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GF music review club


Carvalho Diablo
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Ladies and gentlemen. Or just ‘cunts’, whichever you prefer.

 

I present to you Steven Wilson’s ‘Hand. Cannot. Erase’

 

A number of you will already be familiar with his solo work, as well as the incredible music he created with Porcupine Tree, but I hope this particular record is fresh for most of you.

 

The story is largely inspired by the ‘Joyce Carol Vincent’ case, where a young woman died in her flat, and nobody noticed for three years until her skeletal remains were discovered. Her story is also the topic of the film ‘Dreams of a Life’ and I encourage you to check that out or at least google her name, truly heartbreaking.

 

The music, as you’d expect, is deep and very moving in places. I’d recommend sitting down, with headphones and nothing else to preoccupy the senses (besides maybe a glass of Merlot, or some good cannabis)

 

The band is as tight and talented as you’ll find on any record, in any time period. Guthrie Govan on guitar, Nick Beggs and Adam Holzman on bass and keys and Marco Minneman on the drum kit.

 

Watch out for the vocals of Ninet Tayeb on ‘Routine’ and ‘Ancestral’

 

Enjoy!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2g-7NS0WKivfm3zEVIT8P8lq2UWbdOeB

 

YouTube playlist posted above, it’s also available on Spotify.

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Cheers Sam, looking forward to caning your record tomorrow mate. Day off, neighbours at work, will play LOUD.

 

To all you lads who have yet to review Shooter's ZBB album from week 1, I would still encourage you to do so, but again I leave that completely up to you.

 

Really looking forward to listening to this week's album, this thread, and you guys already displaying the diversity rampant in The Mighty GF.

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Cheers Sam, looking forward to caning your record tomorrow mate. Day off, neighbours at work, will play LOUD.

 

To all you lads who have yet to review Shooter's ZBB album from week 1, I would still encourage you to do so, but again I leave that completely up to you.

 

Really looking forward to listening to this week's album, this thread, and you guys already displaying the diversity rampant in The Mighty GF.

 

 

Wait till I've got you all reviewing 'Be Here Now' .... 

 

 

I'm kidding obviously. 

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You surprise me...

Oasis are in my top 3 bands but that album was pure gash. ‘Let’s All Make Believe’ is a good tune and ‘Go Let It Out’ is bearable but that’s all it’s got going for it.

 

He bought me a Linkin Park album either the year before or the year after. I think I listened to that once before it went in the bin. I’m gonna message him now and ask if he hates me.

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Yeah - impossible to take this all in one sitting. Only had a little exposure to PT and to be honest gave up on Prog years ago.

 

Fantastic record - emphasis on record -  with instrumental moments, especially in Regret #9 and Routine (the 5/4 section is immense), that rival some of the classic bands (specifically Floyd/Genesis) of yesteryear. Happy Returns is very special too. Some of the hard edged math rock sections - while spectacularly performed (Ancestral, Home Invasion) are not the sections I will come back to over and over, especially with the heights that the best parts of the album soar without the overt nod to that. Then Ascendent trails off, childrens voices - powerful stuff.

 

This can't be my review as it will take months to absorb. 

 

Well in Moofer. Really.

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Well, what to make of that?! Tbh I thought Steven Wilson was a local roofer, so this was quite some introduction!

 

Pleased I made some brief notes as a listened...

 

Track 1, First Regret/3 Years Older, great production, sounds BIG, mix between analog and digital instrumentation is done superbly. 12 and half minutes just flies by.

 

Moof's advice to listen with headphones, away from any distractions is spot on. I listened thru my Cyrus amp and Quad speakers and this record truly sounds spectacular.

 

Track 1 reminiscent in parts of both Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Especially nice bass and keys on this one.

A great start.

 

Hand. Cannot. Erase. The title track shows off some tasteful guitar work by Guthrie Govan, again some nice keys and this song just rolls along.

 

Perfect Life. Really liked the female spoken narrative. Another great mix shows off more lovely keys and a cracking snare sound. Best vocal yet, really liked tthis song.

 

Routine. The start really did remind me of Radiohead. Another great mix, particularly the reverb and panning of the synth and keys/strings and guitar. Another really tasteful guitar solo.

 

Home Invasion/Regret #9. Liked the aggression and use of minor keys at the start, painting a tense unsettling atmospheric.

 

The drums sound amazing on this song, recorded brilliantly, I could hear and actually feel the throb of the skins being beaten. Amazing sensation that.

 

Another killer Govan solo, conjuring Gilmour.

 

I noted that the longer tracks on this album actually seem somewhat shorter, the riffs keeping changing, never outstaying their welcome, there's an economy, do their stuff, serve their purpose, move on.

 

The final guitar solo on Home Invasion shreds. Excellent.

 

Transience. The shortest song at less than 3 minutes comes as something of a welcome breather, welcome chance to catch your breath and gather your thoughts befforre the big kick for home. Now strap yourself in...

 

Ancestral is the longest song on this record at 13:30. Starting with a luxy reverb and pan job, offering great space to the other instruments, we find a wonderful sounding flute take centre stage, woody and windy.

 

A nice vocal and a big "chorus".

 

Yet another gorgeous guitar solo chimes in at around the 4 minute mark, a great woody sounding guitar break. I like it a lot. Minneman's drums are dry, powerful and percussive, especially in the middle section. Belter of a song.

 

The last song! Happy Returns/Ascendant Here On...lovely refrain, nice vocal, the highlight of this song for me being the tight bass and drums in the middle section. Some lovely backing vox on this one too.

 

Possibly my favourite song on the album, gives off an uplifting optimistic vibe.

 

Only right that I should also note my criticisms of this record though. Not completely sold on the main vocalist, at times (like in the opener) he voice seems a bit nasal (but I accept that's splitting hairs. Nasal hairs).

 

The other question mark I have is to whether these songs possess the magic and the logetvity to make them timeless. However, that's always subjective and there's certainly more than enough here (on first listen) to make me want to return and submerge again.

 

So yeh, cheers Sam, that was some ride! Definitely not an experience I shall forget in a hurry.

 

Also, even after only a couple of weeks, I think that the albums selected so far and the attitude of you guys participting in our little club / experiment has already completely justified and repaid the whole idea behind the thread. Yeh, loving it so far.

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I've been mega busy as I have so much on between college, uni applications and trying to make a living so not had a chance to do anymore than a quick scan through on the Zac Brown Band one.

 

Steven Wilson has been on my list of people to check out for a while but I've never gotten around to it so looking forward to checking this out. 

 

He's one of those guys I've known about for ages through collaborations he's done and the likes of Marco Minneman going to drum for him but never knowingly actually listened to any of his own stuff. 

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Just being a nosey fuck I came across this thread. Glad I did.

I won't jump on the bandwagon but just want to say I really enjoyed ZBB album, not my bag usually but some very decent tracks on it. I have a mate who loves country. Sent him that and he just pulled the cock off himself. Loves it.

 

Now the Steven Wilson album. Wow. I mean, I can't believe I've never heard of him or that album. It's brilliant and I don't like to call something brilliant that often. Drums, bass, solos, synths, changing time-signatures - it has everything.I think I've only scratched the surface with it so far so can see myself listening to this on repeat for the next few weeks.

 

Great idea for a tread. It's already come up trumps. Well done, cunts.

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Just being a nosey fuck I came across this thread. Glad I did.

I won't jump on the bandwagon but just want to say I really enjoyed ZBB album, not my bag usually but some very decent tracks on it. I have a mate who loves country. Sent him that and he just pulled the cock off himself. Loves it.

Now the Steven Wilson album. Wow. I mean, I can't believe I've never heard of him or that album. It's brilliant and I don't like to call something brilliant that often. Drums, bass, solos, synths, changing time-signatures - it has everything.I think I've only scratched the surface with it so far so can see myself listening to this on repeat for the next few weeks.

Great idea for a tread. It's already come up trumps. Well done, cunts.

Cheers Zonko, like I've always said, everybody is welcome to participate and review. Really pleased you've already discovered something new that you like through the thread.

 

Missiom accomplished.

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I'll listen to Steve Wilson tomorrow. looking forward too it after the reviews. 

About halfway through, you're in for a treat. I will post a review as soon as I have finished - likely tomorrow - but looking good so far...

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I managed to sit down and listen to the album posted by moof and I have definitely not heard of Steven Wilson before seeing this posted. So from that respect my eyes have already been opened up to a new genre of music. At least I thought so. 

 

Having listened to the whole album it reminded me of a number of other musicians including Peter Gabriel, certainly Pink Floyd and perhaps on a similarly slightly lesser known scale - similar to Steven Wilson - Lonely Robot. You may want to check out an album called 'Please Come Home' by Lonely Robot which was certainly similar but perhaps not quite as good.

 

Which brings me back this album, absolutely beatifully produced and performed with lots of variety but it's also quite a sad album for the influences behind it.

 

I like the epic feel to some of the tracks - after all tracks 1,5 and 7 make up almost 30 minutes of the album and really deliver a great soundtrack.

 

I have as a result picked up another of his albums today as part of a deal (I think it's called Transcience) so I am looking forward to giving this a listen.

 

Overall very impressed with this, and will keep an eye out for others similar for sure.

 

8.5/10 overall.

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