Thoughts on Some Music

I listen to a lot of music and, since I'm a big fat nerd, I love running analytics on my own habits/behaviour. I run a Tautulli server (Python-based monitoring app for my Plex media server) and have my streaming sources forward traffic to Last.fm, which gives me a weekly listening report.

It's interesting watching my own music listening habits change based on what's going on in my life. They decline when I am recording music of my own, increase when I get a new piece of audio hardware or discover a great new artist. Even the times I listen to music follow an interesting pattern.

I'm not going to dive too deep into the stats because, frankly, they're embarrassing and expose how big of a music/TV/movie nerd I am. What I will do is write some thoughts on a couple of artists I've enjoyed in the past few months.

Everygrey

A Swedish progressive metal band, known on the internet as a diluted version of Dream Theater, can definitely stand on their own unique merits. I kept up with them until about 2008, and hadn't really thought about them much until 2020's Escape of the Phoenix album.

It's still very Dream Theater-y nerdy metal (James LaBrie is even a guest singer on track 5), but their renewed fervor for writing catchy pop hooks and dressing them up in progressive metal keeps me captivated for the whole hour-long duration of this album. If great standalone songs weren't enough, this album has the kind of cohesive track arrangement that harkens back to Queensryche's groundbreaking Operation Mindcrime, sans the concept. Every time I listen to the album, it's hard to believe an hour can go by that quickly and dynamically.

Best tracks: The Dandelion Cipher, The Beholder, Escape of the Phoenix

Blood Command

To balance out the nerdy prog metal, I've been pretty obsessed with the Norwegian "deathpop"/punk band, Blood Command. Every single album they've put out (across both very similar-sounding singers) is great. Energetic, stylish, electronic-infused punk rock centered around catchy short arrangements. They've also got a really really cool art style and general aesthetic for the band.

My favourite album by these guys is their 2019 EP Return of the Arsonist, clocking in at just 11 minutes. I've listened to this thing hundreds of times (along with their other work), and I still have yet to tire of it. From the songwriting to their lighthearted approach and contemporary sensibilities, I can't wait for these guys to put out something new (and hopefully soon).

Killer Cuts: Afraid of Water, S01E02.Return.Of.The.Arsonist.720p.HDTV.x264

Albert King

My recent favourite from the "Three Kings of the Blues," Albert King, is less contemporary than Evergrey or Blood Command, but I've been listening to a lot of his 1967 compilation album, Born Under a Bad Sign, and these eleven electric blues songs live up to the hype. And, boy, is there hype to live up to.

Artists influenced by this record include, but are not limited to, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the mighty Hendrix himself. Some highly influential albums can be a product of their time, and get lost in modern iterations of the style, but this beauty shines brightly even amongst the newest blues cuts recorded half a century later.

The chord progressions used are simple, but the raw tone and soulful lead lines (done mostly using the top 3 strings of the guitar) invoke the very essence of what electric blues should be. It's sad, it's harrowing, and it's hauntingly beautiful. Somehow, Albert King was able to innovate an entire genre and inspire generations of huge names with this album recorded on an out of tune guitar played upside down. Wrap your head around that one, because I sure can't.

Essentially Blue: Born Under a Bad Sign, Crosscut Saw, Landromat Blues