"O" (Flowers of Hell album)

"O" is the third studio album from the orchestral rock group The Flowers of Hell. It consists of one song lasting 46 minutes in its stereo mix and 42 minutes in its surround sound mix.[5] The release's liner notes state that the piece is an exploration of band leader Greg Jarvis's synesthesia and was conceived as a piece of absolute music (music with no specific subject matter). It consists of rehearsed improvisations performed with-in a 12 part fixed song structure, recorded in one take at the end of a 9000 km tour.[6][7] In a 2010 interview with Spinner, Jarvis said that "O" was also designed to explore music's unique capabilities as an art form that unfolds over time.[8]

"O"
Studio album by
The Flowers of Hell
ReleasedNovember 9, 2010 (2010-11-09)
GenreAbsolute music, Experimental
Length45:40
LabelOptical Sounds
ProducerGreg Jarvis
The Flowers of Hell chronology
Come Hell Or High Water
(2009)		 "O"
(2010)		 Odes
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All Music[1]
Drowned In Sound[2]
Eye Weekly[3]
Now.[4]

The album was produced by Jarvis with recording taking place in Toronto with engineer Jon Drew (Stars, Fucked Up).[9] It was mixed in Manchester by Jarvis and fellow synesthete Tom Knott of The Earlies.[10]

"O" was initially released by Optical Sounds on a double sided CD / DVD disc, coupled with a concert film, Live At The Music Gallery.

The Flowers Of Hell performed "O" live as a seated 12 piece with Jarvis conducting at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square as the closing act of the 2011 Intersection Festival of experimental and new classical music.[11][12]

Critical reception

"O" received favourable ratings from media sources including All Music (4/5),[13] Drowned In Sound (7/10),[14] and Eye Weekly (8/10).[15] ChartAttack declared it, "A tiny step for mankind, but a giant step for orchestral rock."[16] Stooges biographer and former Creem writer Jeffrey Morgan wrote that it rivaled works of Terry Riley, Brian Eno, and Gavin Bryars and, "transport(s) the mind to places records rarely seek to reach these days."[17]

Cover versions

In 2013, Toronto group The Ostrich Tuning released a cover version of "O" titled "Uh", running 46:17.[18]

Track listing

CD Side

  1. "O" - Stereo Mix – 45:40

DVD Side

  1. "O" - 5.1 Surround Sound Mix - 42:02
  2. Live At The Music Gallery - Concert Film - 49:03
  3. Special Feature: Opus 66 Animated Video – 3:54
  4. Special Feature: Opt Out (Live In Aberdeen) - 10:00
  5. Special Feature: Sympathy For Vengeance (Live In Toronto) – 6:01
  6. Special Feature: Opt Out (Live In Prague) – 4:25

Personnel
  • Baritone Saxophone - Regis Pomes
  • Cello - Jennifer Moersch
  • Double Bass - Hollie Stevenett
  • Drums, Percussion, & Chimes - Ami Spears
  • Flute, Organ, & Floor Tom - Brian Taylor
  • Treated Guitars - Greg Jarvis and Jeremiah Knight
  • Trumpet - Ira Zingraff
  • Violin - Laura C. Bates

References
  1. Raggett, Ned. "Album Review: The Flowers Of Hell - O". All Music. Retrieved on May 29, 2014.
  2. Gourlay, Dom. "The Flowers Of Hell - O" Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Drowned In Sound. Retrieved on May 29, 2014.
  3. Bilton, Chris. "The Flowers Of Hell - O (review)". Eye Weekly. Retrieved on May 29, 2014.
  4. Trapunski, Richard. "The Flowers Of Hell - O (review)" Archived 2014-06-15 at archive.today. Now. Retrieved on May 29, 2014.
  5. "Flowers Of Hell, The - "O" (Hybrid, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  6. Everett-Green, Robert (Dec 3, 2010). "For Musician With Synaethesia, The Cello Can Sound Too Fury. Or Too Red". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  7. Gheciu, Alex Nino (30 November 2010). "Sound Advice: O by The Flowers of Hell". The Torontoist. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  8. MacNeil, Jason. "Flowers Of Hell Release 45 Minute Space Rock Song As New Album". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  9. Trapunski, Richard, Flowers Of Hell - O (review), archived from the original on June 15, 2014, retrieved May 29, 2014
  10. Everett-Green, Robert (Dec 3, 2010). "For Musician With Synaethesia, The Cello Can Sound Too Fury. Or Too Red". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  11. Hudson, Alex. "Flowers Of Hell To Perform O At Toronto's Free Intersection Festival". Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  12. Huffa, Joanne (2 September 2011), Flowers Of Hell in full bloom, retrieved May 29, 2014
  13. Ned Raggett (2010-10-25). "O - The Flowers of Hell - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  14. Gourlay, Dom. "The Flowers Of Hell - 'O'". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  15. Bilton, Chris, The Flowers Of Hell - 'O', retrieved May 29, 2014
  16. "Flowers Of Hell Releasing 45 Minute Song". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  17. Morgan, Jeffrey. "Sizzling Platter Of The Week: The Flowers Of Hell - 'O'". Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  18. "Ostrich Tuning - Uh (Part I & II)". YouTube. 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
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