2016 marks the monumental return of one of heavy rock’s most unique, revered and fearless bands of the last three decades, Opeth. Over the years, the experimental, prog veterans have continuously reinvented themselves, pushing the boundaries of their craft and expectations of fans and critics alike. Today, Opeth announces their 12th album, Sorceress, will be released…
via OPETH Reveal Track Listing and Artwork for “Sorceress” — Prog Sphere
From John Wesley’s website:
My new album, ‘a way you’ll never be’ is scheduled for release on October 7, 2016 on InsideOut Music!
’a way you’ll never be’ was fairly big step for me in that I have worked extremely hard at bringing the two sides of my writing together: the “acoustic singer songwriter” and the “electric heavy guitar” elements. This album is most certainly the set of songs that has successfully combined my introspective lyrics with the aggressive type of guitar playing and writing that I love.
The album will feature Mark Prator on drums & percussion, and Sean Malone (Cynic) on Bass. The themes of the lyrics, the melodies, and the playing make these my favourite, most cohesive and adventurous set of tracks to date. Stylistically the songs revisit some of the guitar music of the 70’s that grabbed me and made me want to be a guitarist. Sonically I combined those 70’s big guitar tones with the modern sounds available to us as guitarists today.
Wow, after just posting my praise of Andy and Jonas (previous post), Andy posted this at the exact same time on Facebook. Nothing like a little synchronicity to get the blood flowing.
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Really, who doesn’t admire wild Scandinavian hippies? One can only imagine those Viking lovers of peace returning in their long boats to establish a loving order upon all the conquered, asking for forgiveness! Even the clever name of the band, Karmakanic reveals much about the very intentions of ever-amusing Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, The Tangent). The band’s outstanding 2008 album, WHO’S THE BOSS OF THE FACTORY, especially exemplified the best ideals of the late 1960s.
IN A PERFECT WORLD (2011) did as well, but despite the opening track, “1969,” the album didn’t cohere as well as the previous one.
Whatever the case might have been, Reingold has just released the best of the Karmakanic albums, DOT (officially out from Insideout on July 22, 2016). It is an extraordinary release in every single and imaginable way. Not only its structure and flow, but its lyrics, especially, are quite moving.
Continue reading “Scando-Anglo Hippiedom: A Karmakanic Album in Six Parts”
Here I sit, totally spoiled. I’m drinking a cup of coffee, listening to the wind whisper the many names of the Aspen, and watching the absurdly beautiful dance of the humming birds. It’s already a perfect day, and I’ve not even gone to Mass yet.
But, I’m here to write about the latest release from The Pineapple Thief, YOUR WILDERNESS (Kscope; out officially on August 12, 2016).
One would be foolish to dismiss the talent of Bruce Soord. The man is an audiophilic genius, and, when he produces or engineers an album, he’s every bit as good as Trevor Horn, Phill Brown, Rob Aubrey, and Steven Wilson. He definitely brings his own sound to whatever it is he does, as distinct and yet as beautiful as any of the producers mentioned above. His imprint on the first release of Matt Cohen’s Ghost Community is quite clear, and I’m presuming the same will be true for the second release of Zee Baig’s Fire Garden.
Continue reading “That Blasted Pineapple Thief! YOUR WILDERNESS”
The first music video from the Law Offices of Levin Minneman Rudess.
You can order the new album here: http://www.lazybones.com
Yikes! Watch out for this threat to your CD collection:
The fact that intense biodeterioration in CDs, destroying the information pits, has been caused by a common fungus (a species close to G. candidum) leads to speculation on the future of compact disks as a secure persistent storage medium for sound, image and computer files.
More proof of the superiority of vinyl?
One of the few individuals who could lay any real claim to being essential to the British folk revival, Elaine “Lal” Waterson lent her unique voice — absolutely beautiful and instantly recognizable — to the records she and her brother Mike and sister Norma made as The Watersons, defining the passion and respect necessary to performing traditional material while opening up the freedom and possibility such songs allowed. Although a tremendous songwriter in her own right, she wrote sparingly, and before her death in 1998 created only a handful of records. “Midnight Feast” is from 1996’s Once in a Blue Moon, a collaboration with her son, guitarist and producer Oliver Knight. It is an unusual record; Knight’s inventiveness as an electric guitarist gives the album a consistently full and yet uncluttered sound, supporting his mother’s poetry and voice, highlighting her artful, at times jazz-like, delivery. Indeed, in tone and mood there is nothing so much like this album as Abbey Lincoln’s 1959 landmark Abbey is Blue, in its grooves an acknowledgement of the fullness of life, with its travails and its joys. A profound wisdom at work, speaking of the deeper mysteries.
Fun news from the great folks over at Prog magazine – Jon Anderson is 2016’s Prog God of the year. A well deserved honor indeed. Congratulations Jon!
http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-07-15/prog-god-2016-jon-anderson-in-his-own-words
Glass Hammer has released this gorgeous photo of Susie Bogdanowicz laying down her vocals as she fronts the band on the forthcoming album, VALKYRIE.
This photo has to be the best teaser and advertisement possible for the new album. After all, Bogdanowicz is, at least to my ears, one of the two best voices in the current rock world.
