I betcha thought that I had fallen prey to the plebeian predisposition of forgetting about new ventures in some bout of pseudo-ADD. Long story short, I've had some downtime because of technically difficulties, and that isn't even euphemism. However, looking on the bright side of things, its given me plenty of time to listen to some new music, some old music, and finally got down to listening to all the artists that came highly recommended, who I never took much notice of.
I've been an avid fan of Jason Becker for some time now, as an abstraction more than his music. With some familiarity with Cacophony, mostly because of the Megadeth-Marty Friedman connection, I dusted off (literally metaphorical; yes, I like oxymora) his debut solo album and it was, frankly, a breath of fresh air. My personal favourite at the moment is "Mabel's Fatal Fable", the beginning of which, Becker says, is a melody in minor second harmony. Who'd have thunk it, eh? A whole new approach to chromaticism! Although it isn't a big step away from traditional neo-classical albums (i.e., if I had reviewed the album in detail, I probably would've have given it 4 lives) it is the nuances that make it distinct. Becker talks at some length about this album on the Hot Licks video, The Legendary Guitar of Jason Becker. Even if you aren't a guitar player, any 19 year old with as good chops as Becker is worth watching, right?
I've been turned towards Progressive Metal of late, and it isn't like I am complete devoid of a progressive side. Listening sessions with Dream Theater and Liquid Tension/Trio Experiment have not only renewed my curiosity in genres of music I've yet to explore but have been regarded as more constructive than studying for the frequent examinations that I am posed with otherwise. I am not quite fond of ambient music, which, from the very few hours I've put in with Porcupine Tree, they seem to embody. Opeth is a band I dismissed long before, but I assume its an acquired taste, much like alcohol. You reap the same effects, or so I am told :P For those who are unfamiliar with Opeth as I am, "Windowpane" off of "Damnation" and "The Lotus Eater" off of "Watershed" should suffice as proggie missionaries.
The horrible part of being off the grid is the fact that you miss out on all the things we, as members of a technology induced impatient society, take for granted. Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and Black Country Communion released their respective albums, which I would have preferred to have listened to when it released and not six weeks later [read with bitterness].
Black Country Communion gives you the impression that they're the next Zeppelin by their very line-up. And the opening track of their debut album concurs with this deduction. Alas! The rest of the album seems to be quite forced and uninspired. It must be noted, however, that their performances as players of their individual instruments is commendable, yet music is more than a sum of its entities, and the sum doesn't quite add up here.
Paul Gilbert's Fuzz Universe is close to the epitome of guitar virtuosity, yet amorphous. A detailed review coming soon.
Joe Satriani's album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards is unmistakably true to his style and method. More on that later, preferably after I've actually listened to the whole album!
Tracks that I keep returning to in recent times: [Track/Album/Artist]
Pulsar/United States/Paul Gilbert
Mabel's Fatal Fable/Perpetual Burn/Jason Becker
Windowpane/Damnation/Opeth
John Petrucci's Guitar Solo/Once In A LIVEtime/Dream Theater
In My Darkest Hour/So Far, So Good... So What?/Megadeth
Paradigm Shift/Liquid Tension Experiment/Liquid Tension Experiment
Spooner Arks/Albino Slug/Buckethead
Wonderful Slippery Thing/Erotic Cakes/Guthrie Govan
Black Country/Black Country/Black Country Communion
Thickfreshness/Thickfreshness/The Black Keys
Woman Is A Devil/Essential Rarities/The Doors
Travelling Riverside Blues/BBC Sessions/Led Zeppelin
A New Day Yesterday/A New Day Yesterday [Live]/Joe Bonamassa
Portrait of a Man/Portrait of a Man/Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Blue Guitar/Blue Guitar/Earl Hooker
Boston Rain Melody/The 7th Song/Steve Vai
I must confess, this post is quite unstructured and sans a precise motive, yet I felt it necessary to reawaken "This Dying Soul." "So foul and fair a" metaphor " I have not seen." :D
auro
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