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.