[kj] hosannas on the highest

[Jiri]

Hear hear, Bob! I'm thrilled. It's probably not a
"classic," the songs are currently too long, and it
doesn't re-enact anyone's favorite KJ era (which I
think is good), but there really is something for
everyone. My first impression is quite positive, but
then I really appreciate every KJ era. 

One cannot honestly say it's a mere repeat of any
album before, as there are elements of EDVRE,
Democracy, Pandy, 2003, Damage Manual plus its own
Hosannas sound. There are keyboards EDVRE style. There
are Geordie chimes. Jaz actually sings (at least
Zennon style) on a few tracks. There are good Jaz
lyrics and some very dodgy ones (Something to the
effect of "You look at me, I look at you. We hold up a
mirror to show you what you can do." ha ha)

There is Raven's thumping bass. There are instances of
chug-chug, to be sure, but they are put to good use
and set the pace! As I hear the bass, I keep thinking
of the Geordie quote "never forget we're a groove
band." Indeed. I used to run before my knees crapped
out; if I could run to this album, I'd be dead within
20 minutes, it's that relentless. They lived up to
their promise that the album is "up," more hopeful,
yet it still includes the traditional cynical
world-awareness and darkness. Some of the lyrics are
awkward but well-intentioned, some are awkward and
bad, and some are right on. "Gratitude" is a mix of
all of the above.

Ignore the rest of this post if you don't want your
first listen pre-spoiled by song-by-song
descriptions/opinions...

Tribal Antidote -- It is kind of a sequel to Absent
Friends, but it's much better! I love the Democracy
LP, but I can never get through Absent Friends. The
dee-dee-do-do keyboard in Tribal is funny, reminds me
of New Wave songs. A nice song, this, esp. in the
context of the whole album.

Hosannas... -- EDVRE keyboard, though less smoothly
used. Raven's lurking shark bass. Ominous keys. Good
Geordie rhythm and singing chords. Some nice words but
also some weird ones, e.g. something "down the stairs.
A killing joke waits for me there" and something about
"sticks and stones" (but not "break my bones" lol)

Invocation -- the eastern one. Not my favorite but a
nice effort. Jaz doing his orchestral thing. Some
light background tribal percussion happening. One of
the slower songs, ala Communion or Zeppelin's Kashmir.

Implosion -- urgency. Much said about this one
already, but it fits nicely within the album.

Majestic -- EDVRE-like because the chord progression
is "Extremities" part II. It's nice. There's Jaz
laughing. and Jaz "Zennon"-singing. A great combo of
many of the band's remaining strengths. The bass
really grooves, while Geordie really travels the
landscape beautifully. Going in and out of valleys.

Walking with Gods -- Chug-chug put to good use.
Keyboard is repepitive and doom-ambient. Almost Night
Time-like keyboards. The chorus guitar and lyrics are
positively victorious, very up. I love the sentiment
of this song, and the music complements that
sentiment. Some really fun lyrics about mortality,
living in the moment, walking with the occasional God.

Lightbringer -- Theme: "The rebellious spirit in you
and me." This is a running song. Some tension-building
ambient chords. Think of the bass tones of "Implant"
transformed into a throbbing sprint. Geordie's loop of
chords bounces really nicely. The lyrics address lies
our fathers taught us, but Jaz's rhythm doesn't quite
go with the song (intermittent shouts of "Lies...more
lies" as he talks about the virgin Mary impregnated by
a ghost/god(?)

Judas Goat -- Spaceship keys to start, followed by
EDVRE-like keys. Loop of chug guitar mixed with a few
ascending notes on top. Jaz sings again, but the words
aren't immediately apparent to me. Not my favorite,
this, but I think some fans will like it quite a bit.

Gratitude -- Aforementioned awkward ("you look at me
and I look at you / only need a mirror" schtick) but
heartfelt lyrics. Almost sounds like the band's
farewell, like Jaz is saying maybe he'll be dead
before he Jokes again. "Let me tell you about the
hearts of my people / The core meaning of the tribe /
A dream unspoken, a promise kept / The secret comes
alive / For all the years I've watched your back and
you've watched mine / We always knew our paths would
cross, and the golden dawn shine ... Remember me with
a smile, a drink, a gesture(jester?) or a laugh.
Gratituuuuuuuude." Starts with slightly broader chug,
but there's some Democracy chimes during the chorus.
The keys are very, VERY EDVRE-ish. 

Whew! I like it. Now back to more listens which will
inevitably contradict what I just uttered... Thanks to
everyone who worked to share these.

Jiri

--- Bob Barathy <bob at bbarathy.plus.com> wrote:
> What can I say. Im blown away! Thanks to all those
> who brought us the
> previews and here are my personal thoughts on first
> listen:
>   tribal antidote - democracy(ish) 'we' get a name
> check!?-weakest track to
> start?!
>   hosannas - fast rock-style with haunting synth
>   invocation - pandemonium sounding
>   implosion - again a fast, hard, rocky feel
>   majestic - WOW i have waited 15 years to hear a
> track like this! fuck me
> (pardon my french!!!) firedances meets extremities
>   wanking with dogs - hypnotic guitar very likeable
>   lightbringer - okay but doesn't shine out from the
> others
>   judas goat - lovely - 2nd fav track
>   gratitude - heavy guitar again but Jaz sings!
> 
> 
>   A real mixed bag of sounds for this outing. It's
> going to take a while to
> get the feel for it and to get to know the songs but
> could this be the best
> thing since Extremities? Now just got to figure out
> the lyrics
> 
>   Bob
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