Mad Bliss
Karen's Molested Apple
From Israel comes Mad Bliss and their independent EP release, a five track offering with the memorable title of Karen's Molested Apple. Immediately recognizable is the same raw emotion, muted intensity and sense of something more, that flavored early Pink Floyd. There is a haunting sense of innocence expressed through plaintive melodies and muted vocals that never completely veil the madness beneath. At any moment you might expect lead singer Tomer Raivit to explode in the manner of Roger Waters from Pink Floyd's masterpiece, "Careful With That Axe Eugene." Isaac Barel's guitar work is even reminiscent of David Gilmore's style of controlled power.
It's said true power lies in restraint, and though the potential for sudden fury is certainly evident, and threatens to break lose with the next chord change, the music of Mad Bliss is filled with a purity of sound structured tempo that recalls Emerson, Lake and Palmer's classic, "Lucky Man" or the Moody Blue's "Knights in White Satin." Melodic and sophisticated, Mad Bliss melds musical emotions that complement each other and never clash. Like a good ballad, you want to hear more, and, like a great book, you are invited to read between the lines in an attempt to gauge the hidden depths.
Every Picture Tells a Story…
"Why is the world so cold? Hatred without resolve…" The first two songs. "Everyone" and "Two Sides", establish the Mad Bliss sound and feel, but it is the third track, "Matti," that reveals the depth of talent present. Karen's Molested Apple was released in October 2002 after only one week in the recording studio. The EP received high praise from Israeli music critic and the song "Matti," rose to third place on the 2002 Alternative Music chart of Israel's top rated radio station, "Galgaltz." Matti placed ahead of other notable releases such as Beck's "Lonesome Tear" and Nirvana's "You Know You're Right."
"Strange Ways," the fourth track on the EP, has both depth and intricacy, but it is the final track, "A Story," that truly reveals what Karen's Molested Apple is all about. The song runs seven minutes, twenty-four seconds, though I'll wager that in live shows it has stretched into a much longer jam. It is the sort of song musicians, and audience alike can get lost in; all in all, it's Mad Bliss. - reviewed by Jack "Papa" Baer 2003/04/27
Mad Bliss Legacy
In an interview, vocalist Tomer Raivit, tells of the band's evolution: "We formed the band (initially under the name "Bliss") on New Year's Eve 1994, where we (Isaac and Tomer) met at a New Year's Eve Party — Isaac was playing a song, I started singing and the clique was instantaneous. The next day we started rehearsing without a drummer or bass player. We met Royal (Shvo) through friends in our high school (we were seventeen at the time), he was playing in many local bands but soon enough he dedicated himself entirely to "Bliss". We never found the right Bass player, so they were changing every once in a while. We were heavily influenced by the Seattle rock scene at that time, our early material was based mainly on punk rock, grunge and noise.
"On august 94'
we released a single titled "Maybe" on an Israeli Indie compilation which never took off. Six months later we
completed a full length demo album that circulated among our audience and distributed to local record labels. 1996
marked the beginning of a long pause for us; our plans had to be delayed because I was drafted to the Israeli Army
(Army service is mandatory in Israel); Isaac left Israel to join his parents in the States; everything had to be
put on hold including a small record deal in the making.
"We got back together again, under the name "Mad Bliss", during the last months of the millennium. Those three years apart were in a way very fruitful, each band member brought his own experiences and musical diversities into the band: Isaac played mainly American folk and blues in the states, Royal was into electronic music, Assaf (Gabay} our bass player, is a Jazz man, and I—searched for the dreamy aspect of it all… "
With a full-length album planned, and a possible American tour sometime next year, Mad Bliss should continue to gain recognition and fans worldwide. Listen to these snippets [real audio] of Matti and A Story. You can also purchase Karen's Molested Apple online. Visit the Mad Bliss official website www.madbliss.com.
Listen to the music! [Venus Hum | Blue Man Group | Lovage] The background image text wrap used here is accomplished using papabaer's sandbag div technique.
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