Archive for January, 2012
Thoughts From A Fan – Steven Wilson’s ‘Grace for Drowning’
0I have been a follower of The Mighty Wilson Machine for only a couple of years, but one thing I have learned is that when a new project is announced, the fan-driven hype gears up into overdrive. Grace for Drowning was no different—maybe even more extreme, fed by the occasional release of teasers: a song here, a snippet there, videos. Steven drops hints in interviews: It’s BIG. It takes a different musical direction. No Porcupine Tree guys on it, but musicians that some of us had to go look up. He thinks it’s the best thing he’s done.
It is very easy (believe me on this) to get sucked in, and maybe even to lose some perspective to all the excitement. The guy’s seriously talented, probably an actual genius, but let’s face it: Welcome to My DNA was a bit of a damp squib. So when the Big Blue Deluxe package finally arrived, anticipation and trepidation faced off across the hardcover book…well anyway, does Grace for Drowning live up to its huge hype or has fanboyism (once again, the cynics might say) trumped common sense?
After listening for a few weeks I am happy to report that Grace for Drowning has not only cleared the hype hurdle but soared into the stratosphere. This is a fine, fine album: Steven Wilson has managed to distill almost two decades of experience into a release of remarkable assurance and sophistication, a musical statement of sweeping grandeur and vision—it really could be the best thing he has ever done.
Steven Wilson & Aviv Geffen working with Anathema’s Vincent Cavanagh on Blackfield IV!
1Aviv Geffen has revealed on his Twitter that he and Steven Wilson are working with Vincent Cavanagh from Anathema on a brand new Blackfield song. This is very exciting news – Steven mentioned in a Facebook post a while back about the possibility of the new album featuring guest performers. Aviv also confirmed via Blackfield’s official Twitter that Steven will indeed sing vocals on the record, alongside playing an instrument (it wasn’t specified which one). Blackfield’s fourth album is set to be released in May. Vincent’s band Anathema today announced a brand new album, titled ‘Weather Systems’ which will be released on Kscope in April. Read more about that on ShadowsDance.com, StarsDie.com’s sister website dedicated to Anathema.
Steven Wilson & Aviv Geffen will be in the studio for Blackfield IV tomorrow!
0Here’s some great news. Aviv Geffen has confirmed over Facebook and Twitter that he and Steven will enter the studio tomorrow to start recording the next Blackfield record. Aviv also promised that more details about the forthcoming record will come soon. We still don’t have a complete clarification on what exactly Steven’s involvement will be, but I suppose we will learn that very soon. Watch this space!
Storm Corrosion CD/Vinyl/Blu-ray Release Details!
0Storm Corrosion, the collaboration album by Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt, is due to be released in April 2012. The Storm Corrosion Facebook page has just been updated with information regarding it’s release.
Steven Wilson & Mikael Åkerfeldt – ‘Storm Corrosion’
Storm Corrosion will be issued on CD, limited deluxe double vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve with poster (which will be issued by Roadrunner, but curated by vinyl experts ToneFloat), and blu-ray. The blu-ray will include stereo and 5.1 mixes, demos and instrumental mixes, all at 96K high resolution. Confirmation of exact release date and pre-ordering info soon.
StarsDie.com will be covering the release with un-boxing videos of all three editions, plus reviews and interviews! Look for that in April, nearer the release of the album. I’ll update this post with photos if I receive any.
No-Man ‘Love and Endings’ DVD Promo Trailer!
0Update: You can now pre-order ‘Love and Endings’ from the Burning Shed Online Store here. There’s also a new micro-site, which you can see here - http://www.no-man.co.uk/loveandendings/
SignifyFilms have posted on YouTube a brand new promotional trailer for the new No-Man live album/DVD ‘Love and Endings’ which will be released on February 27th through Burning Shed. The album was believed to be only available for CD/Vinyl before, but the concert will now be released on DVD! We’ll be reviewing it with a video review when it becomes available in early March 2012. Pre-order links will be available soon, and I’ll update this post when the CD/DVD and Vinyl versions become available to order.
Here’s the press release from SignifyFilms and Burning Shed:
No-Man – Love and Endings
Love and Endings is a document of no-man’s powerful performance at the Leamington Spa Assembly on October 14th, 2011.
The music is drawn from all eras of no-man’s output. Also featured is a previously unreleased song dating from the earliest days of the band, the brooding Beaten By Love.
Love and Endings sees no-man’s core duo of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson joined by respected classical violinist Steve Bingham and regular collaborators Michael Bearpark, Andrew Booker, Stephen Bennett and Pete Morgan.
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