What Are You Listening To Now? 6.0

[Blind_Justice]

The new AC/DC album will be out next month. "Shot in the dark" is the first song off it. Typical AC/DC rock. I know what I want for Christmas.

Shot in the dark

Oh, thanks for getting that to my attention! After Brian left, I thought AC/DC were almost done. Didn't expect them to buckle up and deliver new music. We'll probably need ro wait to 2021 though.

 

[BusDee276]

One of my fave ever songs sang live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkmfOIvHzD4

 

[ChloeTzang]

Yao Si Ting - never heard of her before, but she has a beautiful voice, singing mostly English language covers

Https://Www.YouTube.com/watch?v=2EBV5MHq8hY

 

[Blind_Justice]

Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains (album)

For a bunch of old farts, these guys can kick some serious ass! I have to admit, I'm kinda late to the party. My first brush with them was (of freaking course) "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", then I bought their 1998 album "Heaven Forbid" on a whim and didn't regret it. Now, 21 years later, they finally grace the world with another record and it's freaking epic. Some songs are damn freaking heavy, I even heard something resembling a Metallica riff. The vocals are fantastic, with rich harmonies and earworm chorusses. "Tainted Blood" so far is my personal highlight, but then, I have spun this record twice so far. The most impressive thing is how BÖC managed to avoid any kind of modern influence. The album sounds like it was made in the late '80s, early '90s. And that's a compliment. Honest, well-crafted and moving music. No frills, no bullshit. If only other hard rock "dinosaurs" would age this gracefully. (I'm looking at you, Aerosmith and Deep Purple!)

Here's the video for "Tainted Blood". If you only treat yourself to one rock song today, let it be this:
https://youtu.be/8H0iX-_Vts0

 

[ElectricBlue]

Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains (album)

For a bunch of old farts, these guys can kick some serious ass! I have to admit, I'm kinda late to the party. My first brush with them was (of freaking course) "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"

Not a patch on their first albums, though. That track sounds like their 'middle era" BOC - which started with Agents of Fortune. For me, they're like many bands whose best albums are their first three, when they're still young and hungry. U2, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen all come to mind, saying that.

I can play their black white and red albums over and over, but give their later ones only the occasional listen.

Agree with you that Deep Purple should have stopped a long time ago - I had the good fortune to hear them back in the eighties, when Ritchie Blackmore went back to the band for a year or two. That was a killer gig.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Umbra et Imago - Märchenlied (Liebeslied) [Fairytale Song/Lovesong]

 

[Blind_Justice]

Me & My Lady Love: The Warning
https://soundcloud.com/christian-pohl-911553212/the-warning

Just finished a new piece of music. Try as we might, we'll never manage happy pop music.

 

[litfan10]

The Warning

Me & My Lady Love

listening to this as I type - I am a fan. You have Vangelis vibes down solid as well as some Tangerine Dream this time around. There are a lot of neat things happening in this track - thanks for sharing.

 

[litfan10]

Okay happy Musical Litsters! Interesting week for new music:

The album I have been most excited about was Backstage with the album "Isolation." I had no idea what this would be but the line up was incredible. Backstage is Jonas Reingold (Flower Kings/Karmakanic) Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson, Frost*) and Rob Townshend with an amazing line up of guests including - Steve Hackett, Tom Brislin, Marco Minnemann, Nick Beggs, Roger King, Roine Stolt, Pat Mastelotto, Andy Tillison, Randy McStine and more. Turns out the album is all these prog masters going straight instrumental jazz. Nothing prog about it but the quality of the jazz is amazing. Great album.

Now the two that totally blew me away -

Australia's Teramaze released what I consider their best metal album with "I Wonder." Every track just builds and builds into an incredible album - loved this.

From USA after nineteen years of silence Blue Oyster Cult is back with "The Symbol Remains." Now I've been a huge fan since "Agents of Fortune" in the 1970s and then the eighties "Fire of Unknown Origin" being my favorite until this one. With several long time members still aboard this album rocked. This fits beautifully in their catalog but it is far from a boring more of the same - this sounds great. I will be playing this a lot.

Another old classic - Ozric Tentacles from the UK released "Space for the Earth." Another instrumental massively hippy trippy album that fits well with the rest of their catalog. If you like spacy, trippy instrumental prog this is your album.

Canada's Cirkus released "The Fruits of the Unveil." Pretty straight forward prog but I am not a fan of the lead singer - sounds a little too up register for me without a lot of oomph to his voice.

USA's The New Empire revived from the ashes of Peter Banks' old band The Empire. They kept the Banks style with more pop sounding than prog, but I found it rather benign; honestly, Banks was missing in this.

German drummer Yacobs from Argos stepped out from behind the kit to release the solo album "Beautiful." It's a good title. It is a beautiful soft album. This is good mellow prog to relax to - with strong vocals from Yacobs. Nice

Finally Italy's DGM released "Tragic Separation." This is a long standing power metal band with this being their tenth album. Solid album with technical playing, fast work and tight compositions and a very good vocalist. Good album I see why they are so popular in Italy.

Okay, have a great week all! Be safe and well and keep rocking.

 

[Blind_Justice]

The Warning

Me & My Lady Love

listening to this as I type - I am a fan. You have Vangelis vibes down solid as well as some Tangerine Dream this time around. There are a lot of neat things happening in this track - thanks for sharing.

That's blush-worthy company you're putting us next to. Like I said last time, every new piece is a learning experience. This time it was all about mood, space and some sample use. Dani had the idea to put the SOS into the song after her solo while the odd noises and swooshes were mine. I changed up the drums once again, going for a fully analogue CR-78 drum machine in the first half and a fat acoustic kit for the second.

Fun fact - I know (and own) exactly one Tangerine Dream record - Le Parc (with the awesome Street Hawk theme on it). Might have heard some other stuff by them, but "The Warning" was no conscious hommage to either. Glad you like it though. Once we have about ten decent tracks, we're planning to make a real album. On Bandcamp most likely. Dani says I'm a bit of a megalomaniac since "anyone with two ears should clearly hear that we're bloody amateurs", but what's the worst that could happen apart from no one buying our shit, right?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Me & My Lady Love: The Warning
https://soundcloud.com/christian-pohl-911553212/the-warning

Just finished a new piece of music. Try as we might, we'll never manage happy pop music.

A bit of Rick Wright going on in there, BJ. Nice.

 

[litfan10]

That's blush-worthy company you're putting us next to. Like I said last time, every new piece is a learning experience. This time it was all about mood, space and some sample use. Dani had the idea to put the SOS into the song after her solo while the odd noises and swooshes were mine. I changed up the drums once again, going for a fully analogue CR-78 drum machine in the first half and a fat acoustic kit for the second.

Fun fact - I know (and own) exactly one Tangerine Dream record - Le Parc (with the awesome Street Hawk theme on it). Might have heard some other stuff by them, but "The Warning" was no conscious hommage to either. Glad you like it though. Once we have about ten decent tracks, we're planning to make a real album. On Bandcamp most likely. Dani says I'm a bit of a megalomaniac since "anyone with two ears should clearly hear that we're bloody amateurs", but what's the worst that could happen apart from no one buying our shit, right?

The instant I see this on bandcamp you have a purchase.

 

[litfan10]

I just went through the latest issue of my favorite metal music magazine, Deaf Forever (after the Motörhead song) and added the following to my list of stuff to buy:

Enslaved - Utgard: Yup, about time.

For my fellow music and prog nerds - there will be both a new (and maybe last) Fates Warning album (Long Day Good Night) and yet another Neal Morse mass. Thought you might want to know.

So how did you like Enslaved's Utgard?

I'm also looking forward to the new Flower King, Marillion's Mark Kelly solo, and Wobbler as well as as all the smaller lesser and unknowns.

 

[Blind_Justice]

So how did you like Enslaved's Utgard?

I'm also looking forward to the new Flower King, Marillion's Mark Kelly solo, and Wobbler as well as as all the smaller lesser and unknowns.

Didn't get my copy yet. Mail is semi-reliable, with the pandemic. If all else fails, I'll stream it and report back in a day or two. The songs I heard in advance were highly unpredictable - typical for Enslaved.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

Bohemian Rhapsody - Crowd of 65,000 singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at the Green Day Concert, London Hyde Park July 1, 2017

 

[A_Bierce]

Bohemian Rhapsody - Crowd of 65,000 singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at the Green Day Concert, London Hyde Park July 1, 2017

Hands on the Wheel -- Willie Nelson

 

[Handley_Page]

Erika

I'm told that "erika" is also the name for a plant (Broom); rather like we in UK would refer to 'Heather'.

PS.
I found this one the other day: I think it's great.

 

[A_Bierce]

Hands on the Wheel -- Willie Nelson

The Last Thing on my Mind -- Tom Paxton

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

My 80's OR playlist:

Maid of Orleans - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Enola Gay - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The dark
Ghosts - Japan
Fade to Grey - Visage
Who's That Girl - Eurythmics
Love is a Stranger - Eurythmics
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Torch - Soft Cell
Bedsitter - Soft Cell
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - Soft Cell
Echo And The Bunnymen - People Are Strange
Girls on Film - Duran Duran
The Reflex - Duran Duran
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
Forbidden Colours - David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto ('Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence')
Firecracker - Yellow Magic Orchestra
The Model - Kraftwerk
99 Luftballons - Nena
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Don't you Want Me - Human League
Betty Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ultravox
Vienna - Ultravox
I won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Nik Kershaw

 

[A_Bierce]

My 80's OR playlist:

Maid of Orleans - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Enola Gay - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The dark
Ghosts - Japan
Fade to Grey - Visage
Who's That Girl - Eurythmics
Love is a Stranger - Eurythmics
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Torch - Soft Cell
Bedsitter - Soft Cell
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - Soft Cell
Echo And The Bunnymen - People Are Strange
Girls on Film - Duran Duran
The Reflex - Duran Duran
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
Forbidden Colours - David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto ('Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence')
Firecracker - Yellow Magic Orchestra
The Model - Kraftwerk
99 Luftballons - Nena
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Don't you Want Me - Human League
Betty Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ultravox
Vienna - Ultravox
I won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Nik Kershaw

Once Upon a Time - Sinatra (or Tony Bennett)

 

[litfan10]

Fairly quiet new release week

The biggest and straight ahead pure rock and roll is the Struts with "Strange Days." I love this band such wonderful high energy power trio rock with a strong lead vocalist.

I never thought I would ever write Porcupine Tree and new release in the same sentence again but for the tenth anniversary of their last live performance Steven Wilson just released a five song album called "Pure Narcotic - Acoustic Session 2012." Lovely little album of stripped down versions with Barbieri and Wilson on piano, Edwin on upright bass and Harrison focusing on high hat. I miss this band and this goes to strongly show what they were capable of.

Instrumental week with three new instrumental albums: Argentina's Quassi with Mareas," Sweden's Automatism with "Immersion" and USA's Herd of Instinct with "Unravel."

Australia's Chaos Divine released their fourth album with "Legacies." Heavy prog with fast playing while keeping a nice melodic balance.

Finally from the United Kingdom comes Whitewater with "Dark Planet." Very atmospheric prog. Slow tempo with a lot going on in the spaces.

Have a great weekend all and happy music listening!

 

[Haulover]

Fairly quiet new release week
...
I never thought I would ever write Porcupine Tree and new release in the same sentence again but for the tenth anniversary of their last live performance Steven Wilson just released a five song album called "Pure Narcotic - Acoustic Session 2012." Lovely little album of stripped down versions with Barbieri and Wilson on piano, Edwin on upright bass and Harrison focusing on high hat. I miss this band and this goes to strongly show what they were capable of.
...

What? Ten years? Nonsense - I saw them play "The Incident" in Baltimore a few weeks ago!

Well it feels like a few weeks ago. Google tells me it was actually 2009

But this album (EP) sounds like a must-get.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Teramaze - Ocean Floor

litfan mentioned them a few posts up and I wanted to check them out eventually. Today, my favourite metal station (aardshock radio in the Netherlands) played this song and I can't get it out of my head. Parts Voyager, parts their own thing, mixed very well with a crystal clear sound and smooth playing. Likey. Gotta check out their other stuff after lunch.

 

[litfan10]

Teramaze - Ocean Floor

litfan mentioned them a few posts up and I wanted to check them out eventually. Today, my favourite metal station (aardshock radio in the Netherlands) played this song and I can't get it out of my head. Parts Voyager, parts their own thing, mixed very well with a crystal clear sound and smooth playing. Likey. Gotta check out their other stuff after lunch.

Enjoy! I love Teramaze. Their production has always been very distinct and clear.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Got a bunch of new records in today. New as in "freshly bought." Three have released within the past few weeks, one is a legend - the soundtrack to "Once Upon A Time In The West" (or "Spiel Mir Das Lied Vom Tod" in German), a movie Dani has a lot of fond memories of.

In no particular order:
Lik - Misanthropic Breed: "Lik" is Swedish for "corpse" and these guys live and breathe the rot-infested, putrid-smelling spirit of the early '90s Swedish Death Metal explosion. The guitars sound like Dismember's "Like An Everflowing Stream", the drummer knows how to tan the hides and the vocalist has exactly the voice befitting this style of music. The fascinating thing with Swedish Death Metal is their love for sudden melodic touches - guitar harmonies or outright beautiful guitar solos. Lik don't disappoint. Naysayers might complain that their stuff sounds generic, but in today's metal scene, obsessed with "harder, faster, louder" competitions, their blend of old school is a breath of fresh air. Or maybe it's my inner fourteen-year-old taking over. I wasn't much of a gourmand back then.

Necrophobic - Dawn Of The Damned: These guys play at the razor's edge of frenzy, brutality and strange beauty. Despite all their thunder and sulphur-spitting, they never forget to put in some haunting melodies. This time they seem to channel the spirit of the early '80s, when Sodom and Destruction (two of the metal pioneers in Germany) stopped being utterly rubbish Venom worshipers and began to play somewhat tight. There are odd timing changes and phrasings which make you sit up and scratch your head, in the "did they really leave that in?" kind of way, but when you go back and listen again, it seems to fit regardless. Fascinating stuff.

Enslaved - Utgard: Finally had some time to dig into this beast. It's a solid 45 minutes of massive music. Enslaved have found a cosmos all their own, going from frosty Norse chants to wonderfully warm multi-layered chorus passages, from frantic black metal blunt force to feather-light, warm, analogue-synth driven Pink Floyd tributes - and all without a single hiccup or misplaced transition. This album, to quote an oft-abused phrase, "flows" and the 45 minutes are over much quicker than I'd like. It's hard to pinpoint a standout moment, because every fricking song is more a soundscape than something with a distinct beginning or end, so I'll just pick the one with the most interesting sound mix - the aforementioned "Urjotun" Synthwave sequencer loop, Motörhead bassline, infernal vocals - and it all works wonderfully together.
https://youtu.be/pXzRjf7OMek