GENESIS!

Update - Oh yeeeaaah, it's official now. 'Turn in on Again - The Tour'.
There's also word that there might be new material too, which has gotten me thinking, what do they need to do to make it work?
Good question Brett! A very tricky situation indeed, but a very straighforward answer from me...Here's what they need to not do...sound like Coldplay, or one of the hundred million variants of them in existence today, I don't want to hear piano OR acoustic guitar on this record, and the drum beats better be phat, heavily gated and complexly rhythmed, the minimalist angsty crap needs to go. Anyway, trying to sound like contemporary music was one of 'Calling All Stations' big mistakes. What Phil, Tony and Mike should do, if they decide to do this, is just go balls out and remind the world why Genesis is one of the greatest bands of all time. To accomplish that, and have a new record that will be taken seriously, they MUST find a timeless middle ground. If they try to just outright duplicate one of their previous albums all it will do is instantly raise comparison between the two and draw focus away from itself. I know it would be interesting and or hilarious, but I'm pretty sure we can forget about a straight up classically inspired prog-rock album. Because, unless they've had a recent, amazing stroke of artistic genius then it just wouldn't work anymore, it would only sound forced and cheesy (but who knows, maybe they could surprise us). I also think they've learned their lesson from Calling All Stations and realize that a generic Genesis template placed on a modern pop sound has less than stellar results. To find that solid middle ground I've gone through the different Collins era albums and picked out certain songs that seem to have stood the test of time better than others, not saying that makes them better, it just means that some of their song's productions are noticeably 80's or noticeably cheesily. So, what I think would work best for them now is this, an album that is stylistically in-between Abacab and Trick of the Tail, but that has the focus, structure and earnesty of Duke, a more inwardly reflected album, something that doesn't feel like it's pandering to the audience; old, new, of a certain era, whatever it may be. This way they can achieve a work that has a balance of the elements that made pop oriented Genesis great, and will create a rich (but not overly nostalgic) palet for the more matured band to explore.
Huzzah! I've emerged from my cave to bring this wonderful news to the world...
http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1180945

Genesis to tour next year

Artists: Genesis

Prog-rockers of your dad's youth Genesis are to reform next year, albeit without original singer Peter Gabriel. Which isn't all that surprising, really.

Rumours of the reformation have been circulating for many a year, but now reports suggest it is definitely on: The Sunday Mirror yesterday stated that drummer and vocalist Phil Collins is particularly keen to get things moving.

Collins will be joined by both Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks for a series of gigs across America and Europe; expect their pockets to be bulging with hard cash come its conclusion. Gabriel hasn't totally ruled out joining his former bandmates, either, although he won't be able to play with them again until 2008 at the earliest.

Collins recently split from his third wife, and the aforementioned tabloid implies that this comprised something of a catalyst in the decision to go ahead with the reunion tour.

Well it's not a Gabriel-style Genesis reunion, BUT, I love everything they did, so any form of a reunion is just great with me. So Mr. Collins, would you like my life savings in cash or check?

I Didn't Mean to Turn You On, or Did I?

Dearest most fair journal, my only confidant, that which is precious unto me, on this date being the eighteenth of the Lord's month of October I beseech that ye give me ear. The forces of darkness in this realm have thus stripped of me my powers...
...Ah, stop it! I always have to catch myself before I begin writing self indulgent, ye olde English journal entries, giving ye olde updates on the events of my life. Sometimes I feel I'm being absorbed into the blogging masses who turn their banal musings into publicly available clutter...oh wait, I do.
Oh well. I remember back in the olden days of this website, back when it was on geocities I could write about the most uselessly intriguing things. I used to spew out so much crap with so much regularity, it was amazing really, and I wonder where that went, or if I really want that back. Probably for the best. Now the only things that really pass through my mind are meandering images of the movement of life; clouds, colors, shapes, ambiance, it's like I'm living in a Pink Floyd's Animals record. However I'm fine, so don't send pills to me out of concern just yet, but do mail them out of generosity. That's enough of that, I'll save the rest of this boring explanation of my deep seeded neurosis for the book I got comin' out, it's called "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Prime Time Television, Celebrity Gossip and Happy Hour"
In other news I have some ratings for you, some suggestions for you, etc etc etc etc etc....
I recently watched a brilliant documentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker called "How's Your News", yes, the guys who do South Park and Team America: World Police. It's a documentary about five mentally handicapped men and women who embark on a road trip from New Hampshire to California simply to ask people the question: "how's your news". What I love about this film is how, as you watch it, your expectations begin to change immensely. As it starts out you get the impression that this is probably going to be nothing more than a mockery of the handicapped and you sort of just stare, wondering what exactly you're supposed to be thinking in regards to this. But as it goes on you start to completely lose all those things that get in the way and you begin to see them for who they are, extremely unique people. Another thing I really enjoyed about this was how it gave an amazingly honest look at the "average" people who make this country. In most other documentaries you know that the "professional" film crews inherently affect people's behavior in some way or another. But with this, the interviewees often had no idea how to respond or what to expect from the various hosts of this movie, some of whom couldn't actually put together a discernible sentence. So often we're left with everyday people just kind of standing there, speaking the first thing that comes to their mind. It's very touching, and does a good job of changing perceptions and giving honest glimpses into the lives of common people. Yes, all this from the creators of "Baseketball".

A couple new albums came out recently that I just wanted to give my quick opinion on, Sting's "Songs From the Labyrinth" and Robert Randolph and the Family Band's "Colorblind".
Sting's new album is a side project based on the music and writings of 17th century composer John Dowland. I had good idea of what to expect from this, but I was really surprised how moody and focused it is, considering it's English lute music. What I like most is how elemental and basic the music is, especially when performed by someone known for slick pop production like Sting. In a way it's like the stripped down origins of much of Sting's music, specifically The Soul Cages, which has much of the same Celtic structure. Also, dispersed throughout the album are letters written by Dowland that are read by Sting. I had heard about this beforehand and didn't really know how well that would work but in the end it helped Labyrinth play through almost as a concept album of sorts, and a haunting one at that. I think Sting accomplished what he set out to do with this album, it pays homage to Downland first and foremost, but creates a mask that Sting seems to don, channeling Downland and giving the listener the uneasy feeling that we're being transported to the past, where we can do nothing but appreciate, for the first time most likely.
8.452/10
Robert Randolph and the Family Band's new album is a massive letdown, but I should have seen it coming, basically anything Mark Batson touches (outside of the pop/hip-hop world) turns to poo. The production is exponentially thicker and more elaborate than Unclassified and the band's sound is now compressed and packaged into unmemorable arrangements that grasp desperately for radio airplay. Instead of the stripped down, gospel driven, repetitive power and joy that was so evident on their first record we have a mish-mash of songs that cover a narrow spectrum; 70's superfunk, generic inspirational R&B and b-sides from Dave Matthews Band's last record. Robert Randolph, who generally overflows with excitement and passion, comes across as extremely stifled and forced into a mold here. His signature sacred steel is virtually non-existent and his vocal delivery is stiff in comparison to his usual call and response, free form style. Overall, don't bother.
5/10

and finally, I leave you with some MS paint masterpieces I recently created: David Byrne's 'Feelings' album cover and Peter Gabriel's 'So' and 'Security' album covers.
Until next time, stay frosty!