The Fallen – Front Towards the Enemy CD Review

The Fallen – Front Towards the Enemy CD Review

The Fallen was a four piece death metal band out of Southern California and this is their first (and only) major label release. These fine fellas go back to my Berklee days (sans bassist). I think they were called Crestfallen at the time. When I started this station (Odd Time Obsessed) I was in need of material and I happened to find them on MySpace. Mark Venir (guit) kindly to sent me this and their second self released CD "Tones in Which We Speak". Glad he did, they are excellent musicians using multi-meters quite naturally.

Here's the obsession:

Short Fuse 4/4, 7/4
Front Toward Enemy 4/4, 6/4, 7/4
Killswitch 10/4
In Loathing 4/4
The Hopeless and The Frail 4/4
Blessings 6/4, 4/4, 10/4
Shifting Our Vision 4/4, 9/4
From Fragile to Strength 11/4, 4/4
Eleven Years 4/4, 9/8

They give death metal a good name. I dig their meter use that is oh so smooth and the acoustic guitar has a nice place too. They keep within the confines of the genre but also add a new dimension to it. It would have been nice to hear them expand out of the parameters and maybe use some of the jazz/classical/bossa nova skills that I know they have. But none the less this is a great metal album.

Unfortunately they are no longer together. It's a shame when musicians of this caliber split… and no where to be found in the music world. But if you happen to see this album or anything by them – get it. MySpace.com/TheFallenOriginal

Countess B
OddTimeObsessed.com

Fred CD Review “Notes on a Picnic” – Studio and “Live from the Bitter End”- Live

Fred CD Review “Notes on a Picnic” – Studio and “Live from the Bitter End”- Live

I heart fred

Fred is a fun cool jazz/rock/fusion experimental band that was around the fringes in the late 60s/early 70s. With the magic of MySpace they have been brought to me. On a lucky (for all) day in 2000, one of their 45 rpm was discovered in a German flea market by World In Sound, an indie record label and shortly after, their music catalog was re-released.

Which one is fred? Actually the band is named after peace in Swedish. Are they Swedish? Don’t know, but it’s the 60s/70s what do you want? Anyways, fred (no its not a typo, they don’t capitalize it) did most of their creating and recording in and around Lewisburg, PA while some of the members attended Bucknell University then later moving to a farm/commune. What cool music came out of that! Ah, what it would’ve been like to be there with those free spirits. Peter Eggers the keyboard player and composer was nice enough to send me the dissection of meter use. Thank you Peter for being obsessed as I.

His words…..

“Notes on a Picnic”


Track 4: “Mantra” is heavy hypnotic fusion dosed with psychedelia7/4 verse/chorus 6/4 guitar solo + 4/4 violin solo + 7/4 piano solo

Track 6: “The Head’s the Best Part” combines lyrical jazz/rock with the sweet harmonies of the Allman Brothers.
4/4 intro + 6/4 verse/chorus with alternating 6/4 and 4/4 solos

Track 8: “Chaos in the Conservatory” is a bunch of rock ‘n’ rollers wandering around the corridors of classical music.
3/8 + 2/8 and 3/4 + 2/4 and 6/4 + 4/4 plus a section in 5/4

Track 9: “Perverseerance” ” is visionary, perverted jazz rock
11/8 verse/chorus + 6/8 transitions with solos in 11/8


“Live at the Bitter End”

Track 3: “Freefall” is a wild fusion jam
contrasting sections of 6/4 and 4/4

Track 5: “Pachanga” (7:48)
3/4 + 3/4 + 3/4 + 5/8 verse/chorus with solos in 4/4

Track 6: “Cathode Ray Fantasy” is your brain on too much TV
6/4 + 5/4 and 4/4 + 4/4 + 3/4 (different divisions of 11)
Track 8: “Mucous Music” is “Psycho” meets Funkadelic, demented rock for an imaginary horror film
4/4 guitar solo + 9/8 violin solo with 7/8 + 7/8 + 9/8 + 7/8 ensemble riffs

All of the remaining tracks are in FOUR.

Back to my words..

It's a rarity to find musicians so deeply bonded. Sometimes seasoned & studio musicians can really lock with one another, or bands that have been together for years will have a bond, but there is still a formality between them. Fred takes it much deeper to a freedom that I imagine many intuitive musicians long for. One of the coolest examples of this is heard on Perverseerance in the communication between bass and drums during the bass solo and when the guitar and violin are "trading 4s" (really 2s and 1s) in 11/8 and 6/8. This then turns into a conversation that only old friends can have. It is a phenomenon that is not really easy to explain, so have a listen. It would be cool if we all could live on a farm and create music, then I would get cabin fever and be jonesin' for a death metal show and a soy chai latte… ah the city life.

Anyways, these guys are great, top musicians with their own sound and at such an early age. I enjoyed all of the songs, especially Perverseerance, Variations and Immersions …and an obsessive favorite, one that will probably be on my fav list for at least the next decade…. “Mantra” – It is simply perfect – the theme, the meters, the dynamics, the instrumentation, the composition - perfect. I have to restrain myself not to over listen and cause song fatigue.

I appreciate these artists and the label that brought them back to life. These CDs are a must for your Prog/Rock/Fusion Back in the Day collection. MySpace.com/FredWorldinSound

Countess B
OddTimeObsessed.com

Darryll Dobson - The Mind Electric CD Review

Daryll Dobson – The Mind Electric CD Review

Please don’t make me do it, I know that it can be difficult to compose and come up with an inspired end product… then have some chump review it. All of your hard work summed up in a paragraph by someone who probably has never written anything in their life… Well I have many times… so I am just going to say it….

This album is masturbatory. I listened to it I dunno maybe six times and every time I found myself getting bored… Me… when there is odd meters going on?? blah blah blah blah that is what I heard from the guitar, like he was talking some gibberish to himself and could care less to whom he was playing to or with. I said no, I have to listen to it again to at least count it out… then I got annoyed with all the guitar scaling repeating licks over and over again. There was no obsessing going on here, just with the off button.

In all fairness, I didn’t get to hear all of the songs. At the fifth track or so it kept getting stuck in my computer which caused it to freeze up a few times. Although I did enjoy some of the tracks off of his “Reality Check” that he sent at the beginning of the year, especially his singing. He sounds a little bit like Jimi Hendrix. Darryl Dobson is quite prolific and I would love to hear more songs with his voice on it. I can see with the right arrangements the classic guitar rock type of stations and listeners would pick him up. SolarGuitars.com

-B
OddTimeObsessed.com

Lindsey Boullt - Composition CD Review

CD review Lindsey Boullt “Composition” world/fusion/metal filed under “easy listening”

Move over Kenny G here comes Lindsey B.

This is my kind of easy listening.
(Quite obviously this was a mis-categorization and which I think has been remedied to Rock.)

Lindsey Boullt is a guitar player from San Francisco who has an impressive roster in attendance on this debut; Stu Hamm, Jerry Goodman (Mahavishu Orchestra), Jon Herra (Bass Player Magazine) and Mingo Lewis (Miles Davis) to name a few.

“Composition” consists of ten compositions each with its unique sound. Each sound as if they were written with the history and styles of the musicians involved in mind. Lindsey has his own virtuoso style and remains diverse throughout. He is also an accomplished composer who likes to use odd meters which gets me to….

…..the obsession – here’s the tracks:

(Thank you Lindsey for your dissection.)

Page Revisited 5/4, 4/4
Chasing the Whirling Dervish 12/8
Moving Panvishnu 7/8
Calling for Peace 4/4 some 6/4, 2/4
Bravo Davo de la Torre 4/4
Aurora’s Aura 7/4, 9/4, 5/16, 9/16
Groovin’ with Stu 4/4
Taste of Hate 15/8, 9/8
Farewell 4/4
Cleopatra’s Third Eye 7/8, 4/4, 7/4, 6/4, 6/8, 9/8, 15/8, 10/8

He sure likes to keep it interesting. There is a diverse assortment of rhythms and feels on this album. I like the tasteful use of straight and mixed odd meters. I have to say, my favorite track is “Aurora’s Aura”, not because of the cute name, or because of its mixed meters but it has succeeded in sounding like a resurgence of Mahavishnu Orchestra with a new guitar player. I also like “Page Revisited” and the use of the 12 string. Here comes Page that has practiced 12 hours a day and now knows 5/4. Also, the sitar playing is amazing and feels right at home on “Taste the Hate” and “Cleopatra’s Third Eye”. All of the musicians on this album are quite seasoned, proficient and have their own distinct style.

This album has succeeded in capturing the spirit of its musicians through composing and performance. It sounds as if, as Lindsey chooses his musicians, he hones in on their style/history and builds the composition around that. I wonder how much improv was going on it all sounded inspired yet pre-composed, a hard balance to achieve.

Lindsey Boullt is quite the shredder with his own style and sometimes reminds me of Satriani and sometimes Jason Becker. He plays for the music with out sounding like he’s taking a typing test or is a MIDI program. If you dig this genre, or are in the mood for some different rhythms, then this CD comes highly recommended LindseyBoullt.com. Add it to your cool easy listening collection.

Countess B
Odd Time Obsessed

Zappa and Gentle Giant This Week

This week Zappa and Gentle Giant will be featured on Odd Time Obsessed Internet Radio
Tune in this week to hear selections from...
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Chunga's Revenge
Zoots Allures
Hot Rats
Joe's Garage Pt 1&2
Sheik Yerbouti
You Are What You Is
One Size Fits All
Strictly Commercial
Ship Arriving Too Late To Save a Drowning Witch
-AND-
Octopus
Three Friends
Acquiring the Taste
Check it out -

Keepin' it ODD,
-B
OddTimeObsessed.com

Will SoundScan get to my bank account????

Odd Time Obsessed is the name of my game. Its a mini station that plays across many nations on virtual waves of Live 365’s gyrations. Sharing the beats that are so unique, in a free form format that does not lack a style, so that you can compile a broader spectrum in your music collection.
Countess B is my key. A hostess with the mostess, I share my obsession with out aggression and find other rhythm fanatics that become B addicts.
Odd Time Obsessed is my musical game. It is a shame this station is going to go lame in the name of an unfair act that was not exact in its calculations in balancing the economic factors of these creations.
Silence can cause inner violence. To me this would be on of the most tragic days in history if we can no longer have diverse verse in our internet ears.

Countess B,
OddTimeObsessed.com

Symphony X at House of Blues in Hollywood 7/31/07

A blurb about the show...
Oh Romeo, Oh Romeo.... Ro - may - o as I have been corrected... but I am a chick and I would like to call him Romeo (as in Juliette). Can I just have one percent of your chops???... whats the longest you have gone without your guitar in your hands??.. I know thats your real wife... This guy leaves me speechless along with the rest of the band.

A simply amazing and flawless show. Now I can't remember the last time I could say that about a concert. They are on tour this summer to support their latest release "Paradise Lost". Haven't got that one yet and please don't ask me their set list either. Lost track after the first few songs. They played for about 2 hrs and without any mistakes, hesitations and very close to the recorded version. They played menacing changes, like it was normal or something... It was a great show and this is not meant to be a formal review... just a blurb..

Countess B
Odd Time Obsessed