3) Yes

One can certainly make an argument that Yes is the most definitive Progressive Rock band in history. When thinking of what prog rock should sound like, I immediately think of the symphonic sounds, long pieces weaving in and out of each other, and abstract lyrics about the oddest of topics which rarely deal with personal emotions. Yes encompasses all of these characteristics; they were able to do so unlike any band before them. They are the poster child for Progressive Rock, and deservingly so.

The soaring voice of Jon Anderson makes Yes inherently unique. His high pitched vocals all but define their sound, and without Anderson manning the mic Yes becomes half the band they used to be. The great guitar work of Howe is also a defining factor of the band, from his fantastic use of harmonics and his unbelievable speed which goes sorely overlooked. One can never forget the fantastic keyboardist Wakeman who delivers the symphonic sounds and bass player Chris Squire who delivers the beat which catapults the music forward.

Yes has gone on to create some of the most important prog works in history, like the timeless Close to the Edge and Fragile. What made Yes one of the most incredible bands of their era was just how far ahead of the times they were. Using musical techniques never before used and having members from all musical ranges created a magical listening experience. Throughout their career there were rough patches, for example gripes between members and some lackluster material released, but in the end their career was overwhelmingly defined by success. They were masters of progressive rock, and helped make prog rock a commercially sustainable genre with hits like "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People." For any band looking to mimic the genre, Yes is the band to listen to.

Essential Albums: Close to the Edge and Fragile

The Top Ten Prog Rock Bands of All Time is Back Again and Again

By any chance does anybody remember that Top Prog Bands countdown I was doing oh so long ago? Yeah, that one about a year ago that died because of my lack of time to post, and then was revitalized and saw just one post, and died once again. Well I'm sure everyone was just dying to know what those final three bands on the list were going to be! There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that everyone reading here for the past year has been losing sleep. Well I have good news for all of you, your sleep deprivation will soon be cured. I am going to finish what I started a year ago! I will finish this countdown by posting the final three bands on my list of the Top Ten Progressive Rock Bands of All Time. For those of you who forgot what the list looked like, (which I'm sure you have considering this was done a year ago) below is where I left off and each band has a link corresponding to their review. Expect number three to be posted sometime this weekend, hopefully tomorrow night.

4. Emerson Lake and Palmer

5. Genesis

6. Jethro Tull

7. Tool

8. Rush

9. The Mars Volta

10. Gentle Giant

The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely Review

Under extremely short notice the world was exposed to the newest Raconteurs album "Consolers of the Lonely." The Raconteurs, best known as Jack White's side project during his time off from The White Stripes, has just released their second album. "Consolers of the Lonely" is the follow up to their unforgettable "Broken Boy Soldier."

The Raconteurs debut album had reached the top ten on the Bilboard's, riding off their hit single "Steady as She Goes." The album could have easily been placed in numerous sub genres of the pop rock category, one of the most suitable would probably be more along the lines of experimental pop rock. It featured infectious lyrics and melodies which were perfect for radio play.

"Consolers of the Lonely" takes on many of the characteristics of their debut album but has a much more eclectic sound. While the experimental pop rock genre could still apply, their are countless others which can be added to the mix. Genres ranging from blues, to country, to garage rock. It feels eerily similar to The White Stripes latest effort "Icky Thump" which mashed together all forms of music and integrating various instruments not typically seen in a rock album.

The album retains the infectious characteristics of their debut album, with choruses perfect for singing along too. The majority of the songs have fun bouncing rhythms, and often have quirky lyrics. The slower songs are charming and melodic - exactly what you want from a band like the Raconteurs.

Jack White and Brendan Benson (guitar/vocals) make a perfect pair feeding off each other with precission. Both White and Benson share vocal responsibilities throughout the album. At times it becomes difficult to determine exactly who is singing because of the similarity in their voices. Their vocals propel the songs to the next level with their enthusiasm and passion. Not to be forgotten is White's fantastic guitar work. On "Consolers of the Lonely" White features his signature crushing riffs and screeching solos.

The album has a number of standout tracks but some that stand out over the rest are Many Shades of Black, Five on the Five, and Carolina Drama. Many Shades of Black is a slower melodic song accompanied with a substantial usage of horns. Benson takes on vocals, and carries an incredibly emotional and poignant performance driven by a great usage of brass instruments followed by a moving guitar solo. The next song Five on the Five is your typical sounding White Stripes song, a powerful garage rock number containing crunching riffs and White's squealing voice. The final song on the album is Carolina Drama, quite possibly the most memorable track. The lyrics are really the heart and soul of the song. Carolina Drama is a story about a murder, reminiscent of some of Dylan's great stories like The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and The Hurricane. The music posses the epic feel to carry out the distressing emotion in the lyrics. White's vocal performance is absolutely stunning and is easily the perfect way to end this diverse journey.

Whether you are a Stripes fan or a Raconteurs fan this album is absolutely perfect. Whether or not it tops The Raconteurs debut album, it is tough to say. It is a different animal with a much more assorted sound. This album is a must purchase and as of now may be the strongest album released this year.

Grade: A

New Raconteurs Album Released Today

Like Radiohead, The Raconteurs released their newest album "Consolers of the Lonely" in some what of an abrupt fashion. The band announced the release date for the album just around a week ago. I'm hoping to have a review of the CD by late tonight. I want to give it a few more listens, but from what I've heard through my first five or so times through I would highly recommend it!

Floyd Week at Mad Hatters Music and a review of Floyd's Atom Heart Mother

Over at Mad Hatter Music the Mad Hatter himself is reviewing practically every Floyd album released, albums like "Obscured by Clouds" and the classic "Dark Side of the Moon." He also has a review of "Atom Heart Mother" up. I figured since I always felt "Atom Heart Mother" was a misunderstood piece, I decided to post an old review. Below is the review, and be sure to check out all the reviews on Mad Hatter Music.

ATOM HEART MOTHER REVIEW:
I feel like I’m beating an old drum with how often I say that certain albums are one of my favorites but once again I must say it again, “Atom Heart Mother” is a Pink Floyd classic. This album was released right before “Meddle” which was in the year 1970, like “Meddle”, “Atom Heart Mother” has a short track listing of only five songs but in Floydesque style, songs with length.

A rather interesting note regarding this album is that Floyd themselves do not exactly prefer this album opposed to their others often putting it down, sometimes it boggles my mind how artists can completely write off some of their best work, a very good reminder of this is with Weezer who basically loathe their fan favorite album “Pinkerton.”

Regardless, it is certainly understandable why people may not immediately gravitate towards this album due to its 23 minute opening self titled instrumental piece which may deter listeners from listening to the rest of the album. Despite the length it is quite a captivating piece with a wonderful French horn section which really creates some stunning drama.

The three following tracks are short (When speaking of Floyd) but very personal songs each sung by a different member. The first of which is “If” sung by Waters, a very dreamy song with surreal lyrics and a soothing arpeggio on guitar which continues throughout the whole song. “Summer of 68’” is the next song sung by Wright who has a voice extremely similar to Gilmour’s. The song has a rather funky touch to it decorated with a wonderful brass section and great piano lines; this is a song which can certainly be tied in with Syd Barrett influences thanks to its catchy chorus and musical style. “Fat Old Sun” is the last of the shorter songs sung by David Gilmour, and this is the highlight of the album. This just may be the most beautiful sounding song Floyd has ever written, the lyrics use fantastic imagery and are backed by a slowly strummed acoustic guitar and Gilmour’s magnificent voice, the song peaks about three and a half minutes in where Gilmour shows off what is arguably his best solo ever, right there with “Comfortably Numb” personally I may like this solo a bit more, and I must say seeing this song live was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, one that I will take to the grave.

The album ends on what can be seen as a rather comedic note with “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast”. The title basically explains everything, a psychedelic trip through breakfast time following someone through there morning routine of making coffee, lighting up a cigarette, pouring and eating cereal and etc. The band does play over Alan’s morning routine but nothing that would really qualify as spectacular or even “good” for that matter but once again the musical sections need to be put into context with the theme of the song. This is not a song that in any way should be listened to on its own but MUST be listened to along with the rest of the album (I honestly feel that ALL Floyd work should be listened to in its entirety but most songs can be enjoyed on their own terms.)

This album holds up as one of Floyd’s best albums whether they like it or not, it is a grand eloquent album with bombastic themes and pieces, but not overly pretentious to the point where they are trying to create something which completely flies over the listeners head. Like “Meddle” this shows the band going on the right path towards the perfect balance of grand ideas and musical work, “Atom Heart Mother” is a phenomenal work of art that shows what a band can do when all putting forth equal creativity and ideas.

New Weezer Album Due Out in June

This news isn't exactly new but for any Weezer fans, this is a message directly from their website:

Hey Weezer punks,

We have one song left to mix and then it’s on to mastering. We should be all done very soon. Then we chill for a minute.

The album will be out in June so with any luck you will hear a new Weezer song on the radio soon. I think I know which song is the first single but I’m not sure so I can’t tell you. I’ll give you some hints, though. It’s one word, starts with a T, ends with an R and contains twelve letters. You should be able to figure it out because you’re smart li’l Weezer fans.

The album is meaty, crunchy and melodic like a good Weezer album should be.

Peace out,

Rivera

Aural Amphetamine: Metallica And The Dawn Of Thrash (DVD)

This is a very unique DVD, because for one, I can't quite put my finger on what exactly the subject is. Is this a DVD about the history of Thrash or is it about Metallica, or is it about Metallica's place in Thrash? It's probably the latter, but even as the DVD concluded, I was unable to get a sure fire feel for what the main topic was.

Beside the fact that the direction was a little hard to follow, the information in the movie is both insightful and enjoyable. I am far from a metal head, and my knowledge of the history of thrash is pretty limited. I'm a huge Metallica fan and have always enjoyed Slayer's music (does it sound odd to say that I "enjoy" Slayer's music?) This DVD documents the very beginnings of thrash music and gives credit where credit is due to the genres which helped formulate the music, i.e. punk rock. They also give the background of the big four in the genre which for those who don't know is Slayer, Metallica, Megadeath, and Anthrax. Most of the DVD is spent documenting the history of the genre.

Another large portion is going over the early history of Metallica, as well as their place in thrash. While the DVD title seems to emphasize the subject being Metallica, I almost felt as if there wasn't enough information. Practically all of the information regarding Metallica is nothing new, and probably will just be old news for even an average Metallica fan. What does make this DVD worthwhile for Metallica fans is the fact that the commentary from some influential thrash musicians and followers can be fascinating, but once again there is hardly anything a Metallica fan will find as undiscovered territory.

This DVD is a good effort but fails to have a central focus that is easy to follow. The introduction of Metallica into the DVD doesn't come until about half way through and even then it is hard to get a grip on what the message is. All in all, even with the lack of focus, the history of thrash brought light to many facts that I was unaware of, and the DVD was able to hold my attention the whole way through which is no easy task. In the end I would have just liked to have seen a clearer central point.

Grade: B-

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe: An Evening of Yes Music Plus (DVD)

The most important thing to point out with this DVD lies right in the title, "An Evening of Yes Music." This is not an evening of Yes, it's an evening of people (mainly members of Yes) playing their music. Of course everyone will hop into this DVD expecting Yes and quite honestly it's almost impossible to get more Yes than what we have here.

The obvious absence on this DVD is Chris Squire. While many can argue he was not an integral part of Yes, there is certainly something missing when listening to the music here. Squire's backup vocals would certainly have been nice, but in the end they weren't exactly necessary for having a great listening experience.

The music on here is rock solid. The music of Yes is always going to be magical, especially when the likes of Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman are present. At the beginning of the DVD each member gets an opportunity to show off their skills with their own solos, and this is quite possibly the most entertaining sequence of the concert. The abilities of Wakeman and Howe are mind blowing, and sometimes it's a bit hard to appreciate how talented they truly are behind the complex walls of sound.

Most of the Yes classics are present on the album and they all sound superb. "And You and I" although missing Squire's vocals was magnificent and the performance here has the ability to send chills down your spine just like the studio recording. The other classics such "Long Distance Runaround", "I've Seen All Good People", and "Close to the Edge" are wonderfully done as well. One of my few gripes with the performance was the finale "Starship Trooper". I almost felt as if the song didn't resonate the power that the studio version had, the quintessential riff closing out the song before the epic solo just didn't deliver the passion I was looking for. This critique is certainly nit picking though.

The video quality here is also pretty strong, it was recorded 1989-1990 so don't expect the best. One of the more entertaining things about owning the DVD version opposed to the CD is that you can see ABWH sporting their absurd 80's clothes and frilly haircuts.

Yes fan's can rest assured that they will be getting quality production with this DVD, the sound is as close to Yes as you can get without having Squire in the lineup. The song choice is what most fans would like to see, and both the sound quality and video quality are strong.

Grade: B