THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 468 of 491)

STEVEN WILSON – Hand Cannot Erase

February 16, 2021 /

!WARNING! This is in my top ten records EVER!!! Prepare for a gushing review.

This is SW’s 7,000,000th release across a myriad of projects, but technically it’s his 4th studio release as a solo artist. The concept and idea behind this album is pretty amazing. There was a lady called Joyce Carol Vincent whose body was found in her apartment badly decomposed. She had been laying there for over two years. I know what your thinking, she was an old lady that was alone, but no, she was a 35 year old women with family and friends. The album uses this as inspiration and is told from the female perspective.

There is not one second on this album that I do not love. Everything from the writing, production, playing and the art is just amazing. The songs have so much depth and emotion put into them. This was also the best line up he had with him. Guthrie Govan, Marco Minneman, Nick Beggs and Adam Holzman is a killer line up of muso’s, and they give everything to the songs. Guthrie’s contribution on Home Invasion/Regret#9 is worth buying the album alone. Incredible playing! Marco brought so much to the table here. Each song was given that little something extra that I’m not sure your average drummer could have done.

Listen to the whole piece from the beginning and I can guarantee that when you get to Happy Returns you will be in tears. Such a beautiful piece. I know there have been 2 albums released after this masterpiece, and they are both good in their own way, but put them along side this, and they have big shoes to fill. The surround sound version of this is incredible, and if you are lucky enough to have the deluxe box set, the artwork and detail is incredible. If you are somewhat unsure of where to dive into SW’s vast catalogue then you should jump in here. I guarantee you will be blown away by the sheer quality of this album.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

RIVAL SONS – Hollow Bones

February 15, 2021 /

Way before Greta Van Scrote appeared from nowhere with their Led Zep plagiarism, Rival Sons had been doing the retro vibe since 2008. This is their 5th studio album, and sees them exploring more sounds from days gone by, but with a modern edge.

The title track is a great opening, with its 60’s vibe leading into the killer Tied Up, which has an almost soul vibe mixed in with their unique rock stylings. Lots of use of the fuzz pedal gives the feeling as though we are in 1970 as the intro to Thundering Voices kicks in. Have to mention the great production by Dave Cobb that really brings out the all the nuances in the songs. Baby Boy has a serious blues vibe with an awesome vocal from Jay Buchanan. Side closer Pretty Face should have been a single, as the chorus is a total earworm.

Flipping over onto Side 2, Fade Out announces its arrival with a killer vocal and a true power ballad vibe with some great slide playing and a big rock ending. The Ike and Tina Turner classic Black Coffee is next, and was released as a single – you need some very large plums to be able to carry that off. Have to say it’s a great cover and a vocal that does justice to the original. Hollow Bones Pt2 is next, and is my favourite on the album. Love the intro with the spacey guitar and quiet vocal, which blows into the big riff and with echoes of Zeppelin alive on this one. The album comes to an end with All That I Want with an acoustic piece which showcases how amazing Jay Buchanan’s voice is. His vibrato reminds me of Beth Hart.

What a great record that was! They remind you of everybody and yet nobody, as they borrow from the past but make it their own.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS – s/t

February 15, 2021 /

Although now Animals As Leaders are a band, when this album came out it they were basically a solo project that was instigated by Prosthetic Records after the demise of Tosin’s previous band, Reflux. All songs were written by Tosin and Periphery main man Misha Mansoor. Tosin plays most of the guitar and bass tracks on the album, and Misha programs the drums and adds a couple of solos and effects. The rest of the band now comprises of Abasi and Javier Reyes on 8 string guitars, and Matt Garstka on the old pots and pans.

If challenging metal djentyness is your thing, then you will love this. I had never heard of the band until I heard Misha mention Tosin in some online article and I bought the album after reading that interview. No straight ahead 4-4 time signatures here I’m afraid. Lots of odd time grooves and incredible playing. Abasai is a guitar hero for a new age. The tunes are well thought out and are not all one paced. Each tune has its peaks and troughs, and takes the listener on a musical roller coaster of a ride, from out and out metal goodness and djent a plenty, to laid back chill vibes.

There are plenty of high points that’s for sure. From opener Tempting Tides, which is killer, then onto On Impulse with its choppy groove. Everyone’s favourite djent tune Cafo, which should get everyone bouncing with it’s serious low end groove and incendiary guitar. Modern Meat with its acoustic jazz vibe is a beautiful piece. I could go on but every tune is an adventure for the listener. An epic album indeed.

The opportunity’s given to Abasi by adopting the eight string guitar have obviously expanded the range of things he can do. I love this album as it opened the door to me for a whole type of music that otherwise would have passed me by. This should be 10/10 album, but it loses half a mark for the production, which is a bit mushy in places.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

YES – Close To The Edge

February 13, 2021 /

This is actually part of the Steven Wilson remix box set that the randomizer threw up for today’s review, and I didn’t want to review them all at once so this one is first out. You may notice this has a different cover than what you are used to seeing, and was exclusive to this box set. This was the first Yes album I discovered way back in the mists of time, and Yes are another band that the term Prog was made for.

This album has only three songs on Side 1, as the title track is split into three parts, and Side 2 is And You And I in 4 parts plus Siberian Khatru. Classic Yes line up of Anderson, Buford, Howe, Squire and Wakeman. Definitely my favourite album of this period of Yes before they went more commercial with 90125.

The title track is a Prog fans wet dream, it has everything you would expect and a lot more. Lots of rambling synths, lost of weird lyrics, great vocal harmonies, and almost jazz in places. My only gripe would be is that Steve Howe’s guitar sounds awful. Just a bad sound to my ears, but that’s just me.

Side 2 begins with lots of fannying about from Howe with harmonics before the track kicks in proper. I’ve always loved this song, it’s one of their best from this era. Last up is the rambling Siberian Khatru, another Prog classic of the period. Again everything and the kitchen sink is used to create the full Prog experience. Other than the quality musicianship it’s the vocal harmonies the made Yes stand out from the crowd.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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