Ex Machina (Trans)

1. Artificial Clichés for 4-Track Tape

2. Einstimmig...for One Voice

3. In the Mix

4. 5 Little Pieces About the Little Noises of a Little Person

5. Orpheus and Democrat - Piano Music with Tape

Ex Machina (Trans),Various Artists,Cybele,Classical,Classical Composers,Electronic & Computer

Average customer rating: Holy Over The Top Originality Batman!!! One of the best out there! I like this stuff. ONE OF THE GREATEST JAZZ-ROCK BANDS IN LAST 20 YEARS! Impressive Italian prog rock!

Cinque Deus Ex Machina Manufacturer: Cuneiform ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Felona E Sorona Io Sono Murple Zarathustra Dedicato a Frazz Io Sono Nato Libero ASIN: B000065UO3 Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

1. Convolutus
2. Rhinoceros
3. Uomo Del Futuro Passato
4. Olim Sol Rogavit Terram I
5. Il Pensiero Che Porta Alle Cose Importanti
6. Luce
7. De Ordinis Ratione
8. Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II

Customer Reviews:

Holy Over The Top Originality Batman!!!.......2005-02-12

Musicians

Alberto Piras: Lead Vocals, Words
Alessandro Bonetti: Violin
Fabrizzio Puglisi: Keyboards
Mauro Collina: Guitars
Claudio Trotta: Drums
Allessandro Porecca: Bass

Special Guest String Quartet on "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II"

Where else would you find on one CD:

1) A manic fusion of early 70's Mahavishnu Orchestra/Return to Forever, modern classical and a touch of blues with a manic operatically trained lead singer vocalizing in Latin?

2) Songs whose subject matter runs from Rhinoceros to the sun asking the earth how it's enjoying life ever since the humans went away (I'm not making this up) and theories of order?

Nowhere else but this offering from Italy's Deus Ex Machina!

From the moment Alberto Piras opens his mouth, you know this is not going to be breezy happy-slappy pop material. His over-the-top operatically influenced style may not be to everyone's liking, but one thing is certain, he is unique and original! To sing over the top of music this dense and complex is no easy task, but Alberto really handles it with great style and flair. Having witnessed DEM live, it also appeared he was having a lot of fun with it too.

But a lead singer does not define a whole band, and it's certainly obvious that DEM have plenty of top-notch musicianship to go around. Especially notable are Alessandro Bonetti's alternately plaintive and spooky violin melodies, Fabrizzio Puglisi's thick warm analog keyboards (mainly Hammond B-3 and Rhodes with some synths) and Mauro Collina's searing guitar (a nice blend of RTF period Bill Connors, blues and some tasty acoustic classical stylings) and a manic rhythm section that just doesn't quit!

Despite the obvious complexity of the music, DEM have not so much simplified their music, but have left more open space in the arrangements, more breathing room if you will. The opening cut "Convolutus" being a prime example, beginning with some beautiful classical guitar, then gradually building with that plaintive violin intertwining with the vocals just before kicking into 5th gear midway through with Collina's searing guitar then winding down to a thoughtful conclusion.

Other highlights include the funky and flat-out rocking "Rhinoceros", the bluesy acoustic romp of "Uomo del Futuro Passato", the left of center funky with spooky violin of "De Ordinis Ratione" and then to cap it off, the neo-classical stylings of "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II" with a special guest string quartet.

There's only one thing that irks me on this disc, and that is the pointless inclusion of muddled sounding snippets of rehearsal tapes with the band working through fragments of songs and bantering in Italian. Although one could argue that this little bit of audio-verité puts a human face on the band, it just seemed rather unnecessary.

For those wondering "what the heck is that Piras dude singing about??", the CD booklet was kind enough to include translations of the songs into Latin, English and Italian.

Deus Ex Machina may not be everyone's cup of cappuccino, but for those who have an ear for the adventurous, you can't go wrong with Cinque.

One of the best out there!.......2003-01-13

I picked this up based on the Cunieform review... as usual. Cunieform is on the money with descriptions. Anyway... I LOVE THIS ALBUM! I was thinking about Mahavishnu Orchestra and then I was thinking about Gentle Giant and man.... the list goes on and on! These guys can lay down some super melody and rhythm and top it off with some fine singing. The vocals on this one are amazing. The music behind is even better. If you are into any of the canterbury bands of the late 60's and early 70's or if you like jazz fusion... CHECK THIS ONE OUT!

I like this stuff........2002-10-03

What a nice surprise. My recent foray into the world of 70s Italian progressive rock led me to a newer band, Deus Ex Machina. Their latest album, _Cinque_, is one of my favorite purchases of late.

In many reviews you'll read concerning Deus Ex Machina, the singer Alberto Piras is always a big focus. And rightly so. This guy is one of the most stunning singers I've heard in rock or metal or anything. His approach to melody is a little bit similar to Area's legendary Demetrio Stratos, although his classical precision and histrionics set him apart. Honestly, when I heard that Alberto Piras' voice had five octaves, I figured it was just a publicist's fantasy. Hearing him proves he's the real deal.

This is my first exposure to the band, so I can't comment on how this album (the band's first stateside release) compares stylistically to the band's other work. I believe they have four studio discs and a live album. _Cinque_ is heavily jazz inspired, and the compositions feel loose, with a spontaneous energy recalling improvisation. At the same time, there is an ineffable tightness because the music is so brilliantly put together. The individual instruments often play with their own fully linear, independent phrases, but the consonant integrity of the composition is never sacrificed. THAT is harmonic complexity, and it honestly blows the mind. And if someone can transcribe these songs with all the right time signatures, they deserve a medal.

I found the album difficult to get into -- not for any of the normal reasons though. Instead, it was because I found it difficult to concentrate on the totality of the band's efforts rather than just listening to an individual musician. Often, it was because I kept getting lost in the drumming. The drummer Claudio Trotta's impossible integration of weird fills and completely whack sense of time never ceases to amaze me. This guy doesn't really groove...he sometimes behaves like another lead instrument. The bass player Alessandro Porreca alternates between bobbing around the guitars and keys and whirling around the drums. Keyboardist Fabrizio Puglisi is a pure jazz virtuoso, while guitarist Mauro Collina brings a splice of classic hard rock into the band for interesting variation. His solos are random, strange, and wonderfully amusing. Truthfully, everyone in the band is blessed with absolutely hyper-godly chops. After many listens, I was able to sit back listen to the _band_, and I was dazzled. The instrumental interplay is so tight the band may as well be an alien creature with eight arms and a single brain (two legs too). There is also some violin playing throughout, for a bit of a King Crimsony feel at times. The talent it must take to compose this music is just insane. I can't even imagine how you would play this live. (I would say the same for King Crimson's latest incarnation, i.e. the albums _Thrak_ and _The ConstruKction of Light_).

"Uomo Del Futuro Passato" begins with a stoner rock riff before breaking into a dynamic playground of surreal atmospheric jazz and frenzied fusion-esque explorations. (The keyboard solo is seriously killer.) "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram" is about as normal as this CD goes -- it is mainly played on acoustic guitar. The guitar solo is fuzzy and awesome. And by awesome, I mean totally sweet. "Rhinoceros" is a non-stop, odd-metered maze of instrumentation. "De Ordinis Rationale" is an array of the band's ingenious arrangement with Piras crooning like a maniac. The violin playing on "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II" sounds like something out of an Italian horror movie, and keep listening when the song goes quiet. After many minutes of silence, you are treated to some fun jamming.

Sadly, my weak descriptions aren't going to come close to describing the my personal response to hearing this band play. Oh, I'd love to see them live. _Cinque_ is an outstanding jazz-prog album, and probably my most pleasant surprise of 2002.

ONE OF THE GREATEST JAZZ-ROCK BANDS IN LAST 20 YEARS!.......2002-08-12

This albums is a masterpiece! The singer ALBERTO PIRAS and the virtuoso analog keyboard player FABRIZIO PUGLISI are from another world! This guy PUGLISI, is something else, combining the spirit of Keith emerson, Jan hammer, Joe Zawinul, Bobo Stenson, Herbie hancock and Chick Corea, and being himself a professional jazz pianist, he can beat them all! MONSTRUOS! If you are into Mahavishu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, Area, then you will love this band and this record. Watch those Italiaans, and keep eye on another Italian progressive fusion band, DFA, discovered by Deus Ex machina's singer Alberto Piras.

Impressive Italian prog rock!.......2002-06-22

Deus Ex Machina honors the Italian progressive rock tradition with this compact: excellent and complex songs with lots of time signatures and very well interpreted lyrics by its singer, Alberto Piras, who sings songs in Latin and Italian! If you look for comparisons in the American progressive rock scene, I would say that this band's sound is between the extreme experimentation of Thinking Plague and the energy of Boud Deun. If you really like high quality progressive rock, with a sense of innovation and fun, buy this disc. You won't regret it.

Average customer rating: One of the best bands you've never heard of! intelligent music for intelligent people Prog Rock with an Updated Sound and Real Songwriting

Daemon Ex Machina Solution Science Systems Manufacturer: Smiley Jones Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Math Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000APNGL Release Date: 2003-08-01

Tracks:

1. Work On Time - A Beginning
2. Science Is the Solution, pt.1: The Revealing Solution Science of God
3. Electrotrombonophone (ETP)
4. Tomorrow's Dreams Today
5. Ein Mugg & Schrger's Cat
6. Static
7. A Thread in the Fabric of time
8. We Interrupt This Program
9. Hey, Butterfly
10. Phonotonic Duality as Observed in Q-Field Transduction
11. Work On Time - A Theme
12. The Heavy Fist of Maxwell's Daemon

Album Description

The debut release from Atlanta's foremost power-trio, "Daemon Ex Machina" is a prog rock tour de force. Solution Science Systems serves up part 1 of a two-album story frought with quantum physics references, odd time signatures, acrobatic playing, and psychedelic fireworks. Yet the record is supremely listenable, and the songwriting is some of the hookiest and most adept in recent memory.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best bands you've never heard of!.......2004-12-28

Albums like this continue to support my conviction that there are a whole bunch of bands out there no one has heard of that can bring the jams better than most of the bands you HAVE heard of. This album's got it all -- hook, intelligence, variety, crunch, spacemilk, and more. As an earlier review hinted, some of the conceptual aspects of the album may be obscure to most folks, but that should be no barrier to anyone's enjoyment of the record. In fact, it will probably encourage repeated listenings and deepening enjoyment over time.

There's a definite prog influence on this record, and all the aforementioned bands (Rush, Crimson, Yes) are definitely in the mix. But I think there are elements of the more raw post-punk bands like early Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr and perhaps even the Pixies which give dynamism to the compostions and prevents them from degenerating into masturbatory noodling. Take "Hey Butterfly" as a prime example. Despite the chops these guys possess, they never sacrifice composition for prowess which is why the record hangs together so well.

Bottom line -- This is a fantastic record with style, energy and more tongue-in-cheek references than you can imagine. Buy it. If there were any justice in the world, these guys would be playing Madison Square Garden right now.

intelligent music for intelligent people.......2003-11-14

This is a bizarre album that admittedly is not for everyone; but the *right* people will not only "get it" but actually ENJOY it to boot.

This is apparently phase one of a fairly complex concept album that is surprisingly original: grossly oversimplified, a scientist discovers an actual Maxwell's Demon inside one of his inventions and attempts to communicate with it. If Thomas Pynchon or Robert Anton Wilson were to write an album, it would probably be something like this. The lyrics abound with diverse, often obscure references--hell, how many out there actually know what a "Maxell's Demon" is?!? Personally, I like stuff like that. SSS know their sources; they obviously spend as much time reading books as they do practicing their music.

Convoluted plot aside, the album is able to stand on the music. They shift styles fluidly, often in mid-song. There are overtones of Genesis, Rush, and Pink Floyd mixed throughout. However, rather than rehashing 70s prog-rock, they manage to make it sound fresh, or at least less pretentious. Intricacies abound, and I got the impression that this isn't complexity for the sake of complexity: this is what they actually *want* to play. Because of that seeming sincerity, it works. Quite well, too; I've caught myself humming "Electrotrombonomophone" a couple of times out of the blue.

Overall, this is a good, solid effort. If you like plodding three-chord rock with inane lyrics, this album will confuse you and be inaccessible musically or plot-wise. If you like textured, complex music with intelligent content, this is well worth a listen.

Prog Rock with an Updated Sound and Real Songwriting.......2003-08-06

Are you a fan of any or all of the following albums? "Relayer" or "Close to the Edge" by Yes? "USA" or "Starless and Bible Black" or "Discipline" by King Crimson? "Permanent Waves" or "2112" by Rush? "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" by Genesis? If you spend more than a little time, all these years after their release, listening to these records, then "Daemon Ex Machina" by Solution Science Systems (S3) will warm your heart when you hear it.

The members of this band have obviously put in their time with this music, and much other, more obscure, prog rock besides. S3 incorporates the best from all of this music, in sound and in spirit. The long, multi-part songs; the complex arrangements; the instrumental prowess; the effects; the noise; the drama. These guys are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. In fact, they flaunt them.

Yet this is no mere retro-fest. Besides the 70's prog roots, "Daemon Ex Machina" displays a full knowledge of so much more that came before, after, and in parallel to classic prog. There are moments as beautiful as the melodies on "Abbey Road." There are sludge riffs that echo of Sabbath's "Masters of Reality." There are hints of 80's pop music. There are lyrics that remind me of Steely Dan. The lead guitar breaks might evoke J. Mascis when they're not evoking Steve Howe or Alex Lifeson.

Prog rock revival is not a new idea. Metal has been incorporating prog since about 1987. (Tool and Mastodon are doing the metal-prog thing better than anyone else right now.) We now even have an alt-rock prog mix with The Mars Volta.

But not enough people have stepped up to fill in the pent-up demand of the rabid fans of the prog albums mentioned at the beginning of this review. The few that have tried to fill this demand so often fail miserably at it. On the one hand, you have people who are inspired by the drama and fantasy that infused a lot of British prog, but don't have the skills to pull off the technical aspects of the music. On the other hand, you have chops geeks who replicate the technical wizardry of prog but lose track of the soul of the music.

Even if you take the best from both of these camps, you still are left without the songwriting, melodies, hooks, and arrangements that make the best prog what it is. The vast majority of would be prog revivalists are either unaware of this essential ingredient, or don't have the skills/talent to produce it. Solution Science Systems, on the other hand, succeeds wildly in this area. No matter how much of a prog feast this album is, the songwriting and arrangements come first. Every song has a hook or a theme that will keep you singing or humming it after the fact. To the rock fan who would not know Wakeman from Moraz, this makes "Daemon Ex Machina," like "Permanent Waves" before it, so much more than a prog rock album.

In the end, though, what gives me shivers when I hear S3 is that these guys have the chops, taste, and maturity to do what the prog greats did twenty-five, thirty years ago. They go out on the edge, taking huge musical risks, and then make it look easy. Imagine a band good enough to write and perform something in a class with, for instance, Yes's "The Gates of Delerium." This is that band. I've heard it on this record, and I've seen them do it live. It's that good.

And did I mention that "Daemon Ex Machina" is a concept album? This is what you've been waiting for.

Average customer rating:

Philippe Manoury: Pluton (1988), for Midi Piano & Electronics (from the "Sonus ex Machina" Cycle) - Ilmo Ranta, Midi Piano Philippe Manoury , Ilmo Ranta , and Frédéric Prin Manufacturer: Ondine ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000007NFZ Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

1. Toccata
2. Antiphonie
3. Sequences
4. Modulations
5. Vars

Average customer rating:

Vox ex Machina Various Artists Manufacturer: EMF Media ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000K7BDU4 Release Date: 2005-12-05

Tracks:

1. Vielleicht (Sprechakte x/Treme)
2. Ooa (Vincent Barras & Jacques Demierre)
3. ...Due Giorni Dopo (Ricardo Dal Farra)
4. Al Amin Dada (Jelle Meander)
5. En Do (Jurg Piringer)
6. Eighteen Earrers (Kenneth Goldsmith)
7. Viox Imprrsonel (Julien Ottavi)
8. Juicy Cantata (Daniel Goode)
9. Extraordinary Voyages (Anne-James Chaton)

Product Description

Leonardo Music Journal CD #15. The works on this CD address the interplay of the voice, words and technology.

Average customer rating:

Deus Ex Machina Paul Schütze Manufacturer: Tone Casualties ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Paul Schütze: Nine Songs From The Garden Of Welcome Lies, Improvisations For Organ & Percussion The Surgery of Touch Regard: Music by Film ASIN: B00000014N Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

1. Deus Ex Machina

Average customer rating: Track List

Deus Ex Machina Manufacturer: Cargo Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B0001WP8H2

Customer Reviews:

Track List.......2005-02-06

1) Deus Ex Machina 2) (Give Me) Paralizer 3) Mockba 4) Lasergunn 5) Bodysnatcher 6) Kill The Light 7) Packman 8) Process & Reality 9) Sarcofague 10) Ritual Dance Movements

Average customer rating:

Deus Ex Machina Liv Kristine Manufacturer: Candlelight ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lovelorn ASIN: B000LC51ZG Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

1. Requiem
2. Deus Ex Machina
3. In the Heart of Juliet
4. 3 Am
5. Waves of Green
6. Take Good Care
7. Huldra
8. Portrait: Ei Tulle Med ne Bi
9. Good Vibes Bad Vibes
10. Outro

Average customer rating: Comity might just alter your mind.

The Deus Ex-Machina as a Forgotten Genius (Andy Warhol Sucks) Comity Manufacturer: United Edge Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B0006OD19M Release Date: 2006-01-10

Tracks:

1. About Fracture Of The Last Solid Element (The Deus Ex-Machina On The Road Again)
2. A Track To Forget What Has Been Forgotten (Introduce Yourself To Me/Us Please Call 355.6185214)
3. Her Own King Theory (What The Fuck Is Miscommunication?)
4. Alleluia Versus Amen (As Eros Kills)
5. A Farewell To A Crimson King In A Crimson Way... (Hats Off Mister Salinger)
6. Making My Pants Move...
7. Variation On The Same Mistake

Product Description

1. About the Fracture of the Last Solid Element (The Deus Ex-Machina on the Road Again)
2. Attach to Forget What has Been Forgotten (Introduce Yourself to Me/Us Please Call 355.6185214)
3. Her Own Killing Theory (What the Fuck is Miscommunication?)
4. Alleluia Vs. Amen (As Eros Kills)
5. A Farewell to a Crimson King in a Crimson Way... (Hats off Mister Salinger)
6. Making my Paints Move...
7. Variations on the Same Mistake

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Comity might just alter your mind........2006-02-14

Blending orchestral rock, grindcore, metal, ambient and progressive rock, while at the same time forgetting all those "genres" exist, to simply follow their own way of expression, Comity has created an unknown masterpiece, fraught with emotive instrumentation and wroth vocals. Minus (on Jesus Christ Bobby) meets the Mars Volta (on Frances the Mute) meets The Number Twelve Looks Like You (on Sad Nuclear Sad). Fast approching life-changing and mind-altering (even if not quite there to this jaded listener)--cords come like a rain of daggers of heartbreak and beauty. Most tracks are pure instrumental. Over an hour in length. Makes it look cool to be pretentious and impossible to understand ; yet again cool to be discordant. It definitely would've been a mistake hadn't i bought this. Worth a lot more than some things i waste my money on. I can see this has a place in my listening future.

Average customer rating:

Robert Gibson: Chamber Music Manufacturer: Capstone ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000001YUV Release Date: 1995-12-12

Tracks:

1. Matin
2. November Field
3. Restless
4. Plantive
5. Capricious
6. I
7. II
8. III
9. Mirage
10. Maple Leaves
11. Winter
12. The Sound
13. Summer Night
14. Calling
15. Faces
16. Ex Machina

Average customer rating: Just for a song

Deus Ex Machina Liv Kristine Manufacturer: Massacre ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Enter My Religion Lovelorn Vinland Saga Legend Land Into Your Light ASIN: B000023Y2N Release Date: 1998-03-03

Tracks:

1. Requiem
2. Deus Ex Machina
3. In the Heart of Juliet
4. 3 Am
5. Waves of Green
6. Take Good Care
7. Huldra
8. Portrait: Ei Tulle Med ne Bi
9. Good Vibes Bad Vibes
10. Outro

Album Description

The Norwegian goth rock act's 1999 album features 10 tracks. Massacre Records.

Customer Reviews:

Just for a song.......2006-05-29

If I had to put 5 stars to this album was only for the "3 am" song... is beautiful, if you like Depeche, camouflage, red flag and similars, you really should listen to this song.
About the other songs?... It doesn't matter.

Music Review:

1. Favorite Arias
2. Great Moments from Verdi's 'La Traviata"
3. Haydn, Beethoven, Weber
4. In Shikara Tala [Live]
5. International Salute
6. Liszt: Consolations; Funérailles
7. Liszt: Dante Symphony; Bergsymphonie No1
8. Lovro von Matacic: Artist Profile
9. Luciano Pavarotti Sings Selections from La Boheme, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto
10. Magical Opera, Vol. 1

Music Review

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