I\'m A Badass Caption: I can haz links, style or anything that is valid markup :)

CD/DVD Releases: Musea Treats For Your Hallowe'en Basket

Posted on Saturday, October 15 @ 19:00:00 UTC by nightowl

Yes, Hallowe'en (or Howlowe'en, depending on your proclivities) is lurking just 'round the corner. And Musea Records has a handful of treats to fill your basket (or if you rather, items for early Xmas shopping):

There are a pair of King Crimson titles now being distributed by Musea, both 40th Anniversary editions: Discipline - Fortieth Anniversary Edition and Starless And Bible Black - Fortieth Anniversary Edition. Here's some of what KC have to say over on their website (www.king-crimson.com:

Discipline:

"When Robert Fripp declared in 1974 that King Crimson had "ceased to exist" nobody could have foreseen that they would break their silence seven years later with an album that perhaps had more in common with the then current post-punk new wave than the band's progressive rock past.

"Released in 1981, Discipline was a startling reinvention with a new line-up performing radically different material that managed to delight fans, confound critics & pick up a substantial new audience along the way.

"30 years on, Discipline remains one of the key albums of the early 1980s and one of the most popular and influential in King Crimson's catalogue. [...]

"As with other albums in the King Crimson CD/DVD-A series, the stereo CD features a new stereo mix by Robert Fripp & Steven Wilson, while the DVD-A features 5.1 mixes of the album by Steven Wilson, high resolution stereo mixes of the original & new stereo mixes, a rough mix of the album presented in its first intended running order, video footage from The Old Grey Whistle Test TV show & further audio extras & rarities." (read more about it here.

Starless...

"Coming as it does between the startling re-invention of Larks’ Tongues In Aspic and the far-reaching repercussions of Red, when it comes to assessments of the King Crimson canon, Starless And Bible Black has often been overlooked. Yet even a cursory listen reveals this to be a powerful record, brimming with confidence borne out of the band’s increasing mastery of the concert platform.

"Though the public weren’t aware of it when it was originally released in March 1974, Starless And Bible Black was in essence largely a live album, an experimental hybrid of in-concert material (much of it improvised) and studio recordings. Often the two are so finely dovetailed together it’s difficult to tell them apart.

"As with other albums in the King Crimson CD/DVD-A series, the stereo CD features a new stereo mix by Robert Fripp & Steven Wilson, while the DVD-A features 5.1 mixes of the album by Steven Wilson, high resolution stereo mixes of the original & new stereo mixes, the full 'Law of Maximum Distress parts 1 & 2' improvs with 'The Mincer' in their original unedited form/running order, 'Lament,' 'The Night Watch' & 'Fracture' from the same Zurich concert, (completing the show presented in part on The Great Deceiver boxed set), a 1973 live recording of the concert favourite 'Dr. Diamond' & an audio restored bootleg recording of the played once only 'Guts On My Side."

"The DVD-A also features live footage from New York’s Central Park in 1973 of 'Easy Money' & the improv 'Fragged Dusty Wall Carpet' the track that formed the basis of 'Guts On My Side.'" (read more about it here)

What else? How about Izz - Live? Musea: "Izz is a New York based band, and is frequently seen on the Progressive Rock festival circuit. Their name is taken from one of bassist John Galgano's favorite Mets players. They are influenced by the usual classics (Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, The Beatles, etc.), and also modern bands, like Radiohead. There are even those that see a certain pop element in the music, mostly due to Tom Galgano's vocals. They seem to have no exceptions when it comes to incorporating styles. It is not unusual to hear Rock, Jazz, Latin, and Funk .This gives them a unique crossover appeal. Once considered neo-prog, further exposure suggested there was something else going on. This is what let to the label of modern symphonic. This live DVD show the band on stage for over three hours of music."

Backyards - Horizon: "Built around keyboards, the repertory of Backyards delivers a coloured progressive music which supported by elaborate rhythms, forms a homogeneous unit, making these instrumentals above all melodic. Through a succession of different feelings, it illustrates which crosses our lives, which concerns us. An original creation which reveals, beyond progressive music from the Seventies (Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd) an inspired music by other musical influences."


Emmanuel Booz - Clochard Emmanuel Booz released three essential albums in the mid-seventies, a unique mix of revolutionary poetry, songs and Progressive Rock. As an important character from the underground French scene, he was one of the first artists to write about ecology and about the impact of nuclear plants on Nature. These themes are today more accurate than ever. A famous French reviewer even wrote that his singing was one of the first Rap attempt! Le Jour Où Les Vaches... (1974), Clochard (1976) and "Dans Quel Etat J'Erre ? (1979) are at last reissued thanks to Musea. Each album includes biographical notes signed by Francis Grosse and some unreleased bonus tracks directly taken from Emmanuel Booz’s private collection. Indispensable!"

Slow Electric - Slow Electric: "Initially formed to play three dates at the 2010 Estonian Jazz Festival, Slow Electric is a collaborative project between the British song-writing team of Tim Bowness (No-Man) and Peter Chilvers (Brian Eno’s current partner in sound, apps etc.), and the experimental Estonian duo UMA (Robert Jürjendal and Aleksei Saks). Using recordings from the concerts as a basis, Bowness recorded new vocals and Chilvers contributed additional keyboards and atmospherics. King Crimson’s Tony Levin added some of his unique bass/Chapman Stick playing to selected tracks and the multi-tracks were subsequently mixed by ace Zurich-based percussionist/producer Andi Pupato (Nik Bartsch’s Ronin). From the elegiac opener 'Towards The Shore' to the kitchen-sink narrative of 'Days Turn Into Years' and the 5/4 groove of 'Criminal Caught In The Crime,' Slow Electric combines its collective influences – singer-songwriter, electronica/ambient, contemporary classical and European jazz – with empathetic and measured performances. Offering a collection of atmospheric songs that frequently develop in unexpected ways, Slow Electric’s assured debut is an album that resists attempts at casual categorisation."

And finally, Oneire - Natural Prestige: "The Progressive rock band Oneira was been formed in Italy by composer/guitarist and bass player Filippos Gougoumis in 2010. The current bandmembers are Erik Spedicato on drums, Giampaolo Begnoni on keys and Vincent King as guest vocalist. The debut album Natural Prestige contains 10 songs, out of which 4 are instrumental.The rest of the songs comes with deep emotional lyrics, dealing with goals to achieve in life, adventures in space, or the beauty of nature and the peace of the sea. For the making of the album Filippos teamed up with producer Oliver Philipps (Everon) and producer/engineer Christian "Moschus" Moos (Everon/Spacelab Studio). While Oliver arranged the songs and appears as special guest (keys, guitars, vocals), Moschus mixed the album and also did part of the recordings.The rest had been recorded in Italy already before Filippos came over to Germany to finish the album. The style of the music is progressive rock, with the focus on melodies and atmospheres, not on technical wizzardry. It may be best compared to the earlier works of bands such as Genesis or Yes, but may as well appeal to people who like bands like Rush, Styx or Journey."

[Source: Musea Records]

Posted in Album Release News