New & Used Additions to the Record Shelf... and In the Listening Room

So far this year of 2020, my record shopping has been really, really lean. I did get one LP at Christmas-time (an online order) which I haven't reported here yet, so I'll include it in this update.

The Ghost of yore... they've since updated in the costume department

First of all, my little Christmas gift to myself was the album Meliora, by the Swedish metal-ish band Ghost. I absolutely love this album, which I've owned on CD since the day it was released. And I thought it would make a great addition to my record collection. Something I know I'll enjoy over and over, and which sounds super nice on vinyl. Not to mention the very cool album packaging... colourful and imaginative artwork front and back, and on the inner sleeve, plus a booklet of even more art related to each song, and slick band photos. And this Meliora LP didn't cost me much more than a CD. The melodic hard rock, sometimes verging on metal, sometimes gentle and operatic, is primo stuff - the best album of the past decade, in my opinion.

Then a few weeks back, I took a long hard look at my current very short LP Wish List, and decided I needed something fresh to my ears, something I wasn't so totally familiar with, yet I felt I'd really enjoy a lot. And that selection was The Grand Illusion by 70's and 80's rockers Styx. The album I got was a first pressing, straight out of 1977, in very nice condition. Original inner sleeve with lyrics and everything. A total pleasure to hear... and to discover some great tunes I'd never heard before, like Man In the Wilderness and Castle Walls. From top to bottom, a terrific album. I'm actually rather sheepish I've never heard this in its entirety before, let alone ever owned it. Anyway, better late than never. And now I frequently get earwormed to death by the strong hooks and melodies of Come Sail Away, Miss America, and the title track. Yes, I've had a Styx CD compilation on my shelf for many years, but this new (old) record is the perfect reason to rediscover the hits off The Grand Illusion.

Also recently, upon hearing of the death of the grandmaster of the drum world, Neil Peart, I figured it was time to complete my ever-so-slightly lacking Rush collection. Vinyl LPs of Rush albums are climbing in value (or at least in asking prices), so I though it would make more sense to just fill in the couple of gaps of my nearly complete Rush CD set. The two albums I was missing - but now finally own - were Vapor Trails (2002) and Clockwork Angels (2012).

Vapor Trails was a very tough sell for me... I tried to like it upon its release, but the loaned copy I heard was absolutely horrible. Yes, the band's style and sound had moved in a bit of a different direction... more of a wall of sound, a lot less riffy and melodic, just Alex laying impenetrable layers of sheetrock guitar chords. Not very inviting... to me. And on top of that, the engineering/production of the album went seriously south, at least to my ears. Vapor Trails was mixed extremely loud and that killed the sonics and dynamics of Rush's typically exciting sound. It came across as noisy and unlistenable. BUT after a long wait and complaints from fans and even the band themselves, the album was remixed and then re-released in 2013... and that was the edition that I grabbed. And this is totally listenable, far easier to get into the tunes and hear what's really going on... subtleties that were buried in the muddy first release's mix. I'm still working on the album, giving it proper attention when I sit to listen to it, so I'm not sure what songs stand out for me. Good so far!

I saw Rush live pre-Clockwork Angels, on their Time Machine tour in 2011, and got to hear the two tunes from the album that were released as an advance single - those were Caravan and BU2B. Actually, I did get the single before that show. The songs had a little something that reminded me of the Rush of old, a heaviness and style twist that harked back to their old days. I haven't fully absorbed Clockwork Angels yet (I had a digital copy but forgot I even had it), but it's definitely easier to digest and appreciate. Based on my few listenings so far, I can say this is a strong final album from one of rock music's greatest contributors. Rush have made their mark in more ways than one, and I'm proud to say I was a die-hard fan for much of my life, and even if I'm not so fanatic now, I at least still give these fellow Canadians some time on my turntable and CD player.

I've also listened to some music that was new to me... all on Youtube, not on physical media. The biggest surprise was The Dead South, a folk-bluegrass band from Saskatchewan, Canada. More home-boys! Their music immediately struck me as both accessible and away from the norm. The lack of fiddle was a plus for me, for though it can add a nice accent now and then, too much of it drives me up the wall. Their quartet, sometimes quintet, is usually comprised of guitar, banjo, mandolin, and cello. Great lead vocals and harmonies, and impressive instrumental work breath emotion and fun into cool and clever songwriting. It's not quite country music, and that friendly blend of folk and bluegrass makes me think of American roots music. The Dead South have a variety of sounds, from slow and dark to bright, fast and happy. Their lyrics sometimes take you by surprise... engaging stories told to music. The song that won me over (the first one I saw/heard - their live videos are the best) was The Recap... start there, then maybe try Black Lung and Broken Cowboy. And these guys even look the part, dressed in period attire.

The Dead South then took me to a similar sort of band, slightly country-ish or something, called Larkin Poe. Mad As A Hatter was the first tune I tried and I was hooked. When God Closes A Door has a bluesy edge to it... and I'm off to find more. Try 'em out!

Then on another note, I "discovered" The Cranberries. Sure, I've heard of them before many times, but never could associate their name with a song. I heard their song Dreams in a movie recently, and though it was really familiar, I had no idea who did it. Off to Youtube, and now I know. I like several of the other tracks of theirs I've heard, too. So I might investigate further... and see if it's worth getting a record or something.

And for something completely different, there was Sons of Apollo. I've tripped upon several of their videos, all suggested to me on Youtube. I wouldn't say I'm a fan, but they're interesting to watch as they cover classic prog, rock and metal. Oh, and they're a "super-group", if that means anything to you. You can get the full rundown on their Wikipedia page here. They're progressive metal and though that used to be something I liked a lot, their original tracks don't do much for me. Sort of Dream Theater-ish... and there are two DT guys in there, so.... Like I said, I enjoyed hearing and seeing the odd cover song video they did, like Comfortably Numb and stuff by Queen, Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Aerosmith. S'okay.