My top albums of 2012

On By John DeaseyIn Uncategorized3 Comments

 

Seeing as my funds for purchasing new music have run dry,  I’ve drawn a line under a fantastic year for music and decided on my top 12.  

This didn’t really take me long to put together,  my favourite albums of 2012 are quite clear.  There are some omissions  that other may find strange (Rush, Marillion) but it’s my list and it’s for me to choose who goes on my list …. so there 🙂

Big Big Train is my stand out album which is no surprise and the others follow in a random order.

 

Big Big Train – English Electric 

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Simply stunning throughout. Not as epic as The Underfall Yard but a timeless English masterpiece evoking village greens, stone walls and fields but tinged with darkness and seriousness …. a true classic

 

Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisted II 

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A beautiful re-working of some classic Genesis and Hackett songs. Not quite a homage as new vocals add variance. Beautifully produced and a sonic wonder as Hacketts guitar is brought right to the front of the mix

  

Pineapple Thief – All the Wars

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Classy, snappy prog-pop wonderfully produced with a raw edge of emotion throughout – superb.

 

Nine Stones Close – One Eye on the Sunrise

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The second NST album and a tremendous effort with atmosphere, great guitars and an absolute killer track in ‘Frozen Moment’.  Hints of Gilmour, Page and others but has it’s own sound.

 

It Bites – Map of the Past

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A glorious pop-prog masterpiece with a hefty whack of emotion thrown in – catchy as hell.

  

The Rumour Cubes – The Narrow State 

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Beautifully layered string instruments build to guitar crescendos reminiscent of Mono at their best – ‘The Gove Curve’ is a track to die for.

 

Anathema – Weather Systems

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Emotion, power, beauty, wonder – what else can you say ?

 

Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion

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Quirky, low-key, strange, inventive and an album I keep returning to time after time but somehow can never play the whole thing through in one sitting…..

 

Headspace – I am Anonymous

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Powerful, edgy new rock of the highest order.  Well-structured songs, great production and a very, very convincing album.  Excellent

 

Twilights Embrace – Traces  (EP) 

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A stunning EP with tight, hard songs infused with Anathema moods, Opeth growls and a mood and atmosphere all it’s own. A great surprise.

 

Neal Morse – Momentum

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A late entrant and gloriously rowdy and upbeat album of brilliant musicianship – cracking stuff.

 

Echolyn – Echolyn

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A stunner. Reflective, clever, tricky, tuneful – a grower.

 

So there you go !

All the best to everyone for the coming festive season and I hope you continue to discover, enjoy and share the wonderful music that is being created in this very special time.

 

 

Rush to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

On By carleolsonIn Uncategorized3 Comments

From RollingStone.com:

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year’s inductees: Rush, Public Enemy, Heart, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Albert King will all join the class of 2013, with Summer, who passed away this May, and King, who died in 1992, earning the honor posthumously. Lou Adler and Quincy Jones will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.

“It’s a terrific honor and we’ll show up smiling,” Rush’s singer and bassist, Geddy Lee, tells Rolling Stone. “It made my mom happy, so that’s worth it.” Lee is especially happy for Rush’s army of hardcore fans. “It was a cause they championed,” he says. “I’m very relieved for them and we share this honor with them, for sure.”

More from the Q&A with Geddy Lee:

I’m sure some small percentage of your fan base will say, “They should protest the whole thing by staying home.”
I never got too hot and bothered about the subject, and I don’t think that’s a very gracious way to respond to an honor. 

Axl Rose stayed home last year, and the Sex Pistols refused to come, too.
We’re nice Canadian boys. We wouldn’t do that. 

It’s a pretty eclectic lineup this year. Are you fans of the other inductees?
I certainly have worked with Heart and I know them well. I’m very happy for them. I have great respect for Albert King and for Randy Newman. I don’t know the music of Public Enemy very well, but I know they have a very strong fan base. They’ve certainly played a role in the development of that style of music for sure, so it’s a nice group.

To be frank, I am disappointed that Deep Purple is not included in that group. Certainly Heart and Rush would not sound the way we sound without Deep Purple. 

I’m sure they’ll get in soon.
Yeah, I hope so. 

I keep saying this to everyone, but I can’t picture the jam at the end of the ceremony.
Yeah, that’s for sure. What do you jam to? “YYZ?” I don’t know. [Laughs] That’d be pretty fun. 

Read more!

Have Yourself a Proggy Little Christmas…

On By Dr NickIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Brad has already discussed A Proggy Christmas by The Prog World Orchestra (and very good it is, too!) but there are yet more musical treats out there to get you in the mood during the festive season.

Cover art for The Jethro Tull Christmas AlbumMy first recommendation is the 2009 two-disc edition of The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. Disc 1 of this set is a reissue of the original 2003 album. It contains some reinterpretations of seasonal Tull material such as Ring Out Solstice Bells and A Christmas Song plus some new songs and some new arrangements of traditional tunes.

Even more interesting is Disc 2, a recording of a 2008 concert at St Bride’s Church in London. The concert features live versions of half of the material from Disc 1, interspersed with readings and carols sung by choir and congregation.

Cover art for Chris Squire's Swiss ChoirMy second recommendation is Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir. This album appeared in 2007, over three decades after Squire’s first solo album, but it is quite unlike that earlier work. Twelve of the album’s thirteen tracks are traditional carols or Christmas songs. The album title is a Spoonerism rather than a clue as to the nationality of the singers, for it is The English Baroque Choir that plays a pivotal role here. Some of the tracks are largely choral in nature whilst others have a predominently pop/rock flavour. Squire is on bass throughout (of course), with Steve Hackett guesting on guitars.

The final track is a remix of the enjoyable 1981 Chris Squire-Alan White Christmas single Run With The Fox. You can listen to the original version here:

New Yes Tour Announced

On By Dr NickIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Yes will be undertaking a three-month US tour next spring.

“Big Deal!” I hear you cry.

Well yes, it is, as a matter of fact – because they will be playing The Yes Album, Close To The Edge and Going For The One, all three albums, in their entirety.

Changes to the lead vocalist role in recent years will have left many Yes fans uneasy, but this seems too good an opportunity to miss. I am praying that they bring this show to Europe soon!

Further details will no doubt appear soon at http://www.yesworld.com/

Kompendium now available for download

On By bradbirzerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Taken from Prog magazine.
Taken from Prog magazine.

I received this via email this morning.  Glad to see it.  I ordered my physical CD quite a while ago, but I’ve still not received it.  It seems to be quite the rage in British and European prog circles.  Now, North and South Americans can download it as well.  Amen.

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Firstly we would like to thank everybody for purchasing the album and for all their kind words and compliments. The album is really doing well and getting a great reaction across the board.

We would really appreciate any way that you can spread the word about Kompendium; Forums, Facebook, Radio Stations and TV.

For us it’s all about getting the word out that this special album is available. So all help is warmly appreciated.
Continue reading “Kompendium now available for download” →

Past Gravity from Echolyn, by Echolyn

On By iangreatorexIn 20125 Comments

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From their eponymous titled album released earlier this year, this is a spontaneous blog following the posting of a Youtube link by a few other Echolyn admirers. This is not only my favourite track from the album but it is also one of my favourite tracks of all time. For me there are few songs through which I have had an IMMEDIATE and TOTAL connection. I am not usually a lyrics/song-orientated person as I like getting lost in very long instrumental tracks (typically prog but also classical or jazz). Sometimes I find lyrics (or more to the point singing, particularly bad singing) act as an obstacle to my enjoyment of the quality of the musicianship. However, there is no doubt that a song containing  a combination of wonderful lyrics, a great voice and superb melodies and musicianship is difficult to beat.

When I first heard Past Gravity it literally sent shivers down my spine, in fact my whole body. The lyrics evoked memories and feelings within me that rarely surface. In fact when I listen, especially as the singing reaches a crescendo, I am usually welling up with tears. From the very first line I was hooked….’Love is a ghost in a room when she has turned away into the empty night’…. How many of us have felt this in our lifetime I wonder?

This song transcends music, it is pure beauty. If you haven’t heard it then I really hope you will enjoy it, and if you have, then listen again!

Continue reading “Past Gravity from Echolyn, by Echolyn” →

Of Earth & Angels (Best of 2012 — Part 5)

On By Time LordIn 20124 Comments

LEAHtheMusic.com

Another one of the albums in my Top Ten for 2012 is Leah’s Of Earth & Angels.

First, I heard her track “Ex Cathedra” and was immediately intrigued by the mix of medieval Latin and symphonic metal.

Next, I encountered the lovely track “Ocean,” which sealed the deal.

Buy your copy of this superb album today and support this talented artist; then you will remember 2012 as the year you discovered Leah:

The art of LEAH is one of diverse influence: Haunting celtic melodies, mysterious eastern vibes, heavy symphonic rhythm, and most of all… A voice that will utterly enchant and inspire you.

Listen to LEAH and you may hear a touch of Loreena McKennitt, a glimpse of Enya, or of something darker like Lacuna Coil or Nightwish. Mostly you will hear something unique from this emerging artist from British Columbia, Canada… And it will please your senses.

LEAH has accumulated a catalog of original songs. When you hear her work, you agree her song writing knows no limits: From symphonic metal, to organic singer-songwriter ballads, to ethereal electronica—she does it all—almost effortlessly. She specializes in the darker, more mystical melodies which gives Christmas carols and ancient Irish poems a haunting and tantalizing twist.

LEAH also has a work ethic that much of the young generation is missing. As a homeschooling mother, writer and prolific songwriter, she knows how to get things done—and done well.

A few footnotes:

Electronica is not really my thing, but I love what Leah has done with her track “Sanctuary.” Amazing that she does both symphonic metal and this sort of experimentation equally well.

At Christmas, I have always considered “Silent Night” one of the most musically boring carols ever; so I will always welcome a clever makeover. Now, here is Leah, doing the unexpected and making it sound truly incredible. Enjoy!

LEAHtheMusic.com

Matt Stevens’s Silent Night.

On By bradbirzerIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Two things I never hide: my love of Christmas Music and my love of the music of guitarist Matt Stevens. Matt is one of our single best living guitarists. Here, he puts his own very reverent and tasteful twist on a holiday classic. You can listen to it for free. If you like it, please purchase a download copy. It’s very much worth supporting Matt–as an artist and an entrepreneur.

http://mattstevens.bandcamp.com/album/silent-night

A Favorite Discovery of 2012: Yppah

On By Thaddeus WertIn 2012, Progarchy3 Comments

Besides Big Big Train, one of my favorite discoveries of the past year has been Joe Corrales Jr.’s project, Yppah. Their latest album is Eighty One, released on the Ninja Tune label.

Corrales is similar to Matt Stevens (another Progarchy favorite) in that he likes to lay down a bed of rhythm using delays and samples while playing beautiful guitar filigrees on top of it. His style is much simpler than Stevens’, however, as he stresses the groove above all else. The bottom line for me is that his music makes me feel happy when I listen to it. (Which makes sense if you read the band’s name backwards!) Snatches of wordless chants swim in and out of the mix, Anomie Belle adds her siren vocals to several of the songs, Eno-esque audio effects burble along, and the percussion percolates with a world music feel. All of this creates an overall atmosphere of relaxed bliss. This is music for a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Yppah’s bandcamp site states,

Drawing on a cultural heritage that took in My Bloody Valentine alongside hip hop and heavily influenced by various forms of electronic music, psychedelic soul and rock, his music often mixes guitars shoved through massive reverbs/delays, keyboards/synthesizers, live drums, and other techniques.

Can hip-hop influenced music find a place in the prog music universe? Listen to “Happy To See You” below and decide for yourself. Beginning with a nice little guitar riff, the swelling synth background soon takes over and we are soaring through the clouds pictured on the album cover. There’s a brief detour to listen to a children’s chorus sweetly chanting us along our journey before the guitar comes back, turbocharged this time, to shoot us into the stratosphere.

If you’re interested in more, watch the in-studio performance below. A word of warning: Anomie Belle does some rapping in the second song, “Film Burn”, but it’s quickly followed by some beautiful violin work (she’s a classically trained violinist). And hey, if Rush can rap in “Roll The Bones”, then I guess it’s OK, right?