Blossom, ARBCOtoys, and I are supposed to go see the Killers this weekend in Wichita. So far (two days before the concert) the tickets have not arrived. I'm starting to get a little concerned.
Now on to my number 9 top album:
Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory
"Progressive rock has long been the most devalued currency in popular music, perhaps due to the culture's dumbing down, too many conceptually knotted triple-albums, or merely a Greek chorus of critics parroting the emperor from Amadeus: "Too many notes!" Maybe that's what makes Dream Theater's Scenes such an audacious rush (no pun intended). Here we have a two-act murder mystery examined from a hypnotic dream state and parlayed by "The Orchestra," as the band refers to itself here. Andrew Lloyd Webber hasn't written anything as focused--or musically audacious--in decades. And if the band attacks feverish shift meters and plows through enough structural modes and, yes, notes, to make the aforementioned emperor's head spin, they manage to keep things concise, focused, and largely effective. The addition of keyboardist Jordan Rudess has freshened the band's tack, infused now with the odd, playful ragtime piano quote and sitar sample. Vocalist James Labrie, meanwhile, amply proves that Queensryche's Geoff Tate isn't the only drama queen in prog metal." --Jerry McCulley (Amazon.com)
I got into Dream Theater from my uncle. In a way, they are a throwback to 80's hair metal with the long guitar solos, high-pitched vocals, and long ballads. The is the end of the similariets though. Unlike those from two decades ago, the main point to D.T.s music is not girls and sex. They go above and beyond those simple kind of lyrics.
Scenes from a Memory is a concept album (story album) in the same vein as Pink Floyds "The Wall." It is the story of a repressed memory of a murder and the discovery of the crime. The story comes through very clearly over the course of the album, and James Labrie's vocals are loaded with enough emotion to make the story feel personal.
10 - The Smashing Pumpkins
Now on to my number 9 top album:
Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory
"Progressive rock has long been the most devalued currency in popular music, perhaps due to the culture's dumbing down, too many conceptually knotted triple-albums, or merely a Greek chorus of critics parroting the emperor from Amadeus: "Too many notes!" Maybe that's what makes Dream Theater's Scenes such an audacious rush (no pun intended). Here we have a two-act murder mystery examined from a hypnotic dream state and parlayed by "The Orchestra," as the band refers to itself here. Andrew Lloyd Webber hasn't written anything as focused--or musically audacious--in decades. And if the band attacks feverish shift meters and plows through enough structural modes and, yes, notes, to make the aforementioned emperor's head spin, they manage to keep things concise, focused, and largely effective. The addition of keyboardist Jordan Rudess has freshened the band's tack, infused now with the odd, playful ragtime piano quote and sitar sample. Vocalist James Labrie, meanwhile, amply proves that Queensryche's Geoff Tate isn't the only drama queen in prog metal." --Jerry McCulley (Amazon.com)
I got into Dream Theater from my uncle. In a way, they are a throwback to 80's hair metal with the long guitar solos, high-pitched vocals, and long ballads. The is the end of the similariets though. Unlike those from two decades ago, the main point to D.T.s music is not girls and sex. They go above and beyond those simple kind of lyrics.
Scenes from a Memory is a concept album (story album) in the same vein as Pink Floyds "The Wall." It is the story of a repressed memory of a murder and the discovery of the crime. The story comes through very clearly over the course of the album, and James Labrie's vocals are loaded with enough emotion to make the story feel personal.
10 -
The Smashing Pumpkins
How are you and that lovely wife of yours doing?
-Josh