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W O W ! I absolutely ADORE this song. And the production and hook. Nice to hear them strum away into krautrock-heaven-MP-bliss again! Feels so long ago. And as always I love Bents no nonsense drumming. Economic and highly effective. Goosebumps! Überwagner/Blank Canvas vibes, but better. Great acoustic version too, can’t believe the on-key singing;) Hi hopes for the next offering! And the LOOONG version. Stoked!
@motorkopf @aki : Wow very interesting, and thanks for posting the link to Begynnelser. Man, that’s a great listen, abs the prog part of ML/A, but longer and more expanding.
I always loved the lo-fi whimsy and acoustic brilliance of Begynnelser, though what in my eyes never made it a *classic* (which is what I always expect from these guys, jeeez the expectations!) is perhaps that they omitted what we’re getting in this offering: Something epic to go with the “mundane”. But now I can make my own mix and create a solid and classic MP album (and a couple of EPs to go with it). Spoiled!
Btw. Anybody have any references to the title “Ancient Astonauts”? A great title of a record if there ever was one.
Ps. Getting slight The Wheel vibes from Chariot these days, maybe it’s just me, not a musician. But I’ve listened to this record a lot lately, and it grows and grows. The Ladder has also finally landed for me. An epic record.
Wow, Rhyme Signatures articulates my thoughts exactly, though more profound. Great find, great review.
@the conscience: Heart and mind together is my holistic approach. They feed into each other, talking about art and music and listening or reading or comparing notes with other peoples insights and experiences is for me an absolute necessity to appreciate great art. Not only feeling, though that’s of course the initial thing you do. Like Punj over here walking in the forest, or JERO sitting on the couch w a beer listening, and weeping. Or whatever you do. A winner recipe. But I agree, always emotions first. Though “dancing w your brain” like Johnny says, is an equally important and necessary consequence and exercise I believe. Heaven and hell can after all be the same place, lol.
Though always comparing them to their back-catalog can be a tedious exercise (guilty as charged!) but sometimes frustration sets in. I guess that’s the price they pay, with a 30+ year career. But it’s also because I (we?) expect so much from these guys. Which must be a good thing. But they’re stubborn, which is sometimes frustrating, but also the best thing to be, as an artist.
Anyway. Always fun to read this forum, because we’re all diehards, but with different approaches, references and inclinations. I love reading all the comments, it can sometimes make me reevaluate stuff I’ve missed, or all the references you guys have can send me into an Apple Music or vinyl shop wormhole and come out with great new discoveries. The Begynnelser references mentioned in this thread made me go back and study it closer (btw – thought I was the only guy in the world holding that record dear, good to read I’m not alone!) Talk is good, having expectations is good, discussions are healthy. Keeps the juice fresh!
But all this is a distraction from the most important point: That this record is a mind-blower! Chariot is a heartbreaker! Snah! Pure MP bliss.
Wow, a really really beautiful record! I seem to mostly appreciate the “in-betweeners” this last decade, the more free-flowing stuff. Could live without The Ladder (this strain of late era MP rockers with the vocal-melodies sounding like … nothing, gives me … abs nothing) but from The Flower and on this is pure MP beauty, I agree that the Flower (great! Should be longer!) is like a intro to what is to come, and man, I will have to get the vinyl, beautiful artwork from what I’ve seen online.
Anyway, how I wish they had replaced the Ladder w something more visceral and this record would be a complete *gem*, maybe my favorite since God knows when. (Maybe since Begynnelser, but this is a far more refined and concise exercise with Thomas lifting everything to incredible heights.) Since the Unicorn. But this album is actually something pretty new for me in MP-context, maybe hearing them as a three-piece again, which always works best for me, with their “new” sound. I’m so happy.
And so happy to read the recent interviews w Bent regarding what the essence of MP is (and always nice to read his run-through of all the old gold). For me it’s just this: these last three tracks, the essence of MP encapsulated. Malencholy, lightness and heaviness. ML/A is hauntingly beautiful without overdoing it, but Chariot is the absolute centerpiece and highlight of this record, imo. I will listen to this one for years to come, a central piece of the MP canon. Thanks guys! I’m so happy to feel you again. And for them keeping it mostly instrumental with some beautiful backup singing or how you would say it (in Chariot) = perfection. Maybe they don’t need to sing so much more! Lol. Thanks!
I was a bit quick in my reaction yesterday, guess I was pretty disappointed. But I do think it’s been a bit too many MP records of late (I could never imagine myself saying this). But the records are feeling a bit claustrophobic, like they need some fresh air. Though this album really does bring some light and air, not so monolithic. But still. I was thinking that bringing Deathprod back could maybe be a good thing, Bent is great, but an outside eye is always good. Not so closed up. Locked up. To let the songs breathe. Ozone. Don’t know.
And I abs loved that interview w Bent on that jazznytt thing ThorEgil posted in another thread btw. So interesting. More of this, please. It’s important to get this guy talking. About the music
Stings my ears. Man I need a break from MP, see you guys in five years, after ten new RG albums I’m sure, or in ten years and 20 albums if this ridiculous pace continues. Or until they get an outside producer again. Deathprod? I’m logging off. Bye bye. Have fun!
For anyone (like me) who has not received the record and wants a preview you can stream At Empires End over on Rune Grammofon. Sounds great!
I had to give in and listen to the 30 sec snippets, and man this sounds *so* promising. The Transmutation… wow! The Watcher. The production sounds amazing. And the Metal Epidemic review makes me even more happy, these songs he wants to skip I’m pretty sure are the ones I will really dig. Looking forward to some initial reactions by the happy few who received their copy today ✌ï¸
@Be For me the answer might be Spin, Spin, Spin. All time low! Not even a MP song. But as mentioned above, In Our Tree felt somewhat uninspired when it came out. I remember even thinking Ozone was a red flag, how could they top AADP lol. Serpentine. I guess MP has never been a singles band. I almost wonder why they still put out a single, the most “radio-friendly†song, believing it will get rotation. Or if they do, why not add three or four more tracks of nice weird inspired studio outtakes? Big questions! It’s not like they’re signed to a major label, I hope they finally open the vaults at some point, the archives.
Edit: I know they’ve done the box-sets lol, Ive been happily digging into the Blissard outtakes the last weeks, since I received the CDs and were able to convert to MP3s (thanks guys!) But I guess I just want more, from the later years. Demos and outtakes, must be plenty. Nice acoustic versions? Time will hopefully tell!
But good to rope you in.