Umi: Dynamic instrumental rock band from Minnesota

So ever since seeing this local instrumental rock band open for The Reign of Kindo (Jason Richardson) on Sunday, and picking up the Flash Drive they had available with all 3 of the releases they have that are on their bandcamp page which are embedded below (the 2nd one, Tiny, Little Light which is free to download by the way).

I have been checking these studio recordings the last few days, and have in some ways been blown away.

The use of dynamics and intricate instrumentation and production is very clear.

Their music is bright, energetic, epic, and even somewhat diverse. Sometimes slow, sometimes moody, other times technical. The contrast and interplay of the guitars and drums really works well. And the piano, which I suppose may be 1 of the biggest things that makes them stand out from many of the instrumental rock bands out there.

There's at least 1 or 2 bands I'm still not remembering who they reminded me of, with their use of piano with post-rock/jazz etc. But I guess just to make a couple of comparisons.

1 being the early Tangled Thoughts of Leaving aka the Tiny Fragments EP especially. The subtle at times, yet goose-bump worth piano melodies that create such wonderful mood and atmosphere is present.

The other I want to say some of the earlier God is an Astronaut, I recall having some similar kinds of moments to the music from Umi.

But also someone like Pat Metheny of course (or more recently, The Super Pilots/Mike Linden), largely per the happy and bright tone, and even jazzy element.

I need to work my way through their stuff more to fully grasp how great this band is, but at a minimum, I think they are the both the best new band from Minnesota I've discovered since at least Words for Penga in 2015? and also maybe more so, the best instrumental/post band I a may attach myself to since Nordic Giants back in 2014.

I wonder if they could catch on the way I wondered about Brice Plays Drums or Lehto and Wright. Their music is both THAT GOOD and also it seems THAT ACCESSIBLE.

But, I also feel/felt the same way about the great Minnesota local band NOMIA. But...no dice really. If they remain a local treasure in MN, I can't really complain. But their music does seem appealing enough many may be sleeping on it.

oh, 1 other band who I wonder if they know or could play a show with: Put Down the Muffin. Instrumental proggy jazz from Minnesota would seem a group whose audience could enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/UmiMinnesota/


World of Color [EP]
 rel August 27, 2017


1. Droplet 04:30
2. In The Fog 05:58
3. World of Color 03:08
4. Ruin 06:00
5. Voyage 05:49


Tiny, Little Light [EP]
rel May 16, 2016

1. Warmth 01:57
2. After Warmth (ft. Jakub Żytecki) 05:02
3. Violet (ft. Plini) 06:47
4. Sunshine 09:55



Umi
rel August 24, 2015

1. Umi 06:32
2. Broken Ice 03:01
3. Oshun 04:15
4. Ika-Roa 02:16
5. Colorless (feat. Jared Waln) 04:46
6. Glass Fish (feat. Dustin Korth of By The Thousands) 06:05
7. Big Wave 03:04
8. Leaf Boat 04:30
9. Flow 03:35
10. Islet 02:16
11. Torrential 05:58

8/4/15: Bubblemath w/ Faun Fables+Paul Fonfara @ TripleRock

So I saw Bubblemath, or at least 4/5 of the band perform last night at The Triple Rock.

The Triple Rock, probably still my favorite venue for Rock shows in Minnesota, however last evening, for some reason the main stage and whole standing or "pit" area was curtained off, I guess per the projected size of the crowd for a somewhat short-notice/little promoted show.

But the crowd size was easily 50 or more people, which I guess my sense is the main stage and standing area could have been fine to use.

I dunno.

But Bubblemath, who I think it has been around 13 years since I'd seen, last time from memory was at The Cabooze in 2003. But their last show was in 2005 at The Triple Rock as well, but not a show I attended.

Their singer Jonathan Smith was not there, and so they played an hour I'd guess, of all-new, all-instrumental music. Music that will not in fact be on their follow-up album I guess, but perhaps on Album #3?

What was it like? verrry busy, technical, epic, and in synchonization. Very jazzy. But like their other music, it definitely was democratic in that no member seems to take over the spotlight more than any other. And many times they play in chorus together with a rhythm or a riff.

I guess if the early Bubblemath sounds at times like Gentle Giant meets Devo, this is more along the lines of Brand X or even like the most recent The Mercury Tree stuff.

Busy, intricate, methodical, etc..but it seemed every piece has moments to enjoy and get into, even if they at times took some time to get to.

Faun Fables: I enjoyed to a point. 1 of the guys from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's recent project that is very Acoustic and almost Renaissance-festival kind of stylings. Folk in nature, etc. Some diverse instrumentation and blending lead female vocals with male vocals at times. And they had some of the odd percussion at points like SGM.

Paul Fonfara as well, not bad. The pieces with the samples and layers of instrumentation worked best. The singer/songwriter work, I guess my feeling is I can take or leave.

But overall, great to see Bubblemath. Their new album very well may finally come out in the coming year or less (by the end of 2016 maybe). And it may be digitally released, at least just initially.

I do know there are a lot of the prog fans who are clamoring for it, so hopefully that Chinese Democracy/Smile like wait will finally end somewhat soon.
'
oh: and 1 of the coolest things about last night was how it did feel in some ways like a REUNION of some kind, seeing many people I hadn't in many years. From Maureen and Marshall from Run at the Dog, to obviously the Bubblemath guys and many of their friends-fans, etc

Now only if we could get Bubblemath to play a show with The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Lehto and Wright and/or Brice Plays Drums among other local Minnesota prog groups, that would be quite an event as well.

Brice Plays Drums - Gull Catcher [1B] (2015-2016)

This is the track they've been playing live the last couple of years that I've loved. That galloping section around the 3:45-mark I always enjoy. And with their new/current lineup including Bethany Higgins on trumpet and new guitarist Andrew McManimon.

This track really shreds at points, and only adds intrigue to what may come next from these guys, one of my favorite bands of the last 5 or more years.

From Facebook:

Proud and happy to release our latest work "Gull Catcher". We had the immense pleasure of working with the tenacious and patient Kevin Israel at RiverRock Studios. He did excellent work recording and mixing this track. Additional credits go to the fine mastering skills of Mike Ganrude. Last, photo credits to Courtnie Degrand and photo design credits to Richard Yaeger. Please enjoy and please share with your prog loving friends. We give this freely. It will be the last work released by us for quite some time.

The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Earth Lift (2014-2015)

9/23/15 12:41AM

New TGCO!

September 29th  is the release date (next Tuesday).

I haven't checked out the new tracks yet as I'm currently at a show watching another good local MN band in Treading North, in fact.

But this certainly one I'm looking forward to in the next few days, as I imagine they will have copies for sale at TGCO's show with Brice Plays Drums this Friday September 25th at Harriet Brewing.

Also noteworthy is their cover of Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" which I really enjoyed live.

edit: "Fish of a Feather" is awesome.



1. Forward Motion (Part 2) 01:47
2. You Do That 02:05
3. Fish of a Feather 05:57
4. When the Levee Breaks
5. Earth Lift
6. Swara Kakali
7. Picker Waddle
8. The Demented Waltz
9. Poison
10. Minion (Part 2)
11. Honky Bumblebee

Favorites: Progressive Rock Albums from MINNESOTA

Progressive Rock in Minnesota or from Minnesota. At one point it became a completely false statement, or at least for a younger/newer fan of progressive rock and metal in the 90's and early 2000's it was incredibly rare to find, and notice interest outside of Minnesota and the "prog scene" aka at prog festivals, on message boards/forums and in some of the magazines.

And maybe even worse than that, the local music media rarely talked about much of it, if at all. Or especially never used the "p" word when they did.

And I suppose the fact is, there was some of it many years ago that I knew about, or meant to check out but never got to. Or bands/artists who played live and never managed to record anything I can find on record.

Gypsy I recall, is a band from the 1970's I have heard of and seen their early 70's Vinyl records for pretty high prices in the last 5 years, but I honestly have yet to hear much from. Given my interest in bands like Renaissance and even Fairport Convention somewhat, I probably could dig them.

Or Sussman Lawrence I guess has some prog roots, as I was told a story about their bassist Al Wolovitch,, once spent a whole summer locked in a cabin learning Yes's Fragile album. And another story of him playing Al Di Meola's Land of the Midnight Sun on a guitar with 1-string, lol.

Peter Himmelman went on to much greater success with his solo career which wasn't really prog though.

Dan Wilson of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic as well as a solo artist, has mentioned more than once to being a big Yes fan, although I'm not sure if much if any of his music really dove into prog regardless. But maybe I haven't heard the right music?

Prince isn't prog, although it could be argued he's progressive, so in a way, one of the biggest musical acts in general from Minnesota, could fit in here, but at the same time, I really only know his hits well and some of the 80's records.

With a lot of that being brought up, it seems over the last decade or even 15 years, many underground bands have made prog or related records that have reached my radar. And I'd say especially in the last 7 or 8 years, many of the best progressive rock albums from Minnesota have been made and released, And in some cases, just albums overall as from the list I made a few weeks ago about favorite albums from 2010-2014, 3 or 4 of them were included being among the best albums I've heard in this current decade overall.


Brice Plays Drums


Lehto and Wright

RisingSide


The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra


Words for Penga


Greg Herriges

So in a way, I've found a lot of it of late, which might be safe to say prog in Minnesota is flourishing in some ways. And with active bands. Namely groups like Brice Plays Drums, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, RisingSide, Words for Penga, Hardcore Crayons, Lehto and Wright and Cloud Cult of course.



And with Cloud Cult, while to me they are progressive, to others, they are I suppose a chamber/barqoue rock band really who literally and figuratively uses "Art" as a large part of their direction and message. Along with the environment and science I guess. I mean maybe they aren't big Yes or Genesis fans, but they also don't seem to follow any pop-standard rules aka they break or make their own rules and among their lengthly catalog, have experimented with many sounds, textures, themes, etc..using samples, and a lot of other stuff.

So I concluded when I finally got into them a few years ago, despite them being a band who some of the music media have championed and force-fed at times via Radio K, Citypages, or The Current,  etc their music still falls in line with what I consider progressive as much as just "Art Rock."

So, with all that being said, and I'm sure there's a lot more I could and very well may add about my seemingly neverending agenda to have prog in Minnesota be a real thing that more people and even the music media both in Minnesota and around the Globe could and should know about.

Here's a list of many of my favorite progressive records from Minnesota mostly from the last 10 years or so. Perhaps in due time, I may discover the Gypsy and Sussman Lawrence records among others I'm not thinking or unaware of.

A List about my favorite Minnesota Artists on Rateyourmusic.com I made


Bubblemath - Such Fine Particles of the Universe (2002)
This was probably the 1st "prog" band I ever discovered  from Minnesota that the progressive rock scene knew. I just recall my friend Creighton talking about them on one of the radio shows we did on KFAI and then I checked them out and enjoyed them.

Kind of Gentle Giant meets Devo in some ways. Their 2nd album in some ways has become like the Chinese Democracy of the undeground prog world.

At least in 2014 they released their 1st track since this debut record of theirs.

Notable Tracks: Be Together. Dollhammer


The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Lookin' For a Little Strange (2009)

1 of a few groups John Wright is involved with on this list. TGCO debut record. I probably could have chose any of their 3 records, but I guess given it includes my favorite track of theirs overall "Dark Matter" this is still probably my go-to.

Jazz-Rock with bluegrass elements.



Greg Herriges- Telluric Currents (2009)

Progressive Acoustic Ethnic Folk? Some wonderful compositions on this album, and quite a unique or original blending of styles.



Media Addicts - Autonomy
Jaw-dropping heavy jazz-rock. Top-notch musicianship. Many of the tracks have multiple sections I look forward to each time through.


Mike Linden - Bubble and Squeak
Very impressive Jazz-Rock very much in the tradition of Return to Forever and Pat Metheny.


Brice Plays Drums - Man the Animal Cannon (2012)
3 epic tracks all composed to perfection. Less is more.


Cloud Cult - Light Chasers (2010)
My favorite Cloud Cult record. A concept album, that is a journey album of sorts. The segues are incredible, and the lyrics and melodies are very inspiring. "We've all got energy in us."


Lehto and Wright - Children's Songs (2010)
4 tracks, 2 lengthly, 2 shorter. The title track suite runs the gamut of references and style. From Bartok, to Led Zeppelin. This is about as good as folk music and progressive rock can get to me.


The Book of Right On - All These Songs About Music (2010)
This band was amazing and this is their only released full-length album.

I guess they reminded me of a few groups, but I suppose the King Crimson style of instrumentation and the Primus quirky-ness including the lead vocals, stood out.

At the same time, the talent-level seems through the roof with this band. And it showed well on this debut album of theirs.


Dean Magraw's Red Planet-  Space Dust (2009)

This is quite an amazing live record that I find may be the greatest recording capturing much of Dean Magraw's vast talents. His group interprets music from the likes of John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix and even Solom Linda's "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

Pure magic and a trip. I just wish the countless concerts I've seen Dean perform (with Red Planet along with many others like Eight-Head, Boiled in Lead, or Davu Seru) could be experienced in greater quantities by others. But at least this is a great way to go revisit it,



The Royal Veil -  King of the Ocean (2013)
Doomy prog metal. "Into the Sun" maybe being my favorite track on this album. Their sound I often like to describe as The Mars Volta meets Tool, but I actually hear a lot of other influences as well. And Doomy/Sludge Metal I have become less into over recent years, but this album probably still being an exception.


Nomia -  Iron and Rust (2014)
Long awaited debut full-length from one of my favorite "Post" bands working today. I guess I find their style of heavy Post Rock almost like how I wish Russian Circles sounded now.

Great record start to finish aka greater than the sum of its parts.


RisingSide - Arrow: The Onus Key (2013)

My favorite new Minnesota band discovery in 2014. They do a heavy brand of prog that is certainly influenced by Coheed and Cambria and Tool. But with Katie Lundberg's vocals certainly give them some distinction. Overall though, good songwriting. And even though their current amazing guitarist Juan Carlos did not play on this debut album of theirs, the lead guitar work is still a great part of Arrow's sound.

A Spell and Seeking Avalon are among my favorite tracks.


Words for Penga -  Prose (2015)

Very impressive debut record that just was released in the last month or so. Definitely thus far, my favorite newly discovered band from Minnesota. They remind me of East of the Wall in a lot of ways, with their dynamics and mix of clean and screaming vocals. Their singer almost does sound like Daron from System of a Down, but in a good way.

Also I very much appreciate their use of saxophone.

An album I would not be surprised to finish rather high at the end of this season/year.

some other records I enjoy (that maybe I'll do a Part 2 and try and write up as well):

Hardcore Crayons - Zozzled (2015)
Brice Plays Drums - ProgTagonist (2014)
Put Down the Muffin - Charged Particles (2014)
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Zombie Mouth (2014)
The Royal Veil - The Royal Veil [EP] (2012)
Brice Plays Drums - I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures (2011)
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - All Out of Peaches (2011)
City of Sound - L'implosion (2009)
Media Addicts - Elsewhere (2008)
Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) (2008)
Nomia - Nomia EP (2008)
The Bad Plus - Prog (2007)
Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (2007)
Empires - Through Trial and Tribulation Comes Triumph (2007)
Between Two Skies - A Thousand Conscious Moments [EP] (2007)...This EP I do enjoy a lot, and whenever they release a full-length I likely could find it among my favorites given for a good while they were my favorite band from Minnesota. The new music they wrote for it is amazing having seen them play many of the songs over a few years/many shows.

A Whisper in the Noise - As the Bluebird Sings (2006)
Greg Herriges - It Plays Me (2005)
Lehto and Wright - The Thrashing Machine and Other Stories (2005)
Cloud Cult - Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus (2004)
Lehto and Wright - A Game of Chess (2003)
A Series of Clicks and Beeps - Demo?
Best Friends Forever - Best Friends Forever (?)
Lehto and Wright - The Further Adventures of Darling Cory (2002)
Gracepoint - Science of Discontent (2000)
Lehto and Wright - Ye Mariners All (2000)
Conditioned Response - In Flagranté Delecto (1999)
Lord of All Desires - The Scent of Malevolence (1997)
Magellanmusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams (1997)
Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dogs (1997)

Own/Wishlisted but haven't gotten into or around to listening to the studio recordings:
Other Country Ensemble - no studio albums at this point, but there could be soon.
Blue Canoe - Blue Canoe
Run at the Dog - Scutigera, Yeah!
Iced Ink - There's A Bee In Here
Gotterdammerung
Lost Mind Found
Sussman Lawrence
Greg Herriges + John Wright's very Crimson-esque band from the 1990's and Produkt.
Maeth
Stellar Vector
Gypsy

Words for Penga - Prose (2014-2015)

http://www.wordsforpenga.com/

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Words for Penga are a relatively new progressive metal band from my home state of Minnesota. I guess they formed in Ely, MN, but have moved to the Twin Cities relatively recently.

Long story short: I happened to meet their guitarist Ben Balitch, of all places, walking my Fiancee's dog in her neighborhood. He and the woman he was with (girlfrend/fiancee/wife? unsure) were walking their dog, etc. And he made a comment on my The Reign of Kindo hoodie, etc, etc.

Anyway, so timing was pretty good as this debut album of his band Words for Penga literally was released like a week or so after I met him. And I have been slowly checking it out and probably more surprisingly, really digging a lot of it (my Minnesota biased could be included, but I really don't think it would matter where they are from actually).

Musically, Words for Penga and this debut album Prose I would describe as progressive metal of a sort. But not like Dream Theater or even that much like Between the Buried and Me who Ben mentioned they either get compared-to or lumped-in with.

I would maybe compare them to East of the Wall (something like The Apologist) and some others. Their lead singer reminds me somewhat of Daron from System of a Down when he's singing clean, although I suppose you could say he has a bit of the Grunge/Post-Grunge style in his voice, but at the same time, I am beginning to appreciate his vocals the more I hear them. And the screams also do work well, and I suppose that is one reason I thought of East of the Wall.

They use saxophone in spots, which while it seems to be becoming more common, still is rare and very much something I enjoy in Metal in the right arrangement. The beginning of the record even on "The Mouth of the Nile" has some among some other moments (I want to say the closing track "Drown" as well "This Was Icarus Drowning"..which might be a reference/reprise per a Concept?).

But I will certainly be taking this in more this year, and maybe add more here or another entry in terms of details (or a Video).

I am enjoying this enough though to maybe regard this as 2015's Brice Plays Drums or RisingSide in that it's another local band doing progressive stuff that I am surprised how good and how much I am enjoying them. And for that matter, where they will go, as this is just their debut record.

I'd love to also see them live, perhaps with another band like The Royal Veil, Nomia, Maeth among other favorites. I wonder if the members and their fans know any of those bands.




1 The Mouth of the Nile 8:11
2 I Cover All 5:55
3 This Was Icarus Drowning 4:41
4 It Was Dark and Then It Isn't 6:26
5 Skinny Bells 9:44
6 Drown 7:15

The Dang Ol' Tri'ole - Rise and Shine (2014)

This is a Bluegrass/Folk/Cabaret/Prog of some sort project from Minnesota, which includes the Higgins brothers from Brice Plays Drums. I may be off on this, but I thought at least 1 of the other members of this group used to be with Brice Plays Drums. Wesley Full? I believe it is, and from chatting with him I got the impression he was one of the main driving forces/songwriters.

At any case, they had a CD release show last Friday that I meant to but did not make due to seeing Sloan with the GF at the Turf Club instead.

But this track below especially has me quite intrigued to hear more of this new 2nd LP of theirs.

I'll have to bump this topic when I get that chance, hopefully soon as they have more gigs lined up over the next few weeks.

http://www.thedangoltriole.com/

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The Return of Bubblemath: New track "The Sensual Con"

This new song "The Sensual Con" is pretty awesome.

It's been what seems like forever since their debut album Such Fine Particles of the Universe came out in 2002. And it's so odd to think bands like Brice Plays Drums and Lehto & Wright have been cruising along making albums in the years since among local Minnesota progressive rock. But I'll admit, from my generation and my radar, these guys were like the 1st actual "prog" band from Minnesota I found out about and got into.

And the progressive rock scene, really only like a year or two after that record came out, I often saw mention of them. What they might be up to, when the next album would be coming, etc. And there was belief and mention of it coming soon after Particles dropped in '02, especially given I had seen them play a lot of new songs live, so the material was there for sure.

But for budgetary constraints and obviously time, it just never happened. But at the same time, they never really broke up, just I suppose stopped playing live.

But maybe now, in 2014, they finally have found the time and money to finally record and release that music. This new song does sound like them, but certainly also sounds more polished from a production standpoint.

Honestly, I really haven't had many reservations about their next record, if/when it came out. Certainly I planned to check it out, and want to support them in any way I could. But this new song sounds maybe more intriguing than I would have expected. The instrumental passages are crazy good and even fun in a lot of ways. Very tight dynamics, and the layers of keys and drum tracks come at you left and right.

Fuck, I can't help now but be very intrigued by this record they may finally put out, whether it be in 2014, or if not, sometime in 2015.

Welcome back Bubblemath!


Bubblemath on Facebook

RisingSide: Great new Prog band from Minnesota!

https://www.facebook.com/risingside

http://www.risingside.com/

About RisingSide:
RisingSide is a unique four piece progressive rock band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their music is epic, hard rocking, soulful, complex, heavy, and storytelling. The members of RisingSide are also proactive with other professional and educational activity in the music community.


I was told about this band last week at the Agalloch concert in Minneapolis. Being that they are a progressive rock band from Minnesota, I'm actually not certain I hadn't heard of them. But regardless, I finally checked them out this week and am certainly glad I did.

They have a debut album Arrow: The Onus Key which came out in 2013 I thought I saw. I've listened to it twice and am already rather impressed. Enough so, I probably can say this is the best new band I've discovered from my hometown in at least a few years (Brice Plays Drums?).

Their music: I would describe it as sort of 90's-sounding prog metal/heavy prog rock. Mainly the guitars/guitar textures. But that isn't saying the sound/mix/production etc is bad or something I wish were better. They have a female singer named Katie who really does use a lot of emotion and keeps me paying attention to her voice throughout.

My early favorites have got to be "A Spell"..which almost sounds like a Saigon Kick song ("Spanish Rain"?) at 1st, and ends up being very melodic. "The Tentran Beast," "Admonition of Eld," "Inciting Incident"..the Hourglass suite that closes the record, etc. It's really an enjoyable record start to finish.

I guess to label them, I might say they are sort of heavy progressive rock with an emphasis on the melodic and textures more than actual complexity. A bit like The Gathering or Pink Floyd in some ways. Or I even hear some similarities to the band Three at points.

The first full-album release for RisingSide. "Arrow: The Onus Key" includes the first half of the "Arrow" story arch - an intergalactic tale of two alien races fighting for the fate of their world...and ours.

It also includes "The Telling of the Tower: Hourglass" - the second part of the time travel, epic love story of an immortal being from another plane of existence and a reincarnated samurai.



1 Inciting Incident
2 Save Her
3 The Tentran Beast
4 Chase
5 A Spell
6 Admonition of Eld
7 Volition - The Telling of the Tower: Hourglass
8 Seeking Avalon - The Telling of the Tower: Hourglass

They also have released an EP from a few years ago, The Telling of the Tower , which I suppose you could say which is a free download on the exact link below. 2 tracks, about 10 minutes. Both are as good if not even more polished than much of the Arrow: The Onus Key material.

 And as this blurb says, it is the 1st part of a 2-part concept/story, etc. Part Two being the last 2 tracks at the end of Arrow: The Onus Key

"The Telling of the Tower" is part one of a two part rock narrative. It follows the epic love story of an angelic alien and a samurai living in feudal Japan. Their violent romance takes them staggering through war, time, and space in a story of hope and tragedy. When the tower of your love collapses, what is there left to accomplish? What is there left to live for, but vengeance?

http://www.risingside.com/music



1. The Challenge
2. Feathers and Embers

I guess time will tell, but hopefully this band and the musicians in it will have a bright future. It's great to find another new local prog band, that their potential seems to hold a lot of optimism, at least from my impressions.

Hopefully I'll manage to catch them live sometime soon as well.

11/1/13 - 6/20/14 (Albums Countdown/List SO FAR)

Haven't heard/heard enough to really rank/mix in.
Wolfmother - New Crown
Bigelf - Into the Maelstrom
KXM - KXM
Being - Anthropocene

----------------------------------------------

Pharrell Williams - G I R L
St.Vincent - St.Vincent
Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
Crippled Black Phoenix - White Light Generator
Warpaint - Warpaint
Hannes Grossman - The Radial Covenant
Fire Garden - Sound of Majestic Colors
Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No
Bed of Stars - Tell Me If It's True [EP]
Mastodon - Once More Around the Sun
The Aston Shuffle - Photographs
Pat Metheny Unity Group - Kin
Cloud Caverns - Gypsy Loft
Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere
Toria - Octave
Chromeo - White Women
Three - Sugarlife/You Are the Alien
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Zombie Mouth
Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us
Moron Police - Defenders of the Small Yard
Jeremy Messersmith - Heart Murmurs
Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Mammoth Skin Pt. 2 [EP]
Casey Crescenzo - Amour and Attrition

Umphrey's McGee - Similar Skin


I'm not as blown away as I initially thought I would be, but I still am enjoying a lot of this. The heavier and proggy parts probably most. "Bridgeless" and 'Hindsight" which end the album, maybe most. The Joel-vocal songs maybe stand out most on a lot of levels. "Little Gift" being one of those. This record does continue their pattern of every-other-album being good being much better than Death By Stereo.

I guess I'll see how much better or growing it does for me, although I still have only listened to it about 3 or 4 times at this point.


Archive - Axiom

Nice,. trippy/trip-hoppy, moody soundtrack to a film of the same name. The title track has this section about 3 or 4 minutes in that is ear-wormy. This band continues to make impressive music, this album being no exception.


Genders - Get Lost



Katherine Paul (ex-Forest Park) was how discovered this band. She is the drummer and sings some (background) I guess. I really like the blend of elements and influences from this band/on this album. Psychedelic, power-pop, dream-pop, etc.


Brice Plays Drums - ProgTagonist



"Sisyphus" being my favorite. The closing piece is Yes-inspired apparently, although it reminds me more of The Grateful Dead actually (not in a bad way though). I do like how they changed/did some different things with Jazz and Middle Eastern element on a song like "Alyosha" and "Ramses."


Fjokra - Thoughtsteps [EP]


"Infinite Loops" is the best song I've heard in 2014 thus far. Catchy, textured, dynamic, and lyrical. It is kind of like the sequel to Kevin Gilbert's "Shadow Self" in some ways. This EP is rather addictive though. "Love, Thrust, Burn" and "That Old Time Nook" among the other parts that I keep going back to.

Grimus - Emergence


"Satellites" is maybe my favorite track. The title track, "Morning Stars" 'Legends" "The Hell I'm In" "Weird Disco" "Peregrine" ..more or less the whole record. I like that they have what sounds like 2 or more lead singers, although Bogdan Mezofi, their longtime lead singer still is featured and while he does remind me of some other singers like Jimmy Gnecco of Ours, his vocal lines and the melodies still really work on their own level.


The Family Crest - Beneath the Brine


Coming a bit out of nowhere, Great chamber folk-rock of sorts with the instrumental layers, vocal harmonies and memorable sections/melodies that make this record work beginning to end. The title track is probably still my favorite.


Anathema - Distant Satellites


"Ariel" the title track, the Self-Titled track, "The Lost Song" suite, and more or less the whole record. Don't mind the synthy/pop stuff, nor even the Radiohead inspired music, mainly because Vince is singing and not Thom Yorke.


Bend Sinister - Animals


Another great record from these guys. "The Best of You" is wonderful. The sad synths in "It Will Never End" always get me, like I don't want the album to ever end, lol.


EDIT: A 20 minute video may be put in here sometime soon as I made it last night, but don't have the time right now to edit/upload it yet.

Brice Plays Drums - ProgTagonist (2014)

6/20/14 9:00AM

The whole thing has been up for awhile on their bandcamp. I never got around to looking/grabbing the embed. But anyway, there it is. Of course it can be downloaded and I wouldn't be surprised if the CD can be purchased from the band as I have about 4 copies still from the release.

How is it? I like it, but not as much as Man the Animal Cannon at this point. It is just outside my top 5 as I posted above. My favorite track probably still is the opening 9+ minute piece "Sisyphus."



5/17/14 1:06PM

After seeing them perform the whole thing last night, I'm finally this afternoon checking out the studio version (although so typically, I don't foresee being able to listen to the whole thing given my plans for the day revolve around the gf, but we'll see).

.I'll hopefully add more later


1. Sisyphus 9:46
2. An Onion 1:05
3. Alyosha 7:45
4. Ramses 9:36
5. Gemini 10:43
6. When Lions Meet Bears 5:45


4/25/14 12:15AM

Track One! "Sisyphus" Some tasty work on here having just streamed it a couple of times already. this piece isn't a dramatic departure from the Man the Animal Cannon work, but that material is so good, I can't find any reason to not dig this as much. I guess some of this 9+ minute piece is a little more subdued or even more refined sonically. The dynamics and shifts in tempos come certainly, but they aren't as extensive or for as long.

The inspiration seems like it may be from literature, with a title like "Sisyphus."

I would guess the cover art is the image being used below/on their Soundcloud page/Facebook show poster.

Anyway, I may be streaming this a few more times until hearing this record (I generally don't like to *wear out* a song or 2 before hearing it within the whole album), but not too much given this record is coming in just a few weeks.on May 16th, which is the same date of an album release show at Whiskey Junction. Sadly, it will also be keyboardist Bobby Homan's final show with the band. I have no idea what they will do onward, being keyboardist-less? or find someone new? their history almost parallels Genesis a little bit.

I also thought it might be worth sharing the write-up on their Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/briceplaysdrums/sisyphus

Brice Plays Drums is a progressive rock project from Minnesota. Since its inception in 2007, the group has diversified and evolved its music, broadening its influences while honing and clarifying their respective skills. Like contemporary progressive groups such as Steve Wilson, The Mars Volta and Between the Buried and Me, they strive to fill the void left by greats such as Yes, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, and Gentle Giant,, thus restoring musicality into the rock genre. A clever and ever varying mix consisting of rock, jazz fusion, Latin, and funk, Brice Plays Drums has pushed the boundaries few bands today dare to tread near. In this vein, they continue to seek the answer to the ultimate question: What the shit is Progressive Rock?



2/19/14 6:30PM
Facebook
FYI, release date is May 16th.

1/29/14 9:15PM



It's about time we give our Facebook people an update. We are getting our new album, ProgTagonist, mastered so keep an eye out for a cd release show in the near future. Looking forward to showing off this album. Also, we are pleased to announce Andrew McManimon as the newest member of BPD. We will be doing some live gigs soon for all you prog savvy sexy people. Can't wait to debut some tunes.

I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures: Great debut
Man the Animal Cannon: Incredible follow up, and one of the best records this decade,
ProgTagonist: ?

I dig the title, sort of overt, or almost tongue-in-cheek in some way perhaps. It sounds like it may be released in February or March.

Love. this. band.

The Royal Veil - King of the Ocean (2013)

8/13/13 9:30AM
edit: the whole album is available to STREAM now above/their bandcamp page and buy/download what you want.

I haven't been able to listen to it in-full, due to some unforeseen circumstances with my gf's mother. It kind of puts things in perspective I guess. But I do think it's great they have made it available for free.

8/10/13 12:19AM
 https://www.facebook.com/theroyalveil

I saw them play this whole thing last night (August 9th, 2013), along with seeing Yes at Mystic Lake Casino in fact.

It slayed. Pretty much ballsy, intricate, dynamic, almost theatrical at-times stuff, that I while I wasn't surprised, still very impressed. They spent a long time making this debut record of theirs, and just guessing here, but I think that extra time, patience and effort may have made this album coming out all the better.

I'll try (of course time permitting) including more details about it soon in here, but I would hardly be surprised if this album is not only among, if not the best album to be released from any Minnesota band in 2013. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being 1 of my 2013 favorites overall, much like Brice Plays Drums from 2012 , Lehto & Wright in 2010, etc.

But, also it would come as no shock, if it finds only a fraction of the audience it deserves, But, that is what this blog is supposed to be for in some ways (failing, or not at that, lol). If they are my and some others little brilliant secret from Minnesota this year or however long after, it's not the end of the world, as I've seen this pattern far too many times before. It doesn't detract from the actual music and even the band continuing to make more regardless.

Maybe the most jaw-dropping part, seeing this whole album played live, was from "Into the Sun." There's a unison section that is just that, jaw-dropping, among other things.



1. The Waters 2:19
2. The Entity 4:15
3. A Circle of Violence 11:08
4. Wake 1:54
5. Tonic 4:42
6. Into the Sun 7:06
7. Battletoad 9:49
8. Entity ü 2:25

http://theroyalveil.bandcamp.com/

KFAI Radio: 6/713 Filling In on the air for The Minnesota Sound

http://kfai.org/mnsoundtrack

6/7/13 The show is up to stream and DOWNLOAD for 2-weeks. 

I was filling in here, for a show that is STRICTLY ALL MINNESOTA MUSIC. Nothing from artists that are not from Minnesota is allowed. In other words, Subbing by playing a lot of my favorite music wouldn't work for this specific show. But I enjoy enough music from Minnesota, that this show still worked well.

My girlfriend kind of felt the same, but maybe even more, leans towards music not from Minnesota. But given she also can sub at KFAI, subbing for some other non-restricted-to-Minnesota-Music shows may be more likely (perhaps "The Pop Shop" on Monday evenings at Midnight, or some others)

Also about playing the CARTS aka Promos, etc... I didn't mean to play the same cart twice; I have a better idea how to play the carts now in fact, by playing them all-at-once, at least I guess it's okay. Perhaps playing them all at once, twice during the show in fact. It's been so many years, but I forgot that it was okay to play carts in different fashions, just that to remember to actually play them is the key.

Here's my post from Facebook with the Playlist:

I feel bad leaving my copy of The Royal Veil 's EP at work, and forgetting to mention the Mike Linden track I played. My apologies. 

But hopefully both of them will be fully included the next time I sub on KFAI. 




Brice Plays Drums - Freight Train Blues
Mike Linden - Paper Plans II: 1903
WOLFHOPPERS - Purpose, Part I
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - Darkmatter
The Book Of Right On - Manchild at the Helm

Prince and the Revolution - Pop Life
Jeremy Messersmith - Dead End Job
Dan Wilson - She Can't Help Me Now

Spaghetti Western String Co - P. Sellers
Peter Ostroushko - Topanga Canyon Strut
Reptile Palace Orchestra - Little Wing
Boiled In Lead - Jolly Tinker

Background:
Nomia - Perseus
Lehto & Wright - Children's Songs
Media Addicts - Zeitgeist
Greg Herriges - Sabir Khan Song
Watercolors - ?

89.3's "The Local Show: Critics Edition"

12/18/12 2:30AM

Edit: Here's the stream of it.



And for those not wanting to listen to all 2 hours, here is a transcript of this show.

Of course, I was right, as they didn't say a word about anything I submitted below. Not that I would expect them to, but it just goes to show, it's a numbers game, and perhaps the people who ran this thing on 89.3, may (likely do) not give two shits about anything I write about here in this blog.

I will say, it was kind of clear who I would side with among those critics. Raihala and even Reed Fischer I seemed to agree with more than the others. I actually always liked Ross Raihala when I used to listen to the Pioneer Press podcast he was on a few years back, and frankly, I've never gotten as much of a snobbish impression from him compared to some of the other music media in this town. Now, that doesn't mean he's not guilty of what many of the others are, but just from hearing his responses on this show, and remembering those podcasts back in the day, I definitely find his approach to be more inviting.


12/15/12 12:48PM
I was going to wait until after this special show tomorrow on 89.3 to actually publish this, but I'm deciding to do it now given I don't expect them to include anything from it anyway. And even if they do, I won't be able to hear it live since my family's annual Channukah party/dinner will be taking place during the time it will air (6-8PM). Perhaps they will put it on their website to stream, which will help. If that happens, I'll have to listen to it and link it up.

http://blog.thecurrent.org/post/2012/11/local-show-critics-edition

Every year on The Local Show, we do our critics edition to talk favorite local releases of 2012 as well as trends and predictions. This year, we're welcoming back Reed Fischer of City Pages, Chris Riemenschneider of The Star Tribune, Ross Raihala of The Pioneer Press and our very own Andrea Swensson to give us their takes on Minnesota music.

But we also need your opinions on the matter! Below, you'll find questions that the critics have been asked to answer, and David Campbell wants some additional ammo to bounce off the crew in the studios. We'll also choose one listener-submitted question for the critics to tackle.

Submit your responses by end-of-day Monday, December 3, and tune in Sunday, December 16 from 6-8 p.m. on The Local Show to hear the discussion play out.



Did the "super secret fraternity of local tastemakers/gatekeepers" get it right in 2012? If not, who was overlooked? I'm not sure who all is part of this "super secret fraternity" but I might infer whoever they are, they may be in to be put on "[double]/super secret probation" ;)

But if the question refers to the most known local music media:
-89.3's Local Show
-Citypages (both print and web)
-The music columnists from both major newspapers
 -Radio K's "Off the Record"
-Vita.mn
-MPLS.tv
-mplsmusic.com
-some of the minnesota music blogs/sites

I'd say overall, no, they did not get it right. Why I say that is some of my favorite music that came out in 2012, was from Minnesota, and more or less none of these sources talked about them. These artists, that I'd say got overlooked would include the likes of Brice Plays Drums, Media Addicts, Mike Linden, Lehto & Wright and The Royal Veil.


Which artists or stories were overhyped in 2012? Who didn't live up to the hype they got, or was mentioned far more than was deserved?
-Owl City definitely. Awful mall-pop. This should in no way represent the kind of music Minnesota can produce. I really wish the local and national music media would stop talking about this project, as it's a huge waste of time to mine and many other music fans I know.
-The Velvet Teens: If for no other reason, but the fact there is a terrific band named The Velvet Teen, and this new local band of nearly the same name, makes music that doesn't even come close to comparing, or even being any good.
-4 on the Floor
-P.O.S. (if only this guy lived up to the initial P O and S like PAIN OF SALVATION, but he does not in much if any way) like a lot of local artists who somehow get big nationally, I find nothing about his music that is interesting. There are other, better local Hip-Hop artists (No Bird Sing, Lazerbeak, Guante) who deserve more attention than him and people like Brother Ali.

EDIT: these I forgot to include, but I find it worth adding here and now at least. I'm sure there are others I am not remembering, and if/when that happens I may also add them.
-Hayley Bonar She is a dime-a-dozen and yet the music media makes her out to be the next big thing in female singer/songwriter types. I hear absolutely nothing unique about her or her voice. Give me Alicia Wiley or Jenny Dalton among many others instead.
-Polica so their singer likes to use a vocoder? yeah, but that's hardly is new, nor means the vocal lines and songwriting is anything amazing.
-Trampled By Turtles: Boiled in Lead are SO MUCH better than this band, and not to forget, have been around MUCH LONGER. Why the music media and hipsters keep praising them to no end is kind of baffling. Boiled In Lead should be receiving the same amount (if not VASTLY more) of attention. But are they? of course not.

What were the most impressive live events that took place in 2012? What made these events great?
-Brice Plays Drums and The Super Pilots @ 400 Bar. This was a tremendous show, and probably the best local concert I attended in 2012. Maybe a lot to do with the fact The Super Pilots were a band I had never seen before, and they totally blew me away. They have this outstanding approach to Jazz-fusion that I can't help but be romanticized by in my love of groups like Return to Forever and Weather Report. And Brice Plays Drums, simply put, are my favorite local band right now. They put out my favorite local album each of the last 2 years, and they also deliver the goods live. I think there's far too many people who have no idea what they are missing by never hearing them. They are as talented a young band to come along in a few years, and have this incredible knack for composing epic songs with multiple-sections that segue unbelievably well. In other words, they are like a Minnesota answer to both Yes and The Mars Volta. And if even a fraction of the people became aware of them, that could and should, they'd have a chance to continue making a lot more music and play concerts like this down the road.

-Mutemath @ First Ave. What made it great was more or less what makes every Mutemath concert great. They bring tons of energy, it's never boring, they get the crowd involved, and they do these infectious group drum jams. And having seen them 4 or 5 times before, they somehow keep on matching if not topping each performance.
-Mayer Hawthorne @ First Ave. This show was great because he has this great vibe about him, playing to the crowd constantly. And his band is super tight. And like Mute Math, his music just has an added flavor to it live. The Stepkids were a fun opener, and Mayer even covered a Hall & Oates tune!
-Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra @ First Ave. Despite the lack of Soundproofed walls at First Ave, this show was highly memorable and engaging. Amanda's got a great band, plus the local musicians who came on and played with both her band and the opening/side musicians. She played most of her excellent new record "Theatre is Evil" and even did some incredible covers like George Michael's "Careless Whisper."
-Kimbra @ The Varsity Theater. Kimbra has a freakish amount of energy, her songs seem to almost take on a life of their own live. She played most of "Vows" including "Withdraw" which I was not expecting, but thrilled to see and hear live. But most of the songs she played, had these great new arrangements live, it was in some ways, like hearing them for the 1st time again.
-The Monkees @ The State Theatre. This was an incredibly unexpected EVENT concert for many including my girlfriend whose longed to see Michael Nesmith play live for over 26 years. And to have it finally happen, was historic. Their performance, including Mike's, was more or less flawless. They played much of both their "Headquarters" and "Head" records along with a number of other standards, and more obscure tracks. What  also added to it was the way they used Videos in the background throughout the entire show, including a couple of moments to spotlight the late Davy Jones. This show came on, and seemed to be over almost too fast, given the band didn't take a set break. It was maybe the shortest yet fulfilling 2+ hours of my and my girlfriend's concert going life.
-The Who @ Target Center. I just attended this concert last week, and I think it was almost unexpected how good and epic a show it was. The band performed their entire Quadrophenia record, in an entirely new way. They used video/audio clips and performances from both the late John Entwistle and Keith Moon, almost like they were in the building. The arrangements using a horn section really added new things to many of the tunes on that great record.

edit: this does not include the highly memorable 2-night event seeing Marillion for the 3rd and 4th times in Chicago. But that was not in Minnesota afterall.

Predictions for 2013: who's currently operating under the radar that's poised for a breakout year in 2013?
-The Royal Veil. They released a promising self-titled debut EP that fused different styles of psychedelic and progressive hard rock. And their debut full-length "King of the Ocean" is coming out early in 2013, and it is without question one-of, if not my most anticipated local album right now for 2013.
-The Book of Right On will release "How Many Ways Can You Say That You're Speaking" the album they were looking to put out in 2012, but due to the unforeseen setback of one of their drummers leaving, it didn't get released. But they as interesting a band doing progressive rock, that I've heard in many years. And having heard some their newest music live, I am totally excited to finally hear it on record. Hopefully some news about their drummer situation and this 2nd album of theirs will be announced soon.
-Greg Herriges and Telluric Currents: It's been nearly 4 long years since the release of 'Telluric Currents" an amazing record that fuses acoustic rock, folk, ethnic (East Indian, Greek, Japanese and others), and progressive music, molded into tremendous songwriting and moodiness. As a big fan of his, I am hoping 2013 will finally be the year he and his group (known as "Telluric Currents" now) follows up that tremendous album from 2009.
-Cloud Cult: Minnesota's most visible band doing progressive rock of late, and their last 2 albums especially have been among the best of their career. With that recent history, I can't see any reason not to be excited about their next album.
-Bubblemath. Will their long awaited 2nd album finally come out? a good friend of the band said it may finally.
-Between Two Skies: The same question desires to be raised to them as was Bubblemath.
-Elgin Foster: From talking to him, he has an amazing group of guest musicians like John Wright, Dean Magraw and others, on 1 or more records coming in 2013. I'm intrigued certainly.
-The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra: I guess they are working on their 3rd full-length record. Their 1st 2 are both really great records that combine elements of bluegrass, jazz and progressive rock. I'm definitely up for checking out what they have in store next.

Ask your own question to the critics. If chosen, they'll discuss it on the show.
Why is there so little coverage of progressive rock both on radio stations like The Current and Radio K, and in print?
For example, a few years ago, one of my favorite bands, The Dear Hunter, headlined a concert at The Triplerock Social Club. And other than one staff writer from vita.mn, Jay Boller, I saw and heard absolutely nothing about it in both print and electronic sources. The Dear Hunter had actually even just made an appearance on National Television in fact, on G4's "Attack of the Show." So it's not exactly if they were a band who are totally unknown.

Why do you think some venues and artists never end up playing shows here? Specifically, why do you think a venue like First Ave doesn't book certain artists that may not be as "hip" to the Pitchfork audience? I'm referring to a few of the modern college-progressive rock bands such as Porcupine Tree, dredg, Fair to Midland and some others. These bands all have fan-bases that are large enough to show up at First Ave, and in some cases, have played other venues many times to sellout crowds, yet the promoters and the people who run First Ave specifically, don't seem to know about this, or care to book them. And I am awfully puzzled why. Porcupine Tree specifically toured the US I counted 7 straight tours where they skipped our town. And for some reason, had First Ave wanted to book them, they likely would have come here. But it never happened.

2012 Citypages "Picked to Click" (HAS PROG!!!!)

http://www.citypages.com/2012-10-17/music/picked-to-click-2012/

The winners of the 22nd Picked to Click poll:

1. The Chalice 83 points
2. Pony Trash 78 points
3. John Mark Nelson 71 points
3. Wiping Out Thousands 71 points
5. Heavy Deeds 63 points
6. Actual Wolf 58 points
7. Strange Names 39 points
8. Observer Drift 36 points
9. Prissy Clerks 34 points
10. Audio Perm 32 points

Hey Shittypages, thanks for getting in touch with me again to vote for this poll.

While I don't know any of these bands well, on the surface, I could name at least a few bands who deserve to at least get votes/points if not usurp some of these names. The only noteworthy name on there is Prissy Clerks, and not so much due to my interest in their music, but ex-Total Babe frontwoman Clara Sayler is a founder of that band. And I'm happy to see her at least get some recognition.

But the likes of Brice Plays Drums, The Royal Veil, Mike Linden, There Are No Words, The Bewitched, The Book of Right On, Media Addicts, Lehto & Wright, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra,  etc ..I wasn't even able to vote. After I wasn't able to  last year as well, I EMAILED Citypages about doing it, and got NOTHING.

I mean maybe every August/September I need to frequent their website looking for Voting Forms? or maybe CALL them, because emailing them sure doesn't seem to work too well.

Hipsters, Blech.

Media Addicts - Autonomy (2012)

9/7/12 1:05AM

Media Addicts on Facebook
CD Baby link for Autonomy: with samples



1 Seven 7:58
2 Pocket Snake 6:37
3 How the World Ends 0:56
4 Whimper 5:56
5 Mr. Nice Guy 6:12
6 Someday We'll Tell It About You 5:57
7 Intuition Pump 7:39
8 Legend 3.0 5:31
9 Old Hat 5:39
10 Zeitgeist 15:15

I want to bump this entry, as I have finally been able to hear this album, since I picked it up a few weeks ago at the CD release show.

It is terrific. Very much, like Elsewhere, the more I play it, the more each track seems better. The closing epic of sorts "Zeitgeist," while seems soft and quiet, has this nice repeated theme, that goes in and out, and then strays only to eventually be reprised in a coda.

I spoke to their saxophone player David Hirsch at that show about this album, and he remarked how it was heavier than Elsewhere, and I might agree to a small extent. Billy Graczyk their guitarist, does use some dark, heavy riffs, that almost border on a Doom Metal-side.

But this band is outstanding using dynamics and crescendos. "Seven," "How the World Ends," "Intuition Pump," etc all include them. And the new version of "Mr. Nice Guy" might be even better than the original from Elsewhere.

I really enjoy their layering, and the busy drum work from Eric Miller. David's sax of course works well as a lead melody and counter melody to Billy's guitar. While bassist Brent Wallace stands out frequently, namely some of his upright bass parts which act as lead-ins or lead parts.

Like most jazz/jazz-related music, they are even better live. But this album is rather mesmerizing at times, so much so, I likely will continue to back a lot before the end of the year.

The cover art even almost reminds me of The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra's All Out of Peaches in a way with a crazy head piece on a body (see here).

What is a bit sad and ironic, is the fact I finally got to see them live after wanting for a couple of years, and their drummer Eric Miller is apparently moving away soon. I'm not sure how that will effect his and the band's future, but in the short term, they may not have many shows to support this album for awhile. It makes me glad I didn't miss that cd release show even more too. Also Eric's a really good drummer, whose very busy and precise (which you kind of have to be to play this kind of music), who I wonder how easy it may be to find someone good enough to fill-in or replace him.


Also, they played a couple of new tunes live that were not on either of their records. 1 being this extremely cool, almost Pink Floyd or Space Rock-like echoing sections from Billy's guitar effects specifically, that had my jaw dropping. I really hope that song gets recorded, as it would be a shame to never get to hear it again.

7/17/12 2:38PM
This is the 2nd full-length record from this Twin Cities-based Jazz-Rock group. I honestly can't trace where I 1st saw their name, but I know I picked up a copy of Elsewhere their 2008 debut record, in June of 2010. I may have even mentioned them in this blog then, but my memory escapes me right now.

As far as Jazz and Jazz-Rock/Jazz-Fusion or even progressive rock-related artists in Minnesota, these guys are definitely in there. Although I'll confess, I haven't grown attached to their debut album, and maybe more importantly, I still have yet to see them live.

But they have a CD-release show scheduled for Friday August 24th at The Artist Quarter in downtown St.Paul. So, hopefully that'll finally give me a chance to see them in person, and pick up a copy of this new album of theirs.

Could this be one of, if not the best local record of 2012? Lehto & Wright, The Bewitched, The Royal Veil, Brice Plays Drums and The Book of Right On of course will likely factor in there, among others. But I'm pretty excited to finally hear this next month.

Mike Linden - Bubble & Squeak (2012)

http://mikelinden.bandcamp.com/






1 Megajumbo 6:41
2 Mutant Butterfly 4:56
3 Paper Planes I: Kites 5:29
4 Paper Planes II: 1903 5:48
5 De Vuelta a Casa 7:32
6 Killer Robots 5:00
7 The Adventures of Uncle Penny Bags 3:51

Mike Linden on Facebook
The Super Pilots on Facebook

Okay, time is short as it always seems to be, and I'm trying to catch-up on about 17 blog entries in 1 night.

But this is a delayed review of this excellent debut album from Mike Linden, a young guitarist from Apple Valley, MN who met some-of and formed the Jazz-Fusion group The Super Pilots a couple of years ago while at school in Boston at Berklee College of Music.

And the players involved on this, his solo record (by-name) are The Super Pilots guys.

But as far as this album, it's a really well crafted and produced, jazz-fusion record of sorts. Most comparable to Return to Forever and perhaps a little Al Di Meola. But for example the Paper Planes suite/epic really reminds me of Marillion (the 2nd part 1903, I swear I hear "Runaway" from Brave at various times) or Pink Floyd.

Also the last piece "The Adventures of Uncle Penny Bags" is a bit country or bluegrass-like. I almost think of The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra when hearing that one.

Overall, every piece the writing and playing is excellent. From the drum fills and cymbal work from JP Bouvet, to the mood setting piano of Dave Mackay, to even some of the funky basslines of Jason Weiss, and Mike's outstanding shifting tones, this record works repeatedly. Very much less-is-more.

These guys are a young band, however, the membership may change depending on circumstances with location (2 members are from Minnesota, 1 from England, and 1 from out East I recall). But, having missed their show in 2011 with Brice Plays Drums, I was thrilled to catch Mike and The Super Pilots twice a few weeks ago. And Mike's supposedly staying here and will play more live, with perhaps some other musicians. The 2nd show in Burnsville "Art and All That Jazz" festival, they covered the likes of Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and even Destiny's Child. Like many Jazz groups, they excel even more live.

But for those unable to see Mike or The Super Pilots, I'd highly recommend giving the Bandcamp page a stream or 2.

Brice Plays Drums - Man the Animal Cannon (2012)

http://briceplaysdrums.bandcamp.com/



1. Freight Train Blues 12:40
2. The Jester 12:01
3. Delta Waves 18:07



This record has pretty thoroughly won me over. Like their debut record from last year I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures, this is clearly a band whose interest in composition are more at the *epic* scale. But refined at the same time.

There's a clear maturity in the compositions, textures, production. As much as I love Greener Pastures, this album in more or less every way is a step up. I think it's a classic case of a band learning and progressing in the product they released, from their last work.

I love the vocal harmonies, piano, the way they brought in the saxophone, and overall the amount of jazz/jazz-fusion they brought to this album.

Just as a reference, the liner notes on the back mention the following about the 3 pieces on this album:


Freight Train Blues inspired by the writings of Wendell Berry
The Jester inspired by Goethe's Faust and V for Vendetta
Delta Waves inspired by Camus's The Stranger Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and Nietzche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra

There is clearly a plethora of ideas coming from this band. I'm not sure if the writing is purely collaborative, or if Michael Higgins, who sings lead vocals and plays guitar, takes a lot of the writing on just himself. His brother Robert actually is terrific on here, with some really clean-toned and highly mixed bass lines that act as almost melodies at times. A bit like Yes I suppose in that way. In fact, this album resembles Yes among others in a number of ways. The structure is sort of similar to Close to the Edge with 3 tracks/2 sides. Melodically and harmonically, including the segues and namely the guitar tones at times I think of Yes or some of their other influences such as The Mars Volta.

But at the same time, the Brice Plays Drums sound is clearly evident here. I don't think there is a band who really sounds like them, nor this approach to writing multi-part pieces that FLOW perfectly. Each piece really does flow extremely well on this album. And they all have those crescendos and build to sections you look forward to.

Especially with the Jazz-side becoming more apparent. It wouldn't surprise me the band has been listening to more Jazz since Greener Pastures, just based on this.


There's more to edit-in later today, but just for right now at 6:09AM, this is clearly a breakthrough album that I can't endorse enough to any fan of progressive rock or anyone whose into supporting music in Minnesota.

I'd be surprised if a better album comes out in 2012 from Minnesota; it has a chance to at least make my top 10, and as of right now it's already among the 5 best records of 2012 I've heard.

Will it find its deserved larger audience? I've been down this road too many times to expect it. All the folks who never check it out are just shooting themselves in the foot. But maybe one of these times, it'll change.

Minnesota has prog, and it also has bands better than Polica and Owl City. But the local music media and hipster lemmings never give stuff like this a chance (or hear about it in the 1st place pathetically). Maybe just once, like with this album, that could change.

The Super Pilots/Mike Linden

more to add, but all I can say is this is one of my new favorite bands. They are doing Jazz-Rock like I love it. I wish they lived in Minnesota, but at least they seem to play here once a year.

I have Mike Linden's album to review soon, but 1st I'm seeing him and The Super Pilots for free this evening in Burnsville, MN.

Brice Plays Drums - Man the Animal Cannon (2012)

I saw them at The Cabooze last evening and here's some of the footage:


Video streaming by Ustream

The "info" section on their Facebook page adds this about this new album:

Tentatively, BPD will be releasing their new album "Man the Animal Cannon" in May of 2012. It will feature 3 songs totalling 45 minutes, a new keyboardist, and notably jazzier and theatrical overtones.

And having seen them play it all last night, the jazz element is more evident in this new music, compared to their debut release I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures.

I got to speak with Michael Higgins, their singer/guitarist, about it after the show and it sounds like it'll be finished soon. May as that says, is the projection for when it could be released. Stylistically, it features vocal harmonies and is more jazzy, as their new keyboardist Bobby, brings that influence among other things to the band. But it also sounds in some ways like their debut record in that it's sort of a suite, or rather, the compositions are all size-able, yet do connect. 3 songs? and around 45 minutes.

Pretty excited to hear it. They may launch a Kickstarter campaign, but it should be available for free to stream, just as I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures is here.

One of my favorite bands prog or otherwise, from Minnesota.