The Haken thread v. Restoration

[ariich]

I would say Blind is the closest Haken have come to actually sounding like circus music, and that section is meant to be a sort of dark circus idea.

Nothing on their full 3 albums is anything like circus music though.

[Zook]

Someone is in denial.

[GasparXR]

Someone is in denial.

And denial is not just a river in Africa!

[Syzzle]

What Circus/Carnival are you people going to that plays anything like the so called "circus parts" in Haken's songs?

[ariich]

What Circus/Carnival are you people going to that plays anything like the so called "circus parts" in Haken's songs?

This.

And for the record I have nothing against circus music - like I said, Blind comes very close and that's my favourite song on the demo. It's just a very lazy description for anything quirky, regardless of whether it sounds anything like it.

[Dublagent66]

I have nothing against it either.  I think it's the first thing people think of when they hear the quirky parts.  DT has those types of quirky parts in some of their arrangements.  That's why they added a short circus theme segment in the middle of UAGM on Score.  Nothing wrong with it.

[Implode]

Anything that has non-major/minor tonality with anything remotely similar to a breathy organ sound counts as circus music apparently.

[Heretic]

Someone is in denial.

yeah he's in denial of something that doesn't even hold water ok

[BlackInk]

Oh come on, it's the first thing that comes to almost everyones minds when they here those quirky parts. A lot of people who I have shown those sections to have immediately gone "haha circus music". It's just what comes to mind, nothing to want to ban people over.

[Nel_Annette]

What BlackInk said. When I hear the quirky stuff, circus/carnival just is the first thing to come to mind. No one means it literally; you don't have to get that defensive. Nothing for the lot of you to go bananas over. 

[Mosh]

There's the bit before the first guitar solo in Celestial Elixir, a moment at the beginning of Point Of No Return, and before the first verse of Shapeshifter. I think it's cool and it does sound like circus music. Very crummy thing to get worked up about.

[GasparXR]

People are taking pictures of themselves with their new copy of DT12, and I want to join in the fun, but I haven't received mine yet, so I decided to take what is possibly the scariest picture of me I may have ever seen, featuring The Mountain:

[Zook]

Someone is in denial.

yeah he's in denial of something that doesn't even hold water ok

[Jaq]

Go listen to Aquarius. Less than 30 seconds into The Point of No Return, there is a section that, if you can't hear why someone would say "hey, that sounds like a carnival", I can't help you. It's not being critical, it's just how people hear the music. Why are people being so defensive about this, it's not like people are saying HAKEN SUX LOL CIRCUS MUSIC or something like that.

[Zook]

Go listen to Aquarius. Less than 30 seconds into The Point of No Return, there is a section that, if you can't hear why someone would say "hey, that sounds like a carnival", I can't help you. It's not being critical, it's just how people hear the music. Why are people being so defensive about this, it's not like people are saying HAKEN SUX LOL CIRCUS MUSIC or something like that.

Because lol Power Metal, lol Slayer, lol Megadeth, lol Symphony X, lol Dream Theater, lol etc.

[jammindude]

Just had to chime in and say that I've only just discovered Haken.   I've never heard Aquarius though.

I just listened to PonR...and 30 seconds in I was like...."This is circus music"

But I'm still enjoying it.

[ariich]

Why are people being so defensive about this, it's not like people are saying HAKEN SUX LOL CIRCUS MUSIC or something like that.

Indeed, I'm not defending anything because nobody is attacking anything here. I'm just expressing my frustration at the way people use that term innacurately and sometimes in a derogatory way. And when it's used that way then yeah it can be pretty annoying.

I can't explain why that sort of quirky music reminds people of the circus - seems to be exclusively Americans who use that phrase though so maybe it's a cultural thing.

[Zook]

The same can be said for the term, "cheesy".

[ariich]

The same can be said for the term, "cheesy".

Indeed, and I find that term overly used as well. Also "pretentious".

[jsem]

Just had to chime in and say that I've only just discovered Haken.   I've never heard Aquarius though.

I just listened to PonR...and 30 seconds in I was like...."This is circus music"

But I'm still enjoying it.

Just discovered? What took you so long. They've been one of the most talked about bands in GMD since Aquarius really.

[jammindude]

I've been hearing about them for awhile...but I guess sometimes I wait to see if a buzz "sticks" before taking a peek. (I even do this with local bands....I've been listening to If I Were A Gladiator for about 5 or 6 years....but I wanted to see if they were going to end up being a serious band before I went out pimping them.   But now it's heading that direction)    In this case, I really should have investigated sooner.    I've been listening to Aquarius all morning and loving it.    And I thought that Muppet video for The Cockroach King was absolutely BRILLIANT. 

Loving this band right now, and need to pick up their albums.   Best new discovery since I got turned on to Riverside around '07-08...

[Outcrier]

One of my favorites is Falling Back to Earth... 6:00 mark (already part 2, maybe?), they drop the "quirky stuff" (I don't mind it sometimes, but all time, it get in my nerves) to play that great mellow passage.

[YtseJamittaja]

Really, nobody get Steven Wilson vibe from 7:00 onwards in FBTE?? That part could have been straight from Raven That Refused to Sing sessions... Nothing wrong there, just cool thing.


But this album is really growing on me. In Memoriam and Pareidolia are still my faves, Cockroach King, Because It's There and Falling Back to Earth a little behind.

[me7]

Just discovered? What took you so long. They've been one of the most talked about bands in GMD since Aquarius really.

BTW, I remember you expressing mixed feelings about the album a few pages back. Has your opinion changed after several listens?
I'm generally interested if there are fans who dislike the new album and why.

[ariich]

Really, nobody get Steven Wilson vibe from 7:00 onwards in FBTE?? That part could have been straight from Raven That Refused to Sing sessions... Nothing wrong there, just cool thing.

Hmm, not really - I get much more of a BTBAM vibe from that whole section.

[Heretic]

The same can be said for the term, "cheesy".

Indeed, and I find that term overly used as well. Also "pretentious".

YES I hate when people call a passage of music "pretentious" as if a band is making music to prove they are better than regular people or something lol

[jsem]

Just discovered? What took you so long. They've been one of the most talked about bands in GMD since Aquarius really.

BTW, I remember you expressing mixed feelings about the album a few pages back. Has your opinion changed after several listens?
I'm generally interested if there are fans who dislike the new album and why.

My comment was about Haken in general. He just discovered the band despite having been around GMD for a long long time.

And about the album, I think it's the weakest of the three studio releases so far. It's not a bad album though, just not as mindblowing as Aquarius and Visions were.

[Lucien]

Pareidolia's banjo/bouzouki section reminds me of a certain part in Outcry.

[mike099]

Just discovered? What took you so long. They've been one of the most talked about bands in GMD since Aquarius really.

BTW, I remember you expressing mixed feelings about the album a few pages back. Has your opinion changed after several listens?
I'm generally interested if there are fans who dislike the new album and why.

My comment was about Haken in general. He just discovered the band despite having been around GMD for a long long time.

And about the album, I think it's the weakest of the three studio releases so far. It's not a bad album though, just not as mindblowing as Aquarius and Visions were.

I also like the first two cd's better, but all three are good.

[rumborak]

I had one listen so far of The Mountain, not bad. Will need to give it a few more whirls.

[ariich]

Rumbo - from what I know of your tastes, I imagine you'll dig The Mountain more than the first two, but I might be wrong.

[Nick]

Rumbo - from what I know of your tastes, I imagine you'll dig The Mountain more than the first two, but I might be wrong.

I agree. But I also think he won't end up loving this album the way many of us do.

[ariich]

Rumbo - from what I know of your tastes, I imagine you'll dig The Mountain more than the first two, but I might be wrong.

I agree. But I also think he won't end up loving this album the way many of us do.

Indeed, but then I find it hard to imagine many people liking this album as much as I do!

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Falling Back to Earth is amazing. The chorus is one of the best of Haken.

[Elite]

Rumbo - from what I know of your tastes, I imagine you'll dig The Mountain more than the first two, but I might be wrong.

I agree. But I also think he won't end up loving this album the way many of us do.

Indeed, but then I find it hard to imagine many people liking this album as much as I do!

Hi there