Featured album: Ravana - Common Daze

[Trane]

http://www.progarchives.com/progress...5922592010.jpg


Let's explore an obscurity from the mid-90's from Norway with Ravana's sole album called Common Daze


ravana.jpg



Tracks Listing
1. Good Grief
2. Urban Child
3. When They Cry
4. Words In A Rhyme
5. Wounded
6. Reasons To Live
7. Who'll Run Your Mind
8. Passing
9. Wherever You Are

Line-up:
- Anders Hunstad / keyboards, Rhodes piano
- Sverre Olav Rodseth / vocals
- Knut Finsrud / drums
- Anders Malt / guitars
- Rude Carisson / bass

Guests:
- Vivian Sunnarvik / cello
- Torun Torbo / flute


Here is what Tsirmay had to say about it on ProgArchives:

Following a stark cello lament to kick off the proceedings, this relentless charge is off to the races with a mixed bag of styles, ranging from razor-sharp anger-coated statements that evolve into softer passages , where serene flute and agile piano tinkling interweave. A powerful concoction that will keep the listener on pins and needles, smoking guitars mercilessly plow into themes that suddenly yield to some outright jazzy piano soloing and a rather angry vocalist who belts out contemporary lyrics with hellbent urgency. With titles like "Good Grief", "Urban Child","When They Cry", "Wounded" and the stark "Reasons to Live" , this Norwegian band has a CD that should guarantee a jolly (oops, a SOMBRE) time. I like melancholy and I am a rather nostalgic kind of music fan but this does fall into the more Doom-Gloom "goth" style and while I do like most of it, it"s not really my cup of Aqvavit! Nirvana fans should worship this , no doubt. 3 razor blades

[moecurlythanu]

I've got it. Meh.

[spacefreak]

Got it upon release due to the hype that it shared the same gloomy atmosphere as the first Anekdoten/Landberk albums. I liked the first song of the CD but nothing else. Gave it to a friend a week later.

[Scrotum Scissor]

There are some nice melodic ideas and .dispositions and a few interesting arrangements at play here, but those horrible vocals and the bizarre tendency to tie the whole deal down to "large arena hero-rock" practically ruins it. It's an example of how terribly wrong things may go when the 'strangeness' is unintended and not heartfelt.

[Trane]

I personally really enjoy it (but apparently, I'm in a minority on this one), partly because of the gloominess (and the first track being a bit similar - but slowed down - to Anekdoten's Karelia on Vemod)

As for the rest, I can't help it but thinking of Nirvana, not just because of the Ravana name either, as the desperate-sounding vocals do a lot for me

There are some nice melodic ideas and .dispositions and a few interesting arrangements at play here, but those horrible vocals and the bizarre tendency to tie the whole deal down to "large arena hero-rock" practically ruins it. It's an example of how terribly wrong things may go when the 'strangeness' is unintended and not heartfelt.

OK, fine, you don't like the vocals, but what makes you say that it would be insincere (if I read you well)?

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ There's a rather obvious and almost grotesque contrast between the vocal antics of the singer and those outbursts of farty Rhodes-escapades in, say, a song like "Wounded". It becomes a telling description of how indeliberate their 'weirdness' appears. The guy's effort at übermasculine screaming in the closer ("Wherever You Are") does disservice to the other functions at play in those parts of the tune, as if the song itself is merely an excuse for the guy to wring his voice at some object; it simply doesn't fit the context of use. And yeah it's 1995 and grunge is still in session, but in this respect the misplacement of effect here gets to be corny and little else.

[sergio]

I've got it somewhere in the box, without the CD sleeve. Now I remember that CD was all black with no prints on it. Remember how I struggled to identify what that CD was might give it a spin at some stage. Thanks for reminding...

[Trane]

I've got it somewhere in the box, without the CD sleeve. Now I remember that CD was all black with no prints on it. Remember how I struggled to identify what that CD was might give it a spin at some stage. Thanks for reminding...

this could be their second album that was supposedly distributed only through a local rock magazine

Make Richard (SS) could tell us more

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Common Daze was issued by the somewhat ad-hoc label of local prog zine 'ProgNetik' (yeah I know; really original name) - as far as I'm aware of, their only official release. I also believe those same folks were responsible for the semi-official release of Ravana's second, which I thought were merely demos. But I guess I was wrong?

I listened anew to Ravana last night, and in all honesty it's not too bad a debut effort for this kind of Norwegian band venture. From what I remember, their singer actually aspired to be in a white soul ensemble but ended up in a grungy 'new prog' combo instead.

We can't always get what we want.

[Trane]

^ Common Daze was issued by the somewhat ad-hoc label of local prog zine 'ProgNetik' (yeah I know; really original name) - as far as I'm aware of, their only official release. I also believe those same folks were responsible for the semi-official release of Ravana's second, which I thought were merely demos. But I guess I was wrong?

I listened anew to Ravana last night, and in all honesty it's not too bad a debut effort for this kind of Norwegian band venture. From what I remember, their singer actually aspired to be in a white soul ensemble but ended up in a grungy 'new prog' combo instead.

We can't always get what we want.

you'd know better than me

for the Grongressive rock combo

[moecurlythanu]

I haven't pulled it out for a listen in ages, but my recollection is that it was Rock with a Proggy hint here or there, like For Absent Friends and a myriad of other bands who infected the 90s. And for what it was, I don't recall it being very good. Others mmv.