Lofofora la Distance

Progressive rock bands stumbled into the '80s, some with the crutch of commercial concessions under one arm, which makes the Moody Blues' elegant entrance via Long Distance Voyager all the more impressive…

Germany’s most successful instrumental rock act Long Distance Calling explore the next step in their multi-faceted career with their 7th studio album ‘How Do We Want To Live?’. The band have returned with a sharply defined, artistically deep exploration of the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. In late 2020, Long Distance Calling will continue their hugely successful ‘Seats & Sounds’ tour, and this year also saw them nominated for the German Musikautorenpreis 2020 for compositional & artistic achievement. ‘How Do We Want To Live?’ carries all the bands trademarked sounds whilst at the same time revealing new, surprising and unexpected elements of the Long Distance Calling sonic landscape.

Progressive rock bands stumbled into the '80s, some with the crutch of commercial concessions under one arm, which makes the Moody Blues' elegant entrance via Long Distance Voyager all the more impressive. Ironically enough, this was also the only album that the group ever got to record at their custom-designed Threshold Studio, given to them by Decca Records head Sir Edward Lewis in the early '70s and built to their specifications, but completed while they were on hiatus and never used by the band until Long Distance Voyager (the preceding album, Octave, having been recorded in California to accommodate Mike Pinder), before it was destroyed in the wake of Decca's sale to Polygram. In that connection, it was their best sounding album to date, and in just about every way is a happier listening experience than Octave was, much as it appears to have been a happier recording experience.

A regular fixture on the pop charts throughout the '70s, the Moody Blues roared into the '80s with this tremendously successful record. In fact, the album sounds only slightly different than its predecessors; the synthesizer textures are heavier (thanks to former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz), but the band's flair for catchy, melodic compositions is still very much in evidence. In retrospect, songs like "The Voice," "Talking Out of Turn" and "In My World," while solid, don't exactly measure up to such all-time Moodies classics like "Ride My See-Saw" or "Tuesday Afternoon." Still, this is probably the last truly consistent album the band ever made…

Lemuria - The Distance Is So Big (2013) {Bridge Nine Records B9R190}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 270 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 113 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Bridge Nine Records | B9R190
Rock / Indie Rock / Indie Pop / Pop Punk

Lemuria might not sound like they are from Buffalo, NY, but the band was proudly birthed there, following the legacy of an oddly eclectic, if not eccentric, music scene. When you loosen your ears to the sugary indie-pop, you'll discover discordant notes, odd time signatures, and brutal riffs creating menacing yet catchy music. Their most mature and best effort to date, The Distance Is So Big was recorded at the Magpie Cage with J Robbins (Against Me!, Jawbreaker, The Promise Ring) earlier this year.

The music on La Danse Macabre is interesting enough, including death and black metal elements in small doses alongside operatic male and female singing and keyboard relient melodies. Imagine a bit of Blind Guardian, an element of Leaves' Eyes, and a tiny bit of Nightwish and you'll be headed in the right direction…