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Author: bradbirzer
By day, I'm a father of seven and husband of one. By night, I'm an author, a biographer, and a prog rocker. Interests: Rush, progressive rock, cultural criticisms, the Rocky Mountains, individual liberty, history, hiking, and science fiction.
Cuneiform Records Sampler
Dear Progarchists, one simple thing makes us extremely happy–when record labels treat us well and professionally. We hope we offer the same courtesy in return. One of the best labels–especially from the standpoint of a small website like ours–is Cuneiform Records and its creative giving spirit, Joyce. Thank you, Joyce! And, thank you, Cuneiform. Long may your goodness and creativity reign! Yours, Brad
This 15 song compilation album, Cuneiform Records: The Albums of 2016, features over 80 minutes of simply great and utterly creative music made by musicians from around the globe; selected from albums that Cuneiform Records released in 2016.
It is now available to stream or download at a price of YOUR OWN choosing via Cuneiform’s Bandcamp page:
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cuneiform-records-the-albums-of-2016
CUNEIFORM RECORDS: THE ALBUMS OF 2016
TRACK LISTING
1. São Paulo Underground – Olhaluai [from Cantos Invisíveis] 05:21
2. Richard Pinhas / Tatsuya Yoshida / Masami Akita [Merzbow] – TVJ 33 (Core Track) (excerpt) [from Process and Reality] 05:55
3. Wadada Leo Smith – New Orleans: The National Culture Park USA 1718 (excerpt) [from America’s National Parks] 12:12
4. I.P.A. – Sir William [from I Just Did Say Something] 05:46
5. Ergo – That never came [from ‘As subtle as tomorrow’] 05:49
6. The Claudia Quintet – JFK Beagle [from Super Petite] 03:28
7. Bent Knee – Leak Water [from Say So] 04:41
8. Naima – Bye [from Bye] 04:56
9. The Ed Palermo Big Band – Dirty White Bucks [from One Child Left Behind] 04:39
10. Gary Lucas’ Fleischerei [featuring Sarah Stiles] – The Broken Record [from Music from Max Fleischer’s Cartoons] 03:07
11. Empirical – The Two-Edged Sword [from Connection] 02:32
12. Thumbscrew: Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara – Sampsonian Rhythms [from Convallaria] 04:03
13. Rez Abbasi & Junction – Self-Brewing [from Behind the Vibration] 06:20
14. Richard Pinhas & Barry Cleveland (feat. Michael Manring & Celso Alberti) – Zen/Unzen (excerpt) [from Mu] 08:06
15. Deus Ex Machina – Figli [from Devoto] 06:59
Arcade Messiah III: Now Streaming
ALBUM PREMIERE: Arcade Messiah dish out a dose of instrumental perfection with “III” http://thesludgelord.blogspot.ie/2016/11/album-premiere-arcade-messiah-dish-out.html
Sludglord Blog are exclusively premiering the Full Album Stream of Arcade Messiah ahead of tomorrows release date, Arcade Messiah III is released on November 25th
Arcade Messiah III Album Preorder – https://arcademessiah.bandcamp.com/album/iii
John Bassett the singer, songwriter and producer of UK Progressive Metal Band KingBathmat) has announced the forthcoming release primarily on bandcampof ARCADE MESSIAH III (release date 25/11/16)
The mostly instrumental one man project combines progressive metal with post rock, sludge, doom and stoner rock with Bassett recording all instruments and producing the album himself. Says Bassett, “Arcade Messiah III has certainly been a labour of love for me, never before have I refined a record to the degree that I have done with this album, I incorporated many new production techniques and have learned a lot from the experience of putting this record together. I’m very excited to release this out into the wild.”
Acompanying this release is a music video for track 1 of the album “Revolver” it includes eye popping timelapse visuals of Tokyo at night by darwinfish105
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm7gPRG4ACc
Arcade Messiah III
(25/11/16) track listing
1. Revolver
2. Citadel
3. Deliverance
4. Life Clock
5. Black Tree
6. Sanctuary
New Video from ARCADE MESSIAH
Good stuff from John Bassett’s ARCADE MESSIAH. Not sure how to label it–not that it really needs a label.
Existentialist, Crimson-esque, shoegaze prog? Regardless, enjoy.
To order the new album: https://arcademessiah.bandcamp.com/
Ayreon Live, September 15-16, 2017
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Prog But Not Prog: Local Comic Books Day
Today is Local Comic Book Day in North America. Most comic shops have limited markets and can always use much bigger ones.
For what it’s worth, my kids would not be the kids they are without comic books inspiring them to read, to think imaginatively, and to emulate heroes who are not afraid to speak and act in the name of virtue. I can say the same about myself (whatever my faults).
If it helps to overcome the stigma that comics are “funny books” or juvenile, just think of comic books as intricately and nobling moving and interlocking stained glass.
Or, consider this. All modern comic book heroes are simply medieval saints and classical heroes and demigods in modern garb.
So, without hestitatiion, I encourage you to support your local comic book store today.
PRR’s THE DARK THIRD: 10 Years Later
If there’s anything in the music world quite like Pure Reason Revolution’s first full album, THE DARK THIRD, I’ve never encountered it. Of course, I can think of Talk Talk, Lush, Pink Floyd, My Bloody Valentine, Porcupine Tree, Cocteau Twins, NAO, and Newspaperflyhunting. . . but PRR is still something rather altogether different.
Even upon my very first listen, I remember being just utterly dazzled. Hard to believe that has already been a decade ago. it was the first album I ever purchased as a download. Frankly, I hate downloads, and I have long since bought the actual physical CD of THE DAR THIRD, but I remember well putting my credit card number in and waiting nervously for it to appear in iTunes.
The Fierce and the Dead: Both and Neither
I’m sorry, but, really, who doesn’t love these guys!?!?! So glad to know that BEM is treating them so royally. –Brad
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The Fierce And The Dead – If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe (remastered) – released by Bad Elephant Music on 18th November 2016
Originally released in 2016, the album has been remastered with five bonus tracks, and is presented in Digipak format for the first time. The release also features all new artwork by celebrated artist Mark Buckingham.
…Morecambe represents the first flowering of The Fierce And The Dead’s signature sound, and displays both the immediacy of their music and a promise of what was to come.
Guitarist Matt Stevens says: “We’re really pleased to get this opportunity to release a definitive version of the first Fierce And The Dead album – we’re still really proud of it. It’s nice to get an opportunity to go back to remaster it, sort out the packaging and put some previously unreleased tunes on there. Mark Buckingham’s brand new art is really special and the opportunity to work with one of our favourite artists is a massive deal for all of us. I’m really pleased to be able to release it in partnership with our friends at BEM.”
Continue reading “The Fierce and the Dead: Both and Neither”
A Proper Awe: The Gift’s WHY THE SEA IS SALT
The Gift, WHY THE SEA IS SALT (Bad Elephant Music, 2016). Tracks: At Sea; Sweeper of Dreams; Tuesday’s Child; The Tallest Tree; All These Things; and Ondine’s Song.
Talk about mythic. The Gift has given us a love song to the vast world of the oceans. Well, “love” might be too strong. There’s love here, to be sure, but there’s also fear and mystery and more than a bit of properly understood awe.
Finding myself quite taken with this most recent release, I keep feeling waves of nostalgia for the first time my great friend, Craig Breaden, introduced me to real Procol Harum—not the Procol Harum of the top 40, but Procol Harum in all of the band’s art rock glory. Yes, The Gift talk about “Salty Dogs”, but it’s far more than this lyrical reference that calls me back to my first moments with that Procol Harum album, more than a quarter of a century ago, now.
Partly, it’s the flow of the album.
Partly, it’s the intelligence of the lyrics.
And, partly, it’s the whimsy that mixes so well with gravity—not an easy skill for any lyricist.
And, there’s another fantastic aspect to this album—the flow of the music perfectly follows the flow of an ocean journey. How The Gift accomplished this so ably, I’m not sure. But, every instrument—whether the keys, the bass (love the bass playing on this album; absolutely love it), the voice, or the guitar—leads to the next one, always playing nicely as it trades off the focus, one to the next. The effect is an usual and compelling flow for the listener as he (or she!) journeys from one wave to the next.
Continue reading “A Proper Awe: The Gift’s WHY THE SEA IS SALT”
Rush: TIME STAND STILL–still in theaters
This just came from Rush official:
Due to overwhelming demand, there will be encore screenings of the documentary Rush | Time Stand Still across the US on Thursday, November 17 – check http://rushtimestandstill.com for a theatre near you!
On Thursday, November 17 there will also be a special screening by Planet Rock in London, UK. The event will be hosted by Rush Superfan Darren Redick at Planet Rock studios at 6pm. There are 10 pairs of exclusive tickets to be won, you can enter here: http://www.planetrock.com/win/rush-exclusive-uk-advance-screening/Contest closes Monday Nov 14 at 23:59PM.
Progarchy 