I heard just the end of a song from Sean's newest cd, and was blown away: it was beautiful ...ust beautiful!!!!! I didn't catch the title though. He also appeared on David Letterman, too?? Anyone see him?

Well, I'm for sure buying this cd. From just the little bit I heard, it sounds amazing.

Sean Lennon

Friendly Fire, the sophomore solo album from Sean Lennon, will be released by Capitol Records on October 3rd.

Following Into the Sun, Lennon’s acclaimed 1998 solo debut, Friendly Fire is a cinematic suite of songs which share the same dizzying wealth of musical styles as its predecessor, but eschews some of its freeform tendencies for more traditional song structure and some unifying themes.

The years between albums found Lennon collaborating with everyone from his mother, Yoko Ono, to Money Mark, Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Vincent Gallo, Thurston Moore, John Zorn, Ryan Adams, The Boredoms, and Ben Lee, to name a few. But they also provided him with the opportunity to let Friendly Fire evolve naturally, at its own pace, and to limit participation to talented friends, of which he’s blessed with many.

from http://www.filter-mag.com...r.212.html

“There was a long period after the first album where I felt disillusioned with the machinery of the industry,” says Lennon. “It’s not that I stopped recording, playing and performing, I did all of those things, just more discreetly. Friendly Fire is an experiment to see what it might be like to do music more publicly again.”

Produced by Lennon, the Friendly Fire sessions really got underway when he asked producer/engineer Tom Biller (among other things Jon Brion’s trusted mixer for his recordings with Fiona Apple and Kanye West, as well as the scores for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I (Heart) Huckabees) and drummer Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, Tori Amos) into the studio for two weeks of collaboration.

Where Lennon played most all instruments on his debut, the Friendly Fire sessions found him still writing most of the parts, but conjuring a shape-shifting “band” to record live to tape, mostly in single takes. Other participants included Jon Brion (organ, guitar, additional drums), Cibo Matto’s Yuka Honda (piano, keyboards, bass), Harper Simon (guitar) and Bijou Phillips (background vocals), among others.

A childlike piano prelude introduces sweeping album opener “Dead Meat,” the sweetest, most lush-sounding song to ever warn “In the end you’re gonna learn/All you get is what you deserve.” Similarly, the dark romanticism of the gentle, melodic “Parachute” intones “If I have to die tonight/I’d rather be with you.”

The smoky, endearingly spooky “Tomorrow” is a cursed lovers’ ballad picked up via deep-space transistor radio. Driven by handclaps and acoustic strumming, “Headlights” is most propelled by its gracefully-unfolding vocal harmonies. And a near-unrecognizable psychedelic reworking of Marc Bolan obscurity “Would I Be the One” floats and disperses before the album’s final track, and perhaps its most literal, the forlorn and orchestral “Falling Out of Love.”

Lennon has also produced a short film for each of the album’s tracks, directed by Michele Civetta. The fantastical shorts, which together comprise a conceptual film about betrayal and the failure of love, feature appearances from Lennon and friends including Lindsay Lohan, Bijou Phillips, Asia Argento, Carrie Fisher, Devon Aoki, Jordana Brewster and others.

As for the experience of creating Friendly Fire the album versus Friendly Fire the film Lennon says, “Music is invisible. I spend a lot of time in the studio with my eyes closed. This, thankfully, was not the case with the film.”

i've had this album for a couple of weeks and i really REALLY enjoy it. i haven't been giving it the attention i want to because so much other stuff has been coming out and i've been so busy...but i adored this album on first listen, which either means it's really good or else i'm going to be really TIRED of it after a few more listens.

Ive read really good reviews of this. Im considering picking it up. Apparently he's been through some heartbreak(s) that he channeled into his music. It sucks sometimes that pain brings out the best artistic expression.

There's no doubt he's more artsy than Julian. Living with Yoko must have some effect on your mind.

I heard the first song from Into the Sun and it sounded kind of interesting, very Lennon.

But I'm not won over yet.

NDRU said:

'into the sun' was a fabulous record, too...especially if you liked cibo matto, as they were all over that album. sean also played on cibo matto's second album.

Anx said:

I hate to say that part of me doesn't want him to be great. Isn't that weird?

But I think I have doubts partially because of the fact that his last album was in 1998.

But like I said, he's acquired his father's artsy side, and I appreciate that. I'd listen to his record, but I can't yet spend money on it.

NDRU said:

well, think about it. what urgency is there for sean lennon to be at all prolific? it's not like he has to make a living from his work. he has all the time in the world to make it sound exactly how he wants, and to take a break from it when he's bored with it.

Anx said:

You're right, he can do whatever he wants. Hopefully what he's doing works for him.

But if I was him, I'd probably want to get more stuff out there that would distinguish myself from being only my father's son. Maybe he's not bothereed by that. But he does have the artistic drive, he probably wants to have a unique voice. Also, I just think musicians should put out stuff every year or so.

But I can't speak for him. Maybe he's avoiding the traps his father fell into. If it works for him and for you that's something.

NDRU said:

well, a couple of things -

i think sean's stuff sounds pretty contemporary and original. there's a lot of distorted guitar in his stuff, which wasn't a big sound for john, and there's kind of a grungey/sludgey sound to some of sean's stuff that somehow turns out to be really melodic. then he throws in a sweet little ballad that sounds like it coulda been off the 'help' soundtrack.

i also know that sean lennon is a big brian wilson/"smile" freak, and he fashioned a lot of his first album after wilson's style. then again, dad did the same thing with the beatles...

you can hear john in sean's voice, but i don't think that's to be helped...i'm sure he works it a little, though.

Anx said:

He doesn't seem to shy away from who he is. And he can't help what he looks or sounds like.

but what I respect is that he does seem to try not so cash in on being John's son (which Julian could be accused of even if he's not guilty).

On an aside. Julian Lennon did a record in 86 or so and he sounded a lot like Bowie. Ever heard this?

i really really REALLY want to like him cuz "dead meat" is BEAUTIFUL (and cuz he's hot lol) but i cannot get w/ his voice

I cannot and never will support him. I can't stand him period

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

yes, why don't I want him to succeed? I don't know.

NDRU said:

I can't stand him and his mother. I'm very bitter that he is held up as the shining star when Julian was on the scene first. I'm very very bitter about all that shit

Yeah i too have a HUGE problem with him and yoko of course. Im hoping this record does not garner attention "critically" at least, it would be a real shame since Julians last record way back in 1998 "PHotograh SMile" went ignored in this country, and not even reviewed, and it was easily Julians Best, and honestly way better than ALMOST any of the Bealtes Solo work.

Why is everyone putting so much emphasis on who his parents are....base your opinion on the music.

I got the cd today and it's really great. "Dead Meat" and "Parachute" are my current faves.

emilio319 said:

I have a total mental block because of all that drama.

emilio319 said:

True but as an artist im not into him. Also he wouldnt be on the radar, if he wasnt a Lennon, so though its not fair to compare him or penalize him, its worked to his advantage to.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I love Julian. He used to come to Austin quite a lot a number of years ago and played at Stubbs, then I think a number of smaller venues. He was interviewed quite often on KGSR. From what I recall, he doesn't have any animosity towards Sean. Obviously he holds a lot of animosity toward Yoko and then only had the opportunity to connect with John briefly before John's death.. I think he had some really deep-felt, unresolved issues with John.

It was really sad to hear him talk about it. He has a lot of anger.. for good reason. I'd like to see both Julian and Sean do well. Sean can't help who his mother is. lol Yeah.. it was such a bad situation.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

how's that sean's fault? i will NOT make this a thread about you-know-who-ko cuz i get kinda outta control on the subject, but really...sean was just a kid through all that. how's he the bad guy? anyway, the three of them were photographed at the cirque de soleil beatles show looking all cuddly, so it looks like all parties involved are at least over it enough to be civil together in public.

bottom line is, it's a good album.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

that totally sounds like something that I would fizate on and make me all bitter about an artist for their whole career.

at least your reason is more sensible than my reason for hating Scissor Sisters right now, lol

I've only listened to this twice since I got it. I was impressed by it, a lot. But it has been hugely overshadowed by a few other recent purchases of mine and I haven't found a way to get REALLY into it yet.

surprisingly good for a marginally talented "son of ..." but i probably won't buy it. his voice is too much like his mother's, imo.

certainly better than dhani harrison's(george's boy) new music. whic i think is wierd bcos dhani is a solid session player whereas i never been convinced that sean had any talent at all.

*shrugs*
[Edited 10/4/06 14:27pm]

ok whats the deal w/ yoko?

Moonwalkbjrain said:

she's sean's mom.

ANYway, the album's great. a little darker than the first one, but still very melodic and with some very sweet, sappy ballads thrown in here and there. good stuff.

Anx said:

yea i know that, but the way people are talkin it sounds like she somethin or isnt a good person or somethin

Moonwalkbjrain said:

People just don't like her either because they think she broke up the beatles, her voice is annoying, and sometimes because they're prejudiced.

Personally I choose "because her voice is annoying." But I don't actually hate her, I just don't want to listen to her.

Moonwalkbjrain said:

she's not credited as performing on the new sean lennon album.

NDRU said:

ohhh