HW and OTHER: HW news? PTree releases?

[Jon Jarrett]

On Mon, 31 Jul 2000, K Henderson wrote:

> >While browsing through a retailer I deal with in Pittsburgh, PA
> >(Paul Olszewski, at http://members.aol.com/paulsstore/), I ran across
> >some new PTree releases, including a new CD called Lightbulb Sun and
> >some singles presumably from it (Stranger By the Minute, Pure Narcotic,
> >and 4 Chords that Made a Million).  Any reactions to it yet from the
> >list?
>
> Hmmmm...I just got it myself, after picking up the 4 Chords 3-track single
> (two non-album tracks) a few weeks back.  I was reasonably encouraged by the
> 3 songs on the single, but the album is pretty bland I believe.  Maybe it'll
> take awhile to recognize the merits in the music (I like Stupid Dream a lot
> more than I did last year, though I still think it has some serious
> problems).  On Lightbulb Sun, it appears that SW has made a conscious effort
> to change his singing style, and IMHO it was a bad idea...it sounds forced
> and full of 'faux confidence'.  And several songs have very nice parts here
> and there, but there are not many that are interesting throughout.  I hope
> it's a low point in PT's career.  The single is actually better.

        The single is good. The follow-up one is also not bad, there's a
lovely melancholy untitled jam on the non-limited one. I actually like the
album, but I have to kind of use _Stupid Dream_ as a lever. I don't like
SD very much, but _Lightbulb Sun_ is kind of out of the curve and here
they are, a different kind of band. The thing that annoys me most is that
all the material is moody lovesongs. Some quite good ones, but all the
same, not very interesting. My theory is that Steven Wilson can write
these in huge quantity and Snapper are pushing him for product. But the
music is pretty good, I think. Some things I never expected to hear PT do,
and there isn't anything on it that really gets up my nose like `Stop
Swimming' does on SD. So, as long as you know it's a pop record, I'd say
it's a pretty good one. My 2pworth,
                                    Jon

ObCD: On Trial - _New Day Rising_
--
 |  Jon Jarrett (01223 741219)           jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
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