Tag: The Rolling Stones

Rick’s Quick Takes: Summer’s Not Over . . .

On By kruekuttIn americana, Progressive rock, Rock and RollLeave a comment

. . . not by a long shot! July can be a dead zone for quality music, but that hasn’t been the case this year. If your taste leans toward prog (vintage or brand-new), rootsy rock or full-on funk with a skosh of country, you’re in luck this month. Listening links are embedded in the artist/title listing; purchase info follows the review where necessary.

The Bardic Depths, Some Things Are Worth Remembering: On the basis of an advance listen, I can confidently say that The Depths’ final album reaches new heights of invention and inspiration. There’s plenty of variety and energy within and between the tracks (some featuring shared musical material), an enticing mix of styles and colors united by a symphonic throughline that unfolds with natural ease. I especially dig moments such as “Fallen Leaves” and “October Sun” where the band’s instrumentation and texture nod to forbears like Genesis or Big Big Train, but also sound fresh and unique in the moment. Gareth Cole on guitars and Peter Jones on keyboards, sax and vocals have done some of their best work ever here, especially in proggier, jazzier moments; Tim Gehrt’s drum grooves are consistently solid and tight, and Dave Bandanna’s multi-talented playing and unique vocal tone pull everything together with real panache; this is an ensemble completely at ease, tuned in to each other all the way through. And as always, founding Progarchist Brad Birzer’s lyrics make their mark, poetic prose gathering strength with each repetition, sensitively and powerfully set. The finale “Rewind” stands out, juxtaposing poignant nostalgic reminiscence with a daringly different ambient coda, but every track makes its own special impression. Straight up: Some Things Are Worth Remembering is The Bardic Depths’ best album, and a 2026 Favorite for sure. Watch for The Progarchy Interview with the band coming soon! (Preorder physical media from The Band Wagon USA; order digital downloads from TBD’s Bandcamp page beginning August 7th.)

Death Cab for Cutie, I Built You a Tower: Back on an independent label after two decades in the multinational corporate world, DCfC hearkens back to the spacious musical drive and laser-like lyrical focus of their indie farewell, 2003’s Transatlanticism. But while that classic effort bemoaned the obstacles to connection, its post-rock riffs hypnotically vaunting skyward, I Built You a Tower is a compact, desperately literary song-cycle tracing love’s end, perfectly paired with melodic, hooky emo honed to a sharp, glittering point. As Ben Gibbard peels away layer after layer of his midlife crisis one figure of speech at a time, the band storms through buzzsaw guitar trip “Punching the Flowers”, goes Postal Service on the electronic “Stone Over Water” and “Trap Door”, gallops across the off-kilter landscape of “How Heavenly a State”, and bookends the whole thing with alternately chiming and raging versions of the title track. This one puts the listener through the mill emotionally; still, the catharsis at its end justifies the harrowing journey. Another new instant Favorite! (Order physical media from Death Cab’s online store.)

Marillion.com Deluxe Edition 2026: After tentative plunges into Marillion in the 80s and early 90s, this marked my first deep dive into hardcore fandom (though it took a couple more laps around the pool for said fandom to stick). After reading a positive review of marillion.com in my first-ever issue of MOJO Magazine, what did I see on the listening wall of my local Barnes and Noble back in 1999 (possibly a tribute to their cult hero status in Grand Rapids) but this? As with the previous year’s Radiation, Marillion packed their inimitable sound into tighter song forms here: “Rich” and “Deserve” have Steve Hogarth sneaking remarkably deep ethical concepts into snappy uptempo tunes; “Go” and “Enlightened” mount devastating band exercises in tension and release; the forlorn yet jangly “Tumble Down the Years” crammed the entirety of Abbey Road into one heart-melting song. And for those lamenting the move away from longer smash-cut epics, there was the extended rumination “Interior Lulu”, complete with random synth wig-out! While the path to Marillion controlling their own destiny began here, .com is much more than a stepping stone, formidably appealing in both its craft and its creativity. Both deluxe editions include the remixed main album and audio of a complete London show; the CD/BluRay version adds the concert documentary Shot in the Dark and two hours of jams, rough drafts and early mixes. (Order from Racket Records.)

The Rolling Stones, Foreign Tongues: After knocking off the creative rust with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, the Stones genuinely sound like they’re having fun with – well, with being the Stones. Foreign Tongues is a throwback to the casually hedonistic days of Some Girls and Tattoo You: at long last, Keef and Ronnie are back in sync with that unmistakable guitar weave; meanwhile, Mick Jagger is as obnoxiously attractive as ever, swaggering persona intact, witty yet scabrous lyrics fully in place. The range is remarkable here: there’s grimy, technicolor Chicago blues (“Rough and Twisted”), super-charged rockers (“Mr. Charm”, “Divine Intervention”), simmering R&B ballads (“Some of Us”, “Back in Your Life”), well-chosen covers (Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”, Chuck Berry’s “Beautiful Delilah”) — even the late Charlie Watts driving the punky “Hit Me in the Head” at full steam. It’s all a hoot and a half, even though producer Andrew Watt buffs up nearly every chorus with lip-gloss backing vocals, the political commentary of “Ringing Hollow” comes off a bit lame, and the whole thing goes on slightly too long. If you want the urgency of Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street Stones, you’re out of luck; but if you’re in the mood for Boomer demigods strutting their stuff with glee and flair that defies their longevity, this might be just your ticket. (C’mon, you can buy this everywhere.)

The War and Treaty, The Story of Michael & Tanya: Michigan-rooted Americana/soul husband-wife team Michael and Tanya Trotter have pulled all of their omnivorous, fiery talent together for their latest and best. The Story is a down to earth concept album about the arc of the Trotters’ relationship, with the duo striking sparks every time their voices trade off or harmonize, all the while covering an astonishing spectrum of down-home music and piling on high-drama bells and whistles. Given the album’s Nashville pedigree and major-label status, inevitable guest shots from Hollywood & Nashville are dropped in willy-nilly (Whoopi Goldberg? Wynonna?), but deeper delights await beneath the rhinestones; from the rich, passionate soul of “Don’t Say Goodbye” to the authentically weepy country of “Lay This Bottle Down” to the hot redemptive gospel of “Holy Ghost Fire” and “High Heels”, this one’s got it all, recorded live to tape for extra oomph. If you haven’t heard these two light it up with their vocal fireworks before, this is the perfect intro. (Buy from the Warner Music webstore.)

Jack White, Frozen Charlotte: White’s new one has a grungier, more claustrophobic vibe than 2024’s wide-open, Zeptastic No Name; although, like that surprise Favorite, it also has more devastating guitar riffs per minute than most bands of his vintage manage in their entire career. (And just the right amount of killer fuzzed-up organ, too.) “Derecho Demonico”, “You’ll Never Fix Me” “Thick as Thieves” and “She’s in a Frenzy” are the standout tracks, but every song gets right to the point, makes it, and downs tools with no fuss, White wailing like a hellhound is genuinely on his trail all the while.

— Rick Krueger

Rick’s Quick Takes – The Autumn Report

On By kruekuttIn Big Big Train, Insideout Music, Progressive rockLeave a comment

As you can see in the photo above, I’ve drawn a full house of fresh music by artists well known in the Rockin’ Republic of Prog for this hand. (As well as a world-famous joker from another deck.) Unless otherwise noted, title links are to Bandcamp or Spotify for streaming. Where streaming links don’t include them, separate links with purchase options follow each review.

District 97, Stay For The Ending: Another great leap forward for the prog pride of Oak Park, Illinois, D97’s fifth studio album is a shoo-in for my year-end list of favorites. It bursts at the seams with the good stuff – Jim Tashjian’s massive guitar thrash, Andrew Laurence’s neck-snapping synth licks and harmonies, Tim Seisser’s buoyant, bubbling bass work and Jonathan Schang’s exuberant off-center drum grooves. As always, singer Leslie Hunt hits every musical curveball out of the park, her energy and sophistication driving home one breathtaking melodic hook after another. Once the stylish, thrilling title track ropes you in, the eccentric fusion workout “Many New Things”, the Crimsonesque riff-go-round of “Crossover”, the galloping social comment of “Divided We Fall” and the stutter-stepped “Deck Is Stacked” will keep you on the edge of your seat. Can’t recommend this highly enough.

Glass Hammer, Arise: How does ace GH conceptualist Steve Babb follow up on his surprisingly heavy Skallagrim fantasy trilogy? With an even heavier sci-fi concept album, of course! As Babb’s AI-enhanced android protagonist heads for the stars, the spacey invention comes fast and furious; the propulsive kick of “Wolf 339”, droning industrial ballad “Lost” and blues cruise “Proxima Centauri B” all build to a shattering, sludgy apocalypse on the title track. Throughout, multi-instrumentalist Babb and his colleagues (including fellow GH founder Fred Schendel on one track) pile on the dramatic tension, while Hannah Pryor’s vocals vividly trace the turmoil of an intelligence lost in the cosmos – only to be confronted with Someone greater than it bargained for. Dare we hope for a sequel? Order from Glass Hammer’s website.

Dave Kerzner, Heart Land Mines, Vol. 1: After a troika of albums exploring distant worlds in the extended fashion prog fans so love, Kerzner brings it all back home. No, it’s not an original concept: boy meets, loves and loses girl, then drives across country to forget girl while writing songs about the whole mess. But it all happened to Dave back in the 1990s, including the songwriting – which gives this project (the first in a series based on his “songs from the attic”) a real edge and vibrancy. In terms of the music, think less Pink Floyd and Genesis, more Beatles, Steely Dan and Alan Parsons: sturdily constructed, left-field pop, chock full of emotion and color. From the cynical shuffles “Dreaming in LA” and “Dirty Girl” to the heartbreak ballad “Worlds Apart” and beyond, Kerzner gives this music his all, his singing more expressive than ever, his arranging and production even more vivid and intense. With tasty touches galore from his world-class backing band (Fernando Perdomo, Matt Dorsey and Derek Cintron) and special guests, Kerzner has hit my year-end favorites list yet again; on the surface, the first installment of Heart Land Mines (more volumes are promised) might seem less ambitious than New World, Static and The Traveller, but it’s every bit as compelling and delightful. Order various editions from Bandcamp.

David Longdon, Wild River: Music by a younger man than we came to know during Longdon’s time with Big Big Train, his 2004 solo debut reveals both an eclectic sensibility and the level of aspiration you’d expect from a singer ballsy enough to audition for Genesis as Phil Collins’ replacement. The basic vibe is folk-inflected, artsy singer-songwriter, focused on acoustic guitar and fiddle (with a pinch of Pete Townshend’s aggression on the opener “Always”, “Mandy” and “Vertigo”), but even then, Longdon’s range extended to the title song’s R&B shout-out and the darker turns of “This House” and “Joely”. And as the Floydish “Falling Down to Earth” (complete with Mellotron) gives way to the extended metaphor of the finale “On to the Headland,” we hear the sensibility that emerged to tell Greg Spawton’s tales of Old Albion for The Underfall Yard and the English Electric sequence, then seek fresh destinations for Big Big Train before his untimely death. This pristine reissue, remastered by Rob Aubrey, includes a bonus live album with previously unreleased material Order from Burning Shed or The Band Wagon USA.

The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds: You might have heard something about this one; “those British bad boys” (as Bob Dylan referred to them when I heard him in concert last month) are back in the saddle, hedonistic and petulant as ever. Slashing their way across producer Andrew Watt’s dry, tight soundstage, Keith Richards and Ron Wood whip up vigorous, punchy riffs by the dozen (though there’s little room for their classic guitar weave). Meanwhile, Mick Jagger strikes every vocal pose in his repertoire and then some, shouting and moaning what are quite possibly the filthiest lyrics he’s ever written. The whole thing rocks hard, and there’s genuine magic afoot when Bill Wyman and the late Charlie Watts crank up the rhythm on “Live By the Sword”. But ironically, the best moments here come during the collaborations — Paul McCartney powering “Bite My Head Off” with an immense fuzzed bass lick, “Lady Gaga” channeling the early 1970s with Jagger during the gospel-soaked “Sweet Sounds of Heaven”. A respectable showing for the Stones and a fun listen for fans — but how of many of these songs, as cool as they sound, will make the setlist for next year’s inevitable tour? Order from … well, just about everywhere.

Tiger Moth Tales, The Turning Of The World: When Pete Jones stepped back a bit from the keyboard and picked up his acoustic guitar, this more straightforward sequel to 2020’s chamber-prog opus The Whispering of the World was the attractive result. The man’s got a lot on his mind – “revolution, changing technology, life-altering events” – and he doesn’t hold back with his opinions. At his best, Jones’ direct, sensitive reflections on the passing scene cut to the heart, especially on the epic allegory of “The Snail, the Horse and the River” and “We’ll Remember”, an affecting tribute to David Longdon. And if upbeat inspirational songs about life such as “Pass It On” and “Make a Good Sound” lean a bit toward limpid jazz-funk, they quickly pick up energy every time Jones picks up his saxophone and melodica for expressive fills or soaring solo choruses. A change of pace from his recent seasonal albums, it’s always good to hear from a man who truly believes “It’s So Wonderful to Be Alive” — and isn’t shy about reminding us of it! (There’s also a bonus disc available, The Whispering Suite, with outtakes and live versions bridging TMT’s two “World” albums and 2022’s A Song of Spring.)

— Rick Krueger