John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts

Xpost
As an amateur songwriter I fucking love that approach, and stuff like that

"and other stuff" is great, it undercuts the pomposity of the lyrics beforehand.

Similarly, I also love the bit in "Sigourney Weaver" where he starts singing about feeling like Winona Ryder in "Dracula": "and she couldn't get that accent right / and neither could that other guy".

Reading this thread for the first time.

can't think of many comparisons that really work.

seriously, this dude's voice is fucking incredible

Am I the only one who thought Brandan Perry when I first heard him? Their voices are incredibly similar imo. That's a compliment of course. The song "Pale Green Ghosts" even sounds like late-period Dead Can Dance.

Grant's turn on a Piano Magic album was a pretty good DCD impersonation

I have a hard time with his solo records, and I had a hard time with the last Czars album (with it's god awful autotune) but sometimes it feels like it really works.

xp First time I heard Sigourney Weaver, knowing nothing about Grant's sense of humour, I laughed out loud. It felt liberating, like I didn't know you could have a lyric like that with a voice like that. If Malkmus or Mark E Smith sang that line it would be funny but expected - Grant doesn't sing like someone funny and I find that dissonance exhilirating.

New video for Glacier is extraordinary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QLrMK9qBtYY

http://youtu.be/QLrMK9qBtYY

Re: Sigourney Weaver... I wondered why the absurd lyrics dont detract from the beauty of the song and I'd guess that it helps add this sense of joy (that I think is present in the music and vocals) along with the melancholy, making it all richer for it.

xpost fantastic video

v cool video, also super relieved there was no Dallas Buyers Club content at the end there.

I didn't know you could have a lyric like that with a voice like that. If Malkmus or Mark E Smith sang that line it would be funny but expected - Grant doesn't sing like someone funny and I find that dissonance exhilirating.

Don't get it -- how is what this guy is doing different from what e.g. Neil Hannon does?

(Don't get me wrong, I love Neil Hannon and think there should be more Neil Hannons. Neil Hannae?)

It took me way too long to love this guy.

He sings on the new Hercules and Love Affair album.

Don't get it -- how is what this guy is doing different from what e.g. Neil Hannon does?

Neil Hannon is often jokey, never funny

I am at his London gig right now (husband duty) and am wondering why nearly every song kicks off with dreary 'Imagine' piano chords. Dude, change it up!

wondering why this is getting the big push now - saw an advert on the tube earlier. good album but thought it was a bit more underground - dude's presumably gonna be everywhere now

I hope he ascends to being the most famous and celebrated

given how GMF keeps popping into my consciousness at the oddest times, he may already be part of the way there

GAH no I'm not jealous oh no

http://bellaunion.com/2014/04/john-grant-announces-november-uk-orchestral-tour/

Just over a year since the release of his critically-lauded second album Pale Green Ghosts, and with numerous Best Album of 2013 accolades and a Brit Award nomination to his name, JOHN GRANT has announced news of one of his most exciting ventures yet.

This November will see the former Czars frontman embark upon a seven-date tour accompanied by the Royal Northern Sinfonia in which John’s celebrated catalogue will be reworked and reimagined with a sumptuous orchestral setting, alongside the world premiere of some especially written new songs. John Grant’s creativity, unique songwriting and wonderful vocals combined with thirty four musicians promises a one-off musical experience. The tour will be orchestrated by Fiona Brice who has provided arrangements for the the likes of Roy Harper, Vashti Bunyan, Anna Calvi, Midlake, Placebo, as well as John himself.

'Outer Space' plays over a good scene in The Skeleton Twins

He played at the Royal Festival Hall last night with an orchestra backing him and it was fucking incredible, virtually flawless, like some early Scott Walker shit with added gigantic synths and self-loathing. I've seen him live before but this was something else, never quite appreciated how brilliantly he can pull off a sudden register jump before.

the 2013 album I most regret not discovering in time. His tunes on the Hercules & Love Affair record are good too.

Live album released today, backed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. I recorded it when originally broadcast on 6Music a few weeks ago; it's excellent.

Saw him on Saturday night in Edinburgh and I can only echo what Matt DC said. In-fucking-credible. Hairs raised on my arms for half the gig. The Sinfonia using Rachmaninov's Prelude in C sharp minor to kick off Pale Green Ghosts was just something else. Glaciers, Queen of Denmark, JC Hates Faggots and GMF were all performed to perfection. That's The Good News was absolutely hilarious and the new material sounded like we have another real treat in store. Go see him if you can, you won't regret it.

Genuinely one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. The new songs - No More Tangles, Geraldine and Global Warming - were all great.

Envious beyond belief.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vk1gd

John Grant on Icelandic music.

... with a slight over emphasis on Blur's Beetlebum.

Press release for his new album is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster - can't wait to hear the pairing of his voice w/Tracey Thorn's, but Amanda Palmer? Whyyyyyyyyy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUgWE71CzWQ&feature=youtu.be

That''s really quite a poor vocal performance from him, IMO and I generally like his vocals a lot. Her's ain't good either but I've nothing to compare it to, maybe she always sounds like that. I enjoyed the riff on yahoo's situation in the opening synth line and I liked the chorus but I don't really get the song overall.

Haven't quite parsed that song yet but the chorus and the last couple of minutes are so good

I can't tell if the melodies are surprising or just not enjoyable. giving it time.

Kinda baffled by the new album tbh? Feels overworked in every direction.

New song is terrible, that register shift he does in the chorus is... not good at all.

really love his Taylor Swift covers album

Streaming:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/01/john-grant-grey-tickles-black-pressure-exclusive-album-stream

Not in the US or Canada though -- but it turns out:

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/30/444196884/first-listen-john-grant-grey-tickles-black-pressure

Hoping this is a grower as my first couple of listens have left me cold (and I much prefer Pale Green Ghosts over Queen of Denmark.)

I really hate this guy's records for reasons I find hard to articulate. Spotify Discover playlist thinks I will like "Outer Space," apparently, but no. I guess it's the way he adopts this syrupy AM radio sound but doesn't DO anything with it, just kind of perfectly imitates it and then gapes at himself doing so.

this new album is way too cute

Great show in Minneapolis last week. "Pale Green Ghosts" and "Queen of Denmark" (the songs) sounded best, but I was impressed by the new stuff too. "I am quite angry, which I barely can conceal" defined the approach, though he's also very gracious as a performer. His band played a big part in bringing the material across, tho the drums were a bit over-heavy at times.

"Snug Slacks" is a great song title.

I couldn't get more than half way through this one - a couple of the widescreen ballads were good, but wacky synthpop is his single worst mode and it was all over this.

Yeah, I'm struggling with a lot of this; much of the first half is jarring, and much of the second half re-treads familiar ground. My keepers: the title track, "No More Tangles", "Magma Arrives", "Disappointing". "Snug Slacks" is fun for a while, too.

Tracey Thorn sounds ragged on "Disappointed," no?

new single is nice, better than anything I can recall from the last LP

So ILM doesn't really care for John Grant ? I'm not really convinced by his latest album's all electronic approach. I miss his piano and strings. Still has a great voice though. Has anyone else listened to it ?

I tried - also found it underwhelming. First two albums still classic, hope he finds an appealing groove again.

The title track is amazing but the album bounces back and forth for me. I do have a bit of a hard time with the 'funny voices' approach. He sounds like he's having fun though.