Our Oceans - Turquoise

     Let's ride the wave of jazzy, proggy goodness from yesterday's post about The Pneumatic Transit clear into the weekend with another post about a band with some mellow going that should still appeal to the discerning metalhead.

     Part of the appeal of Our Oceans might be their proggy pedigree: members include current or former members of big prog names like Cynic, Exivious, and Dodecahedron. But fans coming to Our Oceans looking for the same brand of fusion-infused metal might be a little disappointed by just how laid-back this project can be -- this is definitely a band you could put on for your non-metal friends and get away with it.

     But that doesn't mean there's nothing to love here. The whole of Our Oceans is full of pleasant melodic choices and cool bits of instrumentation (the bass in particular is a highlight at many points), but there are also flashes of brilliance to be found. One such shining moment is "Turquoise", a track that builds from a moody, atmospheric beginning to an emotionally-charged climax complete with thunderous drum solo. Just add headphones and you've got a recipe for some chills and/or goosebumps.

Monday Threeway Super Fun Time

     Why hello there. Fancy meeting you here. I took a couple of days off over the weekend for my girlfriend's birthday yesterday, but I'm back at it today with a trio of tunes for your earholes to get us back on track. Have at 'er!

     First up is Dutch instrumental fusion band Exivious. I've written about them before, but now that I've spent some serious time with their album Liminal I feel better qualified to recommend another tasty track. By now you should know I like proggy, jazzy stuff and instrumental stuff, so if you like this kind of stuff too, check out Liminal's closing track "Immanent". It's epic, but not overbearingly so, and it's a great showcase of Exivious's melding of heavy and melodically proggy.

     So that's Saturday out of the way, now for Sunday. My girlfriend is a big Headstones fan, so my big birthday present to my girlfriend this year was tickets to see Headstones right here in Kingston at the end of the month (stayed tuned for a pit report, probably in the new year). Headstones were a solid rock band back in the day, and their new record Love + Fury proves they've still got it. So if their "it" is something you're into, check out "Far Away From Here".

     And that's Sunday. What about today, Monday? Well, we're going to commemorate the new A Perfect Circle best-of disc Three Sixty and go with "Weak and Powerless" as today's song. Originally from 2003's Thirteenth Step, "Weak and Powerless" is a perfect example of what A Perfect Circle can do when they're not at "Judith" levels of aggression. Mer de Noms is still my favourite, but "Weak and Powerless" is just one of several great tracks to be had on Thirteenth Step.

     And that's me caught up. Your turn.

Tides From Nebula - Only With Presence

     Regular readers -- that fabled group of you I'm always referring to which may or may not actually exist -- will know that instrumental music makes me smile. Regardless of whether or not something falls under the broad umbrella of what we call "metal", there are just so many aspects of instrumental music that tickle my fancy, provided it's done right.

     Yesterday's song by Exivious, "Deeply Woven", is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about, but you don't have to be all jazzy and heavy to get my attention. Tides From Nebula have done the same thing with their slow-burn, atmospheric post-rock. They're not doing anything especially new or noteworthy (there's that recurring iteration vs. innovation thing, eh?) but I still like what I'm hearing.

     Check out the track "Only With Presence" from their brand speaking new record Eternal Movement and see if you also like what I'm hearing. And don't you dare point out the resemblance between this song and Russian Circles' "Malko". I heard it too. Can't have too much of a good thing, right?

Monday Afternoon Double Feature

     Sure, I missed doing a song yesterday, but you know I've always got your back. Eventually. So this afternoon we've got another double header. Two new songs, no reloading. You're welcome.

     First up are the tech-metal nerds in Dissonance in Design. You make feel like I'm flogging a dead horse, since I've been saying this a bunch lately, but I'm nevertheless going to make the point again: sometimes iteration beats innovation.The word"progressive" gets thrown around a lot these days, and often the bands to which this label is applied aren't exactly pushing too many musical boundaries -- and that's completely OK. Sometimes you want to hear something outrageously avant garde, and sometimes you just want something to kick your ass.

     That's where Dissonance in Design comes in. I don't know if I agree with Heavyblogisheavy's assessment of Dissonance in Design's Sentient as being super progressive and genre-boundary-pushing, but I certainly do agree that the musicianship and technicality is top notch. But rather than split hairs overmuch I'll just step aside and let you be the judge of all things progressive. Have a listen to "Entwined in Aether" and see what you think.

     And speaking of progressive, your second song today (call it your Monday pick-me-up) is the latest from jazz fusion outfit Exivious. "Deeply Woven" is yet another example of why the forthcoming Liminal is shaping up to be a tasty treat that's right up my alley: proggy, jazzy instrumental metal (aka instrumetal) that's got a little heavy and a little mellow, and in this case a healthy helping of sax solo to boot. Yum!

     For my money, Exivious is the more genuinely progressive of the two, but maybe that's just my personal jazzy tastes talking. That's the beauty of the Interwebz though: YOU get to choose which you like better! We live in an age of wonders, no?

Song of the Day: Exivious - Entrust

     Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...