…and talk about some music. I haven’t written a music post in a long time; which is probably due to the fact that I don’t buy nearly as much music as I used to. Here are a couple of albums that I recently picked up, though, and have really enjoyed listening to the last few days.
First up: Flying Colors. This is sort of a contemporary prog-rock supergroup. Mike Portnoy is on drums, Steve Morse handles guitar, Neal Morse (no relation) on keyboards and vocals, Dave LaRue does bass, and Casey McPherson is the lead vocalist. Strictly speaking, this isn’t progressive rock, but rather more pop-progressive. Think late-’80s Rush (it’s produced by Peter Collins) meets late-’60s Beatles and late-’70s Kansas. It’s a very enjoyable listen from the first spin, but it’s somewhat superficial compared to the music the members created with their original groups (Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard, Dixie Dregs, etc.)
Next is O.S.I. with Fire Make Thunder. This is Kevin Moore on keyboards and vocals (formerly of Dream Theater), and Jim Matheos on guitar (Fates Warning), assisted by Gavin Harrison on drums (Porcupine Tree). Fire Make Thunder is O.S.I.’s fourth album, following Blood. It’s a great set of songs, and probably my favorite album of the year so far.
Finally, I’ve discovered a new band, Big Big Train, via this excellent blog post. Their website has lots of terrific tracks available for free download. They are the real deal – as good as Close to the Edge-era Yes, or Red-era King Crimson. The Difference Machine and The Underfall Yard are astounding, beautiful albums that reward repeated listens. I haven’t been this impressed with a band in years. They are incredibly generous with downloads – check them out now!
Thanks for staying with me as I went off on a tangent (ha!); I’ll be returning to mathematics on my next post.
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