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Thread: THE TANGENT: "A Spark In The Aether - The Music That Died Alone Volume Two" April 20

  1. #51
    After a few spins, I think it's among their best work. Right up there with Le Sacre..., A Place In The Queue, and Not As Good As The Book.

  2. #52
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    I'm really enjoying this album and I agree it's among their strongest. It will certainly be less polarizing than Le Sacre.

    My only point of criticism is that I'm having some issues with a few of Tillison's production choices. More specifically: the use of samples instead of real instruments on a few occasions. For instance, The Celluloid Road is full of horns but they're all sampled. When you have Theo Travis in your band, why not ask him to work something out? Of course, he's mostly a sax player, so he couldn't emulate a full horn section, but I'm sure that what he would have come up with would have sounded better than the samples that were eventually used. Another example is in Spark in the Aether Part 2, which features some nice jazzy sections with a double bass. I'm pretty sure the double bass is also a sample played on the keyboards. Again, why not rely on Jonas Reingold: I'm not sure he plays double bass, but he could have replaced that by some nice fretless playing.
    Most of you will think I'm nitpicking, but I'm always bothered when acoustic instruments are replaced by samples. It always sounds a little cheap to my ears.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

  3. #53
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    ^
    Wow. I didn't catch any of that! Good ear.

    So far it's my Album Of The Year. (Apologies to Steven Wilson, Neal Morse, Anekdoten, Glass Hammer, Hasse Froberg, Steve Hackett, IZZ, Beardfish and The Psychedelic Ensemble - all of whom have put out terrific records in 2015.)
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  4. #54
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    Copied from the other thread - I agree it's excellent, well done Andy for changing things up again. There is some great playing and it's a lot more upbeat and fun than the last release ( though that was also excellent in its own way). I have so much respect for Andy he is as much a torch bearer for the prog scene as Steven Wilson, I really hope that this new album is a big success as he really deserves it. sadly some people will still just go on about his voice but hopefully the the majority will see him as an extremely talented artist, performer, writer and band leader. It would be great if he could do a few more uk dates to promote this cd, although I do understand there are financial constraints. I'm proud to be one of the supporters of this cd and to have my name on the booklet.

    I understand the comments about samples, in an ideal world I'm sure there would be real instruments but there are obviously cost issues o consider

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    My CD arrived yesterday. I think it's a great album. I'm so impressed I'm going to splurge for the vinyl.

  6. #56
    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Andy made a very strong case in the liner notes of his last solo CD Electronic Sinfonia No. 2, regarding the use of keyboard samples over real instruments. He really went on at length about his thoughts on it. To paraphrase by memory, while he knows you cannot replace people like Theo & Jonas, Andy still rather enjoys playing sampled instruments on the keyboard. Because really all sounds on a keyboard synth are sampled to begin with, so to him it is no different playing a horn sound than playing an organ sound. The point to him is that he is still playing it, performing it, so why is it considered "fake"? He knows so many have a hangup about it, but he doesn't get it. It's not like a drum machine, he's playing an instrument that sounds like a horn or a bass. And that's the instrument he plays.

    To be careful, I don't want to put words in Andy's mouth, but that's pretty much what I got out of his arguments on the subject.

  7. #57
    That is a great clip.

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    Who is carrying this in the U.S.?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain View Post
    Andy made a very strong case in the liner notes of his last solo CD Electronic Sinfonia No. 2, regarding the use of keyboard samples over real instruments. He really went on at length about his thoughts on it. To paraphrase by memory, while he knows you cannot replace people like Theo & Jonas, Andy still rather enjoys playing sampled instruments on the keyboard. Because really all sounds on a keyboard synth are sampled to begin with, so to him it is no different playing a horn sound than playing an organ sound. The point to him is that he is still playing it, performing it, so why is it considered "fake"? He knows so many have a hangup about it, but he doesn't get it. It's not like a drum machine, he's playing an instrument that sounds like a horn or a bass. And that's the instrument he plays.

    To be careful, I don't want to put words in Andy's mouth, but that's pretty much what I got out of his arguments on the subject.
    I get his point: it's "natural" (ie not fake) as long as it's played by him. But what bothers me is that I can hear that some of the sounds he uses are samples. I must admit that the string patches he uses, which were all over Le Sacre, sound great, but the samples I mentioned in my previous post definitely don't sound like the real thing to me.
    And if he really didn't get the problem with using samples, would he bother using other musicians in The Tangent, since he can play all the instruments on his synths (even drums in a surprisingly natural sounding way) as he has demonstrated on his last solo CD? He definitely knows you just can't replace the real thing with a synth.
    I can understand the DIY approach on his solo album, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed that he didn't go for the real thing on a Tangent album, because in the context of the Tangent he usually relies on other musicians whenever it's required, but he chose not to in the two examples I mentioned.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Haruspex Carnage View Post
    Went through it yesterday...has its moments...i find his referential lyrics to be a bit pandering, unnecessary, and lame ("If Neal can find God...", the self-conscious thinks-it's-funny-but-isn't "prog" things) and i LIKE his voice...but there's some cool musical moments for sure...and Agren/Reingold/Travis are good on this...i just find the other two wankers.
    I only heard it once yesterday. I picked it up at my local store just before I headed out on a road trip. As you say, it has its moments, but overall I really think this lineup seems better on paper. And while in the past I think AT has written some great lyrics, some of the "clever" moments on this seem to fall flat. Or maybe my tastes are just changing.

    But it's really hard for me to judge based on one listen. I will be spinning it again this weekend on a better sounding system.

    P.S. I'd love to "wank" half as good as Luke Machin!
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  11. #61
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    First listen last night, grabbed me immediately. Chuckled at the "If Neal found God..." lyrics and loved the fantasies of Credo at Wembley and Magenta headlining Glastonbury...will look forward to further digesting this album!

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    I am loving this album. It makes me smile and laugh every time I play it. It's a breath of fresh air. It's a beautiful spring day.

    I can't remember the last time I burst out laughing listening to a song. I was driving enjoying this album. When the line, 'who gets all the chicks' and the answer was a chorus of THE TANGENT. I thought that was hilarious. It's great to have music with a sense of humor.

    Not that I think The Tangent don't get all the chicks. No, No. I'm sure they do. Well except for my wife. Ok, I'll stop typing now.............

  13. #63
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    Yeah Tillison's lyrics have always been incredible, even back to his Po90 days
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    I cannot stop listening to this record! I'm on my 15th spin and it keeps getting better and better (like all of his best work.) It may get my first 5/5 rating of the year over at The Fire Note. (Still debating that but it's at least a 4.5/5 for sure.)
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  15. #65
    Sixties relic Relayer56's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    I cannot stop listening to this record!
    WORD!
    And 'Careful with the sax' - what a brilliant line in a brilliant homage.

  16. #66
    Quote Originally Posted by Relayer56 View Post
    WORD!
    And 'Careful with the sax' - what a brilliant line in a brilliant homage.
    Absolutely! Cracks me up.

    There is quite a bit of fun on this disc. Some welcome levity after the rather "serious" Le Sacre du Travail, which was still awesome IMO.

  17. #67
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    I should learn not to post my impressions too soon. This album sounds way better on my system at home and as a result I'm developing a much bigger appreciation for this lineup.
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  18. #68
    I LOVED their debut, but after that IMHO they stated going down. Every time they had a new album I bought it, and every album was more disappointing than previous. Excretion: Paris & London where Andy shut up for a while and played.
    Quote Originally Posted by aith01 View Post
    After a few spins, I think it's among their best work. Right up there with Le Sacre..., A Place In The Queue, and Not As Good As The Book.
    Thanks! Your post is very helpful: if this opus is comparable to those three albums, I won't buy it, because they are their worst, IMHO.
    Downloading it from Torrent now. If I like I'll buy the CD.

  19. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by Booba Kastorsky View Post
    Excretion: Paris & London where Andy shut up for a while and played.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

  20. #70
    Quote Originally Posted by Booba Kastorsky View Post
    Thanks! Your post is very helpful: if this opus is comparable to those three albums, I won't buy it, because they are their worst, IMHO.
    Downloading it from Torrent now. If I like I'll buy the CD.
    Never said it was similar. All three of those albums are different from each other, by quite a margin. But if that's how you want to judge it, that's your prerogative.

  21. #71
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    I'm not a huge fan of Tilson's vocals most of the time either, but on the songs I do like rather well (Bat Out of Basildon, In Ernest, Crisis in Midlife, A Place In The Queue) I couldn't imagine anyone else singing them. I'm not a big fan of some of the story narrative style lyrics in Tangent albums, but then again I'm not a fan of that style no matter who's doing it. I'll check it out cuz I can't imagine there wouldn't be something on it I'd like.

  22. #72
    éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Don Arnold's Avatar
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    I realize whenever a Tangent thread pops up Andy's vocals become part of the discussion. And, for obvious reasons: his voice seems to polarize Prog fans. For me, I confess that I've found myself thinking, "boy, if there was a different singer, this would be killer stuff!". However, like it or not, AT's voice is part of the Tangent sound. And there are times, especially when he sings in more of a whimsical style (coming close to speaking the words instead of singing them) his voice fits in very nicely with the music.

    I hope to eventually add this new one to my collection, to add to the other five albums of theirs I have.

  23. #73
    随缘 SRS's Avatar
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    Absolutely loving this release - been the soundtrack in the car for the last two weeks. Maybe album of the year so far!

    What a strong lineup this is with Morgan Agren and Luke Machin. Machin really impresses me with his sound choices and while he can unleash some jaw dropping solos he also knows when to pull it back and show restraint. Jonas seems to be having a lot of fun on this one and of course Mr. Andy Tillison Diskdrive is all over the place as we would expect. Codpieces and Capes (maybe not the best name for a song) is the highlight epic with all kinds of winks to our favorite bands and expounding on something Andy has covered before in his blog and also sung about in Supper's Off (from L'Etagère) But he subtitles it "a love song" and the love of music in general is what comes across most to me on this one. as he says: "We Got the Music"

    Definitely a must have.

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    Had some time to tonight to listen to the vinyl. It's a really nice pressing and sounds fabulous. If you're into vinyl this is a nice treat!

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    Quote Originally Posted by SRS View Post
    Absolutely loving this release - been the soundtrack in the car for the last two weeks. Maybe album of the year so far!

    What a strong lineup this is with Morgan Agren and Luke Machin. Machin really impresses me with his sound choices and while he can unleash some jaw dropping solos he also knows when to pull it back and show restraint. Jonas seems to be having a lot of fun on this one and of course Mr. Andy Tillison Diskdrive is all over the place as we would expect. Codpieces and Capes (maybe not the best name for a song) is the highlight epic with all kinds of winks to our favorite bands and expounding on something Andy has covered before in his blog and also sung about in Supper's Off (from L'Etagère) But he subtitles it "a love song" and the love of music in general is what comes across most to me on this one. as he says: "We Got the Music"

    Definitely a must have.
    "Supper's Off" is such a great song. I had to Google what "skint" meant.
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