John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts

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.

Sadly the more fun he's having the worse his music is. Last two albums have been corny as hell.

True, but, at least there's still something there, unlike, say, Mark Kozelek, who also used to make beautiful music and now does...something different that he apparently finds more fulfilling but no one likes to listen to.

I do have a bit of a hard time with the 'funny voices' approach

Same here. It's barely listenable in "Diet Gum" and only tolerable in "Metamorphosis".

Well it'll be interesting to see how that plays out live -- seeing him (finally) in two and a half weeks.

I'm seing him next Monday. It's his first time in Montréal. If he plays "Glacier" I'll be a very happy guy.

I loved his collaboration with Wrangler that came out under the Creep Show moniker.

His tracks on the 2014 Hercules & Love Affair album are terrific, extensions of Pale Green Ghosts' coffee house electronica. It's been diminishing returns ever since.

So the concert was awesome. He really pulls off the new songs well live. The harmonies are great. He also spoke to us in perfect French many times. Added bonus, none other than the ledgendary Budgie is behind the drumkit and I got to speak with him and take pictures after the show.

Wait, hold the fuck on, that was BUDGIE? How did I not clock that.

I gotta agree with LeRoo, just a wonderful show here in SF last night. "Pale Green Ghosts" got a particularly wonderful arrangement, queasily wonderful dark 80s electronics, and after it he said that reflected "four years of listening to Ministry's "Over the Shoulder" 12"...greatest remix ever." My girlfriend loved how the new album's "Metamorphosis" sounded live, saying it felt absolutely terrifying at the end. The main set closer of "Sensitive New Age Guy," "Glacier" and "Queen of Denmark" was an astounding 1-2-3.

Yes! PGG was huge and "Metamorphosis" is better live than on the album.

Budgie came down in the club after the show to buy a drink from the bar. When I started talking to him he said he was just taking it to John backstage and would come back to chat, and he actually did! Really nice guy and I was pretty starstruck.

There's a new track today, apparently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecBpAwovikg

One of my favorite albums of the decade.

oooh cate le bon produced this new one...fingers crossed it breaks his streak of weirdly lousy albums