Customer Reviews

The City of Lost Children: Rare and Unreleased Tracks

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At last. After four long years finally a new TRANSCENDENCE album. Though The City of Lost Children is not REALLY a NEW album per se because some of the songs are as old as eight years -- but like many "rarities collections" it's almost better in some ways because it offers so many different and eclectic sounding songs that we would normally never get to hear on the band's official more commercial albums. UNLIKE many rarities albums, there are a handful of instant classic TRANSCENDENCE songs on this CD. Ed Hale singing Whenever I'm With You is as good as anything the band has ever recorded. Jacquie is another song that stands out and makes one wonder why songs like these were not previously released when they are so good. The instrumentals towards the end I could do without personally but I am sure there are other fans that like this sort of thing. Andrea's Fault shows once more why their guitarist Fernando Perdomo is one of the most creative guitarists making music today anywhere. This song is beautiful, very Beatlesque. For fans of the band this album is going to be a very welcomed treasure. It is full of surprises and twists and turns. If it were more cohesive a listen I would have given it five stars. Some of the songs are THAT great. But four stars due to the disjointed nature of it. Damn close to perfect though. Especially for diehard fans.

A tame Transcendence, for a change, and yet, so rich in sound, like a full-bodied wine. Beautiful, interesting songs that will allude to many of the greatest. Just as innovative as to be expected with Transcendence, combining music and sound bytes, yet more cohesive. Well done. Great album!

An unusual surprise of songs/outtakes from Transcendence' previous 3 albums plus new ones from their unreleased albums. It is one of my favorite Transcendence albums yet - it covers a wide range of musical styles, both vocally and instrumental. I have already picked my favorites, starred below. This would be an awsome album to add to your collection or give as a gift. Highly recommend it!

**Whenever I'm With You
Sexy, sultry R&B tune - VERY unusual and different than any sound I've heard from the band before. It is beautiful and shows off Ed Hale's talents and the band's wide spectrum.

Jacquie
Rich, layered familiar sound of the Rise and Shine album.

Andrea's Fault
Great vocals! Feels raw, honest and emotional.

***Rebuild America
I get goose bumps listening to this song! When I listen to it, the event feels as real now as on 9/11/2001. A reminder and inspiration for all of us to become active and help create a better world.

Kill the Monkey
Very interesting sounds - inspirational message relayed in a rock/rap song!

**Free Love
I LOVE THIS ONE!!!! Found it on the Sleep With You album (like a hidden treasure uncovered!). I may be one of those rare people who listens to an album from beginning to end! This song takes me away into a trance - its hypnotic and beautiful!

*Eu sei que vou te amore
Very very romantic ... beautiful voice ; very touching sounds. I can listen to this and ......

Vampire Song
Perfect timing for Halloween !!!!! Wild, spooky, rock ....

All is Lost
Interesting .... the instruments are more predominant in this one; Ed Hale's vocals are more like a rambling and sound more like an instrument ... blends nicely - love the background vocals, sounds.

***All of my Love
BEAUTIFUL - BEAUTIFUL - moving ... goes straight to my heart; makes my heart fill up and pour out of my eyes ...feels like Ed Hale is playing and connecting through his heart. One of my absolute favorites on this album!

O Leaonzinho
Sweet, spontaneous, touching ... it is as if Ed Hale is playing right there in your living room - very intimate.

**Morning in Venice
Unusual - sounds like a prayer or a lullaby !!!!
Beautiful guitar ; beautiful voice ; very soothing.

*The Great Leap to the Forever Unknown
Piano solo - sounds like Classical music. Very cool and different; could be right out of a movie scene!

Nothing is Cohesive Part II
Teh last scene of the movie - very artistic and complex.

After following the band's climb to success for the duration of their existence, it is truly amazing how they continue to surprise me. For those who know of Ed Hale and Transcendence, well you already know that one song is different from the next. There can be a totally rocking Album Oriented Rock song like Vampire Song or All is Lost...or you can fall in love to or with a ballad such as Andrea's Fault which I truly love. What I most love about this compilation is that it has song intro/outros recorded in previous studio sessions for all of their albums so while these are not new to the band, they are new to their fans. Some of those instrumentals are definitely worthy of a movie soundtrack! Bottom line is, if you are an existing fan..you will totally get this and enjoy it. If you are new to Transcendence, it will completely reel you in to climb aboard all their amazing talent. Hats off to Transcendence for making the wise move and releasing these tracks.

I am SO happy Transcendence has finally released a rarities album! One of the things I love the most about this band is the versatility they consistently demonstrate from one album to the next. The City of Lost Children provides a veritable smorgasbord of tasty little musical nuggets that have been collected over the course of the band's many years and many sounds. It was amazing to hear some of these songs again because I'd heard them performed live but to my knowledge they'd never made it onto an album before. What more can I say? Within this surprisingly raw and varied mix, Ed Hale's distinctive voice successfully provides the cohesive element necessary to once again create something truly memorable that can only accurately be described as "transcendent".

SEVEN YEARS after its recording, rock band TRANSCENDENCE release the September 11th tribute song Rebuild America for sale on a new rarities collection album entitled The City of Lost Children. The song Rebuild America was recorded in October of 2001 just after the World Trade Center attacks in New York but never officially released. The song was eventually turned into a music video. Fans can watch the music video on YouTube. The song is finally being officially released for sale -- with all proceeds to benefit September 11th victims' families through the Robin Hood Foundation. The album also features 13 other rare and never before released tracks from all five of the band's previous albums.

In anticipation of two new studio albums being released this year comes first this compilation of unreleased outtakes and rarities from TRANSCENDENCE that offers fans access to many of the band's most hard to find hidden tracks and studio gems for the first time ever. The City of Lost Children is a compilation of studio outtakes from all five of the band's officially released albums that spans eight years. The album also includes unreleased favorites such as the R&B flavored Whenever I'm with you -- a familiar staple on various MTV shows over the years, and the September 11th tribute song Rebuild America; as well as two Brazilian-classic covers sung in Portuguese when singer Ed Hale was at the peak of his Tropicalismo obsession.

From irresistibly catchy commercial pop (Jacquie) to psychedelic alt-rock (Kill the monkey), raw, urgent indie-rock (All is lost) to Beatlesque Brit-pop (Andrea's Fault) and avant garde experimental instrumentals (Nothing is cohesive part II) The City of Lost Children offers a revealing glimpse behind the curtain of the creative and prolific musical collective known as TRANSCENDENCE with 14 never before released tracks that is sure to be a treasure chest for those who want a deeper look into the eccentric group's past musical explorations. As diverse and eclectic as the song selection is, fans should find it a special collection that sounds like it could be an album in and of itself. And indeed now it is.

The album features extensive liner notes written personally by the band with song credits, and plenty of details and back-story about each song. To read and download the liner notes and the lyrics to the songs fans should head to the band's website www.transcendence.com.

The album is available for digital download on Napster, Yahoo Music, iTunes, emusic, Rhapsody, and of course amazon.com.

TRACK LISTING

1. WHENEVER I'M WITH YOU (Outtake Rise and Shine)
2. JACQUIE (Outtake Rise and Shine)
3. ANDREA'S FAULT (Outtake Nothing is Cohesive)
4. REBUILD AMERICA (Single)
5. KILL THE MONKEY (Outtake Rise and Shine)
6. FREE LOVE (Hidden track Sleep with You)
7. EU SEI QUE VOU TE AMAR (Never released)
8. VAMPIRE SONG (Outtake The Great Mistake)
9. ALL IS LOST (Outtake The Great Mistake)
10. ALL OF MY LOVE (Outtake AYHBV)
11. O LEAOZINHO (Rare live track)
12. MORNING IN VENICE (Outtake AYHBV)
13. THE GREAT LEAP INTO THE FOREVER UNKNOWN (Outtake AYHBV)
14. NOTHING IS COHESIVE PART II (Outtake Nothing is Cohesive)

One would be completely missing the point to judge which album is "the best" or any work of art for that matter. With an artist like Ed Hale and the band Transcendence especially where each album is completely unique and makes its own statement. Each album of theirs is like a new breath of fresh air on a different planet. Rise and Shine is easily the most complex of their albums while Sleep With You easily their most commercially accessible. (Superhero Girl, Minnie Driver, Vicodin, I'm not the only one) While both of these albums are fantastic works of art, there is something about the authenticity of Nothing is Cohesive that makes it a step or two above all of their other albums. Ed Hale's vocals for one are the most mature on NIC. And so are the guitar parts and the bass playing. There is a sincerity on that album that they did not fully achieve on the others. And a sense of passion. With that said, this new rarities album is also quite exciting simply because it offers a look at what the band has been forced to leave aside and some of the tracks are absolutely brilliant! WOW is all I can say to it. Whenever I'm with you is soooooo good. Ed's vocals are some of his best. Jacquie as other reviewers have already stated is so catchy that it makes no sense that this was ever considered a "rarity." Perhaps because of the controversial lyrics. I still get goosebumps when I listen to the 9/11 tribute song Rebuild America. This is quite possibly the most powerful song the band has recorded so far -- barring Junkie from Sleep With You. It is seamless and perfect. Everything from the drums to the bass to the vocals evoke power and passion for a very worthy and noble cause. I salute the band for stepping out into territory that could be taken as controversial for such an overtly patriotic song. I also relish the hypnotic FREE LOVE. The Lost Children album will be spinning on random in my iPod for months. For fans, this album is a must-have. And new listeners will find at least four or five great songs on this collection that will surely turn them into fans quickly. I can't wait for the other two new albums to come out!

I remember hearing that first song on MTV back in the day! It's nice to hear it again in its entirety. The whole album is very interesting, although a little too varied for my tastes, I can appreciate the musical explorations.

I can't believe these songs have been sitting around on shelves for so long! Wow! Some of these songs are the best this band has ever recorded. Whenever I'm with you is SO completely different for this band that it is hard to believe that it is the same band. BUT you cannot mistake Ed Hale's sexy vocal delivery on this one. A little Prince. A little Marvin Gaye. A LOT of SEXY. There is also the trumpet that they used heavily on their Rise and Shine CD. (this song is an outtake from Rise and Shine). Hands down the best song on the album is the incredible REBUILD AMERICA. It is a short song but packs a very powerful punch! Takes me back. Makes me sad. But it is also extremely inspiring. The vocals during the chorus are gorgeous and uplifting. This album also contains two Brasilian songs. (Remember their song Caetano from the Nothing is Cohesive album? Both of these songs are covers of the singer Caetano Veloso). Hard to tell what they are singing about but they are both very touching. Jacquie is a very typical Transcendence sounding song. Very upbeat and catchy. Sounds like a top 40 hit. Why didn't they release this song? Doesn't make sense. Kill the monkey has an eerie soft psychedelic bridge section that is also gorgeous; but the rest of the song is pretty typical rap-rock that I could do without. But that bridge section is hypnotizing. Again, very sexy Ed Hale vocals. Andrea's Fault is VERY Transcendence. The guitar playing is pure 70's rock. Unlike previous reviewer i LIKE the instrumental songs. Good mood music. Something that this band has always been good at. Chopin piece is sloppy - obviously not originally meant to be released to the public but this is half the fun of "rarities" albums. Especially one by Transcendence. As odd as it may sound this may be one of the band's best albums. It really grabs you by surprise. A+

OK so there was the world music inspired Rise And Shine then the no nonsense alt. rock album Sleep With You followed by the indie garage pop Nothing Is Cohesive...already we are talking about diverse! So I expected something all over the place with a collection labeled as Rarities & Outtakes by Transcendence and I was not disappointed. This comp has everything from R&B ("Whenever I'm With You"), techno/electronica ("Free Love"), concrete music ("Nothing Is Cohesive II"), acoustic stuff ("Morning In Venice"), the song Paul McCartney & Denny Laine never wrote ("Andreas Fault"), and the slick Dave Mathewish meets John C. Melancamp white man grooves on "Jacquie". In that sense it is cohesive.

The compilation is not without some scary moments! "Vampire Song" for starters, is way out there. I just hope that is not how their upcoming "Great Mistake" album will sound. Also, "Kill The Monkey" is kinda humorous but sounds dated. The Brazilian stuff is filler, as is the piano piece, but the other stuff is strong enough to warrant my 4-stars. And considering this is their leftovers, it's impressive. But then again, sometimes bands get lucky with their outtake collections...Kevin Ayers "Odd-Ditties" or Yo La Tengos "Stay Away From Heaven" comes to mind.

A treat for the fan but I would suggest new listeners to pick and choose which songs they download.