My favorite albums of 2013, so far (video)

I have always lived for new music.  Yes, I still pull out my favorite classics from time to time but a steady diet of new tunes keeps me happy. Of the albums I have had a chance to spend some time with during the first half of 2013, these are the ones I have listened to most:

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
The Porcupine Tree leader's third solo album is his best solo work. period. Beautiful and strange, just like some of my all-time favorites.

Leprous - Coal

These technical musical pranksters seem to top themselves with each release, this is truly a masterwork. Dive in!

Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse - Wisdom Of Crowds
Not what you expect from the meeting of The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia but what a seductive listen! Mesmerizing.

Riverside - Shrine Of New Generation Slaves
Riverside continues to refine and expand their sound and songwriting, with truly enjoyable results. A solid listen from beginning to end.

  

TesseracT - Altered State
Hopefully this singer (Ashe O’Hara) can stick around because Altered State is their most cohesive work yet.

Jolly - The Audio Guide To Happiness Part 2
It took a while for part 2 but it was really worth the wait!

Sound Of Contact - Dimensionaut
A new "supergroup" and a great listen that gets better the deeper you get into it.

Byzantine - Byzantine
West Virginia metal masters take sharp turn into melodic territory and carved out their own progressive niche. Wow!

Queensryche - Queensryche
This sounds like the Queensryche that I have been missing.  And while I still miss Geoff, Todd is doing a fine job.

A Pale Horse Named Death - Lay My Soul To Waste
If Type O Negative and Alice In Chains had a child, this would be it.

Also on my list are these, I just ran out of time/space.

Aeon Zen - Enigma

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
Amplifier - Echo Street
Sevendust - Black Out The Sun
ASG - Blood Drive
Serenity - War Of Ages
Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside
AEtherfallen - Revelation's Eternal

Cardiant - Verge

Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part 2

Stick Men - DEEP


honorable mention:

Gemini Syndrome - ?
Based on the four songs I have and seeing them live twice, I am anxiously awaiting the September release of their debut album.

There are still several high profile albums I have not listened to all the way through, including Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Pop Evil and a few others. Also, I am really digging the sound of new tracks from The Winery Dogs and Fight Or Flight but the albums are not out yet. Look for updates soon and a big wrap up at year's end. 

These are my personal favorites, your mileage may vary.

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THE WINERY DOGS are coming (video)

The Winery Dogs is a new rock "super-group" formed by Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and was supposed to feature John Sykes (Whitesnake, Blue Murder). When that fell through, Richie Kotzen (Poison, Mr. Big) joined the fun. They have released three videos and the debut album is due July 23rd.

source: The Winery Dogs

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KARNIVOOL: I Love This Band (video)

I have been a Karnivool fan for a few years now, after discovering a whole bunch of Aussie bands in a fit of new music need.  I imported their 2001 EP, the 2005 Themata album and 2009's Sound Awake, which are still in regular rotation in my personal listening.  The band evolves their sound on each record and now that they are ready to release their third album, a new video has surfaced.  I predict big things are coming for Karnivool!

Check out this live show from 2009:

and they have made some very interesting videos:

from wikipedia:

Karnivool are an Australian progressive rock band formed in Perth in 1997. The group currently consists of Ian Kenny on vocals, Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking on guitar, Jon Stockman on bass guitar, and Steve Judd on drums. Karnivool emerged from a band Kenny and Goddard formed during high school. Their two extended plays, 1999's Karnivool and 2001's Persona, and their 2005 debut album Themata, possessed an alternative metal and nu metal sound; their 2009 follow-up Sound Awake developed a more progressive rock sound.

for more, visit: http://www.karnivool.com.au

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PACIFIC RIM looks geektastic! New Jaeger info (video)

Warning: This is not the first, or the last, blog I will post about Pacific Rim.  Just the planning and ideas behind the movie make me want to see it. The filmmakers want to bring back that feeling of 12-year-old awe is all of us.  I'm in! 

This gives you some details about the Jaegers (robots):

See you in the cinema July 12th, kids!!

Source: Pacific Rim

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Sigur Rós is coming to the U.S.! (video)

I became a fan of Sigur Rós while living outside the US.  Not something I listen to all the time but when the mood strikes, nothing else satisfies quite like Sigur Rós. While their music is minimal and ethereal, their live show is amazingly epic. Catch them on a rare tour of the States in the Fall.

for a complete list of dates, visit: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/tour

from the band:

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical, experimental, and minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound and lead singer Jónsi’s falsetto voice. Sigur Rós means Victory Rose, named after Jonsi's little sister.

source: Sigur Rós

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