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....

2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 4, Week 1

Tier 4 is what I consider the "sudden death" round.  Its comprised of all albums that were in rotation last December, any albums from last November that did not make the 2023 top 20, and a selection of albums from last year's Tier 5 that perhaps needed a second chance at life.  This two-week series is all that stands between us and our Mid-Year Top 12.

Curling - No Guitar VS. Mo Troper - Troper Sings Brion

Mo Troper - Troper Sings Brion

No Guitar is clearly an ambitious and largely successful power pop album, and its high points definitely align with my favorite characteristics of the genre.  During its relatively short runtime, however, Mo Troper’s tribute to Jon Brion not only aligns with those characteristics but often exemplifies them.  

Mong Tong - Tao Fire VS. Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Transcendence Bot

Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Transcendence Bot

Again, Tao Fire is excellent psychedelic ethno-electronica, and it maintains a consistent level of nuance and texture throughout its runtime.  Transcendence Bot matches its creativity, but with a much broader and creative scope.

Hermeto Pascoal - Planetario de Gavea VS. Sanam - Aykathani Malakon

Sanam - Ayhathani Malakon

Sanam’s debut album is an example of why Tier 4 exists.  Best described as a Middle Eastern reinvention of Larks Tounges in Aspic, it's a sleeper that deserves consideration for the Mid-Year Top 12.

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond VS. Moor Mother - Jazz Codes

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond

Arguably, Jazz Codes is a more artistically realized album than Chronicles of a Diamond.  Moor Mother’s music is often challenging, confrontational, and thought-provoking, and this album is an outstanding example of her music.  I have to accede, however, to the inarguable infectiousness of Chronicles of a Diamond.

J Dilla - Donuts VS. Massive Attack - Mezzanine

J Dilla - Donuts

An interesting “pick-one” showdown between two cult-classic albums.  Mezzanine is a crucial album in the emergence and evolution of late 90s trip-hop, and it certainly earns this status.  Its greatest asset is its seductive, mellow vibe, but it also lacks the underlying musical substance to hold up under the microscope.  In comparison, J Dilla’s swansong bursts with creativity and playfulness in spite of the less than ideal conditions of its creation.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of the Last Human Being VS. Haken - Virus

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of the Last Human Being

After several on-and-off encounters, Haken’s clean, intense take on prog metal has grown on me.  It does, however, stay within the lines of established prog-metal tropes, despite being expressive within the genre’s usual characteristics.  Of the Last Human Being is anything but limited.  It's a ranting treatise on the arc of humanity’s mark on the world, with avant-garde overtones that link it more closely to Frank Zappa than Dream Theater.  Weird though it may be, it harbors payoff for the listener willing to invest.

Viewer’s Choice

Curling - No Guitar VS. Timmy Sean - Songs From and Inspired By Noisewater

Timmy Sean - Songs From and Inspired By Noisewater

Mong Tong - Tao Fire VS. Nick Hakim - Cometa

Mong Tong - Tao Fire

Toe - For Long Tomorrow VS. Sanam - Aykathani Malakon

Toe - For Long Tomorrow

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond VS. Moor Mother - Jazz Codes

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond

J Dilla - Donuts VS. Massive Attack - Mezzanine

Massive Attack - Mezzanine

Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories VS. Haken - Virus

Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories

2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 3, Final Week

I've published short-form results videos for all of Tier 3 over on the "reels circuit," (TikTok, Instagram, YT Shorts, etc) but that stuff is sometimes hard to find.  The algorithm makes searching for specific less than user-friendly. Here, then, are the finalized results for the last week of Tier 3.  

I've been wondering if I should do short-form videos for Tier 4.  What say you?

Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth VS. Slift - Ilion

Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

This one was painful, as Slift has been a favorite since I first pushed “play” on in January.  I knew this one was coming and was ready to let go of A Different Kind of Truth if necessary.  Its infectious melodies and amazing performances from the Van Halen family won me over, however.  

Nickel Creek - Celebrants VS. boygenius - The Record

Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Nickel Creek is so musical and genuine that it's hard to top.  There are some magical moments on this album that are too good to pass up, even for boygenius.

Philip Glass - Glassworks VS. Lyle Workman - Built to Last

Lyle Workman - Built to Last

I really would have loved to have Glass end up on the Top 12 , but when faced with the effortless creativity and exuberant style that Built to Last radiates, the emotional limitations of his unmistakable style become more noticeable.  

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode

Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode

I am genuinely moved by Wall of Eyes. I think it's a beautiful and evocative album overall, with many arresting moments.  Rosenstock’s songwriting-adjacent post-punk apocalypse therapy album, however, makes  the idea of a hopeless future seem not quite so dour.

Anekdoten - Gravity VS. Peter Gabriel - i/o (dark side mix)

Peter Gabriel - i/o (dark side mix)’

The temptation here is to give it to Peter Gabriel on his own recognizance, but that would be a serious disservice to Anekdoten.  Gravity, in particular, I find appealing because it shows Anekdoten evolving beyond their initial mission statement as a Red-era King Crimson clone.  Gabriel’s album isn’t perfect, but there is a wonderfully elastic ease on i/o that only comes from decades of innovation and craftmanship.

Avalanche Kaito - Talitukum VS. Adventures of Jet - Muscle

Adventures of Jet - Muscle

This was a weird upset, in a way, very similar to the decision that led me to Van Halen.  I was ready to let Adventures of Jet go this time around in lieu of Avalanche Kaito’s captivating intercultural noise rock.  It's the infectious nature of the songwriting and performances on Muscle, however, that pushed it forward. 

Viewer’s Choice

Polyphia - Remember that You Will Die VS. Subsignal - A Poetry of Rain

Polyphia - Remember that You WIll Die

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She VS. Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Philip Glass - Glassworks VS. Jaga Jazzist - Pyramid

Jaga Jazzist - Pyramid

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Cosmologica  VS. Peter Gabriel - i/o (dark side mix)

Peter Gabriel - i/o (dark side mix)’

Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy  VS. J. Robbins - Basilisk

J Robbins - Basilisk

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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2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 2 Final Week!

Finally, Tier 2 draws to a close. This and Tier 6 take the most time, but you will find that Tiers 3 and 4 will go pretty quickly. In truth, its just three weeks left until we finalize the Mid-Year Top12!

Avalanche Kaito - Talitakum VS. K. Frimpong w/ Vis-a-Vis - K Frimpong w/ Vis-a-Vis

Avalanche Kaito - Talitakum

I would really like to see a classic highlife album in the Top 12, and K. Frimpong’s late 70’s album with Vis-a-Vis as this backing band certainly has what it takes.  Granted, Talitakum is way noisier and chaotic, and as a result, way less accessible.  They win serious bonus points, however, for their concept, which makes them both totally relevant to today’s mediascape but also incredibly compelling as a transcultural music project.

Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode  VS. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode

Again, this was a bit of an upset.  I had heard so many good things about Hellmode that I wanted to give the album a chance to prove its mettle against a solid classic, and it did so without too much question.  This decision was also rendered due to a similar dynamic as K. Frimpong and Avalanche Kaito.  Although Devo’s de-evolution concept still resonates today, it was a product of the cultural climate of the late 70s.  Hellmode’s concept is similarly a product to the chaotic hopelessness that permeates existence in 2023.  It just feels relatable and immediate in a way that clearly dodges any nostalgic overtones, unless you are a very big fan of Weezer’s Pinkerton and wondered what would have happened if they continued in that vein. 

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Cosmologica VS. Anekdoten - Gravity

Anekdoten - Gravity

Cosmologica is one of the most well-crafted retro-prog albums since Wobbler’s last release.  Even though the album’s tone seems to be patterned after late 70’s to early 80’s prog (rather than the late 60s and early 70s that most retro-prog groups model themselves after) the material is relatable and the arrangements electrifying.  It clearly does, however, look to the past for the influences that it wears on its sleeve.  Anekdoten, by this point in their career, began to move beyond their clear affinity for Red-era King Crimson that their earlier albums exhibited and developed their own distinctive sound.  To put it another way, if I was interested in revisiting Cosmologica, there would be a whole range of albums that I could listen to that would serve to scratch that itch.  There would be no clear stand-in for Gravity.

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She VS. boygenius - the Record

boygenius - the Record

I am chasing down a thin thread of industrial music this year with Ministry and the work of Bill Rieflin, so it would seem that the Reznor-inspired tone of Chelsea Wolfe’s album would fit right in there.  I am not so sure, however, that I am in the market for the gothic melodrama of She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She.  Make no mistake - the album is incredibly good at what it does and I would suggest it without question to anyone that is down with that style.  I think, however, that I am a bit more on track with the layered indie-pop songwriting on the Record, despite the slight tinge of Americana that periodically peeks through.

Philip Glass - Glassworks VS. Colin Stetson - When we were what wept for the sea

Philip Glass - Glassworks

Very, very tricky.  Both of these artists are idiosyncratic geniuses in their own right.  I could easily argue that Colin Stetson’ innovative and highly physical approach to saxophone technique would give him an advantage over the more reserved minimalism of Philip Glass.  The issue here is simply one of album pacing.  When digested as a whole, When we were what wept for the sea has several tracks at the beginning that feel interchangeable.  There are some extremely effective spoken word pieces in the back third that serve as a break, and I think the album experience overall would be more effective if this was brought up earlier in the runtime.  Glassworks, on the other hand, is a perfectly accessible and digestible introduction to Glass’ work.  Given that both albums are on equal “creative genius” footing, this is the best distinction that I could make.

The Devin Townsend Project - Ki VS. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

My experiment to see if past-prime Van Halen is still better than most contemporary rock virtuosos continued with this challenging showdown.  Ki has emerged as one of my favorites from my relatively limited engagement with Devy, but A Different Kind of Truth is, as I keep saying, better than it has any right to be.  The band sounds great and David Lee Roth, despite perhaps not being able to sell himself as well as he did thirty years prior, still does a respectable job of sparking the lighting-in-a-bottle energy that epitomized Van Halen’s most classic work.

Viewer’s Choice

Avalanche Kaito - Talitakum VS. Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode  VS. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Cosmologica VS. Anekdoten - Gravity

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Cosmologica

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She VS. Oki - Tonkori in the Moonlight

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

Philip Glass - Glassworks VS. Colin Stetson - When we were what wept for the sea

Philip Glass - Glassworks

Devin Townsend - Ki VS. Polyphia - Remember that You Will Die

Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die