The Benja-man Is Verbose

So here we are.  The quick (by my standards) turnaround since my last Eluveitie post comes because I didn't need to get to know all these songs from the beginning (and because I've been blogging like a madman these past couple weeks... this rate of posting won't last, but I'm running with it for now).  As noted multiple times Origins is the record that got me fascinated with Eluveitie, and now I get to find out in context of their career if it holds up. Personnel notes at a changing time in the band's career:  Here Ivo is specifically credited for "rhythm guitar" whereas newbie Rafael Salzmann is "lead guitar."  Nicole Ansberger joins as the principal fiddler/cellist (with some guest musicians providing additional strings), a musical partner to Chrigel and apparently soon to be a life partner with a complicated and messy personal relationship that I don't know nearly enough about to intelligently speak about; at this point she has no songwrit...

Even with the shorter (on average, not universally) record lengths in those days, I've never understood how bands in the early years of their career can pump out a record, tour constantly, and then release another record the next year.*  Somehow between 1983 and 1984 Marillion went through about twelve drummers between firing Mick Pointer and recruiting the great Ian Mosley, did a big tour, wrote a batch of mostly new songs, released Fugazi , went back on tour, and seemingly immediately got to work on the prep for what would become Misplaced Childhood the following year.  Nothing like being young and energetic.  Or so I've heard.  Not convinced that I was ever either of those things.  So, speaking of energetic things... Track One:  "Assassing" Opening with a weird vaguely Arabian intro that seems to mostly be an excuse for the revitalized rhythm section of Pete and Ian to show that they rock.  Although the rest of the song still has a groove to it that...

Lacking one single central thesis for this post, let's lead with this:  I like High Violet  overall.  I think it's a good record.  It's not a record I unabashedly adore, and I'm going to tentatively say that it's not as good as Boxer ... that's "tentative" because some of the songs on HV have that same knack of growing on me with repeat listens.   There are three specific points I want to make about my overall impression of the record.  One is that the song construction is deep and often clever.  Two is to attempt to explain why I'm just not as excited about this one as I was about its predecessor.  Three is to emphasize which parts  are exciting to me, and what I think they could mean about the future (relative to 2010) of the band. Song construction: We're well past the point where the National have figured out what it is that they do as a band, and well into the era where they're consistently good at it.  Almost all of the s...

  Interesting choice by the band to come up with a concept album about a character who’s either a time traveler or alien that serves as a not so subtle allusion to the changing face of “exploration” in the 21 st century.     No, not really.   It’s a concept record about the Gallic Wars against Rome.   Really plumbing new ground there!   Well, it’s an Eluveitie record, and it plays out pretty much exactly how one would expect.   Let’s rock!   Track One:  "Prologue" Alexander Morton provides narration to set the stage for the record.   And, uh, it’s a little on the cheesy side, but I think that’s par for the course here.   The basic premise here is that through their songs, which are, uh, loosely paid tribute to here, those who go by “Helvetios” live on.   Sorry if I spoiled the ending.   But in all seriousness, it’s an intro track, it doesn’t mean much except to set a mood and be back-referenced throughout the reco...