[clinton/website/src/unknownlamer.org.git] / Music I Enjoy.muse

I have a [[http://www.last.fm/user/unknown_lamer/][last.fm]] account.

* The Bands I Like the Most
** Skyclad

Skyclad is incredible folk metal. The first two albums (*Wayward Sons
of Mother Earth* and *Burnt Offerings for the Bone Idol*) are Testament
style thrash with a bit of fiddle and keys. The third album, *Jonah's
Ark*, blunts the edge of the guitars and adds a lot more fiddle and is
really where the band goes from making good to incredible
music.

*Prince of the Poverty Line* is about as 'heavy' as the first two
albums, but the the song structures are far more worked out and there
is an interesting infusion of folk and power metal into the sound. The
songs are mostly scathing social critiques of the state of society at
the time. The follow up, *Silent Whales of Lunar Sea*, is a decent album
but is scarred by terrible recording quality and mixing. It has
listenable songs (with "The Present Imperfect" and "Another Fine Mess"
standing out), and the only really noteable aspect is the slight
change toward a much less thrashy riff structure.

*Irrational Anthems* more than made up for *Silent Whales of Lunar
Sea*. The less thrashy and slightly more punkish riffing structure
takes over here and the songs are all fast paced with guitar and
fiddle duels taking place often

The next two albums see the electric guitar deemphasized and the band
making something more like heavy rock than heavy metal. The EP *Oui
Avante Garde a Chance* starts out with a fast paced fiddle oriented
song, moves into a nearly entirely fiddle and acoustic guitar song,
and then goes into a few slow songs dominated by keys and fiddle. The
albums picks up in intensity with *Bombjour*, and then has an acoustic
version of a song from the previous album. The new material ends with
the slow and intense *Badtime Story*. A couple of covers and an
instrumental version of a song follow to pad the EP to album length.

*The Answer Machine?* is my favorite album in my entire collection. Most
of the songs have a fuzzy electric guitar and an acoustic guitar going
at the same time, and the album is music that I have found is
listenable to people who don't like metal. The fiddle, violin, and
piano dominate and are backed by interesting bass and just the right
amount of guitar. The album is a pseudo-concept album; each song is
about a different quest for the answer to life.

The last two Skyclad album with Martin Walkyier (the original singer)
see a two step return to a more metal style, but this time something
resembling *Powerslave* era Maiden with heavy folk overtones rather than
Testament. Both albums lack any weak songs, and have a few that are
among the best Skyclad has ever done: "Cancer of the Heart," "A Well
Beside the River," and "Vintage Whine" on *Vintage Whine*, and "The
Antibody Politic," "The Disenchanted Forest," and "Think Back and Lie
of England" on *Folkemon*.

Alas, after *Folkemon* Martin left, and the band seems to have lost its
magic. It is much like At the Gates; the core members meshed quite
well together and lost some magical chemistry upon a major component
leaving. Skyclad's first album with the new singer was ok, and perhaps
the next one will be better. Sadly Martin Walkyier decided to abandon
music forever.

** Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore is the first keyboardist of Dream Theater who left after
*Awake*. His work since then has surpassed the quality of everything
Dream Theater has produced since then for he posesses a unique
songwriting style and wonderful artistic ability.

*** Chroma Key

Chroma Key is Kevin Moore's primary project. It is mostly electronic
and fairly mellow.

*** OSI

OSI was originally a collaboration between Kevin Moore, Jim Matheos
(guitarist of Fates Warning), Mike Portnoy (drummer of Dream Theater),
and a few other prog rock/metal people. The first album, *Office of
Strategic Influence* was a moderately heavy and good album that sounded
quite similar to *Disconnected* Fates Warning with Kevin Moore on vocals
and complicated drumming.

*Free* followed three years later and is completely different from the
first. This time the album was done with Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos
alone, and it finds a much nicer balance between keyboard and
guitar. The first OSI sounded too much like Fates Warning with more
ambient keyboarding; this one has a sound of its own. My ears have
heard this album many times, and will listen again many more.
Commit	Line	Data
8a7c1bf7	1	I have a [[http://www.last.fm/user/unknown_lamer/][last.fm]] account.
	2
	3	* The Bands I Like the Most
	4	** Skyclad
	5
	6	Skyclad is incredible folk metal. The first two albums (*Wayward Sons
	7	of Mother Earth* and Burnt Offerings for the Bone Idol) are Testament
	8	style thrash with a bit of fiddle and keys. The third album, *Jonah's
	9	Ark*, blunts the edge of the guitars and adds a lot more fiddle and is
	10	really where the band goes from making good to incredible
	11	music.
	12
	13	Prince of the Poverty Line is about as 'heavy' as the first two
	14	albums, but the the song structures are far more worked out and there
	15	is an interesting infusion of folk and power metal into the sound. The
	16	songs are mostly scathing social critiques of the state of society at
	17	the time. The follow up, Silent Whales of Lunar Sea, is a decent album
	18	but is scarred by terrible recording quality and mixing. It has
	19	listenable songs (with "The Present Imperfect" and "Another Fine Mess"
	20	standing out), and the only really noteable aspect is the slight
	21	change toward a much less thrashy riff structure.
	22
	23	Irrational Anthems more than made up for *Silent Whales of Lunar
	24	Sea*. The less thrashy and slightly more punkish riffing structure
	25	takes over here and the songs are all fast paced with guitar and
	26	fiddle duels taking place often
	27
	28	The next two albums see the electric guitar deemphasized and the band
	29	making something more like heavy rock than heavy metal. The EP *Oui
	30	Avante Garde a Chance* starts out with a fast paced fiddle oriented
	31	song, moves into a nearly entirely fiddle and acoustic guitar song,
	32	and then goes into a few slow songs dominated by keys and fiddle. The
	33	albums picks up in intensity with Bombjour, and then has an acoustic
	34	version of a song from the previous album. The new material ends with
	35	the slow and intense Badtime Story. A couple of covers and an
	36	instrumental version of a song follow to pad the EP to album length.
	37
	38	The Answer Machine? is my favorite album in my entire collection. Most
	39	of the songs have a fuzzy electric guitar and an acoustic guitar going
	40	at the same time, and the album is music that I have found is
	41	listenable to people who don't like metal. The fiddle, violin, and
	42	piano dominate and are backed by interesting bass and just the right
	43	amount of guitar. The album is a pseudo-concept album; each song is
	44	about a different quest for the answer to life.
	45
	46	The last two Skyclad album with Martin Walkyier (the original singer)
	47	see a two step return to a more metal style, but this time something
	48	resembling Powerslave era Maiden with heavy folk overtones rather than
	49	Testament. Both albums lack any weak songs, and have a few that are
	50	among the best Skyclad has ever done: "Cancer of the Heart," "A Well
	51	Beside the River," and "Vintage Whine" on Vintage Whine, and "The
	52	Antibody Politic," "The Disenchanted Forest," and "Think Back and Lie
	53	of England" on Folkemon.
	54
	55	Alas, after Folkemon Martin left, and the band seems to have lost its
	56	magic. It is much like At the Gates; the core members meshed quite
	57	well together and lost some magical chemistry upon a major component
	58	leaving. Skyclad's first album with the new singer was ok, and perhaps
	59	the next one will be better. Sadly Martin Walkyier decided to abandon
	60	music forever.
	61
	62	** Kevin Moore
	63	Kevin Moore is the first keyboardist of Dream Theater who left after
	64	Awake. His work since then has surpassed the quality of everything
65	Dream Theater has produced since then for he posesses a unique
66	songwriting style and wonderful artistic ability.
67
68	*** Chroma Key
69
70	Chroma Key is Kevin Moore's primary project. It is mostly electronic
71	and fairly mellow.
72
73	*** OSI
74
75	OSI was originally a collaboration between Kevin Moore, Jim Matheos
76	(guitarist of Fates Warning), Mike Portnoy (drummer of Dream Theater),
77	and a few other prog rock/metal people. The first album, *Office of
78	Strategic Influence* was a moderately heavy and good album that sounded
79	quite similar to Disconnected Fates Warning with Kevin Moore on vocals
80	and complicated drumming.
81
82	Free followed three years later and is completely different from the
83	first. This time the album was done with Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos
84	alone, and it finds a much nicer balance between keyboard and
85	guitar. The first OSI sounded too much like Fates Warning with more
86	ambient keyboarding; this one has a sound of its own. My ears have
87	heard this album many times, and will listen again many more.