Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri - 2001 - Stone to Flesh [VBR HQ]

Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri - 2001 - Stone to Flesh [VBR HQ]

Genre: Progressive Rock

Country: England

Web: http://www.stevejansen.com/ and http://www.richardbarbieri.net/
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Description (at amazon.co.uk):

Hot off the heels of Rain Tree Crow's dissolution, multi-instrumentalists Jansen and Barbieri return with another intriguing project. STONE TO FLESH largely forsakes ambient landsfor more edgy climes, often interspersing their long, exploratory passages with elongated guitar lines and exotic percussive accents.

"Mother London" and "Ringing the Bell Backwards" feature Jansen's clipped vocals, seriously reflectiveof brother (and former bandmate) David Sylvian, interspersed between fragile synth-warbles, illuminated electronics, and engaging rhythmic devices. "Everything Ends in Darkness" gives Barbieri room to stretch out on the keyboards. His agile synths explore forbidding landscapes while Jansen erects primitive tribal groove motifs.



Review (at amazon.co.uk):

Some may have thought talent was thin on the ground in the '80's. You'd be wrong! Thankfully some of it hung over into the next decade and beyond. As an Ex metal head trying my hardest between 1982 - 1988 to hide my sideline interest in new romantic music, from my denim clad friends, I stumbled upon Japan. Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri being the drummer and keyboardist respectivly. Through their own label 'Medium' they have produced a string of excellent albums. 'Stone to Flesh' is to me the most enjoyable. Atmospheres and moods are explored here beautifully and without being pretentious about it! An achievement in itself. I defy anyone to not like 'Sleepers awake' with it's dramatic build up through African style drum rhythms to synth soundscapes and screaming (though tasteful!)guitar solos. The epic 'Ringing the bell backwards' and the melodramatic 'Closer than I' There are elements of rock, jazz,world & ambient music which has allowed their work to comfatably cross the tricky bridge from 80's to 90's that so many artists of the time failed to cross. Like the other two ex members of Japan (Sylvian & Karn) these two are highly talented and..very mysterious, elusive individuals.



Track List:



1. Mother London (08:48)

2. Sleeper's Awake (09:17)

3. Ringing The Bell Backwards (09:42)

4. Everything Ends In Darkness (07:17)

5. Closer Than I (07:17)

6. Swim There (08:09)



Label:



Medium (B000003RTR)