Month: January 2019

al green - the absolute best
CD

Al Green: The Absolute Best (2004)

If there are better songs in the discography of Al Green I’m unaware of them.  That’s not because I think The Absolute Best, a 2-disc compilation ranging the entirety of Green’s stay with Willie Mitchell at Hi Records contains all that is the pinnacle of the man’s career.  It’s really (and sadly) because it’s the only music I have from Al Green and everything I’ve heard elsewhere can be found on this compilation. Continue reading “Al Green: The Absolute Best (2004)”

Unknown's avatarChrisLeave a comment
al di meola, john mclaughlin and paco de lucia - friday night in san francisco
CD

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia: Friday Night in San Francisco (1981)

Oh man…almost 30 years since first hearing this and it sounds just as fresh, just as vibrant, just as alive as the first time I heard it.  Friday Night in San Francisco is more than just a live document of three guitar virtuosos at the top of their game; it’s a seminal work of music, astounding in its passion, technicality, and execution, and a high water mark for Al Di Meola, John McLaughin, and Paco De Lucia.  It’s bar none one of my favorite records of all time, and remains for me the apex of what you can do with a guitar, unadorned, armed with only your love of making music. Continue reading “Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia: Friday Night in San Francisco (1981)”

Unknown's avatarChris1 Comment
akercocke - antichrist
CD

Akercocke: Antichrist (2007)

I knew the second the chaos of “Black Messiah” burst from my speakers Antichrist wasn’t an album I was going to come back to.  This was a clear case of sequencing killing an album for me.  Never mind that the 2007 album from Akercocke was (outside of the opening track) for the most part similar to the progressive death metal I loved on Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone.  I had just discovered that there are some bands I didn’t need to follow throughout their career.

And that’s totally okay.  Continue reading “Akercocke: Antichrist (2007)”

Unknown's avatarChrisLeave a comment
akercocke - words that go unspoken, deeds that go undone
CD

Akercocke: Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone (2005)

Oh, fancy lads of Akercocke.  You do the dress up thing, you sing of Satan and blasphemy, and you play a beguiling progressive death metal that would make many upstarts weep with jealousy.  I am not always taken with you, particularly when you go lower than “large pig swallowing another pig” in your vocal range, but damn if the music on Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone isn’t some of the best death metal in the last 15 years. Continue reading “Akercocke: Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone (2005)”

Unknown's avatarChris1 Comment
agalloch - the serpent and the sphere
CD

Agalloch: The Serpent and the Sphere (2014)

Looking back now, even if the band knew The Serpent and the Sphere was going to be the final Agalloch album I don’t think they could have crafted a more full expression of what the band encompassed as a sonic entity.  Rich and cold, bursting with full and lushly sculpted songs, it returns the band to its roots even as it points to how far the band pushed the limits of what you could do with a clear vision and unique perspective on how Black, neofolk, and post/progressive metal can blend while maintaining a singular identity.  Continue reading “Agalloch: The Serpent and the Sphere (2014)”

Unknown's avatarChrisLeave a comment
agalloch - ashes against the grain
CD

Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain (2006)

John Haughm may consider this his least favorite Agalloch album,  but Ashes Against the Grain is the album where I fell in love with the band.  Sonically more expansive, with an icy sheen that removes most of what could be recognized as black metal in favor of something more post/neofolk/progressive…call if whatever you want, but the album drips with a somber beauty that captures the essence of what Agalloch brought to the genre. Continue reading “Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain (2006)”

Unknown's avatarChrisLeave a comment