Here is some music I've gotten lately.....

[LarryD]

As stated in the other post, I haven't been talking much about music as there hasn't been much for me to talk about ....... it has been a slow year, and I just fill in the collection ( and empty some of it as I wait )......I just grabbed some stuff off the shelf that I've gotten in lately, very little metal to speak of, but this is what has been keeping me busy in other genres .......

***STAR ONE / Revel in Time -
As I grow increasingly away from the Ayreon material, I still think the Star One release is excellent. At first, what I thought was a gimmick to release the two discs with different singers has now become sheer genius when you can get the caliber of singers Arjen gets for his releases. This allows people to hear their favorite songs with their favorite singers. All that aside, the music is excellent and this is a fine example of the prog metal style that seems to be disappearing from our sights more and more.....


***MANIMAL / Armageddon -
I still have some metal in me, and the kind that I choose to listen to is Manimal among others. (Brainstorm how you have forsaken me). I think this is Manimal's best release so far, or at least their most "mature" as the singer and band find their sound. We all need a little headbanging in our lives, and Manimal fits the bill nicely.


***MICHAEL ROMEO / War of the Worlds - Part 2 -
I've only heard one song off of this so far, I've been waiting for the disc to pass any comments or judgements on it, and from reading the couple of thoughts here about it, I'm stoked for this one big time. I know CLaus is not happy with the release, and truth be told, I thought Rick Castellano was pure gold on the first one, and I'm hesitant to go all on Dino even though I know he is great as well. The "angry Russ" thing all the time has me worried, and Rick was able to vary that sound in his voice all over the place which endeared me to his voice. That said - it's on the way and I'm incredibly excited about this release nonetheless.


***NORDLIGE NASKOG / Osi & the Jupiter -
As I branch out into other genres (I've always loved New Age music), I went out of the country and found this Norweigan project. From the samples I've heard, I thought I would get caught up in the style and sound, but a lot of this is chanting and almost "tribal" music that does start to grate on me after awhile. This is strictly headphone music (lest the wife starts complaining about the chanting) and definitely a mood thing. I couldn't take this on a regular basis.


***MYRKUR / Folkesange -
Some of you may know her from the folk / death metal band of the same name. I'm always on the hunt for discs that can show off your sound system, and from what I read on this disc, it would fit the bill perfectly. The vinyl was pretty expensive so I settled on the CD. Yes, it is reference quality - but, she does chant in Norwegan on some songs, and some of the yodeling / chanting can get quite grating after awhile. These two above discs actually steered me away from the Scandinavian style of New Age that I was hoping to get into , so it is actually a good thing that I found out this way.


***VINCE GUARALDI / Greatest Hits -
Glenn and Ken have been trying to get me into pure / original jazz type artists, and I'm having a hard time getting into the "real" jazz kings like Mile Davis, Art Blakey, etc..... but I have found out that I love jazz pianists, and I've always loved Vince Guaraldi's work on the Charlie Brown series. While some of his vinyl is well over $100, I've grabbed some of his CD works and this one is excellent. Along with Bill Evans, David Benoit, Dave Brubeck and others - I'm starting to find myself hunting down quality recordings from these type players.


***SHEKU KANNEH-MASON / Elgar (with the London Symphony Orchestra)
I walked into a record store the other day, heard this playing and asked the guy what it was. He told me - but didn't have any more copies, but he took the one out of the player, and sold me his copy at a discounted price. Pretty damn awesome. Sheku is a cellist, and he is playing in front of a symphony orchestra in an atmospheric, melodic, hi quality sound recording. I can't do much Classical at one sitting, but when I want to, this one fits the bill really well. It makes me know that I invested in the right audio gear when I play this one.


***DAMIAN WILSON / Limehouse to Lechlade -
No one ever talks about Damian solo discs. I buy them all. The guy is a King to me. Most Damian solo releases are much too light for folks in these parts, but he is a storyteller, and when its just him and a piano, or an acoustic guitar, he transports to my living room and sings to me and me alone. The recordings are stellar. That said- this one is tough to get through. There is light, there is fluffy, and then there is this release. I've only been through it once, and that was enough. I don't mind light, but this kind of takes it into pop / light / fluff that is way out of my league. It pains me to say that given I'm on all Damian music - but this was the toughest I've ever had to endure from him.


***LANE LANE / Neptune Blue -
The Queen of Pop Prog is back. And then she slid out the back door as quickly as she arrived. Back in the early 2000's and up until 2010, I was all Lana Lane. I'd had enough CDs and DVDs to keep me happy for some time. The she sort of disappeared. She now looks like a totally different woman, having lost tons of weight, and is still beautiiful - but the days of Lana don't quite match up with this one. This is almost Pop Lana, and I'm not used to hearing such poppy / sappy / jump and down with glee type material from her. I've got plenty of back catalogue to keep me happy, but I was hoping for more from her this time around. Time does have its way of changing things.


***KITARO / Live - (3-dvd boxed set)
The King of Japanese New Age. I could not resist the 3-DVD concert set when I saw this, and it doesn't disappoint. If you know or like anything about Kitaro, this is quality him all the way. I've never seen him in a live setting, and getting to see him in 3 different concerts is indeed a treat to the eyes and ears.


***ALAN PARSONS PROJECT / The Neverending Show (Live in the Netherlands) -
I am an Alan Parsons junkie. Period. The guy walks on water. He has lately figured out that releasing quality bluray shows is the way to keep on making money, and he is getting all of mine. Superb quality - superb show - superb everything. All the hits, all the audio / video quality. Bang.


***ALAN PARSONS PROJECT / One Note Symphony (Live with the Tel Aviv, Israel orchestra) -
And while we are at it, let's just release another show playing in front of the Israeli orchestra playing our hits that deserve to be played with an orchestra. If you want to know how to make a bluray sound and look good with a 40-piece orchestra, look here. Stunning.


***RUSH / Clockwork Angels (bluray) -
Larry - you're the ultimate Rush fan and you're just now getting this bluray show ? Yes, and here is why. I've got every dvd / bluray Rush release known to man.....except for this one and the R40 show. As the years go on, it gets harder and harder for me to watch and hear Geddy get older and struggle through the notes that once pierced my ears as a kid. It is very difficult to hear one of my childhood and adult heroes struggle through the music that defined my childhood and most of my adult life. (Roger Daltrey are you listening to me ?). Going through my collection, it was apparent that I couldn't leave out both of these shows - so I picked this one after reading and hearing how bad Geddy was on R40. Well, I picked the right show because not only is the show visuals stunning, Geddy manages to hit some of the high notes and nails some of the songs I was cringing ahead of time. He actually shines on this show - but there is a tradeoff. The sound quality of the show sucks ass. This baffles me to no end. How can Alan Parsons make a bluray that sounds godly with 45 people on stage, and Rush can't make one with 3 people on stage is beyond me. The bass is so boomy I almost had to shut my subwoofer off - and the drums are waaaaaay back in the mix. Once I got out of surround sound and switched to Stereo mode things got a little better - but overall, for such a great visual show, the sound is just horrible. Not the way I want my last Rush bluray concert to end, but that's how it ended.


***NEAL MORSE / Innocence & Danger -
I saved this one for last ......I am now on board as a true Neal Morse fan. I've been checking out so much music from this guy lately, I just realized what a genius he is, and that this is the type of music I'm heading in on a regular basis. To me, this is the progressive rock version of Dream Theater. I'm starting to collect Neal Morse blurays as well as CDs, and after ordering this I ordered the Moresfest / 2017 bluray as well. As prog metal seems to be waning as far as quantity goes, there is no shortage of prog rock greatness, and Neal seems to be where my tastes are heading. The Similitude of a Dream bluray show was absolutely mind boggling and goosebump inducing, and I want more of that. Here is hoping.

[Sir Exar Kun]

***NEAL MORSE / Innocence & Danger -
I saved this one for last ......I am now on board as a true Neal Morse fan. I've been checking out so much music from this guy lately, I just realized what a genius he is, and that this is the type of music I'm heading in on a regular basis. To me, this is the progressive rock version of Dream Theater. I'm starting to collect Neal Morse blurays as well as CDs, and after ordering this I ordered the Moresfest / 2017 bluray as well. As prog metal seems to be waning as far as quantity goes, there is no shortage of prog rock greatness, and Neal seems to be where my tastes are heading. The Similitude of a Dream bluray show was absolutely mind boggling and goosebump inducing, and I want more of that. Here is hoping.

OK, I'd respond on couple of other lines, but for sake of time I'm just picking this one....

ABOUT FREAKING TIME! Neal is without doubt one of my favorite current artists, and while he puts out a pretty consistent crapload of material, it's ALL good. The surrounding band is nothing short of spectacular, and despite putting out a live album / DVD seemingly at least twice a year, I am a sucker for every one of them. Very interested to hear what you think as you get deeper into the catalogue, as there isn't a bad album amongst them. I know the subject matter is a bit touchy for some, but you HAVE to watch the Testimony live performance from MorseFest. I'm not a fan of preachy Christian rock as a normal matter of course, but this album is such a deeply personal journey for Neal, and it SHOWS.

As for the new album, it's funny to say but it's not amongst my favorites. I like it a lot, but prefer "Similitude" and "Great Adventure"

[LarryD]

***NEAL MORSE / Innocence & Danger -
I saved this one for last ......I am now on board as a true Neal Morse fan. I've been checking out so much music from this guy lately, I just realized what a genius he is, and that this is the type of music I'm heading in on a regular basis. To me, this is the progressive rock version of Dream Theater. I'm starting to collect Neal Morse blurays as well as CDs, and after ordering this I ordered the Moresfest / 2017 bluray as well. As prog metal seems to be waning as far as quantity goes, there is no shortage of prog rock greatness, and Neal seems to be where my tastes are heading. The Similitude of a Dream bluray show was absolutely mind boggling and goosebump inducing, and I want more of that. Here is hoping.

OK, I'd respond on couple of other lines, but for sake of time I'm just picking this one....

ABOUT FREAKING TIME! Neal is without doubt one of my favorite current artists, and while he puts out a pretty consistent crapload of material, it's ALL good. The surrounding band is nothing short of spectacular, and despite putting out a live album / DVD seemingly at least twice a year, I am a sucker for every one of them. Very interested to hear what you think as you get deeper into the catalogue, as there isn't a bad album amongst them. I know the subject matter is a bit touchy for some, but you HAVE to watch the Testimony live performance from MorseFest. I'm not a fan of preachy Christian rock as a normal matter of course, but this album is such a deeply personal journey for Neal, and it SHOWS.

As for the new album, it's funny to say but it's not amongst my favorites. I like it a lot, but prefer "Similitude" and "Great Adventure"

***Jay - thanks for responding so quickly, and as someone who knows my tastes very well, I'll let you guide me on the Neal Morse journey. Yeah I know it's time, and I've been dabbling in Neal for some time without really getting too deep ....... so, I have Similitude on CD, I have The Great Adventure on CD, and I have The GReat Adventour on CD ...... I've also got the Similitude bluray which has taken a spot in the mind-boggling category, and as you read, I have the Morsefest 2017 bluray coming, and the Innocence & Danger CD coming in which I read your comments on ........

I think I have trouble following all of Neal's projects - almost too many to keep track of, but I'm having trouble separating the Neal Morse band from the Neal Morse solo stuff..... what is the biggest difference ? Got your tip on the Testimony stuff ..... I don't mind the content as long as the music is brilliant ........

[prog_powermetal99]

***MICHAEL ROMEO / War of the Worlds - Part 2 -
I've only heard one song off of this so far, I've been waiting for the disc to pass any comments or judgements on it, and from reading the couple of thoughts here about it, I'm stoked for this one big time. I know CLaus is not happy with the release, and truth be told, I thought Rick Castellano was pure gold on the first one, and I'm hesitant to go all on Dino even though I know he is great as well. The "angry Russ" thing all the time has me worried, and Rick was able to vary that sound in his voice all over the place which endeared me to his voice. That said - it's on the way and I'm incredibly excited about this release nonetheless.



***KITARO / Live - (3-dvd boxed set)
The King of Japanese New Age. I could not resist the 3-DVD concert set when I saw this, and it doesn't disappoint. If you know or like anything about Kitaro, this is quality him all the way. I've never seen him in a live setting, and getting to see him in 3 different concerts is indeed a treat to the eyes and ears.

Even if Dino's vocal's are too Angry Russel to your ears, really pay attention to the music! Some of these riffs are the best Michael Romeo has ever written! Just absolutely amazing.............


Glad to hear Kitaro get some love! First time I've ever seen his name mentioned on a metal forum before.... I'm a huge Kitaro fan! I have been since about 1994ish. I didn't realize he had a new DVD out. I have a couple of his old ones. I love this man's passion and imagination when he plays... Such an amazing humble individual as well....I'm not much into New Age, but I make an exception when it comes to Kitaro, because he does it so damn well....I will put this set of DVDs on my list..... Thanks Larry!



Dusty

[Sir Exar Kun]

I think I have trouble following all of Neal's projects - almost too many to keep track of, but I'm having trouble separating the Neal Morse band from the Neal Morse solo stuff..... what is the biggest difference ? Got your tip on the Testimony stuff ..... I don't mind the content as long as the music is brilliant ........

Biggest "difference" is that the band stabilized enough that they started writing as more of a group rather than Neal doing all the writing and bringing them in to perform.... A lot of his earlier solo stuff has quite a few different musicians involved (with Portnoy being the one stable position). The other big difference is that the true "solo" albums are much more clearly CHRISTIAN themed, whereas the NMB material is not as blatantly religious in its themes.

Here's the breakdown:

NMB:
Innocence and Danger
The Great Adventure
Similitude of a Dream
The Grand Experiment (weakest of the four in my opinion)

Solo (excluding any weird acoustic hymnal type albums, which I have never gotten into):
Sola Gratia (solo album he slid in between a couple NMB releases)
Momentum (really more of an NMB album I believe, as I seem to recall they all helped write and it morphed naming on the next release)
Testimony Two (make sure to get the "deluxe" version as it has a 20+ minute epic standalone song)
Lifeline
Sola Scriptura (heaviest of his solo albums, definitely should be high on your list to check)
? (yeah, that's the album title)
One
Testimony (MUST HAVE MASTERPIECE!)

For the live DVDs, they are really ALL excellent. My favorites are the MorseFest 2014 and 2015 sets, and the "So Many Roads" set, but you can't go wrong with any of them. Morsefests have a lot of the albums performed in full, so if you like a particular album you can focus on which set includes it.

[Hearing Aid Man]

Sola Scriptura (heaviest of his solo albums, definitely should be high on your list to check)

I started checking out some Neal Morse stuff more thoroughly a couple years ago and this one absolutely blew me away!!!

[Mark]

Neal's Life & Times solo album from 2018 is very charming and IMO has held up over a few years of going back to it. The album has a full band of studio musicians who I believe are unique to that album (i.e. they were hired session players for that one). I saw him touring to support it, which was just him and a guitar in very small clubs, and he told some funny stories about how various songs were inspired. Lyrically, it might be his most secular release under his own name (meaning, besides Transatlantic); it's less religious themed than the NMB albums.

[Sir Exar Kun]

***STAR ONE / Revel in Time -
As I grow increasingly away from the Ayreon material, I still think the Star One release is excellent. At first, what I thought was a gimmick to release the two discs with different singers has now become sheer genius when you can get the caliber of singers Arjen gets for his releases. This allows people to hear their favorite songs with their favorite singers. All that aside, the music is excellent and this is a fine example of the prog metal style that seems to be disappearing from our sights more and more.....

Finally made it down to this one in my stack. Very enjoyable album, one of the heaviest I think Arjen has ever done. It's also one of the most "straightforward" too, even moreso than the first two. My only real criticism of it is that, rather than have the concentrated group of a half dozen singers like he did on the first two releases, with them interchanging vocals on most / all songs, this uses pretty much ONE singer per track, with the choir vocals in the chorus. It feels in a sense closer to something like a Gus G or Magnus Karlsson "solo" album approach in that sense, rather than what Star One was..... That being said, all the songs are VERY good, and I look forward to listening to this more. Definitely head and shoulders ahead of the last Ayreon disc!

[Sir Exar Kun]

***MANIMAL / Armageddon -
I still have some metal in me, and the kind that I choose to listen to is Manimal among others. (Brainstorm how you have forsaken me). I think this is Manimal's best release so far, or at least their most "mature" as the singer and band find their sound. We all need a little headbanging in our lives, and Manimal fits the bill nicely.

Try this one out to scratch that metal itch..... I just checked out two video clips this morning, and it sounds like a bit of a mix of classic Tad Morose with DC Cooper-esque vocals. I'm digging this quite a bit right now, and can't wait to hear the whole album.

Band is called Starchaser, and has one of the Tad Morose guitarists behind it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVK3TuJxe1w