Well, Andy Tillison and Sally Collyer did, and we had an amazing, very good, awesome, wonderful time! They’re on their way home now, but the memory and goodness of their visit remains palpable. Tillison lectured as well as performed before a Boulder audience on Thursday. It was an amazing event, and I’ll report more fully about it in the next day or two.
In the meantime, pull out some Tangent, put on the headphones, and turn out the lights.
We are pleased to announce that Josiah Baker is joining our team as our first Artist Representative! Josiah will be bringing to Radiant Records and Radiant Studios years of experience in artist development, booking, social media management, promotion, and networking. If you’re an artist looking for a label or some fresh exposure, Josiah is here for you! Contact him today to find out how you can record in the same studio as Flying Colors, Neal Morse, and the Prog “Album of the Year” award artists, Transatlantic!
Josiah is accepting downloadable material submitted through email or physical copies through mail. All contact information is below.
Josiah Baker,
Artist RepresentativePhone: 904-495-9011Email: josiah@radiantrecords.comMailing Adress:322 Blue Lake CircleAntioch, TN 37013God Bless,Megan BatistaRadiant Records
It is, as AllAboutJazz.com notes from the top, a “bold concept”: A big band and a jazz/fusion guitarist reinterpreting (“covering” isn’t it at all, not by a long shot) Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”—that modest little 1973 album that sold a bazillion copies and cemented Waters, Gilmour, and Co. as rock legends. The chances of such an audacious project going sideways, 
upside down, or simply “splat” are fairly high. Most Floyd purists, I suspect, would dismiss it immediately, and most jazz purists would be right behind them. (I hope I’m wrong, but I think that’s a fair guess.) That would be unfortunate, because “Celebrating the Dark Side of the Moon” is a stunning album, a splendid example of what can happen when exceptional jazz musicians take on exceptional rock/prog material with an equal measure of respect and experimental energy.
The album is the brain child of ACT-director Siggi Loch (ACT is a German label focused on contemporary jazz), and Stefan Gerdes and Axel Dürr, producers for the NDR Big Band; they enlisted legendary composer and arranger Michael Gibbs and the wildly eclectic, always surprising guitarist Nguyên Lê. The sleeve notes read, in part:
Nguyên Lê enlightens the Floyd’s repertoire – pure happiness – and enchants it with the collusion of the NDR Bigband and its brilliant soloists, deploying new sound-textures created by the uplifting orchestrations of Michael Gibbs. The arrangements here – Gibbs wrote three, Nguyên Lê wrote the others – provide choice settings for inspired improvisations and also reveal other compositions which appear as natural extensions of the original opus. The guitarist’s playing sparkles with those fiery, oriental accents we’ve learned to love, sustained by guests he can trust: Jürgen Attig, Gary Husband, or Youn Sun Nah, whose chalice is brimming with magnetic grace. “Celebrating The Dark Side Of The Moon” is no simple tribute to a record which made history. It fervently expresses the re-creation – exempt from all imitation – of a score which you can hear in filigree. This is a palimpsest. The writing can still be (re)read, with warm hues forged by respect for the original matrix and the multiple expressions of its identity. Like a principle of Life.
The playing throughout, no surprise, is top of the line; but what really jumps out is the muscular, bold, and detailed quality of the arrangements, as well as the propulsive fluidity of the solos and ensemble playing. Yes, you know you are hearing Pink Floyd songs, but you hear them in a new and invigorating way. Lê is especially dynamic; he plays the vocal parts in several songs, and his tone is as rich and expressive as any vocal, bringing out melodic qualities deep in the original material. Listen, for example, to “Money,” with the solo starting at the 1:00 mark:
The other stunner is South Korean singer Youn Sun Nah, whose solo work has always demonstrated a willingness to push—and sometimes simply flatten, by virtue of her power and precision—musical boundaries, moving from sweetness and light to primal, raging darkness at a moments notice (check out her rather harrowing version of “Enter Sandman”). Here she is singing “Breathe”:
The Telegraph gave the album a begrudging decent review, stating, “The remarkable thing is that eventually, the album persuaded me to forget the original. It does this very cleverly, by confirming and subverting our expectations at the same time.” Meanwhile, AllAboutJazz.com concludes its far more positive review by saying, “Nguyên Lê’s CTDSOTM is an ambitious, uplifting and frequently exhilarating project whose textural layers and conceptual riches are gradually revealed upon repeated listening. It should appeal to Floyd freaks, progressive big-band addicts and the musically curious alike.” I hope so!
I’m privileged to announce that Andy Tillson (PO90, The Tangent) will speak tomorrow night at the University of Colorado-Boulder. If you are within driving range, please join us. Tillison will speak at the Old Main Chapel, Boulder campus, 5:30-7.
Alex met his guitar idol Jimmy Page in 1998, when Page and Robert Plant were briefly reunited for a series of shows, one of which was in Toronto. Alex was home at the time and had been invited backstage to say hello, so he brought a copy of Victor, his 1996 solo album, to give to Page. “I was freaking out 
and my hands were shaking,” Alex has said in interviews about that meeting.
But the admiration was mutual. Page has said that he has long been an admirer of Rush. That’s saying something when you consider how much disdain he held for a lot of the hard-rock bands that tried to look and sound like Led Zeppelin. First among the bands singled out for Page’s disdain over the years is Def Leppard, but Page really didn’t like any of the so-called hair bands. There was one exception: Whitesnake…
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So, Imagine Dragons just might be for real.
After wringing as much as they could out of their 2012 smash album Night Visions the quartet hailing from Las Vegas finally stopped releasing individual singles that seemed to serve only as fuel to keep afire the momentum to their ostensibly endless, and sold out arena tour the last few years and dropped their second full-length album.
Imagine Dragons released Smoke + Mirrors today and unlike what tends to happens to bands after a highly successful first album only to see a sophomore effort fall flat, Smoke + Mirrors holds up quite well to its predecessor.
The band gave fans a taste of what’s to come with their leak of the singles “I Bet My Life” and “Gold” both of which are on this album and sure to be accompanied by several more hits radio should eventually play ad nausea.
Singer Dan…
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I know, I know, it’s getting a little silly now isn’t it? I’m beginning to lose count but here are another ten or so bands that either are or may be likely to release new material during 2015. It was all sparked by the first band in my list who I only just realised were in the process of writing new material. Knowing this, I couldn’t afford to miss them off my list as they are such a great band.
If for any reason you’ve missed parts 1-3, you can access them here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
But now, here’s the next (and probably last) instalment in this series…probably…I hope.
Wolverine
As stated, Wolverine are one of the main catalysts for this fourth instalment ever since I realised a new album was on the horizon for 2015. The Swedish progressive metallers are a special and unique band and…
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In honor of Rush’s upcoming R40 tour, PJMedia’s J. Christian Adams ranks their top 6 albums. The list may surprise you!
Here’s an excerpt:
Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have been producing music since they they first took the stage together at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in August 1974. Peart was the new guy in the band then, but has since become its voice, penning lyrics that made hipster critics cringe – touching on, in chronological order – Tolkien, male baldness, the Solar Federation, starship Rocinante, forced equality of outcome, FM rock, automobile bans, Space Shuttle Columbia, concentration camps (Lee’s parents survived Auschwitz), Enola Gay, China, clever anagrams, chance, AIDS, the internet, expectations shattered by 9-11, more expectations shattered and finally, carnies. It’s hard to find a list of rock’s greatest drummers that doesn’t include Neil Peart.
Over the decades, hipster critics praised acts like Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and the Talking Heads while they mocked Rush. But 40 years later, Rush fills arenas and tops album charts, forever reinventing a sound that defies categorization. It’s just Rush.
You can read the whole thing here.
Steven Wilson – HAND. CANNOT. ERASE. (Kscope, 2015).
Tracks: First Regret; 3 Years Older; Hand Cannot Erase; Perfect Life; Routine; Home Invasion; Regret #9; Transience; Ancestral; Happy Returns; Ascendant Her On
Geddy Lee I. Rating: 9.5/10
If you’re looking for a review comparing HAND. CANNOT. ERASE. to any of Wilson’s other solo albums, his work with Porcupine Tree, the fruits of his many side projects, or the work of other artists, this isn’t the review for you. This review is solely about HAND. CANNOT. ERASE. within it’s own context and within my ear. It will be flawed and fraught with me struggling to put into words that which the music captures so easily.
Something about the ambient intro of First Regret gives me imagery of children running around on a playground, having the time of their lives. Then the music really takes off and suddenly I feel like I’m no longer observing the children, but one of them, and now I’m running frantically after the others, having the time of our lives. Track 1, First Regret, is strangely named, to me at least, unless the frivolity of childhood is regretful. To this point, I’m probably missing what this song is really about.
In track two, 3 Years Older, I dig the break for some melodic acoustic work, especially accented by that bass in the opening. Lyrically we seem to be departing from the schoolyard heading into life, a complicated life, filled people we cannot connect to for long. The imagery I get is of someone despondently sliding through life catching a few highs and lots of lows. After a few verses, the music peaks again and when it crashes it hits this beautiful piano section that I never saw coming, but man does that hit my ears just right. Lovely stuff that. Then the music rips off again but harder than ever and we get some really proggy stuff as the piano is substituted for some intense organ work and the musical theme spirals out a bit exploring other parts of itself.
The title track Hand Cannot Erase will, to some, sound like pop, but I think this song ends up being a prime example of Wilson’s ability to take simple musical ideas and push them further in such a way that the listener never trips and is along for the whole ride. Also, the lyrics, while still hinting at the difficulties of love and life, are surprisingly positive and perhaps help drive the upbeat nature of the song.
Perfect Life sees us slipping into ambient narrative performed by a female I believe to be the character the theme of this album seems to be shaped around. This song is steady and offers a slow build that you’ll probably only enjoy if you like listening for the subtle little shifts of things in the background of the music that really make up the song.
I’ve just realized that I’m not quite halfway through the album and that I’m running out of ways for me to say basically the same thing time and again which is that, I’m a creature of melody, and this album offers so much on that front that I can’t help but love it. We get some beautiful female vocal work, the tone of the guitars isn’t mired in distortion but rather a shimmering ambience, there are several musical themes explored making for a dynamic listen throughout, and we see an album that is essentially about love, and not the cliche kind of love song where it’s pure bliss or about ridiculous break ups. It’s a realistic approach to having a heart and traveling through a world where those you love can give you great joy one day and immense pain the next. Such is love.
Though I only covered the first four tracks in detail, this isn’t to say that the latter half of the album has less to offer or that I didn’t enjoy it. I flat loved it! I’m just trying to avoid writing a book about it. For me, this album is 63 minutes of beautiful melody, both musically and lyrically. It’s not flashy though it does have moments of awe inspiring musicality. It’s musical exploration and the attention to the mix and the overall sound quality is immaculate and really what drives this album home. I admit, I’m not the most versed in Wilson’s works, but HAND. CANNOT. ERASE. offers so much that my ears enjoy and revel in that it will sit on its own at the top of my mind for some time when thinking about Wilson.
As much as I adore most of the Porcupine Tree back catalogue and go along with the line that Steven Wilson is a modern day genius, there has been a tendency (for my tastes) to sometimes veer off course which is probably a result of his never ending quest for perfection and experimentation.
Although last years ‘The Raven …’ is undoubtedly a fine, fine album, I still find myself preferring ‘Insurgentes’ and ‘Grace for Drowning’ whereas his work with Mikael Akerlecht in Storm Corrosion is almost un-listenable and the less said about his latter days with Blackfield the better (do NOT mention IV, please …..).
So, a tiny bit of perspective before I state quite clearly that ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ is to these ears, a truly magnificent album up there with the best work Wilson has ever written, produced and recorded.
What this has in spades, in no small part due to the storyline behind the album, is a wealth of emotion with some memorably touching passages of music. There is no shortage of incredible musicianship from the outstanding band he has put together, and there are moments when you just wonder how on earth they hold it all together as they veer from what sounds like all-out jamming, jazz-fusion-prog style, to a gorgeous funky groove.
With a group including Guthrie Govan (guitar), Adam Holzman (keyboards), Nick Beggs (bass / stick), and Marco Minneman (drums) with guest guitar also from Dave Gregory and Wilson himself, it is no surprise the technical excellence is there, but what is added to this album is a depth of emotion and feeling.
The back-story to this album is well documented by Wilson and well worth checking out. It’s a poignant, sad and strange story that manages to be both haunting and somehow very close to home. How many other people are lying there now, as we speak, unnoticed ……?
The artwork, the titles, the subject matter, even the web page (http://handcannoterase.com/) – all blend to form an incredible piece of work that I hope will be talked about for years to come. The human story and the emotion-infused music suggest this may be a long-lasting meisterwerk ……
This is not a Prog album or a pop album or a metal album or jazz album and sits firmly within Wilson’s aim to be genre-less : it has a wonderful mixture of styles which together form a potent mix and offer up a compelling piece of work.
So, that’s a snapshot, a birds-eye view if you like.
I’ve always been a fan of soundscapes and soundtrack music and this is where ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ moves in a slightly different direction to some of Wilson’s other work. There is much more use of electronic sounds to link the pieces together and provide a subtle background. In many ways it reminds me of Craig Armstrong in places – if you don’t know him, check out the magnificent “Weather Systems’ album – an absolute classic.
This is typified on ‘Hand. Cannot. Erase.’ by the 4th track, ‘Perfect Life’. The combination of an electronic beat, swathes of keyboards and spoken voice are cinematic and moving. From the opening spoken word section to the build up with the refrain repeated, over and over ….. simply magical.
This is a relatively simple track but it is where the album starts to move up a few notches as the emotionally intensity starts to get hold.
Before we’ve reached this point however, 4 tracks in, mention must be made of the moody intro piece ‘First Regret’ which sets the tone with cinematic piano and keyboards and hints of refrains and themes that will be re-visited throughout the album.
‘3 Years Older’ has a Rush-type riff that is tight and dynamic and at 10.00 minutes long moves in typical SW style through various genres.
The title track is a poppy little number which is full of life and energy with a deceptively simple structure but hits the right spot in so many ways. I’ve seen mention of Blackfield for this track on YouTube but the scars of IV live long in the memory for me to discount any such connection …. this is instead a gloriously catchy, and clever track.
The album now takes a decidedly darker turn, as the back story is mirrored and a melancholic air permeates the music. ‘Routine’ introduces a spooky, intimidating soundscape that is ethereal and affecting. The final two minutes of this track are particularly outstanding as the mood is taken down again with a gorgeous choral backing accompanying Wilson’s gentle vocal and is pure movie soundtrack genius …
A harder edge then comes in with a suite of tracks that on my review copy seem linked so it’s hard to tell which one is which. ‘Home Invasion’, ‘Regret#9’ and ‘Transcience’ combine to give a powerful section of the album which sees more instrumental work going on. There is a palpable release of this magnificent band as they hit their stride with a jazzy start moving into a funky groove then some glorious guitar work and a typical Wilson wall of sound – I imagine this will be superb live.
As good as this is, it really doesn’t prepare you for the 13.00 minute epic that is ‘Ancestral’. This starts with a cool, detached and melancholic opening with a beautiful chord structure that builds tension that releases in gorgeous style with a truly moving refrain. The way this track builds and suggests drama is quite startling but then around 5 minutes in, the track moves to a wonderful instrumental section which summits several peaks, let’s us take the view in for a brief moment, then plunges us back down with intense power before soaring to a truly stunning climax …. the emotional intensity of this track is powerful indeed.
The album closes with ‘Happy Returns’ which gives us time to breathe but not rest as another gorgeous track sweeps along in glorious style to the moving choral fade out that frankly, leaves you sitting rather stunned.
So there we have it.
There is little of the cold, detached, analytical Steven Wilson that sometimes pervaded his earlier solo work and instead we have a sweeping, emotional work of art that at times is quite breathtaking. The brilliance of the musicians is matched by the brilliance of the concept, the direction and the songwriting which, for me, makes this album stand out above Wilson’s previous solo work. It has moved him on to another level not just in the music world, but as a multi-media artist in his own right.
The combination of story line, artwork, melody and musical excellence should make this album one of the highlights of 2015 …..
Progarchy 