5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Chris Noe

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I probably feel the need for hundreds of albums in my life but I am going to justify these five albums as being the ones that forever belong in my heart and will always make themselves available to rescue my soul from pain and also provide a musical solace for me. The following five are the ultimate records that I felt the need to buy on CD or Vinyl at some point and play them numerous times (like thousands of times) to the point where they’re engraved in my brain. To know the essence of Chris Noe, you must surrender yourself to this music….

1. The 1970’s were filled with great albums and musicians that rocked the airwaves. Among all of these great offerings by bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath and The Who; I found myself drawn to Pink Floyd and their brilliant album Wish You Were Here. This one from 1975 is easily Pink Floyd’s best album. IMHO. When I say best I don’t mean it in terms of popularity or critical acclaim, that one belongs to Dark side of the Moon. But musically and lyrically it is the bands most accomplished piece of work.  This album is a great follow-up to Dark Side of the Moon. This is an often overlooked treasure within Pink Floyd’s music catalog. It has survived the test of time well and is finally receiving more attention it deserved when it was first released. At least I have noticed that. It is an essential Pink Floyd album and I mean no disrespect to “The Wall” which is when Roger Waters started to take over, but its the last great album the band produced. Wish You Were Here is very much dedicated to the founder Syd Barrett, who freaked out years before: and there’s funny songs about the evils of the music business (“By the way, which one’s Pink?”), and the touching ones about the band’s mysterious friend. The real star of the show, although, is the amazing production–with David Gilmour getting lots of room for his most creative guitar playing ever. That’s my story and I am sticking to it!

2. I graduated from high school, was attending various graduation parties and this album was playing at one of them. It immediately grabbed my attention. The summer of 1994 I started to believe I was Trent Reznor. I loved his music featured in the films Natural Born Killers and The Crow. When I bought the cd, I listened to it on buses, car trips, in my college dorm and just simple walks around the neighborhood. I was absolutely OBSESSED!!!This album is considered Nine Inch Nails’ most controversial and disturbing work. They (He) completely change the image that was first seen on “Pretty Hate Machine” to something much darker and emotional. The result is a very successful and complex masterpiece that takes you to places you have never been in the music world. With each track you step in further and further into Reznor’s mind. “The Downward Spiral” is an outstanding album and will always remain a classic.
The songs are much more complex and have more structure to them than the ones that appear on “Pretty Hate Machine” and “Broken.” There are heavy songs, and there are soft songs. There are disturbing songs, and there are beautiful songs. You get to experience something different with each song.
The great thing about this album is, just like with any other NIN album, no two songs are the same. Each one has its own identity and feeling to it. Another plus is that there is not a single bad song on the entire album. My favorites are “mr. self destruct,” “march of the pigs,” “closer,” “the becoming,” “a warm place,” “eraser,” “I do not want this,” “ruiner,” and “hurt.” I might as well say ALL OF THEM!!! LOL
“The Downward Spiral” is an amazing album. Reznor knows how to make great music and continues to impress us even to this day. Be warned, though. This album isn’t for everyone. It is indeed a very controversial and even sometimes offensive album. But if you love Nine Inch Nails, then this is a must-have. It is a CD I continue to listen to over and over again. It never ceases to amaze me. A classic to the very end.

3. So I have a guy named Matt to thank for getting me into the band Tool. In high school he would periodically loan me tapes to listen to. When I first heard the album Undertow, my life changed. Flash forward to the year 2001. The album Lateralus is released during a time when our country was invaded by terrorists. However, I was personally moved and deeply touched by Maynard and the gang in a very positive way.

Everything about Tool’s third album is an experience, starting with the packaging, which consists of liner credits printed on a translucent plastic sleeve over the CD and a booklet that layers anatomical representations atop one another. The first page pictures musculature and blood vessels; the next, bones; the third, internal organs; and so on. It’s worth describing the packaging of Lateralus because it says much about the astonishing music within.

With Lateralus, Tool have raised an already lofty bar still higher by coming up with a collection that reaches amazing heights. Lateralus, like I said was released in 2001, it has got to be one of the more groundbreaking musical releases since the mid-80’s and early 90’s. Lateralus is a long, well thought out musical masterpiece that draws parallels to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” This whole record is just full of amazing progressive rock and it is nearly impossible to fathom that human beings actually wrote and then performed this type of music. Every song has layers and sub-layers and sub-sub-layers.

You do not listen to this album…you surrender yourself to it. The experience of Lateralus penetrates deeper than the brain — it is deeply spiritual and uplifting. Nothing comes close to obsessing my world of the first decade of the 2000’s like this one.

4. I was a Senior in High School in 1993 when this glorious record came out! Everything fell into its right place with this one. Gish was stunning! But Siamese Dream was a masterpiece!!!

Every artist has their “crowning achievement”

I think Smashing Pumpkins were one of the greatest rock bands of the 90’s, easily.

Billy Corgan has been one of my favorite guitarists. His work on the studio albums Gish, Siamese Dream and even Mellon Collie (1995) is brilliant, layering guitar upon guitar with brilliant riffs and awesome solos.

His lyrics are often depressed and angry, but they show hope and beauty too. Lyrics aren’t usually as important to me as music, but Billy Corgan writes good ones, in my opinion. For a rock star, he surprises me with the kind of songwriting talent.
“Cherub Rock” opens up with a distinguishing drum roll followed by simple clean guitar playing the main riff. Within less than a minute, a wall of guitars is hitting you, but it’s still extremely listenable. The melodies of this song are awesome, and I’d bet you’ve heard it on the radio.

“Quiet” is an assault of layered metal riffs. “Today” is another radio song. It’s one of the weaker songs on the whole, but I think it’s still pretty nice and ironically a lot of people’s favorite song.

“Hummer” is nearly 7 minutes long, with several different parts and great textures and melodies. “Disarm” is a beautiful acoustic guitar and vocal track, with strings added (that are good and not cheesy).

“Soma” starts with a peaceful clean guitar riff, but explodes into a wall of distorted guitars and wild leads. I still pull out my acoustic guitar once in a while and play the tabs to this one.

“Geel U.S.A.” is one of the best rockers, and one of the most layered. I don’t know how many guitars are in this song, but I’m pretty sure it’s more than 12 or so. Think My Bloody Valentine-esque The solo is wildly energetic, and the metal riffs are awesome.

“Mayonaise” is gorgeous and noisy at the same time. It’s my personal favorite.

There are no bad songs. Or else it wouldn’t be on my list. Duh!!!
When I first got into the Pumpkins back in 1991, I didn’t like Billy Corgan’s voice that much, but I grew to really appreciate it. The wall of sound created by Billy Corgan’s guitars combined with his original voice and songwriting is also backed up by the experienced drumming of Jimmy Chamberlain. He used to be in a jazz band apparently, and the guy definitely knows what he’s doing.
James Iha and D’Arcy are respectively great rhythm and bass guitarists as well but they are unfortunately known more for their live contributions because Billy tended to prefer taking over in the studio. This was always the one controversial fact about the pumpkins.

If you want my opinion (I guess you do, if you’ve read this far), this is one of the best rock albums of the 90’s, and you should buy it. Highly recommended. 

5. Funny story about this one. My mom and dad found this laying around, shortly after I bought it. They listened to it (well parts of it) and glanced at the lyrics and album cover and hated it. They threw it in the trash and did NOT want me to have it. Somehow I acquired it again and still kept listening to it. I think they wanted to make sure that I didn’t get influenced by Satan, or whatever! LOL

My friend Jason and I were hanging out at the mall and went into a Sam Goody Record store. We each picked out a cd. This was the one I bought. I initially was attracted to the cover. I too was attracted to the lyrics I read in the sleeve. I couldn’t wait to go home and listen to it.

This is definitely one of the best metal albums of all time and should be on anyone’s top ten list of all time. Megadeth has not produced a CD of this greatness before or since. Don’t interpret this as not liking their other stuff. But this is the first one I tend to pull out to listen to in its entirety. The guitar playing and Dave Mustaine’s growling voice just don’t get any better. My ultimate favorite songs are “The Conjuring” and “Bad Omen”.

Even the cover art is awesome and puts forward the premise of “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying”. This one along with Metallica’s “Ride The Lightening” sums up the state of today’s world.

If you’re a metal head, this CD is a must buy!!! That’s all….carry on. 🙂

btw……I think my parents will forgive me on this one 🙂

Okay so there you have it. records i cant live without because we have history together and i am addicted to their sounds.

My Desert Island Playlist

I did it everyone! I truly picked my desert island songs. I spent days with this. I disciplined myself to only pick 10 songs. I kinda want everyone to listen to these songs in this exact order. Makes me cry actually. It’s the end of the world. I’ve escaped to an island and could only download 10 songs into my brain. These are the songs:

1. Dark Star by The Grateful Dead (From the Live/Dead album)
2. Seasons by Chris Cornell (From the Singles soundtrack)
3. Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd (From Wish You Were Here album)
4. Right Turn by Alice In Chains (from SAP ep)
5. A Day In The Life by The Beatles (From Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album)
6. Starla by The Smashing Pumpkins (From Pisces Iscariot B-Sides album)
7. Pneuma by Tool (From Fear Inoculum album)
8. Coney Island Baby by Lou Reed (Title Track)
9. Into Dust by Mazzy Star (From So Tonight That I Might See album)
10. Release by Pearl Jam (From Ten album)

These tracks all have special meanings for me. Bands I love and songs I obsess over.

Now I invite you to list your 10 desert island songs below in the comments.

The Beating Pulse of Music

The Story of My Pulse With Pink Floyd

Well I don’t know where to begin with the babble on Pink Floyd. I absolutely love this band. Ever since I was a kid in the 80’s, I was exposed to them. My dad played the records and I was awakened from whatever slumber I was trapped inside when I listened to their music. I just want to thank my father for opening up my mind to great music. We didn’t always have a lot of common ground but it was the notes coming from David Gilmour’s Fender Stratocaster that could potentially bring us both to tears. Any time the two of us took a drive in his pickup truck, it was almost a certainty that the band Pink Floyd would be emitting from the car stereo. Ever since I was about 10 years old; I UNDERSTOOD this unique, abstract, bizarre, spacey and progressive rock band. I was hooked.

Then just before I went into college, the 2 of us went to Soldier Field in Chicago and saw Pink Floyd perform one of their last live concerts ever! It was quite an awesome experience. In the summer of 1994, my dad surprised me and bought 2 tickets for us to go see Pink Floyd live. It was my first concert ever. I was 18 years old. I was so pumped. The band takes the stage. I am among a crowd of 50,000 people with my dad screaming and shouting. I have never been to a rock show as awesome as that one in my entire life…been chasing that high for 24 years…my dad raised the bar right out of the gate. I still have my ticket stub and I bought a T Shirt.

For me, the band became an obsession of mine. I never could ONLY be a casual observer and listener. “Another Brick In The Wall,” was my first encounter with the Floyd. Mom would take me to the grocery store with her when I was a small boy. I was probably five years old when I kept hearing that song on the radio. My imagination was quite vivid at that age of my youth. Sometimes you like what you are hearing without quite being aware of the meaning or having a complete understanding of its lyrics, structure and relevance to your own life

In high school, my dad bought this awesome Pink Floyd Box Set. When I gazed upon the cover, with nude figures soaring above the water, I surrendered to the abstract art which definitely made an enormous impression on me. 8 compact discs inside the box. A large book with stories, pictures, track listings and lyrics captivated my interest for several weeks. After school homework and on dull weekends as a teenager, I would gravitate towards the magic of Pink Floyd. The 8 cds consisted of 7 albums and a bonus cd from the early days when a man named Syd Barrett was their lead guitarist and singer. The others were chosen as highlights that represented the “FLOYD SOUND.”

A Saucerful of Secrets, Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Animals were the chosen ones for this box set. My father loved this kind of stuff! He was big into bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, CSNY and many others. But when it came to this artistic and experimental music from these four obscure British musicians, it was a whole new ball of wax. Moods were created. The atmosphere has that imagery of a street alley corner, an abandoned mountain peak, being lost in the desert and being inside a warm room looking outside at the cold neighborhood sort of feeling. Getting lost into that PINK noise.

Sometimes atmospheres and moods are hard to describe in detail. When I hear Roger Waters’ lyrics come to life in these Rock Operas, like THE WALL, I am left speechless because suddenly I have insane images in my head of worms, naked women in bathtubs, hammers marching, kids staring at airplanes up in the sky and getting thrown into a meat grinder by disgruntled teachers. The same holds true to all of their albums.

My dad and I would get into really long philosophical conversations about these guys, the meanings behind their politically charged and surreal lyrics and the imagination that they yielded. We would be working in the yard, painting the family room, or he would be helping me with my homework and have these awesome songs in the background.

While I was in college a couple of noteworthy things took place. One was that my dad met someone online that had a cassette tape of the Chicago performance we were at. It was a bootleg copy but still pretty cool. I swear there’s a part during the encore that I can hear my dad’s voice but one can only imagine. The second thing that happened was on Pay Per View, they were televising a live Pink Floyd concert during that “Pulse” tour. This guy paid for it and then charged everyone 5 bucks to hang out in his dorm room and watch the show. Some folks were tripping and others were stoned but everyone was having a good time.

Then came PULSE the CD in the summer of 1995. This live double disc set had a battery operated blinking light attached to the case to represent a pulse. The artwork on the packaging was stunning. Picture attached. Sound wise, it was a good representation of the music they played on the same tour as when we saw them. The only real difference was the second disc contained all of Dark Side of The Moon (they did not play all of the songs from this album at the show we were at). The encore was the same with “Comfortably Numb” and “Run Like Hell.”

PULSE is definitely on my list of favorite live albums. It takes me back to a memory of that experience where Mr Sight and Mr Sound hung out and played for two hours. They eventually released a DVD set for PULSE complete with special footage and awesome art. While I enjoy the live in Pompeii experience or the numerous other live recordings from the Wish You Were Here tour or even the mighty The Wall one, I still LOVE the PULSE double CD set most because it directly ties me to my experience going to see the band live.

Pink Floyd was always about the concept of Sight and Sound blending together. I think that folks who enjoy SOME of Pink Floyd’s music and not much of the more EXPERIMENTAL stuff should honestly hangout with my dad and I more often. It’s like unraveling a mystery. Solving a puzzle within an enigma. Exploring symbols, metaphors and digging deeper is part of the fun. There’s more to this music than what lies on the surface. Anyways, PULSE is so great because it’s extremely enjoyable and it isn’t really an acquired taste. Once you hear it then it becomes this emotional transposition from just appreciating their works to totally submerging yourself into the true genius behind David and the gang.

I owe it all to my dad! He solidified his coolness with me. Props to you papa! Shine On. I’m glad our special bond is timeless……

C-Note

 

My Top Twenty Mood-Boosting Songs #music #down #happy

This became my new “go to” playlist so that the next time I am feeling down I can listen to it on repeat:

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees Hong Kong Garden
2. New Order Ceremony
3. Colin Hay Beautiful World
4. Velvet Underground Rock and Roll
5. Blind Melon 3 is a Magic Number
6. Pink Floyd Astronomy Domine
7. Beach Boys Heroes and Villians
8. Tom Petty Free Fallin’
9. The Beatles Day Tripper
10. The Black Keys Everlasting Light
11. Japandroids The House That Heaven Built
12. The Flaming Lips Do You Realize?
13. Smashing Pumpkins Siva
14. Weezer Buddy Holly
15. The Tokens The Lion Sleeps Tonight
16. Kristin Kontrol X-Communicate
17. The Lively Ones Surf Rider
18. Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-7
19. Imagine Dragons On Top Of The World
20. Maroon 5 Moves Like Jagger

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Song That Changed My Life Forever

 

For most people, this is a difficult thing to truly know. I mean, think about how many songs are out there. How can you possibly narrow it down to that ONE song that altered your perception, changed your fate, opened up your mind? Woke you up to a new world forever? It depends on a significant event perhaps. Or maybe it was repeated exposure to a song on the radio. Was it at a concert? Maybe during a music class lesson? For me it always seems to relate to my father and I listening to classic rock on the radio in one of his pickup trucks while I was growing up.

Whether we were driving to a ball game, camping trip, vacation or just around the corner to the store; classic rock was playing either through a cassette tape, cd player or simply on the radio. At home on the stereo pumping through vintage Allegro speakers, he would crank out records and cds of various artists. Most of these consisted of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, CCR, The Cars, ZZ Top and finally Pink Floyd. Something about the latter struck me the most.

I remember being about 5 or 6 years old in the back seat of my  mom’s Plymouth Horizon. One of her many errands she would run during the day while I am intently listening to the radio. Usually it was WLS in Chicago AM radio. This disco sounding, rock jam song would play every now and then. It was actually Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd. At that age, this song sounded really strange and yet quite interesting even though my young brain couldn’t quite understand its meaning. Then in 1987 another song by the Floyd was on MTV and the radio again. This one was entitled Learning To Fly. Another bizarre and artistic song by this enigmatic band that I did not know much about.

At age 11, I still was not collecting music really other than occasionally trading tapes with neighborhood friends or hearing what my dad played. It wasn’t until the late 80’s and early 90’s that I started feeling that “change” within me. This occurred in 2 stages. Stage one was when I was in his truck one day (I can’t remember the specific year but I guess I would have been in my early teens) probably when I was 13 or 14 and he played Dark Side of The Moon. This album blew my mind. Clocks ticking and then erupting into this loud chaos followed by these percussions keeping a steady beat with wailing guitars and these deep prophetic lyrics about “Time” and life & death. My dad played that album a lot and that song Time really spoke to me the most. Slide guitars and great vocals were enough to sell me on the band finally.

The second stage occurred a few years later. In the summer of 1994, my dad surprised me and bought 2 tickets for us to go see Pink Floyd live. It was my first concert ever. I was 18 years old. I was so pumped. The band takes the stage. I am among a crowd of 50,000 people with my dad screaming and shouting. They open up with this cosmic sounding, very British and aggressively massive sounding pop song. It was really rocking! I never heard it before. I was actually so turned on by this song! I kept thinking,”what was that?” While the concert was great, that song was festering in my brain. My dad and I did some research later on that week. Then one day I am in my bedroom and over hear that familiar song pumping through those Allegro speakers and I immediately ran into the living room and inquired about it. My dad was holding a disc in his hands. It was entitled “Piper At The Gates of Dawn” by Pink Floyd, featuring original singer, guitarist and song writer-Syd Barrett.

 

I learned of Syd Barrett in that moment. I never knew about him or the amazing body of work he contributed to that band. The song that I fell in love with is called Astronomy Domine. Totally spacey and cosmic and psychedelic! That song changed my life forever because I knew there was more Pink Floyd music out there that I never even knew existed before. I started to realize that every band has its beginnings before they become popular. Before they reach stardom, they have a starting point. Something that inspired them to make music to begin with. That night at the concert while standing in front of my chair gazing up at the stage I experienced something like never before. At age 18 that summer, I became educated that there’s this amazing story behind the band Pink Floyd. That it all began with a man named Syd. Syd Barrett’s experiments with sights and sounds and his eventual madness is what created albums like Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. Without his genius and absurdness, Pink Floyd would never have become as great as they did.

 

That single song, Astronomy Domine, shaped my life because I learned how to embrace all sides of life and music. There’s more than meets the eye and ears. I learned to go deeper than the surface. To explore beyond the obvious. I began to embrace the deep cuts and the hidden treasures of my own life each and every day.

1976-1991 #music summary #forty #years of #Noe

  
There’s been an ongoing list of albums that I have been posting about for the past few weeks. Feel free to browse thru the archives of my blog.
Getting closer to 40
I’ve made the bold and brave decision to not only disclose my age but also establish a list of my favorite albums for every year of my life…so far. 

  

So far I have covered 1976 Thru 1991
More to come.
I post little reviews every Tuesday and Thursday
Stay tuned
  

When I Broke Through The Wall…#pinkfloyd #rogerwaters #thewall

Does this one need my review? Seriously?

I mean, it’s Pink Floyd The Wall.

Hello?

Well during the winter of 79 there was a terrible blizzard here in Chicago, Illinois.

Meanwhile, that same year, we experienced another blizzard. A blizzard of music in rock opera format.

I first bought this album on vinyl back when I was in college. But ever since I was in fifth grade I listened to it on the radio and my cassette tape player. I could recite the entire work straight through from memory. Pink Floyd has been a part of my soul since I was a kid. That and the Beatles White Album.

Released in 1979, it was the beginning of the end for Floyd. Keyboardist Rick Wright left the band during the recording of it. The rift between Dave and Roger widened until Roger finally left the band a few years later.

The band never rose to such great heights like this again. But there were quite a lot of high notes on this one. It was the most defining record for me to be released in 1979.

The Wall is a classic 70’s space rock album based on the bands grueling touring experiences mixed with stories involving Roger Waters WWII dad who was killed in battle and the invasive government.

A strong message enhanced by timeless music make this album a must-have for any Classic Rock collectors library. The album’s film has Bob Geldof playing Pink. Later, Roger Waters played this album live in Berlin in 1990 when the Berlin wall came down and had tons of artists join him during many of the songs. The legacy goes on and on……

Incredible stuff here!

The proceeding post is from an ongoing list of albums that represent what I feel to be the forty greatest albums to be released in forty consecutive years in a row since the year I was born.

It is based on my education, obsessions and life experiences. Through friends, family and my obsessions I found inspiration. Some factors in determining these albums are:

• I can listen to them numerous times.
• Some of these artists have stand out performances.
• Some are based on artist’s best albums, which fall into place with the year that they originated in.

Ultimately this ends up being the top forty albums in my humble opinion. Sometimes the artists pay tribute; other times it is just considered their peak performances. In many ways you could say that all years since 1976 are represented. But these are more than my just favorites, they are simply amazing albums and a sample of the best list I could think of that demonstrates the BIG 40 spectacular pieces of music in my lifetime, so far…

Animals…1977…#pinkfloyd #1977 #music

The following list of albums represent what I feel to be the forty greatest albums to be released in forty consecutive years in a row since the year I was born. It is based on my education, obsessions and life experiences. Through friends, family and my obsessions I found inspiration. Some factors in determining these albums are: I can listen to them numerous times. Some of these artists have stand out performances. Some are based on artist’s best albums, which fall into place with the year that they originated in. Ultimately this ends up being the top forty albums in my humble opinion. Sometimes the artists pay tribute other times it is just considered their peak performances. In many ways you could say that all years since 1976 are represented but more than that it is also my favorite as well as simply amazing albums and a sample of the best list I could think of that demonstrates the BIG 40 spectacular pieces of music in my lifetime, so far……

 

ANIMALS by Pink Floyd

The year I turned ONE

So…you have 5 songs on it. 3 of them longer than 10 minutes each and two really short ones; only a minute and a half each serving as bookends. There’s an incredible theme going on with this disc. Not everyone likes it or has really even listened to it.

I think my father and I can agree that the first of the three long songs simply entitled DOGS, features David Gilmour and Snowy White in a most biblically profound rhythmic wave of guitar solos and these unbelievably talented string picking peaks and valleys and uplifting jams that radically soar over mountain tops and deep caverns of amplified explorations. This song and vinyl record (disc, mp3, etc) are the bridge that connects the Music from Wish You Were Here to the rock opera = The Wall!!!

Pink Floyd was always about the concept of Mr Sight and Mr Sound. I think that folks who enjoy SOME of Pink Floyd’s music and not much of the more EXPERIMENTAL stuff should honestly hangout with my dad and I more often. It’s like unraveling a mystery. Solving a puzzle within an enigma. Exploring symbols, metaphors and digging deeper is part of the fun. There’s more to this music than what lies on the surface. Anyways, Animals is so great because it’s extremely different and it is an acquired taste. But once you get used to it then it becomes this emotional transposition from just appreciating their works to totally submerging yourself into the true genius behind Roger and the gang.

That song Dogs, though, has a hard edge riff to it with sinister lyrics. The haze of the loaded environment of wild animals washes over me. I feel like I am going to get lost at sea and then suddenly Roger comes in singing, after hearing Gilmour’s first two dreamy verses, and throws a Bouy out to me and rescues me from the pack of dogs.

The album is conceptually beautiful. The packaging, with a flying pig on it, is stunning. I can listen to it over and over again without getting bored. When my dad bought the box set that contained this bizarre album, he solidified his coolness with me. Props to you papa! Shine On. I’m glad our special bond is timeless……

My year end review

I cannot decide what my favorite record of the year is!

Not an easy choice.

There is so much music that I listen to.

From Jazz to Rock to Classical Orchestra to Heavy Metal.

My tastes are quite eclectic!

So how do I figure this out?

Well some of the criteria is the following:

1) Number of times played? Am I obsessed?

2) Did I see this artist/band live in concert?

3) Does it stir up a lot of emotions each time?

Ultimately, I have broken it down to 7 specific albums and 1 favorite song!!!

Number 7 is BECK – MORNING PHASE

He’s moved beyond his slacker-hipster days of Loser. I have embraced the soft side of Beck with this soft, mellow and acoustic vibe. These songs SOUND like the morning in the winter while drinking a cup of hot coffee. Way to step out of your comfort zone!

Number 6 is THE WAR ON DRUGS – LOST IN A DREAM

I hear the Dylan, Petty, Pink Floyd and Dire Straights influences here. Really dreamy music for sure. I am transported to another time and place every time I pop this record into my ears.

Number 5 is A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW – SEA WHEN ABSENT

This became a more recent obsession of mine. It has a real addictive sound. Shoe gaze, trippy, mellow, synth pop is some magical stuff for the brain! It reminds me of the band My Bloody Valentine with that Cocteau Twins vibe from the 80’s. Amazing vocals and mind blowing digital effects mixed with grungy guitars.

Number 4 is ST VINCENT – ST VINCENT

What can I say? See these posts of mine:

https://themusicbard.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/she-sure-can-shred/

https://themusicbard.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/i-was-stabbed-with-emotions-at-a-pitchfork-festival/

Miss Annie Clark is a Rock Goddess!!!!

Number 3 is DUM DUM GIRLS – TOO TRUE (These ladies are so AMAZING!!!)

Read this article of mine:

https://themusicbard.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/dum-dum-girls-filled-me-with-joy-at-the-empty-bottle/

Number 2 is WARPAINT – WARPAINT

(I hate to be lazy but….read this previous article of mine too)

https://themusicbard.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/a-dreamy-night-at-the-vic/

But the truth is….this really was my favorite album of the year because of how rich, potent, spine tingling it is!!! Until……

THIS ALBUM CAME OUT!!!

Number 1 is PINK FLOYD – THE ENDLESS RIVER

Holy Cow!!! This was the surprise release of the year! Only my favorite band of all time suddenly came to life after 20 years in absence!!!! Here’s a long spiel:

Firstly if you’re a hard core fan of the Roger Waters era then this probably isn’t for you. Their aren’t many bands who have lost their main writer and reinvent themselves. But David, Rick and Nick did just that. Roger thought he was bigger than the FLOYD! That was a big mistake and firing Rick Wright was also a bad idea.

I’ve always been a fan of Rick and I recommend you take a listen to his solo project Broken China, for me it was sheer brilliance from Rick. For me it’s about paying respect to a Great musician and the quiet man of the Floyd. Yes you could say this is a collection of pieces that where put aside from The Division Bell but does it matter??…. Nope!

This album is a fitting tribute to Rick. David and Nick have given a lot of thought producing a highly pleasurable listening experience, listen hard enough and it will transform you back to your youth. To the band: it’s been a great journey. You will in years to come be regarded as one of the Greatest Rock bands of all time.

Richard Wright RIP

But now I wish to make mention of my favorite song this year…….

FAVORITE SONG…….Jenny Lewis – Just One of the Guys

Once in a band called Rilo Kiley as their singer, she walks away from the all night parties with the boys. Now in this deep, layered, tonic rock tune things get real! Lewis’ addictive melodies and smart, heartbreaking lyrics about aging, loneliness and being without a child certainly make a huge mark in her career! This is a welcome back moment for this indie Rock queen!!!

2014 has been an awesome year! Believe me, I had so many favorites but these were calculated precisely and are logically my biggest ones! See you next year!!!!!

5 guitarists that SHRED!!!!

(I am not one of them)

Solos that make me weep is more like it! But seriously, I love a good guitar riff and a long jam that has a ripple effect on my brain thereby causing me to bust out into “air guitar” mode!!!

These are the fab FIVE:

1) David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) the example song is DOGS (it’s stellar)

2) Adam Jones (Tool) the example song is “Schism” (holy crap is that a jam)

3) J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) a prime example is anything from the album, “You’re Living All Over Me.” In such short songs he squeezes these unbelievable solos. He packs a punch!!!

4) Lou Reed (of Velvet Underground) R.I.P. This man destroys this improvised song called “Sister Ray!” Damn he has endurance!!!

5) Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) on “Dazed and Confused” played live in New York for the film THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME…he busts out a violin bow string and seems to never stop playing! (See clip below)

Amen to the great guitar Gods!!!!