- Mar 7, 2009
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Since I had not seen it mentioned here yet thought I might start a thread about the new release by C&C that was released earlier this week.
I know some have listed "Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" in a past thread asking for standout productions and while they don't get mentioned here often, I figured some might be interested in the new release.
I started listening to C&C back with the aforementioned "Good Apollo...volume I' album, soon there after buying their two previous releases and found a modern group that I could appreciate (not that they are the only ones - there are many more) from an original and creative perspective. I cared not that some called them Emo, I always just saw them as immensely original and different from the pack of sound similar bands occupying a large portion of music these days.
Those first three albums and the accompanying story-line grabbed my interest in the band enough so that I've continued buying their records despite two lackluster releases to follow-up "Good Apollo...volume I", "Good Apollo...volume II" while not a bad album did not have the same effect on me the previous three albums had and it's follow-up, the prequel album "Year of the Black Rainbow" found it's way quite quickly to the infrequently played pile of CD's I own.
After this long introduction with both what I like about C&C and what I have not, I'm happy to say I'm really liking "The Afterman: Ascension", part one of a two part series of albums with the second part "The Afterman: Descension" scheduled for release in early 2013. It is at times very reminiscent of all the parts I've liked about all of C&C albums with less of what I've disliked. While I'm sure some will disagree simply on principle, getting Josh Eppard back in the fold on drums has brought back a certain groove that Chris Pennie, formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan and what could be considered a technically superior drummer, lacked in C&C. New bassist Zach Cooper seems to fit in as well in place of Michael Todd (the former bass player, now convicted felon for holding up a pharmacy for Oxycontin right before a show back in 2011).
The songs themselves will have you (if you like older C&C) smiling as you see similar features in individual songs that rekindle the way you felt about the first time you heard songs you liked on those first three albums. Not to say everything old is new again as the album certainly has a greater use of electronics than those first three, but songs like "Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute" will certainly make you think of Good Apollo... volume I".
The ballads have a familiar sound as well with Claudio Sanchez's penchant for making a somewhat evil story into a sweet sounding love song as can be found on "Goodnight, Fair Lady", a song Claudio has said is based upon a encounter his wife and he had in a bar where he saw a man at the end of the bar looking at a woman at the other end of the bar in a way that Claudio imagined was that of a stalker perhaps planning to drug (roofie) the woman to take advantage of her. He wrote that encounter into the characters of the song with the woman possibly being Mary Amory? (the wife of Sirius Amory - this stories primary character who has gone off to explore the Keywork for those in the know and familiar with the world C&C's albums occur in and the key story pieces). If you have had problems in the past seeing how C&C's music tells the stories of these many characters in this sci-fi world, I suggest you look into the "The Amory Wars" series of comics at http://www.everythingevilink.com.
Another favorite from the album for me is "Mothers of Men", it has one of those chorus lines that just stick in your head forever. This is another example of a song that would not be out of place on "Good Apollo...volume I".
As has become commonplace on many of Coheed and Cambria albums the later half of the album is made up on a group of songs, in this case continuing upon the second song on the album, the three titles are linked as "Key Entity Extraction" parts II, III, IV, all three as well as the previously mentioned part I "Domino the Destitute", being the tales of three individuals Holly Wood the Cracked, Vic the Butcher, and Evagria the Faithful. The three together make a great group of songs and at least for me cemented that C&C had regained some of the memorable moments that first caught my attention and appreciation. Once again both the choruses and lyrics get stuck in my head, this coming from a man usually less concerned with lyrics than the music - in most cases lyrics are very secondary to me, something about C&C's lyrics stick with me.
The album ends with a very soft touch in the song "Subtraction", a song Claudio originally intended for his side project he describes as electro-folk music. It works as a great pause for what I'm hoping will be an equally rewarding second disc to be released in early 2013.
I'll readily admit that I was thinking that C&C and Claudio's stories had run their logical course, that perhaps they had also lost the creative spark that made me notice them from the pack of modern music, but "The Afterman: Ascension" has restored the belief in me that perhaps the ship has been righted.
I know - a long post to see what others are thinking about a new album, but these days when something interests me musically I like to see what others think and enjoy expressing my interest in them.
Perhaps another thing to consider is they have returned to the team of Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner (as well as self credits) for the production. Both worked on the first three albums but were not involved with "Good Apollo...volume II" or "Year of the Black Rainbow".
Side note about these two albums - I actually still listen to them, but only when I listen to the Neverender live concerts where C&C played each of the four albums of subsequent nights. I tend to enjoy them live much better than the actual released album versions.
As always, individual mileage may vary. I'm sure some will disagree with my assessment.
I know some have listed "Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" in a past thread asking for standout productions and while they don't get mentioned here often, I figured some might be interested in the new release.
I started listening to C&C back with the aforementioned "Good Apollo...volume I' album, soon there after buying their two previous releases and found a modern group that I could appreciate (not that they are the only ones - there are many more) from an original and creative perspective. I cared not that some called them Emo, I always just saw them as immensely original and different from the pack of sound similar bands occupying a large portion of music these days.
Those first three albums and the accompanying story-line grabbed my interest in the band enough so that I've continued buying their records despite two lackluster releases to follow-up "Good Apollo...volume I", "Good Apollo...volume II" while not a bad album did not have the same effect on me the previous three albums had and it's follow-up, the prequel album "Year of the Black Rainbow" found it's way quite quickly to the infrequently played pile of CD's I own.
After this long introduction with both what I like about C&C and what I have not, I'm happy to say I'm really liking "The Afterman: Ascension", part one of a two part series of albums with the second part "The Afterman: Descension" scheduled for release in early 2013. It is at times very reminiscent of all the parts I've liked about all of C&C albums with less of what I've disliked. While I'm sure some will disagree simply on principle, getting Josh Eppard back in the fold on drums has brought back a certain groove that Chris Pennie, formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan and what could be considered a technically superior drummer, lacked in C&C. New bassist Zach Cooper seems to fit in as well in place of Michael Todd (the former bass player, now convicted felon for holding up a pharmacy for Oxycontin right before a show back in 2011).
The songs themselves will have you (if you like older C&C) smiling as you see similar features in individual songs that rekindle the way you felt about the first time you heard songs you liked on those first three albums. Not to say everything old is new again as the album certainly has a greater use of electronics than those first three, but songs like "Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute" will certainly make you think of Good Apollo... volume I".
The ballads have a familiar sound as well with Claudio Sanchez's penchant for making a somewhat evil story into a sweet sounding love song as can be found on "Goodnight, Fair Lady", a song Claudio has said is based upon a encounter his wife and he had in a bar where he saw a man at the end of the bar looking at a woman at the other end of the bar in a way that Claudio imagined was that of a stalker perhaps planning to drug (roofie) the woman to take advantage of her. He wrote that encounter into the characters of the song with the woman possibly being Mary Amory? (the wife of Sirius Amory - this stories primary character who has gone off to explore the Keywork for those in the know and familiar with the world C&C's albums occur in and the key story pieces). If you have had problems in the past seeing how C&C's music tells the stories of these many characters in this sci-fi world, I suggest you look into the "The Amory Wars" series of comics at http://www.everythingevilink.com.
Another favorite from the album for me is "Mothers of Men", it has one of those chorus lines that just stick in your head forever. This is another example of a song that would not be out of place on "Good Apollo...volume I".
As has become commonplace on many of Coheed and Cambria albums the later half of the album is made up on a group of songs, in this case continuing upon the second song on the album, the three titles are linked as "Key Entity Extraction" parts II, III, IV, all three as well as the previously mentioned part I "Domino the Destitute", being the tales of three individuals Holly Wood the Cracked, Vic the Butcher, and Evagria the Faithful. The three together make a great group of songs and at least for me cemented that C&C had regained some of the memorable moments that first caught my attention and appreciation. Once again both the choruses and lyrics get stuck in my head, this coming from a man usually less concerned with lyrics than the music - in most cases lyrics are very secondary to me, something about C&C's lyrics stick with me.
The album ends with a very soft touch in the song "Subtraction", a song Claudio originally intended for his side project he describes as electro-folk music. It works as a great pause for what I'm hoping will be an equally rewarding second disc to be released in early 2013.
I'll readily admit that I was thinking that C&C and Claudio's stories had run their logical course, that perhaps they had also lost the creative spark that made me notice them from the pack of modern music, but "The Afterman: Ascension" has restored the belief in me that perhaps the ship has been righted.
I know - a long post to see what others are thinking about a new album, but these days when something interests me musically I like to see what others think and enjoy expressing my interest in them.
Perhaps another thing to consider is they have returned to the team of Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner (as well as self credits) for the production. Both worked on the first three albums but were not involved with "Good Apollo...volume II" or "Year of the Black Rainbow".
Side note about these two albums - I actually still listen to them, but only when I listen to the Neverender live concerts where C&C played each of the four albums of subsequent nights. I tend to enjoy them live much better than the actual released album versions.
As always, individual mileage may vary. I'm sure some will disagree with my assessment.
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