Go on...VERB me!

I find this very amusing...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1816709,00.html

Robert Wyatt's response?

"I'm very honoured at the idea of becoming a verb."

Guess it's all normal in 'Cuckoo'Land!!

Postcard from the LOO

I am on a major music acquisition spree these days, with about 50 new albums in my bag and some more on their way. This is probably the only good part of traveling away from your home and wife ;) The stuff I got is mostly the standard prog staples - Fates Warning, Shadow Gallery, Porcupine Tree, Gentle Giant etc. But while hunting for my music over the last couple of months, I was introduced to a bunch of bands new and old hitherto unknown to me and man, do they rock! Here are some of the bands that caught my fancy, check them out if you can -

(in the order my memory allows)

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - A very unique band whose music is hard to classify. Their music is like an unholy brew of Avant Jazz influences, Bjork-like female vocals, VDGG style atmospheric settings and Celtic Frost like brutality. They apparently use home made instruments and wield them to good effect. Picked up their second studio album - Of Natural History (they are only two albums old).

Izz - Their music is categorized as symphonic prog but you can feel the flavor of jazz, neo-prog and even some metal. Their fourth album, My River Flows, release last year is of particular interest and is considered their best yet. Check out the song 'Late Night Salvation' from this album, a 12-minute long composition reminiscent of prog epics by the likes of Marillion, Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings.

Wastefall - A prog metal band from Greece, it has been creating waves since it was formed 3 years ago. Their style is pretty similar to Pain of Salvation but it is not apparent right away. Their music is quite complex and powerful. Check out their second album Soulrain 21.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) - This symphonic prog band from Italy has been around since the beginning of time! Their first album was released in 1969, the year progressive music was born with the release of 'Court of the Crimson King'. Am I the only one who heard about them so late? They are a bunch of highly proficient musicians like the MVO. I have heard only their '74 live album Cook which had some awesome violin-guitar duets and awesome drumming. Check out whatever you can from this great band and let me know as well, I'm lusting for some more.

Power of Omens - This Texas based prog metal band should be in the Guinness Book of Records as the most underrated band of the new millennium. Have you heard of them? They have been around for the last 10 years but have released only 2 albums. Their music is essentially riff based but can build up to very technical and intricate frenzy. Check out their 1998 release, Eyes of the Oracle, its simply brilliant.

Riverside - This prog metal band from Poland was formed in 2005 and garnered loads of critical acclaim since then. Their music is quite reminiscent of PoS but they do have a unique melodic feel which I guess would be their signature style. They have released 2 studio albums so far, check out their second album, Second Life Syndrome.

Circus Maximus - This is a prog metal band from Norway. Norway metal band? Yup...and no, they do not sound like a pig being disemboweled. Instead, they are surprisingly melodic almost neo proggy. They have only one album to their credit so far, The 1st Chapter. Check out the song Glory of the Empire.

More as and when I remember or discover. If you try out any of these bands, let me know what you think.

Office of Strategic Influence - Free (2006) - A Review

Progressive music has always been a constant fodder for establishment of musical supergroups. Whether it was the likes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer,and Mahavishnu Orchestra in the yesteryears or Transatlantic, Explorer’s Club, Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE), it is all but natural that the underlying theme of the genre of music – i.e. experimentation and innovation cemented by musical wizardry and virtuosity, would be the most influential factor for these musicians to collaborate and create new music. So when Office of Strategic Influence (O.S.I) was formed in 2003 boasting of a line-up with Jim Matheos (Fate’s Warning), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) Kevin Moore (Chroma Key and ex-Dream Theater) and Sean Malone (Gordian Knot), it turned heads because of the initial and the final names associated with the line-up., with Steven Wilson ( Porcupine Tree) and David Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation) coming close to being part of this incredible line-up. OSI's second album saw the bass being traded hands from Sean Malone to Joey Vera (Fate's Warning).

OSI’s eponymous debut album is one of my favorite prog albums this side of the millennium (yeah, I am into playlists a lot :P) and a follow-up act is a tall task considering how large and greedy these hungry ears have become! Dwelling on OSI’s sound, which was as unexpected (inspite of Kevin Moore) and as distinctive as it can get – with its rich electronic overtone as a result of some heavy duty dabbling on the programming and the synthesizers. One can only go onto presume Moore was in charge of this office, but the crisper sounding guitars and the seemingly structured composition methodology also give the sound its unique flavor. Moore also wears the hat of the vocalist and intentionally or unintentionally, this is never at the focal point. What possibly works both for and against their music is the absence of Portnoy’s vehement drumming. In their first album, there were moments where he has try his hand at more experimentation backing the song structure and moments where his skin slamming has been greatly overshadowed by the synthesizers and his presence has been substantiated with the fleeting peeking of the cymbals. It may be the last thing to expect of a project in which Portnoy has been involved with, but in a way, this actually distinguishes OSI’s music from his other initiatives.

“Free” probably has its place in the top prog releases of 2006, and right from the aggressive opening track “Sure you will”, it seemed to bring out Matheos’ increased involvement on the album. With its memorable chorus and some remarkable concoction of experimentation on the keys with the sharp riffs and drumming, it is also an excellent example of how complex compositions can be made easy listening. We also have to welcome back Portnoy and his characteristic contribution to the album – “Free” follows suit and this comes out more as a quintessential prog track until near the end where Moore peers in gently with the keys. This track has something in common with the second track of the first album – it shares the name of the album ..(hell, maybe it is their thing!)….”Go” has a more subdued background and it seems like more of a Moore product, although I must admit, his voice probably does not do much justice to the melody. The following tracks dip in and out between the heavy and the melodic, infused perfectly with the help of the synthesizers and the programming elements. A special mention of the only thing that comes closed to spaced out stuff – “Home was Good”. My pick out of the album would be “Simple Life” just for its unique melody. They have made a brief attempt at overdubbing the vocals in parts and this track, unlike the others, has a small and pleasant guitar solo of sorts.

Depending on the way you look it, the downside of this album and the collaboration, in my opinion, is that the experimentation works with the borderlines of the sound that they had created for themselves. Crisp riffs, deft drumming, inventive stuff on the synthesizer and programming techniques and the works. Almost every track has the same formula and so from the fifth track or so onwards, you are either left gaping for more (if you dig this formula) or you wanna hit the shuffle button. I probably have a different reason for wanting to opt out the back to back playback of the album - Kevin Moore’s vocals. His limitations in this role are very barren. I looked for a guest appearance a la Steven Wilson’s one on “Shutdown” my (surprise, surprise!!) favorite track out of their earlier album.

If you have spun their debut album, you would see how they have carefully built on the platform with more of a collaborative effort. You should definitely give this also a listen –I can probably expect either-or opinion. You might like it or you will end up thirsting for something else out of these guys – in any case, we would all love to have another album by them, I guess!

Track Listing

Disc 1

1. "Sure You Will" – 3:46
2. "Free" – 3:20
3. "Go" – 4:16
4. "All Gone Now" – 5:13
5. "Home Was Good" – 5:03
6. "Bigger Wave" – 4:30
7. "Kicking" – 3:52
8. "Better" – 4:06
9. "Simple Life" – 4:00
10."Once" – 6:34
11."Our Town" – 3:20

Disc 2

1. "OSIdea 9" – 3:33
2. "Set It On Fire" – 3:42
3. "Communicant" – 3:47
4. "When You're Ready” – 3:09
5. "Remain Calm" – 4:08
6. "Old War" – 1:06

No Direction Home

"You can't be wise and in love at the same time" - In what can only be construed as a poignantly sincere apology and poetically disguised factoid, this was what from Bob Dylan had to say about the events that transpired between him and Joan Baez in 1964/65. Dylan and Baez shared many a stage during their early twenties, performing at the various folk festivals around America. Dylan, who gained his repute and fame as a poet during this collaborative stint with the then-more-established Baez, did not return the favor in the later gigs. Many years on, Dylan has this retort to offer on the topic.

This features as part of "No direction Home" - a documentary on the early days of Dylan, directed by Martin Scorsese. It's a two disc set spanning nearly 204 minutes comprising of some rare footage of perfomances from the archives of time and interviews with all those associated with Dylan's Freewheelin' Days including Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk and Joan Baez herself among others.

To say it gives a deep insight into the man behind the golden words would be far from true. And it does not have anything to do with Scorsese's potrayal of the man. For what is worth it, it is after all a documentary - just a mere recreation and retelling of the days that shaped Dylan's early life... It left me ungratified in a way any attempt to unravel a poet's mind does. And it reinforced the awe that his poetry evokes with regards to its sheer eloquence, its brazen honesty and its nonchalant political and social innuendos.

The elusive nature of the man behind the music is probably what makes his persona enchanting and puzzling, all at the same time. You can literally count with your fingers the number of instances where anything close to any sort of emotion comes through from him - one of such is when he becomes accustomed to the jeers that he receives for adding rock-n-roll elements to his music and going electric, backed by members who would later on go on to become "The Band"....This move was rubbished by a lot of his "pure music" oriented fans, but that did not deter him from not-rationalizing to what was expected. In fact the years following his motorcycle accident, he did not go on tour for about eight years, opting instead to produce more music. Another rare outlet of his not-so-removed self was when he declared this, as part of his interview for the documentary :

"I'd just about had it, though, I'd had it with the whole scene. And, uh, whether I knew it or didn't know it, I was, uh, lookin' to quit for a while....Uh, well, ya know, people like *you*, people like, uh, ya know, just, ya know, like bein' pressed and hammered and, uh, bein' expected to answer questions. It's enough to make anybody sick, really"

One way or other - you end up wanting to know more about the man..

The Last Kiss - Original Soundtrack

Best Sequel to a fantastic soundtrack would probably never become a category in itself at any so-called music award show... Which possibly explains why I can only think of two contenders for this category as of now. In any case, I was looking forward more to the music of Last Kiss more than the movie itself and this became an unquenchable thirst when I saw the trailer of the movie which was accompanied by Snow Patrol's Chocolate in the background.

I did manage to dig deep to find the OST and it hasn't exactly disappointed. The initial impression is that almost all tracks and the mood set by them seem more mature, for a lack of a want of a better word....This probably is a necessity considering the subject matter of the movie deals with an impending "the big 3-0" crisis, from the looks of it. Toned-down but not solemn, interesting but not over-the-top, the selection of artistes who are part of this follow-up is very similar... (In fact lots of artistes who were part of the Garden State OST find themselves getting the nod again)....

Of course, I had to admit, my impression of this album was already colored before I gave the album the first spin...Any man who chooses to host Imogen Heap twice in two consecutive compiled soundtrack would make very little mistakes otherwise, I guess!

A full blown review would not be justifiable at this juncture on my part....The most important ingredient for the full experience to sink in is still at large...The movie itself..Think about it, if I bother to analyze the tracks without having watched the movie, the soundtrack might as well be some compilation album!

Tracklisting

1. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
2. Star Mile - Joshua Radin
3. Pain Killer - Turin Brakes
4. Warning Sign - Coldplay
5. Ride - Cary Brothers
6. El Salvador - Athlete
7. Hide And Seek - Imogen Heap
8. Reason Why - Rachael Yamagata
9. Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
10. Prophecy - Remy Zero
11. Paper Bag - Fiona Apple
12. Today's The Day - Aimee Mann
13. Arms of a Woman - Amos Lee
14. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk (Reprise) - Rufus Wainwright
15. Paperweight - Joshua Radin and Schuyler Fisk


I have hosted the Snow Patrol in the tracklist. Give it a listen and go get yourself the album!

Back to Being Progged!

What with the rediscovery of the eponymous 2003 debut album of Office of Strategic Influence (O.S.I) and getting my hands on their new album “Free”, unearthing the 60’s psychedelic prog unit Arcadium’s only studio album “Breathe Awhile”, not to mention the prog albums in the mammoth list that I added to my kitty some time back, I would have probably not counted on some self-produced samples, singles and an acoustic compilation by a non-mainstream multi instrumentalist hogging some heavy duty music player space in the last couple of weeks. But if you give his stuff a spin, it is not that difficult to fathom why this has been the case. Steve Unruh’s music is the self professed “progressive folk, rock etc“. He offers an explanation “Since progressive rock itself is a combination of rock, classical & jazz, progressive folk/rock is a pretty inclusive style. I added the 'etc' because I dabble in a few other styles as well. (Classical, jazz... 'etc.')”.

He has quite a few solo albums starting with Believe(1997), The Beginning of a new day (1998), Two little Awakenings (2001), Out of the ashes (2004), Song to the Sky (2005) and a couple of instrumental albums, Invisible Symphony (2002) and Instrumental Retrospective (2004) . I would like to get my hands on some of ‘em, which I probably will soon, but right now I had to settle for his classical guitar EP and his sampler compilation that he has hosted on his website. The latter consists of , not surprisingly, a track from each of his albums..

1. Scenes from the Mirror (17:11) [From the album 'Two Little Awakenings']
2. 1 a.m. on a Tuesday (10:47) [From the album 'Song to the Sky']
3. The Water's Edge (2:59) [From the album 'Invisible Symphony']
4. The Rising Sun / Images of Dreams (4:46) [From the album 'Believe?']
5. Returning (10:36) [From the album 'The Beginning of a New Day']
6. Breaking Free (14:09) [From the album 'Out of the Ashes']

My favorite track out of this list is this incredible instrumental voyage called “The Water’s Edge” With its mélange of clear melodies and crisp acoustic sound, it is an absolutely divine experience created by a thoroughly inspired musician. Whereas the next track in this compilation “The Rising Sun/Images of Dreams” showcases a much more neo-prog side of this man’s multi dimensional music while still exploring some folksy tunes. He also offers his classical guitar EP for free download. In fact each track brings out a different edge in its composition style, all infinitely beautiful and never falling into the pit of blatant experimentation.

You end up being more in awe when you realize this is the result of a one man band, not only in terms of composing music displaying a multitude of styles and playing the very many instruments himself, but also in recording and engineering the albums himself. The production quality does not suffer in the process and we have with us a solo effort that will serve as a much needed stimulation for aspiring musicians to…well…just do their thing!

Do drop by his website NOW… http://www.steveunruh.com .Please!