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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: MinistroRaven on April 15, 2019, 08:45:03 AM
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(https://i.ibb.co/RbCXXwV/unnamed.png) (https://ibb.co/SyKkkC9)
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS is the brand new quartet featuring the talents of current & former Spock's Beard members Ted Leonard, Jimmy Keegan & Dave Meros as well as long-time contributing songwriter-producer John Boegehold. The band has signed to InsideOutMusic for the release of their self-titled debut album on July 5th, 2019.
Of the musical direction, Boegehold comments: “My goal was to produce music that’s progressive and intricate while keeping things immediate and melodic. Whether a song is four minutes or ten minutes long, I didn’t want more than a few bars go by without some kind of instrumental or vocal hook.”
Originally a vehicle for a few tracks John had been working on in early 2018, he quickly came up with enough music to work towards producing an album. With that in mind, he enlisted the talents of Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Ted Leonard (vocals & guitar) & Dave Meros (bass), with Boegehold handling all the synths. He adds: “Besides live strings on a few songs and a female backing vocalist on another, it was all done between the four of us with Dave and Ted ending up as co-writers on some of the material.”
With the band obviously being closely associated with Spock’s Beard, John was conscious of exploring different avenues with Pattern-Seeking Animals, whether it was song structures, vocal arrangements, synth sounds or emotional textures. “Pattern-Seeking Animals was a clean slate so I found myself drawing on a few different musical influences and using some contemporary production ideas and sounds that I probably wouldn’t use with SB for various reasons.”
(https://i.ibb.co/023gwzL/unnamed-1.png) (https://ibb.co/GpjKhrD)
The album will be released on limited CD digipak, gatefold 2LP + CD & as digital album.
As John notes, as the project came together it quickly became apparent that they would want to take this material out live: “Originally it was intended to be a recording project but as it was coming together we started talking seriously about doing it as a live band. Because of the complexity of a lot of the material, it’ll require an additional musician or two to pull it off live. The plan is to tour as much as possible and to come out with a new album at least once a year. In fact, work on the second album is already well under way.”
Stay tuned for a first taste of music from Pattern-Seeking Animals in the coming weeks!
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS online:
http://PSAnimals1.com
http://Facebook.com/psanimals1
https://twitter.com/psanimals1
https://www.instagram.com/psanimals1/
INSIDEOUT MUSIC online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/InsideOutUSA
www.insideoutmusicshop.com
INSIDEOUTMUSIC Spotify Playlist:
http://spotify.com/progrockessentials
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As I said in the Beard thread:
Bring It On!
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Having been not too impressed by the last SB album, I don't have high expectations from this. But I'll give it a spin.
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Given John's explanations of the material (being exploratory and different from SB), I'm excited to hear this one. I've seen so many FB posts from John and Jimmy and Ted about this over the last year and I'm glad to see it's finally coming out!
-Marc.
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I doubt it's going to be that much different from Spock's, tbh. Most bands who start a side-project like this, despite the best intentions, usually wind up sounding like the parent band. It's bound to. It involves the same people. Good job I like Spock's Beard, so this will essentially be the same as getting a new SB sooner than expected.
"Progressive but melodic". So are Spock's Beard.
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I can't help but wonder why they didn't just use this material for a new Spock's Beard album since it is two current members, a former member, and a guy who has helped write most of their material over the last 15 years. Regardless, I am sure it will be good.
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That was also my first thought but I was reluctant to post it right away. I'm glad someone else did, though. If this album turns out to be better than Noise floor, it would probably make me sad that the songs weren't performed by SB.
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I hear ya. I liked the last two Spock's albums, but didn't love either.
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I feel the same way about TOP and NF as I feel about DT12. I find them all to be very solid and enjoyable albums, but I find it very hard to find the desire or motivation to listen to them in the first place. There's plenty of other albums by them I'm more likely to choose over those.
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I'm interested in hearing Ted a the only guitarist in the band.
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I'm interested in hearing Ted a the only guitarist in the band.
I think this is what really sparks my interest as well. I love SB, and Ted in SB, but this like hearing SB but with different dynamics.
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This Boegehold guy wrote most of the last couple of SB albums, right? I always wondered who he was and why he's not in the band.
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It's like John Helmer with Marillion or Peter Sinfield with King Crimson.
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Hmmm. Wonder why Jimmy left SB and then got involved with this? And if they're looking at an album/tour every year - makes me wonder if SB aren't all but over.
Either way, looking forward to this. SB have been kind of lacking in direction since NDV left, so hopefully this will be a "new sound" for them. Oh, and I like the cover!
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I can't help but wonder why they didn't just use this material for a new Spock's Beard album since it is two current members, a former member, and a guy who has helped write most of their material over the last 15 years. Regardless, I am sure it will be good.
Well, Boegehold wrote like 80% percent of The Oblivion Particle and fans complained about it.
I totally get it. Boegehold is a great composer but never gets the credit he deserves in Spock's Beard. I'm guessing he has a buttload of cool material written and ready and just wanted an own band to record it.
Looking forward to this.
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First single: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OeSukjCITgsmJCOGgIZbL
https://patternseekinganimals.lnk.to/PatternSeekingAnimals
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Diggin it. Will definitely be keeping my eye out for this one.
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The album will be released on July 5th.
And as usual, Burning Shed come good when it comes to finding out the tracklisting and the lengths:
1) No Burden Left to Carry (9:38)
2) The Same Mistakes Again (5:10)
3) Orphans of the Universe (10:28)
4) No One Ever Died and Made Me King (3:54)
5) Fall Away (4:47)
6) These Are My Things (4:52)
7) We Write the Ghost Stories (3:22)
8) No Land’s Man (5:35)
9) Stars Along the Way (10:20)
https://burningshed.com/store/InsideOutMusic/pattern-seeking-animals_cd (https://burningshed.com/store/InsideOutMusic/pattern-seeking-animals_cd)
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I loved the last two SB albums so this is a no-brainer.
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Was just running through their Facebook and see that they are already tracking the second album as of a few weeks ago. They aren't kidding around.
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Was just running through their Facebook and see that they are already tracking the second album as of a few weeks ago. They aren't kidding around.
Wow. Looks like Boegehold has a lot of stuff written that SB couldn't/didn't want to use.
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We can only speculate how it came to this project, but I feel kinda bad for talking about SB needing to give up on outside writers and write more stuff themselves. They did it with Noise floor and the result wasn't much better, and at the same time, Boegehold maybe felt left out so he needed to make a new project. It's an odd development to which we as fans might have contributed.
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What do you mean "the result wasn't much better"? Noise Floor is a cool album!
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What do you mean "the result wasn't much better"? Noise Floor is a cool album!
Agreed. I love that album.
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Hmmm, wonder why Spock's didn't want to use some of the material he had.
I liked Noise Floor, but it didn't have much of a shelf life for me in my CD player.
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Noise Floor is the first SB album I don't own. I've only gone back to it a couple of times on Spotify.
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Noise Floor is the first SB album I don't own. I've only gone back to it a couple of times on Spotify.
It's good, but nothing special, similar to The Oblivion Particle. Maybe they spoiled us with the first album with Ted, which was fantastic.
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We can only speculate how it came to this project, but I feel kinda bad for talking about SB needing to give up on outside writers and write more stuff themselves. They did it with Noise floor and the result wasn't much better, and at the same time, Boegehold maybe felt left out so he needed to make a new project. It's an odd development to which we as fans might have contributed.
Boegehold has still two writing credits on Noise Floor, five if you add the Cutting Room Floor disc. Stan Ausmus has two and four (five) songs were solely written by SB members. That's not exactly shutting out outside writers out, least of all John Boegehold.
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I was only focusing on the main disc. Compared to TOP, it does feature more stuff written by the band members, so I had a feeling that was a conscious decision.
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I think TOP is the odd one out there, featuring more songs written by outside writers, mainly Boegehold. All other records since Neal's departure have more evenly distributed writing credits.
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I think TOP is the odd one out there, featuring more songs written by outside writers, mainly Boegehold. All other records since Neal's departure have more evenly distributed writing credits.
Indeed, TOP is definitely an odd one out, but looking at each album since FE, including special editions and bonus tracks, here's the breakdown of the number of songs where a non-member contributed some sort of writing credit:
FE - 6/10
Octane - 7/11
SB - 7/11
X - 6/8*
BNADS - 8/11*
TOP - 6/9
NF - 7/12
*Counting Neal Morse as a non-member/guest writer
Now, if we are talking strictly Non-SB written, here's the low down:
FE - 0
Octane - 0
SB - 0
X - 0
BNADS - 2
TOP - 6
NF - 5
So yeah, the last three albums have been heavy on the "outside help" but the band still plays it all, and to their liking and sound, so for me, it's still very much SB music, but I'll say that TOP doesn't hold up as well as BNADS or NF have for me, but then again, I haven't listened to it in awhile. I think I'll spin it real soon given that it's coming up in my SB Survivor in a few short weeks!
-Marc.
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I don't have any problems with outside writers, if the end result is good I don't really care who wrote what.
I just don't think that Boegehold formed this band because SB doesn't want his songs anymore, and as shown that isn't even the case.
Maybe he just wants to be more than a songwriter for others and wants to play his own songs.
Aynway, looking forward to this and I'm curious if this will sound that much different from Spock's Beard.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl7hYwca0uw
The band has just released a new single: No One Ever Died and Made Me King. John had this to say:
"Dave and I wrote this a while back from the viewpoint of a guy feeling sorry for his lot in life. I love the bass tone he came up with and Ted's guitar tone is classic 70s. Is voodoo-swamp prog a genre?"
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Started listening to this album today. I understand why the Beard may have turned these down. Not that they are bad, per se, but they aren't quite Beard. I started to realize a few songs in that there wasn't a lot of guitar. The keys/synths and bass are the dominating instruments. Dave has his signature tone, but the guitar seems to be mainly used as an accompaniment here and there.
It's also a fairly chill record, so far. Laid-back Beard, Elevator Beard. I sense this will be a grower record that I will need to be in the right mood for. Still a lot to listen to on this but those are my early impressions.
Mouser handled everything so of course it sounds wonderful sonically.
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Damn... I forgot this dropped. Traveling for work this week (my company's annual conference), so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to give this a go.
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Started listening to this album today. I understand why the Beard may have turned these down. Not that they are bad, per se, but they aren't quite Beard... Laid-back Beard, Elevator Beard.
Boegehold wrote some of the more interesting SB songs of late - Something Very Strange, A Better Way to Fly - and after the more mainstream Noise Floor I was hoping this was going to explore the avant-garde side of things a little more. Instead, it's Spock's Beard Lite. Spock's Bum Fluff, if you will.
I enjoyed it, but I couldn't help thinking how much some of those songs would be improved with a kick-ass Al Morse solo...
Reminded me of nothing so much as that The Sea Within album - good, but slightly disappointing given the pedigree of the people involved.
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I'm three tracks in to it this morning, and feeling the same way.
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Listened to it once and was underwhelmed. Maybe it will grow.
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I gave up on the second song. Sorry. :lol
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Well, I most be the only one that liked this one more than noise floor then :lol. Still not great
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I enjoyed this album.
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Reminded me of nothing so much as that The Sea Within album - good, but slightly disappointing given the pedigree of the people involved.
That album is an incredible disappointment to me. I think that's the last chance I give to Roine Stoldt and Daniel Gildenlow. Their respective music is just something that doesn't resonate with me.
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I don't know if this is a Boegehold thing, but I really dislike the long "Meatloaf"-style song titles. Have We All Gone Crazy Yet, No One Ever Died And Made Me King, etc. I bought this album on release day but still haven't gotten around to giving it a serious listen. I loved The Oblivion Particle and Noise Floor so I'm guessing I will enjoy it once the songs sink in.
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Reminded me of nothing so much as that The Sea Within album - good, but slightly disappointing given the pedigree of the people involved.
That album is an incredible disappointment to me. I think that's the last chance I give to Roine Stoldt and Daniel Gildenlow. Their respective music is just something that doesn't resonate with me.
I enjoyed the Casey McPherson songs with The Sea Within release a lot more than the ones with DG.
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NEWS:
In 2019, Pattern-Seeking Animals, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), presented its much-lauded eponymous debut.
Just a year later, the group announces May 15th, 2020 as the release date for its newest opus, “Prehensile Tales”, which expands the stylistic niche carved out by the debut and adds additional twists and turns along the way.
For the six songs on the album (the longest clocking in at over 17 minutes), the band introduced violin, flute, trumpet, cello, sax and pedal steel to the sound palette that was once again recorded & mixed by Rich Mouser at The Mouse House.
The track-listing reads as follows:
1. Raining Hard In Heaven
2. Here In My Autumn
3. Elegant Vampires
4. Why Don’t We Run
5. Lifeboat
6. Soon But Not Today
“I started writing for the second album right as we were finishing up the first one” says Boegehold, who is again producing. “I wanted to change around some of the songwriting approaches I’d been using and draw from a few different musical influences while not straying too far from the overall vibe of the band.”
Ted Leonard adds: "This album is another collection of lush arrangements and infectious melodies. I mean REALLY infectious. There are certain lines that are the last thing going through my head at night and the first thing in the morning. I think it's actually furthering my insanity."
(https://www.facebook.com/mirekis7/), whose ‘An evolutionary broadcast’ design Boegehold immediately considered a perfect fit to the album’s peculiar title.
“Prehensile Tales is a play-on-words I came up with while writing lyrics and thought it would be a funny album title. As a bonus, it actually seems to mean something that fits the music.”
To coincide with the album’s release, the band is set to perform at RosFest 2020 in Sarasota, Florida on May 9th and is lining up more dates later in the year which will be announced soon.
“Prehensile Tales” will be released as Gatefold 2LP plus CD, Limited Edition CD, and as digital album on May 15th, 2020 on InsideOutMusic.
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/87285040_10158210602320439_6503947149032554496_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=a61e81&_nc_ohc=lwCTFsLTyt0AX-EQo-G&_nc_ht=scontent-vie1-1.xx&oh=f6a4c0b2866e9a6e9abceb1c7296e176&oe=5EF595A0)
I wasn't that crazy about the first album (still a good album though). I will definitely check out this one. Only 6 songs, that sounds good for a longtrack fan like me :lol
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I didn't think the first one was a "much-lauded eponymous debut". If this will be on spotify I will give it a listen but I don't get my hopes up.
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I didn't think the first one was a "much-lauded eponymous debut". If this will be on spotify I will give it a listen but I don't get my hopes up.
"Much lauded" = One or two people liked it a lot. :P
This is interesting. I feel like this 17-minute track is the longest thing Ted Leonard's been involved on as a full band memeber, as far as I can think. Enchant's longest song (to date) isn't even 11 minutes, and SB's longest under Ted is Waiting for Me at 12:40-ish. The lack of big epics has been one of the more notable aspects of SB's output since Ted arrived.
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That much-lauded comment is a typical insideout comment :lol
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Yeah, that much lauded comment caught my attention. I was lukewarm, at best, to the first album. I called it Elevator Beard.
I will still pick it up. It has Ted, Dave and Jimmy. I will support them.
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I didn't think the first one was a "much-lauded eponymous debut". If this will be on spotify I will give it a listen but I don't get my hopes up.
"Much lauded" = One or two people liked it a lot. :P
This is interesting. I feel like this 17-minute track is the longest thing Ted Leonard's been involved on as a full band memeber, as far as I can think. Enchant's longest song (to date) isn't even 11 minutes, and SB's longest under Ted is Waiting for Me at 12:40-ish. The lack of big epics has been one of the more notable aspects of SB's output since Ted arrived.
I guess "Falling For Forever" doesn't count (because it wasn't just Ted singing)?
-Marc.
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Yeah, that much lauded comment caught my attention. I was lukewarm ,at best, to the first album. I called it Elevator Beard.
I will still pick it up. It has Ted, Dave and Jimmy. I will support them.
I think this album has a lot of potencial to be better than the first, just because the first basically was made by songs rejected by SB and unfortunately it does sound like that IMO.
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I think this album has a lot of potencial to be better than the first, just because the first basically was made by songs rejected by SB and unfortunately it does sound like that IMO.
Agreed. My older brother (who bought it because he is a huge Ted fan now) played me most of it a while back and I came away thinking the same thing. It all ranged from okay to pretty good, but struck me as something I would never listen to, so I never bought it.
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Debut albums are often a bit hit and miss, the band still trying to find their feet. Hopefully with the experience of the first one, the second should be more solid and more assured of what the band wants to sound like.
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https://youtu.be/m5mgpcOgFws
First song released from the new album, now available for preorder!
-Marc.
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Won't listen to singles as usual, but I put on some songs from the debut again. While it's not a masterpiece, I find myself liking it more than before. And oddly, I like the shorter, poppier songs way more (already loved them on Noise Floor: The Days We Remember, So This Is Life, Bulletproof). So for me it's maybe not that good that the new album consists of mainly longer songs :lol
I particularly like No-one ever Died and We Write The Ghost Stories. The latter finally has a lighter snare drum sound that sounds a little like Nick D'Virgilio's. I always had a little problem with Keegan's snare drum sound. No Man's Land has a great chorus (although it has that weird whistling part :D).
Looking forward to the new album, but I'm not crazy about it ;)
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Let's begin today with this Vicente Cordero directed (He does it again) video for Pattern-Seeking Animals excellent tune "Elegant Vampires". Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5trQJEqd9bo&feature=youtu.be
:metal
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So......anyone got this yet? It's release day.
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So......anyone got this yet? It's release day.
Ordered from Amazon. Don't even have a shipping notice yet.
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I'll download it today but I have so many other albums to listen to it may be awhile before I give it a serious listen
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So......anyone got this yet? It's release day.
First listen and impressions - I liked it, probably more than the debut. I'll have to listen to it again with full ears and attention, but most of the music definitely caught my ear for sounding different and fresh for these guys, and a bit less Beard-y at times. Also spotted some Beatles (and maybe some Police) influences here and there. The added instruments really flesh out the musical palette and bring some interesting sounds to many of the songs, especially the last two.
After a couple more listens, maybe I'll post some more in-depth thoughts, but my first impression is that is a GREAT sophomore effort from this Spin-off Band.
-Marc.
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Some more thoughts on the album: This definitely rocks, and I enjoy it more than their debut, but going back and listening to their debut earlier today, then onto Prehensile Tales, I liked the debut more than I remember liking it, so I'm glad that liking the second album a lot has sort of helped me enjoy the first one a bit more.
Dave Meros is a BEAST on this album, with lots of great bass grooves and melodies, and his mix is just right. Rich Mouser definitely has the touch and knows what to do for this band. Ted's vocals are pretty great over-all, but nothing has stood out too much to me yet regarding his vocals, but they're all so good everywhere that it's hard to find a stand-out moment from him yet for me. Jimmy and John provide some suitable parts as well, and I quite like Jimmy's grooves throughout the album. He and Dave definitely click in all the best ways possible, which makes sense after having played together for nearly 2 decades now.
The music itself? There's a good bit of variety on here, especially with "Why Don't We Run", which sounds so different from anything else I've heard these guys do, with or without Spock's Beard.
Maybe it's just me, but I hear a lot of 80's rock influences in here, everything from synth-era Rush to Asia, with a lot of other flavors sprinkled throughout. I did notice an abundance of 7/4 and 7/8 though, which has been VERY common in the last few Spock's Beard albums, so it doesn't surprise me at all if it comes from John's writing, but it can be a bit tiring when you hear it in a lot of songs, especially on the same album, but thankfully, I think those meters only occur in two or three of the tunes here.
Over-all, this is a great album, and if you liked the first one, you might find yourself really enjoying this one. If you were luke-warm on the debut, give this one a spin online and see if you like it. At only six songs and under an hour, it's definitely worth your time if you're a fan of any of these musicians and Spock's Beard-sounding music in general!
-Marc.
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Liking these early reviews, especially about Dave. Never grow tired of his playing. I do have an Auto-Rip from Amazon but I want to wait for the CD. They claim I will have it on Tuesday.
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Liking these early reviews, especially about Dave. Never grow tired of his playing. I do have an Auto-Rip from Amazon but I want to wait for the CD. They claim I will have it on Tuesday.
Tbh, that sounds typical of InsideOUT releases in recent years, since Sony gobbled them up. Remember the good old days when release day meant you definitely had the CD land on your doormat?
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Liking these early reviews, especially about Dave. Never grow tired of his playing. I do have an Auto-Rip from Amazon but I want to wait for the CD. They claim I will have it on Tuesday.
Tbh, that sounds typical of InsideOUT releases in recent years, since Sony gobbled them up. Remember the good old days when release day meant you definitely had the CD land on your doormat?
Yeah, I have noticed an unfortunate trend with Inside Out and Amazon. Even before the pandemic, they could never seem to have them on release. It was always 1-2 weeks after. Like, on release day it would update to 'Available in 1-2 weeks' or something like that.
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Tbh, that sounds typical of InsideOUT releases in recent years, since Sony gobbled them up. Remember the good old days when release day meant you definitely had the CD land on your doormat?
This feels rather familiar to me from back in the days. Back in the early '00s when all those Enchant, Spock's Beard and Flower Kings albums were coming out every couple of months (or at least it seemed that way), my local store NEVER had any InsideOut releases in stock on their release date. And they stocked them all - just always a week or two later. It was quite frustrating.
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My copy arrived today. Man, you weren't kidding about Dave. He is tearing it up. These instrumental sections in the first 2 songs are excellent. Still a pretty laid back vibe so far, but I am enjoying it much more than the first one. I will need to revisit it later after I let this one sink in.
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Should I check out the debut or the new album first?
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^^ I checked out the new one with zero knowledge of the band and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Go for it!
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I'm enjoying this album. Nothing spectacular, but there is some good music on it. My favourites are Why Don't We Run and Lifeboat.
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Should I check out the debut or the new album first?
I'd say check out the new one first, as for me, getting into it has more or less enhanced my enjoyment of the debut, which I initially found to be a bit lackluster in parts. Going back to it now after the new one, I feel I can understand it and appreciate it a bit better than I originally did.
But if you're the type to take things in as they were originally released, go chronologically. There are only two albums anyway, so you could even just treat them as a double album, especially since they were released only 10 months apart from each other.
^^ I checked out the new one with zero knowledge of the band and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Go for it!
Are you at all familiar with Spock's Beard? PS-A are mostly SB members, former and current, anyway. If you're not familiar with Spock's Beard and like PS-A so far, definitely check out their 11th album Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep.
I'm enjoying this album. Nothing spectacular, but there is some good music on it. My favourites are Why Don't We Run and Lifeboat.
I definitely agree with your last statement. "Why Don't We Run" is an easy forerunner for favorite track on this album, but the epic "Lifeboat" stands out as well. Definitely need to get into this one some more, as well as the debut. Really digging the new one, though. It'll definitely tide me over for new music until the few June albums I'm waiting for come out!
-Marc.
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Ordered Prehensile Tales. Looking forward to hearing it.
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^^ I checked out the new one with zero knowledge of the band and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Go for it!
Are you at all familiar with Spock's Beard? PS-A are mostly SB members, former and current, anyway. If you're not familiar with Spock's Beard and like PS-A so far, definitely check out their 11th album Brief Nocturnes & Dreamless Sleep.
I know very little Spock's Beard, only a couple songs that I can't remember the names of, but I remember enjoying it when I heard it. I think I heard something from BN&DS but can't be certain. That's really cool to know though. I'll check that out!
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BN&DS is fantastic, it starts off really strong with one of my favourite SB songs, Hiding Out. Do check it out when you're feeling like listening to good progressive rock.
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Listening to Prehensile Tales for the first time now. This album grooves! I'm a sucker for a horn section and congas! Really love the Latin sounds on Why Don't We Run.
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Music video for "Why Don't We Run?"
https://youtu.be/9t958GI8Xss
-Marc.
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Music video for "Why Don't We Run?"
https://youtu.be/9t958GI8Xss
-Marc.
When your mom buys you a green screen
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Music video for "Why Don't We Run?"
https://youtu.be/9t958GI8Xss
-Marc.
When your mom buys you a green screen
:rollin
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That’s probably the best song I’ve heard so far by the band, but that video is definitely not good.
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Wonderful musicians, great singers, but terrible lipsync-ers. To Breathe Another Day proved that.
Thankfully this is music, and the videos aren't necessary to enjoy the song.
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I picked up the first album today. I love Prehensile Tales so much that it pushed me to take the plunge.
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This band was in my list to check out, but for whatever reason I didn't listen to the first album at all when it was released. Now that the 2nd album is out (has been for a while) I'm finally giving both albums a listen. There's obviously a lot of sonic similarities to SB, since this is a band of SB members anyway, but I like SB, and I'm liking these songs too!
Will be interesting to hear how a new Spock's Beard album sounds now that we have PSA out there too.
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First album is wonderful! I absolutely love The Same Mistakes Again and We Write the Ghost Stories. These Are My Things is also very catchy. I do enjoy the occasionally-quirky song lyrics in Spock's Beard's output. I haven't really checked if Boegehold is a connecting factor on that front yet. But still, all very good.
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First album is wonderful! I absolutely love The Same Mistakes Again and We Write the Ghost Stories. These Are My Things is also very catchy. I do enjoy the occasionally-quirky song lyrics in Spock's Beard's output. I haven't really checked if Boegehold is a connecting factor on that front yet. But still, all very good.
Out of curiosity, I looked up all the songs that Boegehold wrote or helped write with other members:
Onomatopoeia (with Nick and Al)
East Of Eden, West Of Memphis (with Al)
Ghosts Of Autumn (with Dave)
Carry One (with Al and Stan)
Moth Of Many Flames (with Al)
A Flash Before My Eyes (except Letting Go, with Al/Nick/Dave)
There Was A Time (with Al)
As Long As We Ride (with Nick/Al)
When She's Gone (with Nick/Dave)
Follow Me To Sleep (with Nick)
Broken Promise Land (with Al)
On A Perfect Day (with Nick/Al/Stan)
Skeletons At The Feast (with Dave)
All That's Left (with Dave)
The Slow Crash Landing Man (with Dave)
As Far As The Mind Can See (with Dave)
Edge Of The In-Between (lyrics by John, music by Dave)
Their Names Escape me (lyrics by John, music by John/Dave)
Jaws Of Heaven (lyrics by John, music by John/Dave)
I Know Your Secret (with Dave)
A Treasure Abandoned (with Al)
Something Very Strange
Down A Burning Road (with Al)
Postcards From Perdition
Bennett Build A Time Machine
Get Out While You Can
A Better Way To Fly
To Be Free Again
Disappear
To Breath Another Day (with Ryo)
What Becomes Of Me
Days We'll Remember
Bulletproof (lyrics mention "Pattern-Seeking Animal"!)
Armageddon Nervous
Seems like, starting with BNADS, John started writing songs with no collaborators, and got a lot of them on the last two albums. Now with PSA out, I'm willing to bet that the next SB album won't feature his writing as much, especially since on Noise Floor, only two of his five songs were picked for the main album (the first two songs on the album, no less).
Also, John has material already in the works for a third PSA album, so I'm sure much of his material is being used for that. I would like to see more Ted, Al, and Ryo compositions in the future SB albums, especially since I liked what they have contributed on the last three albums (Ryo having the least of any SB member since Ted joined, with only FOUR writing credits).
And with a third album in the works, hopefully whenever PSA finally hit the road, they can offer up a full set list of PSA songs!
-Marc.
-
Also, John has material already in the works for a third PSA album, so I'm sure much of his material is being used for that. I would like to see more Ted, Al, and Ryo compositions in the future SB albums, especially since I liked what they have contributed on the last three albums (Ryo having the least of any SB member since Ted joined, with only FOUR writing credits).
And with a third album in the works, hopefully whenever PSA finally hit the road, they can offer up a full set list of PSA songs!
-Marc.
This guy doesn't mess around! :eek :hefdaddy
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I didn't think the first one was a "much-lauded eponymous debut". If this will be on spotify I will give it a listen but I don't get my hopes up.
I did give it a listen finally and man, Prehensile Tales is a really strong record, I'm very pleasantly surprised. May have to revisit the first one also to see if it clicks with me.
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Spun both albums last night for the first time in a little while, and man, they are still so damn good, especially Prehensile Tales.
There hasn't been much news from John about the third album other than that he is still working on it, and I believe I've read confirmation of that from both Jimmy and Ted, so it's still definitely underway. I hope we get another late Spring/early Summer release for 2021.
Of the 15 songs between their first two albums, which are everyone's favorites here? From the debut, I'd say "The Same Mistakes Again", "Orphans Of The Universe" and "These Are My Things" are pretty stand-out songs, while the last three on Prehensile Tales are my favorites on their second album.
I wonder if they'll push the prog-envelope more on the third one and write a full-on 20-minute epic? "Lifeboat" is pretty close and it's one of the highlights on PT.
-Marc.
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I'm still lukewarm with this band.
I think they are at their best during 4-5 minute artpop songs. Tracks like No One Ever Died, Why Don't We Run?, Elegant Vampires and No Man's Land are my undisputed favorites by the Pattern-Seeking Animals. Songs like the long Lifeboat seem very disjointed to me, mostly because it's essentially 5 shorter lifeboats. Many great ideas are introduced, but not thought all the way through (similar to many Marillion 15mins+ songs). Soon But Not Today almost makes me angry :lol because the first half is awesome, it rocks and reminds me of one of SB3.0's best songs, A Better Way To Fly - and then the second half just has nothing to do with the rest and introduces that dragging, Beatles-like groove that just bores me.. The second album already introduced a tendency towards longer songs, but I hope they concentrate more on catchy, groovy artpop tunes on their next album(s)!
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From the debut, I think my top 3 are 1. The Same Mistakes Again, 2. We Write the Ghost Stories, 3. These Are My Things.
From Prehensile Tales: 1. Why Don't We Run?, 2. Elegant Vampires, 3. Soon But Not Today. As much as I like Lifeboat, I would put all the other songs on PT above it.
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I'm still lukewarm with this band.
I think they are at their best during 4-5 minute artpop songs. Tracks like No One Ever Died, Why Don't We Run?, Elegant Vampires and No Man's Land are my undisputed favorites by the Pattern-Seeking Animals. Songs like the long Lifeboat seem very disjointed to me, mostly because it's essentially 5 shorter lifeboats. Many great ideas are introduced, but not thought all the way through (similar to many Marillion 15mins+ songs). Soon But Not Today almost makes me angry :lol because the first half is awesome, it rocks and reminds me of one of SB3.0's best songs, A Better Way To Fly - and then the second half just has nothing to do with the rest and introduces that dragging, Beatles-like groove that just bores me.. The second album already introduced a tendency towards longer songs, but I hope they concentrate more on catchy, groovy artpop tunes on their next album(s)!
"No Land's Man" is definitely pretty catchy, in my top half of the first album for sure.
I do agree though that their shorter songs are all pretty well crafted and performed.
It's a crime that this band hasn't been able to tour yet because I bet a live show would really make these songs even better than they already are.
-Marc.
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Here In My Autumn is my favorite from Prehensile Tales, but all songs are good.
Haven't listened to the debut enough to have a clear favorite song.
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Here In My Autumn is my favorite from Prehensile Tales, but all songs are good.
Haven't listened to the debut enough to have a clear favorite song.
HIMA is a good pick. Honestly, every track on Prehensile Tales is so good, I wouldn't argue with anyone picking ANY of them to be their favorite!
-Marc.
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Jimmy just posted (https://www.facebook.com/557396948/posts/10157390363251949/) this on Facebook about 6 hours ago:
Well ... we started a little something yesterday. Album 3 is officially underway. Okay, technically John has been working on it for a while now but yesterday was my first day. 3 songs in the can. 2 drum kits this time. One in the big room and one in the little room (I didn’t give Rich time to clear out stuff). First time tracking with the Yamaha Drums Tour Custom drums. They sound so good!!! Also the first time tracking with the new Yamaha FP9 pedals. Maybe the finest pedal I’ve ever played.
More to come ... stay tuned!!!
Until then, make sure to get the first 2 Pattern-Seeking Animals albums wherever you buy music!!!
SABIAN, Aquarian Drumheads, Vater Drumsticks, Audio-Technica USA, Ahead Armor Cases
This is very exciting! Depending on how fast they all recrd their own parts, we may get PSA3 by next summer or fall! Getting 3 albums 3 years in a row would be an astounding feat, especially if the next one is as good as the first two!
Edit - the band shared a video of Jimmy tracking his drums at the Mouse House for one of three songs (about half the album) that they're currently working on.
https://www.facebook.com/178087842910735/posts/693965417989639/
-Marc.
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That's the same kit he used to record "The Battle - An Opioid Story" (The ANABASIS) - such a HUGE sound :eek
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https://youtu.be/LTvS381arJ4
Jimmy posted a new video playthrough of "Raining Hard In Heaven" with some extended drum parts! Haven't seen it yet, but I figured I'd share it here.
-Marc.
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I’m not totally sure why but I still haven’t even given the first one a fair listen. They’re gonna be 5 albums in before I ever get around to it at this pace.
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I’m not totally sure why but I still haven’t even given the first one a fair listen. They’re gonna be 5 albums in before I ever get around to it at this pace.
Well, John did say that, during the recording of their debut, that this was going to be a yearly venture, so yeah, if you wait til 2024, you WILL be five albums in before you get there!
Definitely get on it, because I was luke-warm to the debut at first, but it wasn't until I really dove deep into Prehensile Tales that I really appreciated the first album, and now I love both. The snippet of Jimmy recording for the new album really excited me, and it seems like he's doing drums for three songs now, and then 3 or 4 more in February according to John, so I suspect the album will get finished by late Spring for a Summer/Fall released next year.
-Marc.
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I’m not totally sure why but I still haven’t even given the first one a fair listen. They’re gonna be 5 albums in before I ever get around to it at this pace.
Well, John did say that, during the recording of their debut, that this was going to be a yearly venture, so yeah, if you wait til 2024, you WILL be five albums in before you get there!
Definitely get on it, because I was luke-warm to the debut at first, but it wasn't until I really dove deep into Prehensile Tails that I really appreciated the first album, and now I love both. The snippet of Jimmy recording for the new album really excited me, and it seems like he's doing drums for three songs now, and then 3 or 4 more in February according to John, so I suspect the album will get finished by late Spring for a Summer/Fall released next year.
-Marc.
I second this. For whatever reason I completely ignored the first album when it came out (big mistake) and it took them to release the 2nd one for me to check both, and they are phenomenal. Can't wait for the third.
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Maybe I’ll start with the second one then and see how I like it.
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I was the same regarding the first record. I listened to it when it came out but nothing did grab me. Then I listetend to Prehensile Tales when it came out and it instantly clicked, such a great record imo. Then I got back to the first one and now I appreciate it more, it's really good. That said Prehensile Tales is still miles better. So here's hoping that the third one is more like the second.
And I really wouldn't mind a yearly release as long as the ideas and the quality is there.
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I second this. For whatever reason I completely ignored the first album when it came out (big mistake) and it took them to release the 2nd one for me to check both, and they are phenomenal. Can't wait for the third.
This was pretty much my experience, really. I did consider picking up the debut once or twice in 2019, but other albums took over. It was definitely getting and enjoying Prehensile Tales that made me finally take the plunge on the debut, and while I could think why didn't I pick that up sooner, it is what it is. I have them both now.
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I’m not totally sure why but I still haven’t even given the first one a fair listen. They’re gonna be 5 albums in before I ever get around to it at this pace.
Well, John did say that, during the recording of their debut, that this was going to be a yearly venture, so yeah, if you wait til 2024, you WILL be five albums in before you get there!
Definitely get on it, because I was luke-warm to the debut at first, but it wasn't until I really dove deep into Prehensile Tails that I really appreciated the first album, and now I love both. The snippet of Jimmy recording for the new album really excited me, and it seems like he's doing drums for three songs now, and then 3 or 4 more in February according to John, so I suspect the album will get finished by late Spring for a Summer/Fall released next year.
-Marc.
I second this. For whatever reason I completely ignored the first album when it came out (big mistake) and it took them to release the 2nd one for me to check both, and they are phenomenal. Can't wait for the third.
I actually pre-ordered their debut album with cautious excitement, especially since Spock's Beard didn't seen to have anything in the works, but I think after it was released and I had it in my hands, I just sort of let it slip under the radar. Maybe I was expecting something radically different, or maybe at the time, I felt like it was TOO similar to SB for me to really get excited about it, or perhaps there were just too many other new albums/music for me to dive into at the time.
Either way, their second album really set them apart from SB in my ears, and so I went back to their debut with better understanding of their sound and intent, and I picked out things in those songs that really stood out to me as being fresh and different from SB for me to really see them as being something apart from them (despite being a spin-off band of sorts).
I think they've got a great thing going, and if SB remains on indefinite hiatus for awhile, I'll happily accept yearly PSA albums from John, Ted, Jimmy, and Dave. Ted really gets a chance to shine as both a vocalist AND a guitarist, and Jimmy gets to flex his drumming muscles in a way that he might not have gotten to in Spock's Beard. And Dave...well, Dave is ALWAYS amazing at bass, and is one of the most underrated and underappreciated bassists in prog over the last 25 years. John, being the mastermind of the band, really brings it all together with his writing and keyboards, and of course the mixing talents of Rich Mouser really bring them to life (really, anything he touches becomes gold, I swear).
-Marc.
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John posted this update (https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/10159242379838945/) on his Facebook just a bit ago:
"Yesterday at the Mouse House with Rich Mouser and John Fumo recording trumpet and flugelhorn for the next Pattern-Seeking Animals album. We only did one song, but it's 13+ minutes long. Drums with Jimmy Keegan for a few more new songs next week."
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/162862219_10159242365973945_5362804131960714035_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=ufkiuxI9LWwAX_GmoRi&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=62c13eb7dfd949b2651b4b7a170a7fb7&oe=607C42C6)
Slowly but surely, PSA3 is coming together! I keep forgetting it's coming this year!
-Marc.
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I have kind of ignored these guys because it seemed like a side project for former and current Spock's Beard members. I thought to myself that we already have Spock's Beard, so why is there another band with the same guys?
Now I understand that Spock's Beard hasn't been heard of in years, and these fellas are already working on the third release. I guess I should pay attention and check out the albums at some point.
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I have kind of ignored these guys because it seemed like a side project for former and current Spock's Beard members. I thought to myself that we already have Spock's Beard, so why is there another band with the same guys?
Now I understand that Spock's Beard hasn't been heard of in years, and these fellas are already working on the third release. I guess I should pay attention and check out the albums at some point.
They're really good, and if you're a fan of SB, or any of its members, you owe it to yourself to check them out. I would say their 2nd album is better than their first, as it definitely gave the a more distinct sound being further removed from SB than their debut, but the first album has some great tunes as well.
If you decide to check out both albums chronologically, don't give up on them if the first one doesn't click right away. It didn't for me until after the second album came out, which I instantly loved.
-Marc
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If you decide to check out both albums chronologically, don't give up on them if the first one doesn't click right away. It didn't for me until after the second album came out, which I instantly loved.
Yep, this so much. Thought the first one was boring, loved the second one, went back to the first and it grew on me. But the second one is definitely better.
Hopefully the third one will also be good.
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If you decide to check out both albums chronologically, don't give up on them if the first one doesn't click right away. It didn't for me until after the second album came out, which I instantly loved.
Yep, this so much. Thought the first one was boring, loved the second one, went back to the first and it grew on me. But the second one is definitely better.
Hopefully the third one will also be good.
It's a bit comforting to know that I wasn't the only one who had this same experience. I couldn't believe how much the debut grew on me after the second album came out. I feel like I bought the first album and listened to it so casually that I was almost dismissive of it, not giving it a fair chance. Then again, a lot of great music came out in 2019, so it might have just fallen to the wayside during it's release window for me.
As for the third album, from the in-the-studio bits that John and other band members have posted on Facebook, the little tidbits I've heard sound great already, very much in the vein of the second album, but if they try new ideas, sounds, or influences, I wouldn't be surprised. There's a bit of a change you can hear between the first and second album, so if anything new pops up in the third, as long as it's implemented well, I'll probably dig it. Given how much I loved Prehensile Tales, their next album is easily one of my most anticipated albums of 2021!
-Marc.
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I actually remember giving up on my first listen of the debut two songs in. Shows how much I cared, but I better fix that. ;D
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I have to say the two Pattern-Seeking Animals have made me re-appreciate Ted Leonard's vocals. I've enjoyed his singing since I first heard him on BN&DS (Spock's). I think the subsequent two SB albums left me a bit underwhelmed, as much as I enjoy them when I listen, so I kind of went off Ted for a bit. But P-SA has kind of breathed new life into the musicians involved.
Also, on the first album, I'm realizing now that I initially had the same problem with grasping the structure of No Burden Left to Carry as I had way back when with Dream Theater's Scarred. And in some instances, they are broadly similar structurally, in that you have to recognize the opening section as a "prologue" before the main body of the song kicks in about 2-3 minutes in.
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I have finally dived into Prehensile tales. Here in my autumn and Why don't we run are fantastic! There are some great bits throughout Lifeboat as well. A good chunk of the album reminds me of The Oblivion particle, which isn't that odd.
I will probably move onto the debut this weekend. It would be amazing if the third record came out this year and they surpassed Prehensile tales. :tup
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I have finally dived into Prehensile tales. Here in my autumn and Why don't we run are fantastic! There are some great bits throughout Lifeboat as well. A good chunk of the album reminds me of The Oblivion particle, which isn't that odd.
I will probably move onto the debut this weekend. It would be amazing if the third record came out this year and they surpassed Prehensile tales. :tup
It sounds like The Oblivion Particle because both were written by the same dude.
Kind of like how Neal Morse and Transatlantic often sound like the same band.
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I have finally dived into Prehensile tales. Here in my autumn and Why don't we run are fantastic! There are some great bits throughout Lifeboat as well. A good chunk of the album reminds me of The Oblivion particle, which isn't that odd.
I will probably move onto the debut this weekend. It would be amazing if the third record came out this year and they surpassed Prehensile tales. :tup
It sounds like The Oblivion Particle because both were written by the same dude.
Kind of like how Neal Morse and Transatlantic often sound like the same band.
Also might have something to do with Jimmy’s drumming, which is pretty distinctive. He’s a great drummer, but you could really tell the difference in feel between him on The Oblivion Particle and NDV on Noise Floor.
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True dat
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Exactly. That's why I say it isn't that odd. ;D
-
An update from P-SA just posted on Facebook
Big news! We’ll be taking to the waves and playing live on the next Cruise To The Edge with a lot of great artists, May 2-7, 2022. Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Reservations will be available starting Wednesday, June 9 at www.cruisetotheedge.com
We’re also working on some other live shows around then and will let you know as soon as those are confirmed.
On the studio front, we’re in the process of finishing up our third album, which is scheduled for release in early 2022. More updates on that in the near future.
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/193156683_781443199241860_2579680410382338220_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=Uo-HoLwIQMMAX8quDW7&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=5c03b9b487db10471908cbab26e8cc3e&oe=60DD0089)
Looks like the wait for the third album will be a little longer. Ah well, I guess it would've been too much to hope for 3 albums in 3 consecutive years! Well, either way, they'll have plenty of material to choose from for their first live shows!
-Marc.
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Yeah, just saw they are in the new lineup. They will have 3 albums under their belt by that point.
Some other great bands just announced as well for the cruise including Transatlantic, Haken, Riverside, Pain of Salvation, Headspace, King's X, District 97, Marillion among others.
-
An update from P-SA just posted on Facebook
Big news! We’ll be taking to the waves and playing live on the next Cruise To The Edge with a lot of great artists, May 2-7, 2022. Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Reservations will be available starting Wednesday, June 9 at www.cruisetotheedge.com
We’re also working on some other live shows around then and will let you know as soon as those are confirmed.
On the studio front, we’re in the process of finishing up our third album, which is scheduled for release in early 2022. More updates on that in the near future.
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/193156683_781443199241860_2579680410382338220_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=Uo-HoLwIQMMAX8quDW7&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=5c03b9b487db10471908cbab26e8cc3e&oe=60DD0089)
Looks like the wait for the third album will be a little longer. Ah well, I guess it would've been too much to hope for 3 albums in 3 consecutive years! Well, either way, they'll have plenty of material to choose from for their first live shows!
-Marc.
Wonder how many of these bands will use this as a springboard for a US Tour.
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I wonder how many of these artists will use this as a springboard for new studio material. Moon Safari, I'm looking at you specifically.
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I wonder how many of these artists will use this as a springboard for new studio material. Moon Safari, I'm looking at you specifically.
It’s well past time for them, but how many cruises have they been a part of since the last album now?
-
Jimmy posted this 3 days ago on Facebook but it just now showed up in my news feed:
Well ... finally! Firstly, it's so great to be back on the cruise and especially with Pattern-Seeking Animals. We will have completed our 3rd album by the time the Cruise leaves but we have yet to be able to play live. I can't wait to play it. As John won't be playing live we will augment the band with a couple friends. Both guys will play keys and guitars as well as sing. Dennis Atlas and Walter Ino (Walter Ino Music). Both are exceptional players and great friends. If you aren't familiar with them, check them out.
Secondly, so many friends. As I scan the line-up I'm honored to be friends with the majority of the lineup so it will be a big family cruise. I will certainly be in the venues when not on stage. I mean, Protocol!!! Otmaro Ruiz is the keyboard player. We've been friends for over 30 years. He's gonna blow your minds!!!
This is gonna be a great cruise!!!
Looks like John will be sitting this one out, but they'll have two players to help fill out the sound between Jimmy, Ted and Dave it seems. I wonder if that was always going to be the plan for live PSA shows? Does John not play live, sort of like Arjen (mostly) doesn't play Ayreon songs live?
-Marc.
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I've been wondering about that as well.
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John just shared a new video and update:
"Yesterday at The Mouse House tracking drums with Jimmy Keegan and Rich Mouser for the 3rd Pattern-Seeking Animals album. Drums are done, an excellent job as always! We’ll be finishing up the rest of the parts and mixing over the next couple of months for a release in 2022. More details soon."
https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/10159514946568945/
The clip sounds good, Jimmy is killing it as usual! Their third album is probably my most anticipated album of 2022!
-Marc.
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It's been a few months, but John posted on Facebook earlier today, a new video of him at the Mouse House, where he and Rich finally finished the mixes on P-SA3, and are now in the mastering stage.
If I had to guess, the album will come out in March and we will get our first single after the new year, with preorder info at that time as well. The snippets John and Jimmy have shared over the last several months really have me excited!
-Marc.
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PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), are pleased to announce the band’s third studio album titled Only Passing Through, to be released through InsideOutMusic on April 1st, 2022. The album is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2020 release Prehensile Tales.
The band check in on the new album here:
“Only Passing Through, our third album picks up where Prehensile Tales left off but soon takes several stylistic detours as it progresses. Everyone involved made this album a lot of fun to make and we're all looking forward to it to finally being heard."
John Boegehold
"This new album draws from a lot of different sources and pushes all of us to bring out our best. We all had to dig pretty deep to express out the right spirit of each song. To call it Prog would be highly inadequate. We’re all over the map and yet, there is still a very distinct sound that threads through the whole album. I’m very proud of this record and excited for people to hear it!"
Jimmy Keegan
The album will be available for pre-order on Jan 28th, 2022
Discography
Prehensile Tales (2020)
Pattern-Seeking Animals (2019)
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS online:
http://PSAnimals1.com
http://Facebook.com/psanimals1
https://twitter.com/psanimals1
https://www.instagram.com/psanimals1/
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PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), are pleased to announce the band’s third studio album titled Only Passing Through, to be released through InsideOutMusic on April 1st, 2022. The album is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2020 release Prehensile Tales.
The band check in on the new album here:
“Only Passing Through, our third album picks up where Prehensile Tales left off but soon takes several stylistic detours as it progresses. Everyone involved made this album a lot of fun to make and we're all looking forward to it to finally being heard."
John Boegehold
"This new album draws from a lot of different sources and pushes all of us to bring out our best. We all had to dig pretty deep to express out the right spirit of each song. To call it Prog would be highly inadequate. We’re all over the map and yet, there is still a very distinct sound that threads through the whole album. I’m very proud of this record and excited for people to hear it!"
Jimmy Keegan
The album will be available for pre-order on Jan 28th, 2022
Discography
Prehensile Tales (2020)
Pattern-Seeking Animals (2019)
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS online:
http://PSAnimals1.com
http://Facebook.com/psanimals1
https://twitter.com/psanimals1
https://www.instagram.com/psanimals1/
Nice! Although I couldn't find that press release anywhere online. Where'd you find it?
At any rate, it looks like I'll have my April listening sorted! Cannot wait to hear this one, definitely a highly anticipated 2022 album for me!
-Marc.
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Mailing list from label
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Mailing list from label
Ah okay. Well the band just posted it on Facebook, along with the album cover!
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/fr/cp0/e15/q65/267814518_892853501434162_8096166086526679621_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=OvKOdxG29HwAX9qNyOy&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AT_OAO4oHGLps9G0658v_RIZXzBidWoYR8F3NpU4ewi1yQ&oe=61BD1D7D)
-Marc.
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If they continue where they left off, this could be a good one.
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I got into the band just in time. :tup
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First single is available now: https://open.spotify.com/album/2vP68Dxqg2tWue80ASr1HR?si=DIlRR8z0RciP8_gFYaHfBw (https://open.spotify.com/album/2vP68Dxqg2tWue80ASr1HR?si=DIlRR8z0RciP8_gFYaHfBw)
And via Burning Shed, tracklist and running times:
1. Everdark Mountain 2:50
2. I Can't Stay Here Anymore 6:05
3. Time Has a Way 13:15
4. Rock Paper Scissors 5:01
5. Much Ado 4:49
6. Only Passing Through 4:19
7. Said the Stranger 7:07
8. Here with You with Me 8:14
Bonus Tracks
9. I'm Not Alright 4:17
10. Just Another Day at the Beach 3:32
Album due April 1st
-
First single is available now: https://open.spotify.com/album/2vP68Dxqg2tWue80ASr1HR?si=DIlRR8z0RciP8_gFYaHfBw (https://open.spotify.com/album/2vP68Dxqg2tWue80ASr1HR?si=DIlRR8z0RciP8_gFYaHfBw)
And via Burning Shed, tracklist and running times:
1. Everdark Mountain 2:50
2. I Can't Stay Here Anymore 6:05
3. Time Has a Way 13:15
4. Rock Paper Scissors 5:01
5. Much Ado 4:49
6. Only Passing Through 4:19
7. Said the Stranger 7:07
8. Here with You with Me 8:14
Bonus Tracks
9. I'm Not Alright 4:17
10. Just Another Day at the Beach 3:32
Album due April 1st
Thanks for posting that! Interesting to see two bonus tracks, especially being on the shorter side. I've yet to hear the single though as I'm currently on board the Big Big Train and their latest album, but I'll try to listen to it at some point today. I'll probably order my copy from LaserCD as I've done with the previous two.
https://www.lasercd.com/cd/only-passing-through-ltd-digipak-preorder
-Marc.
-
Today, the band are pleased to release the video for the album’s first single “I Can’t Stay Here Anymore” which you can see here:
https://youtu.be/r6CUmwJqEQM
-
Pretty cool song!
-
I like the fact that there are more shorter songs this time around. That's where the band does its best work for me.
-
Finally listened to the new single and I quite liked it! Some very fun rhythms and meter changes in there, and Ted sounds great as usual. Everyone does, really. A strong first single! Just over 2 months til release!
-Marc.
-
I like the fact that there are more shorter songs this time around. That's where the band does its best work for me.
Thank you, I've been thinking the same thing! I actually don't like most of their longer songs.
-
I liked the new song quite a bit.
-
I like the fact that there are more shorter songs this time around. That's where the band does its best work for me.
Lifeboat, the 17-minute track on the previous album, was the only track on there that didn't really grab me. That said, I do like the rest of their longer tracks so we'll have to see how Time Has A Way holds up.
-
A new single has been teased to drop tomorrow! Looks like it'll be the song "Rock Paper Scissors".
https://fb.watch/bua1zJOD_2/
-Marc.
-
Got the promo of the album today.
Haven't listen to it, but a friend who also got a promo told me this is probably their best album.
-
Today, the band are pleased to release the new single “Rock Paper Scissors.” You can watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/jLVSmxiT8Co
-
Very nice song, laid back groove with some powerful vocals from Ted. Looking forward to this one very much, one of my most anticipated releases of 2022!
-Marc.
-
Yeah, this song was quite good. Looking forward to the album.
-
That song sounds great to my ears!
-
https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/pattern-seeking-animals-only-passing-through/
A new review of the upcoming album! Only 17 days to go! Cannot wait!
-Marc.
-
Got my shipping notification from LaserCD earlier this morning! Cannot wait to get this album. I haven't listened to the pre-release singles more than once, so I'm going into this one fairly blind. I spun Spock's Beard's Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep earlier this morning as I ramp up to listening to PSA stuff later this week. The run of SB albums with Ted, and the first two PSA albums, are all great stuff, and from the few reviews I've read on Only Passing Through, I'm getting more excited to hear it!
-Marc.
-
I have avoided the singles so far cause I'm waiting for the album. If it's anything like the last one quality wise I would be more than happy.
PSA is the closest thing to Spock's Beard without being the Beard itself and that's a good thing as it seems there's no new SB record in the pipeline.
-
My copy of OPT has been delivered from Laser CD, but unfortunately, I am stuck at work til at least 8pm tonight, so I can't listen to it for at least another 4-5 hours.
EDIT: Been home for a few hours now and I'm currently on my third spin of the album, and I've gotta say - first impressions are REALLY positive. This album has more of what I love about their first two albums, and then some! There's a lot of fun twists and turns in the music that I wasn't expecting, but everything just seems to fit, both within each song, and as an album on the whole. Definitely gonna take some time to let all the songs sink in, but I think I may like it more than Prehensile Tales but just a little bit, though it is too soon to tell.
-Marc.
-
On my first listen, I was stunned by how complex and wild this album is. The band innitially appeared to be a more simplified, catchier version of The Oblivion particle or Noise floor, being more into the infectious melodies and groove with their first two releases, but this album is a prog onslaught. It could be a grower, though.
-
Have checked only the first half of the album so far, but I agree this might the best of the 3 already! Everything is dialed just right and the performances are :metal :metal :metal
-
I had one listen in the background while working. Can't say much, but it sounded good.
-
I was indifferent towards the first album and I thought the second better, but still a bit disappointing, as a fan of SB's Nick and Ted eras. But my first impression about this new one is that it is a really strong album.
-
As I make my way through my fourth or fifth spin of the whole album, and this time with headphones on again, I've got to give a special shout-out to Dave Meros and his killer bass playing on this album. He really stands-out on this one and in SO many good ways.
Also, the great use of brass, strings, and other non-rock instruments is really well executed on this album. They really help set this band apart from Spock's Beard, giving the band its own identity separate from the band they're probably more well-known for. The progression of these three albums is very apparent and they're really settling into their own sound really well.
"Time Has A Way" has been a stand-out for me so far, but it's still quite early on and I haven't really fully connected with every song yet, despite realllllly enjoying each one. I will say I love the vibe of "Just Another Day At The Beach" (the second bonus track), as it has a fun, quirky side to it that songs from their first two albums kind of have.
Over-all, this one is a STRONG contender for AOTY for me, right up there with BBT's Welcome To The Planet, but I still have releases from Porcupine Tree and The Tangent coming up this summer, so who knows where these first-half-of-the-year albums will land when New Years reaches us in nine months!
I'm eager to see which songs from their three albums they will play live this spring, and if they're planing to put out a live album! With three albums' worth of material to start off touring with, they certainly don't need to resort to covers, and I hope they don't. Their material is strong enough to fill out a whole 2-2.5 hour concert considering they have over 173 minutes of music already! They've got one of the best Debut-To-Third album runs I've heard in recent years, and I cannot wait to hear what they put out next (especially if they continue making music almost every year as originally planned).
-Marc.
-
After a week of listening to Only Passing Through, I have really grown to love it. I'd say it ties with Prehensile Tales, but that could change as time goes on. I've really been enjoying hearing the progression of the band across their first three albums. I've been playing a playlist of all three in my phone pretty much non-stop for the last few days.
As much as I love the Ted-era SB albums, I think if I had to choose between those 3 SB albums or the first three P-SA albums, I might choose the latter. The music just feels more adventurous and exciting, and the sound pallette is a bit more diverse, employing the use of brass and string instruments integral to many songs.
John said in an interview that their live set will consist of fairly equal portions of all 3 albums, and a recent rehearsal video showed them practicing "I Can't Stay Here Anymore" from OPT, and I think Ted said he can't wait to play "Soon But Not Today", so I think we can expect at least those two songs to be played live.
-Marc.
-
Much ado and Time has a way are my favorites, with Everdark mountain also being a grower. Most of the remaining songs are also pretty good, but I have a feeling that the first two albums were catchier. This one might be my least favorite of the three, but I do like it.
-
After a few listens I would say it's a very good effort, but I'm not sure yet just how good it is. As of now I think it's better than the first one, but not as good as Prehensile tales.
As much as I love the Ted-era SB albums, I think if I had to choose between those 3 SB albums or the first three P-SA albums, I might choose the latter. The music just feels more adventurous and exciting, and the sound pallette is a bit more diverse, employing the use of brass and string instruments integral to many songs.
None of these records can touch Brief Nocturnes imo, which is probably my third favorite SB record of all eras, but they could be better than TOP and are certainly better than Noise Floor.
-
An ex DTF'er is playing with PSA live. Let's see if anyone can name him.
-
An ex DTF'er is playing with PSA live. Let's see if anyone can name him.
Nicky Spanjaards?
-
Nope. Lol. He is awesome. Plays in a Styx tribute band and now is playing with PSA as a touring member.
TheAtliator is his name.
-
An ex DTF'er is playing with PSA live. Let's see if anyone can name him.
Nicky Spanjaards?
It's been years since I'd last heard that name. :o
-
An ex DTF'er is playing with PSA live. Let's see if anyone can name him.
Nicky Spanjaards?
It's been years since I'd last heard that name. :o
(https://c.tenor.com/uNRYexbCh4cAAAAd/obi-wan-star-wars.gif)
-
The band played their first live show today, but I haven't been able to find the setlist yet :sad:
-
The band played their first live show today, but I haven't been able to find the setlist yet :sad:
https://www.facebook.com/fernandoperdomo/videos/867469444060504/
Thus clip, recorded from the side of the stage, shows them playing "Why Don't We Run" followed by "Here With You With Me". Rehearsal footage also showed them practicing "I Can't Stay Here Anymore", so that's at least 3 songs they played live.
Couldn't find any show reviews or set lists posted anywhere. Would love to know what else they played! Also props to Ted Leonard for jumping between Transatlantic shows to go down to RoSfest for P-SA's first gig!
-Marc.
-
Ted's the man. :tup
I'd love to see the whole set list. Also, the live band has two keyboard players, yet neither of them is Joe Boegehold. Does Joe not want to perform live?
-
An old DTF'er is playing keyboards for them live. TheAtliator. Dennis Atlas is his name.
-
Ted's the man. :tup
I'd love to see the whole set list. Also, the live band has two keyboard players, yet neither of them is Joe Boegehold. Does Joe not want to perform live?
John*
-
That's what I get for being confident about his first name and only checking the correct spelling on his surname. ;D
-
John stated a couple years ago that when the band takes the stage he would not join them. I believe he's explained it in interviews, mostly saying that while he can write fairly complex keyboard parts, he does so piecemeal and would find it difficult to pull off all those parts together in a live situation. The two live players offer their skills to cover all the extra key and guitar parts that Ted cannot cover himself.
The clip I've seen sounds really good though, so going live with five players is the best choice for P-SA.
-Marc.
-
Just got replied to by Dave Meros regarding what they played at RoSFest.
I Can't Stay Here Anymore
Orphans Of The Universe
Everdark Mountain
The Same Mistakes Again
Elegant Vampires
Soon But Not Today
Time Has A Way
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Said The Stranger
Why Don't We Run
Here With You With Me
(also on set list but not played because we were short on time was No Burden Left To Carry)
Six songs from the newest album, plus 3 from Prehensile Tales and just 2 from the debut, although it would've been 3. A fairly good mix of material but I'm sad they didn't bust out "No Lands Man", one of my favorites from the debut.
-Marc.
-
An old DTF'er is playing keyboards for them live. TheAtliator. Dennis Atlas is his name.
I talked with Dennis after the show, but did not realize he was a prior member here. I will have to mention that on the cruise!
Was the most excited for this out of everything at RoSfest and the show was fantastic. Moved from my sixth row seat to an open front row spot prior to their start and was rewarded with a callout from Ted before they even started playing. :lol
Ted, Jimmy, and Dave were as tight as you might expect. I feel like Jimmy got to sing every bit as much as he wanted while Dave enjoyed having no mic in front of him and Ted loved being just a guitarist/singer. Seemed like they were Spock's as they would like to be. Dennis absolutely crushed his parts and the other guy, who's name I'm forgetting right now, probably had the most little issues of anyone, but given his age, the fact that he played with a different band in Orlando the night before, and the half dozen different instruments he played was still insane.
And yeah, given this is all but Boegehold's band from a songwriting perspective the safe assumption is now he has no desire to perform live.
-
Just got replied to by Dave Meros regarding g what they played at RoSFest.
I Can't Stay Here Anymore
Orphans Of The Universe
Everdark Mountain
The Same Mistakes Again
Elegant Vampires
Soon But Not Today
Time Has A Way
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Said The Stranger
Why Don't We Run
Here With You With Me
(also on set list but not played because we were short on time was No Burden Left To Carry)
Six songs from the newest album, plus 3 from Prehensile Tales and just 2 from the debut, although it would've been 3. A fairly good mix of material but I'm sad they didn't bust out "No Lands Man", one of my favorites from the debut.
-Marc.
Nice! :tup
-
Very good setlist, would have liked it if they had played Here In My Autumn, but then I wasn't there, so I couldn't have heard it anyway. ;)
-
Just got replied to by Dave Meros regarding what they played at RoSFest.
I Can't Stay Here Anymore
Orphans Of The Universe
Everdark Mountain
The Same Mistakes Again
Elegant Vampires
Soon But Not Today
Time Has A Way
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Said The Stranger
Why Don't We Run
Here With You With Me
(also on set list but not played because we were short on time was No Burden Left To Carry)
Six songs from the newest album, plus 3 from Prehensile Tales and just 2 from the debut, although it would've been 3. A fairly good mix of material but I'm sad they didn't bust out "No Lands Man", one of my favorites from the debut.
-Marc.
Here's the set from the band's first show on CTTE:
I Can't Stay Here Anymore
No Burden Left To Carry
Why Don't We Run
Soon But Not Today
Time Has A Way
Said The Stranger
Here With You With Me
A bit over an hour of music, not too bad!
That leaves the following five songs they hadn't played yet from their RosFest concert, which only adds up to about half an hour of music, so I wonder if they have an hour half hour of songs to play!
Orphans Of The Universe
Everdark Mountain
The Same Mistakes Again
Elegant Vampires
Rock, Paper, Scissors
EDIT - just noticed that Jimmy said their 2nd show would be a little different, so I think they'll just swap out a few songs from the first show with the five above.
-Marc.
-
FWIW in talking with Ted I don't think we'll see every song we saw at RoSfest. He talked about streamlining things down to the material they thought worked live the best.
-
Nick, you talk to Dennis yet?
-
Nick, you talk to Dennis yet?
I did! Got to talk about the forum for a bit. It's cool to see how absolutely excited he is about all things cruise and music.
-
That's awesome. If you see him again tell him I said hello.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZKT2LmOfM
Ted shared this clip of P-SA playing "Soon But Not Today" from CTTE. Probably one of my favorite songs by the band, this is a great slice of their shows from that cruise week! Really hoping they can tour and produce a full live album release!
-Marc.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZKT2LmOfM
Ted shared this clip of P-SA playing "Soon But Not Today" from CTTE. Probably one of my favorite songs by the band, this is a great slice of their shows from that cruise week! Really hoping they can tour and produce a full live album release!
-Marc.
Hey Marc, do you know what their second CTTE setlist was? Also hoping for more shows and a live album from this band :tup
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZKT2LmOfM
Ted shared this clip of P-SA playing "Soon But Not Today" from CTTE. Probably one of my favorite songs by the band, this is a great slice of their shows from that cruise week! Really hoping they can tour and produce a full live album release!
-Marc.
Hey Marc, do you know what their second CTTE setlist was? Also hoping for more shows and a live album from this band :tup
Couldn't find any posts with the setlist, but setlist.fm shows they at least played "Time Has A Way" and "Elegant Vampires".
As for P-SA, I'll be doing a Survivor for their 3 albums starting next week. Hopefully the dozen or so fans here will participate! I'll have to dive back into their albums in-between listens of the new PT, but it'll be my short Survivor after Dream Theater and before Genesis (first time doing that Survivor in a decade).
-Marc.
-
They are playing Progstock as well as Evership.
-
Starting tomorrow morning, I'll begin the first ever P-SA Survivor here at DTF's Polls & Survivors subforum! I would like to see any and all fans of this band participate, especially since the band only has three albums so far. Each round will run for two days, just so I can make sure everyone sees it! Hope to see most of you voting there!
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57550.0
-Marc.
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John Boegehold just shared on Facebook that he just finished two days at the Woodcliff Studio with Frank Rosato and Jimmy Keegan. They were recording the drums for P-SA album number 4! They've recorded six songs so far, and "more to go".
If they're doing the drums now, I suspect we will see P-SA 4 sometime early next year!
-Marc.
-
Now that's just fantastic.
-
I think they're trying to catch up to SB's album count :lol
-
If I remember, the turnaround from album 1 to 2 was less than a year so this is par for the course, it seems.
I must admit the new album hasn't fully clicked with me yet.
-
I think they're trying to catch up to SB's album count :lol
:rollin Well if they keep going at nearly one a year they'll catch up by 2034 or so! I just hope they continue to be the same quality without becoming stale or stagnant.
If I remember, the turnaround from album 1 to 2 was less than a year so this is par for the course, it seems.
I must admit the new album hasn't fully clicked with me yet.
Perhaps following along and participating in my P-SA Survivor will help with listening to the nee album? (Shameless plug, I know). The Survivor for Prehensile Tales just started today, and it'll be a short one since it's just 6 songs. But then in 10 days or so, we'll start the Survivor for Only Passing Through.
I'd love to see at least two more voters in the Survivor as right now it's just been me and Mladen!
-Marc.
-
I would like to participate, but I'm on holiday right now and don't have the time to check the survivor regularly or hear the respective records, sorry.
-
I've been revisiting Only Passing Through this week as the third round of that album's survivor is currently running. (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57606.msg2904659#msg2904659)
I've been trying to rate the songs to figure out which ones have stuck out to me since its release, and of course, songs like "Time Has A Way" and "Here With You With Me" have aged well for me. The opener is also pretty good, even if it's their shortest song so far.
The bonus tracks were probably set aside as bonus tracks for reason but I still quite enjoy them. It'll be interesting to see what makes the cut for their show at ProgStock in October!
-Marc.
-
https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/pfbid0Mna22QknZJuXvFVMfdRX6x9K3bqbbwK7jpo9cAHadZ4v8CwMDtx5gEiW8BnFLrLGl/
John has posted a video of Jimmy in the studio. As of today, the drums are done for P-SA 4!
Edit - Jimmy has also shared a video on his YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/QcMRtZxjIZg
-Marc.
-
https://youtube.com/channel/UCSt0xHY99r9_jpVjtocJSlQ
The band have created a YouTube channel, and have uploaded some behind-the-scenes videos of the making of P-SA 4, due out next year! Pretty sure these clips were originally posted on Facebook by John, but if you don't have Facebook, now you can see them on YouTube!
-Marc.
-
https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/pfbid0wCJH4XCjthTepND6r9yAFcAmmkJshpthT3uZetci6mJJSd5qQY5dC5xLoypGnaQ5l/?mibextid=Nif5oz
Yesterday was string day at Woodcliff Studio with Frank Rosato recording with Quartet405, LLC for the fourth Pattern-Seeking Animals album due later this year. Sounded great! Made me want to go back and add strings to some of the already-mixed songs. Eliza James, Danica Pinner, Jennifer Wu, Rebecca Schlappich Charles
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/337379998_130055933215393_4596301200347038806_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=SZg_3PlvV04AX_eXjbQ&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfABX4GGWJFzm8-jhDkmbYsZzpbPtdKOG9_28eskXKTcDw&oe=64225D1B)
Confirmation that P-SA 4 will be due out later this year!
-Marc.
-
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0wzSpPSXvt73fVUYJKifkM7dSMMEExnYKZMPiSWEKRVK5ZnuE589NpLUw2iyNcYwcl&id=100000224097006&post_id=100000224097006_pfbid0wzSpPSXvt73fVUYJKifkM7dSMMEExnYKZMPiSWEKRVK5ZnuE589NpLUw2iyNcYwcl&mibextid=DcJ9fc
In a reply to this thread on Facebook, Jimmy Keegan let slip that P-SA4 will be coming out in October, so I suspect we will get more info in it within a month as the publicity cycle for it begins.
-Marc.
-
Would love to see them get some live shows going.
-
Would love to see them get some live shows going.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/pattern-seeking-animals-73f7f655.html
They've done a few shows, but I agree, it'd be great if they could tour once their fourth album drops, but I doubt it'll happen. I was hoping one of their live shows from last year would get released as a live album, but I guess not.
Maybe if they do manage a small tour, they'll put a live album out.
-Marc.
-
Would love to see them get some live shows going.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/pattern-seeking-animals-73f7f655.html
They've done a few shows, but I agree, it'd be great if they could tour once their fourth album drops, but I doubt it'll happen. I was hoping one of their live shows from last year would get released as a live album, but I guess not.
Maybe if they do manage a small tour, they'll put a live album out.
-Marc.
Yeah, I saw them on Cruise to the Edge and I've been hoping for a full tour since.
-
Would love to see them get some live shows going.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/pattern-seeking-animals-73f7f655.html
They've done a few shows, but I agree, it'd be great if they could tour once their fourth album drops, but I doubt it'll happen. I was hoping one of their live shows from last year would get released as a live album, but I guess not.
Maybe if they do manage a small tour, they'll put a live album out.
-Marc.
Not-very-fun fact: I'm certainly one of the few, and possibly one of the only fans to be at all four PSA shows thus far. :D
That said, knowing the opinions of several guys in the band, and the feasibility of touring, I can say with 99.9% certainty that you won't see any attempt at touring. Likely will continue to be a festival band in the live arena.
-
Their leader has always been a bit of a behind-the-scenes guy, really. PSA is the most "front and centre" he's been and even then keyboards are usually near the back or the side of the stage.
-
Their leader has always been a bit of a behind-the-scenes guy, really. PSA is the most "front and centre" he's been and even then keyboards are usually near the back or the side of the stage.
You mean John Bogehold? IIRC, he didn't even play with them live, so he's definitely behind-the-scenes. I heard the two supplemental players they got for their live shows were pretty good though.
-Marc.
-
Their leader has always been a bit of a behind-the-scenes guy, really. PSA is the most "front and centre" he's been and even then keyboards are usually near the back or the side of the stage.
You mean John Bogehold? IIRC, he didn't even play with them live, so he's definitely behind-the-scenes. I heard the two supplemental players they got for their live shows were pretty good though.
-Marc.
Yeah, John doesn't play live.
Dennis, who does have an account here, and Walter have done an incredible job in the live shows. Especially considering they are just playing random 1-2 hour prog shows every now and again.
-
Dennis's Facebook page is awesome. He does requests and he'll play and sing the song live. He's in a few tribute bands. Styx tribute being his #1 band.
-
According to a reply by John Boegehold in the P-SA Forum on Facebook:
We're finishing up album artwork now. First single (of four) & video (of four) in August, album release in October. Official announcement in a few weeks.
Jimmy also replied saying that there are no shows on the books but they would like to do some.
Ted has also replied that the album is mixed and mastered, and that the release date is dictated by their label (I assume Inside Out as the first three were). "Great sounding album! I think you'll dig it!"
Can't wait to see what they've got cooked up for their fourth album!
-Marc.
-
*...of four...*
InsideOut, you do you...
-
*...of four...*
InsideOut, you do you...
Yeaaaaah, I noticed that too. Hopefully the album has 8 or more tracks so we aren't hearing more than half of the album before release, though I suspect the fourth single will drop on or after release date and two or three of them will be pre-release. Either way, if they filmed videos for them, at least it'll be good promotion for the band, especially on their FOURTH album with no tour or live album yet.
I'm hoping we get a press release in the next week or two since it's aimed for an October release.
-Marc.
-
https://fb.watch/mC8PPwAzzk/
According to John:
This is for the first single. Video, track list, album cover and pre-order info also on Friday.
Two more days and we'll get info on the new album!
-Marc.
-
New single Window to the World (https://open.spotify.com/album/2zRJTPkYIo7Nkpwb2L46WF?si=Nl_pBUG_RwujxhSwHMJGHQ)
That link has the album art, which has the title: Spooky Action at a Distance
-
New single Window to the World (https://open.spotify.com/album/2zRJTPkYIo7Nkpwb2L46WF?si=Nl_pBUG_RwujxhSwHMJGHQ)
That link has the album art, which has the title: Spooky Action at a Distance
Very fun, short single! Don't care for the AI video, but the song was good. Here's the 2CD track listing:
CD1
1 The Man Made of Stone 7:01
2 Window to the World 3:58
3 What Waitz Me 5:22
4 He Once Was 12:17
5 Underneath the Orphan Moon 3:53
6 Clouds That Never Rain 5:17
7 Bulletproof 4:17
8 Somewhere North of Nowhere 6:46
9 Summoned from Afar 7:33
10 Love Is Still the Light 4:42
CD2
11 There Goes My Baby 3:50
12 Orphans of the Universe Live at ProgStock 2022 10:39
13 Elegant Vampires Live at ProgStock 2022 4:27
14 Time Has a Way Live at ProgStock 2022 13:13
Looks like 1 bonus studio track and 3 bonus live tracks from a show last year!
-Marc.
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That was a neat song. The album might be a bit of an overload at an hour length, but I'm still really looking forward to it. :tup
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After one listen, the single doesn't really grab me. Seems a little disjointed, which I normally don't mind very much, but for some reason it didn't work for me.
I'll give it another listen later on.
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That was a neat song. The album might be a bit of an overload at an hour length, but I'm still really looking forward to it. :tup
Their previous albums were a bit under an hour so I'm not too worried about it being too long at 61:06 (or 64:56 with the bonus track). The s/t debut is 58:13, PT is 55:26, and OPT is 59:29 with two bonus tracks.
I do wonder if "Bulletproof" is an alternate version of the Spock's Beard song from Noose Floor, which was also written by Boegehold.
Edit - John did just confirm that "Bulletproof" on SAAAD is a reworking of the previously SB-recorded song.
-Marc.
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I don't even remember Bulletproof from Noise floor. It must have been a bonus track.
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https://youtu.be/h9NPrwfwK4w?si=w8jKrS9OrZKehBkx
"Somewhere North Of Nowhere" is out now for time zones in Sept 15th. Giving this my one pre-release listen. So far so good, very P-SA, which is to say, excellent as expected.
-Marc.
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The upcoming album is also available for REVIEW. And there's a chance to interview the band members, any takers?
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Guys, I'll be interviewing Ted Leonard on October 3rd, if you have questions for him post those below.
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Guys, I'll be interviewing Ted Leonard on October 3rd, if you have questions for him post those below.
Anything about SB still being around? :eek
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Guys, I'll be interviewing Ted Leonard on October 3rd, if you have questions for him post those below.
Anything about SB still being around? :eek
Same question, but for Enchant instead of Spock's Beard.
-Marc.
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I really thought Enchant had been gearing up to release something new a few years ago that even included a 20 minute epic called Beauty & Wonder or something like that, but then nothing since. I’m thinking the guys all moved on and with Ted moving to the east coast, it’s unlikely they’ll ever get together again.
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Is there a conscious decision to write and perform shorter songs for P-SA, and how challenging is that compared to the usual prog epics?
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I really thought Enchant had been gearing up to release something new a few years ago that even included a 20 minute epic called Beauty & Wonder or something like that, but then nothing since. I’m thinking the guys all moved on and with Ted moving to the east coast, it’s unlikely they’ll ever get together again.
IIRC, the title "Beauty And Sadness" was the title for the album, but maybe it was also the epic on it as well. It's been floating around since before the pandemic I think, probably in 2018.
EDIT - Here's the Enchant thread where it was brought up - https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=52409.msg2437561#msg2437561
Is there a conscious decision to write and perform shorter songs for P-SA, and how challenging is that compared to the usual prog epics?
Looking at the track lengths of the songs from the upcoming album, looks like four of the ten songs are over 6.5 minutes long, which doesn't exactly scream "short" to me. From their first three albums' 25 songs, almost half are around or under 5 minutes long, so they've definitely had quite a lot of shorter songs. I think for them, they just write what feels best for the song, and if that happens to be 3 minutes or 12, it's what they write. I think I've seen John talk about song lengths before, both with SB and P-SA, and he has said something to that effect.
-Marc.
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Guys, I'll be interviewing Ted Leonard on October 3rd, if you have questions for him post those below.
Anything about SB still being around? :eek
Same question, but for Enchant instead of Spock's Beard.
-Marc.
Same question, for both! ;)
Even more for Enchant, that is so quiet for a long time now.
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Guys, I'll be interviewing Ted Leonard on October 3rd, if you have questions for him post those below.
Anything about SB still being around? :eek
Same question, but for Enchant instead of Spock's Beard.
-Marc.
Same question, for both! ;)
Even more for Enchant, that is so quiet for a long time now.
Enchant already had an 11 year hiatus between their last two albums, and we’re only 9 years out from the last one. But it does seem that unless Doug gets motivated to do something new that they are probably done at this point.
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I don't even remember Bulletproof from Noise floor. It must have been a bonus track.
It was, on the second Cutting Room Floor disc. The band name derives from a lyric in the song.
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I really thought Enchant had been gearing up to release something new a few years ago that even included a 20 minute epic called Beauty & Wonder or something like that, but then nothing since. I’m thinking the guys all moved on and with Ted moving to the east coast, it’s unlikely they’ll ever get together again.
IIRC, the title "Beauty And Sadness" was the title for the album, but maybe it was also the epic on it as well. It's been floating around since before the pandemic I think, probably in 2018.
EDIT - Here's the Enchant thread where it was brought up - https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=52409.msg2437561#msg2437561
Right, Beauty And Sadness. I definitely remember that being the name of an epic, possibly info given by Doug via a facebook or something. They seemed to be pretty far along with it, so I'm wondering why it just turned to nothing. All the guys seem busy with their personal lives now so I'm guessing it's just over.
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I don't even remember Bulletproof from Noise floor. It must have been a bonus track.
It was, on the second Cutting Room Floor disc. The band name derives from a lyric in the song.
It might be the best song on the album even. Loved that one. Some very curious choices to leave some of the bonus disc tracks off the main album. I just view the whole thing as one album personally.
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Tonite by 7 pm EST I'll be interviewing Ted, if you guys have more questions, write them below.
Thanks.
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Last minute idea, I am thinking to livestream the interview and get questions LIVE. Would you be up for it?
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I hope you guys enjoy this one:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/ted-leonard-talks-music-inspiration-and-the-future-of-pattern-seeking-animals-spocks-beard-transatlantic-enchant-and-more-in-candid-interview/
:metal
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I hope you guys enjoy this one:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/ted-leonard-talks-music-inspiration-and-the-future-of-pattern-seeking-animals-spocks-beard-transatlantic-enchant-and-more-in-candid-interview/
:metal
That was really good! :metal
Sad thing about SB, but we were expecting it anyway.
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Great interviews! I can feel Ted’s sadness through this though. Even myself, all the bands I loved as a kid/teenager feel like they’re on the way out and I haven’t really found many newer bands to take their place. Glad to hear PSA is still productive - I’m not the biggest fan but I think I’ll check out their stuff anyway just to support the guys.
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Thank you guys. Ted appeared visibly saddened when discussing SB's situation. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to upload the video due to technical issues – a power outage occurred, and my wife and kids were using their cellphones at the time to light my face.
On a positive note, my eldest son, who is a big fan of Transatlantic, had the opportunity to meet Ted. He expressed his admiration and mentioned that "Black as the Sky" is his favorite song, even singing Ted's part from the song. Ted was pleasantly surprised and remarked that my son might be his youngest fan. He also mentioned that my son was the first to express love for the section he wrote, which isn't in the studio version of the album.
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Excellent interview, MinistroRaven and cool story with your son!
Sadly we didn't get good news from SB neither Enchant, but it is what it is.
But... really looking foward the new Pattern Seeking Animals! :metal
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Pattern-Seeking Animals (P-SA) are set to release their 4th studio album Spooky Action at a Distance, later this month on October 27th.
Today, the band is pleased to share the new single “Underneath the Orphan Moon,” a somber ballad that deals with a teenage girl leaving a bad situation.
Watch the video directed by Stuart Wahlin here:
https://youtu.be/AcD80FdpP7g?si=5vhdlfbHa5IqwSdN
John Boegehold had this to say about the song: “Underneath the Orphan Moon is a bit of a departure for us stylistically but still fits in quite nicely with the other songs on the album.”
Stream the singles and pre-order “Spooky Action at a Distance” here:
https://patternseekinganimals.lnk.to/SpookyActionAtADistance
Haven't heard it yet, but my excitement for this album keeps growing now that we're in October.
-Marc.
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I got my copy of SAAD yesterday and have given it one sleepy spin, and some this morning before work. So far, I'm *really* digging this one too. P-SA seem to be a band that can balance quantity AND quality as they've gone on with their fourth album since July 2019.
The updated version of "Bulletproof" is different enough from the SB version that it now feels closer in line with what P-SA has been over the course of their discography. Funny how the song that birthed the name of the band is now on their FOURTH studio album. :lol
I'll definitely be spinning this one as much as I can over the next week or so, though I am swamped with work this weekend, so I might not get to a solid listen until Sunday or so, but I definitely need to make time to listen to this in full with headphones on.
-Marc.
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My 2 disc copy arrived today. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have listened to the last one yet. Guess I'll get around to them eventually.
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I'm not really feeling this one. For an hour long album, it's a bit samey. A lot of it reminds me of the stuff the band had already done, not to mention that it's not nearly as catchy and adventurous melodically to my ears. Also, the epic centerpiece is unfortunately my least favorite song on it, which is a shame.
It's not bad by any means. But the previous three albums were much better and had higher highs by a lot. Maybe it's a grower, though, we'll see.
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Elegant Vampires live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfRxIQqmUks
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Removed "NEW BAND" from the thread title for accuracy.
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I'm not really feeling this one. For an hour long album, it's a bit samey. A lot of it reminds me of the stuff the band had already done, not to mention that it's not nearly as catchy and adventurous melodically to my ears. Also, the epic centerpiece is unfortunately my least favorite song on it, which is a shame.
It's not bad by any means. But the previous three albums were much better and had higher highs by a lot. Maybe it's a grower, though, we'll see.
This is where I'm at at the moment. Nothing is bad but nothing is standing out and nothing sticks so far. Hopefully it's a grower.
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We were back at Woodcliff Studio yesterday (seems like we never left) recording drums for three new songs for P-SA5.
https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/pfbid02rCiUn8rJG9KBRk1q5d1TduwWVgch6aCNwHNQCaarzDFJbDBcuMHwocCeSjcLh52Kl/?mibextid=Nif5oz
Looks like John and the boys are back at work for P-SA's fifth studio album!
-Marc.
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Still digesting the 4th record. It's better than my initial impression, I like He Once Was, Underneath The Orphan Moon and Somewhere North Of Nowhere best. Bulletprof is another good song, but it's not that different from the Spock's Beard version, I wonder why they felt the need to record it again.
But all in all this record ranks 3rd or 4th, not sure yet.
Not sure what to think if they are already recording the next one. Seems to me that every song John Boegehold writes gets recorded. Maybe it would be better to write some more and then chose the best. I'm all for quality over quantity.
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Still digesting the 4th record. It's better than my initial impression, I like He Once Was, Underneath The Orphan Moon and Somewhere North Of Nowhere best. Bulletprof is another good song, but it's not that different from the Spock's Beard version, I wonder why they felt the need to record it again.
But all in all this record ranks 3rd or 4th, not sure yet.
I've spun it several more times since release and quite enjoy it. It's hard to rank these albums after awhile because they've all come out in such short time from each other that after awhile, they start to blend together, for better or worse. At least the band has a fairly consistent sound and style that is recognizable and not a straight rip-off of Spock's Beard, though there are still some Beard-isms here and there, which seems unavoidable. I still like their second album the most, but this might tie for 2nd with the third album, with their debut sitting at the bottom, but by no means is it a BAD album, just my least favorite over-all.
Not sure what to think if they are already recording the next one. Seems to me that every song John Boegehold writes gets recorded. Maybe it would be better to write some more and then chose the best. I'm all for quality over quantity.
Well it's telling that their last two albums have had "bonus tracks" tacked on the end, so it really does seem like John is releasing almost every song he deems fit to record for P-SA. It should be reiterated that this band began as an outlet for John's proggier music, and that from the outset, it was going to be a yearly endeavor. With four albums in about four years, he shows no signs of slowing, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. So far, the songs and albums have all been quite enjoyable, IMO, so I'm not going to turn away from more P-SA, but I hope the quality is about the same going forward. So far, they're all at least 7/10 rated for me, with the debut being around a 7/10 but the rest at least an 8 or 9, if I had to put rating on them. And in the absence of new Spock's Beard material, this is the best way to get new prog rock from Ted and Dave, who is one of the most underrated bassists in prog rock (still!).
-Marc.
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Bulletprof is another good song, but it's not that different from the Spock's Beard version, I wonder why they felt the need to record it again.
Because the SB version is effectively a demo off the cutting room floor.
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Bulletprof is another good song, but it's not that different from the Spock's Beard version, I wonder why they felt the need to record it again.
Because the SB version is effectively a demo off the cutting room floor.
Forgot that it was on the bonus disc, although I think that 99% of those who bought that record bought the 2 disc edition and the rest listenened to it on spotify. ;)
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I've spun it several more times since release and quite enjoy it. It's hard to rank these albums after awhile because they've all come out in such short time from each other that after awhile, they start to blend together, for better or worse. At least the band has a fairly consistent sound and style that is recognizable and not a straight rip-off of Spock's Beard, though there are still some Beard-isms here and there, which seems unavoidable. I still like their second album the most, but this might tie for 2nd with the third album, with their debut sitting at the bottom, but by no means is it a BAD album, just my least favorite over-all.
This is definitely a thing. I listened to the live tracks on the new record and while I knew them all, I couldn't tell you which record they came from without looking it up.
I know that John set out with the mindset to release an album every year, but maybe, instead of releasing a bunch of 7/10 records, write some more songs, let them grow, and then choose the best of them and release an 9/10 or even a 10/10 record, even if it takes two years.
And yes, Dave Meros is the man :metal
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There was no one-disc version. InsideOut had this weird phase in the immediate aftermath of the Sony acquisition of including "bonus discs" on most of their major releases but that was the standard issue. No idea what the business reasoning behind it was but there it was.
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Okay, I didn't know that. I always assumed, if there is a two disc version with demos on the second disc, then there is a standard one disc version also.
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Okay, I didn't know that. I always assumed, if there is a two disc version with demos on the second disc, then there is a standard one disc version also.
In the case of Noise Floor, though, those bonus tracks weren't demos - they were fully produced and recorded, just not deemed worthy enough to be part of the "main album". The Japanese release of NF, however, did include some demos of album tracks, plus one additional exclusive track "Save Our Souls".
-Marc.
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Bulletproof was one of my favorite tracks from Noise Floor. Kind of feels like there was some tension with the guys and Bogehold over that one. It’s a great song though.
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Fun fact - "Bulletproof" isn't the first song P-SA has released that was originally on a Spock's Beard album. The song "No One Ever Died And Made Me King" (from the first P-SA album) first appeared on the Japanese release of BNADS.
https://www.discogs.com/release/8217560-Spocks-Beard-Brief-Nocturnes-And-Dreamless-Sleep
I only just found this out and realized I never got the Japanese edition of this album. I wonder the SB version sounds compared to the P-SA one.
-Marc.
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The song "No One Ever Died And Made Me King" (from the first P-SA album) first appeared on the Japanese release of BNADS.
I think John Boegehold had once posted the SB version (or at least a demo of it) on YouTube (@brainforest), but it's been removed. Don't know if the whole band played on it or not, but Ted was on vocals.
This is the first I've ever heard of "Save our Souls" -- would love to hear it, but the Japanese bonus tracks rarely find their way to the internet.
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We were back at Woodcliff Studio yesterday (seems like we never left) recording drums for three new songs for P-SA5.
https://www.facebook.com/541388944/posts/pfbid02rCiUn8rJG9KBRk1q5d1TduwWVgch6aCNwHNQCaarzDFJbDBcuMHwocCeSjcLh52Kl/?mibextid=Nif5oz
Looks like John and the boys are back at work for P-SA's fifth studio album!
-Marc.
In another update posted by John yesterday (https://www.facebook.com/boegehold/posts/pfbid02Ans1fGKDaJ6RBoNgZkUvfK1oAzqGSVAX9yDNb5pa9z19F8wLEyN9CHu3ffm74VH2l), Jimmy was back in the studio recording drums for two new songs, which, if they aren't any of the same ones they worked on in December, brings the running total of new songs for P-SA 5 to five songs so far.
John replied to my comment asking if it'd be a late 2024 release, and he said if not then, probably early 2025, which would mean 2024 would be another gap-year with no new studio album, but still, releasing a fifth album in early 2025 would mean five studio albums in less than 5.5 years (as their debut came out in July 2019). Pretty impressive, especially since, IMO, their body of work has stayed fairly consistent thus far, if a bit homogenous, but that could just be John's writing style and the band's playing in a broad sense.
-Marc.
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It's beginning to get stale now. The last two albums are nowhere near as inspired as the first two and the fact they're already working on the next one doesn't fill me with confidence that they'll inject anything really fresh and exciting. It's kinda how Spock's Beard went after Brief Nocturnes.
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https://www.facebook.com/share/8FFhCQbRDWqwmD3s/?mibextid=oFDknk
Jimmy has posted that the drums are done for P-SA 5! I suspect a fall release, depending on how fast the others get their tracks done.
-Marc.
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I'm currently revisiting Spooky action at a distance. I like it better compared to when it came out, but still, I enjoyed the first three albums more. Something tells me the band had already peaked with Prehensile tales.