Surrounded.

[sparks68uk]

  The album landed on my door mat today.

   Its Bloody awesome! Just as navigating By the Stars Was and Hex.

   One criticism 18 years was far too long to wait!

   

[saille]

Green with envy, my vinyl is due for delivery tomorrow
Was hoping for a download link like the rest of the vinyl LP's
I've ordered. Guess I'm gonna have to wait it out

[fiddlesticks]

Haven't ordered mine yet. Had a look in the NMA shop for a download version, but not there yet.
Would prefer flac format from NMA direct, rather than going to Amazon for the mp3.

Anyone know if the shop will have it in? Otherwise will just bite the bullet and get the CD.

[Johnz]

This is a wonderful album. Thank you to JS and everyone involved. I'm currently stuck on Sao Paulo and Sea Again.

[cthulhu]

Shortly befor 8'o clock i got out of bed this morning, made me my first coffee, opened the blends, went back to bed with the coffee, turned on Surrounded to listen to for the second time since yesterday and to look out the windows and enjoy the atmosphere, chillaxing while listening to this beautiful album. What a good way to start a lazy saturday..!

There is this very good review on the whiskey-soda website (link is in the review thread), which i had read yesterday after the first listen and i was a little astounded on how fitting the review was, matching my ideas and thoughts, like all the quotes there from the songs were also my favourite lines, the ones immediately struck me.

"Wieder gibt es auf „Surrounded“eine Stunde lang fesselnde Geschichten, starke Bilder, die fast greifbare Szenen heraufbeschwören und Naturgewalten, denen sich der Erzähler mit stoischer Ruhe ergibt."
"On Surrounded there are again one hour of captivating Storys, strong Images which evoke almost tangible Scenes and Forces of Nature to which the Narrator yields with a stoic calmness"
I think that also sums it up for me.

A beautiful Album. I love it already, but for me it will be an ongoing adventure of discovering the richness and storys there, which i already feel, but more on the surface now and it will get deeper, that is what i know.

..and the first time looking at the album, discovering the beautiful layout and artwork and reading the songtitles..Sea Again made me laugh out loud and brought a huge grin on my face...i find that funny!

[Shush]

On first listen, I am very impressed. Of equal quality to NBTS. for sure. Need to have several  listens till I can pick out a favourite. As ever, every two years or so there is a new NMA / JS album, I am and have completely struggled to load the album from CD to my iPod where I can give it a proper listen, but as before , I will get my son to sort it all out for me.

[Guillaume]

Ok i've listened to SURROUNDED twice this morning and i haven't translated/read the lyrics yet, but for the moment:

I think that it is a fine album with good songs on it (("Coming with me", "Sao Paulo", "1975", the title track "Surrounded", "Amundsen", "Clean horizon", etc), BUT i don't really find on it the atmospheric haunting quality of "Navigating by the stars".
But hey, remember that NBTS is a kind of desert island album for me! 
I'm less haunted by SURROUNDED probably because it's a more low key, minimalist, restrained, sober and maybe "sadder" album.  "Sea again" is probably my favourite song on it, in part because it's closer in tone/style to the NBTS album!
Wait and see to know how the album is growing on me...

[cthulhu]

If i would have to decide between NBTS and Surrounded, like having a gun pointed to my head and a force telling me to decide to which album i can listen to in the future, i would go for NBTS.
To me the difference of those two albums is, up to this point of time, a rhythmical one. Hard to express, but NBTS has more rhythm and rhythmical structures in the orchestration whereas Surrounded feels to me more spherical, open, also very intense emotionally but the music feels not so structured and groovy like NBTS.

But as always for me, i really need more time for these things until i can say to myself: "yes, now you've got it." I have to listen to Surrounded at least once on headphones, the heck i've only listened to the whole album three times so far, so way to early to come to kind of a conclusion (love it, that's no question) but of course i did compare it to NBTS and i won't say that i'm missing something, but NBTS sounded to me more rhytmical. If that does make any sense to anyone what i'm writing..

[Guillaume]

To me the difference of those two albums is, up to this point of time, a rhythmical one. Hard to express, but NBTS has more rhythm and rhythmical structures in the orchestration whereas Surrounded feels to me more spherical, open, also very intense emotionally but the music feels not so structured and groovy like NBTS.

But as always for me, i really need more time for these things until i can say to myself: "yes, now you've got it." I have to listen to Surrounded at least once on headphones, the heck i've only listened to the whole album three times so far, so way to early to come to kind of a conclusion (love it, that's no question) but of course i did compare it to NBTS and i won't say that i'm missing something, but NBTS sounded to me more rhytmical. If that does make any sense to anyone what i'm writing..

I agree with everything that you've written ctulhu!
Best part of the album is probably "Sea again" following two quite brillant songs ("1975" and "Sao Paulo"). I also like the ending song "Surrounded". In a few days it will be the time to open a thread "Your favourite song(s) on SURROUNDED!" 

[lotus]

If i would have to decide between NBTS and Surrounded, like having a gun pointed to my head and a force telling me to decide to which album i can listen to in the future, i would go for NBTS.
To me the difference of those two albums is, up to this point of time, a rhythmical one. Hard to express, but NBTS has more rhythm and rhythmical structures in the orchestration whereas Surrounded feels to me more spherical, open, also very intense emotionally but the music feels not so structured and groovy like NBTS.

Have the same feeling, I`ll give it some more listenings, but not sure, Surrounded will really grow on me 

First and fast reading the lyrics gave me feeling, a lot of people live in an own and often dark world, NBTS shows some sunshine, but Surrounded?

Today I prefer Ride because of the music ...

[8]

Who else in Canada or the States received it today (Sunday, May 30th)?

[Henning]

It's really interesting to see how we all react differently to the songs on the album. With 16 songs it's quite a lot to listen to and to take in. When Justin sent me his demos in late summer last year, it really took me quite some listens to get my head around it. There were some songs that instantly spoke to me and some that did not touch me at all. Basically all the songs that I played on are the ones that had made a deep impression upon me from the start. On the other hand  "Sea again" was not such a favourite of mine but when Shir-Ran had composed and played her string arrangement it definitely lifted the song to another level for me and I really like it now. I think one needs to give it a few spins and get into the lyrics as well, there's lots of things hidden there. Basically it's more storytelling, more cinematic than NBTS. But I love both albums.

[Guillaume]

Basically it's more storytelling, more cinematic than NBTS.

I think that NBTS is already very "cinematic", i can see so many images when i listen to this album...the moods and sounds of the title track, "Blue ship", "Ocean Rising", "Green"...incredible. The songs i feel are the most "cinematic"/soundtracks vibe on SURROUNDED are "Sao Paulo" and "Amundsen".

[Johnz]

I know it's hard not to, but I don't think comparisons to NBTS will do Surrounded justice. They are two very different albums. Surrounded reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska; simple on the surface but with a lot of hidden beauty that reveals itself over time.

NBTS is a dreamy soundtrack that you can drift away to for an hour. Surrounded is much more raw and very direct. Like a voice in your ear. At times dark, claustrophobic and unnerving but with rays of light, like the album cover. The opening and closing tracks provide a fitting frame for the other songs. There is a lot to be discovered here if you want.

[Henning]

Basically it's more storytelling, more cinematic than NBTS.

I think that NBTS is already very "cinematic", i can see so many images when i listen to this album...the moods and sounds of the title track, "Blue ship", "Ocean Rising", "Green"...incredible. The songs i feel are the most "cinematic"/soundtracks vibe on SURROUNDED are "Sao Paulo" and "Amundsen".

While NBTS was mostly about sea and voyage this album has a broader spectrum of topics. '1975' has this all-encompassing bleakness pervading through the song. 'Stone and Heathe'r opens up the Yorkshire moors in my mind. 'Ungorgiven' paints a darkly beautiful picture of Corsica in my mind. 'Surrounded' shows me the northern coldness of Giske. 'Coming with me' feels like you are flying with the pilot in his suicidal aircraft dropping  into the sea never to be found. There's even the interior humming noises of the plane interior that you can hear at times. There's so much to be discovered in the lyrics and music it might take a while to take it all in.