Major Parkinson - Blackbox

[Naytheet]

cover.jpg
Norway, 2017. Last and not the least of them all, as each new album adds something more and sounds nicer than the previous one, this album is another magnificent collection of great tracks, with quite a lot of members/guests, and a couple of long tracks and short sweet stuff, making it all more of a concept album than the previous records, with the main theme coming up in the first track. #7 Baseball is an awesome voyage made of tremendous parts with transparent edges. As usual, tense mood (like #2 Night Hitcher) and entertaining tracks (like #6 Madeleine Crumbles) — sometimes both the moods at the same time as in #4 Isabel - A report to an academy — still shine on, the fairy voice shows up here and there, and compositions with great sounds make it another essential album for such a productive essential band.

[alanterrill]

cover.jpg
Norway, 2017. Last and not the least of them all, as each new album adds something more and sounds nicer than the previous one, this album is another magnificent collection of great tracks, with quite a lot of members/guests, and a couple of long tracks and short sweet stuff, making it all more of a concept album than the previous records, with the main theme coming up in the first track. #7 Baseball is an awesome voyage made of tremendous parts with transparent edges. As usual, tense mood (like #2 Night Hitcher) and entertaining tracks (like #6 Madeleine Crumbles) — sometimes both the moods at the same time as in #4 Isabel - A report to an academy — still shine on, the fairy voice shows up here and there, and compositions with great sounds make it another essential album for such a productive essential band.

I love this - a fabulous album all the way through. I have found they get better with each album so lets hope they don't prove me wrong with the next!

[PCMusic]

cover.jpg
Norway, 2017. Last and not the least of them all, as each new album adds something more and sounds nicer than the previous one, this album is another magnificent collection of great tracks, with quite a lot of members/guests, and a couple of long tracks and short sweet stuff, making it all more of a concept album than the previous records, with the main theme coming up in the first track. #7 Baseball is an awesome voyage made of tremendous parts with transparent edges. As usual, tense mood (like #2 Night Hitcher) and entertaining tracks (like #6 Madeleine Crumbles) — sometimes both the moods at the same time as in #4 Isabel - A report to an academy — still shine on, the fairy voice shows up here and there, and compositions with great sounds make it another essential album for such a productive essential band.

Just getting into them, they sound great. Just listened to excerpts from each album on their bandcamp website. Already have Blackbox but have not had a chance to listen to it yet. Ordered Twilight Cinema as well, though it will take probably more than a week coming from across the pond. Quite enjoyed the first two as well, but these are not easy to get anymore. The good news is that Apollon Records seems to be bound to reissue them. Read the announcement somewhere about it, Twilight Cinema is the first one there and already out.

[thedunno]

AS a Cardiacs fan I felt I had to try these guys so I bought Black Box a few years ago.
Unfortunately it did very little for me.

[JKL2000]

^ What's the Cardiacs connection?

[thedunno]

The members are Cardiacs fans. I even saw a a bit of a Major Parkinson concert video where they started their show with playing 'The home of fadeless splendor"

[alanterrill]

The members are Cardiacs fans. I even saw a a bit of a Major Parkinson concert video where they started their show with playing 'The home of fadeless splendor"

And when they played in the UK in 2019, Tim Smith came to see them and met them after the gig.

[Naytheet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllHj0mOoJY

[Naytheet]

https://youtu.be/NllHj0mOoJY

[PCMusic]

Listening to the Blackbox as I write and, so far, for something like the 4th time in a row. Hard to take it out from the player, really enjoy it. At the same I can understand it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Quite theatrical throughout. However, the first impression was "what the heck ... must have mixed up the CDs with Leonard Cohen's one". At least this is how the album starts. Really like it.

Btw, Bergen, Norway must be a very special place - so many great bands from this city. What do they add to their food and drinks there?

[PCMusic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllHj0mOoJY

Thanks posting the link to Live at Ricks. As I understand they play there the whole Twilight Cinema album. This will be a great introduction to this album. Still waiting for it but it should be in the mail shortly, so keeping my fingers crossed it won't be too long.

[PCMusic]

O.K. listened to it finally with the booklet in my hands and following the text to the music playing. A real stunner, just great stuff. From 2017 it is about time for a new one from them, hope it won't be a too long wait.

[mnprogger]

Blackbox is good, although I remember hoping I would get attached to it as much as I did with Twilight Cinema.

[PCMusic]

Blackbox is good, although I remember hoping I would get attached to it as much as I did with Twilight Cinema.

I don't know, the album works pretty well for me. But of course looking forward to listening to the Twilight Cinema, preferably with the text in hand ... hope it is included in the booklet. Still waiting for it to arrive and, even though, I could listen to it at their bandcamp website I think I will wait. In the meantime I could watch the concert "Live at Ricks" to get the taste of it in live setting, as supposedly it includes the entire performance of the Twilight Cinema.

[Victorian Squid]

I simply adore these guys to death.

They put out a teaser on their Instagram account September 10, hoping for the best. I think Black Box is brilliant, it never fails to amaze. Twilight Cinema was a transitional album, which still maintained some of the original band vibe.

For the Cardiacs fan, I'd certainly recommend the first 2. They started out as a sort of Mr. Bungle/Oingo Boingo/Wall of Voodoo(Andy Prieboy's version with his love of vaudeville) with a bit of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Ennio Morricone and Dick Dale working around the edges. all over the place musically and high energy. Most compelling are some pretty whip smart lyrics on all their efforts. They lost their guitarist after #2 (who did everything from surf to western style hence the genre hopping), which is when they shifted gears.

So I could see somebody liking the first 2, but not the TC & BB, and vice versa. Their latest 2 are certainly still rooted theatrically, but much darker affairs (lyrically they were always rather dark). Normally, this sort of vocalist leaves me cold, as many have made the Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave/Tom Waits connection. Black Box employs more female vocals than previous efforts, which I thinks help add depth and even greater impact to Jon's vocals. Good stuff, and hoping the teaser leads to something new soon!

[Hunchentootz]

AS a Cardiacs fan I felt I had to try these guys so I bought Black Box a few years ago.
Unfortunately it did very little for me.

I too never quite got it... maybe down the road. No relation to Cardiacs as I know of (Sterby?) I know Tim was a fan - he drew a lot of people to them

[chalkpie]

I'm pretty sure I heard it (once?) but I can't recall much/anything. Probably due for another test drive.

[daerzo]

For the Cardiacs fan, I'd certainly recommend the first 2.

Yeah, the first 2 might really be the right place for Cardiacs fans to get familiar with Major Parkinson.
(Actually, according to MP's "main guy", he discovered Tim&Co's music AFTER the release of MP's first album.)

Cardiacs is just one of the sources of inspiration for Major Parkinson, so a listener should not expect too much of a similarity.

I would suggest these songs as a start:
from s/t debut: It’s A Job and Awkward As A Drunk
from the 2nd: Simone! and wonderful Heart of Hickory

[alanterrill]

Cardiacs is just one of the sources of inspiration for Major Parkinson, so a listener should not expect too much of a similarity.

I would suggest these songs as a start:
from s/t debut: It’s A Job and Awkward As A Drunk
from the 2nd: Simone! and wonderful Heart of Hickory

[/QUOTE]

What a great video that is -such good synchonization!

[moecurlythanu]

^ What a great video! (The song ain't bad either.)

[mnprogger]

I dunno if people are aware, but Sondre Skollevoll from Moron Police is also part of Major Parkinson (since 2016)

[Victorian Squid]

I dunno if people are aware, but Sondre Skollevoll from Moron Police is also part of Major Parkinson (since 2016)

Yes, MP frequently pimps Moron Police - really the first place I'd heard of them. They've never really gotten to me (yet).

Heart of Hickory was the first song I'd heard from Major Parkinson, and thought it was Gogol Bordello with a lineup change (for the better). Glad I finally figured it out, I just hope they can manage to make it 5:5 with their next effort.
Last year they did a project with the Los Alamitos Show Choir to bring Solitary Home to the stage - you can definitely tell these guys are bigtime into show tunes. I'm not particularly crazy about the end result, but appreciate the effort.

They were just as excited that the AirBnB home they stayed in turned out to belong to Monte Hellman (who met them there), producer/direct of amazing acid Westerns in the 60's, and producer of Reservoir dogs. He passed exactly 1 year later. Sadly, it seems like an awful lot of work and expense to do the show for not a lot of payback. Hopefully they've got a large following in Norway that got more than 66 likes on YT.

You can hear their love of spaghetti Westerns & Dick Dale surf mashed up with Gypsy music and who knows what else here:

If this was a buffet dinner I might take a pass however.
As much as I love Blackbox, I do miss André Lund's guitar hovering over the proceedings.