Yes - Close to the Edge

For my final course-related review, I'm going to be covering a truly classic record by one of the most important progressive bands of all time. Along with (hopefully) familiar names like Rush, King Crimson, Genesis, and Pink Floyd, Yes is considered by myself and many others to be a quintessential rock band. Any fan of music needs to be exposed to Yes if they haven't been already, and if I were to pick one record of theirs to share, it would Close to the Edge.

Often and rightfully cited as Yes’ greatest musical achievement, Close to the Edge features the seminal 70’s progressive band at the absolute peak of their abilities. Along with its predecessor Fragile, it is also definite proof that the quintet (who are still at it today in a different form, believe it or not) of John Anderson, William Bruford, Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Richard Wakeman remains the non-debatable classic line-up, that sadly enough only lasted for these two albums. Close to the Edge is short, 37 minutes long to be exact. That said, there are only three tracks! Given, they're three epic tracks, ones that do not carry any of the group’s former rough edges or future missteps. This record is unbelievably ambitious. Every moment of Close to the Edge is marked with absolutely masterful musicianship, but overall, the record feels strangely focused and, as odd as it may sound considering that each track either breaks or approaches at least ten minutes in length, concise. 

The centerpiece of the record is, of course, the title track, "Close to the Edge". Originally it took up the entire first side of the LP (oooh vinyl speak), and at almost 19 minutes accounts for over half of the record's running length. Messy yet captivating barrages of riffs, gorgeous melodic guitar leads, elfish vocals, a haunting two-minute organ solo, and a lyrical concept that likely makes no sense to anyone but the band members themselves, shoot, it’s got everything a pretentious progressive epic needs! Somehow though, despite the length, you'll suddenly snap up when the track finally ends, wondering where all of that time went.

In short, it’s pretty damn epic.

The first side of the record speaks for itself, but Close to the Edge’s second half does everything but disappoint. "And You and I" is quite different from the title track, and serves an excellent position as middle piece, relying less on virtuosity and more on atmosphere. Immediately notable is the beautiful acoustic work by Howe, who on this track is relied on heavily by Anderson the rest of the band. When Wakeman jumps back into the mix, however, this song comes together. I remember listening to the back half of "And You and I" at a very young age. Even today, the instrumental bridges featuring organ are stunning. 

The conclusion of this classic record is "Siberian Khatru," the shortest song on the record at 8 minutes long, but also by far the most upbeat track. Like Yes' biggest radio hits "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise" (yeah, there was a time when this kind of stuff got played on the radio..), it is a very powerful showcase of Yes’ one truly permanent member, Chris Squire, who is widely known as one of the best bass guitar players of all time. This performance ranks right up with his best work. Even though the rest of the track is totally on point, the entire song is built around Squire’s impossibly groovy bass lines, which dominate nearly every second. The way that the guitar and bass interplay on "Siberian Khatru" gets me every time. They're both inherently active, but never in conflict with one another, and that energy provides a fitting and energetic end to a brilliant album.

On the whole, Close to the Edge isn't just Yes performing at their peak, but one of the best examples of how awe-inspiring progressive rock can be.  Like all genuine classic albums, it is also a record that gets a little better every time you listen to it. You'll hear something new (or in a different way) over and over, proving how well-composed it really is.  That said, spending enough time with Close to the Edge will pay off.  Once you get past the obvious weirdness, you'll realize that it's reputation as a cornerstone of the early progressive rock movement is well deserved, and further prog nerds like me have so much to say about it.  Quite simply: this record is essential.

Below is my personal favorite track, "And You and I". You might recognize it from the dozens of films and commercials its main vocal hook has been featured in over the years, but I encourage you to take in the whole thing, it's worth it!

The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted

So, If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if Cannibal Corpse and Britney Spears collaborated on a record, look no further than The Devin Townsend Project's Addicted. Yeah, I did just say that, but believe me, it's pretty hard to describe this record. Just, uh, hear me out?

Some of you older folks might remember Devin Townsend from way back when. Besides a lengthy stint playing back up guitar for Steve Vai, he was known to most as the front man of extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad (speaking of, you should probably go listen to them..). In those days, his off-the-wall personality and unmistakable hairdo set him apart from the average metal vocalist. That said, Strapping Young Lad was a one trick pony. Devin was just screaming angry words, chugging out angry riffs, and being a very angry man playing very angry music in general. Well, by 2009, he had cleaned up something fierce. All of a sudden the dude was sober, wearing suits, and had given up on whatever hair he had left (along with cutoff t-shirts and jean shorts). He also released the second album in a four-part sequence under the Devin Townsend Project name; Addicted, a clear and deliberate reference to his own demons. One might expect something poignant featured on the album's cover, but guess what..

It's crayons.

Yep, crayons. The sight of a child’s plaything on the cover of an album released by "Hevy Devy" himself may worry the innocent Strapping Young Lad fanatic who hasn't been exposed to his solo work. Additionally, the fact that Addicted drew heavy production influence from Nickelback’s Dark Horse may (and should) worry pretty much everyone else. That said, try not to let anything deter you from giving Addicted a chance, because to be quite frank, the album is totally and utterly brilliant.

Anyone in the prog rock/metal world will likely speak volumes about the generally outstanding quality of Townsend’s solo releases. He's made some amazing records, and as a result is almost universally enjoyed and respected by his peers, fans, and critics alike. Looking back to the first of these - Ocean Machine: Biomech, we're presented with an album that was showered with glorious praise by critics and fans. As a result, each of Devin’s subsequent releases have been held to a PAINFULLY high standard, and are notoriously nit-picked by critics for even the finest details (albeit, usually applauded for them as well). Of course, one could look at Addicted in a similar way. You could take the album and analyze every note, every key change down to the most minute details, but you’d be missing the point entirely. Sure, Addicted is chock-full of brilliant technicalities just like any of Hevy Devy's other releases, but that’s not the point. This record is fun as hell, and that's all anyone really needs to know about it.

Take, for example the third track, “Bend It Like Bender!”. It starts with Devin’s signature chugging riffs and screaming vocals, but manages to break out into a poppy, catchy chorus centered around some BEAUTIFUL female vocals. “In-Ah!” is probably the most mainstream track present on the record, which is, frankly, full of pop themes. It's melodic, mid-tempo, and - get this - ternary in form. Not exactly what one would expect from one of today's prog masters. Hell, even the two (a little out of place, I must admit) crushingly heavy openers, “Addicted!” and “Universe in a Ball!” aren't even angry as such. They're just gigantic-sounding pop songs with weight, so to speak. Additionally, the anthemic choruses of tracks like “Supercrush!” are too catchy to ignore, and showcase clear influence from 80's arena rock. The melodies throughout Addicted are brilliant, and every track hits the mark (except, perhaps, “Universe in a Ball,” the real black sheep of this release).

So, before you listen too critically, or in the case of many an internet metal nerd, write Addicted off as "butt rock", take a chill pill and remember that this is an album that you’re meant to just sit back and enjoy. You’re supposed to take every song at face value and have fun,  whether it's headbanging to a gnarly riff or singing along to what I consider to be some of the catchiest hooks in music today. My suggestion? Take a drive, hit play on the the playlist below (it's nearly the complete album this time, you're welcome), and lose yourself in some great jams.

The Systematic Mixing Guide - Its Worth Your Money

As an audio professional, I'm no stranger to sifting through wordy and painfully dry specialized texts.  Sure, there's plenty of great information buried among the mess of diagrams and large blocks of text, but I've found that often times I spend just as much time looking for the right blurb as I do applying it to my work.  It's not a very efficient way of learning by any measure, and frankly I think that I speak for many an engineer when I say that there has GOT to be a better way for us to go about it.  Enter the Systematic Mixing Guide, a truly tell-all guide to mixing tracks from start to finish, written by Ermin Hamidovic.  

I stumbled across this text not too long after it's release, as Ermin is a very reputable member of several gear and audio-related forums.  I'm not normally one to pick up anything like this, but based purely on his reputation, decided it was worth the read.  The book is made up of 12 chapters, each detailing different parts of the mixing process.  Everything from working with live drums to proper vocal automation is covered comprehensively, including typical problem frequency ranges, starting points for compression (not to mention what types of compression tend to vibe well with a given source), and even advanced applications for parallel processing, reverb, and delay.  Let me make that clear, Ermin provides these details for EVERY part of your mix.  

A small disclaimer: this guide is technically rock and metal centric.  Keep in mind though that metal music and busy mixes tend to go hand in hand.  The prevalence of very noisy sources (high-gain guitars for instance) combined with quick tempos and complex rhythmic patterns leaves ZERO room for messy production, speaking both spectrally, spatially.  Basically, every single track has to be painfully clean and well-balanced in relation to it's neighbors, or the end result will be a muddy, jumbled mess.  We all want clean, balanced mixes, and frankly that's what mixing metal (and this book) is all about. That's why I strongly believe that the principles covered in The Systematic Mixing Guide can (and should) be applied to every genre.

One of my favorite chapters details Ermin's process for working with distorted guitars, which are one of the most difficult instruments to process and place well in a mix.  He explains with sound theory some great starting points for processing, as well some (compelling) arguments against relying on additive EQ and broadband compression.  Perhaps most importantly,  he also lets us in on a few very specific tricks to effectively control the low end of high gain guitar tracks.  It's the finer points of mixing, like the topics covered in this chapter, that audio professionals can glean the most from.  After all, it tends to be the "little things" that separate a good mix from a fantastic one.

In all of my 8 years working with audio, I've never gained so much from one piece of text.  The Systematic Mixing Guide has completely changed my perspective on mixing, and has been invaluable in my journey from a weekend hobbyist with an Mbox to the audio professional that I am today.  So, seeing as my time at AI is very quickly coming to an end, I feel obligated to take this opportunity to let you all in on this hidden gem.  Pick this book up, in physical or digital form HERE. It's an awful lot cheaper than a text book, and take it from me, once you've read it, you'll never look back.

SikTh - Death of a Dead Day

For every band that carries on past their prime years to the point of self-parody, there's a barely noticeable, ultra-rare breed who split up at the height of their greatness. Out of those ultra-rare groups, there are even fewer who split up before they reach their full potential, in turn leaving the rest of us to wonder what could have been, all while raising horns to the one or two albums that they left us. This brings us to SikTh.

Hailing from the home of Napalm Death and Iron Maiden, SikTh blend the former's composure and progressive edge with the latter's aggressive shifting sound. I can still remember the moment when I first heard SikTh's Death of a Dead Day.  I was 15, and to that point the most intense music I'd been exposed to was Metallica.  When I heard the first track on the record "Bland Street Bloom", my world changed. SikTh sounds like a band of aliens, one from a universe where mathcore bands deliver poppy hooks, progressive bands don't get bogged down with proficiency, and death metal bands focused on clean, melodic songs instead of BPM. Sure, those things might happen occasionally, but how often do you hear it all on the same record?

After several EPs, in 2006 SikTh enjoyed high points in the form of a slot at Download Festival, a tour of Japan with Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, and finally a sold-out U.K. tour.  But SikTh's defining moment arrived on 6/6/06, the release date of Death of a Dead Day.  

If you've never heard SikTh before, the first two tracks, "Bland Street Bloom" and "Flogging the Horses," will practically punch you in the face. Your head will spin amidst the crazy tight and punishing riffs as they contort under relentless drumming. You'll start to wonder how Mikee Goodman didn't literally scream his intestines out in the studio.  Any musician will listen wide-eyed, as guitarists Pin and Dan Weller, and drummer Dan Foord beat the lives out of their instruments. It's difficult to listen critically the first time through, but I promise, this is one of those releases that gets better with time.  There is way too much to dissect on Death of a Dead Day for one to perceive and absorb the album's finer points in one go.

For such an aggressive band, SikTh never overwhelmed me.  Even the most SLAM moments on Death of a Dead Day, like the "Another Sinking Ship" and extremely technical "Summer Rain" sound organic.  Usually such crazy progressions would be written off as "riff salad", but SikTh manages to pull it off with fluid precision.  One thing's for sure, not a moment of Death of a Dead Day will sound like an imitation of something else. Well, anything that preceeded it.  SikTh's signature sound can be found in bits and pieces of practically every "djent" band in existence today (I'm talking to YOU Periphery).

Despite several dozen major compositional and stylistic shifts, Death of a Dead Day never stops being catchy.  SikTh is the kind of band that can get you sent to the emergency room after headbanging your way to whiplash .  A few cliff notes, "In This Light" sounds like it crawled off of a Tool record in the best of ways.  The spoken interlude "Mermaid Slur" brings light to the band's Nick Cage influence.  "Where Do We Fall" is outwardly driven by melody, and makes me wonder what would have been were SikTh to have made a try at radio success.  Well, the kind of success that would be possible if Gojira and Queensryche ever had a chance at the top 40.

The recent success of proggy bands like Mastodon and Baroness makes me wonder what kind of audience a new release from SikTh would find. Their break-up is a loss to the rest of us, but even if they never record another note, SikTh should be remembered as the best British metal band of the decade.  I realize that I spew niceties about records on here weekly, but in all seriousness, this record is important.  Any fan of heavy music NEEDS to hear Death of a Dead Day.  Hell, if you're not into metal at all, at least give it a shot, ya know, just to see just how catchy a song with more than 4 chords can be.

Below is the opening track off of Death of a Dead Day, "Bland Street Bloom".  It's a great track, but if you want a real look into what SikTh can do, I encourage you to listen to the rest of the record.  You won't regret it. 

Opeth - Damnation

In keeping with my usual taste of heavy music, this week I'll be covering one of my top 5 albums of all time. Opeth's Damnation was released in 2003, and is considered to be a new classic in the world of metal.  Opeth was historically an extreme metal band prior to this release, but departed from that perspective in favor of a folky classic prog sound that I've since become nearly obsessed with.  I listen to this record at least once a week, and am very familiar, so I'll be analyzing this release in a different way than usual, talking about composition, lyrics, and my overall impressions of Damnation in a holistic context.

Sound: Opeth's 7th studio observation, Damnation, breaks away from the rest of their releases.  It's a completely mellow album. Mikael Akerfeldt described this album as "a way to get in touch with the music of the '70s that influences my writing, even my heavier music, but this gets me closer to it than ever before." The softer side shown on this album is polar opposite anything released under the Opeth name.  This album is, quite frankly, beautiful. The guitar work is intricate, the bass is ever present, offering a steady rhythm suited to the delicate nature of the guitar and Martin Lopez' percussion is absolutely astounding. His drumming switches from playing with passion and feeling, to playing with power and an out pouring of emotion. The guitars sound awesome, and it should be noted this is not an entirely acoustic album, alot of the riffs are played with electric and most songs are more or less a 50/50 use of clean electric guitar and acoustic, both 6 and 12 string, with the 12 string creating some very exotic sounding lead acoustic work. Having said that the album is soft, mellow, beautiful and fragile, does not make this album less evil. Death Whispered A Lullaby and To Rid The Disease are evil tracks lyrically and sound comparatively darker than the rest of the album.

Lyrics: Mikael Akerfeldt's voice as I said above, is delicate, beautiful and almost fragile sounding. Sounds strange to say about a death metal bands singer right? Opeth fans will know Mikael's softer vocals, and on this album his clean voice is at it's best. The lyrics on this album I believe are some of my favorite lyrics of Opeth's and of any band in general. Akerfeldt has connected with his pain and every powerful emotions he keeps inside himself and they pour out in the lyrics, and in his voice. I have the Lamentations DVD, where the entire Damnation album is played live, and it's obvious that these lyrics are very personal, and very close to his heart. This shines through on the album, especially tracks such as Hope Leaves, Akerfeldt's favorite track of the album. Closure is another example of the beauty in the album, the last lyric of the song "In the rays of the sun, I am longing for the darkness" sends shivers up and down my spine.

Overall Impression: The only gripe I could pick out about this album, is the length. Standard Opeth albums range from 5 to 8 tracks and are all about 60-70 minutes each. Yet on this album, it doesn't even reach 45 minutes. Having said that, I can't imagine this album being different. I don't think you could successfully add to or change this album and not have it kinda spoil the effect given already. Closure is perhaps my favorite song on this album. The lyrics are very powerful, and the Arab-esque Outro has to be heard to be believed, other favorites include Windowpane (beautiful, with great solo's) and In My Time Of Need, but it's all stunning. I recommend this to anyone, this album has universal appeal and I have gotten alot of people who have no interest in metal (death, black, heavy or otherwise) into Opeth through this album. This album can appeal to anyone, and I recommend it to metal fans, and anyone interested in skilled musicianship, beautiful lyrics and vocals and powerful, emotive music in general. Below is my favorite track off of this record, Closure. I hope you enjoy it!

The Contortionist - Language

The Contortionist broke into the scene with 2010′s Exoplanet, a 50-minute arrangement that covered a wealth of genres, and showed off a level of musicianship unmatched by their peers. A fluid blend of heavy, atmospheric, and everything in between, the album’s unpredictability and avant-garde approach was praised by critics, and quickly became the standard by which progressive metal was judged.

The band's next record, Intrinsic, was less brazen, further pushing the boundaries set forth by its predecessor with mixed results. Though equally impressive from a musical standpoint, structurally it struggled to find its footing, alternating between various styles with less competence.

This leads us to Language, the band’s third full-length studio album, and the first to feature frontman Michael Lessard, who joined the band after Jonathan Carpenter’s departure in early 2013. With a new front, the outfit has continued to progress their sound into uncharted territories, exchanging the dizzying time-signatures and bone crushing breakdowns of Exoplanet for more calculated soundscapes.

This change is apparent within the first 5 seconds of the opener, “The Source.” Lessard delivers a haunting hymn amidst mounting synth and subtle guitar work, and very quickly, one realizes that "the fans" have taken a backseat to sincere discourse. This is a band making music for themselves. No one else.

A beautifully unexpected introduction, the cascading vocals of this initial offering are soon replaced by the album’s first single, “Language I: Intuition,” A moody dotted 1/4 note delay sets the scene, and is soon joined by a pulsing bass line and more tasteful atmosphere provided by Eric Geunther, keys, another new addition to the group. Following a jazzy break towards the songs midpoint, the stellar guitar work of Robby Baca and Cameron Maynard is finally allowed to take the wheel. Within the track’s closing seconds, the song builds to a towering climax, before diving headlong into “Language II: Conspire,” which, for longtime fans, will undoubtedly satisfy the thirst for heavy. Less restrained and delightfully devastating, this track is also the first real look we get of Lessard’s underutilized screaming, which is unfortunate, its pretty gnarly.

Once past the brooding opening of “Integration,” listeners are whitewashed by drawn-out melodies and repetitious riffs. Similarly, “Ebb & Flow” comes complete with some phenomenal guitar playing reminiscent of Tosin Abasi, but frankly, they are downplayed by forgettable vocal lines, which are, unfortunately, somewhat common across the album’s nine tracks. Not to say that Lessard is a bad vocalist, he can sing, but with the exception of a few standout moments, his delivery isn’t particularly diverse, which in turn devalues this record's shift to a strong reliance on clean vocals. Progression is great when it’s natural, but progression for the sake of progression is less enticing. Plain and simple, I miss the heavy, I want to hear some yelling from time to time.

However, to say that Language is poorly written would be stupid. “Arise” and the previously referenced “Language II: Conspire” finds the group balancing their trademark duality with the same finesse that first put them on the map four years ago. Jaw-dropping shred soars as Lessard shows us what he is truly capable of, while Joey Baca, one of my favorite drummers, somehow manages to keep time with machine-like precision. “Thrive” demands your attention from the second it starts, and manages to maintain that same sense of urgency even during its softer moments, and the last track, “The Parable”, peaks with my absolute favorite moment on the album.

Though Language continues to lack the reckless aggression I missed so much on Intrinsic, as a whole, it still has a lot to offer. From a musical standpoint, it is daunting, and though there are times where they seem to be writing too deliberately, the undeniable quality of the final product makes these excusable. This band is pushing the genre, and in turn has to find out what does and doesn't work. I can't wait to hear the next step in their development! Below is the closer on Language, "The Parable", enjoy.

Vlog One

Hey Everyone, this is my first vlog, really it's just a bit of background about me and where the idea for lastronaut came from. 

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