The Album Exchange

[Guybrush]

Brilliant! I'm on it

Edit: Oh, and know HH of course, but not Lionel or this album. Looks interesting!

[Guybrush]

Something that's immediately evident upon hearing this is Lionel's talent. You can hear immediately that he's a man of musical instinct. Does he ever play something the same way twice? I don't know, but doubt it. His playing is playful and very much in the moment. He's got a great sense of groove, his chords are cool. You think you've heard anything you can do with a guitar, but this comes across as quite creative.

The production is superb, if minimal. The guitar takes center stage with a good bit of reverb and is beautifully mixed. Even the finger sounds and other unintentionals sound good and add to the album's authenticity. You can hear the nuances.

The guy also has a great voice, again beautifully produced. It's hard not to think of Bobby McFerrin the way he uses it.

The music as a whole isn't my favorite flavour of jazz as I tend to prefer music which is a little more composed. The guitar playing is often very percussive and when it's on its own, it's like it wants accompaniment. At worst it's noodles to an approximate beat..

At best, it's just sublime beauty. As mentioned, the guitar alone can get a little sparse for me, but when coupled with his voice and perhaps something else that has just a little more sustain, it's a match made in heaven. The songs that feature singing are the ones I enjoy the most, like Tell Me A Bedtime Story, Voyage Maiden (instead of maiden voyage) and Homage to HH. The last one might be my favorite after this quick listen and I've already put it on my summer playlist to sit alongside ny favorite latin jazz and exotica tracks. I assume from the title that this is not an HH composition, but maybe a Lionel original, and it makes me want to see if I can find more original songs.

So overall, my enjoyment varies. Sometimes I'd rather listen to the Herbie Hancock versions of these songs, but other times it's wonderful.

[Janszoon]

Something that's immediately evident upon hearing this is Lionel's talent. You can hear immediately that he's a man of musical instinct. Does he ever play something the same way twice? I don't know, but doubt it. His playing is playful and very much in the moment. He's got a great sense of groove, his chords are cool. You think you've heard anything you can do with a guitar, but this comes across as quite creative.

The production is superb, if minimal. The guitar takes center stage with a good bit of reverb and is beautifully mixed. Even the finger sounds and other unintentionals sound good and add to the album's authenticity. You can hear the nuances.

The guy also has a great voice, again beautifully produced. It's hard not to think of Bobby McFerrin the way he uses it.

The music as a whole isn't my favorite flavour of jazz as I tend to prefer music which is a little more composed. The guitar playing is often very percussive and when it's on its own, it's like it wants accompaniment. At worst it's noodles to an approximate beat..

At best, it's just sublime beauty. As mentioned, the guitar alone can get a little sparse for me, but when coupled with his voice and perhaps something else that has just a little more sustain, it's a match made in heaven. The songs that feature singing are the ones I enjoy the most, like Tell Me A Bedtime Story, Voyage Maiden (instead of maiden voyage) and Homage to HH. The last one might be my favorite after this quick listen and I've already put it on my summer playlist to sit alongside ny favorite latin jazz and exotica tracks. I assume from the title that this is not an HH composition, but maybe a Lionel original, and it makes me want to see if I can find more original songs.

So overall, my enjoyment varies. Sometimes I'd rather listen to the Herbie Hancock versions of these songs, but other times it's wonderful.

Thanks for taking the time to write such an in-depth response! Apologies in advance that it may take me another day or two write a response to the album you sent me. My week has been a little crazy, but I've given a good chunk of the Hatfield and the North album a casual listen and will give a more thorough listen soon.

To a large extent I agree with your reaction to the Lionel Loueke album. I've seen Loueke live twice as part of Herbie Hancock's band and I was so blown away by his unique way of blending guitar and vocals that it made me want to explore his back catalogue. Live, I felt like the vocals were more prominent and the guitar was more electric. The albums of his that I've listened to are a lot more low key. That's not a bad thing, but it's definitely different. My favorite track on this album is probably the very last one, "One Finger Snap". I actually think it's superior to the Herbie Hancock version and would love to hear a whole album from Loueke that's more electric.

[Guybrush]

Hey, my pleasure and don't worry about getting around to HatN. Getting a proper listen to Lionel could have taken me a week, but it just so happened I had to run an errand which meant going for a drive on my own. Of course we got the upgraded car stereo when we bought the thing, so it's not a bad place to listen to music Plus the kids weren't around to distract me.

About One Finger Snap, it's so cool how he translated the start of that song into that nice, dissonant guitar riff. It's definitely a special moment on that record. I didn't find that the song ever gets more interesting than it is during the 20 first seconds or so, but maybe I feel similarly about the original (which is also a cool tune in any case).

[tristan_geoff]

is there a deadline?  been super busy at work

[Trollheart]

No deadline. Put on a Bull of Heaven track and by the time it gets near the end, your time may be running out.

[Janszoon]

@Janszoon alright.. I've had a bit of a think. I wanna keep digging deep and hand you Hatfield and the North's debut.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield_and_the_North_(album)

They only made two albums. I don't wanna write too much about it, but if you wanna narrow your focus, tracks 4/5 and the run of songs from track 10 to 13 may be of note. Though who knows what other ears might think 🤔

If you already know it well, let me know and I'll hand you my plan B or C instead 😄

Alright, sorry it took a few days, but I've listened a couple times and I'm ready to respond.

The first thing I have to say about this one is that it's a lot less austere than I was expecting based on the album cover. It's certainly quirky though, and some of the song titles cracked me up when I first saw them. I think "Shaving is Boring" is my favorite.

I have somewhat mixed feelings here. As is often the case for me with prog albums, I'm not crazy about the vocals, so that impacted my appreciation of certain tracks quite a bit. That said, even if I'm not a fan of Richard Sinclair's voice, I really like the way he plays bass. I also enjoyed the keyboards on this album a lot and I felt that the interplay between the bass and Dave Stewart's keys throughout was one of the best things about it. Pip Pyle's drumming was good as well, especially his approach to the cymbals, and the various horns and flutes were a nice addition to the tracks they appeared on. I was more mixed on the guitar. I felt that it was at its best when it had more of a supporting role, and not nearly as good when it took center stage.

My favorite tracks were the two longest ones. "Son of 'There's No Place Like Homerton'" is like a lot of the best jazz from the same era—textured, cool, and complex. "Shaving is Boring", in addition to having my favorite title, does a great job of taking you on a journey. I like all of that track's different movements, including the massive psychedelic space trip and the part that sounds like they're running back forth between different studios. I also really liked the laid back jazziness of "Going Up To People and Tinkling" and the back half of "Lobster in Cleavage Probe". The version I listened to also had two bonus tracks at the end which I thought were noteworthy. "Let's Eat (Real Soon)" was appealingly poppy, as well as being the only track where to some extent I liked the vocals. I wasn't overall a fan of the vocals on "Fitter Stoke Has a Bath", but the gargling voice and flute duet in the middle of the song was pretty amazing.

[fire]

My recommendation for Mrs. Waffles
Discovered last year I only listened once to the album.

Ikivirta
by Sarah Palu
released March 12, 2020

[Guybrush]

Alright, sorry it took a few days, but I've listened a couple times and I'm ready to respond.

The first thing I have to say about this one is that it's a lot less austere than I was expecting based on the album cover. It's certainly quirky though, and some of the song titles cracked me up when I first saw them. I think "Shaving is Boring" is my favorite.

I have somewhat mixed feelings here. As is often the case for me with prog albums, I'm not crazy about the vocals, so that impacted my appreciation of certain tracks quite a bit. That said, even if I'm not a fan of Richard Sinclair's voice, I really like the way he plays bass. I also enjoyed the keyboards on this album a lot and I felt that the interplay between the bass and Dave Stewart's keys throughout was one of the best things about it. Pip Pyle's drumming was good as well, especially his approach to the cymbals, and the various horns and flutes were a nice addition to the tracks they appeared on. I was more mixed on the guitar. I felt that it was at its best when it had more of a supporting role, and not nearly as good when it took center stage.

My favorite tracks were the two longest ones. "Son of 'There's No Place Like Homerton'" is like a lot of the best jazz from the same era—textured, cool, and complex. "Shaving is Boring", in addition to having my favorite title, does a great job of taking you on a journey. I like all of that track's different movements, including the massive psychedelic space trip and the part that sounds like they're running back forth between different studios. I also really liked the laid back jazziness of "Going Up To People and Tinkling" and the back half of "Lobster in Cleavage Probe". The version I listened to also had two bonus tracks at the end which I thought were noteworthy. "Let's Eat (Real Soon)" was appealingly poppy, as well as being the only track where to some extent I liked the vocals. I wasn't overall a fan of the vocals on "Fitter Stoke Has a Bath", but the gargling voice and flute duet in the middle of the song was pretty amazing.

Thanks for checking it out 🙂 to me, the whole thing is, of course, absolutely beautiful, including the vocals of Richard and the "Northettes". It took me a little while, so I don't think of it as an album that makes immediate sense.

Something I find interesting is this sound that they've developed. To my ears, I find it relatively unique and it also sounds like it's had time to mature. It's confident and consistent in its internal aesthetic. Where did it come from? These are English boys in their mid 20s.

Most people prefer their second album, but the debut holds a special place in my heart - and tops it if you add those two bonus tracks 🙂 of the two, Fitter Stoke is my favourite.

Sadly, Richard wasn't able to support his family as a musician and had a really rough time, eventually squatting some before finding a steady income as a carpenter installing kitchens, I believe, in the 80s. Dave Stewart has also written a bit about money troubles and finally making some cash when he made a pop single / cover in the early 80s.

Pip, Phil and Dave (and adding others) kept going with the band National Health which is a bit like HatN 2.0, more instrumental and also brilliant. Their album Of Queues and Cures is another regular favourite for fans of Canterbury scene.

[Lexi Darling]

My recommendation for Mrs. Waffles
Discovered last year I only listened once to the album.

Ikivirta
by Sarah Palu
released March 12, 2020

Ok, sounds good! My recommendation is Sally Oldfield - Water Bearer (1978).

It's mostly-acoustic new age/folk music, I'm not sure if you know Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame, but this is his sister. Loved this album for a long time and I do hope you enjoy.

Here's a link to a YT playlist of the album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0q5-fdgcW4&list=PL04B88F1B8D37A854&index=1

[Trollheart]

Woe by An Abstract Illusion, courtesy of Tristan

I fucking love this album! When Tristan suggested it I thought it might be some sort of doom metal, and I think I was right, except it's absolutely, to use a word I hate but which fits, awesome. The textures, the moods evoked by the music, which is really as close to ambient metal as it comes, with tons of progressive metal, some black metal, death metal, you name it, it's here. In earlier days, the sudden shock of the growling death vocals would have turned me off in disappointment, but here they work perfectly to complement the dark and troubling soundscapes laid down by the band. They appear to Swedish, and kind of nobody is entirely sure how to categorise their music, but my god, I think the words terrible beauty encapsulate it well. Just a riveting, continuous tapestry of hard-hitting metal with softer edges, kind of like being spoken dirty to by an angel, or as Douglas Adams once put it, havng your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon. Wrapped around a large gold brick.

Best tracks come towards the end, with "Prosperity", "Blomsterkrans", "In the Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster" (with completely unexpected female vocals) and "This Torment Has No End, Only New Beginnings," but I love everything here. Will be downloading the album and any more from them, and if you have any more recs for this sort of music, Mr. T., lay them on me! Superb.

Rating: 10/10. Fuck it: 11/10

[fire]

Water Bearer
by Sally Oldfield

listening now from anghami.
she is new to me, but i know her brother mike.
the first song was catchy.
her music is sweet like sugar.
the album is smooth and chill.
for a first listening she is ok, the album felt a bit long and repetitive at times.
finished listening.

thanks lady of synth for the recommendation.

[Lexi Darling]

Water Bearer
by Sally Oldfield

listening now from anghami.
she is new to me, but i know her brother mike.
the first song was catchy.
her music is sweet like sugar.
the album is smooth and chill.
for a first listening she is ok, the album felt a bit long and repetitive at times.
finished listening.

thanks lady of synth for the recommendation.

Thank you for listening and reviewing! I should have my review of your recommendation done by Thursday. Work is kind of kicking my butt right now but Thursday I will have more free time.

[fire]

Water Bearer
by Sally Oldfield

listening now from anghami.
she is new to me, but i know her brother mike.
the first song was catchy.
her music is sweet like sugar.
the album is smooth and chill.
for a first listening she is ok, the album felt a bit long and repetitive at times.
finished listening.

thanks lady of synth for the recommendation.

Thank you for listening and reviewing! I should have my review of your recommendation done by Thursday. Work is kind of kicking my butt right now but Thursday I will have more free time.

It's OK take your time. I didn't have time also because I couldn't listen and scrobble to lastfm on my phone, I had to use the laptop.

[Trollheart]

Water Bearer
by Sally Oldfield

listening now from anghami.
she is new to me, but i know her brother mike.
the first song was catchy.
her music is sweet like sugar.
the album is smooth and chill.
for a first listening she is ok, the album felt a bit long and repetitive at times.
finished listening.

thanks lady of synth for the recommendation.

Thank you for listening and reviewing! I should have my review of your recommendation done by Thursday. Work is kind of kicking my butt right now but Thursday I will have more free time.

Just want to say I LOVE your new avvy! So cool and classy!