24.11.14 / There's a light that enters...

[ob8]

I did not care much for David's piano parts on TKH shows so I for one am hoping that Tilbury has been brought in to add some magic to the proceedings.

The show lives and dies for me on the Franz Wright recordings. That was the magical element for me and it was the glue that held the show together albeit loosely

I will of course be buying this and supporting David but I am hoping he will also be working on some new material that features his unique voice as I suspect this will be filed away after a couple of listens or put on when I am cleaning the house

[svendutchmountains]

Just for those who have not seen it yet - the official site has now been amended and the CD is on sale in two different versions...

[Quiet Visitor]

Just for those who have not seen it yet - the official site has now been amended and the CD is on sale in two different versions...

Thanks. Ordered the deluxe version.

B.t.w. I didn't know Backstreet International Merchandise, but I'm glad there's a contact in the UK again, so items for Europe can be send from there.

[svendutchmountains]

I ordered both versions - which comes with an interesting complication: the standard version needs to be ordered separately through Samadhi Sound. It is not possible to order both versions from either vendor! So we will see which of the two sends the material first!

[Simonp]

I must admit I wasn't really looking forward to this release based on the live clips I heard following the short tour but the soundclips on Sylvian's page sound really beautiful and really quite melodic in parts, probably thanks to Fennesz. I expected it to be an hour of a single note with the occasional strike of a piano key but this does sound quite lovely. I see the standard CD is also being released in limited quantities. Sylvian clearly recognises that this release may have a limited appeal and is keen to cover production costs if nothing else.

Still surprised to see that Stephan Mathiew was not involved in project.

[Foales Arishes]

Gosh, this is quite a challenging piece, to say the very least... I've ordered the deluxe book, and have been trying to digest the mp3 with some difficulty... Its very dark and sombre for the most part, and the read texts do not make for easy listening... though there is humour here, but even that is dark and dank.

The music does have some moments of great beauty within, and the voice of Franz Wright has a mesmeric quality to it, but I'm not sure what mood you need to be in to appreciate it as a whole... this is beyond melancholy.

The texts aside, this has some commonality with When Loud Weather, but for me that is a far more successful and listenable* piece.... *and that is saying something.

I am looking forward to seeing what resides within the book.

[afternoonfix]

have bought a plethora of Davids deluxe packaged releases over time, musically of which were disappointing of late-
probably buy the standard cd in time from amazon ,however,ain't jumping up and down with excitement over this one.

[baht habit]

I just listened to those samples provided on the website. To hear that voice treading all over the beauty of Tilbury's piano is quite disconcerting. Could we possibly petition for a purely instrumental mix?

[Chad]

yeah I dont remember who mentioned this already but its hard to watch david abandon is 2 biggest assets. his voice and words are what we all want. now bahts petitioning to blank frank.

I think we'll get something of substance the next go around. ten horses maybe.


- Blank frank is the messenger of your doom and your destruction
Yes, he is the one who will set you up as nothing
And he is one who will look at you sideways
His particular skill is leaving bombs in people's driveways.

Blank frank has a memory that's as cold as an iceberg
The only time he speaks is in incomprehensible proverbs
Blank frank is the siren, he's the air-raid, he's the crater
He's on the menu, on the table, he's the knife and he's the waiter

-be

ha ha... couldn't resist

[Nicrobliz]

Gosh, this is quite a challenging piece, to say the very least... I've ordered the deluxe book, and have been trying to digest the mp3 with some difficulty... Its very dark and sombre for the most part, and the read texts do not make for easy listening... though there is humour here, but even that is dark and dank.

The music does have some moments of great beauty within, and the voice of Franz Wright has a mesmeric quality to it, but I'm not sure what mood you need to be in to appreciate it as a whole... this is beyond melancholy.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about this album. I've listened to it from start to finish, three times, and can honestly say that I have no interest in delving any further into it.

Being a fan of an artist/band doesn't automatically make it compulsory for you to like everything they release...

Think 'Manafon' meets 'Uncommon Deities'.

[baht habit]

yeah I dont remember who mentioned this already but its hard to watch david abandon is 2 biggest assets. his voice and words are what we all want. now bahts petitioning to blank frank.

I'm currently in the process of 'erasing Franz' with a few precision edits. And quickly enjoying this piece much more. There is obviously more to this piece than merely Fennesz's contributions and that dreadful voiceover...Tilbury surely deserved a credit on the front of the package. And the occasional shadings from a string section are especially appealing.

So great to have you back Chad -- It's encouraging to see that you've picked up right where you left off...still remain determined to declare that "what we all want" conforms exactly to your personal preferences?

[karnsculpture]

I don't understand why some others think this piece is not accessible, I think the voice and the content adds a huge amount and it's not hard to listen to musically at all. The backing sounds better than the live version, and as I said at the time of the concerts, the voice and the words complete the piece really well. It's not new for Sylvian though, except that he's usually read out his (or others) words before, or just used snippets (Upon This Earth, Steel Cathedrals) as elements. I'm getting more out of this than Uncommon Deities.

[Foales Arishes]

I don't understand why some others think this piece is not accessible, I think the voice and the content adds a huge amount and it's not hard to listen to musically at all.

Its not the music but the readings I have trouble with [not the sound of the voice either]... they are simply too dark and unpleasant at times for me... I struggle to get anything out of these words I'm afraid. I'm still looking forward to the book however, and have been looking at the contributing photographers, who do some amazing work. I think one of David's great strengths is his visual acuity... he, and his collaborators create some wonderful objects, and visual refrence points, to encompass his sonic offerings, and I find this combination very exciting.

Today I went out and bought Secrets of the Beehive... I came to DS with Manafon and had little interest in his early work, and in many ways I would take TALTE over SOTB despite some severe reservations over this release... his early solo work is just too slick and polished (verging on cheesy ) for me.... What a contrast though!

Manafon is still the best thing he's done as far as I'm concerned... I may end up sounding like Chad, wishing with every new release that he would go back to an earlier version of himself... ah, the comfort of Manafon, over this new challenging stuff

[svendutchmountains]

Remember all that Samadhi Sound bashing when they failed to ship Manafon (and all those other releases) in any decent time? Yesterday I received an email stating my order had been shipped! Just 3 days after ordering it!This is for the regular CD version - have not heard about shipping of the Book version yet!

As for the track itself - I suggest you try speeding the whole recording up (a little like switching a 33RPM record to 45 RMP). Franz ends up sounding like a chirpy chipmunk on acid with The Prodigy going nuts in the background!

[Blemished]

The deluxe book was waiting for me when I arrived today - a slim little A5 delicacy. Has the poems and some beautiful photos - very lovely as usual, although - for some reason - I thought it would have been larger.

The one thing that also jumps out is that Stephan is not even on the 'thanks' list. Clearly a falling out of some kind has happened.

Still haven't had time to listen to the music properly - an hour long piece like this is quite intimidating, - so easy to end up jumping through it on a computer, so am glad the CD is here to make an uninterrupted listen easier.

Funnily enough, in contrast to Baht, I really like Frank's voice from what I've heard. Has something of the Tom Waits about it. Very charismatic.

ah, the comfort of Manafon, over this new challenging stuff

I know exactly what you mean! DITW too for me. I love the musical components - but do prefer having his voice and a loose song structure to break things up.