New Capsule Album Reviews - Summer 2022

New Capsule Album Reviews- Summer 2022

It's time once again for a quick rundown of some recent notable album releases. So, here are brief reviews of some of the new album releases I have been listening to over the past couple months - Summer of 2022.

Dawes - Misadventures of Doomscroller.

Dawes was labelled a folk-rock band and the heirs of the '70's Laurel Canyon sound ( CSN, Jackson Browne, Eagles, early Neil Young, solo Tom Petty, etc.) ever since the release of their first album, North Hills, back in 2009. However, the band has been steadily moving away from that style and sound with each subsequent album, developing more variety and versatility of styles, delving more into indie rock, power pop, and various other sounds. And now with their 8th album, Misadventures of Doomscroller, the folk-country roots are barely evident, as the band stretches out with longer songs,  a free-er looser style, with more jazz influences as well as some somewhat progressive rock-influenced instrumental breaks. The result is, at least for me, their best album to date, and one of the best albums of 2022, a wonderful musical journey through the ups and downs of contemporary life. The core of the band has always been Taylor Goldsmith's songwriting and vocals, and he shines throughout once again, but with the rest of the band also taking more of the spotlight as well with great musicianship and song arrangements. Consisting of only 6 main songs (6 to 9 minutes each) , the album deals with aspects of life in the world today with Taylor's usual sardonic observations, and includes several longer instrumental breaks. Although the band is known for doing extended versions of their songs in their live shows, this is the first album that has included longer instrumental passages within their songs. And the instrumental extensions are more than just solos, as they represent dynamic explorations of new styles and themes, and move in different and interesting (even proggy?) directions. The album is a delight from beginning to end, offering great melodies and engaging arrangements, and encouraging many repeat listens.  My favorite song is 'Ghost in the Machine', an infectiously funky number that comes across as an unlikely mash-up of the Allman Brothers and early Steely Dan (The guitar solo even sounds like something Skunk Baxter would have played on those early albums). Whether or not you have liked previous Dawes albums, you really need to check this out, as it is quite a bit different, and wonderful, from start to finish. Thoroughly great album. Best tracks: Ghost on the Machine, It Comes in Waves, Everything is Permanent. Weak tracks: none.  4.5ó

Ryo Okumoto – The Myth of the Mostrophus

Ryo Okumoto, long-time keyboard player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard, recently released this solo album, his first in 20 years, with the help of many of his present and former Spock's Beard bandmates (including Nick d'Virgilio, Dave Meros, Ted Leonard, Alan Morse, etc.) and other special guest artists (including Steve Hackett, Michael Sadler, Jonathan Mover, Mike Keneally, Lyle Workman, and others). Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, the result sounds alot like a Spock's Beard album, but most importantly, a very good Spock's Beard album. And even though this is ostensibly a solo album, it has much more of a full band feel throughout, as the sound is not dominated by Ryo's keyboards as one might expect, but with active and key contributions from all musicians involved, with prominent and soaring guitar solos, stunning arrangements, and excellent vocals and harmonies. Although there is nothing very new or novel here, as Ryo sticks to well-travelled prog rock lanes, everything here is just top-notch and exquisitely done throughout, with great songwriting, vocals, musicianship and execution. Overall, a very fun and entertaining album of classic symphonic rock gems, highlighted by the epic-length 'Myth of the Mostrophus', a fun Monster story. Best Tracks: Myth of the Mostrophus, Mirror Mirror, Chrysalis. Weak Tracks: none. 4ó

Alan Parsons - From the New World

Here is the latest album from Alan Parsons, legendary engineer, producer, and performer. This is his 6^th solo album since the demise of the very successful Alan Parsons Project and his partnership with Eric Woolfson in the '90's, and this one probably is most reminiscent of that earlier band than any of his other solo albums, which is good news for fans. Here, once again, Parsons returns to the lush arrangements, layered vocals, and impeccable pop production he is known for. As usual, Parsons uses several different vocalists and guest artists throughout the album, including vocalists Tommy Shaw (Styx) on 'Urobouros' and David Pack (Ambrosia) on I Won’t be Led Astray, and guitarist Joe Bonamassa on Give ’Em My Love, and though the different vocalists may be a bit unsettling at first, it all comes together in a unified style that works pretty well. And the signature APP sound is present throughout, starting with the opening track, 'Fare Thee Well', one of the strongest tracks and most reminiscent of the old style. After the first few songs, however, the album becomes much mellower through the middle section of the album, with softer, slower ballads and a more stripped down sound, which gives the songs a more personal, intimate feel. However, this does drag the album down a bit as being too soft, but the songs are still pretty good. The album picks back up again near the end with a couple more strong songs, although the album ends on a weaker note, with an emotional, but rather unimaginative adaptation of the theme from Dvorak's New World Symphony, 'Going Home', which is confusingly followed by a note for note reproduction of the Ronettes 60’s classic 'Be My Baby', which doesn't fit at all with the rest of the album (and if you're going to do a cover, why just replicate the original? - no point to it). Overall, if you are a fan of the 70's and 80's Alan Parsons Project, you will find just enough to like on this album, it is a nice, easy, but non-essential listen, but if you are not already a fan, there is probably not much here that would pique your interest. Certainly not as compelling as Parsons in his heyday, but a marginally good album with enough to recommend to fans. Best Tracks: Fare Thee Well, Uroborus, You Are The Light, Halos. Weak tracks: Obstacles, Going Home, Be My Baby. 3ó

The Dear Hunter - Antimai

The Dear Hunter started out as a solo project of songwriter-multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Chris Crescenzo, releasing their first album, Act 1: The Lake South, River North, in 2006, which then grew into a full progressive rock band in subsequent albums, chronicling a continuing story in the Act Series of albums (so far, 5 albums over a ten year period). There have also been other musical projects and EPs in between those albums. Their latest album, Antimai, is separate from those previous works. I have to admit that I was not very familiar with the band prior to this album (I had heard good things about them, but had never checked them out), so this was their first full album I have listened to. And I have to say that it was not what I was expecting, but I absolutely loved it! Based on some of their previous projects, it seemed that they took their music very seriously, thus I was pleasantly surprised at how fun this new album is. It is predominantly lively, upbeat, and quite accessible. They incorporate much soul, R&B, latin, pop, jazz, and rock into the mix, with liberal use of funky horns and tuned percussion, yet the result is still undeniably prog rock. This is a concept album that chronicles a world where society is set-up in concentric rings, with the outer rings occupied by the poor and industrial sectors moving inward to the more luxurious and powerful inner rings. The album consists of 8 tracks, each corresponding to one of the rings and highlighting features of that sector. But you don't need to know or care about the concept or story to enjoy the album, as it is quite wonderful from start to finish. One of the best and longer tracks, Ring 5 - Middle Class, features multiple sections, starting with a catchy pop opening, a slower middle section, then a jazz-funk Steely Dan-esque closing section. Ring 4 - Patrol, is somewhat reminiscent of the Alan Parsons Project with its a funky beat and cool pop style. Ring 3 - Luxury starts off with some clever Hamilton-style rap vocals before leading into subsequent sections. Chris Crescenzo's vocals are very enjoyable, and quite versatile, working well in a variety of styles and moods. The album flows well and all the tracks are very well done, featuring a variety of vibrant styles, dynamics, and instrumentation, in addition to very fine vocals. One minor complaint is that it ends a bit weakly, as I was expecting a buildup to a big finish, but the album ends rather meekly and abruptly, without any real conclusion. Overall, this is a wonderful, very enjoyable album, certainly another one in the conversation of the best albums of the year. Best tracks: Ring 8 - Poverty, Ring 5 - Middle Class, Ring 4 - Patrol, Ring 3 - Luxury. Weak tracks:none. 4.5ó.

The Tangent - Songs From the Hard Shoulder

The Tangent are a jazz-oriented progressive rock band, started in 2002, with an ever-changing roster of players surrounding the consistent presence and guiding force of songwriter-keyboardist -vocalist Andy Tillson. This is the band’s 12^th album, and contains 3 long-form tracks (17-20 min each) and final short track, each in an entirely different style. The opener, The Changes, deals with life during the pandemic lockdown, and is a fine example of The Tangent’s multi-part compositional structure, a very nice track. The next track, GPS Vultures, is a jazz fusion instrumental jam that highlights the jazz instrumental prowess of the band, and is for me, the best track on the album. That is followed by the longest track (at over 20 minutes), The Lady Tied to a Lamp Post, which was the weak spot of the album, as it is repetitive and not musically or lyrically satisfying, and just drags on, bringing down the album. It deals with the homeless, is quite preachy, but doesn’t provide much in the way of insight or inspiration. It could have worked as a much shorter song, but at 20 minutes it just becomes annoying. The album closes with a brief soul, R& B number, which is quite different and refreshing after the bummer that precedes it. There is also a bonus track that is available on some versions, a cover and extended version of U.K.’s classic ‘In The Dead of Night’, which is quite wonderful, as it expands upon and adds some new dimensions and directions to this already great track. If they would have cut down the length of ‘Lady’ to a reasonable and justifiable length (6-8 minutes) and included the bonus track on the actual album, this would have been a really great album. As it is presented, it is still very good, certainly worth checking out, just be forewarned about that one unworthy track. Best tracks: GPS Vultures, In the Dead of Night. Weak track: The Lady Tied To a Lamp Post. 3.5ó.   

BB’s Rating scale:

1ó – Terrible, torturous to have to listen to

1.5ó - Poor, not worth your time

2 ó – Fair, maybe a couple half-way decent songs, but sub-par overall

2.5ó – Average, OK, meh, not bad but not that good either

3ó – Good, solid album, several good songs, but not spectacular. Certainly worthy, but may not be something you come back to very often

3.5ó – Very good album. Some stellar tracks, very enjoyable overall

4ó – Great album, filled with great songs, one that you will want to come back to over and over again

4.5ó – Excellent album, beyond great, superb in every way, just short of a masterpiece 

5ó – A Masterpiece, among the greatest albums of its type, and has stood the test of time

That's it for now. Lots of great stuff out there. Will update with more as they come in. So, what did you think of any of these albums? What albums from this summer have been your favorites and worthy of many repeated listens?