master musicians amongst us
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Artist:
Into The Presence has something that sets it apart from almost all of the other up-and-coming acts who have joined MOG but not had the time to comment on anything: a great recording that deserves to be a hit, "Lovers," from their CD In the Presence. Check out their post from "1 month ago," http://mog.com/intothepresence/blog/1260629 which also includes a home video of singer/lead guitarist Luis Maldonado, a rhythm guitarist, and a cellist Ana Lenchantin playing an acoustic version of the song.
The only other MOG offerings by professional acts that were at this level, that I've come across, were Sick of Sarah's "Hello Good Morning" (http://mog.com/sickofsarahmusic/blog/130081) and Susannah Blinkoff's "My Time Now" (http://mog.com/SusannahBlinkoff/blog/183159). Singer-songwriter dermahrk, a non-professional, also has posted several great tracks.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (15)
Yesssss!!! I LOVED that song!
So, their CD releases tomorrow. Should be a good one by the sound of this great track.
I already added it to my last.fm library--thanks for posting it!
jaggerandrea and MusicRX, I'm glad you liked it.
Ooh I listened to the acoustic version from the video provided. I'm a sucker for all things strings - cello, guitar, etc. Beautiful..
Thank you for turning me on to a great group!
nice one spike
Ms. Life, you're welcome!
inrumford, thank you!
Riviting, to say the least! The lyrics deliver strong images, hair-raising and beautiful. The music, instruments and voice, propels the whole thing forward and carries the lyrics right into me.
I love the guitar and cello bridge!
Spike 1, it sounds as if your being riveted was identical to mine, though I could use a lyrics sheet. (My daughter often mistakenly mutters to me that I'm deaf.) Thank you.
I'm with you, Spike. I also get the same doggone comment from my kids (although one of them tendstoslurherwordstogether sometimes). I always have had difficulty understanding words spoken or sung when other sounds are going on. (This makes things very difficult in school.) The singer's accent is sometimes an issue too. Although I got a substantial amount of these lyrics, a key word will drop out every couple of lines.
I was going to compare the singer to Freddy Mercury. One of the kids at school thought the same thing. As it turns out, they were listening to Queen and Pink Floyd when they conceived their sound, recorded all analog. There is an interesting interview/article at http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/intothepresence . Those who read this but did not go to the band's mog should check it out for a free mp3 download of the song.
Not bad that you thought of Freddy Mercury on your own. I know of him, but have hardly heard any Queen. You played this to kids at school? That's equal to many "MOG IT UPs." I hope some of the group's other songs are also good, and that they make a go of it.
I'm curious about your reaction to Sick of Sarah's song. I have the feeling that even the group itself doesn't get it.
The Freddie Mercury comparison occurred to me, too, even before reading the comments. But there's a certain jazz singer element to the voice, too, a reluctance to fall squarely on the beat or stay there, that I find laudable in practically any singer....
Yes, Spike: Queen is a band I admire a lot without clearly likeing their music. Maybe if I heard various of their songs, I would get closer. But all I ever hear is Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are the Champions.
Ivy: A very subtle skill, indeed. The singer must be comfortable with the music like living in it, or it doesn't work.
Spike: I read your comments on Sarah and I agree that they are tight, with great vocals. The power pop sound and classic chord progression are infectious. But I'm not sure how to respond to "doesn't get it". I miss some words in the middle of each verse. The repeated bridge and chorus seem unconnected. Maybe it needs more exposition for all this thinking I'm doing.
ivylander, I agree, though I'd say he "takes advantage of" the beat, which I think is true of any good singer of dance music in general. His timing is a lot less free or unpredictable than, say, Sarah Vaughan, who, while not losing the beat, doesn't take full advantage of it. When I heard the first second of this guy's voice I thought to myself, "Uh oh," but soon got used to it.
Spike 1, in the article you referred to, I liked it when it said, "One thing missing from the record, however, is excess. Despite both band members possessing a music vocabulary that goes beyond 99% of what most professional musicians could even fathom, Alexander and Maldonado fought to keep the music focused. 'This was not going to be a progressive note fest,' says the drummer. 'We analyzed every note and got rid of anything that didn’t improve the song.'"
By Sick of Sarah "not getting it" I meant that they made videos of other lesser songs and didn't include "Hello Good Morning" on their debut CD.
(I don't pay so much attention to lyrics, unlike a lot of listeners.)
You hit it right on the head, Spike. I was tempted to quote that same passage. I definitely appreciate that. It's how I regarded and still regard Cream's Disraeli Gears. Clapton's playing is spare and he employs only enough notes to convey what he is saying. Unlike a lot of down-stream guitar heros. In Lovers, you also get that feeling of completeness without excess. Very refreshing.
About Hello Good Morning, I see. The two EPs had more concise, fresh music. I like Daisies, though.