Come Hell or High Water (The Flowers of Hell album)

Come Hell or High Water is the second studio album from the experimental rock group The Flowers of Hell. Released in April 2009, the album was recorded in over 40 sessions with 30 musicians in London, Prague, Toronto, Detroit, and Texas. According to an interview in Now magazine and a review in URB, the album was conceived of as a celebration of synaesthesia, and composer Greg Jarvis based the composing, recording, arranging, and preliminary mixing on his synaesthetic visions.[1][2][3]

Come Hell Or High Water
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 6, 2009 (2009-04-06)
GenreSpace rock, Post-rock, Experimental
Length44:20
LabelBenbecula Records (UK CD), Unfamiliar Records (Canadian CD), Saved By Vinyl(LP)
ProducerGreg Jarvis
The Flowers of Hell chronology
The Flowers of Hell
(2006)
Come Hell Or High Water
(2009)
“O”
(2010)

Noted guests on the record include Patti Smith/Iggy Pop collaborator Ivan Kral on bass who had been a mentor to Jarvis,[4] mix work from Spacemen 3's Peter Kember, strings from British Sea Power's Abi Fry and The Clientele's Mel Draisey and Broken Social Scene's Julie Penner, amongst others.[5]

The LP sleeve is one of six displayed at the Tate Britain and Paris's Musee d'Orsay in their major 2020 Aubrey Beardsley retrospective. Beardsley's work was adapted for the cover by Greg Jarvis and features in the exhibition catalogue as well as in the exhibition itself.[6]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[7]
Pitchfork Media (2010)[8]
URB (magazine)[9]

Track listing edit

  1. "Opus 66 (Part 1)" – 4:12
  2. "Blumchen" – 6:17
  3. "Forest Of Noise" – 3:44
  4. "The Strength Of String" – 4:00
  5. "White Out" – 3:22
  6. "Darklands" – 5:08
  7. "Pipe Dreams" – 5:25
  8. "The Invocation" – 3:33
  9. "Past Tense" – 4:41
  10. "Occasional Tears" – 4:03

Personnel edit

  • Acoustic Guitar - Steve Head
  • Baritone Sax - Tom Hodges
  • Bass - Ivan Kral, Will Carruthers, Greg Jarvis, Barry Newman, Ronnie Morris
  • Bass Harmonica - Tom Hodges
  • Cello - Amy Laing
  • Clarinet - Miss Hypnotique
  • Drums & Percussion - Jon McCann, Guri Hummelsund, Linda Noelle Bush, Dave Gee
  • Ebow & Feedback Manipulation - Jeremiah Knight
  • Flute - Brian Taylor, Tom Hodges
  • Electric Guitar - Greg Jarvis
  • Harmonica - Barry Newman, Greg Jarvis
  • Keys & Programming - Jan P. Muchow, John Mark Lapham, Greg Jarvis
  • Musical Saw - Tom Hodges
  • Piano - Greg Jarvis, Jan P. Muchow
  • Soprano Sax - Ray Dickaty
  • Swerpeti - Greg Jarvis
  • Tenor Sax - Ray Dickaty
  • Trombone - Owen James
  • Trumpet - Owen James, Ian Thorn, Tom Knott
  • Viola - Abi Fry
  • Violin - Mel Draisey, Julie Penner
  • Voice - Anna Nicole Ziesche, Guri Hummelsund, Inayat Khan[10]

References edit

  1. ^ Bimm, Jordan (April 1, 2009). "Flower Power: shoegazer orchestra goes global". Now. Now. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  2. ^ Gormley, Ian (May 2009). "Flowers Of Hell: Come Hell Or High Water". Exclaim!. Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  3. ^ Teluxe, Mic (July 16, 2009). "Reviews: The Flowers Of Hell - Come Hell Or High Water". Herohill. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  4. ^ White, Tristan. "The Flowers Of Hell, Japanese Television, Sterling Roswell". Gigsoup Music. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Come Hell Or High Water Credits". Discogs. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. ^ Coe, Gideon. "Programme Thurs Feb 20, 2020". BBC6 Music. BBC. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. ^ O’Keefe, Niall. "Album Review: The Flowers Of Hell Come Hell Or High Water". NME. Retrieved on September 15, 2012.
  8. ^ Raber, Rebeca. “Album Review: The Flowers Of Hell Come Hell Or High Water". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on September 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Brunstad, Svien. "The Flowers Of Hell - Come Hell Or High Water (review)". URB (magazine). Retrieved on September 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Come Hell Or High Water CD liner note (Media notes). Earworm Records. 2009.