerard's 80s and early-90s releases had the above-mentioned Yukihiro Fujimura on guitar and Japanese vocals (with a stray English phrase thrown in here and there). The Canadian singer Robin G. Suchy only appeared on 1996's The Pendulum and on the two next releases. The vocals never bothered me, though I lost interest in Gerard after Sighs of the Water.
You're right that they have, at their best, incredible energy and really powerful, catchy melodies. So much so, that you tend to overlook how simple some of their stuff is. I think it stems from Egawa's background in Novela and hard rock in general (or is Earthshaker more of a metal band?). Which is quite different from Ars Nova. Who tend to be less organic. If Egawa is happy stringing together a couple of themes with hurricane soloing, Kumagai's problem seems to be throwing a lot of riffs and themes together without much development. And yes, doing the same thing again and again. Which is part of the reason why I didn't keep up with either group.
That said, I think Transi and Goddess of Darkness are still good for just their energy, abundance of ideas (not all of them good) and the (sometimes hokey) darkish vibe. I lost interest after Android Domina, which I thought was better than its predecessor for trying something a bit different, though not always succeeding. The lack of really memorable themes and the clunkiness, at least compared to Gerard, is what fails them in the longevity stakes. And what I heard of later albums, progressive metal seemed the order of the day and metal has never been my thing.
Agreed, though I think Kenso's fusion influence was at its strongest on the albums after the two releases Trane sampled. Though, I suspect that those albums would still sound too 80s for his tastes, as would (the quite nice, but no more, IMO) Hat and Field, even though it has a strong Canterbury vibe. Perhaps (shudder) Esoptron with its at times Focus-like vibe might go down better?
Wow! That was quick! I've been off the site for a bit. Thought I'd come back & poke around. Keiko from Ars Nova's a long-time pal, so this thread intrigued me. Little did I suspect this was a "shit on the band" thread. Have fun, folks! Catch ya later!
Sleeping at home is killing the hotel business!
OMG, news are just in that not only are they dead, they're:
evil-dead-japan-4.jpg
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Well, I stood up for them, or tried to. I definitely disagree with those who write them off as “just an ELP clone.” They have more influences than that, such as horror-movie soundtracks (Goblin, in particular, is an obvious and pervasive influence). I applaud them for not going the easy route of cheesy classical adaptations, instead writing 100% original material. That said, I do agree that their sound is pretty homogeneous. I thought Transi was an excellent album, but everything I’ve heard by them since (the more recent metal-flavored stuff notwithstanding) pretty much repeats the formula with varying degrees of success. For what it’s worth, I played the first few minutes of Transi to a friend of mine who’s a classically-trained organist, and he was pretty bowled-over. Not to mention, Ars Nova managed to find something of an audience (albeit not necessarily a large one) outside the prog underground. Can The Flower Kings claim the same?
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
It's safe to say Transi, Goddess of Darkness and Book of the Dead represent their best three-album arc. Add the dyn-o-mite live Across the World to that mix. I also like Fear & Anxiety a lot. They were gettin' their groove on. And yes, I do like Android Domina. So there's the six-pack I'd recommend to anybody who likes heavy-duty keyboards-centric instrumental prog.
Back in '95, Transi made me an insta-fan.
I really think the first album Fear & Anxiety is great. It's one that has held up well over the years, and a couple of recent listens have only enhanced my experience.
My recollection is that Transi was even better, but it's been too long since I last heard my CD to defend that position.
I dutifully picked up Goddess of Darkness (even got suckered in to buy the plastic hard cover design thingy - it was at ProgDay 96 in fact - anyone else get this version?) as well as Book of the Dead, but I just haven't heard either of the CDs in over 20 years. They're here, so I'm sure I will eventually, but I recall each becoming more predictable than the last, and I stopped accumulating at that point.
In recent years I've picked up Android Domina and Seventh Hell on the cheap. I decided to sell the former. It's good for sure, but I have enough stuff like that in the collection. Seventh Hell on the other hand seemed better. I don't have any notes to support that, but I'm keeping it for now. I haven't heard any of their other recordings.
Cool! Love the bass player's short scale Fender!
I agree, as I said earlier I think this one gets unfairly overlooked and might actually appeal to folks who don't stuff like Goddess of Darkness. It has a somewhat different overall feel.
I'm not sure why, but I never got that into Transi and it is my least favorite of the first four. I need to give it another spin.
I'd suggest you give Book of the Dead another spin. That's the album the video track above is from, and I really like the compositions on this album, and how they're separated by little acoustic interludes which gives the album a somewhat more organic feel. This is my favorite of theirs.
Bill
Wow! I just stumbled onto this thread and am surprised at the opinions here. Yeah, they were never the most original band in the world but I don't want that all the time. Sometimes I just want some damned comfort Prog, man! Ars Nova fits the bill for me. That said, I really like all their LP's with The Goddess Of Darkness being my favorite. Fun stuff.
And Kenso is not Neo-Prog. But all of you (with one exception) already knew that!!!
The Prog Corner
They did at least one album with vocals. Never heard it so can’t comment on it. Was that the last album they made and was there more than one with vocals?
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^The only Ars Nova trio member who has never shown up since leaving — if you don't count Yumiko, the drummer on Fear & Anxiety — is bassist Kyoko Kanazawa. Everyone else has played together recently.
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