I really wanted to get at least one more review out this week, but life is insane with, well…(gestures at pretty much everything). When the world is an absolute garbage fire there are few places of solitude and solace to be found, and I found it…in Dream Theater. Yeah, I got my copy of Parasomnia a week early because I’m that kind of nerd (and use LaserCD for my prog and Japanese Jazz needs) so I’ve been soaking myself in progressive metal and trying to shut everything else out. I also have been knee deep in discovering a new favorite director, so even though it’s not music I urge you to check out the films of Abbas Kiarostami if your unfamiliar and want t0 see a true master play with the form without sacrificing any of the nuance or insight into the human condition. Seriously, he’s been a revelation to me in these troubled times. Enough moping; let’s get into the music.

• Dream Theater – “In The Arms Of Morpheus”
• Van Der Graaf Generator – “Killer”
• Time Rift – “Follow Tomorrow”
• Masabumi Kikuchi – “Tenacious Prayer Forever”

I still remember sitting in my dorm room with headphones on listening to my college radio station play “Pull Me Under” and being blown away by what Dream Theater were putting out there, but it took literal decades before I actually bought any of their albums. I won’t proclaim to be the biggest fan of the band, but I like a lot of it, and this opening overture from the new album gives me exactly the kind of heavy progressive metal I want right now…Equally progressive but in their own unique way, I’m continuing my dive into the work of Van Der Graaf Generator, and “Killer” the opening track to 1970’s H to He, Who Am The Only One is a good solid intro to the band if you’re not quite ready for the more expansive and exploratory stuff…

Man cannot live on prog alone, and sometimes you need some rock and roll meat to put on those bones, and Portland’s power trio Time Rift bring it big time with the retro stoner rock. Great vocals from Domino Monet…I went on another Japanese jazz binge thanks to reading this incredible overview of the scene, and Masabumi Kikuchi continues to loom large in my listening. This track is taken from 1970’s Re-Confirmation, his sophomore release as a bandleader and is a fantastic glimpse into that shimmering area where hard, modal jazz was about to explode into jazz-rock and fusion.

• -(16)- – “Fortress Of hate”
• Chuck Johnson – “Calamus”
• Diego Banchero Trio – “Looking For The Pusher”
• Les Rallizes Dénudés – “The Last One_1980”

I just wrapped a review of Guides For The Misguided, the latest album from -(16)- over at Nine Circles, and it’s another sure shot for my metal end of year list. Every albums continues to explore new ways to integrate different styles into their sludgy death metal, and this one might be my favorite yet…COmpletely opposite in tone, I needed some real calming music to turn my brain off at night, and ever since my buddy Baxter introduced me to Chuck Johnson I’ve been hooked. The composer and musician excels at these gorgeous lush compositions that engage and relax simultaneously, and I just grabbed his Balsams album on vinyl and have been using it to heal at night…

I had no idea about the Diego Banchero Trio, but apparently he’s the bass player and band leader from Il Segno del Comando who I’ve reviewed here before. This is a different beat, an instrumental rock trio in the vein of The Aristocrats, and it hits the spot…Finally we leave with the mighty Les Rallizes Dénudés and yet another far out version of their song “The Last One” this one taken from the recently released archive set YaneUra Sept. ’80. Ever since being introduced to the band from my other buddy Erik (I seemingly only have two buddies…I assure that number is maybe double in reality) I’ve been hooked deep in their vicious live sound, particular all the different ways they’ve presented this track over the years…

Be safe, be good to each other. See you next week.