Now Playing! With Cover Art & Reviews if Possible.

[kp-j3]

FM - Metropolis - 2010



Seem to be stuck in 2010 this week. 6th Effort from the prolific Steve Overland & company, and it shows. Not a note out of place. Nothing too raucous, rowdy or offensive, just smooth as butter AOR executed to perfection.

[CrowdAds]

[Marvin the Martian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA&feature=g-trend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA&feature=g-trend

[Marvin the Martian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IixydU8N0HM&list=AL94UKMTqg-9Ba6v3cO5AEngGjzsALHu11&index=6&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IixydU8N0HM&list=AL94UKMTqg-9Ba6v3cO5AEngGjzsALHu11&index=6&feature=plcp

[kp-j3]

Hartmann - Balance - 2012



Oliver Hartmann's (At Vance, Empty Tremor) 4th solo effort sounds pretty good in isolation. But he's had some absolutely great output, so this is probably at the bottom of the list comparatively. I suspect unless I'm in a rather mellow mood, I'll be heading for his previous work.

[kp-j3]

P.O.D. - Murdered Love - 2012



This one is kind of a Clockwork Angels situation. Nothing outside of the parameters of what you'd expect, but not especially compelling. Seems slightly less melodic, too. Less of the big choruses I think. Haven't had a chance to A B vs. the last release.

[kp-j3]

Mennen - Planet Black - 2008



Kind of a split review here. The last album from Joss Mennen and the boys (so far). The one I got, had a 5.1 dvd disc. That was what I started off with. The video accompaniment isn't particularly awe inspiring (I turned the tv off), but this is probably the best Mennen album since 96's Back To The Real World. So I was kind of psyched about listening to it back and forth on the way to work, but it seems to suffer from overly loud mastering. So content is thumbs up, and rendering is thumbs down.

[dgb52]

You Tube

You Tube

[Marvin the Martian]

[WalkGood]

Ran across this band while channel surfing and just had to hear them out, not the typical music a Cuban listens to but certainly an interesting use of bagpipes.

You Tube

You Tube

[Tapeworm]

O M G !!!

That was . . . what's the word? . . . let's just say "interesting"!



Jon Lord and Bon Scott are probably rolling over in their graves right now!

[steinburger1109]

You Tube

You Tube

[Marvin the Martian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf9d7rSf_Ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf9d7rSf_Ks

Just got a good chuckle out of this....lol

[Tapeworm]

Marvin, I thought you said you kept your hair "buzzed' pretty short? Looks as if you're about due for a trim.

[Marvin the Martian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3dcqrggmrY&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3dcqrggmrY&feature=fvwrel

[kp-j3]

Trixter - New Audio Machine - 2012



I wasn't all that impressed with the debut from these guys, but Hear! was an explosive fun ride. It's been around 20 years since then so I knew better than to expect Hear! II, and amazon's clips had my expectations sufficiently tamped down.

Surprisingly this is better than I expected. A couple of spots where it could use a little more oomph, and the lead vocals and guitars are a little dry at times, but otherwise a decent solid effort.

[kp-j3]

Gotthard - Fire Birth - 2012



This one had me worried. After a great run of 3 kick ass albums singer Steve Lee was tragically killed in 2010. This is the first studio album with replacement Nic Maeder.

I really like this album, they didn't do any major shifts stylistically, and sounds pretty much like the previous three with the obvious exception. I liken this to a Steve Perry Steve Augeri situtation, you know it's not the original guy, but the new guy can do a pretty damn good approximation when called upon and still has a likeable style of his own. I tried to get the Maeder album to see how much Nic shifted, and wonder if the next one will diverge a little bit, but some jack wagon on amazon wants $1000 for it.

[kp-j3]

Alfonzetti - Here Comes The Night - 2011



Here I thought this was going to be the top contender for my album of the year, but I just got this a week ago, and just found out it's from 2011.

This is the best thing Matt Alfonzetti's done since the classic Jagged Edge UK - Fuel For Your Soul back in 91. It has all the same elements, rocks hard, but at the same time has a lot of soul, fabulously arranged and everyone nails their performances.

[Marvin the Martian]

review[-]by Ned Raggett

Up the Downstair feels noticeably different in tone from On the Sunday of Life -- the humor is nearly invisible, if present at all, and the focus is more explicitly up to date in keeping with Steven Wilson's long-stated belief that progressive music means incorporating the now instead of rehashing what progressive was. His singing is now more accomplished in turn -- it sounds like he might have been taking a lesson or two from his No-Man partner Tim Bowness, but he has his own dreamy approach. His already accomplished studio work seems to have turned even more so with time, and the end result is a delicate, complex, and remarkable effort.

If there's an absolute standout, "Always Never" takes the cake. Starting with a soft combination of low vocals, acoustic guitar, and background electric feedback, it sweeps into life on the memorable chorus, with the keyboards swelling with a gentle majesty before turning into a full trip thanks to Wilson's ear for arrangements and space. Colin Edwin makes his debut with Porcupine Tree by playing bass here, as good a start as any, while Richard Barbieri also has an initial bow on the lengthy title track. Wilson's own playing here is just astounding, with some huge, driving feedback fills, while the equally long "Burning Sky" lets him exercise some guitar hero chops, and quite well at that.

Brief cuts crop up throughout -- notably "What You Are Listening To...," which makes a nod back to the contents of Voyage 34 via the narrative spoken word sample at the start. The recurring use of synth loops and acid house rhythms alone mark Porcupine Tree's approach as being a more modern one, but at the same time a song like "Synesthesia" doesn't sound like a stab at crossover so much as it does one color on the palette. The unfolding guitar solos demonstrate that much, at least.

[Marvin the Martian]

review by Gary Hill
Composed of outtakes from the Up the Downstair disc, this album is a bit on the short side. The material here is strictly instrumental and based in a melodic, rather mellow progressive rock format. The overall sound seems to be a blend of such artists as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd combined with fusion. Other elements occasionally show up, like David Bowie, Synergy, and even '80s music.

Many times releases of odds and ends like this tend to be of interest strictly to hardcore fans of the given band. Such is not the case with this release, as it is a very entertaining release that stands up by itself. The only complaint, really, is that it is too bad there wasn't more material to put on the disc. What is here is quite good, but like a snack, it leaves you wishing for more.

[WalkGood]

The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective (disk 01)
01 - All Around You (Intro)