New JDB album?

[deadmartyr]

Originally Posted by UEF

Is a The Chamber actually any good?

I had been thinking of checking the film out first before checking out the soundtrack and had never got round to it. Saw Amazon selling the last copy of the film on Blu Ray the other day for £1.98 new so will find out how good it is soon

[deadmartyr]

Originally Posted by almostfamous

"Releasing his first solo album The Great Western in 2006, Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield has made us all wait for the follow-up. His second extra-curricular activity is Even In Exile, a concept album based on the life of Chilean poet and political activist Victor Jara. It is this week's No.6 record with 5,908 sales."

1 Biffy Clyro 26,161 (Vinyls: 7,957)
2 Taylor Swift 10,552
3 Sea Girls 8,726
4 Pop Smoke 8,707
5 Juice WRLD 7,102
6 Janes Dean Bradfield 5,908
7 Dua Lipa 5,835
8 The Levellers 5,407
9 Lewis Capaldi 5,075
10 Harry Styles 5,035

Thanks for that

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Porco

Anyone else find it a bit weird that this is being consistently referred to as ‘his second solo record/album’? I mean I guess in some ways it is, but only by dint of arbitrary classification.

Shout out to the soundtrack for The Chamber is what I’m saying, basically. JDB’s real second solo album, as I see it. EIE is his third as far as I’m concerned.

I call even in exile his second album as the other is a soundtrack for someone else I guess? Maybe I'm wrong but I assume he was invited to do it where as even in exile is his ( and Patrick's obvs)

Still have to watch the film but I did love soundtrack

[Routine Builder]

Originally Posted by UEF

Is a The Chamber actually any good?

It's ok. Feels like a bottle episode (one location) stretched out for too long. It's tense but none of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable and spend most of the time shouting at each other. If you can rent it for £2, you're not going to feel cheated.

[Routine Builder]

I wouldn't call a soundtrack a solo album. Its scope and depth are defined by its source material. When the Chamber was released, James said he made a conscious effort with the music to not stand out and compete with the visuals for the audiences' attention. Hence in a fashion, he is collaborating and taking either implicit or explicit creative direction from the other artists involved in the movie.

[everlasting]

I watched The Chamber about two years ago just because I knew James worked on the music and thought it sounded like an okay movie. It was decent for what it is, a low budget tense thriller set in one small location.

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

I wouldn't call a soundtrack a solo album. Its scope and depth are defined by its source material. When the Chamber was released, James said he made a conscious effort with the music to not stand out and compete with the visuals for the audiences' attention. Hence in a fashion, he is collaborating and taking either implicit or explicit creative direction from the other artists involved in the movie.

Much better than what I said

[Porco]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

I wouldn't call a soundtrack a solo album. Its scope and depth are defined by its source material. When the Chamber was released, James said he made a conscious effort with the music to not stand out and compete with the visuals for the audiences' attention. Hence in a fashion, he is collaborating and taking either implicit or explicit creative direction from the other artists involved in the movie.

The Chamber Soundtrack is “Music by James Dean Bradfield” on a record, CD or collection of tracks to download. *shrug*

Even In Exile is some music he wrote to someone else’s words, about someone else, including one track that is a cover! “Its scope and depth are defined by its source material” yep, well you could argue the same about this too by that standard!

The soundtrack was made for the movie, but also exists outside of it. An album is said to be by a band even when it features many session players, samples, guest singers...

Hence in a fashion, the soundtrack was more of a solo album than this is.

Is anything truly a solo project? Isn’t everything a collaboration to some degree, even if only between artist and listener? Or is everything a solo project, as ultimately you can always make a judgement about one person being the most important driving force of a project if you choose to... ?!

To me The Chamber Soundtrack is an album, and it was by JDB, so EIE is at least kindalike his third solo album. It doesn’t really matter, I just find it odd to it not heard/read it being mentioned in many (any?) of the many interviews and reviews, even as an aside (I’m sure I could have missed one or two though). Interviewers saying ‘you’ve made us wait since 2006 for a solo album’ etc, and I’m thinking ‘nope, The Chamber’.

But maybe it’s just me! *shrug*

Now, John Powell’s Star Wars soundtrack from 2018, that’s definitely a Solo record...

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Porco

The Chamber Soundtrack is “Music by James Dean Bradfield” on a record, CD or collection of tracks to download. *shrug*

Even In Exile is some music he wrote to someone else’s words, about someone else, including one track that is a cover! “Its scope and depth are defined by its source material” yep, well you could argue the same about this too by that standard!

The soundtrack was made for the movie, but also exists outside of it. An album is said to be by a band even when it features many session players, samples, guest singers...

Hence in a fashion, the soundtrack was more of a solo album than this is.

Is anything truly a solo project? Isn’t everything a collaboration to some degree, even if only between artist and listener? Or is everything a solo project, as ultimately you can always make a judgement about one person being the most important driving force of a project if you choose to... ?!

To me The Chamber Soundtrack is an album, and it was by JDB, so EIE is at least kindalike his third solo album. It doesn’t really matter, I just find it odd to it not heard/read it being mentioned in many (any?) of the many interviews and reviews, even as an aside (I’m sure I could have missed one or two though). Interviewers saying ‘you’ve made us wait since 2006 for a solo album’ etc, and I’m thinking ‘nope, The Chamber’.

But maybe it’s just me! *shrug*

Now, John Powell’s Star Wars soundtrack from 2018, that’s definitely a Solo record...

Yeah but then you're treading into original song soundtracks competing in the album charts and we don't like that do we?

Soundtracks seperate beasts

[Routine Builder]

I think it's a bit unfair to compare EIE with The Chamber Soundtrack. For one, James chose to use Patrick's words for his songs and he also chose which poems to use and how they were edited. Half-way through the project he could have ditched the concept and went with a more straight forward album. He controlled what did and what did not end up in the album. There is nothing on that album that he did not choose to be there.

However The Chamber soundtrack would exist even if James declined the opportunity. Heck Blade 2049's first soundtrack was ditched and a new soundtrack recorded by a different artist. James was hired to write music for the Chamber presumably with some direction with how it might sound. While he wrote all the music, it's not his choice how it might be used. Despite there being an album called The Chamber Soundtrack, the music's raison d'etre is to exist within the Chamber accompanying the visuals and narrative. The soundtrack belongs to the Director's/Producers.

None of the above should diminish the music James created, the time and effort dedicated to it's creation, or the enjoyment gained from listening to it on its own right independent from the movie it was written for.

[sitdown1985]

Originally Posted by Porco

Is anything truly a solo project? Isn’t everything a collaboration to some degree, even if only between artist and listener? Or is everything a solo project, as ultimately you can always make a judgement about one person being the most important driving force of a project if you choose to... ?!

I'd argue a solo project is where the 'solo artist' alone has the final say on creative decisions. Not sure if that's the case with a film soundtrack, and you have to wonder whether with some less established artists, record companies have the final say.

[Glyn]

Under The Mimosa Tree is Manorbier on a Spanish holiday hooking up with the strings from Paris 1919. This is another very good thing.

[Tim]

I didn't expect the last song to creep into my album favourites but it's snuck in there like a sneaky thing. That break about two thirds through where it all goes a bit prog and then goes back into the chorus to finish is a truly wondrous thing.
I really wish he'd had the time to put verses echo, with tear flow on the album though, i would have replaced one of the instrumentals with it. Given how he said there wasn't a great rush to get it finished due to lockdown i find it a bit puzzling why it's not.

[hummingbird]

Finally downloaded the bonus tracks and transferred to iPod classic. Had to remind myself how the bloody thing worked. Totally forgot about the scroll wheel and thought it was stuck.

ANYWAY they were definitely worth the bother. I like how different they are.
Extra bonus I now have access to all my old manics playlists so I can have a 30 track lifeblood playlist to keep me company today along with even in exile.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by sitdown1985

I'd argue a solo project is where the 'solo artist' alone has the final say on creative decisions. Not sure if that's the case with a film soundtrack, and you have to wonder whether with some less established artists, record companies have the final say.

To continue the solo project debate above, another way to look at it is to consider a solo project as a form of self-reflection for the artist. TGW is certainly a collection songs about JDB, and, I would argue, EIE is also a collection a songs about JDB through the prism of the figure of Victor Jara.

Listening to all the interviews that JDB has done this week (which have all been great - really enjoyed them) on various occasions both the interviewer and JDB have referred to this as a concept album in a way to distance JDB from the project. But every time I hear JDB talk about Victor Jara's story, I can't help but hear him talking about himself indirectly with the story that he presents of Victor Jara.

If you want examples, you might think of the role of the mother in Victor Jara's life, the leftist politics, the power of song in protest, the centrality of the guitar etc.

So, I wouldn't count the soundtrack as a solo project. A solo project, at least in this sense, is an exercise in self-reflection indirectly through a conceptualisation of some historical figure. In simpler words, as much as this is an album about Victor Jara, it's also an album about JDB.