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Blackfield: NYC-Live in New York City (DVD)
 What do you get when you match Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson and Israel's leading counter culture rock musician, Aviv Geffen? Well, Blackfield of course. This band has released two CD's over the last few years to positive acclaim, and NYC-Live in New York City was recorded on March 16th 2007 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City while the band was on a small tour here in the US supporting Blackfield II. The band's recorded output is dreamy, slightly progressive sounding pop music, littered with catchy vocal hooks from both Wilson & Geffen, plenty of keyboard soundscapes, and Wilson's tasty guitar work. Live, the band kicks up their rock side a bit, as the songs from both studio releases take on a new twist here and really come to life. With great camera work and wonderful 5.1 DTS surround sound, NYC-Live in New York City is a positively stunning DVD to watch and enjoy. The fact that both Wilson and Geffen are great entertainers also helps matters, and with their rock solid band the performances on these 18 songs are top notch. Whether you like soaring pop numbers, edgy prog rock pieces, or alternative flavored songs, it's all here, as the band tears through many selections from their studio releases, plus a surprising cover of Alanis Morrisett's "Thank You". Wilson shows throughout this set what an excellent guitar player he is, as he tones down the bombast that you normally hear from him with Porcupine Tree to a more restrained and subtle style, adding in plenty of shimmering chords, tasty solos, and tonal colors. His work on the more rock oriented numbers like "Once", "Epidemic", and "Cloudy Now" is precision guitar playing at its best, and vocally, alongside Geffen, tunes like "Pain", "Blackfield", "Hello", "Miss You", and "Glow" come across so rich and melodic, as the band more than recreates the feel and vibe of these songs from their studio counterparts.
The duo obviously enjoy working together, and it's more than evident here. Here's hoping that this partnership continues for years to come, and these two musicians/songwriters can keep fitting in some time for Blackfield in between their main projects.
Track Listing
1. Once
2. Miss U
3. Blackfield
4. Christenings
5. The Hole In Me
6. 1,000 People
7. Pain
8. Glow
9. Thank You
10. Epidemic
11. Someday
12. Open Mind
13. My Gift Of Silence
14. Where Is My Love?
15. End Of The World
16. Hello
17. Once (Encore)
18. Cloudy Now
Bonus Features
1. Hello (Promo Video)
2. Pain (Promo Video)
3. Blackfield (Promo Video)
Added: October 25th 2009
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Blackfield Website
Hits: 6747
Language: english
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Blackfield: NYC-Live in New York City (DVD)
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-10-25 22:10:47
My Score:
****This is a review of the 2009 deluxe DVD/CD Edition Live in NYC****
Unless you have been totally out of the progressive rock loop you will have heard of Steven Wilson's side project Blackfield. Collaborating with Israeli born Aviv Geffen the band has released two studio albums and a DVD. Originally released in 2007, the concert was filmed at the Bowery Ballroom in New York and has been given the special treatment as this re-release also includes a CD. The track listing is the same as the DVD.
Joining Wilson and Geffen are Eran Mitelman (keyboards), Seffy Efrati (bass guitar) and Tomer Z (drums). The songs, taken from the previous two Blackfield albums, do not vary much from the original versions, but are energetically performed and played to perfection. I admit to being a big fan of Blackfield and it was very nice to see these songs performed in a live setting.
The lyrics are still morose as ever but I never find Blackfield's songs depressing. That may be because these tunes are so incredibly melodic it just feels good to listen to them. Wilson and Geffen's voices blend beautifully together and Wilson adds excellent electric guitar throughout. His moody rhythms and beautifully melodic solos are a driving force behind Blackfield's music. Of course, this being a band collaboration there are other important forces at work such as the understated keyboards of Mitelman that add just the right amount of atmosphere to these compositions and the drumming of Tomer Z whose tone and cymbal work are top notch.
Highlights include the poignant pop of "Pain", one of my favouite Blackfield tunes and an excellent vocal performance from Geffen. The band plays with an underlying intensity that is hard to describe but is there nonetheless. The tribal drumming throughout the rocking "Once (Encore)" is a lot of fun and the band almost displays a punk rock fury at times. The melodic pop of "Christenings" comes to life as Wilson's slide work invokes Pink Floyd at their most mellowest and Wilson's psychedelic guitar is a highlight in the intense, darker sound of "Epidemic".
One curiousity is a cover of the Alanis Morissette penned "Thank You" that is well suited to the band's take on moody pop explorations. Mitelman's keyboards are quite lovely and integral to the performance.
As to be expected the production quality is very good and the CD/DVD sounds and looks great. The DVD includes videos of "Pain", "Hello" and "Blackfield" which were enjoyable to watch.
Although the music of Blackfield is quite different from Porcupine Tree, there are subtle similarities, and anyone interested in that band may find Blackfield to their liking. This is a quality release and will be an excellent addition for fans of the band or a great starting point for the uninitiated.
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