It comes in either CD or vinyl (with download).
If you go here or here, you can download a tune form the album called Trembling Hands.
You can order here and here.
And there's a show:
" We also have a few new shows to announce: April 30th in LA at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and May 1st in Oakland at the Fox Theater. There will be a presale for the Oakland show and you can get tickets here.
I could think of many examples where bands do this on their first album.
But the third?
There has to be some special meaning to it then.
Perhaps they’re trying to say something…
Is the band feeling estranged from its listeners and trying to reach out to us with this record by using this title? Or could it be that communications have deteriorated such that only a Long Distance Call is taken seriously?
However you want to interpret it, Long Distance Calling provides another almost entirely instrumental heavy and spacey rock album. One that they say is song and theme oriented, despite the lack of lyrics for the most part although there is a “proper” song on here, Middleville, featuring John Bush on vocals.
At first it would seem that this is a group with several faces. On one side in tracks like the 1st "Tram Song", 5th track "Clock 77:77" and 7th track "Face 2 Face", the style is that of post-rock, quite mellow (at times almost ambient), with caressing guitars and keyboards in the background. This side shows a more varied than usual aspect of post-rock, a more vivid and rich sounding.
Kauan from Russia started out as a doom/folk metal outfit and now veered into more folk-post-rock-ish territories with their stunning 2009 album, Aava Tuulen Maa, sung in Finnish. Here's the closing song from that album, Neulana Hetkessä.
It's been a (more than usual) busy week and this trend will continue in the next two weeks. I've had the first part of my committee meeting and in the coming Monday I have the second and main part.
Finally after many agonizing a time, a project I came up with and work on seems to fall into place and more data and good results are coming in. I'll just say it has to do with revealing the role of a certain protein in neurons, using mouse genetics and molecular biology methods (I'm sure most of you didn't make it to the end of that sentence).
Also, this Thanksgiving weekend, I need to work to generate some important data, perhaps some that I can use for the meeting. Also, I've just been given word that a big experiment I've been working on has been completed and now comes the time of data analysis. So I'll start on this as well this weekend.
So naturally all this will cause my productivity level here to decline in the coming days and delay the reviews I'm working on. But they will come. So I apologize to those fine musicians and labels who sent me promo cd's and are waiting for the reviews to come on.
Also, feel free to let me know in comments or at avestin AT gmail DOT com what kind of posts do you want to read here, what kind of music covered, what albums and bands are you into or have discovered lately and anything else that comes to your mind.
Gösta Berlings Saga are a Swedish instrumental prog rock band creating captivating textures and atmospheres without neglecting the catchy and melodic side. They have released two albums, and the third one is in the making.
My "review/impressions" of their 2009 album is after the Jump.
"Concentric began as a therapeutic vacation from musical boundaries, and a year later is still expanding on that theme. Jim Becker and Jerry Hauppa were growing weary of the clichés that plague the extreme metal genre when they discovered that both of them had acoustic side projects that were keeping their sanity. Though their styles were very different, what they had in common was an ear for the more progressive side of music and its ability to challenge the listener. By combining their efforts the two released a demo in 2004 and later one epic 16 minute track in the Mosaic EP, which depicted a vast array of emotions and themes using only layered acoustic guitars. After finding a drummer in Brad O'Malley, Concentric fully fleshed out their sound and furthered the progressive themes hinted at in previous recordings. In late 2009, the three piece released their first full length record entitled Immeasurable which is comprised of thirteen tracks of very densely woven countermelody throughout its sixty minute running time. Although the acoustic guitar-centered approach of previous works remains the core of the songwriting, Immeasurable is further developed by a range of sounds including cello, accordion, hammer dulcimer and others. The end result is guaranteed to be one of the most densely melodic records you will hear. The group is determined to perform instrumental acoustic music in a way that hasn't been heard before, and judging by the response received at shows played both at home and abroad, Concentric is definitely achieving that goal.
Immeasurable, the debut full length from Milwaukee-based instrumental acoustic band Concentric, is a dynamic step into the recesses of human emotion through a complex tapestry of sound and mood. Driven by acoustic guitars and intricate percussion adorned with cello and other instruments, Immeasurable reaches highly expressive depths where any lyrical approach would fall short. Throughout its sixty minute duration, Concentric presents one of the most densely melodic records you will ever hear."
Ninth Moon Black is a five piece from Oregon playing post-rock/metal with haunting ambiances. They've released a s/t album in 2008 (re-released in 2009) and this year an EP, Kalyug, featured below. The EP is available as a pay-what-you-want download.
The Autumn Project is a trio from Des Moines, Iowa, playing post-rock. The name used to serve Mike Gustafson (drums, keyboards, textures) for his solo output, and now serves the trio, consisting of brothers Jess (guitar) and John Huffman (baritone guitar, bass). While starting in 2000, their first release, Fable, was in 2003 and reissued in 2005. In 2004 they released La Luna de Negra and in 2006 A Burning Light. Here I review their 2009 release, This We Take With Us.
Bell Orchestre is an instrumental group from Montreal. The band has ties to other bands: Arcade Fire, Torngat, The Luyas, Islands and Snailhouse. Their music is a sort of an orchestral ambient and post-rock nature with a variety of instruments used. The music is very dynamic, flowing from highly energetic, upbeat and positive-sounding sections to mellow and somewhat melancholic passages.
The studio lineup consists of: Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire) - upright bass/keyboard/percussion Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire)– violin Stefan Schneider (The Luyas)- drums/percussion Pietro Amato (Torngat, The Luyas)- French horn/electronics Kaveh Nabatian - trumpet/melodica Mike Feuerstack (Snailhouse)- lap steel guitar
Magyar Posse, a cinematic post-rock band from Finland with 3 studio albums released is under our magnifying glass this post. You can listen to them here and here.
I got to know about them while browsing the Prog Archives post-rock database in 2005 and proceeded to get their first release We Will Carry You Over The Mountains, released in 2002. Much like Explosions In The Sky's first album (How Strange, Innocence), Magyar Posse's first album, is a naive and simplistic yet charming and beautiful album that I still listen to and enjoy today immensely. The band has a knack for creating stunning emotional pieces that evoke in my mind scenes as if watching a movie. I've read they've been influences by Ennio Morricone, among others, and if so, it does show.
Here's one track from the album:
After being enthralled with this first album I proceeded to get their second album, Kings Of Time, released in 2004. Here they've upgraded their sound further. The interplay of the keyboards and guitar is a major reason for their lush, rich and epic sound. I feel as if being transported to some other place, an unknown European urban location in the midst of winter, where all around are closed up in their shells, hurrying up to get home from the cold and rushing about their business, oblivious to anything else besides their own occupations; for some reason the music invokes that imagery in my mind... don't ask...
Here's the most beautiful piece from that album:
When Random Avenger came out in 2006 I got it, obviously and it did not disappoint. These Finns again showed how skilled they are at creating catchy rhythmic pieces filled with ambiance and magic.
Here's the opening piece from the album:
They have also released a live album in 2006, Live at UMF, Finland.
The band is apparently still active and playing shows occasionally (according to their website) but I don't know if they're writing new material, recording or what are their plans for the future. I do look forward to it, though.
