Kevin Moore thread

[orcus116]

That's the lyricist who's supposedly better than all the other ones in the band; then or now?

Where the hell did you get that from?

[Perpetual Change]

Where the hell did you get that from?

I just thought it was kinda funny and true. I'll stop now.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Man motherfuck you

[emindead]

Yep. It's interesting stuff, for sure. Portnoy's words on "Raise the Knife" are good as well, although they don't all deal with Moore, if I remember correctly.

They don't? Because I thought they were written having KM in mind.
I think it's weird they did that song, considering how good friend from JP he is/was, I can't believe JP agreeing to write a song against his friend.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

He was probably pissed too. I think the other half of the song deals with a producer or record executive or something.

[tri.ad]

Yep. It's interesting stuff, for sure. Portnoy's words on "Raise the Knife" are good as well, although they don't all deal with Moore, if I remember correctly.

They don't? Because I thought they were written having KM in mind.
I think it's weird they did that song, considering how good friend from JP he is/was, I can't believe JP agreeing to write a song against his friend.

He didn't write the complete song, only the lyrics. Plus, I don't think that the rest of the band restrains a lyric-writing member from writing about certain topics.

[ehra]

While I didn't take the time to pick out exact lines, throughout Blood I thought I kept hearing lines that might've been referring to Kevin's relationship with Dream Theater.

I haven't gotten Blood yet but I noticed that with the other two, I'd hear some lines every now and then that sounded like they would apply to KM's situation with the band and maybe JP. If it's just a two or so random lines out of a whole song, though, I take it up as a coincidence.

[Super Dude]

A good point, ehra.  In the case of Go and The Escape Artist though, I feel like a lot of the lines match up.

[abydos]

It's probably a coincidence, Kevin rarely sits down and thinks about lyrics since DT. Most of his stuff is made up on the fly, singing along to the song and then deciphering what he's said.

[Super Dude]

Did he say that in an interview or something?  Sounds like how Jem Godfrey writes his lyrics.

[abydos]

Yeah, he's said so in interviews. All CK songs are written that way and most of OSI's too I think. Or at least a good portion of them. He sings along, deciphers it and then tries to make it make sense.

What are your lyrical inspirations for Blood?
Usually just personal experience. I don't sit down with a direction of where I go. It always comes from the music. I don't write lyrics that just hang around waiting for a song. I come up with melodies and I start mumbling and I try to figure out what I'm saying and then try to make it make sense. Usually, it's just about what's wrong with me (laughs).

ML: Kevin, you once described your lyric-writing process as an "audio Rorscach test" of free-associating with the music. Is that still your method, or have you become more deliberate about it?

KM: A little more deliberate about it, yeah. I wanted the lyrics to make sense. [Laughs] I really wrote them down and tried to make them coherent. I didn't want it to be like "Oh, you get your own impression of the lyrics. Everybody has their own idea!" I wanted to have an idea that I wanted to communicate, and something communicable. But I did use that method here and there when I was trying to come up with lyrics. Just rolling and recording, then playing back and trying to decipher. Because usually that puts you in the right direction as far as sounds, vowel sounds, and stresses on certain syllables. And if you can write some words and lyrics that match that, sometimes it flows really well.

Browse the OSI - Blood thread for links to the interviews, they are quite interesting.

[Super Dude]

"I don't write lyrics that just hang around waiting for a song."

Now that's interesting...

[Ben_Jamin]

Since this is the only place I need to share this, and don't really feel the need to start a new thread since this is already up and going on Kevin Moore's Solo stuff other than Chroma Key and OSI.

I came to say I recently listened to Memory Hole pt. 1 and really loved what I heard. It's great atmosphere to the mood and tone of the samples.

Anyone else heard this? what are your thoughts about it? It's interesting music to discuss.

[Mebert78]

Hey, man.  Memory Hole is great stuff.  I'll admit, not my most favorite KM stuff, but it's still really good.  I stream it a lot on the CK website.  

If you'd like to talk about Kevin Moore regularly, feel free to visit The Mooreatorium: www.themooreatorium.com.  People there know a lot about Memory Hole and his other stuff.

[Perpetual Change]

Blood has really tanked for me this year.  A couple months ago I would have considered it a top 5 album, now, it's probably in the top 10-- by default, since I doubt I bought more than 10 albums that came out this year.

[Mebert78]

Blood is my least favorite OSI album, but only by a hair.  I think it's very good album, but it really loses its momentum after "Radiologue."  The long pause before "Be The Hero" brings the album to a screetching halt and "Mircoburst Alert" and "Stockholm" with Mikael Akerfeldt are two weaker tracks.

Still, there are few songs that are hands-down awesome and possibly the best stuff KM has done - "The Escape Artist," "Radiologue" and "Blood."  Those three songs, along with "Terminal" to a lesser degree, make Blood a worthwile album IMO.  I have not gotten sick of those songs in the least. 

[Perpetual Change]

I still like Blood more than Free- but I didn't like Free at all really.  I still like Terminal quite a bit myself.  But most of the album doesn't stick with me.  OSI's a cool experiment, but one that isn't really "progressing" to the level you'd expect it to.

I wish KevMo would play in a proper "metal" band again, but I know that's not his thing.

[j]

I still think Blood is OSI's best album.  The s/t used to be my favorite, but Blood surpassed it this year.

-J

[abydos]

Blood is still my N1 album of the last 2 years. Memory Hole 1 is awesome too, I hope he gets to make a second one sometimes.

[Mebert78]

I wish KevMo would play in a proper "metal" band again, but I know that's not his thing.

I'm holding out hope he will play keys in the new Fates Warning album that the band is working on right now for a 2010 release.  I mean, he played in "A Pleasant Shade of Gray" and in Disconnected.  FWX didn't match his schedule because he was doing Turkish film soundtracks.  Fates Warning is a great fit for him.  Hopefully, he'd consider sticking around to play a few shows with them.  

[LudwigVan]

That would be awesome.

[Darkes7]

Blood is my least favorite OSI album, but only by a hair.  I think it's very good album, but it really loses its momentum after "Radiologue."  The long pause before "Be The Hero" brings the album to a screetching halt and "Mircoburst Alert" and "Stockholm" with Mikael Akerfeldt are two weaker tracks.

Still, there are few songs that are hands-down awesome and possibly the best stuff KM has done - "The Escape Artist," "Radiologue" and "Blood."  Those three songs, along with "Terminal" to a lesser degree, make Blood a worthwile album IMO.  I have not gotten sick of those songs in the least. 

Actually I had the exact opposite impression. The three - Be The Hero/Microburst Alert/Stockholm are my favourites on the album, though they needed some time to grow.

I think I need to give Blood another listen, as it's been a while now. It's certainly a very good album, though.

[YtseBitsySpider]

still such passion over this topic.
Its good to see at these boards.

[ehra]

Still haven't gotten around to getting Blood yet  

I'm kind of surprised at some of the opinions I've seen here, though. Free is by far my favorite of the two I have.

[LudwigVan]

Blood is my favorite OSI.   I love Gavin Harrison's drumming on this album.

[Phantasmatron]

Blood is my least favorite OSI album, but only by a hair.  I think it's very good album, but it really loses its momentum after "Radiologue."  The long pause before "Be The Hero" brings the album to a screetching halt and "Mircoburst Alert" and "Stockholm" with Mikael Akerfeldt are two weaker tracks.

Okay, Stockholm is probably the weakest track on Blood, that's fair.  And although I love Be The Hero, the slow start is kind of irritating.

But Microburst Alert--what the hell?  That song is rockin'!  It's got this weird groove and everything, and then all of a sudden ("STOP! STOP! STOP!") it shifts into high gear and proceeds to kick all kinds of ass.  I can understand not loving the song to death, but I was surprised to hear it described as one of the two weakest tracks on the album.  What about it don't you like?

I know you're a KevMo fanboy, but that doesn't mean anything written by Matheos is subpar.    

[Mebert78]

Blood is my favorite OSI.   I love Gavin Harrison's drumming on this album.

I really think Gavin was a good choice for Blood.  I wonder how the sales compared to the first two albums with Portnoy.  I'm sure there was a slight drop-off in sales because MP is probably considered a bigger name with more of a following than GH, but maybe not a huge drop off.

Microburst Alert is a good song.  Maybe I need to give it a closer listen since it's getting a lot of love.  I actually didn't notice it was a Matheos song until a month ago.  I think I tend to like KM's voice and lyrics, so the instrumentals don't grab me as much.  But I gonna crank Microburst on my drive home  

[Perpetual Change]

I'm noticing a lot of OSI songs have the same kinda rhythm.  Weird.

[Phantasmatron]

I think I tend to like KM's voice and lyrics, so the instrumentals don't grab me as much. 

That is totally understandable.  KM's voice is very unusual, especially for a band that leans toward metal, but somehow it fits perfectly with the tone of the music and the tone of his lyrics.

I especially love "Be The Hero" because he's doing the usual laid-back sounding vocals over this heavy, almost frantic-sounding music.  It's a very cool contrast.

[Xanthul]

It makes me a terribly sad panda that you think Stockholm is the worst song. I love that thing to death, along with Terminal and Radiologue. For me Be The Hero is probably the weakest song of the album due to the slow start. I also feel the chorus is somewhat cheesy.

All in all, Blood is probably their most consistent release. Office of Strategic Influence was really experimental and cool but has a couple weak spots and is a little more demanding to listen to, and Free sounds a little too empty for me for who knows what reason (I still like it though).

[Phantasmatron]

It makes me a terribly sad panda that you think Stockholm is the worst song. I love that thing to death, along with Terminal and Radiologue. For me Be The Hero is probably the weakest song of the album due to the slow start. I also feel the chorus is somewhat cheesy.

Sorry. 

But something about Blood that I can't really explain...somehow, the mellower songs aren't that great.  I mean, they're good...OSI has yet to release a bad song.  But they're not at the same level as the heavier ones.  The Escape Artist, False Start, Be The Hero, Microburst Alert...those songs are phenomenal.  The only mellower song that can compete with those is the title track. 

I don't know why. 

[ack44]

Kevin Moore.

[Darkes7]

Blood is my least favorite OSI album, but only by a hair.  I think it's very good album, but it really loses its momentum after "Radiologue."  The long pause before "Be The Hero" brings the album to a screetching halt and "Mircoburst Alert" and "Stockholm" with Mikael Akerfeldt are two weaker tracks.

Okay, Stockholm is probably the weakest track on Blood, that's fair.  And although I love Be The Hero, the slow start is kind of irritating.

But Microburst Alert--what the hell?  That song is rockin'!  It's got this weird groove and everything, and then all of a sudden ("STOP! STOP! STOP!") it shifts into high gear and proceeds to kick all kinds of ass.  I can understand not loving the song to death, but I was surprised to hear it described as one of the two weakest tracks on the album.  What about it don't you like?

I know you're a KevMo fanboy, but that doesn't mean anything written by Matheos is subpar.    

Actually one of the main reasons why I like Be The Hero so much is the beginning. It's completely unconventional, as the first 20 seconds or something probably make you predict something like Terminal or We Come Undone, and then it changes entirely. I love surprises in music, and this is certainly a good one. The "main part" of the song is great due to the amazing catchy chorus, very "rocking" feeling and also the vocals - Kevin Moore's "cold" singing really has an effect here.

Stockholm is great due to the combination of melancholy in the beginning, and then the rising tension. The part with "eyes fixed on the gun", especially the second one with the heavier riff in it, always gives me chills. Mikael Akerfeldt's singing is also pretty different than usual, and gives the song a really nice, unique feel. It was also a song that needed time to grow - at first I knew it was just "the song with Akerfeldt", but didn't pay much attention to the rest, and over time I noticed also the great instrumental work.

Blood is a pretty complex and unconventional album as a whole, and that's why I really like it. I like it more than Free, but it's definitely a very good one. I still need to get the OSI debut, especially that many people claim it the best or just a bit below Blood.

[Portrucci]

I just came in here to say Graveyard Mountain Home is fantastic. If you don't have it, and you like Kevin Moore, get it. Probably my personal best "chillout" album I've ever heard.

[hefdaddy42]

Blood is my favorite OSI.   I love Gavin Harrison's drumming on this album.

This.