Favourite rock/metal concept albums (Part 13) – In Contact by Caligula’s Horse

About a year ago, I chanced upon a song named Firelight by an Australian prog rock band called Caligula’s Horse. The lead singer’s stylized syllable emphasis, intonations and falsetto vocals made for a unique and delightful sound, with the sweeping guitar solos and distinct bass line all adding up to an appealing package. I quickly scoured through the full album, Bloom, and found another song called Daughter of the Mountain which I also liked. For some reason, I moved on to other music and forgot all about the group.

Last week, while browsing lists of best prog rock albums from the past decade, the band’s name popped up again. So this time I listened to four of the five albums in their discography, and came away a full-on fan. I started with their breakout 2013 concept album, The Tide, the Thief & River’s End, then moved on to listen properly to the aforementioned Bloom (from 2015) which featured a lighter, pop-oriented approach that had clearly appealed to me with those two songs from last year. Next came another concept album, In Contact (2017), and finally their 2020 release, Rise Radiant. Each album had a strong suit of songs, all showcasing Jim Grey’s amazing vocal range, lyrical depth, and remarkable technical proficiency. While parts of their early music reminded me of American rock band Incubus, they have evolved their own style since Bloom.

Eventually, the album that I kept coming back to was In Contact, for the nuance of the concept behind the album and the breadth of song-writing quality across all tracks.

Caligula’s Horse in 2017, from left to right: Josh Griffin (drums), Adrian Goleby (guitar), Jim Grey (vocals), Sam Vallen (lead guitar), Dave Couper (bass)

Artist: Caligula’s Horse (referred to as C-Horse by fans), comprising Jim Grey (lead vocals), Sam Vallen (lead guitar and all other instruments), Adrian Goleby (guitar), Dave Couper (bass) and Josh Griffin (drums). Guest saxophone solo on Graves by Jørgen Munkeby.

Album: In Contact (2017)

Narrative type: Metaphysical musings

Album theme/concept: An exploration of human creativity; the motivations, hopes, triumphs and tragedies of artists.

Best songs: Will’s Song (Let the Colours Run), The Hands Are the Hardest, Love Conquers All, Songs for No One, Graves, Atlas – revisited (bonus track).

What makes it special: Jim Grey’s soaring, frequently plaintive, falsetto-fueled vocals differentiate the C-Horse sound from that most contemporary rock and metal bands. The lyrics (written by Grey) have real depth and the music written by lead guitarist Vallen is technically complex, featuring a tightly interlocked rhythm section, comprising Adrian Goleby’s machine-gun guitar riffs, Josh Griffin’s precision drumming and Dave Couper’s varied bass playing styles.

The 10 tracks on the album are clustered under four chapters, To The Wind, The Caretaker, Ink and Graves, each of which describe a different artist.

The four songs in the first chapter, To The Wind, follow the fate of an alcoholic painter in decline, who must fight his addiction to save himself, or succumb to the demands of fans and indulge his weakness to produce one more great piece. The album’s second track, Will’s Song, is a standout, exploring the painter’s self-imposed pressure to excel in his craft; fast-paced drumming and a staccato guitar riff bookend the verses, but the real standout is the vocal-guitar-drum combination that accompanies the post-chorus line: “Let the colours run!“; what a pity it only appears twice on the song. The next track, The Hands Are the Hardest, is a mellow, melodic tune that begins with a distinctive riff and features vocals that recall ’80s American singer Christopher Cross. The song perfectly captures the theme of the chapter, depicting how the painter’s alcoholism is gradually robbing him of his artistic abilities. The chapter closes off with a short epilogue, the softly sung, Love Conquers All, as the artist thinks back to his life and his decisions: “If only I had the time, If only these hands were mine”…Jim Grey’s heartfelt delivery of these plaintive words gets me every time.

The second chapter, The Caretaker, about a musician who wants his songs be used for good, contains two songs. The first is an anthemic track that is sure to be popular in live performances, Songs for No One, with Grey’s falsetto reaching new highs in the chorus. The second track, Capulet, is good, but relatively speaking, not one of my favourites from the album.

The third chapter is Ink, and contains three songs which tell the story of a cynical poet named Ink (modeled on the fictitious gonzo journalist, Spider Jerusalem, from the Transmetropolitan comics) who works with his brother to improve the corrupt cyberpunk city they live in. Many reviewers have commented on the 3-minute spoken word track Inertia and the Weapon of the Wall, a piece of poetry written by Jim Grey. It takes some courage for a rock band to do this, as they are sure to be labeled as pretentious by some critics. I am not a fan of poetry, so I typically skip this track whenever I listen to the album, but admittedly, it’s an interesting recording, with the passionately delivered monologue spiced up with whispers and sound effects to accentuate key phrases. The third song in the chapter, The Cannon’s Mouth, is perhaps the heaviest track in the album, signposted by a hulking, oh-too-short, goosebump-inducing riff after the first chorus and another one after verse 5 at the end of the song.

And that brings us to the final chapter, Graves, which contains one song, a 15-minute-long opus of the same name, that I just can’t get enough of. The song is about a sculptor who is plagued by anxiety and the delusion that there is a rival stealing his work. It is constructed of four distinct parts, subtitled Faint Heart, A Few Peaceful Years, The Boy and The Broken Wheel and Hands Shape Stone. The opening riff of Faint Heart is truly cinematic and sets the tone for the rest of the section, with the urgency of the three verses conveying the sculptor’s anxiety, followed by a beautiful musical interlude that reminds me of some of Robert Fripp’s best solo work. This brings us to A Few Peaceful Years and the poignantly sung, deeply emotional chorus:

"We are the fire that whispers our mother's words
Help me, love (Help me to finish it)
We are the soil that joy gave form, you, oh
We are the dream and these are my father's hands
Help me, love (Help me to finish it)
We are the soil that joy gave form, ooh
Help me finish it"

The third section, The Boy and The Broken Wheel, switches down the pace further with an a capella bridge, leading to three beautifully written verses, before ending with the “We are the fire…” chorus from the previous section. The final section features a short saxophone solo by Swedish musician, Jørgen Munkeby. By this time, at the 12-minute-mark, I’m so emotionally exhausted that I use the climax crescendo to recover and slowly tune out, as the opening riff comes back to close out this amazing track. Graves was originally written to be released as an EP, and apparently was an arduous effort, taking two months to write and record, and leaving Sam Vallen creatively spent and dealing with writer’s block afterwards. It’s well worth the effort and no doubt will become one of the defining tracks of the band’s career.

The album ends with a bonus track, a re-recording of Atlas, a song from their 2013 album, The Tide, the Thief & River’s End. Having heard this new version first, I prefer its fuller production values to the original version. The lovely, wistful chorus feels like it could carry you away on the wind:

"The ocean at my window
Here, here I find myself again
All broken bones and eyes that wear their age
Like going home is etched on every page"

Given this was the first album for Adrian Goleby and Josh Griffin (they replaced Zac Greensill on guitar and Geoff Irish on drums respectively from Bloom), the cohesion between the musicians is extraordinary, as if they have been playing together all their lives. It’s been three years since their last album Rise Radiant came out (also, extremely enjoyable), and I wait with bated breath for their next release.

Here are the other bands/albums featured in this series:-

Favourite rock/metal concept albums (Part 12) – The Dear Hunter’s Antimai

Every now and then, I come across an album that completely blows my mind, as it seems perfect in almost every way. The last such album I listened to was The Mars Volta’s self-titled 2022 release. A few days ago, I was browsing a list of albums on my Spotify home screen and randomly clicked on one with an interesting cover design (I am eternally grateful to their recommendation engine for many such chance discoveries).

The album, Antimai, was a July 2022 release from an American prog rock group called The Dear Hunter. I was surprised that I had never heard of them, considering they have been around since 2006 and that almost all of their nine studio releases have been concept albums; I regularly conduct searches for “best concept albums of the year/decade” or “latest concept album releases”, and somehow hadn’t picked up their name from the search results (although I subsequently validated that they do show up!). Although they clearly have a loyal fan following, and their releases are covered in dedicated sites like The Prog Report and Prog Archives, it’s a crime that the band are not better known, given the quality of their music.

The main body of their work is a series of concept albums known as the Act Series, with five albums released between 2006 and 2016, and the sixth and final instalment still awaited. Antimai is the second album in a new narrative series, whose story kicked off with the 2021 EP, The Indigo Child and an accompanying short sci-fi film called “The Indigo Child: Prologue: Cycle 8” | DUST.

From left to right, **The Dear Hunter**: Robert Parr (backing vocals/guitar), Maxwell Tousseau (backing vocals/guitar/keyboards), Casey Crescenzo (lead vocals/guitar), Nick Sollecito (bass) and Nick Crescenzo (drums)

Artist: The Dear Hunter, comprising Casey Crescenzo, (lead vocals, guitar, organ), his brother Nick Crescenzo (backing vocals, drums & percussion), Maxwell Tousseau (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Robert Parr (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Nick Sollecito (bass). Additionally a horn section features on several tracks.

Album: Antimai (2022)

Narrative genre: Post-apocalyptic fantasy/science fiction

Album theme/concept: The fictional city of Antimai is built in concentric circles, with each ring occupied by a separate caste and organized in a social hierarchy. Each song represents one of the eight rings of the city.

Best songs: Ring 8 – Poverty, Ring 7 – Industry, Ring 6 – LoTown, Ring 5 – Middle Class, Ring 3 – Luxury, Ring 2- Nature.

What makes it special: Listening to Antimai is like drinking a new wine and having your taste buds tickled by notes from old favourites. I could get hints of Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois, The Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station, Mayer Hawthorne and even late 80’s Miami Sound Machine. The tracks have the shifting song structure that is typical of prog rock, but are also infused with elements of Jazz, R&B, funk, Caribbean and Latin rhythms. All of this is expressed through lush orchestration and elevated by delightful vocal harmonies.

The album kicks of with a song about the outermost ring of the city of Antimai; the track is named Ring 8 – Poverty, and the opening bars felt like the soundtrack to a thriller film; in fact I started visualizing these notes playing over the tense opening scene of the 1958 Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil.

Ring 3 – Luxury is perhaps the most ambitious track on the album and is essentially a two-part song, with the first part titled Hall of the Guides, kicking off with spoken verse like in a stage musical, which then segues into a melodic song. But the real beauty is the second half, titled Cream of the Crop, which features a delightful nine-note riff before each verse, played on a marimba or xylophone (or perhaps it’s a Caribbean steel drum).

My favourite track is Ring 2 – Nature, which I have listened to more times than I can count. I love it for its heartfelt melody and evocative, and sometimes playful lyrics:

“Then there arose those intent on moving
And like a miracle, they kept improving
Then change begat the tail
begat the fin begat the fist
Strength enough to subsist”

In my listing of Best songs, I’ve excluded only 2 out of the 8 tracks, and that’s only because those two don’t appeal to me quite as much as the other six, in a relative sense. Many other reviewers consider the closing track Ring 1 – Tower, as one of the best on the album.

Antimai is the gift that keeps on giving, as every subsequent round of listening reveals new sounds embedded in the many layers of music. I look forward to its sequel titled Sunya which is due out some time this year.

Here are the other bands/albums featured in this series:-

Old favourites release new music in 2022: Part 1

The past couple of years has seen a surge in new album releases from veteran bands. Typically, artists in the twilight of their career focus on monetizing their back catalogue through regular touring. The Covid lockdowns and inability to travel gave these bands the time and energy to write and record new music.

During this time, I’ve experienced the joy of listening to new albums from old favourites like Stone Temple Pilots, Deep Purple, Kansas, Yes, My Morning Jacket, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne and of course, ABBA, with their thrilling return in Nov 2021 after a 40-year hiatus with the Grammy-nominated Voyage. Irrespective of the quality of these albums, the experience of listening and re-listening to them, identifying musical influences and shortlisting the best songs, has been immensely rewarding.

Having done this for 2020 (Part 1 and Part 2) and 2021 (Part 1 and Part 2), I was excited to see an even larger number of familiar names on the release list for 2022. As we close out the year, here are thumbnails of new albums from some of my favourite bands/artists, the majority of whom are rock and metal.

Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene (28th Jan): I haven’t listened to a new Jethro Tull album since 1989’s Rock Island, a decent follow-up to their outstanding 1987 release, Crest of a Knave (which upset Metallica‘s …And Justice for All to win the inaugural Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Grammy). Fast-forward more than three decades, and 75-year-old founder Ian Anderson has returned with an all-new line-up (essentially the musicians he had been touring with over the past decade) to release the band’s 22nd studio album. Anderson’s flute-work is the DNA behind the album’s unmistakable “Tull” sound, while the songs themselves flit between Tull’s mid-70’s folk-rock sound and late 80’s rock-pop phase. The opening track, Mrs Tibbets, falls into the latter category while Sad City Sisters and Where Did Saturday Go? are examples of the former. Other notable tracks include Mine is the Mountain, The Zealot Gene, Barren Beth,Wild Desert John and the lovely, acoustic Three Loves,Three. The album does have a few filler songs, during which one tends to “tune out”, but then a good track comes along and grabs your attention. The closing song, The Fisherman of Ephesus, has a storytelling cadence which bears a passing similarity to some of Al Stewart‘s classic songs. Overall, the album is definitely worth a listen, and it’s really commendable that Mr. Anderson is still writing all the music and lyrics himself after all these years.

Steve Vai – Inviolate (28th Jan): My first exposure to Steve Vai’s virtuosity was on David Lee Roth‘s 1989 album, Skyscraper. One year later, his lead guitar magic on Whitesnake‘s Slip of the Tongue made it my favourite album from the band. And his 1990 solo release, Passion and Warfare (still considered his best work), yielded my favourite guitar instrumental track, Sisters. I am less familiar with his subsequent albums, although that didn’t come in the way of a mind-blowing experience watching him live in Kuala Lumpur in 2014. The 62-year-old released his tenth studio album in January, and it carries his instantly recognizable playing style, particularly what I refer to as “the sitar sound”. The standout track on the album is the first one, Teeth of the Hydra, which manages to sound relaxed and incredibly complex at the same time; the music video showcasing his new custom triple-neck Ibanez Hydra guitar is a treat to watch. My other favourite tracks are Little Pretty, Candlepower and Avalancha; all are melodious and have catchy hooks, not something one can take for granted with guitar virtuosos, who sometimes get carried away creating technically challenging music that may not necessarily be fun to listen to. No such issues with this amazing album.

Steve Vai with his custom Ibanez Hydra, featured on his 2022 album *Inviolate*

Scorpions – Rock Believer (22nd Feb): German rock band, Scorpions, released their 19th studio album seven years after their previous effort. Incredibly, three of the stalwarts from their glory years are still with the band – diminutive vocalist Klaus Meine (now 74 years old), rhythm guitarist Rudy Schenker (also 74) and lead guitarist Matthias Jabs (67 years old). On the new album, the band has revisited the formula that has delivered hits over the years and made them a popular live attraction – punchy riffs and hooks, a standard rock drum beat, the occasional guitar solo, and Meine’s distinctive nasal vocals. But for that very reason, it felt a bit dated and I struggled to stay focused through the first four tracks. Then come two consecutive songs which really stood out. Shining in Your Soul has a reggae/ska beat, reminiscent of their 1979 hit Is There Anybody There. And then came Seventh Sun, perhaps the best track on the album – the underlying slow drum beat gives the song a heavy feel, but there’s also variety – a plucked guitar intro line, a light catchy chorus and a guitar solo. The final track, When You Know (Where You Come From), is the obligatory ballad, but doesn’t have the same magic as Wind of Change. The deluxe version of the album has 5 additional tracks adding another 20 minutes to the album, but honestly none of them grabbed my attention.

D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Troika (25th Feb): The prolific prog-rock singer-songwriter-musician Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, The Neal Morse Band), is out with yet another album, this time a collaboration with drummer Nick D’Virgilio and vocalist Ross Jennings. This highly pleasing one-hour-long release is filled with easy listening songs, which are strongly influenced by, and pay tribute to, the music of CSN. Every track delivers a combination of delightful vocal harmonies and beautifully coordinated musicianship. There’s no question that the acoustic ballad, Julia, is the standout track of the album, and is sure to be a staple of future live shows; listening to the track gave me echoes from Dream Theater‘s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, particularly Solitary Shell. My other favourite songs are Everything I Am, You Set My Soul on Fire, One Time Less, Another Trip Around the Sun and My Guardian. I’ve named more than half the songs in the album, so it’s pretty clear that I really enjoyed it! At the age of 62, Neal Morse shows no signs of slowing down, with more than 40 studio albums under his belt, as well as countless cover albums, live recordings (including one with Yellow Matter Custard, a Beatles tribute supergroup) and compilations.

Sabaton – The War to End All Wars (4th Mar): Swedish heavy metal band, Sabaton’s tenth studio recording is yet another concept album revolving around war, and serves as a sequel to their 2019 release The Great War – both commonly used terms for World War I. I’ve previously written about The Great War album, in my on-going series about favourite rock/metal concept albums. Fans of the 2019 album know what to expect from the sequel – Joakim Brodén‘s elaborately descriptive lyrics, set to Hannes Van Dahl‘s militaristic drumbeat, and highlighted by catchy singalong choruses; the best examples are Stormtroopers, Dreadnought, Soldier of Heaven and Lady of the Dark. The opening and closing tracks – named Sarajevo and Versailles respectively – are a pair, built on the same musical structure. There are two tracks that deviate (pleasantly) from the established template. One is Hellfighters, which with its chugging rhythm guitars and lead solos, sounds very much like something that could have been written by Iron Maiden. And the other is Christmas Truce, which kicks off with keyboards and is sung in a suitably poignant tone. There’s no question that Sabaton continue to evolve musically, while staying true to their chosen military metal sub-genre.

BENEE – Lychee EP (4th Mar): New Zealand pop singer BENEE (aka Stella Rose Bennett) is the youngest of my “old favourites”, given that I first listened to her only in 2020. Her two excellent 2019 EPs, Fire on Marzz and Stella & Steve, and her first full length album, Hey U X, from late 2020 were very much on repeat play on Spotify at that time. I really enjoyed her brand of bubbly pop with a hint of melancholy in her soulful voice, and included her in my post, Favourite female singers of the decade. She released her third EP earlier this year, containing 7 songs and clocking in at 25 minutes. It’s bit of a mixed bag; the lead single, Beach Boy, definitely delivers the catchy pop hooks that I enjoyed so much in 2020. Soft Side continues in the same vein, with some Auto-tune vocals thrown in. The third track, Hurt You, Gus would be classified as “chilled out background music”, rather than achieving sing-along status. From that point onwards, the songs felt progressively less distinctive, and the final song, Make You Sick, which is nearly 7 minutes long did absolutely nothing for me. Still, three songs out of seven isn’t too bad, and hopefully the 22-year-old will explore interesting musical avenues with her future efforts.

Joe Satriani – The Elephants of Mars (8th Apr): Joe Satriani has been a mentor, friend and elder stateman to the rock guitar community for decades; both Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett were students of his, and credit him for the techniques they learned in their formative years. Certainly, his virtuosity was in no doubt on his iconic breakthrough albums Surfing with the Alien and Flying in a Blue Dream in the late ’80s, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the sameness of the compositions. I therefore hadn’t kept up with his subsequent (and regular) output over the years. And so I was incredibly surprised by the maturity, variety and the sheer joie de vivre shining through on this 18th studio album. Pretty much every track is amazing and different; I tried listing my favourites and it looks like I’ve covered most of the songs in the album – Sahara with its eastern rhythms, the cinematic thriller vibe of The Elephants of Mars (in spite of the sudden interlude in the middle which I didn’t like), the contemplative and moving “Vai-like” Faceless, the upbeat and funky Blue Foot Groovy, the epic-sounding Sailing the Seas of Ganymede, the tabla intro and mystical rhythms in Doors of Perception, the bright tonal colors and jazzy groove of E 104th St NYC 1973 and the party-themed electronica-infused Night Scene. A special shoutout to all the artists on this album – Kenny Aronoff (drums), Bryan Beller (bass), Rai Thistlethwayte (keyboards) and Eric Caudieux (keyboards, sound engineer and record producer). I am indeed contemplating declaring The Elephants of Mars as one of my top instrumental albums of all time!

Kirk Hammett – Portals EP (23rd Apr): What a coincidence that Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett all released solo albums in the same year – the key difference for Hammett is that this is his first ever solo effort after more than 40 years as Metallica‘s lead guitarist. Although the release is an EP with just 4 songs, they are all pretty long and the album clocks in at nearly half an hour. The first time I listened to the album, I couldn’t get a hang of it, but I then read an interview with Hammett in which he said that the songs are “soundtracks to the movies in your mind”. I felt that context was critical, and the second time around I was able to appreciate the music better; and it also explains the track titles – Maiden and the Monster (Hammett is a horror aficionado), The Jinn, High Plains Drifter and The Incantation. In comparison with the easy accessibility of the first six albums in this list, I needed to work harder as a listener in this case. The musicianship is unquestionably great, but I suspect the only times I will play this album is when I need some background music, or to test the acoustics on a pair of headphones.

In Part 2, I will cover 2022 album releases from James LaBrie, Harry Styles, Def Leppard, Michael Schenker Group, Coheed and Cambria, Of Montreal, Russian Circles and The Mars Volta. And Part 3 will have albums from Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin, Queensrÿche, Joji, Bruce Springsteen and The Smashing Pumpkins.

The Mars Volta reunites and releases their most accessible album

Experimental rock band The Mars Volta brought joy to their legions of fans by unexpectedly announcing in June 2022 that they had reunited a decade after their break-up, and had been recording new music together. Months of anticipation culminated with the release this week of The Mars Volta, their seventh studio album and the first since 2012’s Noctorniquet. The reason the album is self-titled is to allow the band to start on a clean slate, moving on from the experimental, psychedelic/prog rock sound that captured the imagination of fans and critics in the early 2000’s, and ultimately led to a 2009 Best Hard Rock Grammy for the track Wax Simulacra from the album Bedlam in Goliath. As is frequently the case with the Grammies, the award was a belated recognition for the body of work they had built up in previous years, particularly the astonishingly inventive 2005 album Frances the Mute, which I had on heavy rotation on my iPod during 2006-07.

from left: Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the creative forces behind The Mars Volta

The core of the band, which was formed in El Paso, Texas, remains the dynamic duo (watch their live performances for proof) of vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and songwriter/left-handed guitarist/keyboardist Omar Rodríguez-López (both are now 47 years old). Founding member Eva Gardner, who left the band before they recorded their first full album, is the bassist on this album. Omar’s brother, Marcel, who has played keyboards on all but their debut release, is back. Willy Rodriguez Quiñones is the only newcomer, becoming the sixth different drummer in the history of the band.

As mentioned, this new album veers off into a pop-based sound. Whereas the tracks on previous albums contained a mix of incomprehensible lyrics, discordant instrumental (and vocal) shrieks, and unexpected switches in pace and tone, this album is more accessible in every way, although Bixler-Zavala’s high-pitched, near-falsetto vocals provide the link to the past. Switching from experimental rock to pop doesn’t come at the cost of artistry; it’s just a different expression of skill and creativity, and therefore the ability to excel in a different genre is all the more impressive; it’s as if Jackson Pollock suddenly started painting like Rembrandt, or Quentin Tarentino made a hit rom-com.

The first noticeable change in the new album is the length of the songs. Whereas Frances the Mute had three songs of 12-13 minutes and one of 32 minutes length, the longest track on this album is just over 4 minutes. Overall, The Mars Volta clocks in at just 45 minutes, quite a contrast to previous albums, most of which were 60-75 minutes long.

With every successive playing of the album over the past three days, I found myself liking more and more songs, and experiencing that wonderful feeling when each track starts taking on a distinctive identity.

The lead single, Blacklight Shine, is also the lead track in the album and has a catchy chorus, accompanied by a rolling bongo-like percussion sound; and as with previous songs from the band, the lyrics switch between English and Spanish. Shore Story is as conventionally structured a song as you could imagine, built on a slow R&B groove, with enough room to hear Eva Gardner’s thoughtful bass lines. Blank Condolences continues along the same vein, but this time a bluesy guitar provides the frills, supporting by a stuttering drumline. Next comes Vigil, the first song on the album that hooked me, with its beautifully paced chorus: “It’s the want || of the weight || when it crushed || All the centrifugal ways our lives || fall in and out of place“. Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon is a full-on latin-tinged track and quite reminiscent of the band’s older work. Palm Full of Crux is another favourite of mine, this one has a combination of piano, horn and flute sounds, holding the heartfelt vocals in a delicate web. In No Case Gain, Bixler-Zavala switches between throwback psychedelic vocals when singing the verse, and a lower register (for him) delivery on the refrain. I love the falsetto wail in the chorus of Equus 3: “Pain in my heart, go away || ‘Til we settle the score, you tried to scatter to the wind“. Another R&B-style track follows with Collapsible Shoulders, once again elevated from the conventional to the memorable, by the chorus: “I’m livin’ on the verge of ruin || And never did I hear you say “Leave no man behind”“.

It’s been a while since so many tracks on an album have appealed to me, and by the looks of the critic reviews, this release has really given everyone a frisson of delight. Whether you are a fan of the band, or just looking for something new to listen to, I highly recommend getting hold of the new album. Meanwhile, I intend to go to the band’s back catalogue, as well albums like Antemasque and In•ter a•li•a that Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López worked together on as members of other bands.

Favourite rock/metal concept albums (Part 9) – Steve Hackett’s Voyage of the Acolyte

It’s been 14 months since the last entry in this series, which was Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois. This time around, I am going back in time again the 70s to an artist I only recently discovered, Steve Hackett, the lead guitarist for Genesis in the 70s when they were a prog rock band. Hackett decided to record his first solo album during a break after touring for Genesis’ 1974 megahit A Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. When putting together the musicians for the recording sessions, he invited two of his bandmates from Genesis – Phil Collins on drums and Mike Rutherford on bass. He rounded out the core band with his brother John Hackett, who I think then appeared on all his subsequent solo albums. The album was very well received and Hackett went on to record more than two dozen solo albums with his latest having been released a few weeks ago at the age of 71!

Artist: Steve Hackett (guitars, mellotron), accompanied by John Hackett (flute, synthesizer), Phil Collins (drums, vocals on Star of Sirius), Mike Rutherford (bass guitar, 12-string guitar), Sally Oldfield (vocals on Shadow of the Hierophant), John Acock (all keyboards), Robin Miller (oboe, English horn), Nigel Warren-Green (cello on The Hermit)

Album: Voyage of the Acolyte (1975)

Narrative genre: Pastoral/medieval

Album theme/concept: Song titles linked to Tarot cards

Best songs: Ace of Wands, A Tower Struck Down, Star of Sirius, Shadow of the Hierophant

What makes it special: For starters, we get half of the band Genesis for free on the album! This is a predominantly instrumental album, showcasing not just Steve Hackett’s prowess as a guitarist, but also in the departments of production and musical arrangement. The songs have an easy flow and feel layered and textured, on account of the use of the Mellotron and synthesizer, as well as additional instruments like flute, oboe, cello and English horn on some songs.

The album kicks off with a strong track, Ace of Wands, characterized by a catchy riff. It’s a great showcase of Hackett’s guitar playing, while giving plenty of room for the Mellotron, flute and bells.

The standout song on the album, however, is not an instrumental. It’s the 7-minute epic Star of Sirius, which one reviewer described as the best Genesis song that Genesis never recorded, has Phil Collins on vocals…and he would go on to take over as lead vocalist for Genesis on their next album, following the departure of Peter Gabriel. The songs starts off in dream-like fashion with guitars and mellotron, and then at the 2’30” mark, Collins’ drumming kicks in and ramps up the pace.

Another favourite is the instrumental A Tower Struck Down, with a strong percussive sound which manages to sound rather sinister, and could well have been the soundtrack for a thriller or horror film.

Singer-songwriter Sally Oldfield who made a name for herself singing on her brother Mike Oldfield’s hit 1973 album Tubular Bells, provides her distinctive vocals for Shadow of the Hierophant, which is the longest track in the album, clocking in at over 11 minutes. There is also a 17 minute version available as a bonus track on the album. It’s quite a musical journey, with different parts of the track sounding quite different from each other; in fact I had to check if I was still on the same song!

An interesting footnote, the album cover is a watercolour painting by Brazilian artist Kim Poor, who went on to marry Steve Hackett and designed many of his subsequent solo album covers.

Although this was the only concept album that Steve Hackett released, two of his other early albums, Spectral Mornings (1979) and Defector (1980) contain equally outstanding tracks.

Old favourites release new music in 2020 – Part 2

Following on from Part 1, here’s the second set of new 2020 releases from singers/bands whose songs or albums I’ve previously enjoyed.

My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall II (10th Jul): Two of my favourite albums from Part 1 were from one-man-band projects Tame Impala and Of Montreal. My Morning Jacket is another one of those, built around the musical vision of Jim James. This latest release, their eighth, was created from outtakes of their 2015 effort The Waterfall. It contains a number of chilled out, easy listening tracks; very different from the high-energy, strikingly distinctive compositions that I fell in love with on their breakout albums, Z (2005) and Evil Urges (2008). In fact, I was a bit underwhelmed the first time around but after listen to the album a second time, I got into its groove; tracks like Spinning My Wheels, Feel You, Run It and The First Time are perfect for a lazy Sunday morning, with the steel guitar on Feel You absolutely magical, like driving down an empty country road with the wind in your hair. Wasted is the only song on the album that picks up the tempo, with the second half of the 6-minute song featuring some of the heavier guitar grooves that has characterized their earlier work. Overall, this is a lighter entry in their oeuvre, but enjoyable in its own way.

Kansas – The Absence of Presence (17th Jul): Although Kansas were considered to be one of the standard bearers of the 70’s prog rock movement, surprisingly all I know about their music is their 1976 mega-hit Carry On Wayward Son. But I figured I’d give their 16th studio album a shot. Founding member and vocalist Steve Walsh retired a few years ago, but two other founding members, guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart (both 70 years old) are still around. The album opens with the epic 8-minute title track, which contains some fantastic musical interludes, anchored by new keyboardist Tom Breslin; very reminiscent of the classic 70’s prog rock sound. And so it continued through the album – Throwing Mountains, Jets Overhead, Animals on the Roof, Never, all mixing a contemporary commercial rock sensibility with some delicious guitar licks and keyboard passages that are a throwback to a bygone rock era. This is definitely an album I’m coming back to, and will most likely lead me to explore more of the band’s back catalogue.

Alanis Morisette – Such Pretty Forks in the Road (31st Jul): It was only when I watched an interview on CNN a few months ago, that I realized it was the 25^th anniversary of Alanis Morisette’s breakout (third) album, Jagged Little Pill. Naturally, much has changed in her life and her music since then and it would be unfair to expect the same angst of that earlier time. In fact, I loved the introspection and inner beauty that shone through in her 2008 release Flavors of Entanglement. This latest release signals the continued mellowing of Alanis; it breaks no new ground musically and in fact some of the songs are rather awkwardly arranged. Other than the opening track Smiling and the upbeat Sandbox Love, there were no other tracks in this 46-minute collection that held my attention.

Deep Purple – Whoosh! (7th Aug): What a surprise it was to learn that the ageing rockers are still going strong. Their 21st studio album in 52 years was surprisingly good…yes just take a few moments to absorb those numbers. Two songs, We’re All the Same in the Dark and The Long Way Round really dial back the years to the Mark II line-up of the 80’s (Perfect Strangers and The House of Blue Light), the phase that is my personal favourite. Veteran keyboardist Don Airey previously worked with Rainbow and Ozzy Osbourne before taking over from founding member Jon Lord in 2002, and is in full flow on Nothing at All. The Power of the Moon showcases some of the eastern rhythms that the band has been so successful at incorporating into their past hits. Man Alive has some intriguing lyrics and is another fantastic song from the album. Of course, ever since Ritchie Blackmore left the group, once can’t expect those catchy guitar riffs that were such an enjoyable feature of their greatest songs, but Ian Gillan’s distinctive vocals continue to provide the anchor of nostalgia and reassurance to their music. Likewise, veteran band members Roger Glover (bass) and Ian Paice (drums) are still at the top of their game even though they are in their 70’s. Some reviewers gently poked fun at the band for producing an “over the top” album; on the contrary, I think we should be grateful that the band has the hunger, energy and creativity to continue delivering music of this calibre so late in their career. I’ve listened to the album several times now and like a good whisky, it seems to reveal new and surprising notes each time!

The Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart (28th Aug): This is the only band in the list that I’m listening to for the first time. But as it was formed by the sons of Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley, three of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, I figured it qualified as a previously known artist! And indeed, when that slide guitar kicks in on the opening track Pale Horse Rider, it was a comforting feeling that took me back to my favourite Allman Bros. tracks. But thereafter, the album was a bit of a disappointment. There is a 12-minute long instrumental, Savannah’s Dream which opens with promise and but ultimately feels a bit safe and doesn’t deliver the pyrotechnics that one would expect on a track of this length. And I think that’s a good description for the entire album. In spite of its length (71 minutes), it feels familiar and repetitive, without producing any of the pleasant surprises that one looks for in a memorable album. Magnolia Road is a welcome exception with a great section involving the slide and keyboards, and an overall sound that reminded me of The Allman Brothers’ Florida counterparts Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension (25th Sep): Ever since Stevens’ seminal Illinois concept album, I have been desperate to fall in love with his subsequent efforts. With the exception of Visions of Gideon, the song that he wrote for the film Call Me By Your Name, my wait continues. I think I’m unable to change my expectations and keep looking for the same virtuosity and creativity that shone through on Illinois. In spite of high scores from critics (80 on Metacritic) nothing on this release jumps out as exceptional. It’s the sort of album I could play in the background while reading a book, knowing the music will not distract me, because I’m not really listening to it.

Blitzen Trapper – Holy Smokes Future Jokes (25th Sep): The Portland, Oregon indie folk-rock band’s 10th album is a short one by today’s standards, running to just 37 minutes. The title track from their critically acclaimed 2007 album Wild Mountain Nation was on heavy rotation on my iPod once upon a time and I had listened off-and-on to their follow up album Furr from 2008. This new album contains more of their mellow easy-listening folk-rock sound (sometimes also categorized as alternative country). It’s not an album you listen to for catchy guitar hooks or virtuoso instrumental work. Instead a well-integrated package of vocals and soft guitar sounds. The best examples are Bardo’s Light, Don’t Let Me Run and the contemplative Sons and Unwed Mothers. The title track is the sort of free-flowing, easy-listening song you’d play on a long road trip, very reminiscent of Tom Petty. A couple of songs incorporate the saxophone (played by Ben Latimer), which is not an instrument one expects to hear on a folk-rock album, but it works really well.

Bon Jovi – 2020 (2nd Oct): I haven’t listened to a Bon Jovi album in full since 1992’s Keep The Faith, and the last hit single I can recall is It’s My Life from the 2000 album Crush, so I was curious to see how their sound has changed on their 15th studio album. Jon Bon Jovi sings at a lower register now, lead guitarist Richie Sambora left three albums ago and gone are the rock anthems. Instead, there are a number of quieter, more contemplative songs and these are the ones that worked for me – American Reckoning, Story of Love, Let It Rain and Unbroken.

Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (9th Oct): This is the veteran band’s 15th studio album, appearing nearly 50 years after their self-titled debut release. Their previous album, released 19 years ago, was received poorly and appeared to be the death knell for the band, so it’s a pleasant and unexpected surprise to see new material from them, especially with some of the tracks sounding as good as the material from their peak years in the 70’s, including Buck Dharma’s distinctive vocal style. I would characterize this as generic hard rock, the sort of music you would really enjoying while sitting in a bar with a drink. The are quite a few good tracks on this hour-long album, including Box in My Head, Edge of the World, Florida Man and Secret Road (with some great guitar solos).

From this set of nine albums, my favourites are the ones by My Morning Jacket, Kansas and Deep Purple. The ones from Ozzy Osbourne, Blitzen Trapper, Bon Jovi and Blue Öyster Cult carry a couple of strong tracks each and are good enough for a casual listen from time to time. This has been a great experience and I’m now looking forward to the November and December releases.