http://belburyparishmagazine.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/john-foxx-and-belbury-circle.html

Coming September apparently.

Brian

Yup, September is when I've been told that it's going to be released.

Rob

3 clips of the new tracks have been posted on soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/ghost-box/the-right-path-clip

https://soundcloud.com/ghost-box/almost-there-clip

https://soundcloud.com/ghost-box/sets/empty-avenues

Brian

Cheers Brian, and Member D for pointing this out. I was immediately grabbed The Right Path and Empty Avenues clips.

I really like the sound of this... lovely. Very Beatles-y. Inherently Foxx.

Can't wait to hear more!

I like what I've heard.

There is also a shorter clip of Empty Avenues

https://soundcloud.com/ghost-box/empty-avenues-clip

Also notice different artwork from what I've posted above on the soundcoud clips.

Brian

Thanks Brian for posting links. I'm impressed with what I've heard so far and this is one album I'm looking forward to purchasing. So good to have something new from John.

Clips sound great (same applies to European Splendour).

Aren't we lucky people - can't wait for these EPs to come out

Another pleasant surprise awaits, if the previews are anything to go by.

Maybe I'm getting confused with another project but I thought this was an ambient project based upon field recordings of empty rooms and piano improvisations, so it's good to hear that this is more of a song-based project.

The project you're referring to is Electricity And Ghosts - and there'll be some more news about how that's progressing shortly...

Rob

A link to buy this is now available

http://ghostbox.greedbag.com/buy/empty-avenues/


DESCRIPTION

JOHN FOXX, THE BELBURY CIRCLE - EMPTY AVENUES

Occupying the overlapping fictional worlds of The Quiet Man and Ghost Box, Foxx’s unmistakable voice is elegantly framed by the haunting pastoral electronics of The Belbury Circle. Like all Ghost Box records, it comes in Julian House’s elegant and luxurious packaging, with variant covers for the CD digipak and 10” vinyl versions. The 10” also comes with a free download code.

TRACKLISTING

10" VINYL EP (GBX019EP)

John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Empty Avenues
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Almost There
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - The Right Path
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Suit
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Time of Your Life
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Empty Avenues and Dark Corners (Pye Corner Audio Mix)
CD EP (GBX019CD)

John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Empty Avenues
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Almost There
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - The Right Path
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Suit
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Time of Your Life
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle - Empty Avenues and Dark Corners (Pye Corner Audio Mix)


Brian

Thanks for the heads-up Brian - really looking forward to this!

Cheers mate.

I've ordered the 10 inch with the download code.

Brian

Yep, that's what I'm going to do too

I've ordered the CD. and am really looking forward to this one. I've got a few Ghost Box albums but sometimes find I like the idea better than the execution. I don't think that'll be the case this time.

Agreed!

With an early September release, I wonder if I can hold out on European Splendour and savour them both together. I'm thinking a nine track "album" playlist plus bonus tracks. Sorry if that sounds sacrilegious ...

I've ordered both CD and Vinyl.

After European Splendour I really looking forward to this package,too.

CD not available on amazon? mp3 download only?

Just had a mailer from Townsend.

CD is available here:-

http://johnfoxx.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=16207

Brian

Here's The Electricity Club's review of Empty Avenues

http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/john-foxx-the-belbury-circle-empty-spaces/

Ooops looks like they got JF&TBC mixed up with Pink Floyd there...
<snigger>


Still no CD on amazon btw..Have GB got the exclusive?

Full scans of the CD art here:

http://testtransmissionarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/john-foxx-belbury-circle.html

Cheers.

Looking good.

For a moment I thought I'd bought a picture disk but it's the CD
(picture disks always sounded terrible in the old days unless technology has changed this)

Mine was shipped yesterday.

Brian

Yep mine was shipped too - really looking forward to this!

Mine too. And from past experience, Greedbag usually gets stuff to Canada reasonably quickly (Wire's Pink Flag label uses them too).

Pre-ordered. Looking forward to this one too.

Anyone know who did the cover design?

Nice interview about the Ghost Box project here, plus some hints of what's coming up in The Future..

http://www.mojo4music.com/6390/john-foxx-joins-ghost-box/

That'd be Julian House who (I believe) has been involved with Ghost Box from the very beginning.

Rob

Ah right. It is a very Foxxien cover

Just noticed in the artwork, top right - is that a scene from Last Year in Marienbad?

Benge and I are also beginning to put tracks together for the next Maths album. Hannah Peel will be involved with recording too.

It will be good to hear some recordings with Hannah

Lots of "goodies" coming up in the future.

Peter

Certainly looks like it. (I'd only been vaguely curious about that movie until John talked it up on one of his interview CDs. Now I own it on blu-ray and I've watched it a few times.)

Hi Steve,

I've got the DVD and watched it a few times...though must confess to snoozing and zoning out in places! It is beautiful to look at though.

Well the good news is that my 10 inch has arrived but the bad news is that the download code is not working

I've reported this.

Brian

Mine's just arrived too. It is beautiful, gorgeous inner sleeve was a nice surprise. Won't try my download code until tonight - will let you know how I get on.

Agreed it is rather lovely.

Just wish I could hear it....

Greedbag have been in contact.

You have to log into your Greedbag account if you have one then goto downloads since the other method is not working.

Downloading.....

Cool! Cheers guv!

First Impressions.

Very chilled,laid back almost MOR in places.

Do I like it?.Not sure.

Will need a few more plays.

One stand out I do like is the Empty Avenues & Dark Corners remix though.

Brian

Pye Corner Audio - I've heard a few pieces by him and I've liked every one. Think I'll have to pick up the Sleep Games album soon

After a few listens I'm now getting the subtleties.On vinyl copy anyway.

My digital copy had some digital glitch noises at the end of a couple of tracks.

Psychedelic Beatles in places,70s Jean Michel Jarre textures in places,CR78 drum machine on one track. Business as usual then? No.

This collaboration comes at it from different angles in different styles.

Still my favourite on the whole release is the Pye Corner Audio mix of Empty Avenues closely followed by The Right Path.

Listen to the Empty Avenues remix here in its entirety :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt417UzTDJk

Brian

While I wait for my copy, I might as well talk Ghost Box for a bit. Anyone else heard much of their stuff? There's considerable differences between something like Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, which feels to me like it's at the outer edges of the core Ghost Box sound, and From a Distant Star by Belbury Poly, which seems like one of the most straightforward examples of what Ghost Box is about.

My reaction to some of it may be a little different because I'm Canadian and the Ghost Box esthetic strikes me as being very very British, so although intellectually I can make sense of articles about the hauntological sound, etc, I sometimes feel I'd have a stronger response if I'd spent the early 1970s watching British kids shows and science programs and such. So much Ghost Box stuff is reportedly inspired by UK TV library music, the Radiophonic Workshop, etc. Recently I noticed that there were episodes from an old TV version of Alan Garner's The Owl Service on youtube, and my first reaction to the opening credits was, those Ghost Box people must be familiar with this.

All to get to the point that they do some retro synth stuff, John does some retro synth stuff, there's occasional psychedelia references on both sides, they both have a lot of conceptual underpinnings to their music, they share a few reference points, but they still have some significant differences. That makes me eager to hear this. And I'm curious about the reactions to this project from people who've never heard of Ghost Box before.

(For the record, my single favourite bit of Ghost Box so far is the Hintermass single The Open Songbook.)

I received my CD today.I really enjoyed my first listen.The tracks are all pretty slow and with a mellow vibe. A sense of nostalgia mixed with psychedelia.Typical Foxx themes - walking in cities,down avenues,wearing a grey suit etc. Great stuff!!

Everyone should be familiar with The Owl Service. Although I can't comment on your point Steve because I don't know any Ghost Box stuff besides Empty Avenues. That arrived today and I'm still digesting it.

This is fantastic. Beautiful, warm late 70s style synths. Autumn colours and hazy sun. Nicely chilled.

John's vocals are excellent.

This popped up on eMusic and I decided I couldn't wait for the CD to show up. I'm not disappointed. It's closer to the Maths sound than the European Splendour EP but still has its own character. There's a warmth that started coming back with the Maths occasionally but it's in full flow here.

In this era when too many people think put out albums that are overlong and full of people, John's given us two CDs in quick succession that leave me wanting more.

Yes I really like it too and for the moment has the edge over ES, but that's just personal taste.
Clearly the Belbury quasi-analogue sound is well suited to John's recent sonic direction as undertaken with The Maths.

Empty Avenues (track) should've been a proper single..if such a thing has any meaning anymore.

I like the way the gold old 'grey suit' concept has come around again in a somewhat lighter form this time in 'Suit'.

Agreed. It sits nicely alongside John's psychedelic-influenced work.

Yeah my download version has a glitch or two as well.

Not spoiling my enjoyment of it at all though - and yeah I confess; it's got played a lot more than ES so far.

I've been alternating both EPs, but I have to say Empty Avenues is by far the stronger/more accessible.

I don't know whether this was recoded the same remote way, but it just feels more cohesive and has more synergy... it feels more "John", whereas European Splendour sounds more like Jori's work with just a bit of John placed on top.

If only it were a full album! I'm yearning for the rest!!

I absolutely love "Almost There" and "The Right Path".

Isn't it great to have so much new material to enthuse about!??

If it came to a vote, I'd be inclined to favour the opposition, but it's a close call. I love the swaggering, filmic decadence of European Splendour (Evangeline is absolutely SUPERB) but also I appreciate the more quirky, endearing freshness of EMPTY AVENUES.
It's quite a unique set of songs, differing in style more than most other material

As you say Alex, 'Almost There' is really quite special

It also matches the colours of the design on the gatefold absolutely perfectly

I really like European Splendour - "Evangeline" is absolutely sublime (atmospheric, moving, gorgeous, sad, melancholic, etc), and "Strictly" (reminiscent of TPOE), "Something Is Coming..." has a gloriously dark atmosphere. I'm not so keen on "Can't See You Any More", that's a weak point for me - it would have benefitted from something more upbeat here. And I'm a tad underwhelmed by the Lynch remixes... I was expecting something greater. Or more bizarre.

But as a pair - well, you just can't complain. A full new album's worth in total. And some of the best stuff I've heard in ages.

I got the Belbury Circle EP yesterday and I'm a bit "meh" with it, to be honest.
It just sounds a bit nondescript, made by boring skinny baldie guys in their 40s who don't really WANT anyone to be excited by their music or are that fussed about anyone hearing it.

The best track reminded me vaguely of 1970s telly theme tunes such as Paddy Kingsland's BBC Radiophonic Workshop stuff for "The Changes" spooky kids drama serial, or Dave Greenslade's theme for Philip Martin's "Gangsters" series.

John's incessant use of that Digitech Vocalist harmonizer is long past beginning to piss me off. I really just don't think it sounds very good, harmonically: certainly not on EVERY bloody vocal he ever commits to tape (or should I say hard drive) - either he sometimes gets it to just play some duff harmonies, or (I suspect) it doesn't handle formants very well and so some of the chords it makes grate a bit because the harmonics are not lining up properly.

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh but John can do better, more exciting, more striking stuff than this.

I had a few listens to Empty Avenues now and have to say it sounds better and better with every listen. It is nice to have a different sound with this EP and Quiet Splendour and I like this side of Johns music too. The both Vinyls are also nice. It makes a wonderful break to the Maths sound. I agree with all the Others here, Evangeline and Almost There are the outstanding tracks of these both EP's. I also like the remix version of Empty Avenues. I'm not often like the remixes of John's stuff but this one is really good.

Every new record of John is a surprise and this is the reason I like his stuff so much.
I hope he makes more surprises for us in the next years.

After these both EP's I'm ready now for the next Maths album.

I have to say that I agree with all that, Shadow Man. I'm having difficulty deciding which I prefer out of Empty Avenues and European Splendour; but I certaninly rate both very highly. They make a beautiful contrast with the Maths work.

I keep listening to both of them and I keep enjoying them, as well as noticing parallels/contrasts (Something is Coming Down the Avenues/Empty Avenues, Almost There/Can't See You Any More). But isn't it about time for another CD by now?

I couldn’t disagree more, old boy! For me the two new CDs are the best things John’s done in years and have tempted me back after drifting away from his music as a result of the numerous half-hearted Maths CDs and aimless collaborations of the past couple of years.

Unfortunately the Maths project, after a promising start with Interplay, soon became all about the sounds rather than the songs, to the extent that the last two CDs were little more than two men doodling about aimlessly on outdated analogue synthesizers. For me John’s music has always been about songs – melodies, proper choruses, evocative lyrics and imaginative arrangements, and both European Splendour and Empty Avenues have these in spades.

In fact I’d go so far as to place “Suit” in my all time top ten of John’s music – the mellow arrangement and lyrical themes may be familiar, but it feels like The Quiet Man updated to the 21st Century, yet at the same time curiously timeless.

As for John’s use of the Digitech Vocalist, I’ve never used one myself but John’s been using vocoders and harmonisers all his career, right back to the time of The Human Host in the early 1980s! Indeed it’s the vocal effects that makes many of his songs (such as “Camera” and “Neuro Video”) so memorable and make him stand out from the crowd of identikit vocalists in modern music.

Still, each to his own, and the beauty of John’s output is that even if one particular project doesn’t float your boat, he’ll be back with another one that does within a few months!

I think John has ALWAYS been under-estimated as a songwriter.

But that skill comes through most of his work, regardless of genre.
True enough, there are some of the best examples of recent times in the two new EPs, but as you say, there's something fror all of us in his work.

For me, it's the CO and Harold Budd work that stands above the rest...

I love Suit, but it 'Time Of Your Life' that rate especially highly on this new thing

So I was listening to this again, enjoying it as always, and had a somewhat odd reaction to "The Right Path." I thought, I know what this song reminds me of, even if only slightly -- Clannad, when they started incorporating synths along with the folk instrumentation. Anyone else here a bit of that in there? I have to admit, it's not the most obvious point of reference, though some observers have pointed to a pastoral/folk influence in some Ghost Box stuff. (But it beats a previous passing thought, which was that it reminded me vaguely of something I'd all but forgotten by the Alan Parsons Project.)

I'm playing Empty Avenues several times a day... it's simply wonderful. Simple and melodic, with great lyrics and vocals. John is really shining through as a songwriter without the need for analogue overload.

My only criticism is it's so short! But it's up there in the very best Foxx releases for me. "Almost There" and "The Right Path" are my personal favourites.