Midlake "Antiphon" 2013****

When I went to see Midlake at the Tivoli Oudegracht in Utrecht last year (one of the last concerts at that historic club) I knew they had a new album out but hadn't heard it yet. Neither did I know that their leader and principal singer/songwriter Tim Smith had left the band. I was just a big fan of their masterpiece "The Courage Of Others" - and also quite liked their previous album "The Trials of Van Occupanther". By rights I should be disappointed they played few songs from these albums, but I quite liked their live folk-psych sound. Now, because this can be interpreted as thin or sparse, let me say that it wasn't: the band had a full sound, many instruments and voices playing in unison, sometimes veering into hypnotic psychedelic jams - but, you know, politely. And although the change in style was evident, I didn't quite know if this was just how they sound live or a new musical direction. After hearing the album, one can safely say that this is the new Midlake - or, more accurately, that the medieval English folk of "Courage" was the anomaly in their discography and this is a natural progression from "Van Occupanther". Opener "Antiphon" (Greek for opposite voice) is propelled by semi-funky bass and drums, overlaid by psychedelic organ and dreamy vocal harmonies. "Provider" likewise features a steady beat and trippy 60's guitar and organ, while new singer Pulido's vocals are similarly melodic to that of his predecessor but earthier. On "The Old And The Young" they sound like Coldplay singing over an early Pink Floyd backing track (In Utrecht Midlake disclosed their Floyd influences by covering "Fearless" from Meddle). Far from being as messy as it sounds, it is one of the album's highlights. "It’s Going Down" and "This Weight" are soft rock with beautiful melodic lines and "Vale" is a jazzy instrumental culminating in a short freakout. In a vinyl LP, it'd be a nice way to close Side 1, but at the middle of the CD it's only a distraction. "Aurora Gone" is melodic prog a la Moody Blues, with serene keyboards, flutes and vocals. "Ages" has a 60's West Coast vibe (think Jefferson Airplane at their more balladic) and "Corruption" is an atmospheric, but otherwise weak, track. The album closes with a slow, cinematic reprise of "Provider". I personally could have done without the last two, but that would leave us with just 8 songs and 30 minutes - not enough for the CD era. Although I would have loved a Courage Of Others Volume 2, it's obvious that "Antiphon" represents Midlake better. They've proved they're still a great band without Smith, I'd wager they can reach the heights of "Courage" on their own terms...

Midlake at the Tivoli, Utrecht 23/03/14

***** for Provider, The Old and the Young

**** for Antiphon, It's Going Down, Aurora Gone

*** for Ages, This Weight, Provider (Reprise)

** for Vale, Corruption  

Mercury Rev "Yerself Is Steam" 1991***

My first contact with Mercury Rev was the melodic "Deserter's Songs", a 1998 album with allusions to rock's rich past, be it Neil Young, The Beatles or Pink Floyd. At their best, Mercury Rev made Classic Rock - as in Rock that would become classic, not as in Rock emulating former greats. This 1991 debut is quite different, though with hindsight one can see the first stages of an evolutionary course that would take them to "Deserter's Songs". At this stage, MR are an alternative band, which translates as... deliberately difficult. The sublime melodies are buried underneath layers of feedback and noise, taking their cue from bands like Sonic Youth or My Bloody Valentine. On the other hand, their use of flute is quite novel for this short of music - I suspect if we removed the electric guitar we'd end up with a folk psych record of pastoral beauty. "Chasing a Bee" starts off with a bit of freak folk a la Devendra Banhart until the guitars kick in. The flute melody and backing vocals are also very charming, when audible. The overall sound reminds me of Flaming Lips of the same period - not coincidentally, since the two bands evolved simultaneously and in similar ways, and even shared bandmembers for a while. "Syringe Mouth" is a brutal guitar attack of the Sonic Youth school. "Coney Island Cyclone" is a strong composition with a melodic core - if you mentally replace the wall of feedback with an orchestra, it sounds like what they did a decade later. "Blue And Black" is an atmospheric track in slow tempo, featuring piano and sinister vocals. "Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t' th' Center of Yer Heart" is a psychedelic instrumental with the drums on the fore. It somehow reminded me of Pink Floyd circa "Live in Pompei" - not to mention that the title is worthy of Ummagumma. "Frittering" is a long song that starts off as a ballad with acoustic guitar but is swept away by waves of distortion. After a short intermission with the long name "Continuous Trucks and Thunder Under a Mother's Smile", the album closes with a 12-minute long experimental piece with a repetitive melody. It's called "Very Sleepy Rivers" - with some justification. In one phrase, "Yerself Is Steam" is the work of a talented band smugly sabotaging itself in order to sound elaborate and elitist. And yet the discerning listener will still find a lot to like.

**** for Chasing a Bee

*** for Syringe Mouth, Coney Island Cyclone, Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t' th' Center of Yer Heart, Frittering, Very Sleepy Rivers

** for Blue and Black, Continuous Trucks and Thunder Under a Mother's Smile

Cut In The Hill Gang "Mean Black Cat" 2010****

Give me a few hours in any city and I'm bound to spend at least one hour in a record shop - and come out with something interesting. Usually it's a CD by a local band, but in the case of Luxembourg I didn't have the time to delve into the local music scene - if, indeed, there is any. I'm not dissing the Grand Duchy, it's just that it doesn't seem to have produced anyone even remotely famous, other than the president of the European Commission mr. Junker. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that artists still play there - on the night of my visit, it was fellow Greek Maria Farantouri, a favorite performer of the great composer/songwriter Mikis Theodorakis. OK, nobody in Greece listens to Farantouri any more so that's not a good example, but 3 days ago it was Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. Not bad! Anyway, I stumbled into Le Réservoir, a combination of video game/comic book/CD & DVD shop. They had a number of indie CD's on sale, most of which were unknown to me, but I singled out this one: 

It's a covers album, mostly of blues songs, but also of MC5, The Kills and Gun Club (hmm, interesting combination). The singer's name is Johnny Walker - sounds familiar, where have I heard this name before? What? Whiskey? Nonsense! Oh, yes - the former frontman of the Soledad Brothers. Stag-O-Lee (the record company) has released the latest Fuzztones albums, which I loved, plus I like the handmade black and white esthetic of the cover, it reminds me of Dead Moon. And then, there's the price. OK, I'll bite... It took 20 seconds for the band to justify my faith in them: Frank Frost's "Don't Ever Leave Your Daddy At Home" is a dynamite garage-blues stomper with killer harp. "Help Me" is a cover of an excellent (hitherto unknown to me) gospel by Lula Collins, with neat organ and a heavy soul vibe that reminded me of The Bellrays. "Please Give Somethin’" is rockabilly as it would be performed by the Stooges/Flamin' Groovies, and the original belongs to another relatively unknown singer, Bill Allen. I love it when someone turns me on to a new artist. "I Wanna Holler" by Gary US Bonds is more familiar, if only via the Detroit Cobras version that I've recently reviewed. This one's different but just as good, with groovy organ, African-style drumming, rough lead and sweet backing vocals. You know what? the band are going to hate me for saying it, but it sounds like the Santana band backing Lee Brilleaux from Dr Feelgood - in a good way. The medley between Hound Dog Taylor's "Let's Get Funky" and MC5's "Back To Comm" is emblematic of Cut In The Hill Gang's two core influences. If you're a fan of the Stooges (Iggy's gang, that is, not the comedy trio) or Jon Spencer, you'll love it. The band falls into a slow, deep blues groove for John Lee Hooker's "Serves Me Right To Suffer" while "Come On Home" by R&B unknown Louis "Blues Boy" Jones gets an energetic, Mitch Ryder-style, garage treatment. "The Right To Love You" is an honest-to-God pure soul song written by soul demi-legend (and former pimp) the Mighty Hannibal. Some modern influences follow: The Kills' punk blues "Fuck The People" is played as a medley with Spacemen 3's psychedelic drone "Revolution". In case you didn't know, The Kills' Alison Mosshart is, together with Jack White, the leader of Dead Weather - one of the many ways that Cut In The Hill Gang's and Jack White's paths cross, e.g. Walker guested in early White Stripes albums, his former bandmate Ben Swank is White's partner in Third Man Records, etc. Last but not least, we've got an acoustic slide guitar-dominated take on Gun Club's "Promise Me". All in all, this album was so much better than what I had right to expect by an unknown band from Cincinnati (Ohio) recording for an indie German label - enough for me to advise Johnny Walker to leave his whiskey-bottling business behind and start dealing in rock'n'roll, full time!

**** for Don't Ever Leave Your Daddy At Home, I Wanna Holler, Come On Home, The Right To Love You

*** for Help Me, Please Give Somethin’, Let’s Get Funky/Black To Comm, Serves Me Right To Suffer, Fuck The People/Revolution, Promise Me

Pixies "Indie Cindy" 2014***

Backpackers in Luxembourg? Must have gotten lost

The Palace of Grand Duke Henri

My, this is going to be long intro. But I couldn't resist the urge to comment the fact I'm finishing this review from a hotel room at Luxembourg City in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Because, let's face it, how often does one find himself in a Grand Duchy? Or even a regular Duchy? Sure, there was a time when Europe was full of them, you could find ballrooms full of Dukes and Duchesses and even Grand Dukes and Archdukes - but they've all been absorbed by boring Republics. All, that is, except Luxembourg - presumably because people forgot it existed until it became a founding member of the European Union, by which time it was too late to annex it into any of the bigger states. The existence of EU Institutions seems to account for most of the visitors here, as there don't seem to be many tourist attractions. Not that it's ugly or anything, far from it. The mountain scenery is pretty and the city is as old and rich as the term Grand Duchy implies, but there aren't any features exclusive to it that you can't find in many other Central European cities - except, that is, if you're fascinated with the anachronism (and slight ridiculousness) of the term Grand Duchy - you can tell I am,  because I keep repeating it and placing the word in italics. Another one is obviously Frank Black (aka Black Francis) who named one of his bands Grand Duchy. It'd be fun if I had their CD and was able to present it here, buy I don't. Instead I'll present the latest Pixies album, right after another short story (let's call it a flashback, just like in the movies) about their first gig in Athens, Greece.

  

It was 1989 when the Pixies played Athens for the first time. For once I don't have to google the exact date: It was Saturday, May 20 - and I wasn't there. I was at the Peinaleon tavern in Exarchia. It was the eve of St. Constantine's day, and -as is traditional in Greece- people named after the Saint throw a party in celebration. So I (Kostas is short for Constantine) and my girlfriend at the time, Constantina, invited our friends out for mezedes (tapas) and drinks. It was a merry occasion, friends brought their instruments (guitars and bouzouki) and we sang, ate and drank until closing time. One guest arrived after midnight - let's call her Ziggy, her nickname at the time. She sat herself next to me and proceeded to tell me how unlucky I'd been to miss that night's concert. She said that I wasn't the bouzouki type and that I should have gone with her to Rodon instead celebrating at the tavern with my girlfriend Well, she was never a subtle one but she had a point: I soon became a big Pixies fan and was tremendously disappointed when they broke up in 1993. I thought I had missed my only chance to see them live. Thankfully they reformed after 10 years and in 2004 they played the Rockwave festival in Athens. They gave a great performance, but were they authentic or were they just going through the motions? Were they as good as in their prime? Was Ziggy right when she raved about their performance that night? Judge for yourselves: that concert was recorded for the public television channel and is now out on youtube.

In any case the Pixies reformation gave (tens of) thousands of fans a chance to see them live, for which we are grateful. But was their heart really in it or were they just filling their pockets so that they could go on with their other projects? The lack of new material in their second incarnation pointed to the latter. Then, in 2012-13 a few new EP's appeared, collected here in the form of full length CD. They were only recorded after Kim Deal left the band, which begs the question of whether this is even a Pixies album at all or rather a Frank Black album featuring Joey Santiago on guitar and David Lovering on drums. Given that this isn't the first time a band loses an important member, one has to focus on the music and ask whether it is a natural progression from their last outing, 1991's "Trompe le Monde". First of all, and rather predictably, Kim's absence shows. Her bass and, especially, backing vocals are sorely missed. More importantly, what's missing is Frank's counterpoint, a co-leader to counterbalance his influence. No offence to the other guys, but Santiago had played guitar in FB's solo albums, so it was probably natural for him to take a back seat here. As for Lovering, he had abandoned music altogether for a career as a magician. One cannot expect much creative input from him. Not to mention that he's the drummer - case closed! On the other hand, these are recognisably the Pixies; All the markings are present: the abrasive guitars, the shouts and shrieks, the surrealistic lyrics, that loud-quiet-loud dynamic that Nirvana so heavily copied.

Indie Cindy: the carton CD case, unfolded.

Yet, there are differences: e.g. "What Goes Boom"'s metallic riffs could have used Kim's feminine touch to balance them out. Santiago's guitar, though thoroughly enjoyable, is a tad too macho all around, edging the band a couple of inches towards classic rock territory. Not so in "Greens and Blues", which could have come out of the band's masterpiece "Doolittle" - with its acoustic/electric guitar interplay, it sounds like "Wave of Mutilation"s bigger brother. "Indie Cindy" the song has a schizophrenic feel, with FB alternately pleading sweetly for love and spouting aggressive nonsense lines like "I’m the burgermeister of Purgatory''. The speak/singing style he employs here is an old trick of his, probably one he copied in turn from The Fall's Mark E. Smith. He also uses it on the next track, lead single "Bagboy". It's the one song that sounds completely new and different from both Pixies and Frank Black's solo records. Starting off with a drum machine beat, it features heavy Zeppelin-ish guitars, call-and-response vocals that remind me of Nick Cave's Grinderman, and a Kim impersonator chanting the song's title. This must be what they mean with the phrase everything but the kitchen sink - shouldn't work but it kinda does."Magdalena 318" with its melodic sci-fi keyboards and vocals is a mid-tempo throwback to the Pixies' classic sound circa "Bossanova", while the slow psychedelic "Silver Snail" creates an unwarranted lull in the middle of the album. Maybe as last track of side 1 it could be forgiven, but it has no business being in the middle of the album. It's followed by one of the album's most upbeat numbers: "Blue Eyed Hexe", with heavy-funk guitars of the Black Keys/White Stripes school and screaming vocals. "Andro Queen"is a folk-ish ballad about extraterrestrial love, while "Snakes" and  "Jaime Bravo" have the typical Pixies sound but are otherwise uninspired - the former's surf-metal guitar and latter's backing vocals offer only a slight saving grace. All in all, and to answer the question I posed at the beginning of the review, yes we can safely consider this a genuine Pixies album, but there's no getting around the fact that it's the lowpoint of their discography. Maybe we should just content ourselves with the fact that they still exist, take their albums for what they are and not expect them to equal the masterpieces of their youth - after all, who can? 

***** for Greens and Blues

**** for Bagboy, Magdalena 318, Blue Eyed Hexe

*** for What Goes Boom, Indie Cindy, Ring the Bell, Andro Queen, Snakes

** for Silver Snail, Another Toe in the Ocean, Jaime Bravo

Nouvelle Vague "Bande A Part" 2006***

Rarely is one band's name so indicative of their intentions. "Nouvelle Vague" is of course French for "New Wave" but the very act of its translation makes it sound different, somehow lighter and more cultivated. Likewise what NV did was take familiar New Wave/Post Punk hits (and some cult favorites) and transform them by using a different musical language. The singers here seem to derive inspiration from the French 60's ye-ye and pop girl singers like Francoise Hardy.  Gentle electronica, light 60's pop and bossa nova replace the angular guitars and brooding dispositions of some post-punk originals. And at the same time that punk-rock becomes more palatable with the addition of gentle electronic beats, the synth-heavy new wave hits (e.g. Yazoo's "Don't Go", Heaven 17's "Let Me Go") are given a more organic, bluesy treatment, resulting in a homogenized mix where Yazoo can sit comfortably next to The Cramps. As this is NV's second CD milking the same idea, some songs seem to have been chosen not because the band was inspired by them but based on a "who haven't we done yet?" mentality. Including a New Order or Blondie song in such a project becomes obligatory in this respect and NV go for the obvious choices "Blue Monday" and "Heart of Glass". The former works well in latin dance mode, while the latter is taken back to its rocksteady roots. Neither is transformed as in previous examples - I'm thinking especially of previous album's "Guns of Brixton" which was my introduction to the band. It was placed in a Clash tribute CD given out with Uncut magazine and immediately caught my attention. "Killing Moon" opens the album with a carnival intro that remind me of Nick Cave's "The Carny" and continues with a sultry sweet Lolita singing "So soon you'll take me/Up in your arms/Too late to beg you/Or cancel it...". With the addition of some eerie background noises, we've got a winner very early in the race. "Ever Fallen in Love" is a close second, an immortal pop song given a bouncy bossa treatment. The Fine Young Cannibals were the first to liberate it from its punk wrapping, so this new version isn't as groundbreaking as it'd otherwise be. Stiv Bators' Lords of the New Church are often unfairly forgotten when it comes to discussing 80's post punk, so it's cool that NV chose to include one of their songs here. Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself" is the exact opposite, a loud catchy number that never completely left the airways. The NV version is likewise the album's most unsubtle and populist moment. The Wake's "O Pamela" was completely unknown to me, so I should thank Nouvelle Vague for turning me on to that post-punk gem. The Cramps' "Human Fly" is an absolute favorite of mine and it's sung here in a drunk stripper voice. Unpolished and rude, it goes well with lyrics like "I'm an unzipped fly". I like what they've done with the song. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" begins with spooky sound effects as the Bride of Dracula spouts lines like "The bats have left the bell tower/The victims have been bled". Though only half as scary as the original, it's still disquieting listening. The only NV track guaranteed to chase (all but the most perverse) customers away from the bar. Their jazz, happy-go-lucky version of The Sound's "(I Can't) Escape Myself" would be enough to make Adrian Borland commit suicide all over again. Shame on you, people! Visage's "Fade toGrey" is given a uncommercial dark, accordeon-heavy sound. They must have figured that, by this point, no-one but the most dedicated fan is still listening. Which is a pity, because their nostalgic, rainy take on Blancmange's "Waves" is a late highlight - probably the only track that works even if you don't know the original - I confess I didn't!

**** for The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen), Ever Fallen in Love (Buzzcocks), Waves (Blancmange)

*** for Dance with Me (The Lords of the New Church) Don't Go (Yazoo), O Pamela (The Wake), Blue Monday (New Order), Human Fly (The Cramps), Bela Lugosi's Dead (Bauhaus), Let Me Go (Heaven 17), Fade to Grey (Visage)

** for Heart of Glass (Blondie), Dancing with Myself (Billy Idol), I Can't Escape Myself (The Sound)

Bettye LaVette "Interpretations:The British Rock Songbook" 2010****

Based on her voice, Bettye LaVette should by rights have been as big a star as Aretha Franklin or Roberta Flack. Yet, after a few R&B hits in the 60's, she disappeared until the early 00's when she was discovered by white audiences. In the last 10 years she's recorded more albums than in the preceding 40. She's not really a songwriter, more a master interpreter, and this album is her tribute to British Rock. It was borne out of a single occasion, a Kennedy Center show in honor of The Who. She was invited to sing "Love Reign O'er Me" from Quadrophenia and her emotive performance shook the house, almost moving guests of honor Townshend and Daltrey to tears. It was then decided that she'd do a whole album of British Rock to reciprocate the respect that British rockers showed to black blues artists when they were treated like outcasts in their own country. The album is accurately titled "Interpretations", as she really gives her own version of the songs rather than simply cover them. It starts off with "The Word", a Beatles (Lennon:"mainly mine") song from 1965. Her version is an upbeat gospel soul triumph that would have made John proud. The Beatles dominate this collection as she also chooses one song each from the solo albums of George, Paul and Ringo. Harrison's "Isn't It a Pity" gets a very sparse arrangement that allows the vocal performance to shine even brighter, but I don't much care for its funereal pace. Ringo's "It Don't Come Easy" is, like most songs here, slower than the original but well served by its Deep South blues rock arrangement. As the song says "Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues/And you know it don't come easy". It sure didn't come easy for LaVette, who's been paying her dues for 50 years now. McCartney is a master writer of sensitive love songs and his "Maybe I'm Amazed" is perfect for her expressive voice. She's helped by the heartwarming string arrangements and Gilmour-like guitarwork. Which brings us to..."Wish You Were Here". For rock singers, tackling Pink Floyd's masterpiece can be intimidating, but LaVette felt at ease making changes to it - as she explains, these songs never got played on black radio stations in the US, so she didn't have any preconceptions about how they should be sung. She treats it like a blues - when they explained to her it's written about a former bandmember that died recently, she approached it as a lament for her singer friends that have left this world. It's a moving performance, embellished once again with strings. Led Zeppelin's "All My Love" is earthier than the original, with a smoky late night feel and a stirring tortured soul delivery. Traffic's "No Time To Live" is another slow song with a similarly emotive performance. As for "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", at first I didn't understand why it's here, For me it's foremost a Nina Simone song, but it seems that Bettye had The Animals' version in mind. She gives it a funky Southern Soul twist. The Rolling Stones' "Salt of the Earth" is completely reinvented as gospel. The song sounds as if it's just now found its true calling - Hallelujah, take it to the Mississippi to be baptised and let it forevermore be sung by Baptist choirs all over the American south! "Nights in White Satin" is a tricky one: in the wrong hands, it can get syrupy sweet instead of emotional. No such fear, that voice carries such passion and hurt it can never sound soft. "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad" is introduced with some funky basslines - at last a much needed change a pace, with a James Brown-style dance rhythm and soul horns. Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is another slow blues song and, frankly, the most indifferent track of this CD which closes with the aforementioned Kennedy Center performance. Such is the power of Bettye LaVette's voice, she can sing the phonebook and transform it into heart-wrenching blues. Imagine what she does with The Who's masterpiece. Wait a minute, you don't have to imagine it, just click on the video below!

***** for The Word" (Beatles)

**** for Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Animals), All My Love (Led Zeppelin), Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd), It Don't Come Easy, (Ringo Starr), Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney), Salt of the Earth (Rolling Stones), Nights in White Satin (Moody Blues), Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad (Eric Clapton), Love Reign O'er Me (The Who)

*** for No Time To Live (Traffic), Isn't It a Pity (George Harrison), Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Elton John)

Joe with Flower Travellin' Band "Times" 1971-1974(orig) 1975(comp)*****

That Joe Yamanaka must have been quite a character. Just look at him at this record cover: A bare-chested Japanese guy with a big afro with blonde streaks, wearing cowboy boots and hippy multicolored bell-bottoms and posing atop either Grand Canyon or -more probably- Mount Fuji with a samurai sword (or is it a scimitar?) in hand. I mean, is he for real or did he just disembark from a UFO? Notice how the other bandmembers are just floating heads around him: obviously they weren't crazy to get close enough to the sword-wielding singer for a group photo, so they sent their astral projections instead. "The Times" is, as the title implies, a compilation of early 70's Flower Travellin' Band material, previously released as part of their 1971 magnum opus "Satori", 1972's "Made in Japan" or the half-live/half-studio 1973 double LP "Make Up". Musically the band was really out there, comprising elements of hard rock, psychedelia and progressive/experimental rock to form a unique sound. Heavy metallic rhythms and screaming vocals dominate both cuts from "Satori", often combined with weird oriental musical scales (also notably on "Hiroshima"). "Shadows of Lost Days" is more conventional heavy blues a la Led Zeppelin while "Make Up" is closer to Deep Purple, down to the beautiful Hammond fills by Nobuhiko Shinohara. "Look at My Window" is a long trippy ballad somewhat reminiscent of West Coast 60's psych (think Jefferson Airplane/ Grateful Dead). "Spasms" is more experimental, sorta like Can jamming with Hendrix. The guitarist is a rare talent who could probably give Page or Iommi a run for their money. I first noticed him when I heard the Yuya Uchida & The Flowers (actually an early incarnation of the FTB) album, but there was no information about the players on the sleeve - OK, there was something written, albeit in Japanese which (surprise!) I can't read. So now I looked him up and learned that his name is Hideki Ishima and that he has nowadays abandoned the guitar in favor of the sitarla, an instrument of his own device. Closing track "I Wanna See You" seems to be exclusive to the compilation, and it's a soulful rocker, embellished with strings. Despite being too short for the CD era "Time" offers a welcome concise introduction to the group, cherry-picking their more accessible moments. It's amazing that the rock world is so narrowly focused to England and America and lets giants like FTB pass them by. If you do, it's entirely your loss!

***** for Satori Part 2, Satori Part 1

**** for Shadows of Lost Days, Hiroshima, Make Up, Look at My Window, I Wanna See You

*** for Spasms