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The bootleg was officially released in 2009, if anyone's interested in aquiring a legal copy.
No? That's weird though, as dimeadozen claims there's 26 seeders at the moment. I'm one of them and seeding 24/7. Are you leeching from dime or motortrades?
Well… the last albums with a large portion of "poppier" numbers were BH/BC and IALC… IMO their overall two weakest releases this side of the Millennium. The lads seem to be on a real jamming groove these last few years – let them capitalise on that and release albums that play to their strengths. They'll probably veer more towards shorter, more "focused" songs again later, just let that come when it will.
As my two favourite MP songs are (probably) Un Chien d'Espace and The Wheel, I really don't mind their proggier output lately.
Ah, Swans. I was heavily into them during the 90s – thrilled to hear they're touring again. Their last two albums (Soundtracks for the Blind and the live album Swans are Dead) are beyond recommended for anyone into the dark drony side of MP.
Helpless Child, from that album: here in two parts, with the "intro" and "song" portions in part one and the great droning, pulsing climax in part 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz–mUSi36M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klhPN82etbo
(Incidentally, the "Swans are Dead" album features tracks from the final concert of their farewell tour – recorded in Trondheim.)
Great videos!
Anyone else think Snah looks a bit like Neil Young when he's singing in these vids? Check out the first verses of Cornucopia, for instance – long thinning hair, standing a bit hunched over his guitar…
Seattle Psychonaut: "How much would we be digging them if they were still playing the same 10 songs as they played in the 90's like most bands."
Just as much, I suppose – they still play golden oldies like Hogwash, Plan #1, Manmower, Mountain and Walking on the Water regularly, for instance. With the way they keep reworking and rearranging songs, they could feasibly play the same 10 songs and still somehow keep it fresh.
On the topic, by the way: I find that the auto-tuned vocals on Wishing Well is starting to annoy me a little. If they're going to tamper with the original recording I think I'd prefer it if they just rerecorded the vocal track in the studio.
Agreed, otherdemon. I was disappointed with The Visitant when I first heard it – just a simplistic, straightforward verse-chorus-verse type song, without memorable hooks.
Eagle's Son however – damn! The Berlin version from last spring is just one of the most mindblowing grooves ever!
You're welcome! Personally I'd never heard Boinganoid outside of a live video on Youtube from last spring tour. The whole rhythm of that song is just wild.
Definitely looks like a fan made video – the original video over the parts that are also in the single cut, and home made live videos and city scenes taken from various sources over the middle jam section. As for who made it, my guess it's made by the uploader.
Kenneth definitely sings on Loneliness, just as he does on some other tracks (he does second voice on Starhammer live, for instance).
Some notes after the first couple of listens:
Bomb-proof: One of my live favourites from the last few years. It's weird; I don't really consider it the strongest song of the HMF album, nor do I go 'Yeeeeah!' when it's played live – but this version is just completely indispensable. Not too long ago I compiled a private 'best of' live album, this was the first track I added. Unfortunately, as I have listened so much to the previously circulating recording, I know it by heart and knew what to expect. Had I been unprepared for what lies within this gem I would have been completely blown away. Best song on the album, hands down.
Loneliness: Powerful version, as usual. I really love the drawn-out ending, and the inclusion of the Cornucopia opening at the end is both a great addition and a slight disappointment. I mean, it works well as a final coda to Loneliness, but I was really rooting for (the entire) Cornucopia to be included – Leipzig 2010 being a personal favourite.
Wishing Well: One of the songs that for some reason, I've never really gotten into before – possibly because I just recall it as a pleasant enough but ultimately underwhelming acoustic number. But sweet lord how I get it in this setting! The middle section is an absolute dream to listen to in headphones with the volume turned way up! To me, easily the surprise bulls-eye of the album, and a version that makes me want to re-examine the original.
Landslide: I was initially disappointed when I learned the rw4 track list, Landslide is one of my least favourite pop-era songs, and one I always tend to want to skip when it comes on. Cool enough chords and interesting melodies, but something about it just never quite clicks for me. Thankfully, this version is a great improvement from the album version with some nice jams and great guitar work. Still, in a killer set like this disc it still sticks out as the weakest number.
Kill Devil Hills: I don't know why, but listening to KDH live has always been disappointing to me – possibly because the venues I've been to (Samfundet the worst) don't exactly feature the best possible sound, rendering the noisier sections into a shapeless sludge, little more than screeching noises with a beat. But listening to this I can hear all kinds of detail that have been lost to me when hearing the song live – it finally sounds really intense without slipping over into the unbearable.
The Alchemyst: Monster finish to the record. The lengths to which this band can make a song build in intensity is pretty well known to us all, and they showcase it again here. I normally prefer the title cut from the LLM record, but I think Alchemyst works better as a set closer than LLM ever would.
All in all, I prefer the first half of the album to the latter half. An old-fashioned LP with Bomb-Proof on side A and Loneliness and Wishing Well on side B would have been simply legendary. Still, the entire set delivers more or less exactly what I had been hoping for; some great jamming, immense interplay and a trio playing at their peak – and all in pristine sound quality that upgrades some of the boots I've been playing to death these last few years.
Already looking forward to rw5!
