It Bites - Map of the Past

[Brom]

Having a daughter who has designs on becoming a pro musician means that the flow of sterling these days goes towards things that make music instead of things that contain music, so for now this was on my "must get" list but when actually coming face to face with a copy in HMV yesterday 'it bit' and dug its fangs in and I found myself enjoying the sounds of Beck, Mitchell and co on the drive home.

It's a good un. I can see why there was all the pre release excitement. Strong melodies, great instrumental bits and so far none of that "Um diddly um diddly eh-oh" vocals that I never quite got. However, I have not yet strayed into the latter stages of the disk. I like the mix too, very powerful in places, great solos, looking forward to a proper spin on the home systems later.

Had to laugh when the car CD display told me I was listening to "Cartoon Gravey"!? Strange title I thought, with odd spelling. Forgot that long titles get truncated!

Final comment, I'd intended to buy from Our fave merch desk, so sorry about that Nells.  Noticed that the HMV price for the 2CDset is £12 compared with The Mech Desk at £17 ?? :?

[RacingHippo]

Had to laugh when the car CD display told me I was listening to "Cartoon Gravey"!?

:mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
From the album "Map of the Roast"?

[Pedro]

I have finally given this enough listens to offer a considered view....it's farking brillicent!  

It has just about everything I would expect (and had been hoping for), including some trademark nonsense vocals (just nah-nahs this time but the spirit lives on!).

Light/shade, verse/chorus, atmosphere/solos....all present and more than correct.

Someone moaned on the IB forum (GASP! - really?) that it sounded too much like Frost* and/or Kino.
Well, it can't help but sound a little like them, having some personnel overlap and it does have one or two musical or lyrical "references" that made me smile, but the main way that it resembles those other bands is by being flippin' awesome.

Bob Dalton says in the EPK that it is different to previous albums...well perhaps, but I really can see the resemblance between this and The Tall Ships...and that's not a bad thing at all.
It doesn't have the long, "set piece" track like "This Is England" but it does have stable-mates for all the other characteristics of TTS.

I have one question about the track "Meadow and the Stream"....why is the chorus "Meadow and the Stream", over and over? This track took the longest to "sit down" for me. I think I get what the story is about (at least my take on it) and I'm quite happy with that...just the chorus...huh?

Anyway, I thoroughly commend the album to the house. It's a belter.  

[Bert]

Final comment, I'd intended to buy from Our fave merch desk, so sorry about that Nells.  Noticed that the HMV price for the 2CDset is £12 compared with The Mech Desk at £17 ?? :?

I'm pretty sure that the majors are subsidising HMV at the moment to undercut on line etc, given the parlous state of HMV and the fact that it is the only nationwide big hitter selling CD's on the high street. I think that was part of the refinancing HMV did a month or so back. The labels can't afford/don't want HMV to go out of business as it's still a crucial outlet and distribution channel for them.

I would guess that Nellie can't get the volume discounts that HMV would hence the price.

Cracking album though.

[Mordwin]

It is <understatement>rather good</understatement> And I'd less issue with Nellie's price as it supports her and the band far more than HMV will (though, I'll tend to buy big labels that way so they get less of my money :p)

And as for sounding a bit like Frost* or kino... not only is there the overlap, but remember who influenced those bands!

[Brom]

And as for sounding a bit like Frost* or kino... not only is there the overlap, but remember who influenced those bands!

When I first heard the riff on the intro to "The Big Machine" I thought "Welcome to Nowhere", the 'Vile Carbonator' section. And there's definitely another bit that sounds really Frost*y, but I can't remember which bit at the mo.

[Pedro]

This album has seriously taken me over this week, I can't seem to get enough of it.
"Send no Flowers" is the current front runner, mostly because I found I could noodle along with it on the Ukulele last night and the structure of the song is just so clever.
That said, there's not much to separate the other songs, they're all top notch, even the two I've had on the single for quite some time, there's no "skippers" on the disk at all.

[Againesis]

Definitely enjoying MOTP but personally I don't think it's reached the lofty heights of TTS. Then again, that's not exactly a criticism as I consider TTS to be one of the most consistently brilliant CDs of the last 10 years.

The companion live CD is jolly good too.

Cartoon Gravey (!) so far my favourite - but it don't half sound like Firth of Fifth at the start (especially the Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited version)

[johninblack]

I was getting quite worried, first run through I found it at best ordinary. On about play 5/6 now and it's really starting to grab me and make sense (thankfully). I guess having high expectations can be a bit of a bugger, I was so disappointed on that first listen, fortunately it's become a right grower
I still wouldn't rate it anywhere near TTS but a few more plays and well, who knows?

[Pedro]

Yeah, for some reason it's not a first-listen-brilliant album...I don't know why that is...but if you let it, it will grow all over you and you'll find yourself with a bag full of ear-worms and wishing you could get the world to listen to it.
I suppose it doesn't have the long epics that TTS has, but there are songs that are obvious stable-mates of TTS tracks.
I hope people stick with it, it does take a good few listens, but I know it is worth the effort.

[Ash]

Cartoon Gravey (!) so far my favourite - but it don't half sound like Firth of Fifth at the start (especially the Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited version)

at last!  somebody else hears genesis

[pink skinny head]

MOTP is riddled with Genesis influence...along with Pink Floyd and a few dabs of Queen.Meadow and the Stream in particular has Genesis written all over it and i absolutely love it.Im not sure if this was deliberate,but you do get the feeling that It Bites  have tried to show who have INFLUENCED THEM,on the new album.

[Nellie]

I don't make the rules on the prices at The Merch Desk. I sell the stock for what the bands tell me to, as I do so on their behalf. I merely take a tiny commission, the rest goes to the band, as it should.

[pink skinny head]

Nellie...you do a wonderful job.Many thanks again for swapping my xmas pressi over for the t-shirts i asked for back in January.

[Dena]

I don't make the rules on the prices at The Merch Desk. I sell the stock for what the bands tell me to, as I do so on their behalf. I merely take a tiny commission, the rest goes to the band, as it should.

But, but.... I thought it WAS your fault, Nells. I thought you set all the prices and pressed the album yourself and everything....