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Dwiki Dharmawan - So Far So Close (2015)

Some great fusion from this Indonesian keyboard player. I'd never heard of him before today; found the album while doing a Spotify search for anything recent by Chad Wackerman (one of my favorite drummers, formerly of Frank Zappa's band). Violinist Jerry Goodman (formerly of Mahavishnu Orchestra) even guests on the opening track, giving it a distinctive '70s fusion throwback vibe.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6bzvkAM56ry1fPriKKugZT

New Insomnium out this weekend. Valediction
Extremely good song, and fits perfectly into their catalog. MDM fan's will not be disappointed.

Pumped Up Kicks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYIsZr9L_rM

Far more dark and intense version as is befitting the lyrics.

A poorly-maintained hotel room AC unit at a Hampton Inn, whose location I shan't disclose.

Captain Ned wrote:

A poorly-maintained hotel room AC unit at a Hampton Inn, whose location I shan't disclose.

Based on the Hampton inns I've stayed at, it could be any of them.

Tool - Fear Inoculum (2019)

The new Tool has finally dropped, after a 13 year hiatus. This is really, really good.

https://open.spotify.com/album/7acEciVtnuTzmwKptkjth5

I got an Amazon notice several hours ago that it was now available... The Amazon Marketplace affiliates were selling the CD for $174 and up.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

I got an Amazon notice several hours ago that it was now available... The Amazon Marketplace affiliates were selling the CD for $174 and up.

Yeah, apparently the initial physical media release is a bizarro deluxe edition that includes some sort of video player integrated into the packaging, with a list price of ~$40. Already sold out, and only available at grossly inflated prices from scalpers.

From what I understand, there will be a standard CD release (and vinyl for the hipsters of course...) at some point, but for now the only ways to hear it at a non-stupid price are to stream it on Spotify/iTunes, or buy the MP3 download.

Maybe there are still a few copies of the deluxe edition available at B&M stores if you don't mind paying $40.

Pretty lame way to handle the release IMO, but the music is really quite good. I'll buy the standard CD when it becomes available. For now, there's Spotify.

Joss Stone - Victim of a Foolish Heart

Morrison Poe - Pearl Necklace

Quite a little gem hidden in PDZ.

just brew it! wrote:

JustAnEngineer wrote:

I got an Amazon notice several hours ago that it was now available... The Amazon Marketplace affiliates were selling the CD for $174 and up.

Yeah, apparently the initial physical media release is a bizarro deluxe edition that includes some sort of video player integrated into the packaging, with a list price of ~$40. Already sold out, and only available at grossly inflated prices from scalpers.

From what I understand, there will be a standard CD release (and vinyl for the hipsters of course...) at some point, but for now the only ways to hear it at a non-stupid price are to stream it on Spotify/iTunes, or buy the MP3 download.

Maybe there are still a few copies of the deluxe edition available at B&M stores if you don't mind paying $40.

Pretty lame way to handle the release IMO, but the music is really quite good. I'll buy the standard CD when it becomes available. For now, there's Spotify.

Yeah, definitely a lame way to handle the release... people have been waiting for 13 years so you give them a $40 limited release? WTF?

Got mine off Google Music for "free" if you don't count the monthly subscription. I can't remember the last time I bought a physical CD at least for anything new...

As for the album... I really like it. Musically I think it's one of their best - and for them that's a strong statement. Four of the tracks are filler... playing with noise... but the six that are actual songs are just fantastic.

The joys of "shuffle all". Just as I was navigating a bumpy construction zone in highway traffic, I switched from
Keith Urban - Blue Ain't Your Color to Judas Priest - Ram it Down. I'm' not a huge country fan, but Urban is clearly a very talented musician. His guitar work there reminded me a bit of David Gilmour.

Fear Inoculum is Lateralus part 2, not that that is a bad thing!

Traveling Wilburys - Cool Dry Place

JustAnEngineer wrote:

The joys of "shuffle all". Just as I was navigating a bumpy construction zone in highway traffic, I switched from
Keith Urban - Blue Ain't Your Color to Judas Priest - Ram it Down. I'm' not a huge country fan, but Urban is clearly a very talented musician. His guitar work there reminded me a bit of David Gilmour.

My wife noticed that as well when she goes to Kieth's concerts with her friend who is a much bigger fan. She's seen Kieth at three venues around TX and LA and each time she said he is one of the most congenial performers with the fans. He walks around and connects with everyone while playing all types of stringed instruments. One time she saw him do an encore by coming back and performing an unplugged solo on piano. At the end he gives away several free Urban-series guitars randomly handing them out.

Mark Knopfler - Telegraph Road

just brew it! wrote:

Listening to random old Rush tracks tonight.

You may appreciate this cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-HWQvtFcgk

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Mark Knopfler - Telegraph Road

Ooh, good one. Man, all my heroes are getting old though...

JustAnEngineer wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

Listening to random old Rush tracks tonight.

You may appreciate this cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-HWQvtFcgk

I just ran across that the other day (it showed up in my Google news feed). Her kit is like 1/3 the size of Neil's but she makes it work. And the guitar/bass player is only 16!

Opeth - In Cauda Venenum (2019)

Their latest, which continues in the "retro prog" vein of their last few albums. I'd say this is probably the most consistent and cohesive of their later albums, though I'd probably still pick Pale Communion (2014) as the best of their later material.

My vote for best overall would probably be Still Life (1999) or Blackwater Park (2001).

It's not the size of your kit, it's how you use it. Unless you're Neil Peart, and then it's both.

Just Mustard's latest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8mvUHwt9TE

Disclaimer: My nephew is one of this Irish "shoegaze" band making some impact around Europe

More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw8UPwG5_e4

Blondie - Parallel Lines (1978)

Not a band I typically listen to... but this is really good. There are some real '70s pop gems here.

And it cracks me up how part of the bridge section of "Heart Of Glass" alternates measures of 4/4 and 3/4, when the entire rest of the song is in a constant 4/4 disco beat. Dance to this, suckers!

Now you need to rent the low-budget film "Videodrome". Long live the new flesh!

Takin' a trip down memory lane... continuing in the late '70s / early '80s pop vein there's The Knack. I've always thought Li'l Cal's Big Mistake was a fantastic "deep cut" from an album (Round Trip) which was ignored by nearly everyone, as their moment of fame had already ended by the time it was released.

Elton John - (self-titled) (1970)

Released when John was only 23, it remains a standout in his lengthy (both in time and number) discography. His second album overall, but the first to be released in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOUVuvi ... MKtHsJmu0X

Voivod - The Wake (2018)

Finally checked Voivod out on the recommendation of a co-worker; they've been on my musical "to do" list for a while, but just hadn't floated to the top of the pile. Even though they've been around since the 1980s, I was completely unfamiliar with their music; I'd heard of them, but never (AFAIK) heard them.

While they generally get classified as progressive metal, that label really doesn't do them justice. Yes, there's elements of prog metal in their sound, but they're not your typical prog metal outfit. Weird jazzy chord voicings, liberal doses of thrash and punk, and whacked out sci-fi lyrics all get thrown into the mix, and everything gets blended together into an intriguing and amazingly cohesive whole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4qgvVc1KUo

And for a standout example of their earlier material, there's Dimension Hatross (1988):

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

Laurel Premo - The Iron Trios.

Roots/old-timey music, but with an electric guitar alongside the bass and fiddle. Not bad.

Various - Subdivisions: A Tribute To Rush (2005)

An album of Rush covers taken from the period of Caress Of Steel to Grace Under Pressure, with no overlap of songs with the earlier Working Man Rush tribute. They stray further from the original arrangements here than the covers on Working Man did, tacking modified intros/outros onto songs and changing the structure of the instrumental breaks (sometimes drastically). At times, it feels kinda like the project was conceived as a vehicle for Vinnie Moore to play a bunch of guitar solos... not that there's anything wrong with Vinnie Moore, but his virtuoso pyrotechnics seem out of place on songs which have been indelibly seared into my memory in their original forms.

I do like that they dug up a couple of "deep" cuts - the inclusion of "Lakeside Park" and "Different Strings" was a pleasant surprise.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5VLWzpa7aFNh1dGMEZLD7J

Bowregard - "The Henrys".

https://youtu.be/O1U5tTm2iH4