Month: May 2024

the tangent - the world that we drive through
Vinyl

The Tangent: The World That We Drive Through (2004)

When you think about it, The Tangent is kind of the perfect name for Tillison’s ongoing musical exploration. This early in the band’s career it could be construed as a tangent to the players’ other ongoing projects (Roine Stolt certainly took it that way, as this is his last hurrah with the band), but it’s also a good indicator of the musical direction: tangential to numerous styles and genres, beholden to none. Only a short year later that use case continues to hold true with their sophomore album The World That We Drive Through. Almost a half hour longer than the debut, it’s a more ambitious, expansive offering, relying less on compact passages and segues and building them into beefier song structures. It’s a less immediate but still gratifying album – with caveats – to my ears.

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the tangent - the music that died alone
CD, Vinyl

The Tangent: The Music That Died Alone (2003)

I always considered myself a prog rock fan, but that label had a very limited scope in my self definition. Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and especially Jethro Tull (Genesis came much later) all informed my perception of what progressive rock was, and what time period it was dominant in. It’s only been the past year or so that I really started digging both into the deeper pockets and sub-genres of the form but also where it was going in the present. Out of that exploration came three big (maybe the biggest when it comes to modern prog?) hitters that have not only broadened my scope of what prog is but have quickly become favorite bands for me. We’ll hit the discographies of Transatlantic and The Flower Kings later, but I wanted to devote the next series of posts to the wonder that is Andy Tillison and The Tangent, starting with their 2003 debut The Music That Died Alone.

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sweet slag - tracking with close-ups
Vinyl

Sweet Slag: Tracking With Close-Ups (1971)

One more quick hit/impulse buy before I move onto the next series. I’m almost positive I came across the psychedelic stylings of Sweet Slag from Smokin’ Joe and the HiFi Dream Machine, the weekly radio show hosted by Joe Macchia (who also happens to manage my local record shop Needle + Groove). Damned if I can recall now what track it was, but at some point I tracked down Tracking With Close-Ups, the UK band’s one and only release. Equal doses of psychedelia, garage, progressive and soul groove, it’s a rock record that goes places. Too many of these one-record wonders get lost in the shuffle of the more mainstream, “classic” rock of the period, so it’s always fun to sit back and listen to what else was coming out at the time. Good stuff here, so let’s dig into it.

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fires in the distance - air not meant for us
Vinyl

Fires in the Distance: Air Not Meant For Us (2023)

I’m waiting for a record to arrive before I start my next series, so in the meantime I’m going to hit a couple one-offs that fall under the general category of “impulse buys” – those albums that, whether drunk or excited or something else caused me to hit the buy button before really thinking. Sometimes it pays off, as is the case with Air Not Meant For Us, the second album from Connecticut’s Fires in the Distance. Taking cues from melodic, progressive death metal and injecting a healthy dose of gloom and doom make for a dynamic and exciting album, one that crept back into my ears on a playlist as I was drifting off the sleep, forcing me to take attention and buy a copy before the inevitable slide back into the black.

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gary clark jr - jpeg raw
Vinyl

Gary Clark Jr: JPEG RAW (2024)

We’re wrapping up my Best of 2024 (so far) series with another artist not content to remain within a proscribed genre or form. And no, I’m not talking about the latest from Beyoncé (though I could and will because it’s also one of my favorites this year): I’m talking about the guitar powerhouse that is Gary Clark Jr. and his new boundary pushing album JPEG RAW. I don’t think Clark’s ever been content to sit as just another guitar prodigy, and like his previous banger This Land his latest sees the artist continue to embrace his influences, even having them accompany him on the album.

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Vinyl

Brittany Howard: What Now (2024)

Had to take a small break for a number of personal things including college visits and a funeral, but the truth is I would’ve needed a break, anyway. I started this review of What Now, the sophomore solo release from former Alabama Shakes guitarist/vocalist Brittany Howard almost a week ago and came to a realization: here is an album I love but can’t quite explain why (yet). It’s a thick, often murky, challenging album, not straight-forward at all and the more I listen the more I believe it’s this challenge, this refusal to play it simple, forcing the listener to really dig in if they want to “get it” that makes me fall hard for What Now. I don’t know if I’ll come closer to “understanding” with this review, but I’m gonna try.

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