Author: Time Lord

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Patrick Moraz — “Time for a Change”

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Patrick Moraz relates a nice little piece of Yes history:

“We had decided to do some writing — starting in 1975, when I was also helping Chris and Steve to record some music,” Patrick Moraz tells us. “We had started to compose and to co-compose and to gather material for what was going to be the album Going for the One, and I was very much involved in the composing of ‘Awaken’ at the time. I even recorded one or two tracks in the very, very beginning — in the early stages of sessions in 1976. I recorded some basic tracks for what was going to become ‘Awaken,’ and other tracks for Going for the One. Unfortunately, those were taken out, to allow Rick to come back to the band.”

Moraz ultimately repurposed the work he had done on “Awaken” into a solo song called “Time for a Change,” released in 1977. “When I had to exit Yes at the end of ’76, I started a new album of mine — and I decided call the album Out in the Sun,” Moraz adds. “Maybe I should have called it Time for a Change! It’s a long track; it’s the last track. There were two or three movements that were part of ‘Time for a Change.’ The very beginning of it, the first minute and half or so, reflect what I had actually co-composed for the song ‘Awaken’ itself. It’s a very beautiful kind of piece, which I used as an introduction. What ended up on the record, which is being played by Rick, is completely different than what I would have written.

You can download the entire track “Time for a Change” (9:10) for only $0.99 from iTunes.

OVRFWRD — Beyond the Visible Light

On By Time LordIn progressive rock music1 Comment

If you like purely instrumental prog, check out the fine tunes from OVRFWRD.

OVRFWRD is a four piece all instrumental progressive rock band formed in late 2012. All four seasoned musicians, including drummer Rikki Davenport and guitarist Mark Ilaug, bassist Kyle Lund and keyboardist Chris Malmgren came together with diverse and complex backgrounds and musical influences. Together they have a common goal; to create and perform powerful, colorful, interesting and sonically descriptive music, engaging and pushing forward on the musical journey they have embarked on.

Here’s a taste from the album they put out this year, Beyond the Visible Light. The song is called “Can We Keep the Elephant?”:

Ascending Dawn — “Opposites” (Guitar Play-through)

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The new album from Ascending Dawn is 100% amazing. Be sure to check out its rich textures and atmospheric layers. I declare it one of the best of the entire year!

Take a look at the supercool guitar work on the excellent track “Opposites“:

A new Steely Dan album?

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Something Else has constructed a new Steely Dan album that is eminently worth investigating:

Making a new Steely Dan album wouldn’t be that hard for them to do. Yeah, yeah, they do fuss over the recording process a lot in the studio, but we get the notion that they love to do that, anyway. And it’s not as if they even need to finish up those old songs from the mid-eighties, there are enough completed or near-completed tunes that are up to par to make up a complete album. Steely Dan devotees S. Victor Aaron, Preston Frazier and John Lawler humbly offer up a suggested song line-up that they could bring into the studio for a new Steely Dan album, culled from outtakes, live-only songs and one famous erasure. Click on the song titles to find the full story on these forgotten tunes.

Click on the link to Something Else and check it out.

H/T: Edward Feser

Joseph Bottum @JosephBottum — Grace and Gladness ♫♫♫♫

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From the people who gave us Send My Roots Rain earlier this year, we now have the two-song Christmas release Grace and Gladness. You can download it from iTunes. Joseph Bottum tells us that the songs were

recorded down at the Underground Treehouse in Nashville, with production by Chris Folsom and vocals by Mallory Reaves.
I’m really happy with them, but we’ll see what everyone else thinks. The first is “Joy Will Keep Us,” set to a modern melody by my amazingly productive composer friend, Mike Linton. And the second is “Some Come to See the Lord,” new words to a recasting of a 16th-century Swedish melody [“Bereden väg för Herran”] that Priscilla M. Jensen taught me.
There’s something about Christmas songs that makes them glow. Christmas, I suppose, it must be. The Princeton filmmaker Margaret Craycraft filmed the sessions”

Heavy Metal Stoicism — @Philosopher70 @RushTheBand @RushisaBand

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Gregory Sadler, The Heavy Metal Philosopher, is doing one video per day about Stoicism during the course of Stoic Week 2014 (Nov 24–30).

Perhaps Neil Peart got you interested in the subject. If so, you may decide whether you wish to investigate further.

But even if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice…

Queen — Forever (2 CD Deluxe Edition) ♫♫♫♫

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Queen — Forever

Time Lord’s Rating: 8/10 ♫♫♫♫

This is an excellent compilation of killer Queen songs about that crazy little thing called love. But it’s more than a greatest hits package. In the two-disc deluxe edition, it provides an unparalleled synoptic view of the development of the band’s inimitably epic sound.

Three new songs lead off the collection: “Let Me in Your Heart Again,” “Love Kills,” and “There Must Be More to Love Than This” (with Michael Jackson). They alone are worth the price of admission. Play them loud and revel in the greatness.

The first track “Let Me in Your Heart Again” (4:35) is a true slice of power chord awesomeness, but I also recommend that you hunt down on iTunes the William Orbit synthed-up remix (6:42) of it, which has a totally different flavor, yet is also pure genius.

The compilation doesn’t unfurl in chronological order, so let me unscramble the mix. This is so I can let you know about all the goodies on the discs and where they happen to be coming from.

Digging into the Seventies, we get thirteen tracks. But Queen II (1974) only contributes one track: “Nevermore”; however, Sheer Heart Attack (also 1974) yields “Dear Friends,” “Lily of the Valley,” and “In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited.” Fantastic music!

From the same decade, “You’re My Best Friend,” “Love of My Life,” and “’39” show up from A Night at the Opera (1975), while “Drowse,” “You Take My Breath Away,” “Long Away,” and “Somebody To Love” represent A Day at the Races (1976). Amazing how much skill is found in this band.

Finally, “Jealously” shows up from from Jazz (1978), but “Spread Your Wings” is an extra favorite track of mine, from News of the World (1977). I have to hit repeat on that one again and again.

Moving on to the Eighties, for twelve tracks, we begin with four from The Game (1980), namely, “Play the Game,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Save Me,” and “Sail Away Sweet Sister.” I favor the last two especially. Repeat, repeat!

“Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)” is from Hot Space (1982), while from The Works (1984) we get “It’s a Hard Life” and “Is This the World We Created?” Oh, but wait, the Eighties are not over yet…

“Who Wants to Live Forever,” “Friends Will Be Friends,” “One Year of Love,” and “Forever” are from A Kind of Magic (1986); then, the Eighties end with “The Miracle” from The Miracle (1989).

The Nineties yield nine tracks. “Don’t Try So Hard,” “Bijou,” and “These Are the Days of Our Lives” represent Innuendo (1991); but “I Was Born to Love You,” “A Winter’s Tale,” “Mother Love,” “Made in Heaven,” and “Too Much Love Will Kill You” come from Made in Heaven (1995).

Queen is a one-of-a-kind band with amazing material and top notch talent. If you have worn out Classic Queen and Greatest Hits, this is where to turn to next. God save the Queen!

Finnish prog rock outfit Minutian are releasing their second album on Jan 30

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Great news from Finland regarding the artists behind the awesome Repercussions debut album:

MINUTIAN TO RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM JANUARY 30

The Finnish prog rock outfit Minutian are releasing their second album early next year. The album, titled Inwards, will be released through Secret Entertainment and is the follow-up to 2011’s favorably received Repercussions.

After the tragic death of guitarist Jaakko Jernberg in 2012, Minutian dealt with their loss with a lengthy process of writing new material. This work has now resulted in nine tracks of progressive rock music with originality and emotion.

The title Inwards depicts not only the overall expression of the music and the process leading to its creation, but also an underlying theme in the lyrics. A common theme wasn’t as much intentional as it was a result of shared feelings and experiences. The album’s narrative tells a story of the protagonist struggling with his visions and seeking ways to mend his shattered thoughts to ultimately find safety. The story encompasses several differing perspectives.

The album is dedicated to the memory of Jaakko Jernberg. The album closes with “Redeemer,” a song he composed and wrote lyrics for.

Inwards features piano arrangements by Helsinki-based composer Elias Patrikainen. The album is to be mixed by Toni Kimpimaki at Redfive Studios. Mastering will be handled by Ronan Chris Murphy, known for his work with King Crimson, Terry Bozzio and Ulver.

The release date of the album is January 30, 2015. A digital single will be available in advance. An album release gig will take place at Korjaamo Culture Factory in Helsinki on the day of the release.

Minutian – Inwards
1. Hollow Heroics
2. On Derelict Sidings
3. The Crust Of The Earth
4. Void Within
5. Onus
6. Burning Bright
7. Manifest
8. Aphelion
9. Redeemer

LEAH — “Enter the Highlands”

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The new LEAH album sure sounds great!

Because pre-orders are available on iTunes, we are able to listen there to 90-second previews of every song on the album.

Enjoy the previews! And be sure to download “Enter the Highlands” today…

Montage — “Strawberry Skies”

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Montage’s eponymous 2014 debut album has a nifty song on it that is quite epic: “Strawberry Skies”

You can take a listen to it above. But I would recommend grabbing it for 99 cents and dropping it into your playlist. It has many very nice elements.

Clearly this band from Finland is a prog force to be reckoned with. They do hard rock but with all kinds of other aspects thrown in: folk, early prog rock, and psychedelia. You will hear influences from The Doors, Rush, Caravan, Mastodon, and Black Mountain.

Montage is:

Mikko Heino – vocals
Roni Seppänen – guitars
Jukka Virtanen – keyboards
Taneli Tulkki – bass
Kim Etelävuori – drums