Greg Spawton comments:
‘Prog is a prison’: Mr Fripp in Classic Rock. I prefer to think of it as a broad church.
Johnny Unicorn – Autumn Electric Kickstarter Campain
As well as working with Phideaux, and doing his own thing, Johnny Unicorn also plays bass in a Seattle-based prog outfit called Autumn Electric. In his own words from a recent email…
As you may know, I play bass in the Seattle-based progressive rock band Autumn Electric. We’re putting together a sci-fi rock opera and a tour this March and April, and in order to improve the fan experience, we are performing the entire album live, with lights and effects and costume changes, and wherever possible, sharing the bill with like-minded bands in venues that don’t expect us to be background music. Since this is a costlier endeavor than we’ve done in the past, we’re raising money ahead of time via Kickstarter:
If you want to see this prog rock space opera made, please think about pledging. Even the smallest pledge will get you something physical in the mail. If you’re in the West, Southwest, South, Southeast, East, or Midwest, you may be on our tour route this Spring. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.
So if you’re keen, go and pledge!
Johnny’s latest album, Angels in the Oort Cloud, is bloody brilliant, by the way.
Peaceful Harbor by Flying Colors
I don’t want to get in the habit of quoting myself (a sure sign of descent either into senility or sociopathism), but I wrote this about a month ago:
In a world of true justice, Flying Colors would be blaring from every car stereo tuned to album rock radio across North America. Not only does SECOND NATURE have the single best album cover of the year, but the album is absolutely riveting. It’s not quite prog, though, as with the best of AOR, it contains great prog elements. Everything fits perfectly here. The lyrics are solid, the vocals are superior. The final two songs—Peaceful Harbor and Cosmic Symphony (sort of a gospel prog)—alone are worth the entire album. But, the entire album is, thankfully, worth the entire album. For me, every time I listen to this album, I’m transported back to 1985. This would have sounded great next to Power Windows. And, unquestionably, Peaceful Harbor would easily outdo almost any contemporary worship song should churches look for some good new music.
It’s not strong enough. The more I listen to this wonderful album, the more I realize just how very prog and how very good it is. I think the first album–which I admire and listen to frequently (it’s also my oldest son’s favorite album, which doesn’t hurt!)–tainted my view on this new one too much. That is, I was too willing to dismiss SECOND NATURE as AOR. Really, really, really good AOR, but still AOR.
May I please revise what I wrote so definitively in 2014? Please? SECOND NATURE is way too complicated and deep for AOR.
For some reason, I’ve spent the last three days with SECOND NATURE as my sound track, especially as I prepare for the new semester. On Tuesday, I had the grand privilege of meeting a Facebook friend, Geddy Lee Israel. We had a wonderful time, but that’s a different story. As we said goodbye to one another under very sunny but crisp Colorado skies, we started talking about Flying Colors. When i told him I thought it was the best AOR album of the year, he corrected me–no, it’s prog. Straight up prog. He was right.
Now, I know that labels reek, but Geddy’s comment got me to thinking. What it allowed was for me to see this album for what it probably is rather than what I’d wanted or I’d assumed it would be.
Whether you already like the album or not, I’d encourage you to listen to it again–but, this time, with headphones on and the lyrics in front of you. Imagine a deeply spiritual Neil Peart or an equally reasonable Kansas–you might come close to the lyrics of Flying Colors. I really had no idea how beautifully written these lyrics are until my brief goodbye with Geddy. Holy Moses, these are gorgeous in every way. Deep, yet ethereal. Truly poetic.
I hope I’m not violating copyright, but let me just offer this. This is the best song on the album, Peaceful Harbor.
And, here are the lyrics.
Born into the wind
It makes its way
To the lost and the hollow
Life begins again
Sometimes we lead
Sometimes we follow
Where we do not know
No sky can hold
No end, no border
The wind will fill the sails
And push you through to peaceful harbor
Love, like Heaven’s wind
No eye can see
How it blows in the darkness
Fear may freeze our steps
Loss and regret, every scar turning scarlet
Help to set your course
Through sightless days and violent waters
Love will fill your sails
And bring you through, to peaceful harbor
Chase this rising wind
anchor released
No want of landing
All in deep despair
Come feel the air
In its full finale
And yes, the chase is on
I’ll look beyond
With the bedlam behind me
And i embrace the sky
My soul will cry
May your wind ever find meSource: Flying Colors – Peaceful Harbor Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Like “Dust in the Wind,” this is the kind of song that makes me wonder if. . . just if. . . a song really could change the world.
May peace reign in this world of sorrows.
March 23: Release Date for Arjen’s THE GENTLE STORM
I just found out on Facebook that THE GENTLE STORM–Arjen Lucassen’s collaboration with Anneke van Giersbergen–will be released on March 23, 2015.
Rush Against Conformity: Apologies to Rob Freedman
A month or so ago, I wrote a very long, very personal review of Rob Freedman’s excellent book, Rush: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence, entitled “The Saving Grace of Neil Peart.” In it, I offered almost nothing but praise for Freedman. But, I had two criticisms. The first was that he gave too much time and attention to Peart’s critics, and the second was that I felt Freedman should have discussed stoicism. There’s no need to go into the second criticism, but here’s what I wrote in the first:
As a lover of Rush, I have a few (very few) quibbles with Freedman’s take. Mostly, from my not so humble perspective, Freedman gives way too much space to such charlatans as Barry Miles of the English New Music Express who claimed Rush promoted neo-fascism in the late 1970s. Freedman, while disagreeing with Miles, bends over backwards defending Miles’s point of view, as it did carry immense weight in the 1970s and wounded the band deeply. From my perspective, there is no excuse for Miles. He maliciously manipulated and twisted the words of Peart—using his lyrics and a personal interview—which were as deeply anti-fascistic as one could possibly imagine (paeans to creativity and individualism) and caused unnecessary damage to the reputation of three men, two of whom who had parents who had survived the horrors of the twentieth-century ideologues, as noted above. Miles’s take on Rush is simply inexcusable and no amount of justification explains his wickedness and cthluthic insensibilities toward three great artists. Dante best understood where such “men” spent eternity.
So, reading back over this, maybe I owe two apologies to Freedman. First, what a goofy thing I wrote when I started my criticism with “As a lover of Rush. . .” Of course, I love Rush. But, then, so does Freedman!
Second, I’ve spent the last week reading every review of/article on Rush from 1974 to 1981—thanks to the Mighty Eric Hansen at http://2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/Transcripts.htm. And, now, having read every review in chronological order, I see exactly why Freedman gave as much attention to Peart’s critics as he did.
Rob, my apologies to you. You were and are absolutely correct in the manner you dealt with the criticisms.
To New Music Express and Rolling Stone: I lift my hands to you. And, each hand has one finger held high. Just in case this is too subtle for your soulless, corporate, tapioca conformist brains. . . it’s the middle one.
Album Review: U2 – Songs of Innocence
If U2 wasn’t one of the world’s most beloved bands it certainly is now.
Quite un-expectantly, the Irish rockers released the follow-up to No Line On the Horizon on Tuesday – an 11 song effort entitled Songs of Innocence on the heels of Apple’s latest and greatest technological achievements.
No wonder it took so long. Was that whole Bono has writer’s block rumor, among other reasons, for the long-anticipated album’s delay, simply a ruse to get people to stop talking about U2 and a record that was widely expected for release last year? Apparently, because the headlines of U2’s new album, available for free, nearly stole the headlines away from Apple. U2 performed live during Apple’s much hyped press conference announcing the new iPhone 6 and Apple Watch.
So, what’s even better than a free U2 album? A really good U2 album that is the quartet’s finest in more than…
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Press Release: new Steven Wilson. HAND. CANNOT. ERASE.
STEVEN WILSON WEAVES CHILLING MUSICAL TALE WITH HAND. CANNOT. ERASE.
Album Available March 3, 2015 – North American Tour Begins May 21
(January 7, 2015) – Groundbreaking songwriter, four-time Grammy-nominated artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Steven Wilson, is set to release his fourth solo album,
Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Kscope) on March 3, 2015. Hand. Cannot. Erase. will be available at retailers nationwide and digitallywith a limited deluxe edition for pre-order via Kscope (http://bit.ly/1DhHN6c). Wilson and his band will embark on a tour through the UK and Europe in March and April 2015, then head to North America dedicating much of the summer beginning on May 21 in Albany – itinerary below.
This latest collection from the prolific song-writer is a dynamic 11-song conceptual set, bringing together diverse aspects of his expansive sonic history. Recorded in September 2014 at AIR Studios London, Hand. Cannot. Erase. features the guitar-driven power, infectious melodies, and progressive sensibility of Wilson’s sprawling body of work.
Wilson describes the collection as inspired by a news story, of a woman who died in her apartment and went undiscovered for three years. “The basic concept of the record – it’s about a woman growing up, who goes to live in the city, very isolated, and she disappears one day and no one notices. Now, your initial reaction when you hear a story like that is, ‘Ah, little old bag lady that no one notices; no one cares about.’ But she was young; she was popular; she was attractive; she had many friends; she had family, but for whatever reason, nobody missed her for three years.” The dramatic theme of Hand. Cannot. Erase. is punctuated with moments of rhythmic urgency, somber introspection, and soaring beauty. Fans are invited to follow the blog entries at http://Handcannoterase.com.
Tracklisting:
- “First Regret”
- “3 Years Older“
- “Hand Cannot Erase”
- “Perfect Life”
- “Routine”
- “Home Invasion”
- “Regret #9”
- “Transience”
- “Ancestral”
- “Happy Returns”
- “Ascendant Here On…”
Best known as founder and front man of British rock act Porcupine Tree, Wilson has produced and collaborated with diverse acts as Opeth, Blackfield, Yes, Roxy Music, and XTC. His prolific engineering work can be heard on his mixes of classic releases from King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and most recently the 5.1 surround sound version of Tears For Fears’ classic Songs From The Big Chair reissue, released in November 2014. Porcupine Tree’s last album went top 30 in both the UK and USA, and the tour climaxed with sold out shows at Royal Albert Hall in London and Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Following the release of his critically acclaimed 2012 release, The Raven That Refused to Sing, Wilson set out on a world tour, having assembled a virtuoso band – Marco Minnemann (drums), Nick Beggs (bass), Theo Travis (flute and sax), Adam Holzman (keys) and Guthrie Govan (guitar). His latest studio creation completed, the cinematic Hand. Cannot. Erase.features dynamic performances by Wilson, his touring ensemble, and vocal accompaniment from Ninet Tayeb.
Tour dates:
- Thursday, May 21 Albany, NY The Egg
- Friday, May 22 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
- Saturday, May 23 Harrisburg, PA The Whitaker
- Tuesday, May 26 Washington, DC 930 Club
- Thursday, May 28 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theater
- Friday, May 29 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
- Saturday, May 30 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
- Thursday, June 04 Chicago, IL Park West
- Friday, June 05 Chicago, IL Park West
- Saturday, June 06 Madison, WI Barrymore Theater
- Tuesday, June 09 Denver, CO Boulder Theater
- Friday, June 12 Anaheim, CA The Grove
- Saturday, June 13 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
- Sunday, June 14 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
- Tuesday, June 16 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
- Wednesday, June 17 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater
- Friday, June 26 Toronto The Danforth Music Hall Canada
- Saturday, June 27 Montréal Montréal Jazz Festival Canada
Album of the Year 2014 – Number 5
We’ve finally made it into the top 5! Thanks for sticking with me – every year it seems like a mammoth undertaking but I seem to get there in the end. It may be 2015 but my favourite albums of 2014 are still making an impact and deserve their moment in the spotlight. Better late than never I say.
If you’re late to the party, welcome and please enjoy the countdown so far – each of the preceding posts in this series can be accessed via the links at the bottom of this article, alongside the full lists from 2012 and 2013.
And with that, let’s see who’s made it into my top 5…
Voyager
‘V’
Code 7 – IAV Records
A few months ago, I wrote a blog about the strength of the Australian heavy metal scene at the current time. I felt compelled to write about it…
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Album of the Year 2014 – Number 4
Today, I offer you my choice of album for the number 4 spot in my Album of the Year 2014 countdown.
As always, links to the other posts in my series can be found at the bottom of this article, so please check them out if you’ve yet to read them – I’m always interested in hearing people’s opinions, so if you think I’ve got it right or wrong, tell me.
And with that, let me reveal my choice at Number 4…
H.E.A.T.
‘Tearing Down The Walls’
earMUSIC
Some people may be surprised to see a melodic hard rock album feature so high in my Album of the Year 2014 countdown. It is the Blog Of Much Metal after all. However, I have a real soft spot for this slightly more ear-friendly saccharine genre of music. I refer to it as summer music, the kind of fare that you listen…
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New Neal Morse Single
From the forthcoming album, The Grand Experiment (Radiant, 2015).
For more information, please check out Radiant’s website: https://www.radiantrecords.com/default.aspx. Pre-orders begin January 10 (though, the Radiant website also lists January 13 as the pre-order date).
Progarchy 