Yep, it’s been awhile. Just one of those periods of having other distractions, offering little time to do serious listening. Besides, it’s football season and that is a great time-suck for me.
To be honest, I needed a break from listening to 8-10 albums a week. It just seemed like the variety became less and less while little pushed my pleasure buttons in ways it happened a few months ago. I’d start clicking through barely listening to selections and not giving each its due. That’s a sure sign of overload. A new sense of purpose was clearly needed.
Also, just to change up the approach, the listening pattern went from randomizing the tracks from a group of albums, I’m listening to the bulk of an album in one sitting and returning to it days later after it has a chance to sink in.
Best of the Week
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Ghost of the Machine - Scissorgames
2022 7 tracks (1:02:34)
The first track of this interesting album is the 17-minute “Scissors”, which starts off sounding like the prog rock of the 70’s and 80’s. Head East, anyone? Rather than having a consistent theme throughout the work, it sounds like a group of tunes from a set list. Odd. It doesn’t stay that way, thankfully. All of the tracks have elements of the era when Genesis and Deep Purple ruled the rock world, but it sounds fresh rather than dated. Evidently, this debut album is the remnants of the group This Winter Machine after jettisoning the lead singer. Production is full, vocals terrific, and compositions compelling.
Charlie Griffiths - Tiktaalika
2022 9 tracks (52:36)
If you are a big fan of Haken, then this outing by Haken’s guitarist Charlie Griffiths is sure to cure what ails you. There are pieces and parts of Haken I personally like, but I favor this particular outing more. Still thrash heavy, the songs take on a different life from time to time which brings a more well-rounded experience. Really good guitarists often make solo work about them instead of the music they’ve written. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen here. The compositions are the star and a number of heavy metal artists like Devin Townsend, Jordan Ruddess make sure every note eked out is effective. Moments akin to King Crimson abound, especially in the title track “Tiktaalika”.
Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado - Best Of
2021 33 tracks (2:13:17)
I’ve become a real big fan of this Danish blues master that sounds like Ray Charles and writes songs J.J. Cale would have been proud of.producing. Thirty-three tracks and I didn’t run into one that would be a stinker. The Black Tornado backup brings out the best of his work which runs the gamut; Chicago blues, delta blues, honky tonk blues, gospel blues, hillbilly blues, rhythm blues, rockabilly blues - you name it, and it’s all good. None of the material here includes the most recent release with The Black Tornado, Navigation Blues, which is also solid. His guitar playing is not flashy like Stevie Ray Vaughn was, but his magic is with his voice and ability to construct listenable music. I’ll take that any day.
Joe Bonamassa - Road to Redemption
2022 6 tracks (31:18)
The magnificent Joe Bonamassa spins another great album. Just listen to “Deep in the Blues Again” and swing to the fabulous twanging guitar work from start to finish. Some might find his vocals a little too straight for blues, but I think it’s fine. But with guitar work as sweet and smooth as fine Belgian chocolate, who cares. The only complaint is this is a short album, almost EP length. But then, maybe he just wanted to give us the cream of the crop.-
Interesting Finds
Billy Howerdel - What Normal Was
2022 10 tracks (42:09)
Billy Howerdel, guitarist for A Perfect Circle, has brought forth an album that sounds quite different than the band he is known for. This 10-pack of tunes are all of singles length, containing nuances of English electronic mixes that could have come from the 4AD line of artists. They are competent songs, but the sameness gets a little fatiguing after listening to a handful of them. A couple of them standout, “Ani” and “Poison Flowers” are two I gladly added to a mix of songs, but a steady diet is something I don’t recommend.
Stephen Mallinder - tick tick tick
2022 9 tracks (51:13)
Having been a fan of electronic based music since the early days of Tangerine Dream in the early 70’s, it’s amazing how little it has changed. Sure, the technology and accessibility has improved, but the same tonal approaches remain a core of most, so it comes down to execution. Mallinder, one of the original Cabaret Voltaire members, is no stranger in this realm. The production is clean, consistent, and steady. Maybe they don’t sparkle as much as they could and I’ll put this on the cold recessed vocals he adds to every track. As an occasional listen, it’s okay but nothing more..
Oceans of Slumber - Starlight And Ash
2022 11 tracks (49:50)
It’s a real toss-up in putting this in the Best of the Week or here because this is such a strong issue by this band described as the “Opeth of Texas Death Metal”. Oceans of Slumber succeeds because the songs are potent and the vocal talents of Cammie Gilbert are riveting. This is some of the most melodic metal I’ve heard and there are some blues thrown in now and again. I would have loved to see them take some of these songs and expand them into an expanded segment, but that is a small quibble. The only other quibble is the inclusion of “House of the Rising Sun” that does nothing for the album.
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - X1: Bleed Here Now
2022 22 tracks (1:14:54)
This long meandering work contains much beauty and power as it is essentially a continuous piece. T.o.D as they are known is what makes progressive rock an endearing category of music. Complicated changes, lush production, raging dynamics, and good harmonizing vocals carries the music to far reaches. Not exactly good for dancing or hit making, but it fills the soul that is longing for something a little more meaningful than the quick pop tune. It’s an incredible work, but it must be listened to from start to finish.
Derek Sherinian - Vortex
2022 8 tracks
Anytime there is an album featuring a player considered a wizard in their craft, in the back of your mind you wonder if the superior musicianship will vastly outshine the composition quality. In Sherinian's case, only slightly. Plenty of keyboard pyrotechnics abound but plenty of meat also. After the first two tracks of blitzkrieg blasting, I love "Scorpion" that features acoustic piano in a frenetic jazz broth. In fact, other tracks on this all instrumental production has a lot of jazz nuances. Think Jeff Beck in his Wired days. And Sherinian plays his keyboards like a guitarist on adrenaline. Plenty of star power adds to the mix with the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather, Jeff Berlin and Michael Schenkar. It's damn solid.
The Gathering - Beautiful Distortion
2022 8 tracks (48:19)
Whether you call it gothic metal or atmospheric doom metal, this Dutch group has a lot going for it. The album title is accurate. Set up with strumming guitars, symphonic chords, and the soaring vocals of Silje Wergeland, along come moments of grunge guitars and pounding rhythms. This release is the first in ten years after seemingly going on hiatus in 2012 and only releasing live and unreleased material in between the studio albums.
