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 6th 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 12th 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?
