Could not agree more! Listened to both back to back today and they are sheer brilliance. Wilson knew the well ran dry after DNA (which is literally the suck sound you hear as the sink drains) and totally disowned the project from there after. The best song on DNA was Zigota, which had already been done and released before in Aviv's native tongue. Nowhere left to go from there apparently. 4 is something else entirely without his input artistically.Originally Posted by progman1975
For the record, Steven always gave props to DNA and was supportive of Aviv continuing Blackfield without him...it was solely due to Steven wanting to focus on his solo career and not having any time for Blackfield (or for Porcupine Tree either, apparently, which is an even bigger casualty). He hasn't disowned Blackfield, and he contributed what he could to IV.
All that said, I haven't been wowed by most of the tracks I've heard so far. Not sure if I'll get this short disc or not, even though I actually did like DNA a lot.
31 minutes is too short - NOT in general - but because these songs are over before they get started. The songs are too short and just when you get into them, they end. It's sad because these are good song ideas that just never get going. The drum machine does not help, either. I picked DNA as my album of 2011. I LOVED it. This one - step back. Seems like Aviv just took some ideas and threw them together. It's rushed. Still need time to sit with it but I have a feeling my final verdict will be similar to what I already feel.
well, i heard it yesterday for the first time, and so far i like it. with SW’s contribution being minimal it is definitely more pop than rock, which i don’t have an issue with if the songs are as stellar as what aviv geffen has delivered many times already. that is the case. however, “firefly” serves as a reminder to me why i could never stand SUEDE. ever.
Beat, along with several other albums mentioned in this thread were released originally during the days of vinyl and sold for an average price of about $7. The price for this album is nearly 2 & 1/2 times that. If he wants to do a short album, fine, but charge accordingly.
Also I have to say I found IV quite boring.
Sorry, but to me anyone who publicly announces that they are stepping away from a project, and that it is now someone elses to do with as they like, has disowned it in action. Yes, he does play and sing on his best friends album, but I would show the same support for mine too-even if the material was sub-par. He, SW, has polished this turd a step more with his excellent mixing skills and singing/playing. The songs themselves are the fail here for me. Just as they get going, they stop. Pills and Jupiter are the exception, along with Lost Souls. There is a drummer credited, but he plays the same on practically every song, sounding like a drum machine. The 5.1 version of the album makes it sound even better, but that does not help the songwriting. Apparently they will tour this inthe spring. Not sure why...
Last edited by Bruboy1969; 08-31-2013 at 07:31 AM.
I have already removed this from my iPod. Greatly disappointed.i am tempted to ask Ken at Laser's Edge for a refund but I know that's not happening lol.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I get the complaints about the length of this album. It is very short. Really interesting considering that the article on the band in this Month's Prog magazine states that 25 songs were recorded for the album, but only 11 were used in the finished product. That said, I do think the album has some quality stuff on it and is a pretty entertaining listen overall. I think it may be the weakest of all of the Blackfield albums, but it certainly isn't bad by any stretch.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts on it. I was kind of surprised that Geffen didn't decide to add a song or two to make it around 35 minutes, but I still enjoy it regardless.
Some of you might enjoy this video interview with Aviv. In it he mentions that in February Blackfield will be touring the US WITH Steven Wilson! That surprised me, but I guess Steven found time in his schedule to commit to a short tour. I'm glad to hear it, if they come to Colorado I will definitely go, the last tour was fantastic!
http://www.televisionet.tv/en/music_...-my-blackfield
Not interest at all in this band, too mellow and "obvious" melodies, definitely not my cup of tea...
have listened to it several times now. in regards to its modest length, it is as long as it needs to be, and that applies to the individual songs as well. they cover a lot of ground in 31 minutes. the lowdown: i like it, there is some strong material on there with lots of painstaking attention to some interesting detail (the catchy lead synth in “firefly”, the wall of sound at the end of “pills”, the overall orchestrations in what first appears to be a rather mundane pop dirge on “the sense of insanity”). i, too, prefer the rockier/proggier early BLACKFiELD with wilson’s direct influence, but this is as good as it is.
It's on sale at HMV, if you can call 2 for $25 a sale, but still undecided. Still don't even have the last one. Will probably pull the trigger eventually.
Regards,
Jon
A "live" (???) performance of "Jupiter" from Blackfield on German TV, including Steven Wilson. Are the drummer & bassist even from the past Blackfield live band, or are they knew. BONUS -- see Steven Wilson smile at the very end! A scary thought, I know.
http://mediathek.daserste.de/sendung...ld?buchstabe=M
saw that. AND he's wearing shoes – this being german public service broadcasting...
only short glimpses, but they do look like seffy efrati (bass) and tomer zidkyahu (drums). shame about the slightly asynchronous playback.
Picked up the special edition yesterday over at Rhino Records in Claremont.
There's no denying that I & II are very strong records, II in particular, that one is nearly perfect in my book. DNA lost me a bit but has grown on me tremendously leading up to the release of IV.
Blackfield is what it is. I see it as an outlet for SW's pop leanings given that those tendencies exhibited on Stupid Dream & Lightbulb Sun were pretty much buried as PT moved in a heavier and more conceptual direction. I was admittedly dismissive of DNA because SW had taken on a diminished role which was very unfair to the concept of what Blackfield is all about (more on this later) and that Geffen can write a pretty catchy tune.
That said, IV is a terrific album. In a year of very strong releases, this is almost certain to crack my top 10 and COULD end up in the top 5. Yes, it is a short album but it works for me. Only one song seems half-baked, Firefly ends just as it gets going (and I'm a Suede fan so hearing Brett Anderson sing on IV is a plus for me). And if you read the liner notes, SW is in fact all over this. He may not sing as much but he is credited on all but one of the albums 11 tracks. Curiously, the same can be said for Geffen as he is MIA on "The Only Fool Is Me".
My only other criticism has to do with one song, "Sense of Insanity" which I think demonstrates Geffen's limitations as a vocalist, mostly because the music screams U2 and I'm expecting to hear Bono instead. I actually like Geffen's singing for the most part but every so often a song comes along where he's not at his best, for whatever reason.
All in all, I like the direction Blackfield is heading and am all good with SW's fingerprints still being abundant. Conceptually, if Blackfield carries on in the same direction, Geffen's songwriting, the solid band, SW's participation and a handful of interesting guest vocalists, I will continue to look forward to any new Blackfield release.
I've finally listened to the majority of the album and my mood has greatly improved regarding it. The songs are good - albeit a bit shorter than they could be overall - Aviv's voice comes out decent, supported occasionally by Steven in the background, and the production and arrangements are often gorgeous with plenty of Beatles' vibe to them. "Kissed By The Devil", "Lost Souls" and several others are strong songs with plenty of hooks. It's too bad "After the Rain" is so short, I love the feel of this song and it easily could have gone on for 5 more minutes, especially if there were some sweet guitar work from Steven. I'm actually least interested in the guest vocalists on this album; I feel Aviv and Steven offer plenty and don't really want to hear these other folks singing, as much as I like Anathema.
The aforementioned Blackfield article in Prog Magazine (issue 38 with Ian Anderson on the cover) is an interesting read. Reportedly the initial 25 songs that Aviv had offered were chopped down to 11 by Steven himself who said "No way this is going to be on Blackfield" because they were too poppy, too epic. (not sure what he means by "epic" here -- maybe there was a 12-minute track that was cut!) So ironically, perhaps Steven is to blame for this album being so short! And obviously he still has a lot invested in Blackfield, including having veto power over what he feels Blackfield should be on record. Indeed, the article makes it sound more like Steven's original comments of "no longer being a member of Blackfield" were very overstated, and although he's unquestionably more in the background, he's still quite active and involved.
Overall I'm positive about Blackfield's future. Depending on how busy Steven is when Aviv starts making Blackfield V, he might even get more involved again, who knows? I can understand why some people dropped out after the second album, but for me I'm glad to have been introduced to Aviv through this vehicle and look forward to where they take it from here.
The Blackfield album people seem to forget is the "Live in NYC" CD/DVD. I thought that was a good album and I was actually at that show too during a snowstorm. But as for IV, it is underwhelming. There were a couple of songs I liked, but overall was disappointed. I'd also be curious what people think of the Aviv solo albums. They somewhat sound like IV.
Bob
I had tickets to the show, but was stuck in CT due to said snow/ice storm.
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Sadly, Steven has announced that he is officially leaving Blackfield completely. This is even further removed than he had been before, I'm not even sure if he'll make any cameos on future Blackfield releases. The small tour they're doing in Europe this month (only 6 dates, I think, hardly a "tour"!) will serve as his official farewell and thanks, and they will focus on songs from the first two albums since it's the last time he'll play with them.
While I know many people aren't wild about the last two Blackfield albums with Steven's diminished role, I still found plenty of great tunes on them and am sorry that he is completely bowing out now. Steven cited his solo work as the reason, and also alluded to "other projects" he's working on, which could mean just about anything. I wouldn't be surprised if another Storm Corrosion release is in the works...would be very exciting if PT stood a chance of resurfacing, but he might be collaborating with other new people, or just producing other artists.
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