Halfway Through 2012...

We're over half way through the year... I figured I'd rank all the new albums I've heard so far.

1. Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs

Emotional.  Rich.  Textured.  Atmospheric.  It's hard to find enough words to describe how beautiful this album is.  It's a perfect tribute to Ari Picker's late mother.  It's simultaneously sad and uplifting.  Rarely do you find an album with such a coherent bond between the lyrics and the music.  Here, Picker proves he's an expert in tone.

2. Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now?

I initially met this album with trepidation, since their previous album is one of my favorites, and I wasn't too keen on the first track, which was released online a few weeks before the full album.  But here they've proven that they can make music that is more accessible, but just as interesting... While staying true to their acoustic instruments.  

3. Anathema - Weather Systems

This is excellent prog rock.  It takes you through a range of emotions, it is intricately constructed (listen to the layered vocals on "The Gathering of the Clouds" in surround sound, and prepare to be blown away), and it just gets better with each listen.

4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Here

I'm probably in the minority, but I like this better than their previous record.  It doesn't have a hit song, but it does a great job capturing a traditional revival feel.

5. Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere

Nice sincere folk rock.  All of the songs are pretty good, and there are some nice, catchy melodies here.

6. Of Monsters And Men - My Head Is An Animal

This is a fun listen.  Lots of bombast; probably closer to the first Edward Sharpe album than the new Edward Sharpe album is.  

7. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home

Darrell is one of my favorite songwriters, and here we see him making back porch country music.  Simple, honest, and genuine.

8. The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Here

I was never the biggest fan of this guy, but he does have an interesting Dylan-esque quality, and I like the acoustic guitar.

9. Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio - Across The Imaginary Divide

Saw these guys at Telluride Bluegrass, and was impressed.  It's like a very tight jazz ensemble with a banjo.

10. Leftover Salmon - Aquatic Hitchhiker

I haven't been able to fully digest this one yet, but there are some quality cuts here.

Other albums I like that didn't make my top 10 yet:
Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back
Farrar, Johnson, Parker, Yames - New Multitudes
Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden
Trampled By Turtles - Stars And Satellites
Rhett Miller - The Dreamer
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

Anathema - Weather Systems

Release Date: April 16, 2012
Label: Kscope


Let me tell you about Anathema.  They are a British prog rock band that started off playing doom metal.  Their past alone is probably enough to turn off most prospective listeners ("you want me to check out a doom metal band???), and their present is enough to turn off most doom metal fans, so they are in an interesting position, as far as niche is concerned.

I first heard Anathema several years ago, when I was in my prog metal phase.  The record I heard was A Natural Disaster, which surprised me with its overall mellowness and delicacy.  There really isn't anything metal about Anathema anymore.  I more recently heard We're Here Because We're Here, which I wasn't totally impressed with, despite its relative popularity.  Nevertheless, when I saw that Weather Systems was due, I went ahead and ordered the vinyl.

After a few listens, I was floored.  This might be even better than A Natural Disaster.  The record starts off with a split track, "Untouchables," with a hard first half and a more delicate second half.  This is followed by another pair of songs that flow into each other, "The Gathering of the Clouds," and "Lightning Song."  "Gathering" is a fine specimen of layered vocals and effective buildup, and by the time it climaxes and segues into "Lightning Song," it is difficult to resist the urge to start pumping your fists.

Another highlight is "The Storm Before the Calm," which features one of my favorite prog tropes: tearing down the song after a few verses, and building it back up again with more grandeur than before.

Really, this whole record is solid.  So solid that I decided to purchase the surround sound edition, which I had the chance to spin for the first time today.  The sound is more crisp, with more separation between the concrete musical instruments and more abstract atmospheric elements.  The layered vocal parts especially shine; in "The Gathering of the Clouds," I heard vocal lines I hadn't heard even after a dozen or so listens.

If you're a prog rock or art rock fan, check this out.  If you're not... Well, there still might be cuts you really like.  This music is really difficult to categorize.

★★★★

75 Awesome 70s Songs, Part I: 75-51

I've been listening to a lot of 70s music lately.  What a great decade, when many timeless musicians wrote their most timeless music.  Anyways, I have all kinds of 70s records sitting on my shelf that I haven't listened to more than once or twice... And I didn't grow up in the 70s, so there are obviously all kinds of musicians from that time that I haven't even heard.  So I'm not going to have any pretense that these are the 75 best songs from the 70s; they're just 75 great songs, roughly sorted in order of how much I like them.

75. Neil Young - Hold Back The Tears
American Stars 'N' Bars - 1977
American Stars 'N' Bars kicked off a sort-of country/folk era for Neil Young.  This album is one of the least awesome in the strongest stretched of albums produced by any artist, but it's still solid.  This is probably my favorite track from the album, though "Like A Hurricane" is probably the most well-known.


74. Gentle Giant - Mobile
Free Hand - 1975
Gentle Giant weren't quite as successful as other such prog acts as Yes, King Crimson, ELP, etc., but they certainly didn't lack in originality.  I don't know what to say about "Mobile," other than it's an excellent prog track.

73. King Crimson - Ladies of the Road
Islands - 1971
"Ladies of the Road" is interesting for both its funky bass line, and the accusations of misogyny that resulted from this track.  It is most definitely naughty.  Ranks high in both humor and crudeness.


72. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Helpless
Deja Vu - 1970
Truth be told, I like this one better when Neil does it solo, but I'll reference the CSNY version, anyways.  Nice, mellow, melodic pop song.


71. Elton John - I've Seen That Movie Too
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973
I may be criticized for choosing this over more popular songs from the same album, "Bennie and the Jets," and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting."  But this one simply has a better melody, and a nice feel.


70. Yes - Turn of the Century
Going For The One - 1977
I really like the sound of this one... Little, if any, percussion; just atmosphere.  It actually builds up nicely, despite its relative sparseness.


69. Gentle Giant - On Reflection
Free Hand - 1975
This song is a clinic on vocal harmony.  It sounds like there are at least 30 vocal parts playing off of each other.  Also, the band member switch instruments during the song, even when playing live.  Cool.


68. Jackson Browne - Under The Falling Sky
Jackson Browne - 1972
An excellent track from Browne's debut album, "Under The Falling Sky" really works because of its interesting traditional/minimalist percussion.


67. Yes - Release, Release
Tormato - 1978
Tormato was not well-received in the Yes community due to the perception that they were shunning prog in order to write pop music.  But it's hard for me to denounce this album, because it has some great music, even if they are slightly poppy.  "Release, Release" is certainly better than that completely unlistenable "Owner of a Lonely Heart" that somehow became their biggest hit in the 80s.


66. Crazy Horse - Dance, Dance, Dance
Crazy Horse - 1971
Crazy Horse has actually been Neil Young's backing band on many an occasion, but they did release an album or two on their own.  I believe "Dance, Dance, Dance" was actually penned by Neil, but it sounds great here.


65. Neil Young - Campaigner
Decade - 1979; Chrome Dreams - 1975 (unreleased)
"Campaigner" is the best Neil Young song never to make it onto a Neil Young studio album, besides maybe "Ohio."  I like the feel of this song, from the acoustic guitar, to the vocal dynamics.


64. The Rolling Stones - Far Away Eyes
Some Girls - 1978
I like the Rolling Stones when they get weird, and this is a weird song.  It features a spoken word verse with Mick Jagger talking like a country bumpkin, which makes the chorus that much more catchy.


63. Led Zeppelin - The Battle of Evermore
Led Zeppelin IV - 1971
At some point in time, John Paul Jones fell in love with the mandolin, and this was one of the first songs to really showcase the instrument.  Pair a few mandolins up with a renaissance-sounding vocal melody, and you get one of the more interesting songs Zeppelin conjured up.


62. Billy Joel - You're My Home
Piano Man - 1973
This is one of those songs that doesn't really stick out when you're listening to the record, but when you hear it in a mix, it shines.  I think it largely has to do with the guitar sound.


61. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Ohio
Decade - 1979; So Far - 1974
"Ohio" was one of the most well-known protest songs in the 70s, but it never appeared on a record until CSNY's So Far collection.  Penned in response to the Kent State shootings, Ohio sometimes resurfaces when the issue of police violence enters into the public consciousness.


60. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Travelin' Band
Cosmo's Factory - 1970
John Fogerty was never accused of making his songs too complex, and this song is a perfect example of how great a really simple song can be.  It almost sounds like a late 50s rockabilly tune, except with Fogerty's distinctive vocal style.


59. The Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Goats Head Soup - 1973
This track is the perfect marriage of the British Invasion sound better characterized by early Stones work, and the 70s rock they were fully immersed in by Beggar's Banquet or Exile.


58. Led Zeppelin - Tangerine
III - 1970
Led Zeppelin's III has some great work, but this song best epitomizes Zep's folky side, which is my favorite side of Led Zeppelin.


57. Yes - Clap
The Yes Album - 1971
Possibly an unconventional choice, since it's really just a guitar solo, but it is one of my favorite guitar solos.  I'd consider my guitar playing ability sufficient if I could just learn this song.


56. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Second Helping - 1974
Who doesn't like this song?  It has one of the most popular guitar riffs ever.  The history of this song makes it even better; it was written in response to one or two Neil Young songs about racism in the South (hence the reference to Neil Young in one of the verses), one of which is


55. Neil Young - Southern Man
After The Gold Rush - 1971
Neil Young is great when he stirs up controversy, and this one made quite the dig at the South.  Besides its being a scathing critique of racism in the South, it is just a great song.


54. King Crimson - Cat Food
In The Wake Of Poseidon - 1970
Poseidon was one of Crimson's weaker albums in the 70s, but it still produced some gems... One of which is the weird little track "Cat Food."  This one may need to be heard in surround sound, due to its many instrumental and vocal tracks.


53. King Crimson - Fallen Angel
Red - 1974
By the time Red came around, King Crimson was a trio, creating a much different feel than classical- and jazz-influenced work from Poseidon, Lizard, and Islands.  "Fallen Angel" has a nice melody and great dynamics, and is possibly the song that best utilizes the trio format.


52. Billy Joel - Why Judy Why
Cold Spring Harbor - 1971
Cold Spring Harbor, Joel's debut record, never achieved the fame his later records did, but it is, in my opinion, one of his best.  "Why Judy Why" was one of his first great ballads, and served as a great starting point for one of the best songwriters of the 70s.


51. Kris Kristofferson - Don't Cuss The Fiddle
Waylon & Willie - 1978
This song was recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, but it was written by Kristofferson, generally considered one of the best country songwriters ever.  I'm not hugely familiar with Kristofferson's work, but this is probably one of my top five country songs ever.

#3: King Crimson - Islands

Release Year: 1971

Islands is regrettably considered by many critics to be King Crimson's worst album from the first era.  I, for the life of me, can't figure out how anyone can appreciate King Crimson, yet consider an album with "Formentera Lady", "Islands," and especially "Sailor's Tale" to be subpar.

This album is definitely different.  It has more flute, saxophone, and mellotron than electric guitar.  It has many delicate passages, and if you're listening to it while driving, you're going to miss half the music.

Islands also features Boz Burrell on vocals, one of my favorite King Crimson singers.  Burrell brought a dynamic to the band that fits this album like a glove; it's hard to imagine anybody else taking his place.

It really doesn't bother me that Islands is not very popular.  I myself didn't fully appreciate it until I heard it in surround sound.  This album is 40 years old, and nobody has dared make anything else like this.  Not even King Crimson.

Standout tracks:

• Ladies of the Road
• Sailor's Tale
• Islands 

#9: King Crimson - Lizard

Release Year: 1970

In the very late 60s and early 70s, King Crimson became notable for their ability to blend jazz and classical stylings into their music.  Lizard is easily their jazziest record.

Some people don't like Lizard.  This is understandable, but they are missing out on one of the greatest albums ever made.  This album goes from weird, to more weird, to serene, and ends at epic.  It has everything from seeming nonsense, chaos, a coded song about the breakup of The Beatles, guest vocals by Jon Anderson, and a killer English horn solo (arguably my favorite English horn solo).

As if this album weren't great enough already, it is even more incredible when heard in Steven Wilson's 5.1 surround sound mix.  All of the King Crimson 40th Anniversary Editions are good, but this is one of the albums that benefits the most from the 5.1 treatment.

Listen to this one if you like the weird, jazzy, or classical.  If you want rock songs, look elsewhere.

Standout tracks:

• Lizard
• Indoor Games

#10: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

Release Year: 2008

Steven Wilson is probably my favorite musician, and his work in 2007-2008 is probably why.  In this general time period, he was involved in Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet, Blackfield's II, and this, his first solo album.

Insurgentes was named after the main drag in Mexico City where this was recorded, and it is more textured, abstract, and electronic than his Porcupine Tree work.  You'll find more variety here than in any of his countless other projects, from straightforward rock ("Harmony Korine"), to loud and discordant ("Salvaging"), to ambient ("Veneno Para Las Hadas," "Twilight Coda"), to killer bass groove ("No Twilight Within The Courts Of The Sun"), to wall-of-sound (the end of "Get All You Deserve").

This is one of those albums I can listen to nonstop.  It was Wilson's most ambitious work to date, and easily his most beautiful.  At the time, it was also one of the finest sounding albums I had heard, and has only since been matched by some of the other albums he has mixed.

PS: I should note that I think his new solo album, Grace For Drowning, is even better, but since it was released only a month ago, I'm not going to include it.  Just know that it's probably going to be in my top ten when the dust settles.

Standout tracks:

• Harmony Korine
• No Twilight In The Courts Of The Sun
• Significant Other

New Release: Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

Release Date: September 26, 2011
Label:  KScope

Having received my much-awaited Grace For Drowning vinyl and deluxe edition mail orders, and allowing a few listens to set in, I feel compelled to provide my thoughts on this excellent new record.  Steven Wilson is the lead singer, songwriter, producer, and creative genius behind the progressive rock/metal band Porcupine Tree, and has been involved with many other projects (as both musician, producer, and general sound expert), including Blackfield, Opeth, and, notably, the new 40th anniversary King Crimson remasters.  It is the latter project that clearly had the most influence over the outcome of his new sophomore solo record.

I shall break this up into a few broad attributes.

Packaging

Grace For Drowning vinyl edition

I bought both the vinyl and the deluxe blu-ray edition.  The vinyl is a standard double gatefold, with printed sleeves and 180g black vinyl.  This is what I listened to first, and it is an impressive package, but not any more so than similar vinyl releases.

The deluxe edition, running at a cool $80 plus shipping, is truly impressive.  This version comes with both discs of Grace For Drowning, and bonus disc with demos and outtakes, and a blu-ray disc containing 5.1 and stereo mixes of the album, videos, a couple of bonus tracks, photos, and handwritten lyrics.  I haven't had a chance to watch all of the videos, but the ones I've seen do songs justice, and fit their dark mood, as is typical of Lasse Hoile-directed videos.

Grace For Drowning deluxe edition

The deluxe edition is housed in a 120-page hardcover book, whose cover is fitted with embossed denim.  They certainly did not skimp on quality here.  The book's 120 pages - yes, there are really 120 pages - are photos that I'm assuming are thematic, interspersed with lyrics and reproductions of handwritten notes.  I don't know where all these photos came from, but it looks like almost as much work could have been put into the design of this edition as the music itself.  Steven Wilson considers the album artwork to be, along with the actual music, one of the critical components of an album, and this album artwork is as breathtaking as any I've seen.

Sound
I mentioned that Wilson is hot off his work on King Crimson's 40th Anniversary Editions, and these song truly phenomenal.  The new 5.1 remixes of those albums are largely responsible for my renewed appreciation for Lizard and Islands.  Thus, it is only appropriate for this album to include a 5.1 edition.

The great thing about this is the 5.1 mix doesn't make the album.  It still sounds spectacular in stereo; you don't even really need the 5.1 mix to appreciate the incredible aural experience this album offers.  What the 5.1 mix brings to the table is a little more subtle; Wilson essentially brings you, the listener, into the room by moving atmospheric elements and some vocals to the rear channels.  There is more separation between the sounds.  The blu-ray edition really shines during the quiet parts of the album, when there are but a few instruments, and you are not limited to the dynamic range compressed stereo CDs have.  A perfect example of this is the final track, "Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye."  You hear Wilson in the center channel, the piano in the rear, guitar chords in the front, some occasional strumming in the rear, and layered background vocals all around you.

Even if you don't buy the $80 deluxe edition, it is still worthwhile to have the blu-ray disc, when can be bought separately for about $15 on Amazon.

The Actual Music
Obviously the music is the most important part of any album, and there is no disappointment in this regard.  Grace For Drowning is far more ambitious than Wilson's debut solo album, Insurgentes, which is sometimes a recipe for trouble.  There is always the risk of coming across as overindulgent, and sometimes music just needs to be simple.

Fortunately, Wilson took a new approach here: he made two separate albums, Deform to Form a Star, which comprises the first disc, and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye, which comprises the second disc.  He intended for these albums to be digested separately.  The first, Deform, is more structured, less ambitious, and contains a few beautifully simple songs (e.g., "Postcard").  The disc starts out with the delicate title track, whose vocals are limited to some layered la's.  The second track, "Sectarian," is a wonderfully discordant and rhythmic instrumental.  This starkly contrasts to the Insurgentes, which began with the catchiest song on the album, "Harmony Korine."  The effect here is that after ten minutes of textured music, the soft vocals become far more profound when the track "Deform to Form a Star" begins.

The second disc/album is more abstract and ambitious.  The centerpiece is a very Lizard-esque epic track entitled "Raider II."  The onset of this track seems to give a deliberate nod to Lizard, with its vocal melody and style that is very reminiscent of the beginning of Lizard's first track, "Cirkus."  This influence is noticeable throughout the entire album; for this record, Wilson employed several jazz musicians, and there are saxophone and flute parts scattered about.  Given the fact that Lizard is one of my favorite albums, this is a welcome influence.

The reason I like the way the albums are divided, is that if the whole album is a bit too much for you, you can simply stick to the first sub-album.  This disc alone offers enough depth to keep you occupied for some time.  When you feel like you're done absorbing the first disc, you can then move on to the second.

I don't know where this album will settle after I've had months to digest it, but my initial impression, after three listens, is that it's the best thing I've heard in some time, and it's Wilson's best work, which is a high mark indeed.  

This album, perhaps more than any album I've heard, offers the complete package.  It is pure art in every form.  It has excellent music, great photography, beautiful videos, and amazing sound.  Regardless of whether this is your preferred style of music, you can't help but be amazed by Wilson's ability to put all this together.  





★★★★

#39: Yes - The Yes Album

Release Year: 1971

I can describe why I like this album in two words: Steve Howe.

This was Howe's first record with the band, and his contribution is noticeable, to say the least.  While this album doesn't enjoy the popularity of Yes's two following albums, Fragile and Close To The Edge (both very good albums), this is the album that began their run of excellent records, and my favorite.

It's hard to find a better song than "Starship Trooper," and I have to say the last movement of the song, entitled "Würm," is one of the best instrumental stretches in any rock song, and one of the best endings ever.  I know that sounds like somewhat of a hyperbole, but it's really tough to deny (incidentally, "Würm" was composed by Howe).

The other reason I really like this album is because of another Howe contribution, "Clap."  This is one of my favorite guitar pieces, for its melody and technical creativity alike.  It is this song that makes me wish I were a more accomplished guitarist, because I would love to be able to just pull out an acoustic guitar and rip this one out.  If you play guitar, and you haven't heard this song... What are you waiting for?

This is a very solid album for Yes.  It came after they had achieved incredible musical aptitude, but before they started writing songs that require your full concentration to enjoy.

Standout tracks:

• Starship Trooper
• I've Seen All Good People
• Clap