The Morse Code Part 3: Spock's Beard & The Kindness of Strangers

This is the third in a six-part series on the early releases of Spock's Beard. In this installment, we'll take a closer look at the band's 1998 debut album, The Kindness of Strangers.

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Steven Wilson's The Harmony Codex: Intimacy and Infinity

Review and discussion of my 2023 Album of the Year, Steven Wilson's The Harmony Codex.

Mo music, mo problems....

The Morse Code Part 2: Spock's Beard's Beware of Darkness

Some observations and speculation on Beware of Darkness, the sophomore release from Spock's Beard, with a focus on the standards it set for the band moving forward.

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The Morse Code Part 1: Spock's Beard and The Light

 An introduction to the band Spock's Beard through the lens of their 1995 debut, The Light

That "Gentle Giant Thing:" Free Hands and Flow

Review and discussion on Gentle Giant's 1975 album Free Hand, in memory of bassist and multi-instrumentalist Ray Schulman. Special discussion on the 2021 Steven Wilson remix.

A text post on Octopus

A text post on The Power and the Glory

2021 Album Eliminations Ep. 23: Wobbler vs. Steven Wilson

Preview featuring The Future Bites Preview featuring Dwellers of the Deep

Once and Future Band: The Edges of Deleted Scenes

Review and discussion on Once and Future Band's 2019 release Deleted Scenes

Relevant Links Source Video for Automatic Air clip

2021 Album Preview Series: Variety is the Spice

 Overview of September listening, including:

The Who – The Who Sell Out (1967) The Knife – Shaking the Habitual (2013) Chad VanGaalen – The World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener (2021) Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (2021) Our Oceans – Our Oceans (2015) The Sons of Kemet – Black to the Future (2021)

Relevant Links: Previous post on Mdou Moctar

2021 Eliminations Ep. 4: black midi VS. Transatlantic

Post on Cavalcade Preview featuring The Breath of Life

black midi and the Crimsonesque Qualities of Cavalcade

 Review and discussion on black midi’s 2021 album Cavalcade, with an eye on the common ground between their aesthetic and prog-rock legends King Crimson.

Relevant Links:

Previous post on Schlagenheim

Previous post on King Crimson’s recent tour and the 71 album Islands

Black midi in black midi by Patrick Fitzroy

Talkhouse Podcast with Morgan Simpson and Bill Bruford

2021 Album Preview Series: Rhapsodies in June

Brief impressions of albums in play for June 2021, including:

black midi – Cavalcade (2021)
Lyle Workman – Uncommon Measures (2021)
Japan – Quiet Life (1979)
The Biology of Plants – Vol. 2 (2018)
Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe: The Breath of Life (2021)
Steven Wilson – The Future Bites (2021)

Relevant Links:

Text post on early Porcupine Tree

And on Steven Wilson’s first solo album

And on The Raven That Refused to Sing

Text post on Transatlantic’s Kaliedoscope

Yes, Not Yes, and Arc of Life

Review and discussion on the self-titled debut by Arc of Life (2021) with a special look at its context in Yes’ history and the ways in which it is (and is not) Yes.

Relevant Links:

Open Your Eyes review that sets up some 90s Yes history

Preview post that includes a look at Gleb Kolyadin

The text post from 2014 that predicts the Arc of Life lineup

For more of my previous writings on Yes, follow the tag at the bottom of this post.

2021 Album Preview Series: May Music Showcase

Previews of new music for May 2021, including:

Mogwai – As The Love Continues (2021)
Fugazi – Steady Diet of Nothing (1991)
Ghost Against Ghost – Still Love (2017)
Deep Thoukus – Deep Thoukus (2020)
Rick Wakeman – The Red Planet (2020)
Cynic – Traced in Air (2008)

Relevant Links:

Asteroid animation from Anselmo La Manna

Fugazi images from MaRoZa

Destino sync by Igor Baliun

Yes' Open Your Eyes: An Eternal Battle

Review and discussion on Yes’ divisive 1997 album Open Your Eyes, with a particular focus on the album’s historical relevance to their oeuvre.

Relevant links:

A collection of past writings I did on Yes and their albums from the text days:

https://drspinsmusicalmusings.blogspot.com/search/label/Yes

Album Previews for 2021 Part 4: The Prog Show!

 Previewing new music for 2021, with a special emphasis on progressive rock releases, including:

The Flower Kings - Islands (2020) Gleb Kolyadin - Gleb Kolyadin (2018) Soup - The Beauty of Our Youth (2013) Leprous - Pitfalls (2019) Glass Hammer - Chronomonaut (2018) Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior (1976)

Relevant links: Review of Soup's Remedies (my first dedicated video post) Review of iamthemorning's debut and an example of the speculative Yes membership series Review of Glass Hammer's Chronometree

And the ever-growing 2021 Radio Spotify playlist - now with added prog!

Swimming With The Fish Part 4: Clutching at Straws

Review and discussion on Marillion’s 1987 album Clutching at Straws

Relevant Links

Part 1 – Script for a Jester’s Tear

Part 2 – Fugazi

Part 3 – Misplaced Childhood

Jan Hendrick Fennema’s channel

Swimming With The Fish Part 3: Misplaced Childhood

Review and discussion on Marillion’s landmark 1985 album Misplaced Childhood

Relevant Links

Part 1 of this series 

Part 2 of this series

Swimming With the Fish Part 2: Marillion's Fugazi

Review and discussion on Marillion’s Fugazi (1984).

Relevant links:

Part I of this series: Script for a Jester’s Tear

A text post on a more recent album: F.E.A.R.

Another text post addressing Anoraknophobia

Swimming With the Fish Part 1: Marillion's "Script for a Jester's Tear."

Review and discussion on Marillion’s 1983 landmark, Script for a Jester’s Tear

Relevant Links:

A couple of older text posts on Hogarth-led Marillion albums

Anoraknophobia

F.E.A.R.

Tool's Fear Innoculum: Watcher at the Threshold

Review and discussion on the Book Edition of Tool's Fear Innoculum (2019)



Relevant links:

Review of Lateralus
First impressions of Fear Innoculum
Best of 2019 part 1