To Null

I know nobody's going to read this, but I figured, like most activities in my life, I'd pursue them no matter how futile they might seem to be. I obviously haven't been updating this blog lately, but I have still been reviewing albums here and there. Most of them can be found here but a number of them are in an unreleased list.

Stop

To every single musical ensemble ever in existence:

Incorporating several genres and styles into your sound does not make you a great band. Making great music makes you a great band. In reality, every group can trace their style to any number of roots an influences and listing your influences does not make you cool. Nor does it make you anywhere near as unique as you think you are, for that matter. Saying you incorporate the sound of '70s prog rock groups does not make your band more any more progressive than the next group, especially if you can't list your influences past Yes, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica. I'm sick and tired of bands that, while advertising themselves, first say things like "yeah, we mix a lot of styles," "we incorporate everything from hip-hop to folk in our sound," and doing things like listing hundreds of band on their "sounds like" section on their myspace. Seriously, if you can honestly say that Between The Buried And Me as an influence but play pop, you need to take a step back. Genre-bending sounds really unique and original, but its been done before, and quite possibly been done to death.

Of Song Lengths

I'm ashamed to admit that the length of a song is something that ultimately affects what music I listen to. I know it shouldn't, but "I'm only human," and it does. I believe the root is found in my old Dream Theater fanboy self. I learned of all these elements of "progressive" music from Dream Theater members talking about their own group. They'd either make reference to Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which isn't even a song, or they would claim that the average Dream Theater song is about 10 minutes long, which isn't the case. Its 7:33; yes, I did calculate it, and yes, I'm ashamed to admit it. This perception is one I'm trying to lose, but one that doesn't want to be lost. I owned Close To The Edge for months before listening to it. I somehow got the idea what a title track of 18 minutes is too good for my ears, so I put off listening to the album at all, which turned out to be a mistake. I initially looked up on The Decemberists because they wrote some long songs, like The Crane Wife and The Island. I looked down up bubblegum-era Beatles because their songs were always 2 minutes and something long. I didn't bother listening to Frank Sinatra because he just sang 3-minute pop songs, which, being 3 minutes long, were inferior to 10-minute prog epics. And somehow Death Cab For Cutie didn't contribute anything to music because they wrote shorter songs. Only when I got past that fact did I learn that quality and song length aren't remarkably correlated.

The only time I listen to music without knowing the length of the song is while watching concert DVDs, which is what brought me here. I watched Joe Satriani's Live In San Francisco DVD and one of the highlights was a bass solo from Stu Hamm that I remember as being well-developed and fun. What I didn't learn until skimming YouTube today was that it is more than 6 minutes long. It didn't seem that long while watching it without knowing the length. My interest didn't waiver and I didn't ever think "wow, this guy has been playing forever" or "this part is too repetitive." When I came across it on YouTube, I realized that if I hadn't already seen it, I would have noticed the 6:04 timestamp and skipped it. Unaware that it had multiple parts to it and was actually decent, I let something from my past self prevent me from enjoying music that interests me.

Linings of Silver, Clouds of Black

So a week or two ago, Mike Portnoy released the title, album artwork, tracklisting, and release date of Dream Theater's tenth studio album.  My immediate reaction was of minor excitement, but held no characteristics of euphoria, orgasm, or fanboyism, which I'm quite proud of.  A few more months of not being a fanboy and I hope to add Dream Theater to a weekly rotation of my favorite artists without relapsing into my close-minded past.

I'm really looking forward to hearing their next studio effort, as it may be a do-or-die album for me with the band.  Save their debut and their attempt at being a pop band, their discography gets weaker with each album, chronologically.  Mike's fascination with Systematic Chaos compared with how I saw it, his sudden burst of interest in metal, the quality of the Chaos In Motion DVD, being signed on a label with commercial metal bands, and the general direction of the band lately make me wonder if Dream Theater is slowly dying off.

I'm still hoping for a Death Magnetic, and I mean that as an analogy for their old style, not a dominance of metal elements.

Compositions & Classics

Tonight I saw Al Naylor and a rhythm section he brought together play an hour set here in town.  It made me realize why they think more live jazz needs to be played in Cedar Rapids.

Combo: 

John Shultz - Piano

Dave Tiede - Drums

Gary Palmer - Bass

The setlist was comprised of jazz standards and Al Naylor compositions, with a tasty mix of bluesy and upbeat tunes:

Blue Boppin' at the Saint

Take The "A" Train

Teach Me Tonight

Little Proxy

Summertime

Politely

Blue Monk

The band was tight all through the night, if you'll pardon the rhyme.  The piano player and drummer both found ways to use a lot of notes in a very musical manner.  The combo did a fantastic job of interacting with the soloist-whoever he may have been.  The flow of the gig showed not only preparation but decades and decades under each players' belt (save the dummer, who looked to be in his 20s).  Everybody's playing was amazing.  The drummer was changing it up and adding bits and pieces here and there.  The bassist's style was very fluent and he used the upper range of the instrument with no intonation issues.  The piano player had some serious chops and completed the ensemble.  Al made sounds come out of his horn that I didn't think trumpets could make.  New horn in hand, his phrases were very clean, be it fast or slow.  There were some solos that were absolutely sublime and its a real shame that these guys struggle to make a living in a day where the shittiest of musicians can make millions in a night.

Albums of the Week

After two months of dabbling and wandering with playlists and listening to individual songs, I've determined that music is best listened to on an album basis. My opinion will change within a month, but right now, I'm going through albums. So far this week, I've been focusing on three.

Radiohead - OK Computer

This album is by no means a recent purchase, but it would not be a stretch to call it a recent discovery. The atmosphere that emanates from this masterpiece is one of the most intricate dichotomies I've encountered so far: depressing yet joyous. The lyrics are overwhelmingly negative, singing about computers consuming humanity, a narrator repeatedly hoping a character chokes, and overwhelmingly desolate loneliness. The music, however, is consuming and atmospheric, like a white cloud that hides reality and creates an alternate and intricate reality. The first dozens listens through this album last fall generally got me depressed, but nowadays, I find that it sometimes is uplifting, even though "Exit Music" is one of the saddest songs I've heard in my life. The variety and flow really completes this album. "Climbing up the Walls" and "Let Down" convey two completely different emotions, an most of the songs fit right after another, with the exception of Electioneering, which breaks up the atmosphere, for better or for worse.

The Receiving End Of Sirens - The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi

To be honest, I only bought this album because I knew that it was Casey Crescenzo's pre-The Dear Hunter project. I'd be weary of "post-hardcore" tags, fearing the worst of the emo monster. I read up a bit on the genre and learned that it was actually an experimental offshoot of hardcore punk. Odd. Anynoun, this album is really superb. There are significant progressive and metal elements in this album, but I'd never call it progressive or metal. There are some really intricate riffs, song structures, and set of epic songs. The band makes use of background vocals so much that it seems like leads are being passed around several times per song. It seems like it would come out as a mash-up of nonsensible jumble, but it really fits together and brings an interesting perspective on how vocals should fit into a song. There are some really catchy choruses that somehow fit into a very complicated album. The lyrics, or at least the ones I've been able to pick out, are poetic and complex. I was both disappointed and surprised to hear that Casey left the band before this album and the lead vocals weren't just Casey's early years with a different vocal style. I hear this band has a better album as well, Between The Heart And The Synapse, which I can tell I'll enjoy just from the unique title.




The Dear Hunter – Act II: The Meaning Of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading

Months ago, I purchased and fell in love with Act I: The Lake South, The River North, and was extremely compelled to purchase the sequel. I was quite surprised to notice syltistic differences compared to Act I. There are, however, plenty of superb elements of Act II. It flows like a concept album, which I'm a complete sucker for, and it succeeded the storyline of Act I, which I am also a sucker for. In fact, there are several minutes of Act II that quote or make subtle variations on Act I material. The instrumentation is again heavily developed, utilizing a legitimate piano and plenty of strings and brass, which is something I adore and respect. Casey's voice still cracks during climaxes, which I feel adds real emotion and depth to the music. There songs still have complex structure, poetic lyrics, and are sometimes long. Even though all of these characteristics are shared between the two albums, I feel a slightly different vibe from the work as a whole. Act II is almost twice as long, and Casey's voice seems a tad different. Maybe it just seems odd because I've listened to Act I a ridiculous amount and Act II is still fresh. I'm really interested to see how this album ages. I'm holding off on rating it for now, but its one of the better albums I've listened to in a while.

Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces

No, I'm not reviewing a Seether album. I'm feeling the slightest bit of optimism today, so I decided to take a positive perspective on something that is usually touted upon: music piracy.

I think its a bad thing on the whole, but if music files weren't easily transferable from computer to computer, there would be hundreds of bands that never got off the ground, millions of iPods with thousands of songs fewer, and less of a stir about music releases nowadays. If the CD torrenters didn't exist, there would be much more hype for new releases, much less knowledge about bands and music in general, much lower attendance at shows, and far, far fewer people paying for CDs. Even though bands lose money from internet piracy, its not like every single torrent download is equivalent to the purchase of an album, and its not like people who steal but enjoy music don't go to shows or buy the occasional band t-shirt.

With some exceptions, I don't think its a smart thing to do, but with any decision, there are consequences. While there are significant consequences to internet piracy, even outside of music, there are benefits to both parties, even those who seem to suffer on the whole.

Of Instrumentation

While listening to Sigur Ros's Hoppipolla I realized a characteristic of some of my favorite bands is a wide use of instrumentation. King Crimson is a decent example of progressive instrumentation, The Dear Hunter and Sigur Ros both use small brass ensembles, and even guitar-and-voice Conor Oberst has incorporated a few off instruments into his music. My (current) all-time favorite live album, Dream Theater's Score, is better than the rest of my favorites partially because of the impressive incorporation of the live orchestra in the second set.

I'd really like to see Matthew Bellamy play the harp in a song like Falling Away With You, Claudio Sanchez play the voilin in a sad emo love song, Flea play the French Horn in an epic RH composition, and Mike Portnoy play some marimba.

A Blurb

Today I realized one of the most beautiful forms of music: uplifting songs from otherwise depressing artists. I enjoy depressing music and the melancholy atmosphere and its unique beauty, but when an album is full of mellow, depressing songs, and one that doesn't fit, that oddball is usually a gem. I'm taking about the likes of "No Sunlight," "Blackest Eyes," and "Let Down" from Death Cab For Cutie, Porcupine Tree, and Radiohead, respectively. The joy I derive from those types of songs is a unique one. Optimistic, almost euphoric, and beautiful in a way that Sigur Ros doesn't do.

Between The Buried And Me - Colors

Never before did I think that a band based off of heavily distorted guitars, blast beats, and screams could be so beautiful. I enjoy listening to albums full of \m/ moment after \m/ moment, but I have more respect for guys that can be brutal and branch out into other genres. (That's one of the reasons that I like bands such as Dream Theater and Coheed and Cambria so much.) In Colors, Between The Buried and me expands their remarkably heavy metalcore style to a wider realm, including progressive, jazz, and acoustic elements. A tasteful combination of beautiful, brutal, and epic moments makes Colors not only one of the heaviest albums I own in terms of metal, but also in terms of listening ease and pure musical creativity.

More to come.

Rant: On

I seem to be alone in this, but I have a huge pet peeve with bands doing covers. It really bothers me when bands cover songs and don't give the original band credit. I know there's a ton of legal stuff behind this, but that's unimportant to me. Its a matter of the creator of a song taking credit for writing it. I can't take a friend's paper, put my name on it, and turn it in, but bands can do the same with songs.

For example, Van Halen covered The Kinks' classic "You Really Got Me Now." Save a tiny mention in the liner notes that nobody actually reads, the song labeled just as any other song on the album. No "You Really Got Me Now (The Kinks cover)" in the name slot or any mention of the song's authors. I had heard it before, but not known that it was The Kinks', and it seemed to be right up Van Halen's alley. So, being my stupid self, I was led to believe that Van Halen wrote the song. Wrong. I still love Van Halen's music, but not crediting the band who wrote a song that you cover is just something that grinds my gears.

I don't hear much about this from other people. Ugh.

Rant: Off.