Circles

Amazon.com
While most of today's retro-inspired bands seem to go channel their garage rock instincts, the Autumn Defense take a different, understated approach. Led by Wilco bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, the group creates a soft-hued album of reflective ballads, softly strummed acoustic guitars, and gorgeous harmonies. This is retro as heard through classic Beach Boys, Harry Nilsson, and Bread records, but it offers some surprisingly refreshing rewards. "Written in the Snow" is a slow-motion, ballad take on Wilco's Being There output; "Iowa City Adieu" sounds like a meeting of the minds between the Pernice Brothers and the Smiths; and "Circles," the album's closer, seems to bring all these disparate folk-pop elements together. All told, it's both bittersweet and beautiful. --Jason Verlinde

Circles,The Autumn Defense,Arena Rock,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Alternative Country-Rock,Chamber Pop,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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Circles

Average customer rating: Please enter a title for your review Instrumental Beauty... One of the finest the Genre has to offer. See them live! Impressive! Enter? Yes please come in...

Enter Russian Circles Manufacturer: Flameshovel ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun At the Soundless Dawn The Ties That Blind 55:12 The Galilean Satellites ASIN: B000EXDRRG Release Date: 2006-05-16

Tracks:

1. Carpe
2. Micah
3. Death Rides A Horse
4. Enter
5. You Already Did
6. New Macabre

Customer Reviews:

Please enter a title for your review.......2006-12-29

Russian Circles continue what is fast becoming a tradition in the current melodic post-rock scene, taking what could and should be a progressive interesting genre and stuffing it into a pigeonhole. Taking all the most basic elements of innovative band's songwriting, erasing the subtleties, adding nothing, and just being a straight up creativityless mimic. If the post-rock scene Mogwai spawned has outlived it's usefulness it's only because bands like this (and the audience they're inexplicably still able to impress by doing nothing) refuse to let it grow. This album is an offense to my sense of creativity in much the same way rotting garbage is an offense to one's sense of smell.

Instrumental Beauty... One of the finest the Genre has to offer. .......2006-09-04

RUSSIAN CIRCLES - Enter
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Chicago seems to be a sort of hot bed for instrumental acts now-a-days... Hearing all the hype about this album I felt I should proceed with caution, thinking it may be just be a winded version of Pelican or their kin. Truth is, `Enter' is a debut worth shouting about and will likely make it in the top 10 of 2006.

Russian Circles sound is much less pretentious then many of the other instrumental bands... with songs never getting tedious or tiring. The opener `Carpe' is subtle opener which really sets the stage for the album. Unlike many other bands their opening track does not eclipse the rest of the album and does not set the bar too high for the following songs. Using the term very loosely it is likely one of the weaker tracks. The second song `Micah' is a real piece of art, sounding like the love child of Lateralus-era Tool and the Red Sparowes. `Death Rides a Horse' is a furious power shot of spastic guitar rhythms, driving bass and definitive drum sections. It is likely the darkest and heaviest song on the album, yet does not sacrifice melody. The title track, `Enter' is an interesting blend of rock-fusion and sparse dissonance. Again the rhythm section is incredibly tight and really helps drive this song forward. Track five, `You Already Did' is a breathtaking amalgamation of various styles. This song has an underlying melody which is one of the most beautiful things that has graced my ears in quite sometime... at the 5:00 minute mark the song unfolds into delicate aural transcendence. The final track, `New Macabre' is a spiral of musical emotions, dabbing in the darker realms and shifting back to the driving melody.

`Enter' may take the place from Pelican's `The Fire in our Throats will Beckon the Thaw' or Red Sparowes' `At the Soundless Dawn' as my favorite instrumental CD. But only time will tell, as both those albums still get regular rotation in my player. If you are a fan of the genre this is required listening.

Favorite Songs: You Already Did, Death Rides A Horse, and Micah.
-5 Stars

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See them live!.......2006-08-23

The CD is alright, but if i hadnt seen them live in concert the CD sound quality would have made me think much less of their musical abilities.

Impressive!.......2006-05-28

Hailing from Chicago, Russian Circles is one of those bands that comes completely out of nowhere and blows everyone away. Enter, does exactly this! Perfectly blended "Instru-Metal" is RCs talent, and is also a rapidly rising movement. A merger of typical Indie Rock mixed with other forms of Hardcore and Metal. If you like Pelican, Red Sparowes, Isis, Godspeed you Black Emperor, or even Explosions in the Sky, you need to check this record out.

Enter? Yes please come in..........2006-05-20

Lush instrumental arrangements with punk, indie rock, metal, and orchestral influences. They are melodic, epic, ambient, at times dark, well crafted songs that blur the lines between genre classification. Russian Circles are the breath of fresh air complacent rock has been waiting for. One of the best records of the year, the past 10 years, and for years to come. All on their debut.

Average customer rating: Relaxing Reverie Peaceful, serene--absolute piece of art! Beautiful Beautiful Melodies

Water Circles Mia Jang Manufacturer: Narada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sweet Dreams - Piano Solos The Edge of Forever A Place Without Noise 20 Years of Narada Piano (2-CD Set) Faeries: A Realm of Magic and Enchantment ASIN: B00004TWK1 Release Date: 2000-06-27

Tracks:

1. Water Circles
2. Lily Pond
3. Fountain
4. Wishing Well
5. Lagoon
6. Riverside
7. Spring Shower
8. Waterdance
9. Stream
10. Morning Dew
11. Tide Pool
12. Floating

Amazon.com

Relaxing, peaceful, high-minded without arrogance, Mia Jang's second album of piano solos is a pleasant collection of pastel-shaded compositions that could nicely complement a therapeutic massage or an evening spent with a favorite book. Jang, a native of Taipei now living in the United States, occupies a place on the solo piano continuum somewhere between David Lanz and Michael Jones, managing to sidestep the exaggerated romanticism that sometimes hinders Lanz while demonstrating more structure and purpose than Jones. Though not as lyrical as Jim Brickman, nor as artful as Liz Story, Jang composes music with simple dignity, conveying a sense of sweetness without the annoying saccharine aftertaste that sometimes plagues this genre. While the classically trained pianist often aims for a meditative mood, her more melodic pieces (the brightly engaging "Fountain," the more reflective "Morning Dew," and "Tide Pool") are small jewels worth repeated listenings. An attractive, low-key sophomore effort. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews:

Relaxing.......2004-08-23

My daughter chose Water Circles as the CD she wanted to listen to while she was in labor with her first child. All the nurses commented on the beautiful and relaxing music. This CD as now become on of my favorites for meditation or simply relaxing after a long day of work.

Reverie.......2003-08-18

Water circles is a good title for this CD, but for me Reverie would be better. I find myself totally caught up in this music, daydreaming, and flowing like water with the music. Mia Jang's songs have really struck a chord in my heart and soul. It is almost like being able to "hear" Monet's Water Lilies. I get that same feeling of beauty, peace, and relaxtion. This is my favorite cd for some soothing moments at the end of a long day.

Peaceful, serene--absolute piece of art!.......2000-11-17

Mia Jang's personality, feeling, and soul is in this cd! I've found that some of the songs make me remember past life experiences. Every piece is unique and I find myself discovering new meaning in each song everytime. My favorite is Water Dance. I love the way it makes me feel...so soothing and beautiful. I constantly find myself playing along by ear on the piano.

Beautiful.......2000-09-15

I have to disagree with those who don't think this music is relaxing. It's wonderfully melodic and introspective. I first bought her CD (Sweet Dreams) after hearing a piece of her music used on a figure skating documentary section and I have loved it ever since. The first four tracks of her new CD are so rich and haunting that I can't stop listening to them, whether I'm at work or on the train or just relaxing at home. Water Circles ia the soundtrack to your life - at times quiet and peaceful, and at other times layered and complex. It's a musical journey of soul-searching and I can't recommend it enough.

Beautiful Melodies.......2000-09-03

Mia Jang has produced another CD full of beautiful solo piano works without a single disappointing song. CDs following outstanding debut CD's (like Jang's "Sweet Dreams") are often weak in comparison, but "Water Circles" is just as strong as her earlier work. Very relaxing music, played skillfully, with feeling.

Average customer rating: Essential Cheryl Wheeler; Essential Folk! Not surprised (sorta) an unsung hero an unsung hero Brilliant album by under-estimated singer-songwriter

Circles & Arrows Cheryl Wheeler Manufacturer: Philo / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Country Folk | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Driving Home Mrs. Pinocci's Guitar Cheryl Wheeler Different Stripe Sylvia Hotel ASIN: B0000003US Release Date: 1995-02-21

Tracks:

1. I Know This Town
2. Hard Line To Draw
3. Aces
4. Estate Sale
5. Don't Wanna
6. Northern Girl
7. Soon As I Find My Voice
8. Miss You More Than I'm Mad
9. Moonlight And Roses
10. When You're Gone
11. Arrow

Amazon.com essential recording

After two promising but undeveloped albums and a couple of tunes that hit the country charts (courtesy of other singers' versions), Cheryl Wheeler made this album for Capitol/Nashville in 1990. Unfortunately, her label experienced a personnel shakeup just after Circles & Arrows was released, and the disc was lost in the shuffle. It was rereleased by Rounder Records on their Philo imprint in 1995. Produced by Kyle Lehning (Randy Travis) and featuring a full string section and guests such as Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Jerry Douglas, and Mark O'Connor, this is blockbuster collection of songs. The soft "Aces" (a 1992 hit for Suzy Boguss), the pop tune "Hard Line to Draw," and the midtempo "Northern Girl" are Wheeler the songwriter at her best. The comical "Estate Sale" shows her emerging humorous side. The vocals throughout are also exceptionally strong. This is the Wheeler breakthrough album that, for a variety of nonmusical reasons, didn't break through. --Robert Baird

Customer Reviews:

Essential Cheryl Wheeler; Essential Folk!.......2005-08-31

Sets the standard for contemporary singer/songwriter folk music. Beautifully written, poignant songs. Includes Cheryl's classic "Northern Girl" and perhaps the best written song ever, "Arrow" (this version containing the additional fiddle arrangement). Cheryl's songs are simple, yet capture you immediately in their universal themes.

New to folk music? Start and end with Cheryl Wheeler!

Not surprised (sorta).......2003-11-20

All the previous reviews echo my sentiments, but more exactly and the reason I came shopping here;
I have been moving my CD library onto my Mac. Taking the time occasionally to rate songs that often play in background. I've always loved this particular album, but I realized that THIS collection "Circles & Arrows" had acquired TOP ranking (of several hundred) with 7 tracks @ five stars and 4 tracks @ four stars. Noteworthy accomplishment on Cheryl's part.
I personally think there are relatively few that could cover her works with the rare balance of strong and masterfully blended musicianship coupled with her personal style and (awsome) voice exibited herein. BTW- Arrow is remarkable.

an unsung hero.......2003-05-10

Just a note to those who might be put off by Wheeler's mix of country-folkish songs and humorous novelties: "Arrow" is one of the most beautiful, affecting, and accomplished songs you will ever hear. If it were the only song she ever wrote, it would be enough to grant her a place in the pantheon.

an unsung hero.......2003-05-10

Just a note to those who might be put off by Wheeler's mix of contry-folkish songs and humorous novelties: "Arrow" is one of the most beautiful, affecting, and accomplished songs you will ever hear. If it were the only song she ever wrote, it would be enough to grant her a place in the pantheon.

Brilliant album by under-estimated singer-songwriter.......2003-01-23

I first heard of Cheryl when Estate sale got a lot of airplay on the radio station I listened to at the time. It is a song in which Cheryl takes an amusing look at people going through dead people's houses wondering what they have collected. Cheryl's albums always contain at least one humorous song, but she also writes and sings serious songs.

I know this town (which has been covered by Bette Midler) is a song about Cheryl's hometown and the memories it holds. Northern girl is about being homesick for the south. Aces (one of several songs about love's problems) became the title track of a Suzy Bogguss album after Suzy covered the song.

Cheryl's music is hard to classify - it generally leans towards folk, but there are country and pop influences in there too. Maybe this is why Cheryl has not been more successful - we live an era where (unfortunately) people are expected to specialize. I've never worried about how popular a singer is, only about how good they are. Cheryl has carved her own musical niche - there's nobody else quite like her. And this is possibly her best album.

Average customer rating: The world is still a "B" movie Great to have! bigfan Coolest yet!! A Great CD

Since There Were Circles Bob Lind Manufacturer: Rpm Records UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ultimate Collection LA, Memphis & Tyler, Texas Elusive Butterfly - The Complete 1966 Jack Nitzsche Sessions Home & Away John the Wolfking of L.A. ASIN: B000HXDXK4 Release Date: 2006-11-27

Tracks:

1. I Love to Sing/Sweet Harriet
2. City Scenes
3. Love Came Riding
4. Loser
5. Not That I Would Want Her Back
6. Theme from the Music Box
7. Anymore
8. Spilling Over
9. She Can Get Along
10. Up in the Morning Me
11. Since There Were Circles
12. I Found You [*]
13. Marlene [*]
14. San Francisco Woman [*]
15. Colorado Line [*]
16. We Are Children Still [*]

Album Description

A rare and sought after album (around $200 on recent search) this the first time the album has been reissued, and is enhanced by the inclusion of four bonus tracks being supplied directly by Bob. (trivia note these tracks are being mixed, and the album re-mastered by Lind's present near neighbor in Florida, Aerovon Tom Hartman.) First time reissue, first time on CD. Well known writer of international hit Elusive Butterfly. One of the '60s US folk rock troubadours. Includes 4 bonus tracks. Includes performances by luminaries the Dillards and Gene Clark. Reissue co-produced with Bob Lind.

Album Details

A Star of the Mid 60's Us Folk Rock Boom Hitting the Top Five in America with his Own Song Elusive Butterfly . This Song was Then Covered by Many Other Artists around the World, as were Later Songs by the Likes of the Turtles, Noel Harrison, Nancy Sinatra and Bobby Sherman, Including Cheryl's Going Home (The Blues Project), Counting (Marianne Faithfull), and Mr. Zero (Yardbirds' Lead Singer Keith Relf). A Rare and Sought after Album (Around $200 on Recent Search) this the First Time the Album Has Been Reissued, and is Enhanced by the Inclusion of Four Bonus Tracks Being Supplied Directly by Lind.

Customer Reviews:

The world is still a "B" movie.......2007-04-20

WOW!!!! I am VERY happy to have this on CD! It really is a great album. I thought Bob was an excellent song writer from his earlier work, but this album just solidifies his talent. It is a very sad album. His first 2 albums (Don't be concerned & Photographes and feelings) were on the sad side, but there was a sense of hope. Since there were circles....Is boarder line angry at times. You really feel what his state of mind was at that point while listening to it, which is a great example of Bob's talent. This album reminds me of John Phillips' Wolf King of LA album. Not the sound, but the tone and the mood. It seems like people had high hopes for things in the 60's and by the 70's all of the good intentions and high spirits were just gone. Or maybe the rock & roll lifestyle just caught up to everyone & everyone burnt out. I don't know, I wasn't there but I am glad that the music was.

Great to have!.......2007-04-10

I loved this when it was new, and love it just as much now! Great to have it on my IPod!

bigfan.......2007-03-27

It's great to finally have this classic, essential, early 70's Bob Lind recording on CD. This release is like a fine wine in that it get's better with each listening. Highly recommend!

Coolest yet!!.......2007-01-30

There's a certain sound in a young man's voice that just comes out effortlessly when he must feel he's on top of the world-and understands it all completely. "Since There Were Circles" on RPM Records in the UK is one of those magical records for me. The confidence from Bob's vocal delivery just leaps off this disc, with all his different twists and turns from his earlier also-wonderful discs. He's playing with his brightness and tone a lot-which is great new stuff to me--and I've never heard his delivery be so relaxed and easy sounding-like silk. I would place this record up next to Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom" as far as how it strikes me as I listen to it-like the artist is there to serve no one but himself-which is the way it should be-(at least according to me!) This record also has such a cool, dry recording sound-very 70's and "in your face". Even the strings and horns (wonderful arrangements!) are nice and dry-like a Don Dixon approach. Bob is also completely unconcerned about the usual abab cdcd rhyme scheme in 99% of all recorded music. He does rhyme-but only....when he wants to. He serves no master. This is definitely the "coolest" record of Bob's-to date-and I personally know there is more to come. I've heard it....

Did I mention the packaging is great too? A nice big fold-out with lots of interesting liners and comments from Bob. Also-the bonus cuts are all top shelf. No filler, whatsoever. Great pictures too! It has the very best version of "San Francisco Woman" I've heard yet.

Bob is no one-hit wonder-he's all over the map, if you ask me.

Jamie Hoover 1/30/07 *****

A Great CD.......2007-01-09

This CD is terrific. It contains truly great lyrics - as do all Bob Lind's songs - and the musicians and arrangements are excellent. The content reflects a life less simple than those he sang about on his first two albums. You may not envy the storyteller, but you sure do envy the storytelling.

Average customer rating: Not worth it on its own away from the docks

Circles Unwed Sailor Manufacturer: Burnt Toast Vinyl ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The White Ox Firecracker Faithful Anchor The Marionette and the Music Box And Their Refinement of the Decline ASIN: B000F4RHKM Release Date: 2006-05-02

Tracks:

1. Circles 1: Mist
2. Circles 2: Mesa

Customer Reviews:

Not worth it on its own.......2007-06-23

"Circles" as an album, is well, not an album. It is an eleven minute intro that builds into a short but good song. It's a single with an over-extended intro. Certainly not worth $10. The best way to hear this record is on vinyl, where it is a part of the white ox record. If you're a huge Unwed Sailor fan, its cool to have, but you will feel cheated paying $10 for it.

away from the docks.......2006-06-19

finally i feel unwed sailor has made music that fits their name. they have broken away from their structured guitar melodies into a minimalistic approach which feels more like an ocean surface landscape than anything.
track one is 11 minutes of pure constance. similar in tempo to tarentel's "adonai" (and coincedentally only 8 seconds longer). slow moving but it has the sense that it's approaching something. that something is track 2: upbeat and smooth sailing. this piece is reminiscent of eno's "the big ship". this track makes the record, although a short one at that. just these two songs. the song names are fitting though: mist and mesa. mesa meaning a flat table-like expanse of land. wonderfully named.
i thought after three years without a release the band would have produced more than 16 minutes of music. but with the anticipation of another full length this year "the white ox", this is excusable for the band.
fully refreshing to hear this album. very daring in it's minalmism. pick it up and play it on repeat.

Average customer rating: happiness takes place in small piano tunes Cacaphonic Harmonious

Gurdjieff's Music for the Movements Manufacturer: Channel Crossings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Thomas de Hartmann: Music for Gurdjieff's '39 Series' Gurdjieff, Tsabropoulos: Chants, Hymns and Dances Seekers of the Truth: The Complete Piano Music of Georges I. Gurdjieff and Thomas de Hartmann, Volume One Sacred Hymns Heart without Measure: Gurdjieff Work with Madame de Salzmann ASIN: B00003CK7L Release Date: 1999-12-14

Customer Reviews:

happiness takes place in small piano tunes.......2001-07-24

these short piano pieces are simple, but absolutely not boring. gurdjieff and de hartmann wrote some of the most thoughtful and sincere music you'll ever hear. I found this CD over a year ago and it's one I return to over and over again.

Cacaphonic Harmonious.......2001-07-15

Truly an exposition of beautiful "objective" listening. This music will not put you to sleep. Transitions are abrupt and engaging throughout the score's entirity. I play the music whenever I find myself searching for something to do or am bored. This music will consume all negativity and poke the listner to begin a stirring sensation in their own mentation. The music is not sophisticated or eligant by no means, but has a way about it which will intrige one to listen again and again.

Average customer rating: Excellent Performance of Great Music Ives's "Hammerklavier" A Transcendent 'Transcendental' Sonata

Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 'Concord'; The Celestial Railroad Manufacturer: Naxos American ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ives: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4 Charles Ives: Emerson Concerto; Symphony No. 1 Improvisations Charles Ives: Three Quarter-Tone Pieces; Five Take-offs; Hallowe'en; Sunrise Orbón: Symphonic Dances; Three Symphonic Versions; Concerto Grosso ASIN: B0002KQO8U Release Date: 2004-08-17

Tracks:

1. Readings From 'Circles' (R.W. Emerson) And Ives On 'Emerson'
2. 'Emerson'
3. Reading From Ives On 'Hawthorne'
4. 'Hawthorne'
5. Reading From Ives On 'The Alcotts'
6. 'The Alcotts'
7. Readings From 'Walden' And Journal Excerpts By H.D. Thoreau
8. 'Thoreau'
9. Varied Air And Variations
10. The Celestial Railroad
11. Transcriptions From 'Emerson', No. 1

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Performance of Great Music.......2006-08-23

The "Concord" Sonata is one of Ives' greatest works, and this is an excellent performance of it. To my ear, it lacks the very last touches of Ives' American humor and unsentimental transcendentalism, though it does manage to avoid egregious Romanticism and antiseptic "classicism." I may be romanticizing myself in imagining that the best performance of this great music was that of Ralph Kirkpatrick, Ives' student at Yale, which I heard years ago on CBS vinyl (still not available on CD, as far as I know). I have not heard the other recent recordings of this work, so my review cannot offer comparisons. This disc offers excerpts from Ives' excellent "Essay Before a Sonata," read by a professional actor between the movements. The readings betray several failures of understanding on the part of the actor but give at least a taste of Ives' ideas in prose.

Ives's "Hammerklavier".......2004-09-13

In its size, ambition, difficulty, breadth, and seriousness of purpose, Charles Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2, "Concord, Masachusetts 1840-1860" reminds me of Beethoven's great piano sonata op. 106, the "Hammerklavier". The work includes extensive quotation from Beethoven, not from the "Hammerklavier" but rather the motto of the Fifth Symphony, a work much in the spirit of the "Hammerklavier". With the Concord sonata, Ives wrote a truly monumental work; difficult but a mainstay of American music. One of the early reviewers of the Concord, Larence Gilman, wrote in 1939:

"This sonata is exceptionally great music-- it is, indeed, the greatest music composed by an American and the most deeply and essentially American in impulse and implication. It is wide-ranging and capacious. It has passion, tenderness, humour, simplicity, homeliness. It has imaginative and spiritual vastness. It has wisdom and beauty and profundity, and a sense of the encompassing terror and splendor of human life and human destiny -- a sense of those mysteries that are both human and divine" (Quoted in Jan Swafford's "Charles Ives: A Life with Music, p. 411)

Not all critics, then or now, share Gilman's enthusiasm for the Concord. But I listened several times to this CD, performed by pianist Steven Mayer, and was transported. The United States has indeed produced great art music.

The Concord has the traditional four movements of the classical or romantic sonata. Each movement celebrates a great figure who lived in Concord during the early American Renaissance. The music looks backward to the achievements of these figures and forward to what America collectively and the individual listener might become. On this CD, each movement is prefaced by short quotations from the subject of each of movement, or by Ives himself. I found this helpful in approaching the work. It also encourages the listener to approach each movement separately, which is a reasonable way of becoming acquainted with the Concord.

The first movement is the most difficult in the work and is titled "Emerson". The movement opens with dominant chords in the bass accompanied by high,rising passages in the upper register of the piano. These passages become the basis of the entire work. As befitting Emerson, (and Ives) the work is visionary, questing, searching, and quirky all at once. Large agressive heavy chords and dissonances alternate throughout with slow and meditative moments.

The second movement, "Hawthorne" is a scherzo. It emphasizes Hawthorne's romantic, fanciful side while down-playing Hawthorne's puritan sense of sin. The music shimmers and swirls and, as it progresses, contrasts brief sections of lyricism with burly dissonant writing. A march lights up the concluding sections of this work. Ives' short piece "The Celestial Railroad", also included on this CD, is a variant of the Concord's "Hawthorne" movement.

The third movement "the Alcotts" stresses the domestic tranquillity of the family rather than Bronson Alcott's transcendent philosophical speculations. The movement opens slowly with a chorale, simple theme and gradually builds to an intense climax. This movement makes great use of the motto from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

The final movement, "Thoreau", is the slowest of the work. It opens with soft-upward arpeggios, grows in intensity, and ultimately works to a quiet close. This movement is based upon a hymn-like theme that, in fact, appears throughout the entirety of the Concord.

In addition to the Sonata itself, the CD includes three works that are associated with the Concord and that are built from its music: "The Celestial Railroad" which I mentioned earlier, the first of a set of transcriptions that Ives prepared from the "Emerson" movement, and a sardonic work titled "Varied Air and Variations."

The Concord is music uniquely modern, spiritual, and American. The sense of the work shines through its bristling idiom. Jan Swafford has written that:

"Rarely in music have the unseen and unspoken mysteries of life seemed so imminent-from Emerson's heroic journey, to Hawthorne's "ghost of a man who never lived, " to the Alcott's "conviction in the power of the common soul, " to Thoreau's melody that "runs into such depth and wildness as to be no longer heard." ... The Concord Sonata is another Ivesian signpost pointed toward the ultimate millenium." (Jan Swafford, Charles Ives: A Life with Music", p.266)

This CD is part of the Naxos "American Classics" series and, more specifically, is the fifth CD in this series devoted to the music of Charles Ives. The CD sells at a budget price. Ives appears to me the essential American composer. Ives captured his sense of our country and combined it with a personal spiritual vision in music in the way that Walt Whitman endeavored to capture the United States, the sense of the personal, and a spiritual vision in his poetry.

A Transcendent 'Transcendental' Sonata.......2004-09-06

I've never heard a bad performance of Ives's 'Concord' Sonata, except perhaps for my own fumbling attempt at the 'Alcott' movement at a musical soirée many years ago. (Ruth Laredo, when she heard I was working on the sonata, said that she would have assumed it was beyond me, and she was right, alas.) Further, I've never encountered a bad recording of it, and I've heard them all except for the one by Alexei Lubimov. All have their strong points and one simply won't go wrong with any of them--John Kirkpatrick, Gilbert Kalish, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the one by Marc-André Hamelin from the early 1990s. Not long after this review appears here at Amazon, Hamelin will have released a new recording of it (coupled with the Barber Sonata) and I would be willing to make book that it is a corker. So, what could Steven Mayer bring to this piece that others haven't? Well, first of all, he has the chops to pull it off--his playing of Art Tatum's music would have led one to expect that--but, more, he has the musicianship to breathe life and import into these notably dense movements. The knotty 'Emerson' movement is written largely without bar lines and on three staves; it is scary for a pianist to contemplate, much less understand and then make music of. Mayer does this at least partly by maintaining a steady pulse from which he can vary as needed and then return to; some pianists don't manage this, but Mayer's approach to tempi gives the movement a cohesion that is difficult to convey. He takes Ives's direction to play 'Hawthorne' as fast as possible with a grain of salt, and that is a plus; it allows the music to make an appropriate blur without being a scrambled mess. 'Alcott' is played with love and nostalgia but without saccharine sentimentality. The hymn tune 'Jesus Lover of My Soul' ('Martyn') makes an appearance and is somehow connected harmonically with the quotation from Beethoven's Fifth that pops up all through the Sonata. 'Thoreau' is played with quiet intensity and in the long final section Ives does what he does so often: he presents a fairly straightforward rendition of a tune that has been hinted at all through the sonata, but never quite stated as such until the conclusion, a sort of variations-leading-to-a-theme, a kind of 'coming home.' In this case the theme is original with Ives and he himself referred to it as the 'human faith melody.'

The Sonata is followed by pieces that are mostly related to it. 'Varied Air and Variations'--the suggestion has been made that this odd title is Ives's pun on its pronunciation: 'Very Darin' Variations'--does not appear to have motivic relation to the sonata, but it is speculated that this angry-sounding piece, written not long after the Sonata, is his response to the Sonata's failure to secure performances. 'The Celestial Railroad' is a major recasting of the 'Hawthorne' movement inspired by Hawthorne's short story of that name. And the 'Emerson Transcription, No. 1' (one of four such tinkerings with the Sonata's first movement) is based on the movement's first page or so and includes material from his orchestral 'Emerson Overture.' Mayer plays them all marvelously. I particularly enjoyed his hearty abandon in 'The Celestial Railroad'; simply superb pianism!

Well, what should one do with so many good recordings of the 'Concord'? The simple answer is to buy them all. But I recognize most music-lovers won't go that far. Is there anything that sets this release apart, aside from the remarkable playing by Mayer? First, there is the attractive Naxos budget price. And, second, there is the reading by actor Kerry Shale, before each of the Sonata's four movements, of appropriate excerpts from Ives's own writings about the people who inspired the work. Attractive in themselves, these selections are probably not something one would want to listen to each time one hears the Sonata, but fortunately they are tracked separately and thus can be programmed out of a straight listen-through of the Sonata itself.

Strongly recommended.

TT=79:09

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Margaret Brouwer: Aurolucent Circles; Mandala; Sizzle Manufacturer: Naxos American ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Royal Liverpool Philharmonic | ( R ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Margaret Brouwer - Light Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Violin Concerto; Rituals Dan Welcher: Haleakala: How Maui Snared the Sun; Clarinet Concerto Bo Linde: Violin Concerto; Cello Concerto Charles Wuorinen: Six Trios ASIN: B000CEVU6C Release Date: 2006-01-17

Tracks:

1. Floating In Dark Spaces
2. Stardance
3. Cycle And Currents
4. Journey
5. Sand Mandala
6. Pulse: A 50th Anniversary Fanfare
7. Remembrances
8. Sizzle

Average customer rating: Still got it

Circles Shooting Star Manufacturer: Cowtown Digital ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000IO2DVW

Product Description

10 tracks: Everybody's Crazy, Temptaion, I'm a Survivor, George's Song, Borrowed Time, Runaway, Without Love, What Love Is, Trouble in Paradise, We're not Alone.

Customer Reviews:

Still got it.......2007-03-24

This classic rock band out of the KC, MO area have shown they've still got it after 27 years of rockin'. This Shooting Star release is a necessity for their fans and all who love good fresh rock and roll. Bill Whitt

Average customer rating: A Perfect Pairing? Dark Circles - The Devils A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT- Dark Circles Dark Electro Lounge, NOT Duran Duran.....

Dark Circles Devils Manufacturer: Tape Mountain ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Dance | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Dance Pop | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Duran Duran: Notorious Duran Duran - Live From London (2pc) (W/CD) (Dlx) So Red the Rose Medazzaland Nick Rhodes and John Taylor Present Only After Dark ASIN: B000094Q2V Release Date: 2003-05-06

Tracks:

1. Memory Places
2. Big Store
3. Dark Circles
4. Signals In Smoke
5. Come Alive
6. Hawks Do Not Share
7. Newhaven-Dieppe
8. World Exclusive
9. Aztec Moon
10. Lost Decade
11. Barbarellas
12. The Tinsel Ritual

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Pairing?.......2007-04-03

It is interesting that the reviews that have appeared here speak only of Nick Rhodes' contribution to The Devils. Perhaps in the US, listeners are less familiar with Stephen Duffy, who has come full circle (if not Dark Circle!) in his collaboration with Nick. Stephen, some of you may remember, was a founding member of Duran Duran. So I am personally very thrilled when he teamed up with Nick -- creating an Eighties revisited of sort and yet not quite. It is reported that both musicians looked into the early Duran Duran demos for inspiration but the result is, I am glad to say, very contemporary. I don't know why this album is considered experimental for some of you. The hummable tunes are there, the infectious hooks too, the almost-danceable baselines... What's striking is that Stephen's inimitable style is immediately evident not just in his vocal styling but also in the arrangement as well as the spirited tunes, which reminds me somewhat of the later albums of The Lilac Time (particularly Aztec Moon, Lost Decade and Barbarellas), only less acoustic, perhaps. In fact, the female backing vocals are reminiscent of his "Tin Tin" days. I wish (and pray) there will be a follow-up album. We're only tasting the Icing On The Cake.

Dark Circles - The Devils.......2005-08-02

Fantastic cd. Very deep in parts which is why i love it. I think my fave song is Hawks don't Share.......love it.

A must buy if you are a Nick Rhodes fan.....his work in this is fantastic.

A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT- Dark Circles.......2005-04-30

I was really looking forward to this cd, especially since I am a huge Duran Duran fan, and have tremendous respect for Nick and his contributions to modern music....if you think about it, Duran Duran (with Nick's incredible synth skills and melodies) have shaped the soundtrack of the past 20 years like few other bands have......can you imagine a world without "Rio", "Hungry Like A Wolf", "Planet Earth", etc.???? I think not...and without Nick and Duran Duran MTV and "Friday Night Videos" would have been pathetic.

Anyhow, back to Devils and their album Dark Circles......

I found it to be a huge disappointment. Very boring. Too experimental. Not even fun to listen the first time. I expected it to be at least interesting, after all, Duran Duran's latest album is truly incredible, and continues to demonstrate all of the reasons why Nick and Duran Duran are among the top bands in the world and in history.

I know this side project was not meant to resemble Duran, but I was hoping for so much more.......damn.

Dark Electro Lounge, NOT Duran Duran............2004-04-15

Wow. This album was nothing like what I had expected, and that is all the better. Always loved Duran Duran and Nick Rhodes' production side projects (not to mention Duffy's work), so having a chance to hear these two together was an exciting prospect (did I mention Duffy was Duran Duran's lead singer before Simon?)

This is a dark and mellow album, using mimimalistic electronic beats and synths, with hypnotic results. Some of the moodier songs remind me of Joy Division, Shriekback or Donnie Darko, while the upbeat songs remind me of "Welcome To The Monkeyhouse" by The Dandy Warhols (which Rhodes produced around the same time as this album).

Duffy's voice is brilliant, in a David Bowie / Ian McCulloch kind of way (don't look for the sounds of "Kiss Me" here) especially on tracks like "Newhaven-Dieppe" and "Dark Circles"

The only thing retro about the album is the line-up, certainly not the sound. Fans of electrolounge, David Bowie, Ian McCulloch, Shriekback, CSI, or anything released under the 4AD label should give this a spin. Wonderfully dark and moody, but far from depressing. Listen with the lights nice and low.

Rap Music:

1. Closer to the Ground
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4. Easy Now
5. Essentially Naked [Import]
6. From Bliss to Devastation [Explicit Lyrics]
7. Go Go Graveyard Rockin'
8. Grow Fins: Rarities 1965-1982 [ENHANCED CD] [Box set] [Enhanced]
9. Harbinger
10. Heart Like a River

Rap Music

rap music

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