Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson – Before this year I had never heard any songs by either Steven Wilson or his band Porcupine Tree. I knew of him through his remix of the back catalogs of Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Yes [just to name a few]. I enjoyed his work on those albums, but I didn’t know where to start on his own music. A month ago I heard a new Porcupine Tree song called Harridan. It’s their first new work since 2009. That was as good a place as any to start, and since then I’ve done my usual obsessive musical deep dive. Wilson has an affinity for records made by progressive rock bands of the 1970s. His music [and that of his band Porcupine Tree] combines the sprawl of Yes and the technical execution and ferocity of Rush or Tool while avoiding the pomposity of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Unlike Jon Anderson, who writes lyrics for the sole purpose of how the words sound rather than by what they mean, Wilson tells stories. He’s as literate as Roger Waters, but not obsessive about subject matter like Waters. One hears more than a hint of King Crimson in some places and Pink Floyd in others. Albums that are in current heavy rotation include:
Porcupine Tree
In Absentia [2002]Fear of a Blank Planet [2007]
The Incident [2009]
Steven Wilson solo
The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) [2013]
Hand. Cannot. Erase. [2015]
To the Bone [2017]
Opeth – Opeth hails from Stockholm, Sweden. Singer/guitarist/main songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has been the lone constant in the band since their formation in 1989. What started out as a death metal band with the growling vocals that go with it, Opeth has evolved into what critics would label as “progressive metal.” At first a band with two guitars, bass and drums, they added acoustic guitars and keyboards [Mellotron, Hammond organ, piano] to the mix. Imagine if you will, Metallica [only faster and with a better drummer] adding elements from Robin Trower, Deep Purple, King Crimson, and the folk leanings of Jethro Tull and you get the idea what Opeth have become.
Deliverance [2002] and Damnation [2003] – recorded together, released separately
Ghost Reveries [2005]
Watershed [2008]
Heritage [2011]
Pale Communion [2014]
Sorceress [2016]
In Cauda Venenum [2019]
Mastodon – This metal quartet from Atlanta came to me via my son Mark. He and his girlfriend were taking me to dinner after we put Carol in a memory care facility when I first heard them. I like what I heard. Their album Crack The Skye [2008] was the hook. Then I heard Emperor of Sand [2017] to confirm the offering. I have one complaint. Their drummer [Brann Dailor - one of three guys who sings] sounds too “poppy” for the music. He needs to sing less. However, he’s a fantastic drummer. They don’t consider themselves to be metal, but I beg to differ. There are too many skull-crushing riffs to be considered anything else. Their follow-up to Emperor of Sand is Hushed and Grim, released in October. They’ve worked with Brendan O'Brien, Nick Raskulinecz, and David Bottrill, so you know they’re going to have great-sounding recordings.
Paul Weller – The Modfather. For as long as I can remember, I have been a sucker for good English pop music. Paul Weller’s music is in that category. He’s a musical chameleon. He produced punk-influenced power pop with The Jam and explored jazz and soul in The Style Council. His early solo work [Wild Wood (1993), Stanley Road (1995), and Heavy Soul (1997)] have that vibe that combines Low Spark of High Heeled Boys-era Traffic, acoustic folk and soul. His middle years were labeled “Dad rock”, whatever the hell that is. For the past ten years or so, his need to experiment has seen him develop what I call “modern psychedelic music”. It has that mid-1960s vibe but created with newer sounds [and some old ones, too].
Wake Up the Nation [2010]
Sonik Kicks [2011]
Saturns Pattern [2015]
A Kind Revolution [2017]
On Sunset [2020]
Fat Pop [2021]
Dave Alvin – I saw him with the Blasters when they opened for Eric Clapton at Red Rocks in 1983. He’s not much of a singer [that’s his brother Phil’s department]. He more or less talks through his songs, which is good enough for me. His guitar playing and songwriting more than make up for his limited vocal abilities [at least they’re in tune]. After he played with X and The Knitters, I lost track of him for a long time. I found two albums on iTunes - Eleven Eleven [2011] and Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings [2020]. I was hooked thereafter and like the obsessive I am, I have most of the rest.
Adele – She’s a pretty English girl who sings sad songs, and she does it well. Carol liked Adele. It has been a sad year, so I was more than ready to hear sad songs. Before this year I could name three songs [Rolling in the Deep, Hello, and Skyfall]. Then I heard Easy On Me – I’m in love.
Along the way, I filled in the holes of my collections of Joe Bonamassa, Leslie West, Boz Scaggs, Parliament and Funkadelic, John Prine, Little Feat, John Hiatt, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, and Gary Moore.
