Prolix - starring Primus, Weird Al, teenagers making good, and we are grateful for the dead

Welcome to Prolix - short news for short attention spans. In this semi-regular series I will be rounding up music news, reviews, opinions, rumours, and much more in bite-sized chunks of 100 words or less. Only the best and brightest make the cut. Because, let's face it, sometimes you need information fast! 

Pure imagination ...

Hold onto your chocolate nightmare boat, it's Primus! These cult heroes have just announced their latest album, entitled Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble. Unsurprisingly it is a psychedelic tribute to the music of the Gene Wilder classic film Willy Wonka and the Chocloate Factory. It is also worth noting that this is the first Primus record in nearly twenty years to feature the lineup of Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde, and Tim “Herb” Alexander along with percussionist Mike Dillon and cellist Sam Bass. The album drops in October.

Bow down to the King!

Congratulations to Weird Al Yankovic on his very first US number one album! Mandatory Fun is officially the parody king's best selling record to date and this will be in no small way thanks to his aggressive online marketing campaign. Over eight consecutive days in July Yankovic released one new music video per day to promote the album and it seems that it has worked out just fine. You can check out 'Tacky', 'Word Crimes', 'Foil', 'Handy', 'First World Problems' and many more at your local online video provider.

Unlocking the Truth Rising

Are you suspicious of people who think that by “going viral” they will actually become famous? Then check out Unlocking the Truth, you cynical jerks. This metal band not only stirred up a lot of buzz with a video of them playing in Times Square but it also led to them signing with Sony Music for a two-album deal. Not a bad achievement considering that none of the members are older than fourteen! That's right, these teenagers are already being touted as the new of heavy metal. Keep your eyes peeled for these cats in the very near future.

RIP

In the last month we have lost two great musicians in Johnny Winter and Tommy Ramone. They join the likes of Bobby Womack, DJ Rashad, Frankie Knuckles, Paco de Lucia, Pete Seeger, and Devo's Bob Casale who have all passed this year. Rest in peace, honoured gentlemen. You're contributions to the lives of millions will not be forgotten in a hurry.

That's it for another exciting installment of Prolix - short music for short attention spans. As always, watch out for new music and condescending opinions on said music at Eclectik Electrik. Until next time, keep it eclectic true believers.

- Professor Ricardo

Album review: Weird Al Yankovic - Mandatory Fun

I have found that people are in one of two minds when it comes to Weird Al Yankovic. He is either seen as, a) a pop culture genius, or, b) a relic of the MTV age who has severely overstayed his welcome. The problem is that comedy is extremely subjective and comedy music is double so. Perhaps Mandatory Fun, his fourteenth album, will help you decided which side of the line you are on. Just like all his others, Mandatory Fun is packed full of specific song parodies and style parodies. The Pixies baiting 'First World Problems' does sound like more of a rip on The Offspring thanks to Yankovic's nasal whine, but its still a good tune. As has become tradition there's also one of Yankovic's trademark polka medleys. It's all very silly stuff and there is the danger that over time we have all become immune to Yankovic's quirky charm. Luckily all it takes is one play through of this album to remind us all how clever he is when it comes to wordplay. Robin Thicke's ubiquitous (and slutacious) 'Blurred Lines' is presented as 'Word Crimes', a tirade against poor grammar that couldn't be more apt in this day and age. When you hear the first verse of 'Foil' (being based on Lorde's 'Royals') you might well sigh over the well-worn “hit single as food song” trope. But when the second verse details a much smarter and funnier use for your aluminium wrap you will be right back on board. On the flip side of this 'Sports Song' seems like a filler – the bare sketch of a humour song mocking college football that somehow made the final cut. Perhaps if I lived in a country that acknowledges American football as a thing it might have made more of an impact on me (feel free to weight in on this, American readers). Not every song is going to be a hit but the fact that after all these years Weird Al is still skewering popular culture is endearing in itself. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, “He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life”.

Rating: B-

Recommended tracks: Word Crimes, Foil

Album review: Steven Wilson - Cover Version

Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Storm Corrosion) is one of the modern era's great proponents of vintage prog rock and his work to date has played a large part in keeping the genre alive. This unfortunately automatically relegates him to cult hero status as the mainstream trends lie very far away from his peculiar tastes and style. On the back of three excellent and well-received solo albums, Wilson has released Cover Version as a way to blow off a little creative steam – part cover album, part new material. The original tunes are evenly spaced out with songs by Abba, Donovan, and The Cure among others. Shockingly, some of these renditions are very faithful to the original versions, especially Morissette's 'Thank You' that opens the album. Cover Version largely revolves around a simple trio of sounds: acoustic guitar, keyboard, and Wilson's own voice. This makes for a very sparse, sedate album and a far cry from the expansive bombast he usually employs. The upshot of this is when he chooses to introduce something meatier (like the electric guitar and bass combo on Prince's 'Sign O' the Time') it has maximum impact. As for the new Wilson tunes they are tremendously quaint and represent the prog savant showing off his songwriting prowess. Again, this is distinct change of pace from overdosing the audience with over-the-top compositions. No song on this album runs for longer than seven minutes which should already clue you in to the less formal, easy-access nature of this record. Cover Version is far from essential listening but any Wilson fan will enjoy this sneak peak into his world. I can only fully recommended this to die-hard fans and completionists.

Rating: C+

Recommended track: Sign O' the Times

Album review: Antemasque - Antemasque

The saga of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has been a long and tenuous drama playing out over the last two decades and numerous music projects. The pairing of Cedric's vocals to Omar's guitar and surreal orchestrations have made for some great music over the years. In the right circles At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta are practically household names, but much more has been concocted between the two. But through it all they have remained a powerful, if combustible creative duo. That was right up until early 2013 when the fuse finally burned up and everything exploded: The Mars Volta had split over creative differences and the two were firing off in opposite directions.

For reasons known only to them they have come back together in 2014 for yet another first impression. This one is called Antemasque (or ANTEMASQUE if you're into capitalization). Backing up the two masterminds is longtime Volta / Omar drummer Dave Elitch and prolific bass player Flea contributes sporadically as well. With this (somewhat) new band in tow this is a musical step forward that is informed by their collective history without being slavishly bound to it. For starters only one of these ten tracks breach the four-minute mark, making for a startlingly short total run time of 34 minutes. Without exaggeration, Omar has composed and performed songs longer than that before. If past efforts have indulged the duo's tendencies for long-form composition and extreme technical prowess (I'm looking at you Amputechture), Antemasque is a showcase for their sharper, shorter songwriting chops.And, you know what? It works.

The very first song demonstrates this new approach to their collaboration excellently. '4AM' is punchy and brash right out of the gate. Cedric yelps his paranoid lyrics over a pulsating new wave beats and jangling melodies. It is still muscular, showing off some of their old hardcore stock, and when the last verse kicks in at double-time you already have the first genuine mosh-able moment on the record. In short, it is the ideal lead single to show off the group's new wares. Those strong, bass-heavy songs lead the album in well. 'I Got No Remorse' cribs a few guitar sounds from 80s King Crimson which should come as little surprise; Omar has never made any excuses for his shameless Robert Fripp worship.

But the album is certainly not all highly-strung punk rock. The numerous references to Rush are curious as they are one of the few classic prog acts that wasn't referenced in the work of The Mars Volta. One listen to '50,000 Watts' will doubtlessly bring forth memories of Moving Pictures and Power Windows, of Geddy Lee in a kimono thrashing the life out of his bass guitar on the moon. On the flip-side of that, 'Drown All Your Witches' has a gentle psychedelic charm like Led Zeppelin at their quaint, folked out best. If you're looking for spooky sonic nightmares there's still plenty to enjoy here. 'Providence' is dripping with bad-trip sonics as Cedric howls 'You've been burning at the stake' like a wounded banshee.

Since the influences are less esoteric this time around there is more room for happy, hookier moments to shine through. 'Ride Like the Devil's Son' is practically begging for you to clap along with it. Don't be surprised if some of these songs get stuck in your head for quite some time. This is potentially the most accessible album from these two auteurs yet. And really, is that such a bad thing? You will have no trouble playing this record over and over again if the desire takes you, which hasn't really been feasible with these two since Relationship of Command. It's energetic while still being silly, dense when it needs to be but sparse when it helps. Most of all, Antemasque is a refreshing album that reminds us never to pigeonhole great creative minds – they can always find new ways to surprise us.

Rating: B+

Recommended tracks: 4AM, Drown All Your Witches

Prolix - starring Weezer, Antemasque, Jimi Hendrix (sort of), Death Grips, and the wacky world of drone music

Welcome to Prolix - short news for short attention spans. In this semi-regular series I will be rounding up music news, reviews, opinions, rumours, and much more in bite-sized chunks of 100 words or less. Only the best and brightest make the cut. Because, let's face it, sometimes you need information fast! 

Will Everything Be Alright in the End?

Weezer might have fallen out of favour with the ever-so fickle cool crowd these past few years but they can still find ways to surprise us. Take a look a the cover for their new album which was unveiled last week for example (above). It is called Everything Will Be Alright in the End but perhaps Good Luck Getting to Sleep Tonight, Children would be more accurate. There's still no exact date on the record but in one simple move they have gotten people talking about them again. Kudos.

Have you been paying attention?

A few months ago I clued you into the fact that if you purchased the preview EP from Antemasque (featuring Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the masterminds behind At the Drive-In and Mars Volta) you would not only get the full album for free but you'll also have it earlier than everyone else. Well, did you do it? Because if you did you'd already have your grubby mitts on the final product. Expect a full review later this week. (Spoilers: it is VERY different from either of those two bands).

Return of the Voodoo Chile

All is By My Side is one of those music bio-pics that we heard about years ago, and sounded really good, its just that it has yet to materialize. If you're anything like me then the idea of Andre “3000” Benjamin (of Outkast fame) playing Jimi Hendrix sounds like a match made in heaven. Well the wait is nearly over. A brand new trailer has been released (click here) and it shows Andre 3000 in all his swaggering, faux 60s glory. The film is being released all around the world over the next few months. Groovy!

RIP Death Grips (do not go gently into that good night)

If you are familiar with punk-rap outfit Death grips then you are used to them doing whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want. That goes for their albums, their concerts, and apparently their demise. Only July 2^nd they announced the following: “we are now at our best and so Death Grips is over. we have officially stopped”. Apparently they are still intending on releasing Jenny Death late this year, the sister piece to their previously released Niggas on the Moon. Their particular style of intimidating chaos will be sorely missed.

From the Earth to the Sunn 0)))

What's with drone these days? First it was Earth announcing that gravelly crooner Mark Lanegan would feature on their new album, Primitive and Deadly. Now occult doomsters Sunn 0))) (yes, that's how you spell it) have let slip they they will be cutting an album with experimental folkie Scott Walker. Due sometime later in 2014, this has the potential to be the best, most disturbing album of the year. If you are familiar with the work of either of these artists then you know that this record will be something to behold.

-

That's it for another exciting installment of Prolix - short music for short attention spans. As always, watch out for new music and condescending opinions on said music at Eclectik Electrik. Until next time, keep it eclectic true believers.

- Professor Ricardo