RockRoast

Well, my hopes for a great new album from Into Eternity were veritably murdered by an April 2nd post on their official website.

The band have announced that the title of their upcoming release is The Incurable Tragedy. Earlier, I had expressed interest in their next album because guitarist Tim Roth had described it as a concept album. But it seems the concept will revolve around the cancer-related deaths of several of Roth’s friends and family members.

Poor guy. But cancer isn’t exactly the best subject matter for a concept album. I was hoping for something along the lines of Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime. I wanted something with one of those awesome fictional plots. But it appears that Roth’s lyrics will be intensely personal and overwhelmingly depressing. Kind of like his lyrics on the band’s last album, unfortunately.

I suppose only the release of the album will be able to confirm whether I’m right about the concept, but I’m not as optimistic as I was before this news.

Couple that with the release of a demo track from The Incurable Tragedy recently released on the band’s Myspace page and I’m hardly optimistic at all. The song, “Diagnosis Terminal,” sounds like it would have belonged very well on Into Eternity’s previous release, The Scattering of Ashes, in that it is bursting with unused potential.

“Diagnosis Terminal” contains some of the band’s trademark sounds: quick, ill-transitioned time signature changes, mediocre vocals ranging from throaty screams to low growls to clean falsetto, melodies that alternate between flatness and beauty, moments of instrumental brilliance buried between loud solos and hyperactive riffs, and the usual raping of the double-bass pedal. It’s discouraging to hear so many things in one song that are so similar to the mess that was The Scattering of Ashes. I’d hoped to hear some kind of progression, a different direction, or a bit more variety. But “Diagnosis Terminal” is only one song. Hopefully the rest of The Incurable Tragedy will be better.

We can only hope.

Porcupine Tree’s sixth studio album has long been out of print. But 2000’s Lightbulb Sun is slated for a grand rerelease on April 21st with an accompanying DVD that includes a 5.1 surround sound mix and other “bonus features.”

Lighbulb Sun, as far as I’m concerned, was Porcupine Tree’s official graduation from being a weird band to being a good band. The album is often described as being informally divided into two sections. The first half of the disc is the poppier, more commercial section and the second half is more progressive. There are great tracks in both sections, however. The title track is a haunting ballad sung from the perspective of a sickly, bed-ridden little kid missing out on his own childhood. “Shesmovedon” sports one of singer Steven Wilson’s greatest vocal moments during the lush harmonies on the choruses. And the thirteen-minute “Russia On Ice” is perhaps one of the greatest achievements of the band’s illustrious career.

Considering the limited time offer from Porcupine Tree’s official store that promises an extra CD with a few more rarities, the rerelease of Lightbulb Sun is definitely worth a preorder.

I have recently rediscovered the glory and wonder of this fantastic song.

It’s from The Alan Parsons Project’s 1982 release entitled Eye in the Sky.  Although Eye in the Sky is best known for the songs “Sirius,” “Eye in the Sky,” and maybe “Old and Wise,” I find that “Silence and I” has by far the most replay value. It’s a song that I come back to every couple of months and suddenly realize how great it is.  The beginning of it is soft and emotional, but it breaks into this crazy instrumental jam partway through.  I remember thinking how ridiculous it sounded when I first heard the song. 

But it can’t be denied that, oddly paced or not, “Silence and I” has some brilliant musical moments, especially from the strings.  I’m especially a fan of Eric Woolfson’s melancholy vocals on this track, too.  The song also uses considerable brass instrumentation, something I’m not normally a fan of in rock music.  But Alan Parsons knew how to use it right, and he demonstrates his skill throughout “Silence and I.”   

In short, it’s a fantastic song that you should listen to right now, whether you’re familiar with it or not. The full track can be streamed from Last.fm here.

Enjoy.