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Joined: Jul 2008
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Back on topic though!
Today, after a very long wait and some follow-up with Townsend, Evidence finally arrived on the doorstep with "Missent to Australia" stamped on it. Thanks Royal Mail!
So expectations set very low after reading the many reports here, but I was actually very pleased after the first listening.
When I first heard the album was coming out as an EP, I was hopeful of something good and I believe I have got it. But got "what" exactly? In my view I have an EP with lots of bonus material, which loops back to my original expectation anyway!
The "cool" factor for me was the variety of sounds. Some classic JF (Metamatic-like), some mid period JF (Cathedral Oceans-like), and some contemporary too.
A Falling Star stands out for me after listening #1. My Town too. That will change I'm sure. The only mild disappointment currently was this version of Walk. Way too soft after having heard it live at Cargo. Needs more "ooomph" in my utmost of humble opinions. Still, I will give it a few more listenings before I confirm that opinion!
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I am currently on track 5, for possibly the 10th time. Various impressions have come and gone. The final version (or possibly just the 10th impression) goes like this:
I think the tracks flow very well as an album. It helps me perhaps that I was unfamiliar with the various pieces that were already revealed, apart from one exposure to the (unfinished) Have A Cigar. As an experiment, some listens ago, I tried all the instrumental tracks together: it didn't work, apart from being vaguely reminiscent of The Dignity of Labour. And similarly, all the vocal tracks together. A couple of tracks have taken a while to bed in, in particular the Xeno & Oaklander collaboration, and Matthew Dear's voice is an acquired taste, and some of the lyrics seem, I don't know, slight, or should I say honed, stripped back.
Following the central bank of 4 pieces starting and ending with Gazelle Twin's contributions, the mood gradually lightens a bit. The dark forces of the night tentatively return to the shadows, and finally a kind of restless peace is coming, dawn is starting to sing.
Listening to Foxx will always take you back to earlier Foxx so it is not a surprise to hear Twilight's Last Gleaming leaking out of Shadow Memory and Slow Motion sublimating out of Walk. And all of In Mysterious Ways, like rainbows in oil on the road, on Only Lovers Left Alive.
I could even argue that the bonus track fits as part of the album. And maybe I will one day.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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And all of In Mysterious Ways, like rainbows in oil on the road, on Only Lovers Left Alive. Brilliant!! What a superb observation It's there in Walk for me too. I really LOVE this album. For me, it has more depth, connectivity and adventure than the other Maths albums. All in all, they make a stunning trilogy of work.
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The two tracks that 100% grab my attention connected with this release are those with Gazelle Twin: Changelings and A Falling Star, haunting and quite beautiful, and I really wish there was far more revision/contribution on the Evidence album between this particular artist and John and The Maths.
Including Gazelle Twin I've found 10 tracks from Evidence online: Soft Moon Evidence/That Sudden Switch/Talk/My Town/Have A Cigar/Cloud Choreography/Walk/Tara Busch I talk Machine and played them all several times but I'm still not feeling in any rush to obtain the actual CD (later no doubt). Sure, I'd like to hear those other tracks that I'm missing, but as for what I've gleaned so far from this album it has not fired my imagination...
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I would argue that a Christmas album (or at least a track) is the one thing missing from the Foxx discography. Imagine the quiet man stumbling into yet another abandoned flat, a forest of needles covering the unopened presents when suddenly the tree lights start to glow as another midwinter sun sets. And the electricity has been of course been long disconnected. There is the distant sound of jingle bells, reverberating and looping and spiralling up through the broken skylight to the frozen stars ... Fantastic proposition Mark, I support your beautifully stated vision, hopefully the Foxx has taken note too!
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Joined: Dec 2006
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All of which gives me an idea...
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Joined: Aug 2008
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I would argue that a Christmas album (or at least a track) is the one thing missing from the Foxx discography. Imagine the quiet man stumbling into yet another abandoned flat, a forest of needles covering the unopened presents when suddenly the tree lights start to glow as another midwinter sun sets. And the electricity has been of course been long disconnected. There is the distant sound of jingle bells, reverberating and looping and spiralling up through the broken skylight to the frozen stars ... Fantastic proposition Mark, I support your beautifully stated vision, hopefully the Foxx has taken note too! Yuck! In America, the wingnuts have a campaign to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I am launching my own campaign, which I'm sure noone will join, to “Keep Foxx out of Christmas.” Christmas albums are Rod Stewart territory and not very Foxxy.
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Yuck! In America, the wingnuts have a campaign to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I am launching my own campaign, which I'm sure noone will join, to “Keep Foxx out of Christmas.” Christmas albums are Rod Stewart territory and not very Foxxy. :p as for the second coming I would argue that its Christ - 0 and John - 1 after the revelatory and unforseen 1997 reappearance from beyond with Shifting City and Louis Gordon (Gordon who was 'of the gospel of Techno') Simon of Cowell still owns Christmas over here Mike!
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Joined: Aug 2008
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:p as for the second coming I would argue that its Christ - 0 and John - 1 after the revelatory and unforseen 1997 reappearance from beyond with Shifting City and Louis Gordon
If we accept the premise that "Shifting City" was Christ-like, could we say the dodgy Nation 12 effort was an L. Ron move?
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