audiori 
Administrator
Registration Date: 05-27-2004
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08-04-2005 18:41 |
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phreak
Radioactive Hatchling
Registration Date: 08-02-2004
Posts: 8,405
Favorite 77s album: Drowning With Land In Sight
Location: Stella's Garage
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Mike Roe has just completed "a new album, this one a collaboration with 77’s bassist Harmon titled Fun With Sound, a project that couples Roe’s vocals, guitar, and lyrics with Harmon’s interests in electronic and loop-based music. It’s a surprisingly different album for Roe, but if there’s one thing that can be said about the artist, it’s that he leaves his particular stamp on everything he touches. For, despite Fun With Sound being a departure, it still sounds remarkably like a Michael Roe project. It is a sound signature that he has retained from that first 77’s album in 1982 right up through today: a combination of arching, explosive guitar and melodic, soaring vocals." - Christian Kiefer - NewsReview.com
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~ ffphreeack!! ~
Christianity 101: love God; love others
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by phreak: 08-05-2005 03:29.
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08-05-2005 03:28 |
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phreak
Radioactive Hatchling
Registration Date: 08-02-2004
Posts: 8,405
Favorite 77s album: Drowning With Land In Sight
Location: Stella's Garage
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| from Tuesday Morning 3 AM |
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My original plan for this week was to write a lengthy column catching up on worthy records I just didn’t get to over the past few months. There are quite a few, including missives from Green Day, A Perfect Circle, King’s X, Neal Morse and John Lennon. But then I took a look at January’s barren desert of no new music, and decided to hold on to these reviews, lest I have nothing to talk about until Valentine’s Day.
So I picked one for this week, and it wasn’t hard to choose.
Mike Roe is an absolute renaissance man. He has tried his hand at a dozen different styles, and pulled off each one wonderfully. But that unpredictability has sometimes been a drawback for Roe, since newbies don’t know where to start sampling his massive catalog. The novice who sees an acoustic concert and then picks up Orbis or A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows might not come back for more. Roe skips around, musically speaking, and he doesn’t often leave a road map for curious potential fans to follow.
Lately, though, he’s been neatly dividing his interests into four boxes, each with different names, and while I object to categorization from a purely artistic standpoint, the separation does help with suggesting entry points. With the Lost Dogs, Roe is an Elvis-loving country crooner with strong gospel roots, and you can hear that on every Dogs album since their 1992 debut Scenic Routes. With the 77s, Roe is a full-on blues-inspired rock machine, best evidenced by Tom Tom Blues and Golden Field. On his own, Roe is an acoustic folkie with a knack for self-deprecation and spiritual uplift, as heard on Say Your Prayers and It’s For You.
And when he teams with 77s bassist Mark Harmon, the duo turns out experimental, groovy electronic jam music. This side has showcased Roe the guitarist better than any other lately, with dynamic instrumental records like Orbis. Harmon seems to bring out the ambitious side of Roe, and their projects together have been layered, knotty and demanding, but very worth the time. Orbis especially is a little off-putting at first, opening with a 10-minute sound-effects-laden free-for-all and continuing wordlessly for 78 minutes.
One would be forgiven for expecting the same from an album called Fun With Sound, but one would be wrong. Roe and Harmon’s new record, released under the resurrected Seven and Seven Is moniker, is a full-on vocals-and-guitars collection of glorious pop songs, reminiscent of Roe’s The Boat Ashore. It’s a lovely piece of work, subtle and enveloping, and it continues the amazing streak Roe has been on these past few years, in all of his incarnations.
Fun With Sound is so titled because Roe and Harmon have knocked themselves out on the production front here. The drums are all programmed and sampled, keyboard effects weave in and out, and Roe’s guitar takes on personality after personality. If you’ve heard Orbis, imagine taking the more melodic sections of that piece and writing songs around that sonic template. The grooves are sweet, the melodies sweeter, and the blankets of overdubbed guitar are sweetest of all.
Opener “Gone in a Moment” sets the mood for the record, then bursts out of it with a perfect bridge. Listen to Roe and Harmon playing around each other on the beautiful extended ambient coda, and then dig the intro to “A Quiet Little Place,” on which Harmon takes the lead with his fretless bass. These two have been playing together for more than a decade, long enough to continually push each other to new heights. They harmonize delightfully on the tricky “My World Inside,” and practically duel on the fiery “L’Orbis/Jack Spoiler.”
Lyrically, this album treads familiar ground for Roe – broken hearts and downtrodden souls. He gets positively optimistic on “Ride the Waves,” but takes the emotional current of “Say So Long to Your Sad Old Love Song” as far as it will carry him. And in “Guadalupe” he pens a lovely tribute to Gene Eugene, the former Lost Dog and Adam Again mastermind who passed away in 2000. (Guadalupe was the rumored title of the sixth Adam Again album, which Eugene never got to make.) He ends with a nod to his gospel roots on “I Will Run to the City of Refuge,” with a Zeppelin twist. It’s the heaviest thing here, and makes for an explosive conclusion.
I’ve often said that there are only a few guitarists I will never tire of listening to, and Mike Roe is one of them. His six-string is everywhere on Fun With Sound, adding flourishes and weaving webs. And when he solos, as on “Thank You For Your Dreams,” it’s a wonder to behold. I will never figure out why guitar magazines aren’t falling all over this guy – he’s an obvious master with a lyrical tone and a deeply emotional playing style. Roe should have disciples who transcribe his every lick and try to play them with as much heart as he does. Just listen to the lengthy, lovely ending of “Sad Old Love Song” if you don’t believe me.
It wouldn’t be stretching too far to consider Fun With Sound the best thing Roe has done in years, even considering the steep competition. This is a record that spotlights just about everything he does well – the guitar playing of Daydream, the songwriting of the 77s’ Direct, the perfect production of Orbis, the lyrics and sweet, sweet vocals of Say Your Prayers. This is not an experimental toss-off, it’s the real deal. If you’ve never sampled Roe’s work before, this is a great place to start.
It’s beyond me why you can’t walk into any record store and buy this, but you can’t – like most of Roe’s work, it’s only available at 77s.com and related websites. You can listen to clips from every song there as well. While you’re there, pick up Direct, Golden Field, Prayers, It’s For You… hell, everything. It’s all good.
Next week, the Top 10 List, and likely a lengthy justification of my choice for number one.
See you in line Tuesday morning.
__________________
~ ffphreeack!! ~
Christianity 101: love God; love others
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08-05-2005 03:30 |
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phreak
Radioactive Hatchling
Registration Date: 08-02-2004
Posts: 8,405
Favorite 77s album: Drowning With Land In Sight
Location: Stella's Garage
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| 5 Alarm Clocks from Phantom Tollbooth |
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It is the end of the year and the usual arguments about which was the best album release are in full swing. My three top contenders were "Changes Come" by OTR, Veil Of Gossamer by Dave Bainbridge, and "One " by Neal Morse. Notice I said were, because all of that has changed in the simple act of opening a small package from Dr. Love. That package contained the absolute best album of this year, it is called Fun With Sound by 7&7 is. Now to clear up any confusion 7&7 is, is not quite the 77's nor is it a Mike Roe solo project, it falls somewhere in the in between, somewhat like the time between times.
Just who is 7&7 is, this time around they are Michael Roe on guitar and vocals and Mark Harmon on bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals. Also around for the ride this time on drums are Mick Fleetwood, yes you heard right, on three cuts. Even more impressive to this old DJ is that somehow Mike has coaxed legendary British musician L'Angelo Mysterioso out of an elongated retirement. He has even switched from his usual guitar playing to drums and handles the chore magnificently.
Stylistically this project falls for the most part, with a few exceptions, into the territory that Mike has explored with such tunes as "Film At Eleven" and "Ache Beautiful" I would be so bold as to say that one tune in particular called "Say So Long To Your Sad Old Love Song" is the prettiest thing that the Doctor has given us since "Ache Beautiful". Other stand out tunes include "Ride the Waves," "Glory Train," and the album closer a butt kicking rocker called, "I'm Gonna Run To the City of Refuge." Altogether this album from its softer moments to its rave up closer shows just why these guys are the best rock n roll band on the planet bar none. It also goes to show once again what an outstanding vocal artist Mike Roe is, when Mike and Mark put down their harmonies together it is just sheer magic. Will we ever see Mike, Mark and Mick out on the road together, I doubt it, but I can always dream can't I.
Check out the web sites at www.77s.com & www.MichaelRoe.com
Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock 12/11/2004
__________________
~ ffphreeack!! ~
Christianity 101: love God; love others
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08-05-2005 03:33 |
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phreak
Radioactive Hatchling
Registration Date: 08-02-2004
Posts: 8,405
Favorite 77s album: Drowning With Land In Sight
Location: Stella's Garage
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08-05-2005 03:37 |
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Alex
Mr. Magoo
Registration Date: 05-01-2005
Posts: 894
Favorite 77s album: Eighty Eight
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
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Best CD 2005. Alternative Rock with a slight jazzy feel. Big improvement since "The boat ashore".
Alex
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08-12-2005 01:48 |
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carl
Flower in the Sand
Registration Date: 06-02-2004
Posts: 1,884
Favorite 77s album: The Funky Crow Thang
Location: Loveland, CO.... "I told my mother when I was four years old I wanted to be a Rock and Roll singer and a dishwasher. And that's kinda how it's worked out."
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 At least the first five words were right.... |
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Originally posted by Alex
Best CD 2005. Alternative Rock with a slight jazzy feel. Big improvement since "The boat ashore".
Alex |
Well, THAT review just got more wrong as it went along.... 
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(this is my official work photo, BTW...
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08-15-2005 11:24 |
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DaLe
Mr. Magoo
Registration Date: 06-01-2004
Posts: 1,060
Location: MiNNeSoTa - HeRe we put salt on the Roads... Lord, Help me be Salt of the Earth - NoT Salt in the Wound. so, take most everything I SaY HeRe with a grain of Salt !
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MoRe 
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08-16-2005 08:40 |
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Alex
Mr. Magoo
Registration Date: 05-01-2005
Posts: 894
Favorite 77s album: Eighty Eight
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
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| RE: At least the first five words were right.... |
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Originally posted by carl
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Originally posted by Alex
Best CD 2005. Alternative Rock with a slight jazzy feel. Big improvement since "The boat ashore".
Alex |
Well, THAT review just got more wrong as it went along....
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It's how I feel about it. Now it's your turn.
Alex
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08-18-2005 11:46 |
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carl
Flower in the Sand
Registration Date: 06-02-2004
Posts: 1,884
Favorite 77s album: The Funky Crow Thang
Location: Loveland, CO.... "I told my mother when I was four years old I wanted to be a Rock and Roll singer and a dishwasher. And that's kinda how it's worked out."
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 Did it nine months ago.... |
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Lemme see if I can dig it up... ah, here we go....
11/20/04 --
We HAS it! The PRECIOUSSSSS!!!
I'll post something longer on Monday, but for now: This is DAMb good. I was a tad concerned for about two minutes, until the bridge on the first song just WALLOPED me. I cried tears of relief and have moved on. 
Stylistically, it's kind of Daydream with words. I would throw in The Boat Ashore as a reference but I'm still weighing the validity of that. Anyway, they definitely were having fun with sound, but that don't make it a fun album.
Anyway anyway, Mike & Mark finally strike again with a finally full-faithin'-length CD.
Hoo-HAH!!!
11/22/04
The longer version....
There's still a crapload here to absorb (but as we're driving down to Baltimore for Thanksgiving, I'll have plenty of road time for that
), but some general observations/questions:
1) I'm still gonna stay with "Daydream with words" as a general description, and keep The Boat Ashore in reserve until I've spent several more months with it. But TBA gives more points for comparison -- there's no "Bended Knee" on here to completely knock you on yr butt while you wait for the rest of the album to kick in, but it helps to know that upfront. Either way, it'll probably take a good two years to completely process this.
2) Something to keep in mind -- given Mike's lyrical ability and especially given my own opinion that Mike has grown in leaps and bounds as a singer in recent years ("Lifeline" being the best and most recent example) -- is that the vocals/lyrics definitely take a back seat to the overall sound on this one. Mike doesn't knock anything out of the ballpark here in these departments this time out (with the possible exception of the lyrics to "Ride the Waves"), but then again that's not the intent. Just saying that to say you kind of have to step back and take this on its own terms. It's still way more accessible than Orbis.
3) There's a LOT going on here musically/sonically -- again, the general moodiness betrays the CD's title (aside from the last two, "fun" is not a word you'd use to describe the songs here) but the inventiveness of the music/arrangements themselves sure doesn't. I'm pretty sure this will be, like TBA, one of those CDs you absorb like crazy, put away for a few months, bust out again only to find stuff you completely missed the first time, absorb again like crazy, put away for another few months, bust out again only to find stuff you completely missed the last two times, absorb yet again like crazy, etc.
4) Favorite songs/moments: the aforementioned bridge of "Gone in a Moment," where any doubts one might've had are immediately put to rest; "Say So Long to Yr Sad Old Love Song"; "Ride the Waves" (both lyrically and the hellacious "COWABUNGA!" guitar solo); the majestic coda of "Guadalupe" on through the pretentious electronic goofiness giving way to the Troggs on "L'Orbis/Jack Spoiler" through the stompin' Drowning-esque (for more than one reason) "I'm Gonna Run to the City of Refuge."
5) Questions: a) How the faith did Mick Fleetwood wind up on this? And are rumours of a Stevie Nicks/Mike Roe tryst unfounded? And can they tour together anyway? b) Who's the mysterious angel drumming the rest of the time? And for that matter.... c) Why is this album being dedicated to the drummer who's NOT here? Is there something we should know? 
d) So, how much money do Mike and Mark owe Atlantic Records?
e) And for that matter, how come Blind Willie Johnson isn't acknowledged as the writer of "...City of Refuge" here? Are Page and Plant gonna need to come around and steal this BACK???? 
6) Back to absorbing.... 
11/23/04
Yo phreak...
I may yet come around on the lyrics -- I probably need another 30 listens or so. I'm just not ready to put them anywhere near a level of The Boat Ashore yet. (On the other hand, it probably took me that many listens to really get TBA. )I don't think they're bad (with a few exceptions soon to be named, and hey, THEY might therefore wind up the equivalent of "Thanks a Million" )), it's just my jaw hasn't dropped over them yet, and since, again, they usually come part-and-parcel with THAT VOICE, it's that much more work to get to them this time around. And I'm a guy who needs his Dylan fix, whether he's listening to Dylan or not.
Cases in point: I'm still trying to "get" "Ride the Waves," although I can definitely see the imagery there; some of the lyrics in the "Jack Spoiler" piece are pretty clever; and "Ghost Train" looks real good on paper -- the vocals are just too far down to connect just yet. On the other side, I find the "muttering/stuttering... glimmering/shimmering" thing on "Gone in a Moment" kinda distracting, as is the "I took the long way/but went the wrong way" (I forget which song that is -- one of the earlier ones).... which, ironically, are the few moments where his voice is actually out front....
It's early, though.... and it's my own cross to bear, in any case....
11/24/4
(no title, but a response to a comment on a favorite)
I still don't faithin' know. "Gone in a Moment" had more or less been my favorite, but appears to be giving way to "Say So Long...." and "Ride the Waves".... wait, now it's "Glory Train".... A DOZEN LISTENS IN AND IT'S STILL TOO FAITHIN' EARLY!!!
)
Today
Took a few more weeks for the lyrics to pop, but boy, did they. And yeah, I still come back to it very regularly. Probably still the best album of the millennium thus far.
But lay off my boy's Boat Ashore. Being that you'd have to go that far back to find an album that good.
So, did I pass the audition?
__________________
(this is my official work photo, BTW...
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This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by carl: 08-18-2005 12:07.
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08-18-2005 11:55 |
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Audiori J
unregistered
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I think the lyrics are very subtle which makes te hard to really form a strong opinon for a while. Bits and pieces stuck out to me and other parts I kinda had to let sink in. A lot of my favorite albums have that quality.
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08-18-2005 12:54 |
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Dreamlands
Someone New
Registration Date: 06-12-2004
Posts: 64
Favorite 77s album: Sticks and Stones
Location: East Lansing, MI
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| L'Orbis? Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
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Orbis
The Music of the World
The Sound of the Spheres
No one knows
No one understands (or hears)
But this music is the food of love
So we play
OK, what inspired the French mood?
My short review: outstanding from start to finish. Thank you for bringing such beauty into the world!
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08-19-2005 19:07 |
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Doctor Love
Doctor Love
Registration Date: 08-24-2004
Posts: 1,998
Location: on the moon Alice
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| RE: L'Orbis? Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
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"...but if this music be the food of love, then we will play on..." is what it was supposed to be.
I'm not exactly sure how I got it in my head to do that in French, esp. since I have never spoken a word of it in my life. I did always like David Crosby's lovely "Orleans" and that was also in 'bullshit' French. I did try and consult several knowing sources for as accurate a translation as possible, but I know i completely mangled the pronunciation. It was just meant to convey a mood and I hope the thing did that in a way that transcended the silliness of the concept.
It sure was a lot of fun to back out and gamble a little bit on an idea that was mine and not somebody else's. I am usually way too conservative for my own good
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08-20-2005 09:08 |
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Dreamlands
Someone New
Registration Date: 06-12-2004
Posts: 64
Favorite 77s album: Sticks and Stones
Location: East Lansing, MI
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08-20-2005 10:06 |
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ntotrr
Someone New
Registration Date: 08-20-2005
Posts: 2
Favorite 77s album: Ping Pong Over The Abys
Location: Long Island
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| RE: At least the first five words were right.... |
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Hi Carl, nice to "see" you finally! You may recall some of my posts in the TK Yahoo group. God Bless.
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Never argue with a fool, he may be doing the same.
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08-20-2005 20:10 |
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carl
Flower in the Sand
Registration Date: 06-02-2004
Posts: 1,884
Favorite 77s album: The Funky Crow Thang
Location: Loveland, CO.... "I told my mother when I was four years old I wanted to be a Rock and Roll singer and a dishwasher. And that's kinda how it's worked out."
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I might, but I don't remember a ntotrr. Who are/were you there?
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(this is my official work photo, BTW...
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08-22-2005 07:10 |
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Alex
Mr. Magoo
Registration Date: 05-01-2005
Posts: 894
Favorite 77s album: Eighty Eight
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
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| RE: Did it nine months ago.... |
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| quote: |
Originally posted by carl
Took a few more weeks for the lyrics to pop, but boy, did they. And yeah, I still come back to it very regularly. Probably still the best album of the millennium thus far.
But lay off my boy's Boat Ashore. Being that you'd have to go that far back to find an album that good.
So, did I pass the audition?
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Of course. But I'll stick to my own opinion. I prefer FWS to TBA.
Alex
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08-22-2005 08:51 |
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carl
Flower in the Sand
Registration Date: 06-02-2004
Posts: 1,884
Favorite 77s album: The Funky Crow Thang
Location: Loveland, CO.... "I told my mother when I was four years old I wanted to be a Rock and Roll singer and a dishwasher. And that's kinda how it's worked out."
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"I like it better" is one thing. THAT I could understand. "Big improvement" is another.
__________________
(this is my official work photo, BTW...
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08-22-2005 09:09 |
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I want