Kenso: Uchi Naru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo

[moecurlythanu]

Kenso II is the best imo

+1

[interbellum]

Hi,

You are correct in that we have stopped selling direct retail from the Advent website. This is primarily due to the fact that the US Postal Service rates have increased so dramatically that we cannot afford to offer postage at anywhere near a reasonable rate internationally. We love KENSO's music (and a couple of members are also very good friends) and it was a genuine pleasure to be able to help the band with their international distribution for several years, but these ridiculously steep postage increases just made it impossible to keep doing so.

I love the new album, by the way, as well as Utsuroi Yuku Mono and it's really hard for me to pick a favorite between the two.

All the best,


Alan

Thanks Alan!

Loved visiting your shop. I remember the NEARfest-DVD from Kenso crossed the ocean within 5 days.

Best and good luck,

René

[interbellum]

My favorites are their most recent (up until this new one, which I ordered yesterday), "Yume No Oka" and "Utsuroi Yuku Mono." I haven't heard the remix of "Sparta," but I'd like to. There's a lot of great stuff on there, but I have the original and the production is pretty bad, especially the drum sound.

The first one I ever heard was "In the West," which believe it or not, I found at Tower Records (remember them?) for the price of a normal domestic CD. It's a great live record, but they have A LOT of live records; maybe some of them are even better.

Anyway, Kenso scratches a special itch for me because like one of my other favorite bands, Bruford, they strike a perfect blend of prog and fusion; a winning combination!

The sound of "Sparta Naked" is indeed a lot better and warmer than the original. Hope you can still get that one.

"In The West" was released by Musea, which might explain why it had the price of a normal CD.

You're right about the amount of live-recordings by Kenso. There are so many, including a couple of DVD's. A few weeks ago I played "Yume No Oka" for the first time after a couple of years and that was a strange experience as I had become so used to the live-versions.

Kenso-Bruford: two magical words for me too!

[Progbear]

UYM and the new one are the only ones I don’t have. I assume that the vocal tracks on UYM feature the same “flamenco vocalist” who was on FMDBS. I was OK with those (if memory serves, there were only two of them), but they were kind of an eye-popper the first time I listened to that album (in that I totally was not expecting a Japanese lady trying to be a crazy, wailing flamenca at all!).

+1

×2. I like all of their albums to different degrees, but their second has still not been bettered, to me. I too have the Electric Bird edition with the cream of the first Kenso album as bonuses (which makes it feel like an expanded edition of the compilation LP Self Portrait, which was my first taste of Kenso). That era has most of their classic, timeless compositions, plus I am such a sucker for the analog synthesis of that era integrated into prog (see also: In Spe, whose debut LP sounds quite a bit like Kenso, and period recordings from Eloy and Pekka Pohjola).

[aith01]

The sound of "Sparta Naked" is indeed a lot better and warmer than the original. Hope you can still get that one.

I didn't realize such a thing existed! Probably no hope of finding a copy nowadays, but it sounds like it's worth keeping an eye out for anyway.

[Sputnik]

I didn't realize such a thing existed! Probably no hope of finding a copy nowadays, but it sounds like it's worth keeping an eye out for anyway.

Walker has it... http://synphonic.8m.com/country/japan.htm

It's $35, but that's actually not a bad price and is possibly even lower than it was selling in some places when it was released. Just so you don't flip when you see the price.

I'm happy to see others liking Kenso II.

Bill

[aith01]

Walker has it... http://synphonic.8m.com/country/japan.htm

It's $35, but that's actually not a bad price and is possibly even lower than it was selling in some places when it was released. Just so you don't flip when you see the price.

I'm happy to see others liking Kenso II.

Bill

Wow, thank you! That's not a bad price at all.

[Progbear]

I'm happy to see others liking Kenso II.

It’s almost certainly in my top 10, maybe even top 5, of prog albums released in the 80s.

[Reach]

I was a big fan of the original Sparta, but like Sparta Naked even more, overall. Would have to be my fave Kenso album. I think I paid around $50 for it or so. (Most expensive single disc I think I've ever bought). Totally worth it for me.

My fave live album would be Live '92.

The dark horse is Esoptron, yeah, but still awesome. Love "GIPS."

[Reach]

Superman music of the future

[No Pride]

Well I've been listening to this latest one and I'm slightly disappointed. I only like tracks 3, 4 and 5, with track 3 (Snow River at Dusk) being my favorite, it's beautiful... and a bit of a departure.

This one strikes me as being heavier on the prog rock and lighter on the fusion. I don't like the operatic vocals much at all; reminds me of Gayle Moran on Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Visions of the Emerald Beyond;" not a good thing in my book. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret buying it, as I really do like those three tracks. I just think their previous two were better... or at least more to my taste. YMMV.

[Sputnik]

Well I've been listening to this latest one and I'm slightly disappointed. I only like tracks 3, 4 and 5, with track 3 (Snow River at Dusk) being my favorite, it's beautiful... and a bit of a departure.

This one strikes me as being heavier on the prog rock and lighter on the fusion. I don't like the operatic vocals much at all; reminds me of Gayle Moran on Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Visions of the Emerald Beyond;" not a good thing in my book. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret buying it, as I really do like those three tracks. I just think their previous two were better... or at least more to my taste. YMMV.

Hmmm, too bad. I think your assessment is probably right, more Prog than Fusion, but much as I love a lot of Fusion, I guess I'm a Progger at heart so this one sits better with me. This one seems less chaotic and noodling than some Kenso to me. Not that Kenso are that chaotic or noodle that much, but this one has less of what sometimes wears me out with them.

I'd agree with you that the last three vocal tracks on the previous album were in Gayle Moran territory (also not a good thing in my book, totally ruins Visions for me), but I like the vocals on Uchi Naru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo.

Glad there's something there for you to enjoy, maybe it will grow on you with time.

Bill

[Progbear]

The dark horse is Esoptron, yeah, but still awesome. Love "GIPS."

It’s their most underrated disc. I know a lot of people have a problem with the grungy sound and departure into harder rock territory, but I like my Kenso with a little bit of bite and edge. For my taste, Sparta and Yume no oka were far too slick and smooth, so the harsher and (for me) more exciting sound of Esoptron was a step in the right direction. FMDBS felt more energized as a result.

[dropforge]

It’s their most underrated disc. I know a lot of people have a problem with the grungy sound and departure into harder rock territory, but I like my Kenso with a little bit of bite and edge. For my taste, Sparta and Yume no oka were far too slick and smooth, so the harsher and (for me) more exciting sound of Esoptron was a step in the right direction. FMDBS felt more energized as a result.

While I feel Yume No Oka sounds just fine (considering when it was done), I do love the harder sound of Esoptron. I played the hell out of that when I got it.

[No Pride]

The dark horse is Esoptron, yeah, but still awesome. Love "GIPS."

I don't have Esoptron, but I have a vague recollection of hearing some of it somewhere and not liking it. However, I have "Gips" on In The West and love it! I'll admit, sometimes Yoshihisa's raunchier tones grate on me. It's a guitar player thing; we can have very subjective opinions on tones. He's a good guitar player and a great composer; I just occasionally take issue with his sound. I think one of the things I like so much about Yume No Oka is that the keyboard players take the majority of the solos... and they're great!

I also prefer the old drummer, no offense to the new guy, who is very good. Again, just a matter of taste.

[aith01]

I don't have Esoptron, but I have a vague recollection of hearing some of it somewhere and not liking it. However, I have "Gips" on In The West and love it! I'll admit, sometimes Yoshihisa's raunchier tones grate on me. It's a guitar player thing; we can have very subjective opinions on tones. He's a good guitar player and a great composer; I just occasionally take issue with his sound. I think one of the things I like so much about Yume No Oka is that the keyboard players take the majority of the solos... and they're great!

Right on.

Hopefully the new one will grow on you over the coming weeks. It took some time, but I like most of the tracks quite well now. It's a little less "immediate" than Yume No Oka, imo, but it rewards multiple listens.

[selmer]

I liked the previous one better than this last one. That one was more edgy symphonic and Emerson-like than this one. I gave this one only a couple listens, but nothing really stood out. There are several tracks on the previous one which are excellent the first time you listen to it and later on it's the same good feeling. Well, sure the perceptions can change, I remember not particularly liking some Rudess solo albums the first time, but upon revisit I had listened to some other prog fusion and it helped to appreciate those more.
On this one I felt the symphonical bits were something like those of the Scandinavian prog. I prefer their Emerson-like sounds.

[interbellum]

I also prefer the old drummer, no offense to the new guy, who is very good. Again, just a matter of taste.

Same here, although Keisuke Komori (the "new guy") is a great drummer. Masayuki Muraishi (the old one) is just more subtile. I offen compair it with the switch of drummers in Porcupine Tree: the relaxed Chris Maitland followed by the technical wizzard Gavin Harrison. Although it must be said that Harrison seemed to have changed his original style (for a while) when he joined PT.

[No Pride]

I liked the previous one better than this last one. That one was more edgy symphonic and Emerson-like than this one. I gave this one only a couple listens, but nothing really stood out. There are several tracks on the previous one which are excellent the first time you listen to it and later on it's the same good feeling.

I take some comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one. Yeah, there's a couple of killer tracks on Utsuroi Yuku Mono! I don't think anything on this new one reaches that level except for that piano/guitar duo, "Snow River at Dusk," which I love.

[Progbear]

I think one of the things I like so much about Yume No Oka is that the keyboard players take the majority of the solos... and they're great!

That’s one of the main issues I have with Yume no oka and Sparta. I just can’t stand those late 80s/early 90s Korg/Yamaha synth tones! Some of YNO sounds more “new age” than prog as a result.

[selmer]

I take some comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one. Yeah, there's a couple of killer tracks on Utsuroi Yuku Mono! I don't think anything on this new one reaches that level except for that piano/guitar duo, "Snow River at Dusk," which I love.

I'll definitely revisit the latest one just out of interest/curiosity. There isn't a lot of new music in this vein so listening to it a couple more times can't hurt. There were some moments which I liked and/or hoped would lead to something interesting but most of the time it didn't exactly materialise. Talk about having expectations, my own fault.

[Shadow]

There isn't a lot of new music in this vein so listening to it a couple more times can't hurt.

That's what she thought.

[selmer]

That's what she thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcguksrC0GA