2009 Albums Index List and Podcasts

Original: 12/22/09 7:05AM

more edits or futher elaboration may follow (more on 2009 music-in-general..namely the disappointments..i.e. why certain records are no where in the top 50..Muse, BTBAM, etc).



100-51 (missing the cut)
Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic
The Appleseed Cast Sagarmatha
Editors In This Light and on This Evening
The Color Turning - Good Hands Bad Blood
Amogh Symphony - Abolishing the Obsolete System
Devin Townsend - Addicted
Devin Townsend Ki
Gavin Castleton - Home
Paper Route - Absence
Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Microfilm - The Bay of Future Passed
God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl
St. Vincent - Actor
Archive - Controlling Crowds Part IV
Courtney Yasmineh - Beautiful Lonely
3 - Revisions
Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
BrainFreeze - Focus
Phideaux - Number Seven
Rx Bandits - Mandala
Modern Skirts - All of Us in Our Night
Operahouse - Escape From the Sun
Persefone - Shin-ken
OneRepublic - Waking Up
Other Lives - Other Lives
Pain of Salvation - Linoleum [EP]
August Burns Red - Constellations
Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
Job for a Cowboy - Ruination
Skidmore Fountain - Cloudless Blue
BLK JKS - After Robots
Vektor - Black Future
Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Old Dominion [EP]
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Behemoth - Evangelion
Marillion - Less Is More
Murder by Death - Finch
Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect
Do Make Say Think - Other Truths
Headlights - Wildlife
Russian Circles - Geneva
From Monument to Masses -On Little Known Frequencies
Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Karnivool - Sound Awake
Muse - The Resistance
As Tall as Lions - You Can't Take It With You
Obscura - Cosmogenesis

50-1

50. The Arusha Accord - The Echo Verses


Debut album from this British experimental/progressive extreme Metalcore band. The SiKth meets Protest the Hero style does work pretty well for them. An expansion/or more-material of that ilk, that was apparent on their ep from 2008.

Some of the changing moods and times, guitar work (and tones) and vocal harmonies I think make this album work throughout. It's consistent, but not overwhelming. For a debut album, that is at a minimum quite promising.

49. The Swell Season - Strict Joy


my initial review:
"The Rain" "High Horses" and "I Have Loved You Wrong" are all excellent. The rest of it isn't really filler either. Classic-case of a record start-2-finish works, but a bunch of select cuts win the most. Similar to their debut album in that respect.

I would agree with those tracks standing out. However, I'm not as blown away by the rest of it to put it higher. It's one of those albums I really love and isolate said amazing tracks that have those wonderful, uplifting parts. And the rest may grow on me eventually, or just be worth hearing when I'm in a mood to hear them (preparing for a concert perhaps. or in their case, watching "Once" I suppose).

48. Baroness - Blue Record


A lot of styles incorporated into this record. The sludgey guitar riffs and bombastic drumming stands out especially. They added a great part to their style with the folky, acoustic interlude pieces. Very Pink Floyd-ish in a way.

47. The Mars Volta - Octahedron


The problems with their last couple of albums are more or less gone. Bad production (on the cymbal especially) and the long-winded, redundant sections of songs. Not that this is over the top or as “epic” as some of their best stuff, but it is successful at being less-is-more and exploring new styles. The last half of the album I think did for me. A pleasant surprise and somewhat of a comeback for a band who has too much talent to ignore.


46. Yeah Yeah Yeah's – It's Blitz


Karen O’s work with the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack forced me to re-check this band out. And while I can’t claim to be as attached to this or the YYY’s as that music, it certainly didn’t hurt. A bit like Amanda Palmer and The Dresden Dolls came more into my radar last year, I think Karen and her band have this year. Electronic, Post-Punk, New-Wave, female-vocal-ed, bombastic Art-Rock. A bunch of styles are explored here, but overall I think it’s the songwriting and melodies that work. And her voice. She has such a pretty voice sometimes.

45. Total Babe - Heatwave


The debut EP from this local-Minneapolis teenage band, who don’t sound as new as they are. They are another good example of less-is-more. Emotional, but subtle at the same time. But still not run-of-the-mill folky-pop. I guess there’s enough on here to give a lot of optimism for their future, other than the fact as young as they are, the chances of them of them having a long-term future are naturally uncertain. But at a minimum, the members of this band are one’s to watch as they grow as musicians and songwriters.

44. Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg


Energetic, riffy, layered, and still retro-sounding. Wolfmother surprised me and many I sense with this sophomore record of theirs. If on their debut they seemed to bring back the spirit of Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. On this album it’s Rush. They added more prog, and a bit more pomposity, but in a good way. Some of the prog scene raved about albums from Big Elf and Astra this year. Sorry, but these guys do that retro style better. They are more fun, more melodic, and more nostalgic sounding.

43. Lights on the Highway - Amanita Muscaria


The 2nd record from this Icelandic band who along with Dikta, make me think their country has more good music beyond Sigur Ros. I was rather impressed on how much I enjoyed this album. It definitely found the not-a-bad-song-on-it category. Layered-pop that seems to include a lot of different things I like. Piano, twangy guitars, recorder among other things.

42. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings


This was their highest charting record ever (#6 on Billboard it's 1st week). I honestly expected it to have some songs (or sections of songs) I like, and the predictable filler that pretty much every record they've done since Jordan Rudess joined them has had. More notice-ably since 2003's Train of Thought.

Well this album partially resulted in that, but I guess in revisiting it recently, some of the best moments are so good, that it seemed to score a bit higher than their other albums. "The Best of Times" and especially the much mocked "The Count of Tuscany" really are examples of Dream Theater's music working well. They both successfully hit the emotional button and I really can't find any of the band's frequently un-necessary habits existing in them. Even the rest of this record barely includes a lot of the plastic-synths and long-winded sections that are boring in their recent work. Their still isn't much piano unfortunately, and some of Portnoy's vocals don't really help the songs they're in; however I don't find their style nor length to be as repulsive as a lot of other fans.

I dunno, this may end up growing even more on me and be one of their best records yet. Not that I am thinking they have comeback to where they were in the 90's or even at the Six Degrees level, but it at least shows they may have a chance to return close to that level again. Especially if they focus on songwriting, creating strong, memorable melodies. Because when they do, they really can make some highly memorable music. And maybe the piano will return again as well.

41. The Boy Will Drown - Fetish


Really solid tech/death/grindcore of sorts. The folky acoustic interludes help. My only criticism might be they don't create much melody, but in this style, even if you don't, the exaggerated phrasing alleviates that desire.

40. Solstafir - Kold


Huge dynamics and even with a bit of stoner element that actually really works for me. The guitar and drums drown your ears in heavy, intense, pulsating sludge.

39. Graph - EP 2 (EP)


Oh man, I may owe my favorite blog again for introducing me to this band. Jazzy prog/punk? It's a bit low-fi, but frankly, it doesn't matter. There's a few sections that got my head turning, namely the song "The Wow! Signal."

38. Oceansize - Home and Minor (EP)


Moody, ambient, and mostly instrumental collection, but as different as it is, it still inherently sounds like Oceansize, which gives it value in itself.

37. Warpaint - Exquisite Corpse (EP)


Textural, dreamy female-driven rock group. This band is quite good, and this is the re-release their debut EP with an extra track. I'm not sure if any of the songs standout much over the others on this. I just find there music to have an enjoyable quality. Very seductive and mesmerizing at times. Girls can do that :p. And they were all very nice and kind to me (hugs :P) seeing them live. Their debut full-length is expected to be released in Spring. It's certainly pretty high on my anticipation list.

36. 100Ft Snowman - Juggling Knives (EP)


Very mature songwriting quality on this their 2nd ep, and sadly possibly last release. They really have it all, melodies, chops, personal lyrics, textures. Just not a record contract.

35. Brooke Waggoner - Go Easy Little Doves


Whoa Brooke! Where did this bloody gorgeous work come from? I recall enjoying her live with the string section back in April opening for Paper Route; but not this much! The production and orchestral arrangements are exceptional on this!

Fuck, this could be one of the most overlooked/under-the-radar records of the year.

34. Scott Matthews - Elsewhere


The Jeff Buckley comparisons are barely here if at all. The songwriting and consistency of the songs on this record are impressive. From emotional rockers to perfect moody acoustic ballads. I think Scott has matured a fair amount as a songwriter, from what was an impressive debut album in 2006's "Passing Stranger."

Robert Plant even makes an appearance. Definitely one of most overlooked albums of 2009, since I saw nobody talk about it all, all year.

33. Water & Bodies - Water & Bodies (EP)


Excellent songwriting and production. It's not Kaddisfly. It's not supposed to be Kaddisfly. Again, it's not supposed to be Kaddisfly.

An entirely new project from 4 of the members of Kaddisfly. The only criticism that is valid about this is it's not a full-length record. Every track is moving in some way. "Free World" "Celebration Song" and "Naked in the Rain" are among my favorites on this. I can't wait to hear their upcoming EP (in January) and hopefully a full-length debut album as well, in 2010.

32. Doves - Kingdom of Rust


A bit of a comeback record. An edit is required as my best memories and notes on this are n/a to me at the moment. But from memory, pretty much every track works on here. Nothing overwhelming, but there are hooks, layers, vocal-effects and a lot of what I enjoy about this band. Their live show I think eclipsed this album which is saying something.

31. Painted in Exile - Revitalized (EP)


I found about this newyork (progressive extreme metal) band a little over a month ago. But I am revisiting and am pretty much in awe of how impressive they are.

Pretty much what I love about Between the Buried and Me, I love about them. They have really good clean vocals and their screaming actually works really well with their music. This new ep of theirs is just 3 songs, but all 3 tracks clock in between 8-10 minutes.

The drumming and guitar work is excellent. And they use those wonderful segues with different quieter sections..sometimes piano, other times acoustic guitar..some of it jazzy, etc.

Go to their myspace and listen to "Skylines" and you'll see what I mean.

30. The Most Serene Republic - ...And the Ever Expanding Universe


While they do remind me a lot of their fellow Canadian post/chamber-rock, that doesn't make this album any less interesting. Some wonderful arrangements involving strings and woodwinds. Vocal harmonies, and piano. These guys have a lot of what I enjoy (or look for) in a modern rock/pop band.

29. Shelter Red - Strike a Mortal Terror


Tight compositions, with ballsy, thick, heavy riffs, screaming, growling guitar lines. This thing works beginning to end. It flows really well.

In the tradition of proggy post-metal bands like Russian Circles, Long Distance Calling and East of the Wall. They make less a lot more.

28. Mute Math - Armistice


The title speaks to the struggle they had putting this out. But the end result was hopefully worth those headaches. Sure they've become bigger, but their music hasn't suffered too much. "Goodbye" is outstanding. Extremely catchy chorus. "Clipping" "Burden" and the title cut are others I enjoy on here, although I don't think there's a song I don't enjoy on this. It's a more diverse album than their debut record as well. However, the remixed version of the title track, where the brass section lets loose more, and is extremely funky, really should have been on the album. It might have finished higher had it.

27. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions


Pretty much a continuation from 2007's "Puzzle." The difference I suppose is length. This record is about 45 minutes, at least 20 less than Puzzle.

But more or less every track works. Very riffy, melodic, poppy at times. Symphonic. They definitely added all the ingredients from their kitchen here and while the style isn't all that new, the songwriting quality remains.

26. Porcupine Tree - The Incident


They pretty successfully managed to put together an album-side or 55 minute piece that doesn't feel long or 55 minutes worth.

Steven Wilson gets credit for thinking how to transition these parts through really well. And when they do *Melancholy music* well (and it's not such an in-your-face downer like FoaBP lyrically) they usually score high for me. "I Drive the Hearse" is another classic example of that. Another big highlight is the "Drawing the line."

Still pretty predictable stylistically, but no matter, this was definitely a reasonable comeback album.

25. The Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious


They floored me at ProgPowerUSA, and this album pretty much echoed that performance. The tight compositions, clean yet thick guitar riffs mix well in their style of surf and cabaret Metal. The opera vocals were the main issue I had with them before this, but i either have grown to tolerate them, or they don't ruin their music (unlike other bands like Nightwish, where they did).

Another terrific Metal band from Sweden doing their own thing. They should tour soon, hopefully with uneXpect.

24. The Antlers - Hospice


The moods on this are so goosebump-worthy its unforgettable. "Slowcore" maybe a genre I'm starting come around on. But I think these guys stand out more than a lot of the others.

Listening to this is another highly enjoyable, therapeutic, melancholy experience.

23. The House Harkonnen - Vol.6


Awesome energy start to finish. 28 minutes or so, and they make every second count. Energetic bluesy Metal in the vein of Motorhead, Mastodon, or even The Galactic Cowboys. The last not entirely surprising with the Texas roots.

Really a band and this album at least that easily could become a lot better known. Opening for Fair to Midland I'd hope is a start.

22. Sholi - Sholi


Organic, percussive. Great use of dynamics. One of the best debut albums of 2009. Less is more definitely. "November Through June" "Dance For Hours" and "Contortionist" are among my favorites.

21. The Kris Norris Projekt - Icons of the Illogical


Technical, ballsy riff-driven, mostly instrumental metal. I never liked The Darkest Hour, but this is nothing like that from my memory of that band. It's not "Post" metal exactly like Long Distance Calling or Russian Circles, but it's not as insanely technical the way Blotted Science is. Sort of somewhere in between. The Liquid Tension Experiment comparison might fit best, but of course there aren't any keyboards on this album either.

20. Grammatics - Grammatics


Excellent debut album. Indie/alt-prog that uses cello quite well. The singer sounds a bit like the singer from Deas Vail, but with more listenings, his voice seems to fit well enough with their sound; and he sounds less "emo" or *christian-rock* or even feminine* than some initial impressions. "The Vague Archive" "Cruel Tricks of the Light" "Shadow Committee," and "Murderer" are among my favorites.

19. Malajube - Labyrinthes


Maybe their most progressive-rock like. On par with their last 2 albums. The drumming is incredibly tight on this album.

18. Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (EP)


The best EP of 2009. One of the brighter new groups arising of late in the alternative-rock prog. I actually thought this would become more popular than it did. Silly me, as that sort of thing has (failed-to) happen many times before (House of Fools, Bend Sinister to name a few).

17. maudlin of the Well - Part the Second


I donated to this, and thus am 1 of the "executive producers* (like I am for the upcoming The Age of Rockets album too). The result ended up pretty good. The lack of extreme vocals and not a lot of the Metal-side to motW probably will never allow me to rate this as high as the double-release of LEAVING YOUR BODY MAP/BATH in 2001. But the compositions still work well. It has those motW moments still, namely with the use of strings. I won't deny it is more like halfway between motW and kayo Dot, but it's still better than any of the KD stuff to me. There is very little to no minimalistic-filler on here. And we probably never will get another motW album, so at least it's great to go out on a high note (like Soundscape and maybe even Kevin Gilbert this year as far as unreleased material).

16. My Latest Novel - Death and Entrances


A breakthrough album of sorts. This band have made an uplifting, organic yet layered album. Full of vocal harmonies (male and female)

Inspirational lyrics, tight percussion, clean production, and song after song that works. Given my appreciation for artists like: Anathallo, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Local Natives and Annuals, this band and album are right up my alley.

15. Ramona Falls - Intuit


Brent Knopf of Menomena's new project. A consistently engaging record throughout. While I probably wouldn't put it quite at the level of Menomena, like Menomena, this album continues(ed) to grow on me really well. "Melectric" "Russia" "Salt Sack" are some of the tracks that I think of it for.


14. Archive - Controlling Crowds


70 some odd minutes that had very little filler. Trip-Hop, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and Hip-Hop among other styles here. Archive is a band I've liked for a few years, but unlike Porcupine Tree or Pure Reason Revolution, they've never caught-on that well among the music circles I frequent. Perhaps due to how hard their music is to find.

This is better than their last record 2006's "Lights" certainly. Among the things about this album that stand out probably the fact that they explore so many different styles successfully, itself is what holds it biggest appeal. One example is the song "Collapse Collide" having this woman sing this soaring melody that almost reminds me of Neverending White Lights. Really sad and beautiful at the same time.

13. Greg Herriges - Telluric Currents

Awesome follow-up to "It Plays Me." Greg's style of progressive/ethnic/folk with surf rock, Japanese styles and others included made this album as eclectic as any record that came out this year. I think Greg has grown a fair amount as a songwriter, and this record really shows that. "Sabir Khan Song" "True Smile" "Rama B Good," "I Hear" are among my favorites. But there's not a track I ever skip. Why the forums didn't catch on to him/it? I can't follow, but I've been asking myself the same question about Dean Magraw for years. But in this case, the studio work definitely lives up to his live shows to a point.

12. Karen O - Where the Wild Things Are

I loved this. The movie made me cry, and the music-with-it was a big reason why. Karen O has such a gorgeous voice at times. Some of the chanting on this is so dreamy and adolescent, that I literally felt like I was 8 years old again. "All is Love" is a great kid-like pop tune. The percussion is highly enjoyable throughout the music on here. If you haven't seen the movie, go do it. Then you may follow why the music is such a big part of it.

11. Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left

Worthy follow-up to an impressive debut record in 2007. A dozen or more ideas crammed into their style of circus-rock for most music would be ridiculous, but for Kiss Kiss it always seems to work.

10. note. - my city of ghosts, stars and hours


Excellent combination of styles, moods and textures that make this a record very rewarding when heard all at once. Using samples from movies that transition from jazz, blues and somewhat traditional sounding post-rock.

9. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor


Long-awaited phenomenal debut record. Every track stands out in some way. Everything on here is of the quality and as uplifting as the music they did as Cavil at Rest. And for that matter, pretty much any album in 2009.

8. Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light

Tight compositions that stylistically cover many areas from post-metal, to progressive and psychedelic rock without losing focus of the song.

7. Umphrey's McGee - Mantis

Their finest studio work, best songwriting, and most progressive-rock centered.

6. Pure Reason Revolution - Amor Vincit Omnia


The new style was a bit surprising, but still a well-written and made 2nd album, that showed certainly much progression from 2006's "The Dark Third." Electronica can work with prog. This album proved that. The vocal harmonies and fat synths give this record an enjoyable blend. "Gloaming," "Apogee," "Victorius Cupid," "AVO," Deus Ex Machina" are among my favorite parts. is it about love? I guess, sort of a trippy love-drug of sorts.

3c. dredg - The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion

I love this band. And this album took 4 years to come out. It was more than worth that wait. One thing to say about it is how well it takes elements from all three of their previous albums, and combined them to work together. Certainly they added a few things like on "Down to the Cellar." But the moods, poppy-ness, extremely clean-production, transitions and interesting interludes are among the reasons this worked. The melodies sometimes would not leave my head for hours. Especially songs like "Gathering Pebbles," "Mourning this Morning," and "Information." It came across rather polarized to the fans, but being a fan of all their styles and back catalog, this worked as well as I'd expect.

While The Mars Volta and Coheed and Cambria become more and more well-known, this band continues to surpass them as musicians and yet receives only a fraction of the visibility. The RX Bandts concert in August where 1/2 of the crowd left sort of exemplified that. Why is Wolfmother playing at State Theater, and dredg at Station 4? it should be the other-way-around.


3b. The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and Death

An excellent follow-up and progression from one of the best albums of the decade in 2007's "Act II." Definitely a case of now my favorite current songwriter (Casey Crescenzo), making an album to his and my standards. It didn't finish on top, only for the fact I couldn't give it 5-stars with "Go Get Your Gun" which is the one blemish in an otherwise perfect record. "Mustard Gas" and "This Beautiful Life" along with the suite of "Son," "Father" and "Life and Death" (One-of-these-days, he will learn, to luhhhhvv again"..."when we die, we die, alone") probably are my favorite parts of this. But like the 1st two Acts, this record works best listened to all-at-once. Transitions, the story, and just enjoying the various styles The Dear Hunter explores. The quality is impeccable, and yet the recognition still remains criminally low. But that sound/has-sounded like a broken-record for too long. So all I can say is go listen to this band and many others will agree about the high-level of songwriting and musicianship acumen, I am certain.


3a. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories the World is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away


Their best, most complete record beginning to end. Very dreamy. There's really no other band who sounds like them. The textures explored here totally grab me. Happiness, childhood-nostalgia, inspirations all come to me while listening to this, which I find are qualities that distinguish Mew quite well. "Tricks" "Introducing Palace Players" "Sometimes Life Isn't Easy" "Beach" "Hawaii" "Vaccine." It's a bit hard to single-out the best moments, because as I am someone who enjoys listening to full-albums, this also is enjoyed most start-to-finish. But their other records, namely KITES and FRENGERS, don't quite find that perfect mix throughout. It's teetering on classic status, and maybe like The Stiletto Formal did eventually, it'll wind up at 5-stars soon. I listen to it often enough that it could happen.
If only they could manage to find their way back to Minneapolis for a concert again. twice the fall of 2006, and neither US Tour this past Fall. The promoters in Minnesota continue their horrible-level of naivete.

2. Soundscape - Grave New World


Long awaited (10+ years) progressive rock concept record. The production is among the greatest parts of this. It's a classic no doubt, and a worthy follow-up to "Discovery" one of my favorite albums ever.

"Grave New World" "Digital Lover" "Big Brother" "Generation Why" are some of the highlights among all 76 minutes.

Another case of an extremely impressive album that nobody, including the progressive rock scene (the obvious demographic), noticed.

Failure 101. But why should I care? It's not like "Discovery" got even a fraction of the attention it deserved either.

1. Kevin Gilbert - Nuts/Bolts


Nuts
The 1st part of this long-awaited collection. Every song is tremendous in so many ways, that I don't have time to add even a fraction of how much they deserve.

Simply put, Kevin Gilbert was a genius songwriter, and this collection, like pretty much everything else he did from Giraffe-on proves that once again.

"Tired Old Man" probably still remains one of my favorite things he ever did, although the "Puppet Suite," even not-mastered quality, I think eclipses it.

Bolts
The 2nd part of this collection of immortal bliss. It pretty much picks up where "Nuts" left off. The piano ballads among the rest of the work here are noteworthy. "The Best of Everything" and "God's Been Tapping My Phone" are just so perfectly made. Emotionally, lyrically, sonically.

The fact I know how much I will be listening to this collection of music in the coming years, pretty much forced me to put Nuts/Bolts on top here.

The content included may not be as in-your-face or can't-get-that-part-out-of-my-head quality as some other music, but the fact is, this collection of songs is worthy of the quality of Kevin Gilbert's work, it's just inherently so good and so much better than any other music being made, pretty much justifies why this is the best music that was released in the year 2009 (at least that hit my radar).

It's far too significant to me to ignore and sell short. Sorry, but there is no better songwriter that worked in the past 25 years, and every moment here pretty much proves that point even further.

The fact that people still are not recognizing Kevin Gilbert's music and name still is just another reason to show them how hugely they are failing by not being aware of him and this latest release from his estate. Someday they will know the errors of their ways and the amount of value and importance of Kevin Gilbert's music will be reciprocated like it should be; like I am giving it here by placing it above everything else for the year in music that is/was 2009.

I'm a bit drained in trying to finish this fucking thing. More podcasts may follow with these, but here's 11-through-1.
Be sure to turn the volume up on that page, if you're streaming it there (rather than dwnldng it).

More New Music: Long Distance Calling, new OSI

Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light (2009)



Track List and Observations:

01.Apparitions 12:18..7:30 sorta trippy/mathy/melodic rhythm..awesome build..a few mins later it fades with atmosphere
02.Black Paper Planes
7:19 ..the drums standout in the middle..the syncopation and interplay
between the guitar parts..synths, and drums work really well
03.359
7:57...tight drumwork..more subtle spacey synths..5:10 it starts to
pick-up again..the layers of clean guitars really work well as it
builds..epic
04.I Know You, Stanley Milgram! 10:28..nice grindy rhythm..then goes kind of clean and reminds me of PT..it really builds into a heavy, spacey wall-of-sound
05.The Nearing Grave 7:50 ..Warm/TRIPPY/DREAMY kind of vocals..a bit like Minus the Bear's vox...NICE BELLS OVER DOUBLE BASS
06.Sundown Highway 9:10 ...ANOTHER ENERGETIC RHYTHM..ALMOST REMINDS ME OF dt'S lEARNING TO LIVE..love the acoustic ending.

Okay,
this has impressed me a ton, only played it twice. This German-based
mostly instrumental psychedelic-tinged progressive post-metal really
have composed an energetic, without-filler 55min album here. I am a fan
of some *Post* music..actually I'm lying, in the past couple of years I
have really found a lot of music labeled as "Post" in some way, to be
my thing. But really they either are:

a) NOT the traditionally thought-of Explosions in the Sky or in the case on metalic groups like Isis and Pelican (Mono and some others..most recently Irepress).

b)
they are often HYBRIDS. Bands who have a prog rock or psychedelic
aspect to their music, with some other quality that is found in "Post
Rock"

c) they also focus on SONGWRITING or frankly, don't have length-ly passages that lose (or bore) me.

d) They use a chamber element like trumpet, violin, cello

Groups like Kacica, Oceansize, Do Make Say Think, Nomia, Mutyumu, Clann Zu, Murder By Death I'm thinking more-of.

in the "Post-Metal" vein. Long Distance Calling do belong in the same class with this album as Russian Circles and 2008's pleasant surprise, East of the Wall. And perhaps even a few others I've gotten into of late in Eroica and the Oceansize-esque Meniscus among others.

Atmosphere,
muscle, punch, tight compositions, layers, and a nice melodic sense.
And actually overall less being more. It's 55 minutes, but it doesn't
necessarily feel that long. I put it on twice yesterday, and I couldn't
help but have my attention focused on each second; not wanting (or
seeming like it should) end.

Give it some more time, but it's a
low 80's/4-star album. In my top 10 for 2009. Chances are it won't
move-up much, but when it does get passed-up, it'll likely be due to
other even better albums (as opposed to it not standing the test of time).

I probably require to checkout their 1st album now as well.



OSI - "Blood"..some thoughts.

a) "Terminal" and especially "Radiologue" are the 2 exceptional songs on this (at least the 1st cd that leaked).

b) OSI have changed and very much may be a 1-album wonder. The textures and layering they used in that wonderful debut record "Office of Strategic Influence" are not used (or incorporated) anywhere close to the same way on this new album nor "Free" overall.

c) I should take the three good songs off "Free" ("Go!", "Bigger Wave" and 1 other I'm forgetting) and burn them with those other two and perhaps the "re:Free" ep into one compilation.

d) A few samples, but pretty much they are limited.

e)
My guess is Kevin Moore did a great deal of the songwriting (including
the VOCAL-LINES) on both FREE and BLOOD. As opposed to Jim and him, and
even Mike Portnoy doing more of it on the debut record.

f)
The 1st album flows really well, and in some ways could be regarded as
a *suite*. Most if not all of this new album and "Free" are just a
bunch of songs really. The mood changes, and not that effectively
really.

More specifically with "Blood"..I suppose it may be a little better than "Free" and I want to still hear the Bonus disc material, which includes an extended version of "Terminal" one of the two really good songs on this album. Plus it does have a track Tim Bowness of No-Man wrote and sang on for what it's worth (No-Man being Steven Wilson's maybe 3rd best project, but a big level down from even Blackfield). But "Terminal" I dig maybe mostly with the use of the Zeppelin-like Mellotron. "Radiologue"
has a nice hook to it, and I guess features Jim's guitar work, the way
I like it. Melodic, thick-toned but not too-in-your-face. And layered
enough. I love Jim's guitar work; he 's perhaps my favorite (or like a
top 5 or top 10 guitar player for me). But sadly on this album and "Free" there's a bit too few and far between.

His guitar work (writing) on the 1st album and especially the John Arch EP "A Twist of Fate"
was incredible. Maybe he wanted to separate that style a little? Or
maybe sadly, he hasn't had a lot of new ideas. C'mon Jim, whatcha been
listening to? He should check out some of the newer, spacier guitar
work of a lot of the alt-prog and mathy/post bands perhaps?..hell it
was 1999, but Todd Rose of Soundscape's guitar work on "Grave New World," especially the diversity of tones he used are light years better and more infectious than much of the last two OSI albums.

So,
OSI, they really have jumped-the-shark. I figured I'd give them an
1-album bump in-the-road. But sadly, I think due to Kevin's writing
style and Jim's input they are a verrry different band now. And very
well may be always. It's too bad. OSI could have been amazing. I can't
deny, the potential to have Daniel Gildenlow sing that 27 minute piece on the 1st record I'll never forget. John Arch actually almost became their singer as well. And perhaps without Mike Portnoy involved, the direction changed a lot. And what seems like Jim's main focus musically now, all his Fates Warning ideas are out into this (as opposed to them not being put-into the 1st album?).

Sure it's fine they have Mikael Akerfeldt sing and write a song in "Stockholm" which does bring back that mellotron sound a bit. But it doesn't ultimately sound that much different than if M.A. wrote an Opeth tune with a little industrial feel to it. It sounds like something he left off "Watershed" in a way.

Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson
(whose involvement with OSI actually was much better), seem to be the
token prog-related players of late. Everyone kisses their asses, when
to me, their recent work has become predictable as anything. I wish
people would move-on and stop praising things, that are their fantasy music-formulas. And instead, evaluate what they put out FOR WHAT THEY ARE. Dream Theater..hell, even Marillion I try and do that for the most part with. If Marillion puts out a bad or less-than-par album, I am not going to kid myself or anyone else on my opinion.

No OSI
are just another name in the underground music genre of prog that were
cool when they 1st arrived, but haven't followed-up that 1st impression
with nearly the promise they gave. The prog scene is like that. Really
predictable, and cyclical. Not unlike a lot of other genres. But I
know, just based on experience, there is better and more worthwhile
music out there to discover; rather than kid myself into believing the
similar style, even recipe-laden music that come from groups who were
great in the past, have not *progressed*.

But a lot of the people who listen to OSI,
will with this album, and continue-on likely with other albums, to
praise their current direction. Sorry, they could have been so much
greater than they are. I can't be down though, with the wonderful new
album Archive and even that Long Distance Calling album I just posted above, this OSI
album likely will become an afterthought. I wasn't expecting it to be
great, but still hoped I'd be wrong. O well, people have different
tastes for good reason I guess.

At least I will get to see Jim with Fates Warning in September at the 10th (Anniversary) ProgPower USA Festival. Even without Mark Zonder. Jim should be doing the Jim Matheos music I love I imagine.

note:
I mean to write up a big TV entry soon. Mainly involving the passing of
a lot of recent shows. And some thoughts about some good new ones. In
due time. It's been a never-ending intake of music of late as to why,
among others factors, it hasn't happened. Plus, I mean to wait until
after the final show is done to put it together, which will be in a
week or 2.

Post-March Spring Break: St.Vincent and a lot of other music news

St.Vincent: her new album is called "Actor" and will be released on May 5th.



Tracklist:

1. The Strangers
2. Save Me From What I Want
3. Neighbours
4. Actor Out of Work
5. Black Rainbow
6. Laughing With a Mouth of Blood
7. Marrow
8. The Bed
9. The Party
10. Just the Same but Brand New
11. The Sequel

Pretty sweet new song "The Strangers" is up on her MYSPACE PAGE and her website



‘Actor’
is available for pre-order now. Early CD and LP orders come with a free
limited edition 7” featuring the album track “Actor Out of Work,” and
the exclusive, non-album track “Bicycle” on the flipside. more info

ST. VINCENT 2009 U.S. TOUR DATES
5/19/2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
5/20/2009 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/21/2009 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
5/22/2009 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/24/2009 George, WA Sasquatch!
5/25/2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/27/2009 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
5/28/2009 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/30/2009 San Diego, CA Casbah
5/31/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
6/2/2009 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/3/2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
6/4/2009 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/5/2009 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
6/7/2009 Chicago, IL Epiphany
6/10/2009 Lexington, KY The Dame
6/11/2009 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
6/12/2009 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
6/16/2009 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
6/18/2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
6/19/2009 Austin, TX Mohawk

I may have to do that pre-order deal. First Ave again?..BLECH! I should check The Entry's calendar. I suppose given Jeremy Messersmith and Amanda Palmer's
acoustic/quiet sections of their show, maybe the lack-of-soundproofing
won't affect Annie's show as much if it's more electric stuff. Dunno.
It still won't eliminate interference between songs.

maudlin of the Well's
free digital album will be available in only a few weeks online! I did
put about $12 I recall towards that donation. I'm definitely looking
fwd to it, and cautiously hoping the amount of Kayo Dot influence is
minimal in the writing. motW = good, Kayo Dot = bad (mostly).

Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (EP) (2009)

Maybe the best EP of this early season. A lot of what I dig in the Mars Volta-kind of sound.

40/50

myspace page



Sholi - Sholi (2009)




Sholi's myspace

Bought
this disc used a few days ago @Zia in AZ on vacation. I had sampled
them previously, but wasn't certain about how much I'd like em. As it
turns out, I do like them, but am not blown away or anything (yet).
It's a consistent album start-to-finish. Riffy, experimental, somewhat
stripped-down at times. Sort of a mix of Deerhoof and The Skeletons just guessing off the top of my head. A bit like the Grammatics
album, with song-after-song having some part or energetic section that
works, but overall I'm not sure if it'll place quite as high.

Closer to my kind of "experimental" music anyway.

70/100

a whole slew of new bands I'm checking out, but sadly, Sholi and perhaps 2 others The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and Japanese "Progressive Post-Rock" band Presence of Soul
are the only ones that have worked for me thus far. But I got like 15
or so new names between blogs and Alternative Press's new "100 Bands
You Need To Know for 2009" issue. TFTBO and Sound & Shape, ironically were not among *the 100* though.

Mastodon finally leaked (a full version, the drop date is Tuesday 3/24 like the New Decemberists) and the new dredg album may not be far away either as the 1st teaser/review
was posted there. Usually w/ new reviews -> many promos sent out
-> a leak. June 9th it's been pushed back to, but we may have a
similar CWA situation with a very early leak. I don't mind, the band
probably overall doesn't either given they know they have a large and
loyal fan-base that will buy it anyway.

Porcupine Tree: New album is due September 21st. It will consist of 2 cds. 1 being 1 single 55minute song, the other individual songs.

I seriously doubt this will be a top 10 candidate just based on how much filler this could have. Really fucking sad, as Steven Wilson
seems to be getting highly predictable. But maybe I'll be wrong about
that. a 3-album winning streak this decade (Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia,
Deadwing) would suggest potential comeback, but INSURGENTES sadly doesn't support the chances of that.


The new Dream Theater album comes out on June 23rd, like Soundscape. It's called "Black Clouds & Silver Linings."
6 Songs on cd 1. A 2nd cd of covers and then I guess an
all-instrumental version of it on another disc depending on which
version you get. Plus it's being issues on vinyl.

I'll likely,
like some of it, but find a lot of it to be wanking filler and/or
cheesy lyrics. But I'd love to be wrong. The band need a kick in the
ass, but it hasn't come with their last 3. More piano and analog synths. More organic or even acoustic.
But 6 songs for them means a few epic tracks, with in all likelihood
will include the necessary extended proggy parts they enjoy. Fine. I
just don't expect much more at this stage. But like I said, it would
mean a lot for me, for them to comeback and make a statement like SCENES FROM A MEMORY or even 6 DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE.

also
not a top 10 candidate just based on how huge and deep a year 2009 very
likely will be. A top 50 likely, for what it's worth.

Blackfield also may have a new album out in 2009. Coheed and Cambria and Alter Bridge were a couple of others.

Oceansize
has a new EP they are working on right now too that should be out in
the Fall. They're on twitter if anyone is up for reading more about it.
Keywords: Mike Vennart

The Dear Hunter are working on ACT III
in the studio right now; really they have for a few months. They have I
guess 14 or 15 songs (or movements), 1 being an in instrumental.
Another having a working title "Poison Woman" that I guess has
a ragtime feel to it. Their goal to have it out is "by Spring" but
given how little info is finalized, my money is Aug/Sept-ish.

Subterranean Masquerade I got a message back from on myspace about "In Pastille Colors"
the other day. But really no info about if/when it'll be out. Just that
they've been working on it for the better part of 3 years.

Orphaned Land on the other hand will be finally releasing "The Neverending Way ORWarriOR" finally in October (projected). Steven Wilson
is NOT producing (apparently, whatever that means), but will be mixing
and playing keyboards on it. And done via mail/email I guess given
schedule. Perhaps the reason he's not technically producing it now is
due to that and not being able to be in Israel with the band. I put on
2004's "Mabool" last week and I can't deny, that album has some
awesome moments throughout; that with Wilson on board and their
progression as songwriters since, it could be a big sleeper for Metal
album, or just plain a top 5 or top 10 album for '09.

fuck, I got a ton of other pieces to add, but of course time is always at a shortage. TV and the Synecdoche, NY DVD among others. I now have a portable DVD player.

Gophers (Men's basketball) lost badly to Texas
in the NCAA's. It's not surprising. They weren't playing that well, and
team's have figured out how to defend and score on them. If their press
doesn't work (or they DON'T USE IT OFTEN, AND EARLY) they don't win
usually. 2009-2010 is their year, but I'm not convinced Tubby's that
great a coach (here at least, and yet). So far, my bracket looks pretty
good like most, with mostly favorites winning. I'd rather have seen American beat Villanova just to screw up others brackets. I have Louisville beating North Carolina I recall in the National Championship game.

Catching up on TV. Castle is good. Breaking Bad I also am on board with. Bryan Cranston is very different, but still quite entertaining in it. I don't get what all the fuss is about that dry 50's drama Mad Men on American Movie Classics Channel. I was highly underwhelmed and bored. The audiences for Breaking Bad and that show seem pretty different, yet they air them back-2-back on Sunday nights for some reason.


Y: The Last Man I read the 1st graphic novel "Unmanned" over my Spring Break in Arizona. It's from Lost writer Bryan K. Vaughn
Really intriguing Post-apocalyptic story. There's 8 more I guess, and I
have almost all of them on request now at the library. Being a fan of Jeremiah
and the use of that story setting, I am looking forward to going
through the rest of the series. When I'm done, I'll try and write a
more thorough review. It's nice to have some reading, even if they seem
more like glorified, but closer-to-real-world comic books. They take a lot less time to finish (presumably).

Soundscape - Grave New World (2009)

Soundscape - Grave New World

Soundscape is:

Rob Thorne (Rob Volpintesta) - Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, (and lyrics?)
Todd Rose - Guitars
Scott Waite - Bass
Lou Caldarola - Drums

Soundscape
is a four piece Progressive-Rock group built on the philosophy that in
the music industry music is what matters most, and everything else is
secondary. Spiritual to thunderous and always precise, their music
captures a wide range of expression through soaring melodies and
dynamic instrumentation. This high standard of professionalism in
composition, musicianship and performance was established in June 1996
with the completion of their first album Discovery. Containing over 78
minutes of music, the record is a virtual showcase for the band's
skill, expertise, and talent for song writing. 12 songs take you on a
journey through the life of a young boy into manhood as he comes face
to face with the questions and realities of sex, religion, society,
politics, drugs and war.

Featuring the soaring vocals and
intricate keyboards of Rob Thorne, the guitar wizardry of Todd Rose,
the explorative bass of Scott Waite and the imaginative drumming of
Phil Suarez, the live show has been described as a "magical and intense
journey," forging the path to a new musical experience that comes as a
much welcomed breath of fresh air.

Soundscape's mypsace page
Soundscape link on Angelthorne Music's site
Todd Rose's website

This
is what could be the 1st of many commentaries and reviews of this
highly anticipated album, that was finally mixed and mastered and made
available in 2009.

This is an early review, and I mean to
note how a lot more will be elaborated and perhaps changed in some ways
in further entries.

I do have a personal bias, given this
band's lone full-length cd, 1997's "Discovery" is one of my absolute
favorite albums of all-time. So, perhaps this review should be taken
with a heavy grain of salt by others.

But for me, it is or feels
like having an all-time favorite album come out again, but it's all new
music. Like a 2nd time falling-in-love or something. I'm not sure how
else to describe it. But the fact it's been 10 years of hoping, but
doubting it would ever happen, to finally actually realize it is, is
highly significant.


Some general observations:

The
energy, layers, textures, melodies, experimental aspects, dynamics,
tight and clean production, with bass and drums mixed incredibly well.
This album's a monster. A ferocious force of chords and thick melodies,
frequent time changes that experiment yet seem to all fit together
well, not losing sight of the concept or the songs themselves.

This
thing has balls to the wall. The heavy synths coming at you left and
right, and it's like a battle between all four band members. The drums,
the crunching guitar textures and the hugely FAT bass lines. Lou
Caldarola is fucking beast on the kit at times.

One big thing
that makes Soundscape standout to me, is they know how to be technical,
yet still be melodic, and compose songs really well. Perhaps maybe even
more on this album, they composed them within a large concept. You
can't exactly label or pigeonhole their sound. Which in a lot of ways
is the blueprint of what I love in music or art; and for that matter in
theory anything "progressive."

They went deep this time with me
and scored Big-time. Like 10 or 20 fold perhaps. They know when to, and
when not-to be epic or extend parts or songs out really effectively.
Which seems to be pretty rare in most or any kind of music labeled
"progressive" or "technical."

1. The Server 0:39

2. Grave New World 6:31
"Your Children are My Children, and your losing losing control. My Children are your children, a generation without a soul"

3. Digital Lover 5:05

4. Man and Machine 4:16

5. So Alone 7:54

Soothing
synths work really well with the guitar. Very pretty, sad, and a
gorgeous theme on guitar. The climax soars, which is a classic
Soundscape writing element.

I love the part
"can someone see meeee in the loooookeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen glahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsss"

The Man and Machine suite's production upgrade is impeccable. It's like they totally rewrote and re-recorded it.

6. Concentration 8:30

The ending is orgasmic to this song; it totally blows up. And then they say "Somebody unplug me!" referring to a computer or AI I imagine.

7. Big Brother 4:01

The
lead bass-line rules on this piece, kind of Rush-like. Wonderfully
catchy or poppy at times. I love the bridge with the trumpet-like
patch. And the playful vocal harmonies echoing a previous vocal-line at
the end: "Runs my fingers through my hair."

8. Age of Wonder 13:49

One
part of this song that stands out is the (new?) use of experimenting
with higher range double or triple tracked vocal harmonies.

I also like how they use sound-bytes here in the 1st movement.

Then it later has another great, soothing, ambient, synth transition section.

9. Generation Why 6:42

Very cool mystical vibe at the beginning here.

Soundscape's
music creates an atmosphere that feels like magic at times for me. Very
story-oriented, highly thematic. It's like they transport me to
somewhere else, where the story is being told. I'm brought-in. It
almost feels like a huge illusion at times.

10. Zombie Nation 7:41
A few lines I captured so far in text:

"Can you feel the waves washing over your mind?"

"A chemical reaction brings you back into the world again"

Is the story referring to something involving Virtual Reality? Perhaps influenced by stories (or movies like) The Matrix or Lawnmower Man?

"I've got your mind in this little pill" (not sure if this is exactly accurate, just a guess).

"What once was a gift became a curse!"

11. Resurrection 11:52

This piece is beautiful, and sadly the band's Swan Song. I love the piano/vocal intro. It's almost in the vein of "Spirit of Adventure: Dreamscape" (the final epic piece on 1997's "Discovery")
A soaring epic ending song. It's like they took that to three or four
more levels of extended beauty at times on it. And incorporated it with
some additional elements.

"They took your soul, removed it whole, and filled the hole, with space, in cyberspace"? (a guess on the lyric)

"Will you return to milk and honey, or a technological doom?"

"look around you, remember the good times we had"

This
whole song doesn't grab you right away..but after it's done and the
whole album is done too of course, it sucks you (or me) in Big-time.

"One mind, One body, One soul in a Grave New World"

The vocal harmonies are effective singing the chorus. It's similar to "Discovery."

It
then ends in a classic Soundscape fashion with a breathtaking,
upper-range, clean guitar solo. Very fitting, extremely epic, and a
perfect way to conclude this record.

Seemingly every part of
this album are the way they are for a reason. The song structures,
every nuance, every little texture, time change, emotion or emotional
part.

I may be drinking the Soundscape Cool-Aid, but it really
doesn't matter. This is not the kind of music I get to hear, especially
for the 1st time, every day, week, month, year, or even decade I
suppose. I honestly am

a) still in disbelief that this finally came out and I'm finally getting to hear it.

b)
that I get to now explore another highly in-depth and 76 minutes worth
of music from the band who over more or less the last ten years I had
basically one 78 minute album to do so with. (Run-on sentence, I know).
In other words, I got 3+ years in-depth with "Discovery" more or less,
and then another six or so just holding it in a high place. Not ever
thinking I'd get to do that again, especially from the same band. But I
do.

The production work cannot be forgotten. I'm more or less
shocked at how clean the bass and drums sound throughout this
recording. Rob Volpintesta had it shelved for all these years I guess
due to the lack-of quality for the mix. I totally know why he/they
waited, as this is some of the clearest/cleanest and accurately mixed
music I have ever heard, especially with how complex and layered it is.
Maybe if Yes's "Relayer" were done now, the production might have come
out something like this.

Time will of course tell a great deal. But I am thinking not if this album is a Classic, but how much of an All-time Classic will it be. An "Instant Classic" for sure. Perhaps the fastest ever for me. I loved it upon hearing the 1st note.

Many
would scoff at this analogy, but among many I might make, I was
thinking of The Beatles. When "Abbey Road" came out, how did it compare
to "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? In thinking about how "Grave
New World" compares to "Discovery" the comparison to me, isn't that
far-fetched. You got two Classic albums, different, yet still worthy of
debate from an artistic point-of-view.

Right now I'm torn, but I would not be shocked if it became a stalemate.

100/100

dredg - "The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" Info

dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion"

Tracklist -

1. Pariah
2. Drunk Slide
3. Ireland
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic
5. Lightswitch
6. Gathering Pebbles
7. Information
8. Stamp Of Origin - Ocean Meets Bay
9. Saviour
10. R U O K
11. I Don..t Know
12. Mouring This Morning
13. Stamp Of Origin - Take A Look Around
14. Long Days And Vague Clues
15. Cartoon Showroom
16. Quotes
17. Down To The Cellar
18. Stamp Of Origin - Horizon

here's some of that work live:

3. Ireland:



4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic:



7. Information:



9. Saviour:




11. I Don..t Know:



16. Quotes:




17. Down To The Cellar:




Unknown:



also this also is (1 of) the real cover(s)

March: Bands, Prog Rock info, Concert Calendar

The new U2 album "No Line on the Horizon"
I like. About 6 or 7 tracks especially I think work well. Not an AotY
candidate or anything, but it's a nice change to being more
experimental. Change in production and textures. I dig the piano and
strings among others. The new single "Get On Your Boots" however, is
probably the worst song on it, lol.

Doves hitting The Varsity Theater in May makes the upcoming concert plate a bit more frequent in April and May.

March:
20th Bridge Over Troubled Water
30th Bloc Party @ First Ave (maybe)

April
5th Fair to Midland (The Rock)
10th dredg (Varsity)
13th Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (The Triplerock)
26th Neko Case (State Theater) time/$ permitting
29th Mastodon (The Fine Line)

May
3rd Leonard Cohen (Orpheum Theater) time/$ permitting
15th Protest the Hero (Station 4)
28th Doves (Varsity)

I'm sure I'm missing a few dates.

OSI's "Blood" is released on May 19th in the US.

info



01. The Escape Artist
02. Terminal
03. False Start
04. We Come Undone
05. Radiologue
06. Be The Hero
07. Microburst Alert
08. Stockholm
09. Blood

Disc 2

01. No Celebrations
02. Christian Brothers
03. Terminal (endless)

Classic Rock (magazine) Presents: PROG

I'm
definitely curious about this new magazine, as I have enjoyed Classic
Rock Magazine's special "Prog" issues in the past. So it appears
they're going to try to do a semi-regular publication on it.

CLASSIC ROCK PRESENTS PROG

The
already burgeoning prog rock scene receives another welcome boost with
the announcement of the imminent arrival of Classic Rock Presents Prog,
a new quarterly journal of progressive music that's set to offer prog
rock fans a wealth of coverage of their favourite bands, artists and
music.

Issue one sets out its stall by covering true giants of
the genre like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and ELP all the way through to
modern day protagonists such as Dream Theater, Coheed & Cambria,
Queensrcyhe and Porcupine Tree. New acts such as The Reasoning, Frost*
and Demians find themselves nestling alongside established prog heroes
like Marillion, Rush and Asia.

Packed with exclusive
interviews, news and reviews, the whole spectrum of astounding sounds
and amazing music gets the Classic Rock treatment in March. Issue One
hits the news stands March 25. It's a date you don't want to miss.

Oceansize's Australian Tour

I guess supporting Cog is a big reason how they are able to afford it.

Thu 4/06/2009 NSW Fremantle Metro
Fri 5/06/2009 SA Adelaide The Gov
Sat 6/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi
Sun 7/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi

Thu 11/06/2009 QLD Brisbane Hi Fi H
Fri 12/06/2009 NSW Newcastle Panthers
Sat 13/06/2009 NSW Sydney Selinas

my curiosity is, if they can afford that, perhaps they could afford something similar soon in the US.

Archive's new album is called "Controlling Crowds" and is listed to be released on March 30th.





The
1st single "Bullets" (youtube link above) I definitely like and am
looking forward to this album a lot more than I expected. "Lights" from
2006 was okay, but not of the quality of "Noise" and "You All Look the
Same to Me."

Fields album "Hollow Mountains" I've seen 2
release dates listed being March 2nd and March 9th. And of course
"March." But with no track-list nor artwork, and some mention on their last.fm page about it's status and the band lacking a record label I guess, it's release date/time is really uncertain.

Kiss Kiss, Local Natives, even dredg to a point, kind of are (or were) in a similar spot. Local Natives at least, last night on the NBC show "Chuck"
had 1 of their new songs "Airplanes" played for a short while in the
background. Being a Street Team member and genuine hugely optimistic
fan of theirs, my jaw literally dropped to the floor hearing that. The
point being, they are a fucking great band, and more people should and I gotta believe will like them. Many of those Fleet Foxes
ass-kissers (among others..Panda Bear, Animal Collective, Miracle
Fortess even) are gonna find out when they get the exposure they
deserve. They're just too damn good not to.

Water & Bodies
began recording last week, what is I guess to be a 7-song EP that
likely will be released digitally. CD and/or Vinyl as well, most likely
available through their website
and @ Concerts directly from the band. I'm extremely excited to hear
these songs recorded after hearing samples live the past few months. I
realize this is not Kaddisfly but it may be something even
better for all anyone knows. And maybe best, going directly through
them, it'll be available rather soon. Like perhaps by April or even
earlier.

Soundscape's "Grave New World"
I will be hearing in the coming weeks. It's been a 10-year wait, but I
am without question overjoyed to finally get to hear it. Expect some
kind of in-depth review on this blog among other spots soon after. My
s/n on many sites isn't "Soundcape(MN)" for nothing of course :P. "Discovery" is a life-changing record for myself anyway. If GNW is even 1/10 of that, it'll be an AotY contender (to be honest, it already is).

dredg's new album "The Pariah, The Parrot, the Delusion" is coming out on May 19th (same day as the US release of OSI, wow!)

cover art:


Mew's new album is expected in June.

King's X are headlining 3 Rivers Progressive Rock Festival
I guess. Honestly, this is pretty surprising. Maybe it's a $ thing or
I'm totally off on their current approach live. I would never expect
them to play a "Prog" festival. But then again, many years ago
Porcupine Tree did as well. Hopefully they'll do some more touring in
2009 and comeback to Minneapolis, a place they used to never skip (I
saw them 10 times from 1996 to 2005 for example).

Muse new album to have a heavy Classical music influence?

bbc article

By Georgie Rogers
6 Music News reporter

The band have their own recording studios at Lake Como in Italy
Muse's
new studio album could see them move away from their traditional rock
sound to create a more "orchestral", classical offering.

Frontman Matt Bellamy said: "There's some really brilliant songs coming out, some of our best material I think."

The follow-up to 2006's Black Holes And Revelations is expected later this year coinciding with an Autumn tour.

Last month, the Devon band picked up the NME award for best live band for the second year in a row.

Speaking
to BBC 6 Music, Bellamy revealed the record's sound could see the band
abandoning their traditional rock leanings completely. We'll be
knocking on Classic FM's door, you know

Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy

"A symphonic album has turned up here, like a full collaboration with an orchestra," he said.

"There's
definitely a few things on the album which are segueing into each other
and it's all very orchestral, but that could take over the album, so it
could actually be kind of classical act basically, and move away from
rock all together.

"We'll be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know?"

Pure Reason Revolution "Amor Vincit Omnia" (2009)

Amor Vincit Omnia

1. Les Malheurs
2. Victorious Cupid
3. i) Keep Me Sane/Insane
4. ii) Apogee
iii) Requiem for the Lovers
5. Deus Ex Machina
6. Bloodless
7. Disconnect
8. The Gloaming
9. AVO

I've
been playing the new disc, AVO, for about a month now and while I
question it's long-term value compared to "The Dark Third," it's
definitely an album I've enjoyed the more I hear it. Maybe more of a
*grower* than TDT certainly.

Within the large emphasis of
electronica, there still is a lot of the familiar PRR sound, at least I
have noticed. The vocal arrangements (multi-part harmonies). And it
flows pretty well much like TDT.

The 2 pieces most familiar
"Victorious Cupid" and "Deus Ex Machina" are probably still my favorite
parts of AVO, but "The Gloaming" and "Apogee" for example, have some
wonderful sections to them. "Bloodless" as well, is a pretty ballad,
somewhat in the vein of "Bullits Dominae" or "The Exact Colour."

"Disconnect"
is perhaps the 1 track that a lot of fans will not care-for. I've grown
to like it, but it's still the weakest part of AVO.

The title
track or "AVO" is wonderful and I think works incredibly well to finish
this album. The vocal arrangement is classic-PRR to me.

I also
think it's a good thing they did not make TDT part 2, because they seem
to want to "progress" of course, and while I suppose they didn't have
to necessarily change this far into the electronic or trip-hop vein,
say opposed to some other area. I think they pull it off for the most
part.

Many people have already expressed both sides of where
AVO has them going. Some pretty much have said this new stuff sucks and
they lost what they had with their debut album. But some others are
like myself, very pleasantly surprised how well they pulled off merging
much of their sound and songwriting approach with a twist of
electronica. I suppose it may come down to if you like, can tolerate,
or dislike electronic music. Or if it may grow on you enough.

83/100 and currently #2 on my 2009 Albums of the Year Race

February 2008-February 2009 Movie Rankings

A. Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation



This
thing gets a separate category as it wasn't a movie that was made or
made for the last 12 month movie season. And it 1st screened a few
years ago. But it probably was the greatest achievement in movies I saw
this year. In short, it was made BY KIDS during their Summer Breaks in
the 1980's. Anyone who can't recognize how unthinkable and original of
a work it was, is clueless. The people who failed to go see this the
weekend of the Crystal Skull premiere, including of course those who
read my postings but still ignored it, well it's a huge loss on their
part.

I sincerely hope that 1 day this thing is either

a) released on DVD for everyone to be able to see it.

b) is made available to stream or download online.

It is NOT your neighborhood kids doing amateur theater. It is of the equivalent, or better to what The Musical Box have done for recreating the early Genesis concerts.



1. Synecdoche, NY

As
the review I wrote about a few months stressed, this is 1 of the most
original motion pictures to be made ever. Kaufman not surprisingly,
makes you think, analyze, and become sucked-in to what exactly happens
in the life of the lead character Caden and the people (mostly women)
in his life. I honestly require more viewings to further evaluate and
understand it all. But that is why it was so effective. Perhaps to the
awards shows, it's too sophisticated. Admittedly, going-in (trailers) I
was skeptical. But the comparisons to the more-or-less pointless waste
of time "Primer" a few years ago do not add up. There is a puzzle to
solve here, and if more people just let it sink-in and become swept
away, they'll realize how unique and beautiful this movie is. Perhaps 5
or 10 years from now, that recognition will happen. The Jacket, The Science of Sleep among some others it belongs with.

95/100



2.Snow Angels
Incredibly moving picture that next to nobody saw or talked about. I
guess my original review didn't spoil the plot, but I'll add a bit more
to that in there is a death and while it's incredibly sad, again with
the thinking..the more you think about it and the characters involved,
the more you realize what transpired makes sense, however sad it is. I
guess you could say living with guilt is not as healthy as dying to
relieve that guilt. Kate Beckinsale I would give an Oscar Nomination
for, but like I mentioned, nobody saw or talked about this movie. And
of course being released in the late Spring didn't help since it wasn't
during "Oscar Season."

88/100



3. The Visitor
Very compelling story about a man who finds some people living in his
NYC apartment while he's away. The friendship and sad circumstances
really make this movie powerful and worth repeated viewings. I'm glad
Richard Jenkins got an Oscar Nomination for this. And Haaz Sleiman who
played Tarek, received a Spirit Award nomination as well.

87/100



4. Slumdog Millionaire
I was not wrong in how appealing this thing would be. After seeing it,
I wondered if it could be my favorite picture of the year. I can't
entirely say that after another viewing and I suppose a lot of the hype
and some criticism about it. The ending is pretty typical Hollywood.
But at the same time, I really wish more mention of the kids
performance is given. It was nice to see some of the cast do that at
the SAG awards.

85/100



5. The Reader
Kate I sincerely hope and think will finally get her due. She was quite
powerful and moving in this. Seducing the German kid, and then forming
the bond with him, albeit secretively. The 2nd half, with the suspense
of her trial for being a guard at a Concentration camp really added and
put more sympathy towards her character. It was not an easy situation.
Her character needed money, she wasn't sure what to do. The fact she
was illiterare, I guess it was based real events. By the end of the
movie, after seeing her serve her time and want to repent..the obvious
difficulty she had, I couldn't help but feel as bad for her as the
family's who lost their loved ones in that horrific incident. I hope
people don't look at this as movie about Nazi-Germany, because it isn't
at all. It's a character study and a love story with some humor, and a
narrative and a lot of other things. Mind you, I really want more
mentioned about Kate Winslet's career and the fact MANY OTHER ROLES
SHE'S PLAYED DESERVED AS MUCH IF NOT MORE RECOGNITION. Namely: ETERNAL
SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and JUDE
for example..a picture most people probably have never heard of.
Because if she does in fact win the Oscar here, I really think people
who liked her performance owe it to themself to seek out a lot of her
other work. She's possibly the best Actor of this generation and more
people could and should recognize that.

The film itself I can't
forget to mention a few holes, and possibly why I don't rank it a bit
higher. They never explained why young Michael didn't appear at the
Prison after he made the appointment..and the point he made about how
Hannah could be proven to not receive the punishment she did. She was
illiterate, that piece the judge was using to prove her guilt very
likely wasn't all her responsibility given the fact she was illiterate.
But maybe the secret of their affair was too risky on his own part to
expose. Another was when Hannah fled, and you see young Michael at her
flat and it's empty. That and the whole process of her getting promoted
by the Street Car co? There certainly were a few holes or unexplained
parts of this for my liking for it to contend for Best Picture. But at
the same time, I don't have a problem with it receiving a Best Picture
nomination.

84/100



6. Transsiberian
Another
under-seen gem. Emily Mortimer deserved an Oscar Nomination for this.
The situations she faced, and difficult decisions. The plot was
interesting. The suspense never left the viewer. Her relationship with
that guy Carlos and the drugs, then later with Ben Kingsley's character
and keeping track of where they are and where her husband played by
Woody Harrelson, is. Sorry, but this should have been seen by more
people, and was a lot more compelling and intriguing of a story than
dozens of other movies this year.

83/100



7. Sleepwalking
Another great performance from Nick Stahl that goes un-noticed. Dennis
Hopper effectively plays the asshole redneck father. The plot about a
mother who leaves town for $ which forces her younger brother to take
care of his young niece. When he loses his job, he finds no option but
to flee with her. The twists this story takes is reason enough to like
this, even if Hopper's character was not the easiest to handle
watching. I guess as a performance, it made it all the more effective.
A bit like Sam Rockwell's in "Snow Angels"..you hate him, but
eventually you respect the power of his perfomance.

82/100



8.The Bank Job
Terrific Heist movie based on true events. The direction the plot takes
leaves you glued to the screen. You want to side with the robbers, but
you're unsure if they'll pull it off, and what each faction's ultimate
motivation is. Black Mailing politicians being a big part of it. Jason
Statham and Saffron Burrows definitely stand out among a lot of the
rest of the cast. Did it receive much Award Season recognition?..of
course not, lol.

81/100



9.The Good Night
Some clever ideas are explored here in this fantasy/romance plot. It's
not clear whether Martin Freeman's mid-life crisis is due to his
struggling relationship with Gweneth Paltrow, or his dreams are
effectively pointing him in the path he needs to go. Rather surreal.
Danny Devito I think was a big part of what made this thing work. Simon
Pegg also added some nice comedic support as his best friend.

80/100


Those
are the 9-10 best pictures I've seen over the last 12 months. The rest
of these below range from pretty good, to worth the curiosity, to
disappointing, to highly overated, to maybe worth seeing for free.

73-79 range

10. The Wackness Interesting coming-of-age story. Kingsley and Olivia Thrilby were both good. Thrilby I liked more in "Snow Angels" however.

11. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
On paper this could have been a near-classic. It wasn't. Jason Segel's
exposure aside, it still probably was the best Apatow-related picture
of the year.

12. The Wrestler
The gore hurts this, but the perfomance by Rourke still made it
well-worth watching. Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood added a bit, but
honestly, Rourke carried this thing and he should win the Oscar (sorry
Sean Penn, but he carried this film. Milk's ensemble cast hurts your
case).

13. Iron Man
Robert Downey makes a big splash in this comeback performance. As far
as Superhero movies have gone, there may not be many if any better made
to be honest.


14.Pineapple Express
Not quite as good as SARAH MARSHALL, but pretty close. I suppose the
typical over-indulgence of Apatow, along with some points in the plot
seemed incredibly preposterous, kind of hurt this thing. But some of
the jokes worked well-enough no matter. The Freaks and Geeks reunion
was nice to see as well.

67-73 range

15. Time Crimes
Funny, perculiar, mysterious spanish Time-Travel movie. Certainly
another foreign film not nearly enough people saw. Eons better than
"Primer."

16. Role Models
It didn't look that great, but I saw this the same evening I caught
"Zack and Miri" and it was clearly the superior movie. Some of the
humor, especially the Nerd/Lord-of-the-Rings/Ren-Fest stuff hit home
and like Big Bang Theory, proves how comedy using the Geek-element can
be very effective. Not technically an Apatow movie, but pretty much on
par with his best work.

17. What Just Happened
Why
nobody saw this is also puzzling. It's Robert DeNiro..c'mon. And it's
funny. The Hollywood exec who tries to please everyone, but isn't
necessarily able-to. Some of the dialogue floored me. It reminded me of
Sidney Pollack at times.

18. Religulous
Bill Maher pulled this off pretty well. I wish he would have had Deepak
Chopra somewhere in it, but overall, the sarcastic with religion was
quite effective. Certainly one of the best Documentaries of the year.

19. Wall-E
Even though it clearly borrowed from Short-Circuit, the charm and story
still worked on a lot of levels. The best animated movie of 2008
certainly.

20. Vicky Christina Barcelona
A bit of a comeback for Woody Allen. It was good, albeit seemed lazy in
tone at times. No, it's not deserving of all the Awards-recognition it
is, but was it bad?..no..it just seemed like a fantasy for beautiful
women and a guy to hook up?..like a Romance Novel really. The acting
wasn't amazing or anything though. And the guy who played Rebecca
Hall's fiance was annoying as hell. Hall, however, should have been the
one receiving the Oscar nomination, not Cruz. And I like Penelope Cruz,
but in this?..her performance didn't stick out nearly as much as Hall's.

21. Tropic Thunder
Part Andy Sedaris, part Steve Buscemi-movie-where-he-plays-a-director,
part Leslie Nielsen. I could have done without Tom Cruise's werewolf
chest, but Robert Downey fooled me big-time here. It wasn't bad, just
not something I'll be wanting to see over and over again. Steve Coogan
was better in this than "Hamlet 2" certainly.

65-73 range

22. Happy Go-Lucky
Sally Hawkins should play Imogen Heap. Sally Hawkins won a globe for
her role in this, and should have received an Oscar nomination. The
film overall, wasn't breathtaking. Although the guy who played the
driving instructor was hard-to-stomach, but a bit like Dennis Hopper in
"Sleepwalking"..I can't help but respect his work here. The
deep-accents and more or less the plot are what hurts this from being
higher. A bit like "The Wrestler" in terms of ranking. Great individual
performances, but the movie overall not as much.

23. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Of course the cast is reason to watch. Blake Lively is pure eye-candy,
and more worth seeing here than on "Gossip Girl." About on par with the
1st, but they didn't involve the Pants themselves enough this time.

24. Kung Fu Panda
Not as, but close to as good as Wall-E for Pixar. Jack Black can do
voice-work like this well..especially with toned-down dialogue. I'm not
huge into Animated stuff, but this was one exception.


25. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson A Documentary definitely worth seeing if you are an HST fan like myself. Johnny Depp appropriately narrates.

26. My Name is Bruce
A parody of a parody in a way? A auto-biographical mockumentary at
least. if you dug "Bubba Ho-Tep" this is certainly in that film's
class. I mean many of the lines were good. I suppose my experience
might rate this a tad higher, given the hilarious post-movie q&a
Bruce gave. But on paper, it's worth seeing if you're a Campbell fan
for sure.

27. Hancock
Will Smith doing a Super-Hero. Jason Bateman was good, and the plot
twist added something. Is it Will Smith's best work, or the greatest
Super-Hero movie ever?..of course not. But it's entertaining, and at
least slightly different spin on the Superhero genre.


60-65 range

28. Sex Drive
Sean Anders is a talented film-maker. And while this wasn't as
brilliant as 2005's "Never Been Thawed" it still wasn't bad. People
didn't go that much for it; calling it a poor-man's Apatow or a Super
Bad ripoff. But actually, I'd rate it higher than Super Bad. Super Bad
is 1 of the most over-rated movies over the last few years. And while
this wasn't brilliant, at least the gay-jokes and tones were done with
some class. Seth Green wasn't bad either, and I had no clue the dude
who played his brother was James Marsden.

29. Burn After Reading
Silly plot and a bunch of actors playing characters you never fully
want to pull for. This a Coen Brother's movie, which I've come to
expect mediocrity, so pretty much they pulled that off. Not horrible..a
few funny moments, but hardly Awards-worthy. It's sad they get some
great people involved, but don't entirely make the most of them.
Perhaps people like John Malkovich and George Clooney weren't looking
to be highly featured. But it's like an album with a bunch of great
guests, that ends up being better on paper than the finished product.

30. Let the Right One In
Better than the piece of dung that was "Twilight" but in-truth, I
wasn't won-over that much by this. The acting wasn't bad, I just don't
fathom the pre-teen vampire-love story to work that well. And they're
making an American version, lol.

31. Nobel Son
Rickman and the supporting cast sounds great on paper. What you got is
an uneven story and plot. You're not sure whether you hate Rickman, or
the plot his son and ..well other son I guess end up trying to get away
with.

Note: I have yet to see, but have rented, "Bottle Shock"
which has some of the same cast and people involved. Perhaps that'll be
better, or make this seem better relatively, once I see it.


25-60 range

32. The Rocker
They tried to get tons of people to see this as I probably had 4 or 5
different chances to see this before it hit theaters. And they failed
pretty miserably. In truth, it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't that
great or moreso, unoriginal. Basically Rain Wilson channeling Jack
Black. Okay. But it's nothing to tell people they need to see.

33. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
I just saw this last night. Kat Dennings is very good eye candy. And
the plot was kind of fun. The gay overtones got a bit too
overemphasized, plus Ari Graynor's sick/drunk persona got milked far
too long. Michael Cera, while at times I liked him, he often seems too
relaxed. He needs to show some balls. All in all, not wonderful, but
not the worst thing I saw this year. Dennings I am looking forward to
seeing more of in the future.

34. Hamlet 2
Steve Coogan can be funny, as his work in "Tropic Thunder" showed, but
I'm not sure he can carry a movie. This might have worked as sketch or
short-film better. Elizabeth Shue was good, and maybe my favorite part
of this thing.

35. Smart People
Kind of a dull romantic comedy/family drama. Page-channeling her Juno
character, SJP being annoying and playing her character from Sex and
the City. Thomas Hayden-Church was probably the best part. Quaid can be
funny, and he kind of seemed like a poor-man's Harry Ford here.

36. Quid Pro Quos
Well not everything Nick Stahl does is perfect. The idea seemed a bit
more appealing than the execution. Sure, some chick having a fetish for
a disability like being in a wheelchair could have some legs, but I
fell asleep sadly. I dunno, maybe a 2nd viewing via IFC could change my
mind.

37. Valkyrie
Non authentic accents, and maybe worse, the process and direction just
seemed way too Hollywood. The plotting wasn't bad, but unless you can
see past the fact Tom Cruise was playing Tom Cruise in Nazi-Germany,
it's hard to find much appeal for this. See a documentary or read a
book about it instead.

38. Bill
Aaron Eckhardt: 1 of like 3 or 4 movies he was in 2008. This 1 he was
featured. It had a few funny moments..namely the kid who played his
mentor and the back-and-forth with Elizabeth Banks (who also appeared
in like 6 movies in the last 12 months), but overall I wasn't sure how
much I liked his character.

39. Get Smart
Carrell was the right actor, visually/physically to play the Don Adams
role, but too much of the script was Steve Carrell playing Steven
Carrell. I'm not certain if Hathaway was worth seeing more in this or
"Rachel Getting Married" as I walked out of that one.

40. The Dark Knight
Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated,
Over-rated, Over-rated. This may go down in history as being the most
over-rated movie ever. Maybe even more than "Little Miss Sunshine."
Sorry, but I had a horrible headache walking out of this. It was
painful watching the back-and-forth explosions and
sound-in-your-face..much like "Children of Men"..how could I enjoy
this?..seriously, wtf?..it was just a disgustingly dark and torturous
experience trying to get through this. Ledger?..sorry, but his job
couldn't wash Jack Nicholson's Joker's JOCK. He more or less was Al
Franken/Carol Channing becoming a mental patient. Not funny, not
entertaining, not even worth remembering. He was gross as all fuck. And
maybe even worse..but the Oscar was given to him from the day he was
cast. Wonderful, Hollywood. Just wonderful. Every family on the globe
will know this picture and never see Synechdoche, NY and they'll know Ledger for his work here and not on ROAR or a number of other things he did previously. Thanks.

41. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Sadly, this didn't turn out as good as it could. Kevin Smith + Seth
Rogen. Reminds me a little of "Be Kind Rewind"..even though I don't
love everything Smith does, the formula sounded potentially good. I
guess it's a bit of Seth Rogen, everything he does ends up being decent
but not amazing. Knowing-that going-in probably would be good to keep
in mind. We didn't even get Elizabeth Banks in the Princess Leia
Bikini, lol. I suppose on the flip-side, Traci Lords did add something,
but the Jason Mewes exposure negated some of that.

42. Yes Man
Jim Carrey and Zoey Deschanel. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda..Another
romantic-comedy on paper that fell short. I suppose it's not the worst
either has done, but the idea that people in Hollywood are consistently
brilliant is a myth. They should have at least had the song "Tempus
Fugit" or a reference to the band Yes, but did they?..on the DVD
perhaps? Dunno if I'd rent it..except perhaps if Zoey and Jim do
commentary.


43. Step Brothers
Not very funny, but it didn't look that funny. The 2nd half actually
was a little better. Jenkins and Steenburgen both did other work this
year that was better. Sadly, Ferrell and Reilly I'm not sure if the
same can be said.

44. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Nostalgia with a convoluted script. Lucas, Spielberg..both perhaps are
shells of their former selves. The Raiders Adaptation made me forget
about this one fast. They ought-to include it on the dvd. If only the
world worked that way.

"Bottleshock" and some others may be added, but were not available at the original press time.

also note: an Awards Blog I mean to post soon as a follow-up. Who I would give the awards to, etc.

Sundance, Gophers beat the Cheeseheads, Galactica

Sundance Film Festival Updates

I should be there..maybe in 2011. I don't love how all their coverage of their OWN FESTIVAL is done ONLY ON THEIR WEBSITE, and not, on, the tv channel itself, lol. Wtf Robert, what happened to those cool "Dailies"??

Imean to try and compile some future blogs about films that I mean toseek out, as I see them every year in the festival coverage. But ofcourse, most years I only am able to catch about 1/2 of them at best.

Gophers beat Wisconsin after playing poor and pressuring the last 3mins. I was saying they should have done that the whole fucking gamelol. I mean it rattled Wisconsin in the 1st 4mins, and then Tubbystopped using it. On the positive tho, they did win there for the 1sttime since I was a Senior in High School, lol. I am still not buying-into their 16-1 record entirely as I know how that can be a mirage. But Louisville, Virginia, Ohio State, and now IN MADISON..they are better than many thought. Then again, just look at Tubby Smith's track record: his Kentuckyteams would frequently win 25+ games. Tulsa too, and his Georgia teamsusually went to the NCAA's..so actually this isn't that surprising.However, those Kentucky teams had more talent perhaps. The player who impressed me the most tonight: Westbrook of course, 29pts can do that. Damien Johnson..key blocks and DEFENSE down the stretch and in OT. and RALPH SAMPSON..thatguy could be a stud. Mainly defensively. Maybe not his dad, but I hopehe stays academically eligible and remains here all 4 years.

This should be a fun season anyway. And I loved hearing the Sconnie boos..mwuahahaha!

Battlestar Galacticais back finally for the last 10 episodes tomorrow night. Whose the lastCylon?..for some reason I could see it being the President. Makes a lotof sense. Watched McDonnell and Olmos on THE VIEW. Olmos was offered the Jean-Luc Picard role in fact in the 80's.

Kyle XYPremiere on Monday: It's been nearly a year, and to be honest, thepremiere was kinda underwhelming and predictable. I did like the factKyle's going to be having more powers this season. And the thing withthe DJ dude and Latnok could be interesting. It hit me last night, thatis the same dude that starred in SEX DRIVE by NEVER BEEN THAWED Director Sean Anders. Perhaps some of the SEX DRIVE cast could guest appear on the KYLE SHOW?

Igot a nice list of 2008 movies to post in here soon. And also aslightly more detailed thing about my current favorite band in Kacica.


more music notes...

dredg's album got pushed back to April..Ours=2008 dejavu?

Mute Math was on Leno..on my dvr, will watch before bed.

Pure Reason Revolution's new album some cover art.

click here due to myspazz's "Terms of Service" violation image blocker..boo!

new Appleseed Cast song was posted: I haven't heard it yet.

Karnivool's new album title and release date will be announced in the coming weeks as they are finishing up mixing/mastering this month.

Soundscape's album "Grave New World" is done..the whole question about whether it got picked up by a small prog or metal label is the only question. But it'll be announced probably within a month I'd guess, if not sooner.

The new Modern Skirts album isn't bad, but not anything I expect to be a favorite or top 50 likely. But I'm sure I'll hear a ton of much worse records this year. The Brian Wilson elements work for them, even as subdued as much of their music is.

this new German experimental grindcore band Vaulting has a 19 minute full-length they released in 2008. It's very much less-is-more and it works. I think they trumped Born of Osiris's full-22min debut record from 2007.has a 19 minute full-length they released in 2008. It's very muchless-is-more and it works. I think they trumped Born of Osiris'sfull-22min debut record from 2007.

LOST is back next week..along with some others as the schedule in the last blog shows.

TV Schedule/Movies/Random Finds Preview/First Ave

Psych 1/9
Monk 1/9
Big Bang Theory 1/12
How I Met Your Mother 1/12
Two and a Half Men 1/12
Kyle XY 1/12
Smallville - 1/15
Battlestar Galactica - 1/16
Lost - January 21st
Burn Notice 1/22
Trust Me ...January 26th (on TNT)
Life on Mars - January 28th
Chuck/Heroes 2/2/09
Dollhouse Feb 13th
Terminator - Feb 13th
Castle... March 9th
Reaper March 17th
Cupid - March 24th
My Boys... March
The Unusuals ...4/8 (Amber Tamblyn lawyer show..replacing Life on Mars)

ABC shows w/ no info yet:
Better Off Ted
Good Behavior (Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars new show)

Party Down (also Rob Thomas..a show on the Starz network)

SAG's:
January 25th

IFP's:
February 21st

Oscars:
announced Jan 22nd
Ceremonies Feb 22nd

Sundance Film Festival 1/16-1/25TV Coverage/Dailies?..last year I recall they did no daily specials,but just did a summary special. And then a lot of content was on the Sundance Website.

Oneof these years..I will go. Maybe if I started saving now,little-by-little, I could plan for not 2010, but 2011? The cost wouldprobably be close to what Nearfest or ProgPowerUSA would be..withhigher hotel + food cost, but not as much music (or DVDs/Merch?) to buy.

Caught some-of (and need to finish up the rest) Art School Confidential last night on Sundance. Ironically, I noticed GHOST WORLDwas on local tv for the 1st time ever perhaps yesterday as well. DanielClowes getting the air time. I should finish ASC soon and clear it offmy dvr. I remember liking it; especially the dude whose sort of thelead's friend in the drawing and sculpture class. I should look up theactor and see what else he's done; he looks and talks very familiar.

Kate Winsletwins: I love her, and more or less loathe Leonardo DiCaprio, as anactor. But maybe if I saw him in something I liked, my mind wouldchange. I am quite eager to see what she gets nominated for with theOscars. I am thinking now with the siberia-weather out tomorrow night,I'll skip the free-pass for the Toni Collette/Diablo Cody premierepisode-movie-theater-advanced-screening and instead try and see "TheReader" in Oakdale. I'm not gonna expect Kate to win, but somehow thisyear feels different. Sadly, I still think the best thing I've everseen her in was SPOTLESS MIND..but granted, THAT MOVIE ITSELF is sodamn good, it helps a lot.

Once I get around to THE READER and perhaps BENJAMIN BUTTON..(also FROST/NIXON) and 1 or 2 others..I should post some kind of Ranking/Top Movies.I suppose my goal would be no later than the Oscars, but perhapssometime in the next few weeks. I've been strapped-down andguilt-tripped with time and focus with this move I made. I moved, yes,but I have masses of material to organize and sort. Still, I have likea dozen blogs I want to do, and should do soon. On MLK day perhaps 1 or2 of them since I'm getting my car maintenanced all day and will likelybe at Dunn Bros to kill time.

The next random finds is close as I not only have increased my headphone time with Kacica of course, but also Oedipus and Run Chico Runa bit. But also, I think it'd be worth adding some names I discoveredthe last portion of 2008 that I never actually got to write about (thatdeserve it). Beyond those, I can claim 2 new bands I have caught-on tothis week already in Strap the Button and The Sedan Vault. Some others as well, and some names I'm also meaning to sample soon. Estradaspherewas/is one, and I played a live youtube video yesterday from them. Theyseem rather folky and almost Zappa-ish. They reminded me of these 2guys who were Russian or perhaps from some Eastern bloc country doingjazzy folk music @ The Cedar a few years ago. Liars is another..then some stuff mentioned on some forums and some of the end-of-year lists still. Air France and perhaps Max Tundra (the comparisons to Self have me curious).

-A word on 7th Street Entry and First Ave. I enjoyed the Jeremy Messersmith/best Friends Forever/Caroline Smith show the other night, but it would have been a lot more enjoyable I suspect had this local establishment actually had soundproof wallsTo go along with a typical late start (10pm?, the 1st band started) andthe capacity crowd which of course was pretty scarce to find a spotwhere some if not many of the crowd wouldn't shut the fuck up betweenand DURING songs.

Much of the sound issues happened at Amanda Palmer in the mainroom last month.

I wanna go see Bloc Partyin March, but it's going to take a can't-miss for me to go back thereagain. If I know another band is playing in the other venue, and I'meven in the least bit on the fence, I will not go. That is probablynear if not the least desire club in the town for me to see a concertnow. Sorry, but the lack of soundproofing has lowerd their bar evenfurther. I mean I never was that gung-ho about the place to begin-with.The people there and the crowd always seemed very scenesters and oftengirls who show up, just to be there (and not for the music it self.Those are the ones that spend the entire show walking back and forthand their ears/hands glued to their cellphones. I don't need it, andnow multiple experiences with echoing sound from amplifiers duringshows just makes me want to avoid that place like the plague even more.I wish someone would go to the people who run First Ave and get intheir face about it. Who the hell wants to pay good $ for a concertthat you end up hearing pumped in bass from the other side of the wallevery 10 seconds. That's hardly getting your money's worth to me and Iimagine others. Hopefully they'll get enough complaints to do somethingabout it. But that may be wishful thinking.

ok, I'm horribly rambling..like Kate or Ms.Imogen-Heap-lookalike-golden-globe-winner-Sally-Hawkins, so I'll try and quit before this gets to be even more of a waste of space.