Comments on: Rediscovering an old favorite: Höyry-kone http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072 Music ramblings by Brandon Wu Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:12:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Mike McLatchey http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072&cpage=1#comment-202 Mike McLatchey Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:20:07 +0000 http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072#comment-202 Ya know, I went down the jazz rabbit hole kind of after I did the prog thing, and when I came out of it (if I ever truly did), I know it really rewrote my impressions of prog. As charming and arcane as a lot of obscure prog can be, a great deal of it is restrained by limitations, often musicianship (especially a weak spot or two in a band), but just as often production or technology considerations. That's not the fault of a lot of the bands of course, they had amazing ambitions even in the face of limitations, but it makes a lot of it awkward in retrospect, especially when you hear the swing of jazz and the effortless playing. Hey that's even true for death metal, another rabbit hole, I've never quite emerged from, in fact I really need to swing through your blog and pick up some more recommendations for the dark, death/grindy. If you can suggest anything I might need I'd more than appreciate it, I know it's been probably a year since I did a sweep. On another note, Tom started a new blog called htttp://www.unencumberedmusicreviews.blogspot.com. It's another attempt to create a place to share music writing that's inspired by the love for it and as soon as I get my spark back I'll likely be joining him. Ya know, I went down the jazz rabbit hole kind of after I did the prog thing, and when I came out of it (if I ever truly did), I know it really rewrote my impressions of prog. As charming and arcane as a lot of obscure prog can be, a great deal of it is restrained by limitations, often musicianship (especially a weak spot or two in a band), but just as often production or technology considerations. That’s not the fault of a lot of the bands of course, they had amazing ambitions even in the face of limitations, but it makes a lot of it awkward in retrospect, especially when you hear the swing of jazz and the effortless playing. Hey that’s even true for death metal, another rabbit hole, I’ve never quite emerged from, in fact I really need to swing through your blog and pick up some more recommendations for the dark, death/grindy. If you can suggest anything I might need I’d more than appreciate it, I know it’s been probably a year since I did a sweep.

On another note, Tom started a new blog called htttp://www.unencumberedmusicreviews.blogspot.com. It’s another attempt to create a place to share music writing that’s inspired by the love for it and as soon as I get my spark back I’ll likely be joining him.

]]> By: Brandon Wu http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072&cpage=1#comment-196 Brandon Wu Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:48:36 +0000 http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072#comment-196 Hey Mike, thanks for the comment. It's funny, despite my Hoyry-kone revelation, I look at my prog collection and I increasingly have the same reaction as you. I'm thinking about selling off the vast majority of my obscure prog. That said, rather than "solidifying the canon" as you say, these days I'm merely going down different rabbit holes (jazz and, even moreso these days, metal). Perhaps after a few years of this I'll move on from these things and onto something else, and look back and think again, "what was I thinking?" It's always an adventure. Hey Mike, thanks for the comment. It’s funny, despite my Hoyry-kone revelation, I look at my prog collection and I increasingly have the same reaction as you. I’m thinking about selling off the vast majority of my obscure prog.

That said, rather than “solidifying the canon” as you say, these days I’m merely going down different rabbit holes (jazz and, even moreso these days, metal). Perhaps after a few years of this I’ll move on from these things and onto something else, and look back and think again, “what was I thinking?”

It’s always an adventure.

]]> By: Mike McLatchey http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072&cpage=1#comment-194 Mike McLatchey Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:49:18 +0000 http://www.progreviews.com/blog/?p=8072#comment-194 It might work less so for people who have a lot of music on their computers, but I can't be the only music fan who turned around and looked at their collection one day and went "what am I thinking?" That was one moment where my tastes really started getting back to the basic question "what do I really want to hear?" The other moment was when I started to hear much of what is new in terms of where I'd previously heard themes, riffs and developments and realizing very little of it was truly new or improved on the old. Of course if I was immortal I probably wouldn't be thinking any of this, but approaching 40 I figured it was time to solidify the canon and spend time giving hours to what I really like instead of, ahem, a bunch of 8s and 9s. It's kind of bizarre after chasing down some of the weirdest obscurities out there that what I really want to hear is stuff like early Chicago, the Dead, Miles Davis, etc., basically stuff you can find anywhere. It might work less so for people who have a lot of music on their computers, but I can’t be the only music fan who turned around and looked at their collection one day and went “what am I thinking?” That was one moment where my tastes really started getting back to the basic question “what do I really want to hear?” The other moment was when I started to hear much of what is new in terms of where I’d previously heard themes, riffs and developments and realizing very little of it was truly new or improved on the old. Of course if I was immortal I probably wouldn’t be thinking any of this, but approaching 40 I figured it was time to solidify the canon and spend time giving hours to what I really like instead of, ahem, a bunch of 8s and 9s. It’s kind of bizarre after chasing down some of the weirdest obscurities out there that what I really want to hear is stuff like early Chicago, the Dead, Miles Davis, etc., basically stuff you can find anywhere.

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