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Listened to one of the all-time classic albums on the way home, namely Mott The Hoople and All The Young Dudes. Classic early '70s glam rock (though it's still more blues-rock to me).

Swallow The Sun seems a little dirge-ey. Still intend to give it a few listens to let it sink in (or not).

just brew it! wrote:

Swallow The Sun seems a little dirge-ey. Still intend to give it a few listens to let it sink in (or not).

They can be when they choose to be (depends on song/album); but most of their stuff has really good range. Finally got Songs From the North CDs in the mail, so I can toss this up on PLEX and give this album a re-listen in FLAC on 5.1 instead of stereo mp3 off youtube. THIS one is a good example of their range and one of my favorites so far off the album. Remind me A LOT of Daylight Dies and Katatonia with a dash of Insomnium.

Metal fans, check out Haiduk [black/death metal]

\m/

Iron Maiden - Wasted Years. It reminds me of both Judas Priest and Queensryche of that period.

Pelican - What We All Come to Need (2009)

Big ol' slabs of sludgy, riff-driven, instrumental stoner metal. Good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y1X4kU ... -ZnGgPi1N5

Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005)

Listening to more Pelican while I do a deep dive into what appears to be a HBA driver issue this AM. This one has some fairly mellow moments. Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath without vocals? I had no idea this band even existed until a few days ago. They're even local (Chicago area).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xot3vAq ... 839937DE45

just brew it! wrote:

Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005)

Listening to more Pelican while I do a deep dive into what appears to be a HBA driver issue this AM. This one has some fairly mellow moments. Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath without vocals? I had no idea this band even existed until a few days ago. They're even local (Chicago area).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xot3vAq ... 839937DE45

You might like Ayreon. It's not really a band so much as an ongoing project by a dude named Arjen Lucassen - he does the writing, composition, and a lot of the actual playing and vocals. Each album is a science fiction story; most of them are related but separate. Each album he brings on different guest musicians and vocalists; mostly from European metal. Sound-wise it's progressive rock, ranging from very mellow to some occasional heavy stuff. Kind of a mixture of Yes, Pink Floyd, and maybe a little Styx thrown in at times...

Notable albums are "Inside The Electric Castle", "01011001", and "Human Equation"... or if you're looking for something more mellow, there is a two-part album called "Universal Migrator" that is excellent.

Stephen Swartz - Bullet Train
&
Survivor

Seems like one of those techno/trance/dubstep type of days. Anything with a really strong beat.

cphite wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005)

Listening to more Pelican while I do a deep dive into what appears to be a HBA driver issue this AM. This one has some fairly mellow moments. Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath without vocals? I had no idea this band even existed until a few days ago. They're even local (Chicago area).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xot3vAq ... 839937DE45

You might like Ayreon. It's not really a band so much as an ongoing project by a dude named Arjen Lucassen - he does the writing, composition, and a lot of the actual playing and vocals. Each album is a science fiction story; most of them are related but separate. Each album he brings on different guest musicians and vocalists; mostly from European metal. Sound-wise it's progressive rock, ranging from very mellow to some occasional heavy stuff. Kind of a mixture of Yes, Pink Floyd, and maybe a little Styx thrown in at times...

Notable albums are "Inside The Electric Castle", "01011001", and "Human Equation"... or if you're looking for something more mellow, there is a two-part album called "Universal Migrator" that is excellent.

Listening to some of their stuff now. Started with Universal Migrator and have Human Equation on now. Yeah, the analog synth sounds really do give it a sort of Styx-ish retro feel, even though the music itself isn't really in that vein.

Captain Ned take note: You may want to check them out too, probably starting with Universal Migrator. Don't worry, I'm taking a break from Death Metal, these guys are solidly in the Prog Rock vein. OK, maybe verging on Prog Metal at times. But no growled vocals, I promise.

I listen to a broad spectrum of genres, everything from country (except bro-country) to electronic, EBM/Industrial to metal etc. Been on a kick listening to a genre that sounds like it has been around awhile but recently noticed it described as Glitch Hop which mixes modern electronica with classic funky club beats. It throws in some dubstep too but can only take that in small amounts.
It is similar to Daft Punk's style.
Example-Kill Paris and remixes:
https://www.beatport.com/release/to-a-new-earth/1039348

Some further thoughts on Ayreon...

(Been listening to their entire back catalog courtesy of Spotify these past few days.)

They (he? I guess it's really a one-man project with a lot of guest musicians/vocalists) strike me as a crazy mish-mash of '70s Prog-isms (even including occasional Ian Anderson style flute interludes), turn-of-the-millennium Prog Metal (more than a passing nod to Dream Theater, including having DT's vocalist sing the lead character on a couple of the albums), and Andrew Lloyd Weber style musical theater. Oh, and most of the albums are loosely tied together with a wacky intergalactic sci-fi time travel theme.

"The Theory Of Everything" has exactly 42 tracks. Yes, it's an intentional Hitchhiker's Guide reference.

The musicianship is top-notch, the songwriting is passable but not great (and occasionally hokey), some of the arrangements lean a bit too much on '80s arena rock vocal harmonies instead of a strong lead singer, and it's all ridiculously over the top and self-indulgent. One album even opens with the following spoken words:

Welcome!
You have entered the cranial vistas of psychogenesis.
This is the place of no time and no space.
Do not be afraid for I am merely the vocal manifestation of your eternal dreams.
I am as water, as air; like breath itself.
Do not be afraid.

They're definitely worth at least a listen if you're into prog, prog metal, or concept albums / rock opera (like Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar). I doubt I will be buying the entire back catalog, but will pick up a couple or three of their albums for sure.

Hard to stop listening to these guys on the way to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d_1tCACung


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVgSmfNTkVA

Pretty cool cover of one of my favorite songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU

Made me LOL because it is so f*cking over the top, but so good at the same time.

I think I am in love with the female singer/guitarist.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Counting on You

just brew it! wrote:

Pretty cool cover of one of my favorite songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU
Made me LOL because it is so f*cking over the top, but so good at the same time.
I think I am in love with the female singer/guitarist.

That was a cool and unique cover of a classic. Impressive musical skills and I liked her banjo riff too. I took string lessons years ago on bluegrass banjo and acoustic guitar. I need to pick it back up sometime, been too long.
Speaking of talented female artists, I like the skills on Warpaint's bass player not to mention all of them are great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOfah_QyUkI
And Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice is rockin' it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgP9SAx33i4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_MTHwAp-_Q

The WFUV, NYC studio sessions are done well.
i.e.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMDszjhTc7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfjrzZc3bAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz4Si9DhofI

Check out Jack Garratt's skills--vocals, guitar, keyboarding and percussion all in one session!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khr67IMGDWQ
and just for fun, Rick Astley is not giving up yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbjyINUWIXU

The Specials - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)

just brew it! wrote:

Pretty cool cover of one of my favorite songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU

Made me LOL because it is so f*cking over the top, but so good at the same time.

I think I am in love with the female singer/guitarist.

I enjoyed that way to much, and agree... I think she was looking at you before going into the studio JBI

just brew it! wrote:

They're definitely worth at least a listen if you're into prog, prog metal, or concept albums / rock opera (like Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar). I doubt I will be buying the entire back catalog, but will pick up a couple or three of their albums for sure.

If concept albums are something you like, you might also check out Iced Earth... they're a heavy metal band.

"Night of the Stormrider" is about a wizard/priest who destroys the world;

"The Dark Saga" is based on the main storyline of the Spawn comic book series.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes", "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible of Man" all form a single storyline about an alien invasion... there are parts of the story thrown in to various other albums as well, but these are the main ones.

And just to be different, their album "The Glorious Burden" is a two-disc concept album about war... the first disc is various songs about battle, no single coherent story - and the second disc is a three part telling of the battle of Gettysburg, complete with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra accompanying the band, as well as cannons and other effects.

Black Stone Cherries - Rain Wizard
The talk of Wizards reminded me that this song exists.

https://youtu.be/org1ITRGGNg

Welch wrote:

Black Stone Cherries - Rain Wizard
The talk of Wizards reminded me that this song exists.

https://youtu.be/org1ITRGGNg

Good song. Just watched an interview last week that Chris Robertson did at Anderton’s a year or so ago with Lee after he got a PRS SE model endorsement. Seemed like a really down to earth, likable guy. Been listening to their stuff since then.

Feist - Mushaboom

Long Run by the Eagle, original vinyl from my uncle's collection. Sounds awesome

Margo Price

she owns. go listen.

Assorted Buckethead Pikes releases, while I finish doing my taxes.

Another cover done in a different musical style-Appalachian/Bluegrass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=forqmom3YuY

I learned Scrugg's style banjo picking from one of his lesson books. Not pleasant sounding for relaxing but fun to play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlqQ1_vZVE

New Kamelot album The Shadow Theory So far it's pretty good. Not as many hooks as Haven but I may just need more listens. No Alyssa White contributions on this album from what I can tell. Mostly just trying to put a few of the new melodies to memory before their tour hits the midwest next week.

Carly Simon - His Friends Are More Than Fond Of Robin

Welch wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

Pretty cool cover of one of my favorite songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU

Made me LOL because it is so f*cking over the top, but so good at the same time.

I think I am in love with the female singer/guitarist.

I enjoyed that way to much, and agree... I think she was looking at you before going into the studio JBI

Some covers she (Mary Spender) did, just her and her guitar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xTBh3J8huQ <-- holy effin' crap!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw6M8mmbhgI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkXFQr0t1yE

Fantastic voice. Damn fine guitarist too.

just brew it! wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xTBh3J8huQ <-- holy effin' crap!

Just can't stop listening to this clip. The first time through, she starts playing and I'm like "hey, this sounds like it is going to be pretty good"... then she starts singing, and I'm like "oh, wow!"... and finally she gets to the guitar solo (where she's still keeping the bass line going and slapping the percussion while soloing over the top) and I'm like WTF!

It's just perfect.