This Seems To Be A Love It Or Hate It Options

[Steve]

A true Marmite moment, which camp are you in.

[Per Aronsson]

You just have to get into it! It may take a while, but then you suddenly feel the urge to listen again and follow the imprivsed flow of sounds. It´s like riding a wave. Not that I know how that is, but you know what I mean.

I recommend to start with the download EP "Fine Wires Humming A New Song". You find it here:

http://www.ape.uk.net/acatalog/Monstrance_...ew_Song_EP.html

The track "Children Love Our Dear Helmsman" is my fave. Andys guitarplaying is guaranteed to put you in trance!

[Keltik]

I had no difficulty getting into it, and I still listen to it regularly. In fact I surprised myself a little by how much I liked it all. So I'm in the Vegemite camp.

[spidermage]

I've tried to like it, I really have. I was extremely excited when I got it, and, because it was an Andy Partridge project, I could not have been more sympathetic and receptive.

I have played it many times, but I just don't 'get it'.

I am musically illiterate, so it is entirely possible that there is something musicianly going on that I can't appreciate. Or it might be because of my fairly narrow musical horizons - I like songs, I need words.

[Per Aronsson]

I like songs, I need words.

Hey Spidey man, have you listened to Miles Davis?

[paranoid android]

Love it!

[spidermage]

Hey Spidey man, have you listened to Miles Davis?

I think that I must be a terrible philistine, Per - instrumental stuff just doesn't 'do it' for me. I can like some pieces well enough, but if I'm going to play something, it is seldom, if ever, pure instrumental. I recognize that this is a failing in me - my musical palate is just too unsophisticated - but there it is.

[Per Aronsson]

I think that I must be a terrible philistine, Per - instrumental stuff just doesn't 'do it' for me. I can like some pieces well enough, but if I'm going to play something, it is seldom, if ever, pure instrumental. I recognize that this is a failing in me - my musical palate is just too unsophisticated - but there it is.

I know exactly what you mean. It was the same for me until a couple of years ago. The suddenly it clicked. Monstrance, Eric Dolphy and Miles Davis suddenly opened a new musical habitat for thi old popgeezer. Trust me, you are missing something really wonderful. I recommend a dark room, either headphones or a really good stereo, and the following albums:

"Miles Ahead", "Seven Steps To Heaven", "Sketches Of Spain" and "Kind Of Blue" with Miles Davis. "Outward Bound" and "Out To Lunch" with Eric Dolphy. Give those albums some real spinning time. Don´t give up and I promise you will be swept away. After that – go for Monstrance again! (IMG:http://ape.uk.net/forum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jeff Truzzi]

I can see why those looking for pop tunes could be disappointed.
But I could also see them being pleasantly surprised.

Monstrance isn't Jazz, but it has much in common with jazz, other than being instrumental and improvised.
It's rock music, but with a free form jazz attitude in the interplay of instruments.

It puts your head in a different place than jazz or pop.
And it's a great place.

[T.I.]

I haven't gotten 'round to Monstrance, Jeff; but from your description of it, I'm hearing Zappa's Hot Rats. ?????

[Jeff Truzzi]

I haven't gotten 'round to Monstrance, Jeff; but from your description of it, I'm hearing Zappa's Hot Rats. ?????

Hot Rats is jazzy, but it's very composed and densely written. Plus it has horns.
Monstrance is more of a textural thing, creating moods or atmospheres, and in that way isn't as much like jazz.
Or more like ECM jazz, anyway.

[bienenhonig]

I absolutely love it!

First i bought the album just because I needed more from Andy and there wasn't so much left to buy. ;-) I haven't had very high expectations because I don't like his experimental instrumentals on the Fuzzy Warbles that much. Though they are interesting to hear a different aspect of Partridges creative output; nice but nothing exceptional.

BUT when I listened to "I Lovely Cosmonaut" for the first time I instantly fell in love with this piece of music. The communication between the instruments is breathtaking. I couldn't believe that this was the first time those three musicians improvised together. Every note fits and makes sense. There is subtle friction, caress and disentaglement. A shimmering conversation in outer space.

Not all tracks are that good. And sometimes the realy magical parts end too soon. But for their first album it is a very impressive achievment. Now I'm gonna download the EP and then I'll start waiting for a new album. (How great will their new music be, with their gained experience from the first two sessions!? Wow...)

Oh, and Andy Partridges guitar playing is just incredible tasteful. I always loved his solos in XTC. (The one in Complicated Game is one of my favourites.) But the understatement and confidence regarding his playing in Monstrance really surprised me.

Favourite tracks so far: (Haven't listened to the EP yet.)

- I lovely Cosmonaut
- Pagoda Tailfin
- Priapple
- Black Swan Black
- Winterwerk

(It seems that in this case the long ones are the great ones.)

greetings tom

This post has been edited by bienenhonig: Feb 18 2009, 12:54 AM

[Keltik]

"Children Love Our Dear Helmsman" is absolutely farntarstic.

[Per Aronsson]

"Children Love Our Dear Helmsman" is absolutely farntarstic.

Yeah, that guitar sets me in trance. I recommend listen to the track with headphones on in a dark room. Then you just will float away. Right, Kelters?

[Kendley]

BUT when I listened to "I Lovely Cosmonaut" for the first time I instantly fell in love with this piece of music. The communication between the instruments is breathtaking. I couldn't believe that this was the first time those three musicians improvised together. Every note fits and makes sense. There is subtle friction, caress and disentaglement. A shimmering conversation in outer space.

Tom, I'm musically illiterate and ignorant, but I was immediately fascinated with this one, and I'm with you: found it amazing that they hadn't rehearsed...

...and yes, it's all Marmite for me!

This post has been edited by Kendley: Feb 19 2009, 10:21 PM

[DOC]

I'm in neither... oddly I didn't get it yet.. got the apple box, have the Through the Hill, Have the original vinyl for GO+ and Takeaway the Lure Of Salvage and many others but haven't been drawn to this...

So yah sayers talk me into it please! and nay sayers let me hear why you don't like it.

DOC

[Andrew Swainson]

I think Monstrance is probably quite easy to dismiss if you don't get much out of it on first listen but I found it's something you have to give a chance to grow. As you become familiar with each track it stops sounding quite so random (if that's the right word... probably not) and the tracks take on their own form and structure and what can initially sound quite jarring can become quite beautiful. If you are finding the album difficult to get into I'd suggest giving the Fine Wires E.P a go because I think that the tracks on there are a little more... immediate(?).

I would dearly love for the chaps to put Monstrance in a live setting... I just think it would be amazing hearing that stuff 'being born'.

I like Monstrance and, co-incidently, I like Marmite too!


EDIT - Do folks outside of the UK get the "Marmite" thing?

This post has been edited by Andrew Swainson: Feb 23 2009, 02:16 PM

[Per Aronsson]

Do folks outside of the UK get the "Marmite" thing?

Not really, bu if you force me to choose I might prefer Vegemite!  apesmile20x20yz2.jpg ( 795bytes ) Number of downloads: 0


This post has been edited by Per Aronsson: Feb 23 2009, 05:50 PM

[geordiegav]

atmoshpere and textures......well said Jeff....improvisation.....pushing the boat out......musicians experimenting like sconic scientists....and why not?

if it's something Andy had been wanting to do for years,how bloody marvelous to get to do what you always wanted to do....

there's some real moments of magic on this....i couldn't honestly tell you the titles off hand that work for me.....i just play both sides at random on the ithingy while i'm working.....well if improvisation is good for players why not the player too?

if there's anything slightly sounding to this in the xtc back catalouge i'd go for mantis on parole

if it's wallpaper muzak then it's wallpaper muzak thats been left half stripped off

if barry andrews says its the weirdist recording he's ever made that tells you somthing of the sessions

i must admit as pleased as i was to listening to monstrance,i really was hoping andy and barry would click that much
they would end up working together again.....there's a great chemistry between the two of them.

great work by martyn baker on drums by the way.......and whoever shot that beautiful blue film for winterwek i'd just like
to say i enjoyed it very much.....captured the tension wonderfully

[Keltik]

Went to a Macedonian Orthodox church today for a wedding, and they had a monstrance on the altar.
What else to do but put it on when I got home?