Wiki
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Release Date
27 November 2007
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Length
10 tracks
“I remember very clearly how we began ‘The Golden Foretaste of Heaven’ after ‘Futurist’. It happened very quickly. I saw it mapped out before me. England at the edge of Europe - I mean, how often do I have to read about the Beatles' Revolver album? I suddenly found everything from Berlin eastward far more intriguing and exciting. I bought a Russian synthesiser and Nic Endo and I devised a new direction which we're now moving in.”
"The Golden Foretaste of Heaven" is an album which cannot easily be pigeon-holed, exactly like Alec’s fanbase. The album pushes forward with renewed energy. Huge synth riffs meet distortion and electronic guitar. The live shows introduce electronic drum beats and other new features.
This new direction is evident on ‘1000 Eyes’ – a seven minute ballad which was written on guitar and recorded as live. The microphones were set up in an empty factory and very old, rare synths add to the special sound quality. In this way the recording is unique. The song “concerns my return to Berlin, sex, love, passionate separation, destructive relationships…Anyone who wishes to know who I am need simply listen to the lyrics. They are very important, I have made them very clear.”
‘On Fire’ pushes the needle up into the red; electronic sounds with the primal energy of guitars and ‘real’ drums. Extreme sex on drugs. The song so inspired the actress Natalia Avelon that she insisted on playing the main role in the video. The shoot was highly emotive. “We had this amazing performer displaying genuine passion. Nic and I had to rein in some scenes as it was simply too much. Anyone who was there knows what I mean.”
ICE (As if she Could Steal a Piece of my Glamour) is again totally different so better to let Alec explain this one: "I wanted this drumsound from the 80s, SP-12 level, Brian Eno, New York and so on. I found that exciting synth-riffs from Rage Against the Machine or Hendrix could be transformed into something Kraftwerk-style. Rock n roll, pretty cool like when I'm sitting on the plane after a party and looking out of the window into the blue sky. At shows the track comes over very well although it's so absolutely clean. But I find that very cool…like a clean mirror in the backstage on which white poweder is piled up…no one thinks that over 30 tracks were needed in the studio to capture that. I like producing this way, like earlier…building layers, precision work…I have really begun to cherish my collaborations in the U.S. with people like Dave Sardy or Andy Wallace. I produce electro tracks like the Americans mix rock songs. I'm all about the sound."
“Generally we experimented with my voice and moved away from digital effects to the analogue sound of the 70s… Lee Hazlewood, David Bowie etc…though naturally I sing completely differently. But anyone who is a bit streetwise can see that the tracks can be categorised more as traditional New York rock n roll than Nine Inch Nails".
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