A Winged Victory for the Sullen *New Album Nov 1st 2019*

[jcnporter]

I'm interested to see how it'll come across on TV because they were seriously powerful performances watching live. An incredible venue too. Glad I booked a hotel a reasonable walk away!

[Mexicola]

Just watched it back on TV and every bit as good as I recalled. Just stunning from start to finish. Feel so blessed to have seen that live.

[Betacord]

Only watched and listened via the iPlayer, and yet, what a great sense of atmosphere... Just outstanding.

[Aerial Boundaries]

I understand why Frahm has such a heavy live following, he puts on a great show. We laughed a couple of times at his mannerisms and choice of instruments, and the music itself is very well suited to live performance.

It was also nice to hear AWVFTS play with a good sound system. The first gig I went to didn't have one that cut it unfortunately, quite a lot of distortion (was still amazing though).

[jcnporter]

Review in the Guardian -

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/a ... late-night

The reviewer gives the show 4 stars, but does come across a bit twatty and superior.

[Mexicola]

Thought the same. Crap 'review'.

[IanRedpoint]

Shame they couldn't find anyone with a background of reviewing the arts (rather than what appears to be a political commentator) to go to the gig. After looking at some of their other articles on the Guardian site I reckon their whole approach was to analyse the social demographic of the audience (by his comments - the privileged liberal middle youth who go to Latitude). It's the kind of terrible snide journalism I associate with NME in the '90s.

It's funny reading the comments. Quite a few people criticising both AWFTS and Nils Frahm for being melodically/harmonically naive and simplistic whilst completely missing the point that it's precisely the reason why those tunes resonate emotionally for many of us. I've always hated the notion that new music (especially classical) has to be relentlessly experimental to be of value. There's definitely a place for the avant garde but I'd have to have fallen deeply out of love with music for it to be the only thing I would listen to.

[The Telepathic Kid]

I'm not gonna dismiss The Guardian for one reason,
Mark Kermode contributes to them and he's my favourite film critic!

wittertainment ftw

[fujee]

Shame they couldn't find anyone with a background of reviewing the arts (rather than what appears to be a political commentator) to go to the gig. After looking at some of their other articles on the Guardian site I reckon their whole approach was to analyse the social demographic of the audience (by his comments - the privileged liberal middle youth who go to Latitude). It's the kind of terrible snide journalism I associate with NME in the '90s.

It's funny reading the comments. Quite a few people criticising both AWFTS and Nils Frahm for being melodically/harmonically naive and simplistic whilst completely missing the point that it's precisely the reason why those tunes resonate emotionally for many of us. I've always hated the notion that new music (especially classical) has to be relentlessly experimental to be of value. There's definitely a place for the avant garde but I'd have to have fallen deeply out of love with music for it to be the only thing I would listen to.

Spot on. You could definitely make a strong case for Frahm and AWVFTS being more 'progressive' than the supposedly 'purist' contemporary 'avant' classical which is released today. I think that certainly applies to Jonny Greenwood too, despite borrowing heavily from Penderecki and Messiaen he's certainly making ground with some of the music he's written recently. 'Popcorn Superhet Receiver' or his There Will Be Blood score is testament to that, they sound out of this world.

Re: Guardian. It is tolerable in most cases, and has some great contributors like John Harris, Kermode and The Coren-Mitchell's, on the other hand you have insufferable closet Tory arseholes like Jonathan Jones, who I am sure just writes with the explicit intention to be as provocative as possible. He also writes contradictory pieces on the same topic, which had a diametrically opposite position a few years back. Here's a classic, just published piece of JJ.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... -socialism

[Aerial Boundaries]

What in the ever loving fuck is that Guardian reviewer on about? What a tool.

This is just so out of touch it's unbelievable, and at times wholly manufactured. The comments about the audience are ludicrous, we had people of all age brackets there. Perhaps an overall younger showing, but then these two artists are there at the proms to get younger generations into classical (and I will maintain that Winged Victory only resemble the current modern classical movement in form, not in spirit). Why is this a bad thing? Even so, I didn't get any impression whatsoever that the younger audience members were unkempt post-grad festival goers (even if they were I don't see an issue with that, but the implication is that people like that shouldn't be interested or don't deserve this kind of music). Apart from the occasional whooping from a couple of people, all I saw were men and women of all ages resting their arms in front of them, soaking good music up like auditory sponges. Isn't that what this was all about?

[jcnporter]

Have to admit I did a bit of whooping after Says and at the end and my fingers were tapping through quite a bit of Nils Frahm's set, although I wouldn't admit to air piano.
I think the journalist, as so many seem to feel compelled to do these days, was looking for an 'angle' for the piece to fill it out a bit. Probably could have talked a bot more about the music, but I suspect this might have been out of his depth.
As far as the comments go, I think they and most similar artists have rejected the neo-classical label and their approach is best summed up by Mary-Ann Hobbs' description of 'music with classical roots'. There's obviously a fusion of electronic, ambient, minimalist, classical and dance music elements there - that combination is in itself progressive and welcome, without the musical structure having to be experimental.
Commenters proclaiming the music as a failure to 'measure up' to any of those genres is missing the point - nobody's claiming that they're the future of classical or any other genre.
I agree with Ian - I've no interest in only listening to 'difficult' experimental music and anyway, wasn't minimalism, ambient and the like in part a conscious move back to 'beautiful' music? Music in the 80s/90s was relentlessly experimental and progressive without being unlistenable or innovative in musical structure.

[Mexicola]

We are extremely happy to announce that A Winged Victory For The Sullen, the otherworldly collaboration between adam bryanbaum wiltzie and Dustin O'Halloran, commence the New Year with their third full-length titled 'Iris' - available worldwide via Erased Tapes on January 13th 2017.

http://phonofile.link/iris-bonus

[fujee]

Now that is some artwork I can get on board with. Sheez.

[Mexicola]

Not sure, but assuming it's also the art for the movie? Could be wrong.

My late mum was called Iris, so I had a lump in my throat ordering this one.

[Mexicola]

Available to stream now. If you're into that kinda thing.

[747Music]

Just bought this! Will give it a full listen tonight. gotta go to work in the mean time. Can't wait!

[Mexicola]

https://awvfts.lnk.to/fiveAT

[jcnporter]

https://awvfts.lnk.to/fiveAT

Just had my first listen, it's an absolute doozy, isn't it? Don't want to come across like an uncritical fanboy about these things, but they just keep getting better and better.
I haven't heard 'Iris' yet but this feels like a real progression, very different in feel from the first two (which of course felt very different from each other) - like there's more variation, complexity and depth, more going on, but in a more subtle way.
Wonderful, and really lifting my mood after the Mourinho/Spurs news, haha.
Not only that, but they're playing in Belfast for the first time in March as well. Cannot wait.

[Mexicola]

I real return to form after Iris, which I found a bit bland.
Can't wait for the live shows in 2020.