I have written about France's Alcestbefore. Their 2012 release Les Voyages de L'Âme made number 8 on my favorite records of 2012 list. When they started years ago they were another black metal band with growling vocals and sheets of noise. Happily, they have grown to a classic-sounding progressive band; they might be one of the best currently working.
Their new album is the lush Shelter. I had ordered it on Amazon but it was out of stock for what seemed like forever. I eventually gave up and went to my new favorite place Discogs to order through their marketplace. I think my copy came from Germany, but the price was plenty reasonable and it showed up about two weeks after ordering, which is not bad considering it had an ocean to cross.
Alcest is primarily Stéphane Paut on everything but drums and Jen Delfandre on drums. They go by Neige and Winterhalter because they are French and prog and why not, you know. I got to see them a couple months ago at Empire outside Washington DC opening for Anathema. It was a sensational show. Their brand of progressive is very anthemic, very dynamic, music that does not take long to soar. It is not everybody's cup of tea but I love it. It is emotional and powerful.
Shelter builds on that, easily their most progressive record. This one actually has vocals in english, on the album's penultimate "Away." Vocals here are done by Neil Halstead of Slowdive. That track is immediately followed by the fantastic closer "Délivrance." It is a beautiful track, typical of Alcest, starting with a lovely guitar figure before working it's way to a frenetic closing. Some reviews of the records accuse the band of running in place, but I am all for good songs done exceptionally well. Shelter does that. There's no harm in doing what you do best.
As I have said before, Steven Wilson is the artist I admire most. He is supremely talented. He makes amazing music. He does it across a variety of projects. He has been the driving force behind Porcupine Tree, the best progressive rock band this side of Rush. He has worked with Aviv Geffen in a more pop-oriented project called Blackfield. He has also worked with more esoteric progressive projects like No Man and Bass Communion. He has done remixes for classic King Crimson and Jethro Tull albums. Sadly it looks like Porcupine Tree is finished and that Blackfield is less a priority for Mr. Wilson. But that is OK because his solo output has been amazing.
Each solo record has gotten better. The first, Insurgentes, is already great. The follow-up was Grace For Drowning and was my favorite record of 2011. I am hesitant to call his latest, The Raven That RefusedTo Sing, his masterpiece because his track record has shown him getting better and better and better.
This is definitely progressive rock so it is not for everyone. But the biggest knock against prog is that it's unemotional, it is detached, lacking feeling. One cannot listen to Raven and miss the feeling. It is just a gorgeous, lush album. It is not particularly guitar-driven, though Steven Wilson is one of the best guitar players around. Strings, keyboards, rhythm all work to bring the work to life. It is a beautiful listening experience. The band he has assembled is fantastic. And all the talents he has honed and skill he has is brought to bear here. His work remixing King Crimson records has rubbed off here; this is a very Crimson-sounding album.
This is the one album on my list I don't have on vinyl because I purchased the beautiful hard cover book that came with the CDs. Like any good progressive rock record there are stories at work here. Each song tells a story. The most touching of them is the final track on the record and the record's namesake. I will not spoil it for you. The video bellow is a beautiful interpretation of the song. I encourage you to watch it and enjoy it.
My friend Erik commented about my picking up The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway on vinyl and how it was getting a lot of play on his iPod. That makes sense. Erik is a helluva a keyboard player and Lamb is very much a keyboard record. Sunday night I turned off the lights, put on the good headphones, lit a candle and gave it a full attention listen. It really is a spectacular record. Take "The Carpet Crawlers":
It's just a soaring song, especially when part of the story as a whole. It becomes almost holy the way the chorus soars. It's a great harmony between Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.
Genesis is a fascinating band in terms of evolution. I can't think of band that evolved as organically as Genesis. With Gabriel at the fore they started as a very British art band, culminating in his masterpiece. He left the band because he felt the band structure couldn't offer him anything more; that he needed to go in different directions. Most of us have seen the Behind The Music and before long Genesis found their singer behind the kit. Happily, the split was amicable.
And the split changed the band, but it did so over time. The first post-Gabriel record, A Trick of The Tail is in many ways a miracle in how good it is. Songs like "Dance On A Volcano" and "Squonk" and "Entangled" and "Ripples" are fantastic. The follow-up to that Wind and Wuthering is not as good to me, at least I don't enjoy it as much. At this point guitarist Steve Hackett left for similar reasons to Gabriel, feeling confined within the band and wanting to move on to other things.
How many bands could lose their singer and guitarist and replace them not by hiring new people but by assuming the role internally? I can't think of any. And not only did they continue, then continued to make great music. And Then There Were Three was the first as a trio and is outstanding. "Burning Rope" is one of their best songs; "Snowbound" and "Undertow" and album opener "Down and Out" are all exceptional. The last song on the record hinted at where they would go: "Follow You Follow Me."
The next record, Duke, is one of my most favorite records of all time. And it's another miracle in plastic in how good it is. It's without a doubt more radio friendly than the Gabriel days, but it still retains many of the progressive bonafides. There's the hits "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It On Again." Then there's the non-hits but songs that are amazing: "Duchess" and "Man Of Our Times" and favorite of mine "Please Don't Ask" and the very proggy conclusion with "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End."
Abacab and Genesis followed in the pop trajectory. That and Phil Collins pop solo career led to the monster that was Invisible Touch. It's very easy to forget what a great drummer Phil Collins was. A seriously fantastic drummer. The knock he gets for turning Genesis into a pop act is unfair. Listening to the post-Gabriel records the change is there but it is natural; Lamb does not give way to IT but evolves there. Some might say devolve but whatever. I don't begrudge them moving more towards pop. It's their art and they get to choose what to do with it.
The resiliency of the band, their ability to grow and mature and evolve is fascinating. It is a testament to what exceptional musicians Phil Collins and Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford were (are).
If you've forgotten, or maybe never knew, what a great band Genesis could be, here's one of my favorites:
Blackfield is a kind of supergroup, featuring Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and three amazing solo records, and Israeli pop star Aviv Geffen. It's a fascinating collaboration: Wilson uses Blackfield as a opportunity to write shorter, more focused, almost-pop songs; Geffen uses Blackfield to explore new sonic terrain beyond what his solo career offers.
Their first three collaborations (along with a live set from New York City) are all great, especially Blackfield II. The fourth, simply titled Blackfield IV does not have the impact the others do. This could be due to Steven Wilson taking a backseat to Aviv Geffen, supporting this effort less as a collaborator and more as a guest, in addition to his normal production duties. The record also hosts a number of additional guest spots. Vincent Kavanaugh of Anathema, Brett Anderson of Suede, and Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev all appear to different effect.
All the songs are credited to Geffen, but the songs that are the best are those that are the real collaborations between Wilson and Geffen: album opener "Pills", "Sense Of Insanity," and "Jupiter," easily the best track on the record, all have what made the other Blackfield records so great.
Unfortunately the rest of the record is lacking. "X-Ray" featuring Kavanaugh is a pleasant piece and the music works very well with his voice, but is ultimately a trifle. Brett Anderson doing "Firefly," while having a compelling voice that works incredibly well in the glammish Suede, is almost embarrassing; his over-the-top delivery fits well with Bernard Butler or, to less effect, Richard Oakes' churning guitars. It doesn't work with the orchestration and precision of Blackfield. Donahue's "The Only Fool Is Me" feels like filler to end an album side, coming in as a two-minute lullaby.
"Springtime" and the second side has more of the Blackfield vibe. Side opener "Jupiter" is followed by the heavy-ish "Kissed By The Devil" and the poppy "Lost Souls." "Faking" has a middling chorus and verse but then soars into a brilliant bridge; too bad it couldn't have been used in a better overall song. "After The Rain" closes the album but still feels like more filler.
Overall it is a disappointment. I really love Blackfield and was seriously looking forward to this record. It isn't a bad album on it's own; perhaps it should have been marketed as an Aviv Geffen solo record. I understand Steven Wilson wanting to step back a bit from other commitments, especially considering how well his solo career is going, but Blackfield works best as a true collaboration between two unique artists.
Here's the aforementioned "Jupiter." A great song that is supported by a fantastic video.
I've been amiss in my musings as of late! My sincerest apologies for that! Despite the absence I can assure you the records continue to spin on the turntable. I have found myself in a harder-rock kind of mindset lately so while the mood has been light the rock has been heavy.
I think it was a tweet that turned me onto a band called True Widow. They are a three-piece from Texas, two guys and a gal. I guess they get lumped into metal but they are more a hard-rock or stoner-rock kind of band. Stoner not in a Black Crowes way but stoner like when Black Sabbath tried to get deep. Sleep is the ultimate stoner-metal outfit but True Widow aren't that heavy. I checked their latest record, Circumambulation, out on Spotify after hearing about it and was just blown away. They make just the kind of heavy sound I dig: it's hard but it grooves, it breathes, it has room. It isn't fast at all, it has space and it powers along with a dynamite sense of melody. Music like this is often described as plodding. But True Widow don't plod; they stride like a giant. They remind me of The Sword but without the silliness and at half-speed. The vocals are strong alternating between boy and girl singing, and sometimes coming together very nicely. The song titles are interesting...tracks like "S:H:S," "I:M:O," and "HW:R" are mixed in with more typical heavy sounding tracks like "Creeper" and "Numb Hand." It's not top 40...if you're looking for something radio friendly this ain't it. But if you like heavy music with a great sense of melody, strong melodic vocals, and great playing, you will like this record. They are coming to town in a few weeks and I plan to be there.
Here's the aforementioned "HW:R." Great track!
Palms are a supergroup of sorts. Not like Blind Faith or even Black Country Communion, but among the art metal set they are pretty high up there. Three-quarters the guys from Isis and one-quarter Chino Moreno from Deftones. The latter I have never really gotten into, but Isis is one of my more favorite of the progressive metal bands. Palms' self-titled debut record is mellower than either of those outfits' work. Art metal...kind of I guess...it's very atmospheric. Take opener "Future Warrior:" during the verses the drums are precise, the bass lines skip around the neck, the guitar weaves in and out and the vocals lay in over the top, then the chorus kicks in and the band locks in tight. This song is pretty emblematic of the record. Moreno does some of the best singing I have heard him do. What I like best about it is the mood it generates. Like True Widow's record it's a great headphone album. Chilling in the dark connecting with the music. Music is all about connection; good music at least. Something you can latch onto. It's lovely, if something classified as metal can use that descriptor. I think it can. Metal doesn't need to always be "Reign In Blood" (though that doesn't hurt!) and huge riffs. Metal can also be stirring, relaxing, something to soothe after the long day. A record that you can unwind to. Palms accomplish that perfectly.
One knock on it, it's a double record, two of the sides having only 1 song, granted they are both nearly 10 minutes long. With vinyl making a resurgence I'd like to see bands start to reign themselves in and get the material to fit a single record. That can be tough because the music is the music and how it comes out is what it is. But I am lazy and don't want to get up to flip and change records every 10 minutes. Rough life, right? Buy the CD and quit complaining! HA!
Here's "Future Warrior:"
Then there is Savannah's Black Tusk. Where as True Widow has an elegant kind of stoner metal and Palms soars like a dream, Black Tusk's latest EP Tend No Wounds hits like a hammer. They are more like fellow Georgians Mastodon than Kylesa (though this record is produced by that band's Phillip Cope). I like good sludge metal; music that's heavy like mud in the bottom register. This EP is heavy and it rocks with the tuned down guitars and has the requisite scary album cover. But then again they use a string section for the great "The Weak and the Wise." I like a metal band that's not afraid to do something like that; it's a nice touch. Vocally it has the usual shouting business but that's fine; even the growly parts which I usually don't like are done singing and not grunting; the singing overall is great and suits the music well. The first time I played the vinyl I played it at 33rpm instead of 45rpm. It took me two minutes to realize it was the wrong speed, though. HA!
Here's "Enemy Of Reason."
All this writing about metal bands lately. I have to admit that's where my taste has been taking me lately. I plan on tuning down one of my guitars and cranking up the distortion to see the heavy kind of tone I can get. Maybe an EP of sludge metal, sounding absolutely nothing like what we do now, is on the way. It's good to keep ones horizons wide! I promise that the next post will be something mellower.
Steven Wilson is quickly becoming my most favorite artist around. He's best known for being the leader of prog rock outfit Porcupine Tree. For whatever reason, and despite being a prog fan, that was a band that I did not get into until just a couple years ago. He's also part of a bunch of side projects, the most interesting of which is Blackfield. Not just interesting, it's a great band.
Recently, Steven has put aside the band restrictions and focused more on his solo material. His latest record is called The Raven That Refused To Sing and other stories. As someone who has followed his career with relish the last couple years, for me it is just a jaw-dropping display of talent. In interviews with him, he despises labels or comparisons, but at the risk of arousing his ire, and to give you a point of comparison, his older material had a very Pink Floyd feel; now, the King Crimson influence is rubbing off. But...it is incredibly unique. The songs are stories, as the title implies, about old buskers or sad old timers regretting the loss of their child sister.
Here's the title cut and final track from the new record, one of the prettiest songs I have heard in a long while:
It starts almost like a theme to a horror movie but it builds into one of the loveliest melodies I have heard in forever. I especially love the outro. The swelling of guitar mixing with the piano and the vocals make the song take flight. The song and the video created with it exemplifies everything about Wilson as an artist.
The rest of the songs are just as good. "Luminol" kicks the record with a very aggressive King Crimson Red like jolt. "Drive Home" sweeps along on a piano-melody augmented by strings and tasteful electric guitars. "The Watchmaker" opens with a Jethro Tull-ish flourish of acoustic guitar segues into a piano based melody before ending on a raving cacophony of drums and guitars and keys. The shortest song is just over 5 minutes; three clock in over 10. But that is what he is after here; creating longer pieces with movements that draw the listener into the story being told. The guitar is no longer the primary instrument, but is one of many painting the entire scene.
I bought the record directly from his English label. There are various incarnations of it. I chose the CD with the 100-page hard-cover book of illustrations that inspired/were-inspired-by the music. It's a beautiful piece of art, befitting such a remarkable record. It contains an additional CD of demos, a DVD version of the album with surround sound mixes, and a Blu Ray with the surround mixes and galleries and a documentary.
If I had my druthers Steven Wilson is the artist I would emulate. Too bad for me that I don't have 1/1000 the talent and creativity he has. Good for me that I can enjoy the remarkable fruits of his labor.
I find that I contemplate my mortality more as I get older. I understand that is not a unique proposition but it is there. Most times I think on it and understand there is nothing I can do about it, that it is inevitable, that we all must face it, that we do the best we can to be ready. I do not believe one can face it without regrets; regrets are a part of life and being human. What we can do is remember those regrets but not let them hold us back.
Sometimes though, usually when I am awake at night, I have an overwhelming fear of this unknown. So much that I pace the floor and do all I can to stop from crying out. It is an immense void. As someone who was brought up Catholic, went to parochial schools, and spent 4 years at a Jesuit prep school, I find myself now with a shattered faith. The concept of an all powerful and all seeing god simply does not resonate to me anymore. I do not believe in any afterlife. I believe that the life we have is the one life we have, that there is not a heaven or hell waiting for us. We are here not for a higher purpose but simply because we are here. And that we must do everything we can to cherish all the moments and all the people we come in contact with, because even though there have been so many of us, are so many, and will be so many more, we are still the only one of us, and are special beyond words in that regard.
Anathema - Weather Systems
Anathema are a progressive rock band from England. Their latest record is Weather Systems. And I bring up the concept of mortality because in this record Anathema confront it through some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. The interplay of acoustic and electric guitars with piano and string and the vocals of the Cavanagh brothers and Lee Helen Douglas, when coupled to the themes of facing life and death both and ultimately of accepting it and the gift life is, it makes for some heavy listening. Anathema do not approach it heavy handed or with fakeness; the record to me at least is a wonderful reminder of the power of music, the beauty of music, and how music can touch you to the core. Songs like "Lightning Song" bring tears to my eyes, even after the 20th listening.
I do not know what happens when we die. Anathema do not know either. But what I do hope for is that whatever happens, mother nature will take care of us, accept us back where we came from, and I hope makes us part of whatever grand plan she has. Maybe that is God; maybe that is enough to believe in.
The only way to appreciate this record is front-to-back, but here is the aforementioned "Lightning Song" in case you want to take a listen. I recommend it as a voyage well worth taking.
To all my loved ones and friends and to everybody out there, I wish you the Merriest of Christmas. To you and yours, nothing but the best.
It is my strong opinion that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. When it opened it was Jann Wenner's (editor of Rolling Stone magazine) baby, so it was filled with bands and continues to be filled with bands that have the Rolling Stone seal of approval. I do not hide that I am a power pop and metal and progressive music fan, and what particularly galls me is the lack of that in such a hallowed institution. If the purpose of a hall of fame, any hall of fame, is commemorate bands that were important, especially bands that were important to other bands, it is an absolute sham it took Black Sabbath so long to get in and that bands like Deep Purple, King Crimson, Yes, Kiss, Cheap Trick and Big Star are still not there.
I not one of those dopes that say hip-hop does not belong there. I am not a big hip-hop fan but I like everybody else I like The Beastie Boys. But I also appreciate and enjoy listening to Public Enemy, N.W.A., Cypress Hill. Hip-hop is as much a part of rock n roll as anything else. It all came from the same root just went in different branches of the tree.
Rush - Clockwork Angels
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced my most favorite band on the planet is finally getting inducted into their little club. Rush has always been the first band I froth at the mouth over when discussing the Hall. Their induction in all honesty does not seem like some sort of vindication to me. I am glad for my favorite band, but I am not pumping my fist and strutting around like Rod Tidwell. Part of me is probably a little sad I won't be able to complain about my favorite band being in their stupid hall. I guess I will take up the Cheap Trick or Big Star cause now!
Anyway, back to the countdown. One of the many things I love about Rush is that they keep making strong records. I've talked before about Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones and why they even bother with new music because nobody is interested in hearing it. Rush stays relevant by continuing to make records that say something. I do not mean that in some metaphysical or deep-man kind of way but in that they still write great songs and still play better than any other band on the planet. Clockwork Angels is no exception. It is a return to the concept album idea, but not the 20-minute suites that they used to do. The concept is about an alternate universe based in steampunk about a farm kid who runs off to the city and has adventures and sails air-ships and crosses deserts and fights battles and joins a traveling circus. (Neil Peart co-wrote a book that fleshed out the story. Speaking as a Rush fan, it is...okay. We will leave it at that) The story is fine, the revelation is the musicianship and the great songs. There's no "Tom Sawyer" here, no "Limelight" or "Spirit Of Radio," but songs like "Caravan" and "Headlong Flight" and "The Wreckers" and especially the last two: "Wish Them Well" and "The Garden" are songs that stand just fine in the Rush canon. Those last two are especially good: the former a nice almost power pop kind of cut, the former probably the best closing song Rush has done (except for "La Villa Strangiato")
It's not hip to say it (but maybe now it's so unhip it has actually become hip...whatever) but I love Rush. I screamed like a little girl when Jodi and I had 2nd row seats right in front of Geddy Lee. I will see them whenever they come to DC or Baltimore. And if Geddy or Alex or Neil ever stumble across this while searching "Rush" in google, then I'll just say "Thanks" for being my most favorite band on the planet for the last 25 years.
There's something about progressive music that many folks don't like. Too earnest, too busy, too take-it-self-serious, too full of itself, too complicated-for-the-sake-of-complication, too pretentious, too sterile.
I like progressive rock. I like lots of different kinds of music but good prog can be stimulating on many levels (uh oh here he goes). The musicianship can be very impressive but that can be done at the expense of passion. All things being equal, I think it's better to play passionately than perfectly (assuming you know how to play in the first place).
Alcest - Les Voyages de L'Âme
Another thing people don't like is France. HA! I kid (kind of). I myself love France; Paris is one of my favorite cities. Alcest has the dual problem of being a progressive metal band from France.
Their new album is called Les Voyages de L'Âme, which for the non-French speakers means "journeys of the soul." That is a very progressive rock kind of title, but it also suits the music. I am going to drift perilously close to melodrama here, so bear with me. Prog rock tends to do that to me.
This is another record, much like the Tame Impala record, I find surprised is ranked so far down the list. Maybe in a year I will want to re-arrange things, because this is the kind of record that finds itself getting played and played and played. It probably helps that it is sung in French, which adds to it's mystery. Like their European colleagues Opeth, Alcest was a black metal band that has become much more melodic and has stepped away from the cookie-monster-growls that goes for vocals in that scene. The singing here is lovely and is perfectly suited for the music. It is, in a word, beautiful...beautiful all around. It's complicated but it's never monotonous; it goes from quiet to loud; from the valleys then into the air. And really, it is a very touching record.
If you are a fan of progressive rock and you don't have this record...you really really REALLY need to get it.
Here's the video for the title cut. And yes the video is as proggy as you would expect.
Their new album is the lush Shelter. I had ordered it on Amazon but it was out of stock for what seemed like forever. I eventually gave up and went to my new favorite place Discogs to order through their marketplace. I think my copy came from Germany, but the price was plenty reasonable and it showed up about two weeks after ordering, which is not bad considering it had an ocean to cross.
