Flux

Flux

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Sophomore release from Sweden's Masquerade. Outstanding musicianship and vocal talents from singer Tony Johansson to create an album that falls somewhere between Soundgarden and King's X. Standard jewel case. 2001 release.

Flux,Masquerade,Metal Blade,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock

In Flux
Average customer rating:

His father would be proud,,,,,

Mature muscianship plus immagination

great saxophone

Simply Delicious. You'll Appreciate the Influence AND the

He's better than his dad!

In Flux
Ravi Coltrane
Manufacturer: Savoy Jazz
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Jíbaro

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12 Songs

ASIN: B0007GP6AG
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Tracks:

The Message Part I
Coincide
Variations III
Away
Leaving Avignon
Blending Times
Dear Alice
Angular Realms
Scram Vamp
Variations I
United
For Zo

Album Description

Ravi Coltrane's Savoy Jazz debut captures the artist confronting change and transition. In turn lyrical and probing, this music is the most profound statement yet from one of jazz's most fascinating contemporary stars.

Customer Reviews:

His father would be proud,,,,,.......2007-02-19

I essentially agree with the previous 2 or 3 reviewers. Can't add much if only to say i was very impressed by the compositions and the
beautiful execution by the group...not overcooked in the least, but just very COOL stuff. Have also seen them recently in concert, which really perked my interest in Ravi.

Mature muscianship plus immagination.......2006-06-14

Ravi Coltrane -- like each of the artist with him on this project -- are the result of years of hard work and growth and this CD really shows each and every one of them at their best. It is difficult to find a studio album in Jazz that demonstrates as much maturity, immagination and collective brilliance as this one does.

Gress has not sounded as good live when I've heard him and the sound and mastering on this CD really helps bring out a nice sound! Despite a slightly out of tune piano, Perdomo is relaxed and inventive in all that he does. Strickland even reminds me a bit of Victor Lewis in Strickland's ability to drive and sustain the entire group without sticking out as if it were *his* album. Lastly, it is an injustice to compare Ravi with his father since Ravi has his own voice in the music and though there is some influence from the elder, it never becomes contrived or blatant. Like the NY Times reviewer said, this is a good example of how the better players are thinking nowadays.

Clearly, there is some great playing and writing going on here and this would have to be one of my picks for this last year (2005). Better late than never I guess.

great saxophone.......2006-02-02

Old bebop style jazz in a 2005 jacket from an all-composing Quartet. A beautiful production of Savoy Records! (FJB/O! 2005)

Ravi Coltrane plays Tenor en soprano saxophone with a sharp but elegant ring to it. Ashly Kahn says in the linernotes that Ravi Coltrane is evolving still and he wonders where it will lead to. I don't know about the evolving bit. This is my first Ravi Coltrane experience. I find it to be more then average. It's melodic with out overdoing. There's a beautiful build up with layer over layer. This craftsmanship leads to the composing depth of an album that keeps on giving. I just stay intrigued by it. The only negative point I can think of is that this album will probably never do as background music.

Niels-Henning once said to me that the great jazzmen are a dying species. I hope Ravi Coltrane is one of the new guys that will prove Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson wrong. A. Kahn has a good point in wondering where it will lead. We have to follow this guy and his excellent quartet!

Simply Delicious. You'll Appreciate the Influence AND the.......2005-11-23

ORIGINALITY of Ravi Coltrane and his quartet. I got this CD after seeing the Ravi Coltrane Quartet live...Oh.MY! It was the first time I'd ever seen them, or heard the music. It is an experience to be had! Please avail yourselves of the opportunity whenever possible...you'll zing the whole way through! Now, about this CD--which is playing right now--It is evident that John's influence is there, without a doubt...And it is EQUALLY evident that Ravi is a Master in his Time, influenced by a variety of music as he came of age [after all, he is named after Master musician Ravi Shankar!]...Wait, I'm delighting in the way Ravi is playing the close to Track 7...it is especially tantalizing to the ear, hearing the alchemy of instrumental response and breathy intent...Ahh Yes! You will appreciate the many innovations, migrations and visionary departures on this CD. It is ripe and rich with flourish in all the right places...A blissful accompaniment morning, noon, night...beyond. Bless the memory of John. Welcome the experience of Ravi...there is ONLY compliment here...no need or desire to compare! Ravi sets a standard all his own.

Treat yourself! Smile why don't you...I can't help it--everytime!

Enjoy,
Bead

He's better than his dad!.......2005-10-09

Longboard Jazzer asks, will he ever top his dad. The answer is yes. To me he's much better. Especially when you consider he's not recorded by the likes of Rudy Van Gelder whose catalogue almost never ceases to disappoint from an audiophile point of view. This record features Drew Gress on bass also. John Coltrane never had a bassist of his talent to play with and the recording engineers from the 50s and 60s obviously were at a loss as how to record a bass instrument. The recording quality is great and the music is hip. I'm a jazz fan but I don't like a lot of jazz, probably not even most jazz. I like this kind of jazz - contemporary jazz. In fact it reminds me of a very good disc called Contemporary Jazz by Branford Marsalis. One difference is that this disc is recorded well, Contemporary Jazz is not. I haven't heard Ravi's other recordings so I can't compare. I like this music and it gets better the more I listen. It's complicated, sophisticated, and not too "out there", but just enough for me.

Average customer rating:

Electronic Flux
the guy looking for song that sounds like evanscence
nice CD
Song question
I like this soundtrack

Aeon Flux
Graeme Revell
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000C4BB2A
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Tracks:

Bregna 2415
The Panopticon
Una Flux
Torture Garden
Monican Mission
âGood Boysâ
The Kiss
The Relical and Keeper
Cloning Discovery
Grenade! / Monorail Chase
âI Rememberâ
The Cherry Orchard
Oren Goodchild Dies
Destroying the Memories
Aeon Flux

Album Description

Based on the hit MTV animated series, Aeon Flux is one of the most anticipated films of the holiday season. The exciting and evocative score for the film was composed by Graeme Revell, a master at exploring the dark side of such film worlds as Sin City and The Crow.

Set 400 years in the future, disease has wiped out the majority of Earth's population except for one walled, protected city-state, Bregna, ruled by a congress of scientists. The story centers on Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), the top operative in the underground "Monican" rebellion, led by the Handler (Frances McDormand). When Aeon is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.

Customer Reviews:

Electronic Flux.......2007-03-28

I'm a super huge Aeon Flux fan; the cartoon, the movie, and now the album. The songs pay hommage to the electronia influenced TV series by Drew Neumann without sounding like rip-offs or forgotten tracks. If you haven't seen the film (or heaven forbid didn't like it) then preview the clips to get a sense of what this album has to offer. The strings mix well with the electronic gurlges only adding to the dramatic effect these compositions hold. Enjoy.

the guy looking for song that sounds like evanscence.......2006-06-22

hey, i found the song you have been looking for it. the band is called Jem and the song is called 24. i hope this helped. im not really under 13 i just do this because i cant figure out how to write a review when i put im over 13 years old. so i figure this is the only way. i guess. if anyone can tell me how please let me know.

nice CD.......2006-06-18

First of all, to the previous reviewer: I never heard an Evanescence song on the previews, but they did put Headstrong by Trapt on the DVD commercials. Second, I really did like this CD. Graeme Revell did a superb job on the instrumental songs, just like he did on the Daredevil soundtrack. My fav track is the last one, Aeon Flux. Loved the movie, loved the soundtrack.

Now, just for your pure pleasure, click the "yes" button to the proceeding question.

Song question.......2006-06-16

Looking at the titles I'm assuming it's not on here, so I was wondering if anyone knew who did the song that was used in the commercials to promote the film? It sounds a little like Evanescence but I wasn't sure.

I like this soundtrack.......2006-01-27

When I first listened to the soundtrack, several others came to mind. One was Graeme Revell's score for Daredevil. I'm happy to say that, while that one was terrifically boring, this one is very different. Much more rhythm, much more movement. But it's not just electronic noise, either. There are real instruments, and even melody at times.

This score also shared some similarities with Christophe Beck's score for Elektra. Both are orchestras fed through electronics. ("Beds of sound" has been used to describe both.) But Æon Flux is a better score, because there is more instruments and less percussion just for its own sake, which bored me after a while on the Elektra score.

Finally, this score really reminded me of a slightly softer version of the score for Batman Beyond, if anyone remembers that release.

On its own, I enjoy listening to this score, but I have to admit that I also liked the movie. Neither is perfect. But if you liked the movie, or are a fan of Graeme Revell's work, this may be worth a listen.

Average customer rating:

Drones
where's Laswell?
Subharmonic Quality
Keep a night-light on for this one....

Somnific Flux
M.J. Harris & Bill Laswell
Manufacturer: Subharmonic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cold Summer
Continue
Web
Moments
Cymatic Scan

ASIN: B000003ZNO
Release Date: 1995-03-21

Tracks:

Distal Sonority
Capacious

Customer Reviews:

Drones.......2006-02-27

If you enjoy drones (i.e. Jessamine/E.A.R./Spectrum's more experimental outings, "Harmony of the Spheres," Eastern world musics, etc.) you will most assuredly enjoy this.

where's Laswell?.......2004-11-01

I know Laswell is a experimentalist but this one is a little to boring. I would not recommend this to anyone unless you would like to own every Laswell album every recorded. It is basically a constant hum, with some fluxuation.

Subharmonic Quality.......2003-01-05

I had heard this one before and it didn't sound like much. However I like both Laswell's and Harris' stuff so when I found it cheap I picked it up. What a pleasant surprise, it was much better than I recalled. The songs don't have a lot of beat or melody, some might not even recognize it as music, but give it time. This is one of those 'growers'. If you are not afraid of the words dark and ambient, try it yourself.

Keep a night-light on for this one...........1999-02-07

Quite possibly the most "ambient" album I own (and that says something right there). There are no beats, very little changes throughout all two tracks, and it's very, very dark. Highly recomrnded.

Average customer rating:

Two classic Steppenwolf Albums in one!!!!
The Legacy Of Steppenwolf Goes On

Slow Flux/Hour of the Wolf
Steppenwolf
Manufacturer: Acadia Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000G1SZZK
Release Date: 2006-07-03

Tracks:

Gang War Blues
Children of Night
Justice Don't Be Slow
Get into the Wind
Jereboah
Straight Shootin' Woman
Smokey Factory Blues
Morning Blue
Fool's Fantasy
Fishin' in the Dark

Tracks:

Caroline
Annie, Annie Over
Two for the Love of One
Just for Tonight
Hard Rock Road
Someone Told a Lie
Another's Lifetime
Mr. Penny Pincher

Album Description

Digitally remastered two-on-one from John Kay and his gang of road warriors. Slow Flux was originally released in 1974 while Hour Of The Wolf was released a year later. 18 tracks total including 'Gang War Blues', 'Children Of The Night', 'Fishin' In The Dark', 'Hard Rock Road' and more. Evangeline

Album Details

Reissue of the their Two Albums They Released for Columbia after the Dunhill Years. Both Albums Are Not Available in their Complete Form on One Single Disc.

Customer Reviews:

Two classic Steppenwolf Albums in one!!!!.......2007-07-14

I just ordered this and cannot wait to hear it again! I had both albums and I wore out my vinyl copies years ago, and have been waiting for the cd! I have been a fan of Steppenwolf since the olden days, and their music is as fresh today as it was then.

The Legacy Of Steppenwolf Goes On.......2007-01-24

Here you get two great Steppenwolf albums back to back. Both of these are extremely rare and some of best Stepppenwolf tracks ever made. A must for all serious collectors.

Average customer rating:

bland background music
just awsome
Beautiful
mellow and electrifying
Has a high chill-factor

Tour de Flux
The Jazz Mandolin Project
Manufacturer: Accurate Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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The Deep Forbidden Lake

ASIN: B00000DDME
Release Date: 1999-01-26

Tracks:

Flux
Chapeau
Good And Plenty
Barber's Hint
Boodha
Clip
Nimbus
The Phoenicians

Amazon.com

Mandolinist Jamie Masefield, acoustic bassist Chris Dahlgren, and drummer Jon Fishman's moniker for their collective, the Jazz Mandolin Project, may be a bit misleading. Most of the material on Tour De Flux falls somewhere in the cracks between jazz, funk, and the more expansive and improvisation-heavy brand of rock favored by Fishman's other band, Phish. But that might be precisely why it's so enjoyable. Recorded right after the trio's 1998 tour (which built on their 1996 debut), the eight tracks on the album have enormous variety, segueing seamlessly from the countrified funk of "Chapeau" to the Zappa-esque wackiness of "Barber's Hint" to the folk ballad "Boodha." All showcase the kind of telepathic group interplay that only occurs between musicians who know each other's habits and styles intimately. Dahlgren and Fishman are a solid supporting cast, but Masefield is the real virtuoso: his playing throughout the album, from his high-velocity crescendos on "Clip" to his guitarlike heroics on "Nimbus," is consistently astounding. Whether it's enough to guarantee the entrance of the mandolin into the pantheon of widely accepted jazz instruments remains to be seen, but it's certainly a good start. --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews:

bland background music.......2006-10-14

"Tour de Flux" is an overrated recording. Thus, this review exists to offer balance to the current reviews that are overwhelmingly positive. This is mediocre music. I love jamband music as much as the guy next to me. What I love about the jamband scene is that it is a broad description of improvisational music that encompasses many diverse musical styles. This band for example seems to pull together jazz and bluegrass under the jamband umbrella. Imagine a bunch of guys taking David Grisman style music up to the next level. The problem is that it isn't executed very well. This is neutered music. The intellectualism of jazz is washed out while the authenticity and down home goodness of bluegrass is absent. What's left is bland, uninspired, instrumental jamband music. Like most of the solo projects by Jerry Douglas, this is bluegrass infused background jazz. For similar music of substance, seek Bill Frisell's "Nashville" or just about anything by Chris Thile, David Grisman or Tony Rice. "Tour de Flux" is out-of-print and for good reason.

just awsome.......2002-03-26

i didnt even know who these guys were and i went and saw them cause somebody said they were cool. well i was blown away, i got this cd and it amazes me aswell. very good to just listen to while your chillin'..

Beautiful.......2000-02-29

I saw these guys about two weeks ago (Fishman, Dahlgren, and Masefield, not band on the first album) in concert. They were absloutely amazing. Jamie Masefield really takes the mandolin into interesting directions. But anyways, I went out and bought Tour De Flux and i was not dissappointed. Its full of beautifully executed compositions, yet its very listener-friendly. But be prepared to hear a new kind of music; one that you've never heard before. It goes from mellow jazz, to fusion-style stuff, to more rock-like tunes. Definitely worth buying.

mellow and electrifying.......1999-09-04

This album is a great way to spend a night, or an afternoon, or a long drive, or whatever... There is a lot of open space in this album where you can really get into the music; but it still retains the full-fire jam characteristic that was so essential to their first recording.

Has a high chill-factor.......1999-04-03

By chill-factor, I mean the ability for music to send chills down your spine, and this album does it several times. Jamie Mansfield plays the mandolin alomst like a guitar. Fishman keeps steady, but insane beats that really keeps the music flowing. When I listen to this album I picture myself riding through Vermont's Green Mountains. Its an excellent driving album

Average customer rating:

So ethereal as to lack any content
Massively underrated and ignored
3 vocalists & an excellent producer
Drum and Bass with feeling
A nearly flawless album

Flux
Love Spirals Downwards
Manufacturer: Projekt Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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Ever
Idylls
Ardor
Windblown Kiss

ASIN: B000009OL4
Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

City Moon
Alicia
Sound Of Waves
Psyche
Nova
By Your Side
Ring
I'll Always Love You
Sunset Bell

Amazon.com

Love Spirals Downwards wouldn't sound out of place in a dance club; languorous synthesizer chords and spookily sweet melodies are complemented by electronic beats at a tempo just fast enough to dance to. On Flux, this is overtly demonstrated by tracks like "Nova," where the repeating tones that open the piece become syncopated with the main beat. The female vocals throughout the album are all appropriately ethereal, but solid enough that they never sound superfluous, especially on "City Moon" (featuring long time vocal collaborator, Suzanne Perry) and "Psyche." The closing song, "Sunset Bell," is the longest on the CD, clocking in at nearly eight minutes, but composer Ryan Lum keeps things interesting by starting simply and becoming progressively more complicated. This style of music is all too often bland, but Love Spirals Downwards opt for a more refreshing, and rewarding, approach. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

So ethereal as to lack any content.......2004-08-01

I purchased this CD on the strength of one track and that turns out to be a mistake. Almost the entire album is so etheral and breathy that it makes no impression. Even ambient, soothing music needs to have enough susbstance to impress a mood and this one fails to meet that standard. This CD is so weak that I would slot it in below ambient. Call it "background music for background music."

Massively underrated and ignored.......2004-06-04

Ignore the weeping LSD fans still trying to get over the fact their favourite band went in a new direction they didn't like.

This album fuses together my favourite elements of music- melodic guitars, brilliant percussion and dreamy soaring vocals. Nova is by far the best track on this album, though they are all good quality, and seemingly unique these days (if anyone knows of anything like this album get in touch!). Sunset Bell is also brilliant provided you listen to it sparingly.

If you enjoy drum and bass- you will like this. If you enjoy spanish guitar- you will like this. If you like strong, but not grating female vocals- you will like this. It's an album that appeals on many levels. So go and buy it and ignore the LSD fans who don't like the electronic feel of the album.

3 vocalists & an excellent producer.......2002-07-06

Many listeners don't seem to realize that there are 3 vocalists on this disc. I actually think that guest vocalist, Kristen Perry, is the real vocal star of this disc, having co-authored and sung two of the most well-formed and poppy numbers -- "Psyche" (which appeared on "Dawson's Creek" in 2001), and "Ring." Suzanne Perry (Kristen's sister and the usual vocalist for LSD) turned in 3 pleasant, though somewhat under-developed performances with "City Moon," "Alicia," and "By Your Side." A third vocalist, Jennifer Ryan Fuller, appears on "Sunset Bell," which is simply a remix of a track from the 1994 LSD album, "Ardor.) Ryan Lum craftily used various samples to fill in the rest of the album -- some even run backwards, as on "Sound of Waves". "Flux" really illustrates how responsible he was for creating the vocal sound for the band, regardless of who he had to work with. All in all, I think Suzanne gets way too much credit considering the acutal input she had on this album. Ryan worked overtime to create these dreamy soundscapes, and he deserves more props!

Drum and Bass with feeling.......2002-06-22

Anyone familiar with the drum and bass style of music knows that one thing it is not usually known for is feelings and emotions. Generally, the goal of the drum and bass musician is to pack the dance floor, not make you contemplate the universe or go drifting away into dreamland.

That is why an album such as "Flux" comes as such a welcome surprise. Many of the songs here fall into the drum and bass style of electronica, with multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lum crafting elegant, if forceful, electronic textures to most of the songs. The keyboards and acoustic guitars build up to an odd combination of sterile, techno beats and lush, emotive musical arrangements, similar to Everything But the Girl's "Tempermental". And, much like Tracy Thorne of EBTG, the true star of this disc is vocalist Suzanne Perry, who adds her unique, beautiful voice to the electronic backdrops.

Perry's vocals seemingly meander in from nowhere in tracks such as City Moon, and carry other tracks such as "Sunset Bell". Rarely can a vocalist achieve a successful mix of emotion, range, and style in their singing, but Perry accomplishes it quite easily on Flux, adding a layer of warmth and comfort to many of the songs throughout the disc.

LSD have managed to create a meaningful, emotional album out of a style of music known more for its beats than its substance, which is no small achievement. Though some of the songs tend to fall into a predictable pattern, the ease and grace with which they bring out the feeling and emotion in each track more than makes up for any deficiencies in the song structures.

A nearly flawless album.......2002-05-13

God knows how I managed to get this great album, but Im glad I did. Being a fan of groups like Lamb, Hooverphonic and Massive Attack I was looking for an album with gorgeous female vocals, but with a more drum n bass approach. So whulst i was looking on the site I noticed a reccomendation for LSD, and i read a few reviews of Flux. It sounded very interesting, and despite having little money I decided to purchase the album - and im glad I did. This is probably my best music buy of 2002 (its much better than that pile of rubbish they called Come With Us by the Chemical Brothers)and just about every song on here is great. My favourite two are 'Nova' which is just sublime, and I love the textures and guitar/ambient sounds. perfect for a relaxing evening/night. The most gorgeous song Ive ever heard finishes the album (bar The Orb's 'Star 6/7/8' which is well worth a listen) is called Sunset Bell. This tune is stunning and is like a wake up call rather than a sunset. Simply a lovely voice crooning 'da da da da - da da da da' it sounds childlike and it is but its much more sophisticated than that. The only part that i dont like in the song is where it almost breaks down into 808 states 'Olympic 90' halfway through - then it carries on in the same earleir vein and is stunning. I cant believe what the world is missing, this duo are very talented. This is showcast on the first two songs 'City Moon' and 'Alicia' - and while the former is really good the latter seems 'Spanishy' mixed with Drum n Bass and doesnt work that well for me ( but i suppose for earlier fans a lot of whom ive seem mention its the best thing on 'Flux' like it the best cos its the most representative of their older material) so I gave the album 4 stars cos of that. Its not bad at all just not as good as the other 8 tracks. Another track that many will see as a standout is 'Ring' - if you like this stuff I reccomend 'Hooverphonic' , 'The Orb', 'Talvin Singh' and 'Lamb' - this is a very worthy CD which takes pride of place in my Cs collection

Average customer rating:

classic
A TURN FOR THE UNEXPECTED !!!

Uncarved Block
Flux of Pink Indians
Manufacturer: One Little Indian
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IXZD
Release Date: 1998-10-23

Tracks:

Value of Nothing
Youthful Immortal
Just Is
Children Who Know
Backward
Footprints in the Snow
Nothing Is Not Done
Stonecutter

Album Description

CD debut of the British alternative act's fourth album,originally released on the One Little Indian label in 1986.'Uncarved Block' was the first time they abandoned theirtrademark political punk for industrial leanings. Eighttracks. 1998 One Little Indian Records release.

Customer Reviews:

classic.......2007-04-26

i remember the first time i heard this amazing album. it was late at night and i was listening to brent bambury on cbc's "brave new waves" radio show. i was completely blown away by it then as i am still am today.

A TURN FOR THE UNEXPECTED !!!.......2005-03-21

O this their 3rd studio lp,the band goes funk-dance oriented,so don't expect to find ANY of their good old HC punk here.Musically OK,but targeted at another kind of audiencee,despite their sticking to the anarcho-political lyrics.

Average customer rating:

6 Hours, 7 Minutes and 7 Seconds of pure bliss
An amazing performance
Drive, he said.....
Long day's journey into night (and back again)
a work that exists outside itself

String Quartet 2
Morton Feldman , and Flux Quartet
Manufacturer: Mode
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Feldman: Piano and Orchestra; Flute and Orchestra; Oboe and Orchestra; Cello and Orchestra

ASIN: B00006SF9I
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 2

Album Description

In the 1970s Feldman took up the study and collecting of antique Turkish rugs, a highly evolved and exquisite folk art. The rugs are intricately patterned, symmetrical in basic design but with constant variation and displacement in the detailed execution of that design; strikingly and subtly colored, including fine variegations of principal colors resulting from the dyeing process. Analogies are clear to Feldman's music as it takes up large-scale patterning, partly working with his familiar subtle gradations of rhythm and instrumental color and ostinati, loops or extended repetitions of a sounds, partly - and especially in this second string quartet - continually finding new and surprising qualities of color. There are a number of sounds in this piece unlike anything one has heard from a string quartet. Lasting more than six continuous hours, it is "a disorienting, transfixing experience that repeatedly approached and touched the sublime." - Alex Ross, in his review of the FLUX Quartet's New York City performance in The New Yorker. String Quartet 2's score is 124 pages, at one tempo marking of 63-66 beats per minute - as such, a slow tempo. Feldman idiosyncratically sets the bars, so one page may last as little as about half a minute or as much as nearly seven minutes. "A very exciting quartet composed of four young men...who have lots of ideas and clearly enjoy making music together," - Anthony Tommasini, NY Times, the FLUX Quartet has performed to rave reviews at many music centers around the world. FLUX have performed Quartet 2 in concert numerous times and know the score intimately. The FLUX Quartet's repertoire consists of notable pioneers as well as visionaries of tomorrow - from "classics" by Nancarrow, Ligeti, and Cage, to works by John Zorn, Ornette Coleman, Oliver Lake, and tenor balloonist Judy Dunaway. This deluxe set features liner notes by Feldman's colleague Christian Wolff, mixing personal experiences and recollections with analysis; and by FLUX founder Tom Chiu who writes of the "experience" of performing such a large-scale work.

Customer Reviews:

6 Hours, 7 Minutes and 7 Seconds of pure bliss.......2007-02-22

Morton Feldman took quite a chance writing a six hour piece. The length makes it awfully hard to perfrom and a trying experience for the listener. The Flux Quartet has produced a brilliant recording of it and any fan of Morton Feldman or contemporary classical music should have this recording in their library. While it's not fo the faint of heart, the patient listener will feel truly enlightened after finishing this marathon piece.

Now I know what one of the questions you may be asking yourself could be: How can a piece stay interesting for over six hours? I can answer that question with four words: "Feldman's Second String Quartet." Feldman takes you on a surreal journey of color, texture and sound that will take you straight to your happy place. Using minimalist style composition Feldman takes the listener to places they've never been before. The piece just breathes. The length can be trying but any lover of minimalism will truly enjoy this piece. You will recognize recaped themes and really get a sense of form even though it may be a full hour before you hear a theme recalled.

It may be more valuable to pick up the DVD instead of the CDs as the DVD plays uninterupted. Even if you rip the CDs to a digital device, the transisitons aren't as smooth as some may like.

However this piece is not for the faint of heart. The length is just as definitive of the piece as it is hindering the piece from being universally enjoyed. I don't like to think of it as a piece, but a journey. So if your ears are up for a listening challenge, there's none more challenging than Feldman 2.

An amazing performance.......2006-07-24

If you're reading a review of this CD, you probably know what you're getting into. This is definitely one of Feldman's most intriguing works not only because of its incredible length, but also because of the way Feldman engages the listener in a very active way for such a long time. A personal critique would be superfluous - you can decide for yourself whether the work has artistic merit, whether or not its length is justified, and the amount of aesthetic pleasure contained within. Regardless of personal feelings, the work exists and, thanks to a brave performance by the Flux Quartet, is now available on CD and DVD (but, good luck finding the Audio DVD!).

I tried in vain to find a copy of the DVD Audio version of this recording as five CDs in definitely an inferior way to experience this piece. It would be much better to press play and let the world drift away. The performance is quite remarkable. Flux maintain an intense interpretation throughout. The listener may break up the experience over time and revisit certain sections with fresh ears. Flux had one marathon chance to get it right - no edits, no stopping for a break. They treat SQ2 with respect, not as some sort of endurance/novelty challenge. At this point, a few string quartets have performed this work, but I would definitely place this performance among the top.

The one unfortunate aspect other than the 5 CD treatment is the packaging. The CDs come in paper sleeves housed in a flimsy cardboard container. We're lucky to have a performance of this caliber, but it's still unfortunate that the box is so worthless. The liner notes aren't bad, but a nice analysis of the work would have been helpful, but there is an interesting account of the preparation that went into the performance.

Overall, the CDs are worth the fairly high price. If you're familiar with Feldman, this will definitely interest you. If you're new, there are better places to start such as "Piano and String Quartet", "Crippled Symmetry", and "Triadic Memories". This is a wonderful document of an amazing performance.

Drive, he said............2005-03-06

You may play this recording on your car's CD player (shuffle mode is permitted), start driving, continue driving until all the CDs have played through once. At that point you will pull over & stop the car. Look around. If you like where you are, that is the place you will live. If you don't like where you are, get back in the car, start Morton Feldman's String Quartet No. 2 over again, drive until the entire composition has been played, & pull the car over. Repeat until the end of the Quartet corresponds to a place you want to live. When stopping for gas, food or call-of-nature, turn off the CD player if you turn off the car's motor. If you have memorized the score & are capable of performing it in your mind, you may eliminate the CDs.

This brilliant music suggests you listen to it with a sense of humor. Feldman was after all part of John Cage's circle, & Cage smiled a lot.

Long day's journey into night (and back again).......2005-01-15

At first it seemed impossible: prior to 1999 (or so) the only known ensemble to perform it was the Kronos Quartet in 1983-4 (at least twice, in Toronto and Darmstadt, Germany). They were going to perform it a Feldman mini-festival in New York in 1996, but had to withdraw due to possible fatigue. Since 1999 there have been at least a few baker's dozens of performances (although there still has yet to be a performance in the San Francisco Bay area). Frequent enough to almost remove the word "rarely" from its performance description, but still quite a long way from reaching, say, Shostakovitch's Eighth String Quartet proportions (thankfully (not that there's anything wrong with Shosty 8 (there isn't) but its overplaying and many players' ignorance of his other fourteen quartets can almost be frustrating and annoying)).

This is Morton Feldman's curriculum vitae. An assemblage of "found objects", examined and re-examined. Those familiar with Feldman's other works will find bits and pieces from works composed immediately prior to this, including "For John Cage", "Patterns in a Chromatic Field" (aka, the untitled composition for `cello & piano), "Three Voices", and his first string quartet, as well as the other, shorter string quartet pieces that he wrote in the 1950's. Feldman also loved his Schubert, insisting that the musicians play portions of it like [presumably, the beginning of the slow movement of] the "Death and the Maiden" string quartet. At six hours, this piece could resemble a road trip when taken in full: you're looking out the window, the scenery changes, some of the buildings are the same with often subtle differences, things return, unexpected things appear. In the first 2½ hours there's a short progression of a rising four note figure followed by a falling four note figure cushioned by `cello harmonic drone that springs up now and again, acting like a segue, a divider, a curtain, a wipe of the slate, a slice of pickled ginger after a great piece of sushi, a gasp of air before diving back into the pool, a pause for station identification. (The opening "Deal Music" from Stravinsky's Jeu de Cartes also came to mind.) Nothing announces its final appearance and before you know it, it has vanished. Occasionally there are some loud moments, just to keep you on your toes, but then the delicate moments return and order is restored. Some things return, sometimes verbatim with slight alterations, other times cleverly disguised but still maintaining its identity. Other things are tried out and abandoned in favor of other ideas. There is a progression of nine measures introduced part way through the third disc that gets shuffled upon its next go-around but it's not like you are comparing one version to another. ABCDE later becomes BDCEA, then CABED (or is it the other way around, or another?). Come midway through the fourth hour, things have slowed down to a comfortable crawl, like an exhaustion was built right in, with occasional spurts of "second wind". The four penultimate pages seem like an eternity, a summing up. Then comes the sunlight of the last page ("...the darkness has past and it's daylight at last." -Gilbert & Sullivan, Iolanthe). It's morning, afternoon, night and dawn.

Another important aspect of the Second String Quartet is time. Time does not become a factor to listening here. Like a baseball game (also with an absence of a clock), it is an escape from thinking about anything else. And something from John Cage also came to mind: I think it was from his "Lecture on Nothing" (see Silence); something like, "If anyone feels they should leave, they should go now." But there is nothing wrong with taking this in smaller portions as well (the index points allow you to do so). It's like looking at a selection of photographs. Or, sampling your favorite parts from a box of chocolates (no references to Forest Gump, OK?). Or., catching the highlights of a ballgame on the news: removed from its context, but substantial nevertheless (like Barry Bonds hitting a three run homer, but you don't bother to see how the two runners before him got on base (and no cynical references to that BALCO brouhaha)). In other words, one should have a little sense of what is happening before diving in; most expectations should be well enough abandoned. But that is not hard and fast essential: again, this may sound clichéd but this more like a journey rather than a novel.

The last thing (at least for now) that comes to mind about this Second String Quartet is the sense of tradition. The institution of the string quartet has now been in existence for over 250 years. It's the kind of institution where one can take liberties with, and usually succeed, that other chamber formats could not pull off (if you can find it in a library, Paul Griffiths' book, The String Quartet, A History, is an excellent tome on the subject; see the portion about Mauricio Kagel's quartet). A work of this magnitude could never get written for, say, a string quintet (Feldman's "Violin & String Quartet" does not really count; it is a technically a string quintet, true, but it is really more like a violin concerto accompanied by a low budget orchestra (I thank Frank Zappa for that designation)), although a string trio might receive something comparable (see LaMonte Young; and when in the heck will his string trio ever get commercially produced, or even his "Chronos Kristala" for string quartet? (sorry for the digressing and usual grousing...)). Anyway, this is the best I can talk about this Second String Quartet for now. I have listened to this many, many times, sometimes in full (a long work day can allow that), others in random pieces; I even chose to have a page of this played at my wedding in 2003 (for those wondering, page 22, the page we used, is at 8:39 on the fifth track of the first disc). A piece of this enormous stature requires a different kind of listening "strategy". There are no rules as how to properly listen to this piece, just a sense of acceptance.

a work that exists outside itself.......2004-11-30

Feldman thought his String Quartet #1 was a masterpiece, that is one with objectively defined proportions, moments, gestures, that all somehow amount and accrete to something that is beyond themselves, itself. I have a problem with the First Quartet in the over-abundance of extended techniques, Am Steg, tremoli, snapped pizzicati, all this materials wears one down if the creator decides to adopt a long durational length. A masterpiece needs to fit the durational frame it adopts.

The 'Second Quartet' however doesn't need such categroical values to place itslef on the globe, in the lifeworld of the aesthetic. It is simply there. The string quartet genre is unlike the piano. My personal conviction is that the piano solo genres offers a purer focused state for all this late music Feldman found a new innovative voice.(i.e. "Triadic Memories", "For Bunita Marcus")
The Second Quartet here works quite well because it doesn't drain or irretreivably spend one's listening constitution, it admirably inhabits(haunts at times) the durational frame it adopts.

So then we have a conceptual problem, for how does one experience this work.?Feldman naturally intended it for the concert hall, subverting (so he thinks) that genre. But I would never sit(nor many hardcore new music afficianados) six hours in a concert hall to experience this work.Sorry! Long durational music works on the body as well as the mind,the intellect.Our own life rhythms interface with a work like this. ((And this might be the orientation for some doctorial candidate,to discover how we listen to a work of this length,mind and body))
So again where does this work reside conceptually?, well as a recording seems to be its purest state,somewhat convincing,for we needed interrupt our lives,we can amble about walking between rooms,with hopfully minimal motion; for we are simply speaking about the experience of timbre, there is no description of this work or analysis(although I venture to guess ones will be submitted to doctoral programs). The 'Second Quartet' is an assemblage, materials simply inhabiting a durational space.

Incredible the FLUX Quartet who sustain themselves in this voyage to the timbral stars and galaxies, the timbral/performative concentration was wonderful, the gently plucked strings,high on the string(second or third position) sometimes to get more a percussive un-resonant pluck, beautiful.I could listen to that repeatedly in and of itself. The sustain sound(non-vibrato) as well is difficult for the waverings are immediatly revealing to the ear. The intention here is to listen more,as with a microscope in our ears. So all these performative subtleties will come to the surface now. But there are ugly timbres here as well, suggestive as well from the literature,It's impossible to avoid these cliques music ideas,Stravinsky I'd say(the more haunting obvious moments of the 'Rite') they are always with us. Anton Webern still held a formative influence for the late Feldman here hovers above this voyage and the threadbare,pencil-thin shapes, fragments and moments of beauty is apprarent almost in each moment. But then I'm listening wrong if all these historical musical associations come to the surface of my mind. I just need to listen.You really loose concentration, I found myself idly looking over my library,thumbing through a magazine,sdeeply absorbed in the timbral manifestations goings on. Again the materials here does not overly tax one's listening lifeworld.But again the work does have a narrative at work, even if it is an unintended one. Our internal dramatic "workings" do begin to make associations,For we do need to travel forward with this work.And Feldman does coach it along with again obvious clique-ish at times music materials. We cannot go backwards.Out memory for listening purposes is linear, not para-tactical. There is no point in remembering what we heard. It is like flotsam in the water of a wreck of a clipper ship,or moments from Tarkovski.Move forward onwards.

There is a question of selecting the correct tempi, for which none are indicated. So FLUX intends the work to be played as slow as possible, where a friend informed me the work should in fact be only 5-Hours in length. But I don't know now. Faster would have made the obvious materials even more graphic,needlessly boring and pronounced(within the Feldman aesthetic). A dangerous business playing Feldman.

This is really not a "string quartet" for the four parts has no function anymore, another genre to throw on the scrapheap of history. This is one large string sound we hear, and we really don't care who is playing what, again a Western academic prejudice. So then why did Feldman not write a string "quintet"?, well he wanted to sustain a threadbare beauty,too many strings would suggest something larger, uncontrollable perhaps. Four is enough.

Average customer rating:

Flux Compendium
Anthony Pateras , and Robin Fox
Manufacturer: Editions Mego
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000EHQ8L4
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Tracks:

Apocalypse Now & Then
Aphasia
Freckle Cream
$2.50
Throat in Three Parts
Perilymph
Olfactophobia
Protoplasm
Flex & Belch

Strive To Survive Causing Least Suffering Possible/Neu Smell

Average customer rating:

Probably the best album from the Flux
Great!
ANARCORE !!!!!
crass punk inspiration not so bad

Strive To Survive Causing Least Suffering Possible/Neu Smell
Flux of Pink Indians
Manufacturer: One Little Indian Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks/Taking a Liberty
The Curse of Zounds
Let the Tribe Increase
Death Church
Total Doom

ASIN: B0001XAQ3M
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

Song for Them
Charity Hilarity
Some of Us Scream, Some of Us Shout
Take Heed
T.V. Dinners
Tapioca Sunrise
Progress
They Lie We Die
Blinded by Science
Myxomatosis
Is There Anybody There?
Fun Is Over
Neu Smell
Tube Disaster
Poem: Sick Butchers
Background of Malfunction

Product Description

1. Song for Them
2. Charity Hilarity
3. Some of Us Scream, Some of Us Shout
4. Take Heed
5. T.V. Dinners
6. Tapioca Sunrisev
7. Progress
8. They Lie Like We Die
9. Blinded by Science
10. Myxomatosis
11. Is There Anybody There?
12. The Fun is Over

1. Neu Smell
2. Tube Disaster
3. Poem: Sick Butchers
4. Background of Malfunction

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Probably the best album from the Flux.......2006-11-28

A fierce Anarcho Punk Band, Flux of Pink Indians were a great band but not that great. this band, Rudimentary Peni, Conflict, Crass, etc. were all in the crass label and I consider these guys to be part of the "Crass Team." Flux sounds like Crass except with a different lead singer. Tube Disaster, Some of us scream some of us shout, and Take Heed are the best songs on this disc.

Great!.......2006-08-01

Bought this CD when it first came out. I love it. Flux of Pink Indians really take you back musically to the ages of Rudimentary Peni and Crass. This is the ideal FoPI album to get if you're trying to decide which one to buy. Favorite song is Sick Butchers.

ANARCORE !!!!!.......2005-03-21

This is one of the greatest,rawest,in your face anarcho-political albums of all times.It combines Crass-like
topics-in a little less emphatical way -with corrosive hardcore punk,
full of guitar feedback and shouting ,characteristic of this style.There are,nonetheless,some twisted melodic lines
along,which gives this band their unique and peculiar sound.I really can't reccomend this highly enough,and if you
can put up with some less than perfect sound,¨Live Statement¨features all of these songs at a live performance in Nottingham,versions being even rawer,especially the singing.Bear in mind,though,Strive...has a rather uneven tonal quality to it,so an equalizer is mandatory to unleash the astonishingly authoritative drumming delivered by the
drummer,it does'nt get better than this,mind you

crass punk inspiration not so bad.......2005-01-24

This cd took a few good listens to get into it. But i did notice all the feedback they put in there songs get annoying as hell. They have a unique sound..its worth a listen to what the bands of today were influenced by. I enjoy this way more then all them punkcore record (...).

Music Info:

Music Info

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