The Weekly Album Suggestion Thread v. One million lights are shining bright

[Evermind]

Moving on to the next record, this one is recommended to you fine gentlemen by twosuitsluke!

Crippled Black Phoenix - I, Vigilante (2010)

Post-rock, experimental rock
Length: 48:30

1. Troublemaker (8:33)
2. We Forgotten Who We Are (10:47)
3. Fantastic Justice (7:54)
4. Bastogne Blues (12:01)
5. Of a Lifetime (6:45)
6. Burning Bridges (2:30)

Joe Volk - vocals
Justin Greaves - guitar, drums & percussion
Karl Demata - guitar, percussion, mandolin
Danny Ashberry - Hammond, synth
Daisy Chapman - synth, piano, vocals, string arrangements
Charlotte Nicholls - cello
Christian Heilmann - bass
Merijn Royaards - drums
Mark Ophidian - electronics, sampler
Liz Purnell - trombone
Emma Hooper - viola
Sue Lord - violin

You can check this album out via:

Spotify Link
Yandex.Music link

If you don't want to blindly dive into the whole album, check out these songs from the album:

Crippled Black Phoenix - We Forgotten Who We Are
Crippled Black Phoenix - Bastogne Blues


twosuitsluke: This has quite quickly become my favourite album by Crippled Black Phoenix. It was the third album that I'd listened to of theirs, after falling in love with Bronze and then later hearing White Light Generator. I'd heard that I, Vigilante was where it's at, in terms of CBP's greatest albums and hoped I was in for something special. This album is a different beast entirely (from the previous two albums I'd heard), and one that has twists and turns, in and out of varying genres, whilst still holding together perfectly as an album. And a full album experience is exactly what you get here. For those who aren't into this sort of thing, this is a psychedelic, post-rock album. It's not about individual songs, it's about the journey that an album can take you on.

Troublemaker starts us off in good stead with a vocal sampled intro, a CBP staple, and then takes us back through time via classic rock/metal, whilst still feeling relevant. I just love the vocals during the chorus.

We Forgot Who We Are lets you drift away to it's lush piano intro and then continues to just build and build on this getting more intense and layered. It blends seamlessly into Fantastic Justice as basically one song.

But Bastogne Blues (and the final half of this album) is where this stands apart and really cements itself as one of my favourite discoveries in recent years. This song starts off with a spoken word intro by a war veteran talking about how he is haunted by a young soldier that he killed during the war. It's powerful stuff and it really makes you sit up and take notice. It did for me, I remember stopping what I was doing and just getting sucked into it fully the first time I heard it. It sets the tone for this somber affair and although it's the longest track on the album, it doesn't feel like it (at least not to me). I can't think of a song that tells a better story than this one. It evokes real emotion during its runtime and takes you on a journey (a bluesy, almost wild west one).

The penultimate track is a Journey cover (which I only just learned today), Of A Lifetime, and it's just glorious. I could just listen to this melodic guitar work over and over, the tones are to die for (damn, those guitar tones!). The female vocalist (Daisy Chapman) really shines on this track and just makes me crave a life lived in an era long gone.

Just when I didn't think I could love this album anymore it throws a complete curveball and plays us out with what is essentially a late 60's/early 70's pop song. Think a modern day Carpenters, or something similar. I just really love it and think it's the perfect way to end this masterpiece.

I understand this album won't be for everyone but I think it's one worthy of your time.

[Crow]

this is already on my list of stuff i need to revisit, so 
i liked the album but i was disappointed that the last two tracks were both covers & the actual album is almost 10 mins shorter than it says as a result

i wasn't too into their latest & bronze mostly bored me besides the one song you sent me in my roulette though
i might use this as an excuse to relisten to this one today

[twosuitsluke]

Bronze was my introduction to the band but it hasn't stood the test of time so well for me. This album really is far and away the one that resonates with me most, out of the albums I've heard.

[Crow]

yeah relistened to this just now, i like the meat of the album well enough though it isn't especially emotionally gripping but i could see it being a grower
the covers kinda kill it for me, of a lifetime isn't super out of place musically but the vocal style very much is, and then burning bridges is practically just a memey bonus track

[Bertie_Wooster]

The guitar in “of a lifetime”. Sounda thin
Compared to the original.

[twosuitsluke]

The guitar in “of a lifetime”. Sounda thin
Compared to the original.

I guess I need to listen to the original then  I didn't even know it was a cover until a week ago.

[Train of Naught]

Great Escape by them is probably a top 5 album of 2018 and To You I Give is a top 5 song of the year.. so I should really check out more of their past work (I listen to Bronze occasionally and like it a lot too).

[Crow]

The guitar in “of a lifetime”. Sounda thin
Compared to the original.

I guess I need to listen to the original then  I didn't even know it was a cover until a week ago.

yeah like i said up above the last two songs are both covers 
the other one is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXIjE_gDw94

[TAC]

Saw the thread title change.

You mean we're not discussing Pyromania?

[Scorpion]

Hey Evermind, could I send you an album for this? And if yes, how much do you want me to write about it?

Also, I'm definitely checking that album out. Crippled Black Phoenix have been on my radar for a while, but I've never gotten around to actually listening to their music. I guess now's as good a time as any.

[Evermind]

Hey Evermind, could I send you an album for this? And if yes, how much do you want me to write about it?

Sure you can! Any album suggestions are welcome. The ideal writeup length is a few paragraphs basically. If you write less than that, I'll just dig some info on Wikipedia.

Also very curious about this album, from what I've heard it sounds interesting.

[Nekov]

Finishing my first listen of the album. Not at all what I expected which is a good thing, however I find the album to be a bit bleak for my taste. Of a Lifetime is a great song.

And WTF at that last song? So out of place, yet such a perfect way to end the album

[twosuitsluke]

And WTF at that last song? So out of place, yet such a perfect way to end the album

I know right! I totally agree.

I'm itching to find out what everyone thinks of the spoken word start to Bastogne Blues.

[Crow]

i mean i almost never like spoken word sections and this is no exception

[twosuitsluke]

i mean i almost never like spoken word sections and this is no exception

Yea, I know you're not a fan. I thought this war veterans story would touch even your cold, dead heart.

[Evermind]

I tend to like spoken word sections, so there's hope! I'll post my thoughts tomorrow when I listen to it on my commute.

[Tomislav95]

I LOVE this album. Can't get into anything else they did though, sadly :/ not that I really tried that hard...

[twosuitsluke]

I LOVE this album. Can't get into anything else they did though, sadly :/ not that I really tried that hard...

I'm pretty sure when I first started posting about CBP you told me to check out this album. It took me a while to get to it but you were so right.

[Tomislav95]

I LOVE this album. Can't get into anything else they did though, sadly :/ not that I really tried that hard...

I'm pretty sure when I first started posting about CBP you told me to check out this album. It took me a while to get to it but you were so right.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Continuing my catch-up, North Atlantic Oscillation is very pleasant, well performed music. It's nice to listen to but right now not much of it is really sticking with me.

On to this week's recommendation. Also I may send another album soon, Evermind, unless I forget.

[Scorpion]

So I'm currently listening to I, Vigilante. And it's really good! I really, really dig the dude's voice. He's a got a slightly rough timbre that's perfect for the music and it just works. Another thing I also really enjoy is the juxtaposition of some really clean piano playing with some very distorted guitar, definitely a winning formula. In general, the performances are top notch and it just sounds very... organic, I suppose would be correct word. No frills or anything, but it's all the better for its straightforwardness.

Will definitely have to check these guys out some more!

Also, I sent you a PM for an album I would like to present, Evermind. Did you receive it? I had to try to send it a couple of times because my internet's been fucky today.

[Evermind]

I did, thank you! I'll read it later though, I'm currently on my commute.

Actually listened to I, Vigilante yesterday. Bastogne Blues was a definite highlight (I didn't like the spoken word though), and We Forgotten Who We Are is also great. I liked Journey cover but mostly because I like the original song, and fit atmospherically.

The last track was pretty wtf-worthy though.

[Podaar]

I just spun this weeks album. That. Was. Not. What. I. Expected.

Excellent listen and quite a captivating journey! I really enjoyed the slide guitar work and the old school sound of the instrumentation coupled with the modern compositions. The spoken word bit was quite effective, I thought, largely because it was short and immediately evocative...a nice stage setting. Their take on Of a Lifetime was perhaps a bit to faithful but I agree that it fit the overall mood of the album.

That piece though.   

[twosuitsluke]

So chuffed this album is album is going over so well!

It's a Journey Of a Lifetime

[Sacul]

I listened to this a few years ago and it really didn't catch me at all 

[Sacul]

Also just catched up with NAO, was a nice combination of prog, alt rock and post rock, but didn't find any melody particularly memorable 

[Scorpion]

do you actually like anything sacul

[Sacul]

i like your mom

[Crow]

He likes Converge

[Train of Naught]

You don't often see anything positive coming out of Sacul's posts, but when The Astonishing dropped? Man, this guy was over the moon! Never seen someone so impressed by an album

[twosuitsluke]

I have lost so much respect for the trip-hop queen

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Really enjoying Crippled Black Phoenix. The vocals are a bit hit or miss, but when they're good they work really well and when they're not they don't detract from the songs too much.

Also both the cover songs are fantastic, I dunno what some of you guys were talking about.

[Sacul]

You don't often see anything positive coming out of Sacul's posts, but when The Astonishing dropped? Man, this guy was over the moon! Never seen someone so impressed by an album

A true return to form

I have lost so much respect for the trip-hop queen

[Evermind]

The next record is recommended to you folks by Scorpion!

Sigh - In Somniphobia (2012)

Black metal
Length: 64:39

Warning: contains growls

1. Purgatorium (4:48)
2. The Transfiguration Fear (4:51)
3. Opening Theme: Lucid Nightmare (1:58)
4. Somniphobia (7:34)
5. L'Excommunication à Minuit (5:38)
6. Amnesia (8:10)
7. Far Beneath the In-Between (7:10)
8. Amongst the Phantoms of Abandoned Tumbrils (9:31)
9. Ending Theme: Continuum (1:42)
10. Fall to the Thrall (5:17)
11. Equale (8:00)

Mirai Kawashima – vocals, piano, Minimoog, Prophet-5, Clavinet D-6, organ, Roland RE-201, vocoder, ring modulator, recorder, sitar, tabla, tampura, shortwave radio, jaw harp, glockenspiel
Dr. Mikannibal – alto saxophone, vocals
Satoshi Fujinami – bass
Shinichi Ishikawa – guitar
Junichi Harashima – drums

You can check this album out via:

Spotify Link
Yandex.Music link

If you don't want to blindly dive into the whole album, check out these songs from the album:

Sigh - The Transfiguration Fear
Sigh - Somniphobia


Scorpion: Sigh are some of weirdest metal out there. On this album alone, you have soaring melodies, power metal influences, acoustic guitar passages, sprawling saxophone solos, electronic elements,  blistering guitar solos and some of the coolest keyboard soundscapes around. While the band juggle a myriad of different styles and you constantly find yourself wondering what neat twist will appear next in the song you're currently listening to, they somehow manage to make the songs sound cohesive themselves as well. The middle part of the album (from Opening Theme to Ending Theme) is a basically a long suite loosely based on the lyrical theme of nightmares, and they flow surprisingly well, given the many different styles that Sigh manage to squeeze into this stretch of roughly SDOIT-length. The remaining four songs are somewhat more straightforward, but that's really only in relation to the middle part of the album, as there's still plenty of interesting stylistic shifts and musical twists and turns contained within them as well. While this album, and indeed Sigh as a whole, are firmly rooted in black metal - if you don't at least tolerate that style of music, then this album is probably not for you - they perform some of the most creative and musically diverse black metal that I know, always resulting in an engaging listen.

---

According to Wikipedia, Sigh is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, producing music in the early 1990s when the majority of black metal came from Scandinavia. They gradually shifted from a traditional extreme metal sound to a more experimental, avant-garde style employing symphonic elements.

[twosuitsluke]

I'm pretty sure that I've given Sigh a listen at some point since I started listening to metal. It was a long time ago though.

I've got a day to myself as I'm off work sick so I'll queue this up and get listening