Tag: Album of the week

Album of the week

Rattle That Lock – David Gilmour

It is the fourth solo studio album by Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour.

It was originally released in September 2015, on the record label Columbia.

The genre of the album would be considered all of the three in which being Rock, Jazz and Ambient, and the album lasts for 51 minutes roughly!

Gilmour completed short tours around Europe in September and October 2015 and South America in December 2015 to support the album, with a similar tour of the United States and Canada following in March and April 2016.

During his short tour around Europe, as previously mentioned I saw him at the Royal Albert Hall which was amazing for my first ever live music event!

The artwork for the album was created by Dave Stansbie from The Creative Corporation under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd since the late 1960s!

By any Pink Floyd Fans standards, Rattle That Lock is definitely worth setting aside the time to listen to properly to experience its inner meaning.

With lyrics by his wife Polly Samson, who has had a massive influence upon this album, Gilmour reflects heavily on an aspect of time passing by and the urgency to live what’s left to the fullest, which explains the opening with his creeping-dawn guitar overture ‘5 A.M’.

And the morning-train glide of the title track. The flow of moods — the waltz ‘Faces of Stone’; the jazzy-youth memoir ‘The Girl in the Yellow Dress’ (with distant bleats of cornet by Robert Wyatt); the martial rock, ringed with light, of ‘Today’ — is striking and effective, recalling the hooks-and-choruses side of 1971’s Meddle by Pink Floyd.

One of my favourite tracks off of the album would have to be ‘A Boat Lies Waiting’ with sighing harmonies by David Crosby and Graham Nash, and a mumbled monologue similar to that on ‘The Great Gig in the sky’ – is dedicated to late keyboardist Richard Wright so this may be Gilmour’s own life on display summarised within a spectacular album.

But Gilmour is, inevitably, most eloquent here as a guitarist, if it wasn’t for his playing and musicianship I wouldn’t be here today at Fareham Music.

In the iconic arcs of silvery treble illuminating the instrumental of one of the final tracks ‘Beauty’, the guitarist sounds like an expressive master of his craft, one who hasn’t aged a day.

And on that note, I definitely recommend setting aside to experience this album in full if you’re a fan of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, or into Rock and Jazz because it’s bloody brilliant all round!

Album of the week

Purple Onion – The Les Claypool Frog Brigade

It was released on the 24th of September 2002.

The label it was released under is called Prawn Song Record.

It followed two other live releases by the band, and it is the first release of the Frog Brigade’s original compositions, while the brigade regulars are consistent on the majority of the record such as Jay Lane, Eenor, Skerik and the new percussionist Mike “Tree Frog” Dillon many special guests appear on the album as well!

The Album totals within 56 minutes in length and its genre is Experimental Rock.

My favourite track on the album would have to be either ‘Whamola’ and or ‘Ding Dong’.

‘Whamola‘ was a live show staple and the song was eventually named after the unique instrument that Les employs- it’s a one stringed bass played with a drum stick, which enables him to achieve some pretty cool sounds with just one string.

It features a single string which is manipulated via a pulley-and-lever system, the pulley mechanism is mounted in place of the tuning pegs at the top of a double-bass-style neck, which is attached to a wooden or metal body featuring a bridge, pickup and stand. The Whamola is played by hitting the string with a drum stick and either fretting it against the neck with the other hand or using the lever to alter its tension and change the pitch.

The song then later appeared as the theme for South Park’s Season 10 and on wards, it was remixed with the other song primus made for them also which keeps the authenticity for older fans!

Purple Onion was released on vinyl for the first time on the 24th of November, 2009.

I like this album because it allows Les Claypool to unleash his and vent his madness fluently and it goes without saying that it definitely to pleased his hardcore fans to this very day. His work isn’t as near edgy enough or the same level of his works with Primus but it’s like a well needed breath of fresh air!

Album of the week

I don’t know if I’ll keep up with a weekly pace but I’m going to try post a new album I find every week!

This week it will have to be one of my favourite Primus albums that I’ve indulged myself within the past couple of months.

The Desaturating Seven – Primus

It was released on the 29th of September 2017, making the album just more than a year old today.

The labels it was released under are, ATO Records and Prawn Song Records.

It’s the ninth studio album by the American group Primus, it is also the bands first album of original material since their album released within 2011 called Green Naugahyde. And it is also the first LP featuring with the original drummer Tim Alexander since 1995 when they released Tales from the Punchbowl.

The Desaturating Seven is a concept album based on the children’s book The Rainbow Goblins, written by Italian author of children’s books, Ul de Rico. This is also explicitly shown within the colourful album cover which is personally one of my favourites!

The album has been noted as a stylistic change for Primus especially within comparison to their previous works. The album explores more or less the traditional aspects of progressive rock, it’s more or less tailored for fans of Primus in general or those into prog rock with a fun twist, because of the fun childish story to follow throughout the album takes play.

The constant use of panning throughout the majority of the tracks helps to create the surreal feeling Primus were always aiming for. Layering also helps this too because without a doubt something is always happening during a pause and or a build up to something big within the story they’re telling about the The Desaturating Seven!

The band consists of a standard prog rock line up in which being Bass, Guitar, Drums, keys and a hell of a lot of effects such as delay and distortion where it best seeks fit on the tracks.

The track, ‘The Seven’ definitely sets the fun mood for the whole album as it’s more or less an introduction to the seven Goblins that are presented to us on the album cover.

But overall, I think it’s one of Primus’ most creative albums along with ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’ and ‘Fizzle Fry’, but if you have the time I high recommending to this album for the sheer creativity of it!

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