Brian Eno/Roger Eno/Daniel Lanois-- Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks (1983)
review written by Nickolas Cook
Originally written for a feature length documentary, Apollo (later retitled For All Mankind), about the Apollo moon landings and their impact on the world, this has come to be known as one of Eno's classic ambient works. Several of the songs have been usurped for other soundtracks as well, maybe the most famous being "Deep Blue Day" for the uber classic Danny Boyle film, "Trainspotting". But the album contains nothing but greatness from beginning to end. It is spoton classic Eno-esque phrasing and soundscaping, relying heavily upon keyboard and wall of sound and even electric slide guitar to create the atmospheric sounds that only Eno can produce with such competance and smoothness. My favorite song, however, has to be "An Ending (Ascent)", which is both utterly melancholic and soothing, recalling his "Dune" soundtrack theme music.
His frequent and best known collaborators appear on this 1983 cult classic as well: his brother Roger Eno and friend and fellow famous producer, Daniel Lanois. Anyone who is a fan of either U2 or David Bowie will probably already be aware of these two gentlemen, as they have also managed over the decades to bring their own brand of superstar production to many classic rock and pop albums.
If you're looking for one of the best ambient albums with which to just sit back and relax, maybe sip a little red wine and do some writing, or some deep thinking, then this is one of the best.
Tracks:
1. Under Stars 4:30
2. The Secret Place 3:30
3. Matta 4:20
4. Signals 2:47
5. An Ending (Ascent) 4:26
6. Under Stars II 3:23
7. Drift 3:10
8. Silver Morning 2:40
9. Deep Blue Day 3:59
10. Weightless 4:35
11. Always Returning 4:04
12. Stars 8:00
(Stop by their official websites: Brian Eno http://www.eno-web.co.uk/ and Roger Eno http://www.rogereno.co.uk/ and Daniel Lanois http://www.daniellanois.com/)
--Nickolas Cook
A Split-Second-- ...From the Inside (1988)
review written by Nickolas Cook
In the years before American bands Nine Inch Nails and Ministry became the leaders of the international industrial music scene, there were such bands as Einsturzende Neubauten and Front 242 who were making heavy electronic dance music like no one else had ever heard before. Perhaps equally influenced by Tangerine Dream's electro ramblings and soundscapes, as much as Gary Numan and Kraftwerk (and other similair hard edged, icy sounding German electro bands of that era) at the time, Belguim's A Split-Second found themselves at the spearhead of this burgeoning new style of music that seemed to revel in its de-humanizing approach to music, all keyboards and electronic drums, synthisized voices and the like. With their second release "...From the Inside", A Split-Second found that perfect combination of danceble music and industrial aesthetic. Each song on "...From the Inside" finds the hooks, both electronically and vocally, to emphasize a need for accessibility which most industrial bands at the time tended to disregard with a disdain that matches David Lynch and his filmmaking philosophy.
Some of the best of the songs on this album actually emphasize the spirit and physical as one, instead of trying to create a distance between the two. Songs like "Bend My Body Armor" still retain that hard edged rhythm, remote and inhuman, while other songs, such as "The Last Wave" have an almost purposefully erotic tone and sense to them, which invited the listener to remember that the physical and spiritual aren't necessarily always exclusive of one another.
I won't lie and say this album doesn't sound a but dated now, in the face of modern advances in electronic technology, but I do think this is an album that fits very comfortaly right next to NIN's "Pretty Hate Machine" and Ministry's "Twitch". But don't think of this as an excavation so much as a re-discovery of a sound that we'll never enjoy again.
Tracks:
1. Bend My Body Armor 4:51
2. The Last Wave 2:52
3. The Colosseum Crash 4:42
4. Choke 3:51
5. Scandinavian Bellydance 4:22
6. The Heat (Legs Akimbo) 4:28
7. Mambo Witch 4:49
8. From The Inside 6:24
9. Arsenic On The Rocks 4:51
(check out their official MySpace page here)
--Nickolas Cook
Jonah Knight-- The Exploration of Dangerous Places (2010)
review written by Nickolas Cook
This is one heck of an indie production, filled with pleasent, but darkly lyrical, little songs, about pirates, ghosts, both personal and literal, and as advertised in the title, some dangerous places. Knight has a keen sense of melody and lyrical phrasing, and he knows how to accentuate his songs with little twiddly bits of horns, chorus and keyboards. His voice feels like smooth butter as he runs through narratives and metaphors with equal ease. He peppers his record with an equal mix of upbeat and downbeat. He calls his works folk music, and while that may be sort of true, it reminds me more of They Might Be Giants than any other band. Mostly because of the quirky mixing and lyrics. It's a fun album, so if you're looking for something new and off the beaten track, this may be the perfect choice for you.
Tracks:
1. Pirate Song 2:18
2. Oh, The Places You WIll Go 4:13
3. King of Nebraska 3:26
4. Isn't It Amazing 4:53
5. Haunted By You 4:28
6. Empty House 3:20
7. Deep Under Ground 4:06
8. Sleepy Little Creepy Little Town 3:19
(No videos available for this artist, but visit his official website here for more music and fun: here)
--Nickolas Cook
Black Country Communion-- Black Country (2010)
review written by Nickolas Cook
Even though these guys have tried very hard to stay away from the name "supergroup", there really isn't any better way to describe a group which includes Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian and super bluesman, Joe Bonamassa. I mean, it's really hard not to think of this as a "supergroup", between these guys they've got something 40 albums in the last three decades. First off, anyone versed in Deep Purple knows who Glenn Hughes is. Jason Bonham happens to be the son of "Bonzo", John Bonham, legendary drummer for Led Zeppelin. Derek Sherinian has been a member of Dream Theater, but has recorded with everyone from Alice In Chains to Billy Idol, just to name a couple. Trust me, there way more to name he's played and recorded with. And, of course, there's one of the best guitarist on the planet at this moment, Joe Bonamassa. There is no one else recording the kind of blues rock he's been recording since he was like 18 years old...maybe Eric Clapton. So you throw these four HUGE talents together on an album and what you have is not only rock history, but some of the best rock music recorded in the last twenty years.
Some stand out tracks are 'One Last Soul', 'The Great Divide', 'Song of Yesterday'...but seriously the whole album is awesome rock music of the first order. No one with ears could NOT fall in love with these songs. They're just too damned good not to love them. A damned near perfect blend of blues chords and hard rock. And even though Hughes and Bonamassa are credited with the primary writing of the songs,it's obvious from the first listen that these four guys each had some input into their album. This is a rock lover's album. I can't praise it enough. It deserves all the accolades and awards I'm sure it will garner in the next 12 months or so.
Tracks:
1. "Black Country" 3:15
2. "One Last Soul" 3:52
3. "The Great Divide" 4:45
4. "Down Again" 5:46
5. "Beggarman" 4:52
6. "Song of Yesterday" 8:33
7. "No Time" 4:19
8. "Medusa" 6:57
9. "The Revolution in Me" 4:59
10. "Stand (At the Burning Tree)" 7:02
11. "Sista Jane" 6:55
12. "Too Late for the Sun" 11:21
(visit their official website for tour dates and more information about their music: http://www.bccommunion.com/)
--Nickolas Cook
