Thorerges
Well-Known Member
Maybe I'm ignorant but where is the meshuggah in this?
Tigran Hamasyan - Jazz +world music +meshuggah +fempop
- Thread starter wankerness
- Start date
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wankerness
Well-Known Member
Lots of polymeter, on this latest record the drummer often is simply just doing a 4/4 pulse over the heavy odd time signature piano/bass riffs instead of the whole band playing the crazy time sigs and it just adding up to 4/4 (or 6/8 in the case of The Court Jester). The newest album and Red Hail have more obvious Meshuggah influence than Shadow Theater, but he's been very explicit that he's a fan of them so it's not just a coincidence. For example, listen to the very beginning of entertain me - pure Meshuggah there. The drummer's just clonking away in 4/4 (on a china cymbal, no less!) and hitting the snare on 3 every measure, while the rest of the band and the bass drum are doing something else entirely that adds up to 4/4 with the repetitions. Almost the entire song is the same way, actually.
brownsounds
Active Member
Yeah I don't hear the dent...jk. I'd say it's mostly the rhythmic nature/syncopation/odd time sigs. I think I read that meshuggah is one of his influences. Not sure how to embed youtube vids (someone tell me!) but this song is a really good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-GUNcSWSko&feature=youtu.be
AugmentedFourth
X:1 K:C [c^f]|
As far as metal-sounding stuff goes, the intro to "Double-Faced" wrecks hard.
octatoan
Acoustic tech-death!
A4, the MIDI worked. Thanks.
russmuller
Cramblin'
I have to say, I really like Mockroot. It goes to some interesting places. I'm still chewing on the later cuts from the record, but I think it's an excellent piece of work.
brownsounds
Active Member
Is the record out?
Sort of. It's been out for non-USA countries for a month. I got my copy last week, but I preordered it from Nonesuch. I think tomorrow is the official USA release date.
brownsounds
Active Member
The next 12 hours are going to be long...
russmuller
Cramblin'
I also preordered from Nonesuch.
thearistocat
Active Member
The Grid songs are very cool. I had to listen while doing homework, but I think I'll like the album a lot. He seems to have taken Shadow Theater a bit further: they're not too similar but I can still hear it's the same guy, if that makes sense 
wankerness
Well-Known Member
It's more of a step back from Shadow Theater. I listened to Red Hail again last night and that album is definitely much more similar to Mockroot than Shadow Theater is. Red Hail has a lot more vocals and sax on it and the compositions are a bit denser, but they are similarly sparse and "jammy" much of the time in comparison to Shadow Theater's very focused compositions.
I have listened to Mockroot around 30 times now and it's grown on me about as much as it's going to, I think. It's not nearly as good as Red Hail or Shadow Theater but it's still probably going to be one of the best albums of the year.
I have listened to Mockroot around 30 times now and it's grown on me about as much as it's going to, I think. It's not nearly as good as Red Hail or Shadow Theater but it's still probably going to be one of the best albums of the year.
thearistocat
Active Member
I think you're right about it being more similar to Red Hail than to Shadow Theater.
30 times? when did you get it, that's crazy...
AugmentedFourth
X:1 K:C [c^f]|
IMO, Aratta Rebirth, Shadow Theater, and Mockroot are all albums which have no dull tracks to me. They are albums par excellence.
I disagree, however, that Mockroot is more similar to Aratta Rebirth than Shadow Theater.
Part of what defines Aratta Rebirth for me is the way that some of the same ideas are carried through the middle tracks. Also, the more jazz-fusiony flavor of the duology and various other tracks on the album, e.g. Shogher Jan and Falling.
Mockroot seems to lack this. The only similarity is the jazz-fusiony duology with (Out of) The Grid. There's no continuation of ideas save Kars (which hardly counts). Mockroot is much less jazz fusion than Aratta Rebirth, and has more focused compositions like in Shadow Theater.
To Love: No improv, very straightforward strophic form.
Song for Melan and Rafik: Very lush, focused on lush harmonies + guiding vocal melody for first half, later introduces rhythmic drive (see: The Poet/Erishta).
Kars 1: The "Drip" of Mockroot.
Double Faced: Actually, this one reminds me of AAL.
Not really jammy though, except for the short middle interlude.
The Roads That Bring Me Closer to You: See: "Holy".
Lilac: Reminds me more of A Fable, since it is basically solo piano on the same changes just flourishing a melody and doing some improv. Not comparable to anything on Shadow Theater or Aratta Rebirth.
Entertain Me: More similar to Aratta Rebirth here, but it's also a bit like the style of the middle section of "Alternative Universe" expanded into a full song.
Apple Orchard: See "Lament".
Kars 2: See "The Year is Gone".
To Negate: Really cool IMO in its ability to extend the initial idea into really funky shit, almost no improv. Nothing on Aratta Rebirth to really compare to. Maybe "Serpentine"? But with no improv, though.
The Grid/Out of: More similarity to the duology of Aratta Rebirth than of Shadow Theater, although the hidden track is the "Seafarer" of Mockroot.
EDIT: When making direct comparisons between songs, I mean in the general qualities like instrumentation, form, and level of improvisation. That's not to say they are really that similar, obviously.
I disagree, however, that Mockroot is more similar to Aratta Rebirth than Shadow Theater.
Part of what defines Aratta Rebirth for me is the way that some of the same ideas are carried through the middle tracks. Also, the more jazz-fusiony flavor of the duology and various other tracks on the album, e.g. Shogher Jan and Falling.
Mockroot seems to lack this. The only similarity is the jazz-fusiony duology with (Out of) The Grid. There's no continuation of ideas save Kars (which hardly counts). Mockroot is much less jazz fusion than Aratta Rebirth, and has more focused compositions like in Shadow Theater.
To Love: No improv, very straightforward strophic form.
Song for Melan and Rafik: Very lush, focused on lush harmonies + guiding vocal melody for first half, later introduces rhythmic drive (see: The Poet/Erishta).
Kars 1: The "Drip" of Mockroot.
Double Faced: Actually, this one reminds me of AAL.
Not really jammy though, except for the short middle interlude.The Roads That Bring Me Closer to You: See: "Holy".
Lilac: Reminds me more of A Fable, since it is basically solo piano on the same changes just flourishing a melody and doing some improv. Not comparable to anything on Shadow Theater or Aratta Rebirth.
Entertain Me: More similar to Aratta Rebirth here, but it's also a bit like the style of the middle section of "Alternative Universe" expanded into a full song.
Apple Orchard: See "Lament".
Kars 2: See "The Year is Gone".
To Negate: Really cool IMO in its ability to extend the initial idea into really funky shit, almost no improv. Nothing on Aratta Rebirth to really compare to. Maybe "Serpentine"? But with no improv, though.
The Grid/Out of: More similarity to the duology of Aratta Rebirth than of Shadow Theater, although the hidden track is the "Seafarer" of Mockroot.
EDIT: When making direct comparisons between songs, I mean in the general qualities like instrumentation, form, and level of improvisation. That's not to say they are really that similar, obviously.
wankerness
Well-Known Member
Shadow has more colorful basslines, Mockroot has fewer instruments and thus the bass is more important. Get them both!
Well Shadow it is and then Mockroot next.
tomsargent
Well-Known Member
Welp, this is a party I am super late to. I've seen the title for this thread COUNTLESS times, and never bothered to click on it. I just got through my first listen of Shadow Theater. I have to say that 'Seafarer' is one of the most moving pieces of music I've heard in a long time. After reading what you guys have written about Mockroot, I think I'm going to buy that soon, but not yet. I'm really enjoying this album, and I want to meditate on it a bit longer before distracting myself with other things.
wankerness
Well-Known Member
I went WEEKS where I didn't listen to a single other song, just that album repeatedly!
JosephAOI
Thinks Jazz = Metal
Tigran just never fails to impress me beyond words. Such an incredible and inspirational musician. I'm currently on my 3rd listen of Mockroot and I'm really digging it so far. It's like if he took shadow theater and stripped it down a little bit, made it somewhat heavier, a lot darker, and more concise, almost. I've yet to actually get Red Hail though, so I still need to listen to that.
