Ten Bright Spikes  Album: Blueland   Label: New Red Archives

An excellent record.  This reminds me of some late sixties
broadway show music, except that it's not stupid enough.  It
rocks, but in a very slick way with touches of classical and
jazz, using a variety of instruments, including piano,
flute, sax and strings.  It's mostly male lead vox, but with
some very neat female "background" vox that often dominates.
I really like the lyrics, though damned if I know what they
mean. In general they may have achieved the unclassifiable,
which puts this right in the KZSU zone.

Slower cuts:

1 7:28 "pavian" - Dark and driving, progresses to a relaxed
           acceptance.
3 5:07 "v" - Sneering male vox, with female backup.  Fully orchestrated,
           heavy piano chords set the beat. "all my colors
           retreating though language/or shall I say dying without God"
9 5:12 "villagers celebrate passing their exams" - Light,
           strummy guitar oriented piece. "all this and
           flower;/orange blossoms and ballons/on the inside of
           a gun./clutter of love"
11 3:31 "summer's end" (pavian reprise) - Dragging, but
           relaxed piece.  Not much like the "pavian" it's a
           reprise of.  "Let's move out/over a low hill/into
           the city/where summer ends/I'll meet you
           there/beneath all the..."

Fast, rocking cuts:

4 2:43 "blue crayon" - Just a touch of evil. "who are you when
           the music hits/coming up from under the floorboards?"
8 3:22 "minneola" - With some heavy strings.  "trying to ice
           this sister feeling at similar blood/immaculate
           pain, consumate drain,/ new tools for a rougher
           trade,/never always far." 
6 2:00 "crush us out" - "hanging back in you is a hunger/too
           wide to save it' s own./flesh years and suicide
           wine;/a carnivore circle moving through lives/out
           here,/preciously useless"

Contemplative Interludes with piano and strings:
10 1:29 "lovers theme three" -- best of the interludes
7  1:28 "lovers theme two"
2  0:53 "lovers theme"
5  1:00 "blueland" -- inconsequential piece

--------
Track by track:

1 7:28  pavian

Midtempo, dark, driving sound, which progresses to a more
relaxed sound, a sense of acceptance.

2 0:53  lovers theme

Contemplative piano & violin

3 5:07 v

Slow to midtempo, sneering male vox, with female backup.
Fully orchestrated, relying on driving monotonous piano to
set the beat.

"all my colors retreating though language/or shall I say
dying without God"

4 2:43 blue crayon

Faster, rocking piece with just a touch of evil.

"who are you when the music hits/coming up from under the
floorboards?"

5 1:00 blueland

short, inconsequential piece.

6 2:00 crush us out

Fast, rocking.  "hanging back in you is a hunger/too wide to
save it' s own./flesh years and suicide wine;/a carnivore
circle moving through lives/out here,/preciously useless"

7 1:28 lovers theme two

Another short contempletive thing.  

8 3:22 minneola

Another fast, rocking cut, with some heavy strings.  "trying
to ice this sister feeling at similar blood/immaculate pain,
consumate drain,/ new tools for a rougher trade,/never
always far."

9 5:12 villagers celebrate passing their exams

Light, strummy guitar oriented piece. "all this and
flower;/orange blossoms and ballons/on the inside of a
gun./clutter of love"

10 1:29 lovers theme three

Nice simple piano and string piece.  best of the "themes"

11 3:31 summer's end (pavian reprise)

Slower, dragging, relaxed piece.  Not much like the
"pavian" it's a reprise of.

"Let's move out/over a low hill/into the city/where summer
ends/I'll meet you there/beneath all the..."


Contact Info:  
New Red Archives
P.O. Box 210501
San Francisco, CA  94121