I love this record. As much melodic and/or mellow heavy rock has been released since Bordeaux, France’s Mars Red Sky released their 2011 self-titled debut (review here; discussed here), few if any have been able to capture a roll and a basic quality of songwriting and melody as effectively. The idea of the band reissuing the album through their own Mrs Red Sound imprint, well, that’s just ducky as far as I’m concerned. But that the new version comes with access to a tool that lets you play around and make your own mix of it is even more fun.

Maybe I’ll just sit for a while and listen to the bassline of “Way to Rome” on its own. Or mess around with the levels in the harmonies that come up later in “Up the Stairs.” Just for kicks. I’m not looking to replace the original mix of the album or anything — great record, natural feel, doesn’t need me screwing with it — but it’s still an awfully cool idea as a way to revisit an outing well worth revisiting.

The PR wire has details:

French heavy psychedelic trio MARS RED SKY to reissue their cult debut album including a web mixing tool on December 10th via Mrs Red Sound.

For the ten-year anniversary of their eponymous debut album, Bordeaux-based heavy psychedelic merchants MARS RED SKY treat their fans to a very special release including a web mixing tool! The album is due out on December 10th through their own record label Mrs Red Sound.

Heavy psychedelic three-piece MARS RED SKY celebrate the anniversary of their cult eponymous debut album by releasing an original online tool entitled “Inside MRS”, that allows to remix the album stems. Anyone who bought the record, and got a private access code, will be able to log in into the website and to listen to the bass only, or to the lead guitar and vocals only, while watching footage of the recording sessions in the Bardenas Desert, Spain, about ten years ago. The band wanted to let the fans explore the entrails of the recordings. It was created by French web development agency Aropixel. This release also features an illustrated lyrics booklet with fans artworks. Preorder are available at this location.

‘Mars Red Sky’ was recorded by Pierre Fillon in The Bardenas Reales Natural Park, Spain. Mixed by Pierre Fillon and Mars Red Sky in Bordeaux, France. Except “Saddle Point” and “The Ravens Are Back”, recorded and mixed by Mars Red Sky at Mad Reed Studio in Bordeaux, France. Remastered for vinyl by Stéphane Teynié at AD Mastering. Mastered by Mats “Limpan” at Cutting Rooms Studios (Sweden).

Web development: Aropixel. Artwork: Carlos Olmo. Layout: Caroline Paigné. Video editing: Joséphine Labesse. Lyrics booklet cover and back: Freaks.FM. Strong Reflection art: Markus Hiltunen. Curse art: Diogo Soares. Falls art: Emmanuel Garcia. Marble Sky art: Romain Argant. Way To Rome art: Julian Langguth, Black Leaf Designs. Saddle Point art: Luka Noos. Up The Stairs art: Guillaume Magermans. The Ravens Are Back art: Lukasz Marzec.

MARS RED SKY debut album reissue ‘Mars Red Sky’
Out December 10th on Mrs Red Sound
PRE ORDER HERE: https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/product/mars-red-sky-vinyl-debut-album-reissue

TRACK LISTING :
1. Strong Reflection
2. Curse
3. Falls
4. Marble Sky
5. Way To Rome
6. Saddle Point
7. The Ravens Are Back (bonus track)

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu Gazeau: drums, vocals

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

Mars Red Sky, Web-mixing teaser

Mars Red Sky, Mars Red Sky (2011)

Mars Red Sky, Mars Red Sky (2011)

[Please note: For consistency’s sake, I’ve used a YouTube embed above. The album is also available on Bandcamp here.]

The 2011 self-titled debut from French heavy psych rockers Mars Red Sky has remained special to me for the last four years since it was released. Easily one of my top five albums of the last half-decade, its arrival with well-hewn tonal warmth, gorgeous melodies, easy-rolling grooves and memorable songwriting made it a perfect summer offering, and I’ve spent many nights since with it on during the warm weather, the hooks of “Strong Reflection” and “Curse” giving way to the spacious jam in “Falls,” guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist Jimmy Kinast (also vocals on “Marble Sky”) and then-drummer Benoit Busser crafting a presence that would send ripples through the heavy rock underground. It’s also a particular standout for me, because it coincided so much with Hurricane Irene in 2011. In fact, the day I reviewed it — Aug. 29, 2011 — was the day after the storm hit the northeastern part of the US.

New Jersey had been slammed, the power and water was out, and The Patient Mrs. and I wound up at a packed-out Panera Bread to work for the afternoon. I brought the CD with me, its thick-stock digipak and silver lettering no less lush than the sonics contained within, and reviewed it there, post-storm chaos all around me in downed trees, a crowded mall parking lot, people shoving past each other to get lousy sandwiches and/or halfway decent coffee. “Way to Rome,” “Strong Reflection,” “Saddle Point,” the swinging “Marble Sky,” and the quiet closer “Up the Stairs” were my escape from that, and they’ve remained an escape ever since.

I have no problem saying that Mars Red Sky — now Pras, Kinast and drummer Matgaz — outdid their self-titled with their second album, 2014’s Stranded in Arcadia (review here), which was also their debut on Listenable Records, but that doesn’t make the debut any less of a landmark on its own level. I’ve heard rumblings about a new LP in the works for 2016 and that’s one I’ll very much look forward to, but in the meantime the trio continue to support the second offering, this very weekend playing festivals in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as a gig in their native France that, with the time difference between the US and Europe, is probably already winding down.

So be it. I could’ve dipped back and found something from the heavy ’70s to close out the week, or another older offering of one sort or another, but that Best Songs of the Last Five Years post had me thinking about Mars Red Sky‘s Mars Red Sky again, and with the beautiful weather around, it seemed high time for a revisit. I very much hope you enjoy.

—

Well, I made it. I’m back on the East Coast. I left the conference I was at in San Francisco for work yesterday afternoon and went to SFO airport, pretty much to sit around for a few hours, get most of today’s writing done (everything except this post) and essentially have a chance to be quiet and not have to socialize for a while, which, after the last couple days, was about as good as “sitting at the airport” gets. SFO, though, is very much in need of the revamping that is apparently in progress. Still, they had coffee, which was what I wanted. My flight was 10:50PM Pacific time, and I got in at 7:30AM Eastern. Bumpy ride. I did not sleep on the plane at all.

That was kind of a bummer in itself, but really I was too busy counting down the minutes until I landed and waiting for the aircraft to jolt and drop out of the sky, plunging us all to our fiery death, to get any substantial shuteye. I nodded off here and there, but snapped back to consciousness quickly each time.

The Patient Mrs. picked me up at Boston Logan — we came in swooping around Boston and its harbor in the morning sunlight, which was not unpleasant — and drove us both down to Connecticut, where we are for the weekend. I would’ve done a post to close out the trip, but it wasn’t really a music thing in the first place, and it seemed like if I wasn’t record shopping, it didn’t really matter what state I was in. Yesterday, I was in Cali. Today I’m in CT. I slept for about two hours this afternoon but I expect I will crash pretty hard tonight when the time comes.

On Monday, look out for a full-album stream of Sacri Monti‘s self-titled debut. It’s out next Friday, July 24, on Tee Pee and it’s killer, so that will be a blast. Then on Tuesday, another full-album stream, this one for Goya‘s new record, which just so happens to be called Obelisk and is coming out on STB Records Aug. 1. Wednesday will bring a track premiere from Kaleidobolt and Thursday one from Sweat Lodge, so there’s a lot of really cool stuff in the works. I’ll have reviews with those and one somewhere in there for T.G. Olson‘s vinyl of The Rough Embrace as well. I think I’ll try and get some Radio Adds done too, as it’s been a while, and somewhere in there I’ll have a ticket giveaway for Portland’s North West Hesh Fest, which I’m thrilled to be involved in sponsoring. But of course we’ll see how it all comes together. I’m already behind on news too, so that’s always a constant.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Please check out the forum and the radio stream.

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