The blues have made an indelible impact on this week’s list, some from the most unlikely sources. Neil Young hammers out some bluesy rock, a Dane named Thorbjorn with a throwback voice and stately guitar work, and country blues from a young contender shows just how impactful the blues of yesteryear continues to this day. Of course, there is a cornucopia of prog rock and, unusually, a couple of duds. Oh well. Time to roust a new listing that may or may not make it by next week.
Best of the Week
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Vieux Farka Toure - Les Racines
2022 10 tracks (47:21)
Absolutely blown away by the work of this man. Given his Malian roots, there are elements of African folk mixed in with modern jazz elements. Watching a YouTube performance, the four-piece ensemble presented had Toure displaying his dazzling fret work, a bass player, another playing a five-string acoustic instrument of special origin and the percussionist using a special wood drum and generating a complicated combination of beats using the palms of his hands and slapping two sticks on the body.
Thorbjorn Risager and Emil Balsgaard - Taking the Good with the Bad
2021 - 11 tracks (41:02)
Utterly surprised how a Dane can play roots-based blues guitar and sing like the second coming of John Lee Hooker. It is chock full of delightful tunes with a full on groove that keeps you moving. More bar room blues and boogie woogie than delta blues, but it’s a kick anyway. I've heard a couple of tracks from the next album featuring his Black Diamond group and my anticipation for it is at max level.
Neil Young - Eldorado
5 tracks (25:42)
If there is any question if Neil Young has anything left in the tank, this will put a stop to that nonsense. The only disappointment is there are only five tracks. His vocals never were a strong point, but here he had the good sense to move them back and let the jamming band lead the way. This is Young's raw edged driving rock and roll at its best.
The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia
2014 - 12 tracks (46:06)
The Pineapple Thief has become one of my favorite bands, even when they keep the energy down. I guess Bruce Soord feels his writing lends itself to polite prog rock, but listen to “Alone at Sea” and “Don’t Tell Me” and don’t tell me a little growl fits a more restrained texture.
Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement
2007 - 9 tracks (55:47)
Riverside belongs in the coveted group of bands such as Gazpacho and The Pineapple Thief, capable of delivering well crafted tunes with punch and power. Unlike Thief, there are some tracks sprinkled about that stretch out the work with a little time to afford the listener a chance to hear a more well rounded set of ideas.
Interesting Finds
Sylvaine - Atoms Aligned Coming Undone
2018 - 6 tracks (42:15)
Sylvaine (aka Katheryn Sheppard) likes her music dark, moody, and dense. She has wonderful vocals to boot. However, she needs to change it up a bit because the hard and gritty tones get monotonous with extended listening. A ray of sunshine thrown in wouldn’t hurt.
Hollywood Undead - Hotel Kalifornia
2022 - 14 tracks (43:35)
When I heard these guys, what 15 years ago, I thought they were like some kind of spoof band. They play kick-ass rock-rap along the lines of Linkin Park and they haven’t lost a lick of smart sense and intensity. Love it.
Opeth - Damnation
2003 8 tracks (43:07)
Opeth is one of those groups that has gone through transformations between dark metal and accessible prog rock. This is along the lines of the latter. When comparisons are made between Opeth and Porcupine Tree, this is an example of being aligned with PT.
Frost* - Falling Satellites
2016 - 13 tracks (1:06:10)
From the school of Big Big Train and IQ prog rock, this capable outing is perfectly fine. Lot's of meaty passion displayed though there are a couple of clinkers that could have been left out.
Kasabian - The Alchemist’s Euphoria
2022 12 tracks (38:12)
Electronica heavy rock that has more than its fair share of success. Most of the tunes are enjoyable even if there is a sameness that lingers between each track.
Marcus King - El Dorado
2020 12 tracks (42:16)
If Marcus King had a soul mate, it would be Leon Russell, except he sings more like Janis Joplin and plays his guitar like Russell pounded his piano. Not all the songs are winners, but the ones that are are simply scintillating.
Leprous - Aphelion
2021 - 10 tracks (56:04)
Another Norwegian prog rock band (good stuff just keeps coming from Scandinavia) that would compare with The Pineapple Thief with a little more edge.
Forgettable
Danny Elfman - Bigger. Messier
2022 - 23 tracks (1:39:00)
It’s difficult to put this in the Forgettable class because it certainly isn’t forgettable. After not listening to Danny Elfman since the Oingo Boingo days, I assumed this would be some kind of pop extravaganza. It emotes a lot of anger, evidently due to Covid and the questionable turns made by former president. Many of the songs are given additional mixes by the ultra produced craziness combining thundering beats, shrieking keyboards, harsh vocals and totally devoid of pleasant melodies. In the end, one wonders - WHY? That said, I didn’t wash out all the tracks to move to the next one. It’s like the train wreck you can’t take your eyes off of the catastrophe. Back to the movies, Danny.
Alan Parsons - From the New World
2022 - 11 tracks (45:34)
As one would expect, the Alan Parsons work is beautifully produced and engineered. It features some solid names on parts, David Pack (remember Ambrosia?) and Joe Bonamassa which is welcome. That said, it’s a little too syrupy for my tastes - way too much middle of the road pop.
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