People!
The record company just sent me a cardboard box with a record in it. No extras added, except for the clear plastic envelope the disc came in.
The disc is
hh
hh written and arranged by h
hhhhhhhh except cage written by h&k
ho hhh produced by craig leon and h
h+ hh mixed by craig leon
hA hh engineered by stewart every
ice cream genius
At first i could not combine the disc with anything -- why the heck does a record company send me, a movie reviewer, a cd?
And then it struck me -- Steve Hogarth's new disc!!!!! Wholly sheet!
This is heavy sh_t, people. I am now only into the third song and i am lost for words.
Short breakdown:
1. the evening shadows
Marillionesque. Braveish. Slow, moody thing. Atmospheric. Strange, with a hint of Genesis. Just below four and a half minutes.
2. really like
Marillion meets the weirder (but not ethnic) sides of Peter Gabriel. Or David Byrne. Moody thing with 70's disco hi-hat. 5'19"
3. you dinosaur thing
Marillion meets Rolling Stones. Sex with a T-rex on a six-string. This one i'll try to give some airplay! Almost five minutes.
4. the deep water
Odd thing. Ambient synths (X-Files meet Pink Flyod) and Hogarth's voice. Well, you all know what the Bridge spans over ;) Suddenly it changes to.. something reminicent of Mike Oldfield, but still smokey like The Opium Den (Brave). Duration: 7'59"
5. cage
Marillion meets Laurie Anderson, with a sprinkle of Kate Bush. Truly odd (in a wonderful way). Seven minutes.
6. until you fall
Marillion meets Oasis?! You've gotta hear this to believe it. Another radio competitor. Just below four minutes.
7. better dreams
Brave-time again. Beautiful, yet dark. Much strings and flute. A little above seven minutes.
8. nothing to declare
Synths in the fashions of Peter Gabriel and Mike Oldfield. Stings chords meet something that makes me think of the Season's End record. Fu(king great song. Six and a half minutes (fade).
This minimal analysis was done partly on a fast-forward fashion, so it's not that accurate. However, i can say that the ice cream genius (ICG, for you abbreviators) is a really really good album and you should all get it as soon as it is possible. No excuses.
ICG is released on Intact, so it should be easier to get a hold on than The Wishing Tree album.