Anybody have it? Good as the last one?
Anybody have it? Good as the last one?
Better IMO!
It is excellent. Can't compare it to the last one as I've yet to get to that disc (been working my way through the Kenso box set over the last few months).
Top shelf music from one of the greats, in my humble opinion. One of the best releases of 2014.
I've only played it twice but enjoyed it very much both times
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
It's another excellent release. I find it better than Utsuroi Yuku Mono, perhaps because it's shorter and more concise. One big improvement is in the use of vocals. There is only one real vocal track, the excellent and perhaps more conventionally progressive”A Song of Hope”, with English lyrics that are probably autobiographical to Shimizu. Miwako Handa's sub-art song vocals work better here than Keiko Kawashima's amusing ”señorita from Tokyo” contributions on Utsuroi.
The overall sturdy-but-not-heavy style carries on from the predecessor and compositions are top-notch all around. My favourite at the moment is probably ”Voice Sankhara”. In between the longer band pieces, they of course fit in a keyboardist solo composition (a nice piano/acoustic guitar duet) and one of Shimizu's Frippertronics-style sound morceaux. Oh, and extra points for using a kantele on ”Shuni majiwareba RED”.
Well said. More love here
Love the album. At times they return to the more melodic style of "Sparta" and "Kenso III", but they kept the adventurous stuff from the latest albums. Indeed, without the somewhat Spanish sounding vocals, but this time with one wordless sung track and the mentions "A Song Of Hope", which sounds somewhere between Kate Bush and an opera-singer.
It seems the Advent-shop has stopped offering some of the Kenso-CD's and -DVD's. Maybe Alan can tell us more about this. I believe they never had this one in the shop.
That's good to hear! To be honest, I can't handle the vocal tracks on Utsuroi and I skip them. But I love the rest of the album! I see that some of the Amazon sellers have the new one for $23 + shipping and it's almost twice as much elsewhere.Originally Posted by Kai
Well I really love earlier Kenso, so sounds like this one is right up my alley.
I largely agree with this. My first reaction to Uchi Naru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo was, "hey, a kinder, gentler Kenso!" It was super easy to get into this one. Sometimes I feel Kenso pack too much into their compositions and they get too "busy" and I sometimes sort of "lose the plot." I found the songs on Uchi Naru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo developed more organically and everything within a given piece seemed to "belong" there. I also really like the vocal track at the end, and feel they were more successful here with the vocals than on Utsuroi Yuku Mono.
I agree about the three tracks at the end, but there's one vocal track earlier on that I like. I made a CDR of this one that includes all the tracks up to those last three, and I find that a very good listen.
BTW, I think you should definitely get Uchi Naru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo. Knowing a bit about your tastes, I think you'll really like this one and for you I'd give it a high recommendation!
Bill
Kenso are one of the best Japanese prog bands. They are always consistently good and that SHM box set is one of my prized possessions.
Yeah they are my favorite current Japanese artist. The only one I've liked more is Mr. Sirius, but they (he) are no longer recording, so...
Same here. I was on the fence for a while about getting that box set, but so glad that I did. They are a class act through and through.
My fave moment on the album is in track 6, starting around 4:26. Sonic orgasm. (Eargasm?)
Another consistently wondrous album from this awesome band.
That's probably my favorite song from the disc, although my favorite part is from ~3:25 through ~4:25. Lovely recurring melody and some great interplay between all the instruments.
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 for the replies, everybody! I guess I have to get it!
Question for the Kenso cognoscenti: I have and enjoy Yume No Oka. What should I get next?
NB: I had either Kenso 1 or 2 and it didn't thrill me. Thanks.
The first two are alright but everything from Kenso III onward is essential if you're a Kenso freak.
In case anyone didn't know what a Kantele is (ancient Finnish harp/zither):
Also note that the insert photo in the disc booklet is of woods in Finland, IIRC.
I agree with dropforge: Everything from Kenso III and onward is great. I like the first two, but Kenso III and Sparta are among their best (along with Yume No Oka).
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!
Kenso II is among my favorites, if not my favorite Kenso disc. I'd think anyone who likes Yume No Oka would like Kenso II, but I guess it's not a 100% correlation. I had the first Kenso album and let it go, I didn't like it much at all.
So generally, I'd say anything from Kenso II on is pretty similar, and if you like one you'll more or less like them all. The real exception is Esoptron which has more of a straightforward rock feel to most of the tracks.
Bill
Kenso II is the best imo
II is my favourite, too. It helps that I have the edition with the three stylistically similar tracks from their all-over-the-place debut. I love Yume No Oka as well, but again, tastes rarely correlate completely. I would still say that a Yume head would quite probably like Kenso III and Sparta. They are closer soundwise, too, than II and Yume No Oka. Esoptron was a big change, with the hard rock sound more akin to their very early days. There is some of that on Fabulis Mirabilibus de Bombycosi Scriptis, but it is much more varied and far superior. However, Utsuroi and the latest one are closer to the more accessible style of the 80s and early 90s.
In the West is a good live album, but Zaiya Live is even better (though they have different setlists and are hence complementary). The Yume No Oka songs get a whole lot of extra boost, as does some of the material from II and Sparta.
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