Archive
Favorite Albums & Concerts of 2016
- Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial (lo-fi indie rock) fave song: “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” (#6)
- Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) – Swallowed by the New (singer-songwriter) fave song: “Criminal Career” (#3)
- Sia – This Is Acting (pop) fave song: “Alive” (#2)
- Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (rock) fave song: “Ful Stop” (#5)
- Wussy – Forever Sounds (lo-fi indie rock) fave song: “Dropping Houses” (#1)
- Holy Fuck – CONGRATS (groove electronic) fave song: “Tom Tom” (#2)
- Elliott Smith – Heaven Adores You (indie rock) fave song: “Plainclothes Man” (#6)
- Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil – WOW to the Deadness -EP- coffin (indie rock) fave song: “Wow to the Deadness” (#1)
- Circle of Dust – Machines of Our Disgrace (hard industrial) fave song: “Machines of Our Disgrace” (#2)
- Lily & Madeleine – Keep It Together (singer-songwriter duo) fave song: “For the Weak” (#2)
- Charlie Hunter, Bobby Previte, and more – Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth (jazz) fave song: “No Money, No Honey” (#7)
- Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom – Otis Was a Polar Bear (jazz) fave song: “Fuster” (#1)
- David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) – Blanco (indie rock) fave song: “Little Landslide” (#7)
- Anna Tivel – Heroes Waking Up (singer-songwriter) fave song: “Black Balloon” (#2)
- The Jelly Jam –
ProphetProfit (prog rock) fave song: “Care” (#1) - Dave Douglas’ High Risk – Dark Territory (jazz with electronics) fave song: “Celine” (#1)
- Amendola vs. Blades – Greatest Hits (jazz) fave song: “Lima Bean” (#1)
- Damien Jurado – Visions of Us on the Land (indie rock) fave song: “Exit 353” (#11)
- Greydon Square – Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum Niverse (rap/hip hop) fave song: “Defiant” (#5)
- Elysian Fields – Ghosts of No (sultry indie rock) fave song: “Shadows of the Living Light” (#11)
- Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) – 4 ½ -EP- (prog rock) fave song: “My Book of Regrets” (#1)
- Opeth – Sorceress (prog metal) fave song: “Will o’ the Wisp” (#4)
- Scandroid – Scandroid (keyboard electronic) fave song: “Aphelion” (#3)
- The Claypool-Lennon Delirium – Monolith of Phobos (weird rock) fave song: “Cricket and the Genie, Movement I: The Delirium” (#2)
- Kaada & Patton – Bacteria Cult (ambient experimental) fave song: “Immodium” (#7)
- {8 Apr} Peter Mulvey w/ Anna Tivel :: Alberta Rose Theatre :: Portland, OR
- {22 Apr} Sufjan Stevens, BØRNS, Parov Stelar, LCD Soundsystem & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {23 Apr} CHVRCHES, Guns N’ Roses, Gary Clark Jr., Ice Cube, GoGo Penguin & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {24 Apr} Sia, Kamasi Washington, Wolf Alice, Joywave & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {16 Jun} Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR
- {25 Jun} Flight of the Conchords with Eugene Mirman :: Keller Auditorium :: Portland, OR
- {28 Jul} Ozomatli :: HiFi Music Hall :: Eugene, OR
- {29 Jul} Weird Al Yankovic :: Cuthbert Amphitheater :: Eugene, OR
- {13 Aug} Buster Keaton’s The General film with live score by Mark Orton, Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi, Todd Sickafoose :: Bohemia Park :: Cottage Grove, OR
- {29 Oct} Failure presents Fantastic Planet’s 20th Anniversary :: Star Theater :: Portland, OR
- {9 Nov} Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Alberta Rose Theatre :: Portland, OR
- {17 Nov} Car Seat Headrest :: The WOW Hall :: Eugene, OR
Storm Corrosion “Drag Ropes” (video)
From the self-titled debut album by Storm Corrosion featuring Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson hits record stores on May 8th, and their animated video for the epic 9+ minute “Drag Ropes” is here:
You can pre-order the physical CD or mp3 version NOW.
~Dan – np: Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
O.S.I. “For Nothing” video premiere
One of mellow tracks from O.S.I.’s latest album, Fire Make Thunder, now has a video…
“For Nothing“
Directed by Jimmy Ahlander
Threatening smoke, odd beings and glorified body parts, create dark poetry in this twisted, visual representation of OSI’s melancholic tune.
~Dan – np: O.S.I. – Fire Make Thunder
STORM CORROSION from Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) & Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
STORM CORROSION, the hugely-anticipated new project from Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, is releasing their debut album on May 7th. The self-titled album, which comprises six compositions, is available now for pre-order…
The first option includes a double LP set of the self-titled album with exclusive artwork, etched into 180g black virgin vinyl in gatefold jacket. You’ll also get a digital download of high quality FLAC files of the album and a tasty 24″ x 36″ fold-out poster of exclusive artwork.
They also have a DVD/Blu-ray version… things take a step up with this package. You get all the contents of the Collector’s Edition Double-LP Set (above), plus a digital download of the album the day BEFORE release, 5.1 audio mix of the album, two exclusive demo tracks and five instrumentals, and the full album on CD – all in a package containing over 2.5 hours of music!
The artwork…
You can click here to pre-order these packages now.
Click here to find Storm Corrosion on Facebook.
~Dan – np: John Zorn’s Moonchild trio + Marc Ribot – The Crucible
OSI #4 is ‘Fire Make Thunder’ (Update from Metal Blade)
OSI’s fourth album finally has a name, a cover image, a tracklist and more… the press release from Metal Blade is below…
Fire Make Thunder marks the fourth undertaking for the collaborative duo known as OSI. Formed in 2002 by Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, former Dream Theater keyboardist), OSI is a long distance partnership, both musicians typically writing and recording alone and sending song ideas back and forth for further elaboration. Written and recorded throughout most of 2011, this latest release once again reflects the eclectic influences of both Matheos and Moore.
Fire Make Thunder is slated for a March 27th release via Metal Blade Records. Today OSI unveils the artwork and the tracklisting for their fourth release.
Track listing:
1) Cold Call
2) Guards
3) Indian Curse
4) Enemy Prayer
5) Wind Won’t Howl
6) Big Chief II
7) For Nothing
8) Invisible Men
Additionally, OSI has released an exclusive audio medley from Fire Make Thunder, which features audio samples from the upcoming release. The medley as well as pre-order opportunities can be accessed HERE (Pacificlectic NOTE: they have the CD for a really great price or a shirt/CD combo). it’s also available for pre-order on Amazon.
Returning as the band’s session drummer is Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree, this time co-writing one of the tracks with the band. All other instruments and programming were performed by both Matheos and Moore, while vocals and lyrics were handled exclusively by Moore.
All of the recording for Fire Make Thunder, with the exception of drums, was done by Moore and Matheos at each musician’s respective home studio with drums being recorded at Harrison’s home in London. Final overdubs as well as some additional writing/arranging was completed in July 2011 in Jamaica, Iowa, where the band mixed alongside engineer Matt Sepanic at Sound Farm Studio and Recording Environment. Mastering was handled by renowned engineer Roger Siebel. The record was produced by both Moore and Matheos.
We reached out to OSI for comments on the album. Our calls have not been returned.
1/24 Update from Twitter re a vinyl edition (in Europe… which I’ll totally spring for on the shipping):
For More Information Please Visit:
http://www.osiband.com
http://www.metalblade.com/osi
http://twitter.com/osi_band
https://www.facebook.com/pages/OSI/203893353038854
http://www.youtube.com/osivideos
https://plus.google.com/101327182573580737209
http://www.myspace.com/osiband
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All
Steven Wilson “Remainder The Black Dog” (3rd video by Lasse Hoile)
And another new Lasse Hoile video from Steven Wilson’s impending 2nd solo album, Grace for Drowning. Behold, “Remainder the Black Dog”… another dark, visual mindf*ck from Lasse Hoile with a Dream Theater-esque fuzzy guitar and keyboard solo.
Grace for Drowning is out September 27th. Pre-order now on Amazon. Check out the video for “Index” over HERE and “Track One” over HERE.
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
Steven Wilson “Index” (video by Lasse Hoile)
Steven Wilson “Index” video directed by Lasse Hoile from Steven’s upcoming 2nd solo album, Grace for Drowning. A tad dark and creepy…
Grace for Drowning is out September 27th. Pre-order now on Amazon. Check out the video for “Track One” over HERE.
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
[video] Steven Wilson “Track One” (from Grace for Drowning)
Lasse Hoile’s new video for “Track One,” taken from Steven Wilson’s second solo album Grace for Drowning. Slow start, then some bombast… then returning… quite gorgeous.
lassehoile.com
Steven Wilson’s Grace for Drowning comes out September 26th. The mega deluxe & vinyl editions are available from gfd.com. The digipack CD is for pre-order on Amazon (only $11).
~Dan – np: Ty Tabor – Balance
Steven Wilson solo album cover art (video reveal)
I suppose so no one can easily steal the jpeg image? Anyway, here’s the “cover art video trailer reveal” for Steven Wilson’s upcoming Grace for Drowning album, due out in September.
For more about the album, I did a “here’s all the info we know thus far” recap a few weeks ago.
~Dan – np: Weird Al Yankovic – ALpocalypse
OSI #4 in Jan 2012 on Metal Blade
Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel dropped info on the next O.S.I. record (their 4th). It’ll hit us in January 2012 per this tweet. O.S.I. is Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, ex-Dream Theater) and Jim Matheos (ex-Fates Warning)… they make some excellent drum-programmed twitchy, sample-driven ethereal prog (like a harder version of Chroma Key). Gavin Harrison from Porcupine Tree drums on this one. Mixing is happening now, based on prior reports.
Samples from their past three records:
The 4th album was originally slated for Fall 2010. I can wait, but barely…
~Dan – np: Fishtank Ensemble – Woman in Sin 
Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning (2011)
Update 8/24: there’s a new video for the song “Track One” with the image below, as well as pre-order information at THIS BLOG.
After some news leaking slowly, Porcupine Tree/No-Man/Blackfield frontman Steven Wilson’s next solo album finally has a name… Grace For Drowning. It also has a trailer…
http://www.gracefordrowning.com/
Recapping the news from prior posts:
- it’ll be two 40-45 minute albums in the same package… due “Autumn 2011” (September-ish)
- album names: Deform to Form a Star and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye
- pretty organic feel, mostly inspired by the darker end of vintage progressive music and some… movie soundtrack stuff (Morricone especially)
- the usual array of excellent SW options: double-vinyl release, 5.1 surround sound, hard back book edition, CD, digital…
- Update 7/19: free download… 9-minute full-track by signing up for the mailing list at http://www.gracefordrowning.com/
Stay up with his Facebook page and http://www.gracefordrowning.com/ for the scoop as it develops. Steven just finished up his tour with Blackfield, and also in the works… Storm Corrosion with Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt (likely a 2012 release).
~Dan – np: Remy Zero – Villa Elaine
Steven Wilson’s upcoming double album
From Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson’s facebook page about his upcoming solo work…
The new solo album website will probably launch in early June now. The music is done, but we’re still working on film material and the deluxe edition. It’s presented as two 40-45 minute albums in the same package (which begs the question; when is a double album not a double album? When it’s 2 single albums issued together!) The album titles are Deform to Form a Star and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye.
Good question…personally, I’d still call that a double album, but whatever… it’s just semantics.
~Dan – np: The Book of Knots – Traineater
Blackfield – Waving (music video – 2011)
The first single from Blackfield’s 3rd album Welcome To My DNA… “Waving”…
Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree / No-Man / etc) & Aviv Geffen are taking Blackfield on the road in North America this spring. The album is on-sale at Amazon…
~Dan – np: PfR – Them
Kevin Moore (Chroma Key/OSI) finally on the social…
Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, OSI, ex-Dream Theater) is finally on the social networks…
Kevin Moore’s Twitter
Kevin Moore’s Facebook Page
OSI band page
Some news on the 4th OSI album…
Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree has just laid down drum tracks on a handful of new OSI songs. Jim [Matheos] and Kevin continue to write and record material for the fourth OSI album, their first with Metal Blade Records. Mixing is slated for June 2011.
~Dan – np: Eyal Maoz & Asaf Sirkis – Elementary Dialogues
Steven Wilson’s 2nd solo album (2/21 update)
More news to tack onto the original announcement (go here for that). This is also from Steven Wilson‘s facebook page:
Thanks for all the wonderful feedback regarding my new solo record! Sorry, but “Cut Ribbon” once again failed to make the cut – although the 12 tracks / 84 minutes of music I’ve selected for the main release is quite eclectic, it has in common a pretty organic feel, mostly inspired by the darker end of vintage progressive music and some… movie soundtrack stuff (Morricone especially). The sound palette is made up of things like strings, choir, woodwinds, mellotron, organ, piano, fender rhodes, jazz drums, and warmer guitar tones, so the shiny metal attack of Cut Ribbon just doesn’t fit. But the track is all mixed and finished and sounds good, so I’ll find somewhere to release it. Definitely the album will come out on double vinyl too. Love the new Radiohead album! Here’s another still from the work in progress films Lasse is working on to include on the blu-ray version of the album.
~Dan – np: Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
Steven Wilson’s 2nd solo album
Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree put out his first solo album, Insurgentes, in 2008. He followed it up with the concept album The Incident from his day gig (Porcupine Tree) in 2009, a live PT DVD (Anesthetize) and Insurgentes DVD in 2010… and now, 2011 will shower us with at least two SW-related records: Blackfield‘s third album, Welcome to My DNA (with a world tour), and his second solo album (based on this news on his facebook page):
My second solo album is nearing completion. It will be in the form of 2 separate 40 minute albums released in the same 2 CD set, and will also come as a blu-ray with surround mix, high definition stereo and a lot of visual material (Lasse [Hoile] is already working hard on films for many of the songs, attached is a still from one of these we shot a couple of weeks ago to a song called “Index”). We’re also planning a special Insurgentes style hard back book edition with a full length bonus CD of additional material. A year in the making, this is without doubt my biggest project to date, perhaps my most ambitious and personal music, and with some phenomenal musicians and performances on it (drummer Nic France in particular is going to blow a lot of people away). We hope a website will launch around April/May to start previewing material, with the album scheduled for September. More soon….
There’s also Storm Corrosion… his collaboration with Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth and Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater). TBD/TBA…
He’s a busy dude.
~Dan – np: Ozric Tentacles – Arborescence
Blackfield 2011 North American tour dates
Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson likes to stay busy. One of better side projects is Blackfield with Israeli pop-singer Aviv Geffen. They’ve got a new website (http://www.blackfield.org/), a new album coming out (Welcome to My DNA), and a tour coming up…
Blackfield 2011 North American Tour
- 18th May Washington, DC, 9:30 Club USA
- 19th May Philadelphia, PA, Theater of the Living Arts USA
- 20th May New York, NY, Irving Plaza USA
- 21st May Boston, MA, Royale Boston USA
- 23rd May Montreal, QC, Le National CANADA
- 25th May Cleveland, OH, House of Blues USA
- 26th May Detroit, MA, St Andrew’s Hall USA
- 27th May Chicago, IL, Park West USA
- 31st May Seattle, WA, Studio Seven USA
- 1st June Portland, OR, Aladdin Theater USA
- 3rd June San Francisco, CA, Slim’s USA
- 4th June Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Theatre USA
- 6th June Mexico City, MEX, Metropolitan Theater MEXICO
Unrelated Sidenote: Over the Rhine‘s The Long Surrender comes out today. It’s a fantastic Americana, singer-songwriter, sultry pop album. Check it out (click album cover to the right for sound samples)… you can even download a song for free (for a limited time).
~Dan – np: Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
Storm Corrosion (Steven Wilson & Mikael Akerfeldt)
Dec 2011 update: There’s an official FB page (other one now unlinked), and the album is expected on Roadrunner in April 2012. GO here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Storm-Corrosion/187831801312141
March 2012 update: The pre-order for the album is HERE.
For a while now, Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson and Opeth‘s Mikael Akerfeldt have been talking about an official collaboration (outside of SW’s involvement in Opeth production, etc). Well, it now has a name…
STORM CORROSION
They have “churned out” about only 15 minutes of music so far, but the goal for the group is to do “something really, really special and really different” – whatever that means for these prog-metal gents.
Per Steven Wilson’s FB page, Storm Corrosion won’t occur until at least after September 2011 (when SW’s 2nd solo album comes out). Opeth also has a new one due in the Fall of 2011; so we shouldn’t expect any Storm Corrosion until 2012, most likely. Its naming is at least a good sign of things being “in the works.”
Mike Portnoy is also involved, but I think to a more limited extent compared to SW & MA… though, with Portnoy’s being ousted from Dream Theater and done on the road with Avenged Sevenfold – perhaps he’s more freed up.
For more news, I’d pay attention to these webpages:
http://swhq.co.uk/
http://opeth.com/
~Dan – np: Erik Friedlander plays Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Volume 8 (Volac)
* Favorite EPs / Vinyl / Live Albums & more of 2010 *
This is sort of a precursor to my “official” Favorites of 2010 blogs. Up later this week, I’ll post my favorite vocal and favorite instrumental albums of 2010. Anyway, on with the music pimping…
Favorite EPs of 2010
- Holy Fuck – +Ghost (bonus disc with Latin)
- Auragami – Resistance (thanks, Michael)
- Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People
- Owen Pallett – Demo (with Shara Worden – FREE)
- Haftor Medbøe Group – Box of Monkeys (technically 2009, but I got it late)
Favorite Vinyl-only Release of 2010
- My Brightest Diamond & Dayna Kurtz – Gone Away / Postcards from Downtown 7″
- Erik Friedlander – Alchemy 10″
- Isis / Melvins split 12″
- Damien & Drake Jurado – Hoquiam 12″
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – The Gentle Side 12″
fave non-vinyl-only issue: Mike Patton‘s Mondo Cane 12″ (is luscious)
Favorite DVDs of 2010 (I didn’t really get any outside of music-related and an old H.Potter)
- Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize: Live in Tilburg
- Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
- Jónsi – Go Quiet & Go Live
- John Zorn & Richard Foreman – Astronome: A Night at the Opera
Favorite Internet Only Releases of 2010
- Kembwe – Kembwe
- Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 1 (monthly series)
- My Terrible Friend EP (a folky Pomplamoose spin-off)
- Celldweller – Wish Upon a Blackstar (a few chapters)
- Puya – Areyto EP
- Ty Tabor – Trip Magnet & Jelly Jam‘s Additives
- Asthmatic Kitty‘s Library Catalog Music Series (I think they also put some of these out as vinyl)
- Glen Phillips – Tornillo
- Kevin Moore – Shine (late, late 2010 – CD in early 2011)
- Rafter – Animal Feelings (maybe it came out on CD, too?)
Favorite Live Albums of 2010
- King’s X – Live Love in London
- Jónsi – Go Live
- Redbird (Peter Mulvey / Jeffrey Foucault / Kris Delmhorst / David “Goody” Goodrich) – Live at Café Carpe 2008 & 2009
Favorite Podcasts in 2010 (they’re free, yo! Search for them on iTunes)
- George Hrab – Geologic Podcast
- Keith Olbermann’s Countdown on MSNBC
- The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC
- Bill Maher‘s New Rules
- The Adam Carolla Podcast
- Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier – SModcast
- Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman – Hollywood Babble On
- Starfucking with Kevin Smith (OK, not free – proceeds for charity, though)
- SMoviemakers with Kevin Smith
- The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Best Cover Art & Packaging in 2010 (all vinyl, but the CDs were cool, too)
- Mike Patton – Mondo Cane
- Jónsi – Go
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – Gentle Side (vinyl, designed by Chippy)
Favorite Local Releases in 2010 (PacNW represent)
- Kembwe – Kembwe (Ashland-based ambient, vocal alchemy)
- I suck… that’s all the local-ish stuff I got this year…
Best Re-issues in 2010
- Carissa’s Wierd‘s first three albums (Ugly But Honest / You Should Be Home Here / Songs About Leaving)
- Mr. Bungle – California (on vinyl)
- Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs (deluxe re-issue of Cruisin’ with Rueben & the Jets)
- Elliott Smith – An Introduction to… (career spanning compilation)
Best Not-for-Profit Release in 2010
- Medeski Martin & Wood – The Stone Issue Four (for The Stone NYC)
Worst Music News in 2010 (for me)
- Cincinnati rock band Noctaluca broke up. Here’s hoping Jason Ludwig goes on to do some more interesting stuff.
- Faith No More‘s reunion tour didn’t hit the U.S. proper. Argh.
Best Late-Getter in 2010 (something that came out before 2010)
- Abagail’s Ghost – d_letion (from 2009)
- Fever Ray – Fever Ray (also from 2009)
Best Musical Novelty / Ingenuity
- Tristan Perich – 1-Bit Symphony
Best Music Videos
- Holy Fuck “Red Lights”
- Turf Fienz “Rain Dance”
- Cee-Lo Green “Fuck You” (original)
- The Gregory Brothers & Antoine Dodson “The Bed Intruder”
So, yeah, this was the catch-all post… check back later this week for the more traditional year end wrap-up festivities…
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘10 are coming soon
- Fave Instrumental of ‘10 are coming soon
- Old Years: Best of the Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25), 2009I, 2009V, 2009ep, 2009C, 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Anakronic Electro Orkestra – Speak With Ghosts
Steven Wilson’s TAPE EXPERIMENTS 1985-1986
Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson is always putting out something… this week, he announced he’s making available Tape Experiments 1985-1986 on vinyl via Tone Float.
It was originally intended as a pre-order bonus to his Insurgentes dvd movie release (but withdrawn in favor of a much more recent piece of music), Steven Wilson decided to make his two and four track tape experiments from 1985/1986 available via Soundcloud (free legal download link).
Those tracks are now being released as 180 gram black vinyl album, entitled Tape Experiments 1985/1986. In tie with the flaws of the original grimy cassettes they were taken from, the album is designed with the 70s vinyl bootleg records in mind (and in particular the legendary takrl label), complete with an insert cover. The release date is November 29, 2010, and the album is available exclusively from the Tonefloat store.
~Dan – np: Eisley – Combinations
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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