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I wasn't aware of Sylvian's work with tweaker - I'll have to check that out.
I had forgotten he lead off Tweaker's The Attraction To All Things Uncertain with "Linoleum" as well, so he has a track on both albums, as well as multiple versions on the Linoleum single.
Originally Posted by BillC
Be forewarned that Sylvian's music takes a lot of twists and turns and includes Glam Rock with Japan, Electronic Minimalism on "Blemish", Progressive Rock with Robert Fripp, Ambient with Holger Czukay, etc.
Thanks for the warning... However this just makes me more likely to check it out as there's little that beats adventurous music!
Thanks for the warning... However this just makes me more likely to check it out as there's little that beats adventurous music!
Sylvian's great if you like adventure. I really like most of the stuff in his catalog but some of it takes more time to get into than others. And if you go in expecting the Glam Rock of early Japan and get the pained, electronic minimalism of Blemish, you might come out a bit shocked.
Not that there's anything wrong with being confronted with something different than you expected, but I'd hate for someone to hear one album and think, "I don't like him" when there might be a lot of his other work that you'd love.
Headphoneus Supremus: Hangin' with the monkeys. Member of the Trade: Lawton Audio
OK, finally got it. IMO, it's quite good, certainly a lot better than Blemish. But so far, on first listen, it sounds like a pretty standard David Sylvian outing; in a body of excellent work, it's yet another excellent addition to the canon. But his best ever?
Don't think anyone here said that, did they? Maybe I missed it. I said that it was probably the best thing he'd done in recent times, but it would be hard to judge it against his best work since that was really a different time in music and his sound was very novel. To me it sounds a bit like Dead Bees part 2, which is OK with me at this point.
Headphoneus Supremus: Hangin' with the monkeys. Member of the Trade: Lawton Audio
No, Davey, I was responding to some of the breathless reviews I've read in the press. It really is a great album, no doubt, but when the bar is set so high by the artist's past work, one comes in with big expectations, that's all I'm saying...
No, Davey, I was responding to some of the breathless reviews I've read in the press. It really is a great album, no doubt, but when the bar is set so high by the artist's past work, one comes in with big expectations, that's all I'm saying...
Yeah, so many reviewers tend to come off a bit like shills for the record label, every work is monumental and the best thing they've ever done. But it's really hard for me to be objective when looking at a person's whole career, especially when it is so long. None of us are in the same place musically we were 15 or 20 years ago, but that's still a big part of how we view music. Someone relatively new to Sylvian (or who wasn't around in the Japan days) may listen to this latest one and think it's the best thing he's ever done, when in actuality it's more like you say, another in a long line of excellent works. I do think there are songs on it that wouldn't be shamed by his best work, but overall it's quite a grower, and probably works more for me as a complete picture rather than a set of songs. It's got a real mood and feel to it, even though I think a couple of the best songs on it stand out a bit much from that feel, seeming a little out of place at first. But that feel mostly went away for me with more listens.
So, I finally managed to track down Snow Borne Sorrow and I have to admit, I'm very impressed. I really enjoyed it, right from the start. I will say this... I think my favorite track was "Wonderful World." I really liked his voice paired with Stina Nordenstam, and wish she appeared more on the album. But that's just a minor shortcoming IMO.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone for their input on this disc. It's definitely a strong effort. It's my first exposure to his work outside Tweaker and I'll definitely be exploring more.
Almost 2 1/2 years down the road, and still a pretty nice listen. Good sound quality too, nice and lush, though a bit louder than it really should be for best effect. Anyone else been keeping this one in the regular rotation?
Linear Mode
