Recommendation: Soft Mountain - Soft Mountain (2007)

Soft Mountain

Improvised live in the studio by the quartet of Hugh Hopper (bass), Elton Dean (sax), Yoshida Tatsuya (drums) and Hoppy Kamiyama (keyboards). Although, only released in 2007 (and in some places in 2006), this was recorded in 2003, during Dean's and Hopper's tour in Japan with Soft Works. By contacting Hoppy ahead of time, they agreed to get into a studio and just play... They start nicely and calmly with some "regular" sounding jazz, and slowly and progressively advance towards the more experimental and daring parts of this free style playing, of which a major part if free-form. The drums, while at times a bit too much in the back, are just a wild ride, relentless and with non-stop energetics, as if on steroids. It's made up of only two tracks - Soft Mountain Suite parts 1 & 2, and each is around half an hour. It might get too much at times, but when in the proper mood or state of mind, this is very rewarding. In any case, a fine release, very enjoyable, dynamic with mostly non-stop action.

Soft Mountain

Track 1: Soft Mountain Suite Pt. 1 (30.40)
Track 2: Soft Mountain Suite Pt. 2 (27.55)

Total running time: 58.40

Recorded 10th August 2003 in Tokyo, Japan

Elton Dean sax
Hugh Hopper bass
Hoppy Kamiyama keyboards
Yoshida Tatsuya drums

Music composed by E. Dean, H. Hopper, H. Kamiyama & Y. Tatsuya

Recommendation: Ephrat (Israel, prog-rock)

Formed in 2005, Ephrat is Omer Ephrat's creation, making heavy, emotional, melancholic and epic progressive rock. The band consists of Lior Seker (vocals), Tomer Z (drums) Gili Rosenberg (bass) and Omer Ephrat (guitars, keyboards, flute).

Their 2008 debut, No One's Words released by InsideOut, was mixed by Steven Wilson and has Daniel Gildenlow and Petronella Nettermalm (of Paatos) guesting on vocals on two songs.
Listen to some Youtube samples after the jump

A song to to find your way home with...: The Builders & The Butchers - Short Way Home

The Builders & The Butchers are a Portland, Oregon based band playing lovely folk/Americana rock. I came across their website earlier this year and ordered their 2009 album, Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well, which is a superb collection of catchy melodic folk-rock.

Aside from this album, they have a s/t album from 2007, a split with Loch Lomond from the same year, a live album, Where The Roots All Grow, released this year. In 2011 they'll release their new album, Dead Reckoning.

Here's a great song from their second album called Short Way Home. Listen to the entire song, don't quit in the middle.



Watch more videos here.

Recommendation: Amity In Fame (Austria, rock, acoustic)

Austrian band Amity In Fame play acoustic-rock and have released an album in 2008 called Dinner For One and are now working on a second album. You can read more about them here.

Links:
Myspace
Website
Legal free download of the album, Dinner For One, on Jamendo

Review: Random Touch - A True Conductor Wears a Man (2007)

Here's a review I wrote some years ago about the first Random Touch album I heard, A True Conductor Wears A Man.


Moving between the Random and the Planned 

The name of this group might give a hint at what is going on here. But then again, I don't think anything is random here, maybe not well planned ahead, but if this is random, then the outcome is one hell of an organized mess for such a thing, though improvisation seems to have been part of the process. 

Review: Yugen - Iridule (2010, Altr0ck)

In Iridule, Yugen continue their musical journey began in Labirinto d’Acqua in 2006. While they retain their sound from their first album, here Yugen are incorporating additional styles, including the addition of (female) vocals, courtesy of Elaine Di Falco (Thinking Plauge, Caveman Shoestore). Yugen offer several shorter, vocals-lead songs, which are focused on creating eerie and odd textures and atmospheres, rather than presenting a tune. 

Review: Djam Karet - The Heavy Soul Sessions (2010)

Despite having a musical style that on paper should appeal to my tastes, being a widely critically acclaimed group and having an extensive discography spread out over 3 decades, I’ve only checked out so far two releases from California-based instrumental progressive rock act, Djam Karet: 1991’s Burning the Hard City and 2003’s A Night for Baku. While I find the music on these albums to be good and very well played and produced, it didn’t grab me and made me have repeated listening, though I know that these albums have their fans, so I’m not writing them off.

In 2010 comes their newest studio offering, the 15^th in number called The Heavy Soul Sessions, 5 years after the well-received and acclaimed Recollection Harvest which I have yet to hear, but definitely intend to after listening to this album.

The Heavy Soul Sessions was born as a result of live shows in which they played tracks spanning their 26 years of existence. They proceeded to record these tracks live-in-the-studio with no overdubbing. They have also included a cover song, Dedicated To K.C. by Richard Pinhas from his 1982 album, L’Ethique. Indeed this album sounds great, fresh and crisp both sound-wise and music-wise. In fact it has inspired me to go back and re-listen to the two albums I have of theirs and get some others I don’t have. So what you get here is a taste of the variety of flavours of the band’s output. You get a taste of space-rock, ambient and electronic music as well as a balanced portion of aggressive rock, warm analog synths and mellotron, spacey guitar solos and dreamy-eerie slow and pensive sections.

A song for a rainy winter day...: Gösta Berlings Saga - Sorterargatan 3

I've had a post about Gösta Berlings Saga before, reviewing their latest album, Detta Har Hänt. Here are two videos of the second track from that album, Sorterargatan 3.

While the second video has better sound quality and shows a tighter performance, both are worth watching/listening. This song has a great buildup and then a propulsive rhythm and simple yet charming tune.

Pay attention to the drumming work and how well it mixes with and supports the music.

Club Groddar & Gräsrötter at Landet, Stockholm, Sweden 2009-10-22.


Frölunda Kulturhus 2009.09.25; Göteborg (Gothenburg)

A song to Thank You!...: Alphataurus - La Mente Vola

November has ended and December has began!

First I'd like to congratulate my good friends Emma and Johnny on the birth of their son Alex (born 29-11-10).

Second, my committee meeting went rather well, and so now I need to work hard for the next one.

Last, I'd like to thank you people who read these nonsensical blurbs and verbal outpourings of mine. The blog has had much more visitors than I had anticipated, with over 900 visitors this months and almost 200 returning visitors. Thank you!

Please let me know in the comments what do you think, what would like to see more of and what would you like changed. Can't promise I'll do it, but I will read and consider.

With regards to music, there have been great albums released this year, some of which I've mentioned here and I will do a 2010 favourite albums summary in January 2011 (similar to the one I did for 2009).

So I'd like to sum this post up with a stunning song to thank you all, La Mente Vola (the mind flies) by Italian prog-rock band Alphataurus.

Recommendation: Hour Of The Shipwreck (rock, USA)

Dreamy yet fierce, the music of Hour Of The Shipwreck bridges between opposite emotional banks. In their songs they travel from delicate and calm currents to gushing and agitated torrents as they present their beautiful melodies fronted by soft male vocals. Their music is dramatic and intense.

Based in LA, this band has released one album in 2008, The Hour Is Upon Us but since then I've not seen any news from the band and so am not sure as to their current status.

Read an interview here and reviews here, here, here and here

Review: Big Big Train - The Difference Machine (2007)

This is a review I wrote some time ago for the 2007 album by British prog-rock band Big Big Train. In light of their new offering, an EP entitles Far Skies Deep Time, I thought of posting this review now. Also, you can download the title track (23 minutes) of their last full-length, The Underfall Yard, here. They have more free downloads in their website.

A song to start the week with...: David Bowie - Cygnet Committee

 
I have my Ph.D. thesis committee meeting today (though in smaller format, as two members can't attend and so I've met one in person and I'll meet the second one in person as well soon). So I was looking for songs to go along with that but could find nothing. As I was searching for songs with the words Committee, Ph.D. or Meeting, I found several but none that matched in mood, lyrics or spirit, so then I came across David Bowie's song, Cygnet Committee from the album Space Oddity and figured it comes close enough and it's a good song so here it is.
Have a good week!

A song to be gloomy with...: Kauan - Neulana Hetkessä

Kauan from Russia started out as a doom/folk metal outfit and now veered into more folk-post-rock-ish territories with their stunning 2009 album, Aava Tuulen Maa, sung in Finnish. Here's the closing song from that album, Neulana Hetkessä. 

Band in the Spotlight, Review & Songs to be driven by...: Hidria Spacefolk - Balansia (2004, Silence)

Finnish space-rockers, Hidria Spacefolk, the self-proclaimed astrobeat orchestra, are a favourite band of mine with their highly energetic instrumental space/psych-rock tinged with cool effects.


Mikko Happo - guitar
Teemu Kilponen - Drums
Kimmo Dammert - Bass
Janne Lounatvuori - Synths, electric piano
Veikko Sutinen - Keyboards, Synths
Sami Wirkkala - guitar  

They've released 3 studio albums, 2 line albums 1 EP and 1 compilation of remixes. They are currently working on their next release.
More about the band here.

My review of the album, Balansia, is after the Jump.

Songs to stir thing up...: Infected Mushroom

Get your night started with Infected Mushroom. Here are two excellent songs from their 2007 album, Vicious Delicious, Becoming Insane and Change The Formality.

Review: 35007 - Liquid (2002, Stickman)

Originating from Eindhoven in Holland, Space-rockers, 35007 (or Loose in reverse and upside down), started out with a vocalist in the lineup on their first album in 1994 but have since then proceeded as an instrumental lineup playing psych/space/stoner rock. This is my favourite release of theirs, Liquid, from 2002.
Review after the Jump.

A song for the aspiring rockers: Emmanuel & The Fear - Jimme's Song

Emmanuel & the Fear from Brooklyn have released this year their first full-length, Listen, an orchestral rock album filled with goodies, rich sounding catchy tunes. Here's a great song from it called Jimme's Song.



Listen to more songs here:

A short pause, a temporary slow down of pace...

It's been a (more than usual) busy week and this trend will continue in the next two weeks. I've had the first part of my committee meeting and in the coming Monday I have the second and main part.
Finally after many agonizing a time, a project I came up with and work on seems to fall into place and more data and good results are coming in. I'll just say it has to do with revealing the role of a certain protein in neurons, using mouse genetics and molecular biology methods (I'm sure most of you didn't make it to the end of that sentence). 

Also, this Thanksgiving weekend, I need to work to generate some important data, perhaps some that I can use for the meeting. Also, I've just been given word that a big experiment I've been working on has been completed and now comes the time of data analysis. So I'll start on this as well this weekend.

So naturally all this will cause my productivity level here to decline in the coming days and delay the reviews I'm working on. But they will come. So I apologize to those fine musicians and labels who sent me promo cd's and are waiting for the reviews to come on.

Also, feel free to let me know in comments or at avestin AT gmail DOT com what kind of posts do you want to read here, what kind of music covered, what albums and bands are you into or have discovered lately and anything else that comes to your mind.

I'll now leave you in the capable hands of Mono:

Review: Nil - Novo Sub Sole (2005, Unicorn Digital)

Nil is a French band that has released 3 previous albums and their preceding album was a remarkable achievement. A concept album made up of two acts over 40 minutes and without interruptions. Here Nil changes to an album made up of 6 tracks, two of which are instrumentals.

An album to pass the night with...: Out Of Focus - Out Of Focus

Out Of Focus, a German psych-rock/fusion band from Munich, Germany released three studio albums in the 70s.
After the jump is their 1971 album, Out Of Focus, as can be found on youtube videos: