Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom

Well, this album has been promised ever since this blog was launched. With the 54th Grammy Awards coming - whatever they may be and mean - I thought it would be a fitting opportunity to introduce the album that baptized our blog, since it features a Grammy Award Winner song (won in 1992) for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Cliffs of Dover. Ah Via Musicom was released in February 1990, so we have here an oldie and I couldn't be happier in opening up our "A Long Time Ago" page with such a great album.

Don't get fooled by the "Rock Instrumental Performance" because this record has a bit of all flavours, not just rock. This is very guitar-oriented, mind you, but don't feel discouraged because Eric Johnson is able to make ear-pleasing non-guitar-listener-friendly songs while being classy enough to please the guitarrists from around the globe (including myself). As I said before, this is not just a typical rock album. It combines an up-beat rock groove with heart-felt blues and a bit of jazzy spice for a tasteful mix of melodies and harmonies. One of the cool things of writing this review is actually rehearing it, so I'm very pleased in introducing (or reintroducing in some cases) it to you.
I should also point out that this is not entirely instrumental, as it features in Desert Rose, High Landrons, Nothing Can Keep Me From You and Forty Mile Town, Eric's voice. That being said, I present to you - at the end of this post - two songs showcasing both his voice and his fantastic guitar playing.

On a more curious side-note, this album features some dedications to fellow guitarrists: Steve's Boogie is dedicated to Steve Henning, East Wes to the great Wes Montgomery and Song for George for a friend of his, named George Washington.

The Best Pessimist - I Just Want To Be Your Everything

Alright, before you get all melodramatic about the album title, let me clarify that this is NOT a love-related, (Brian Adam's) Everything I Do-esque album. Far from it, this can actually be a very sad, yet very beautiful instrumental album.

Before jumping into the review, this album was presented to me by a friend of mine in the most awkward of ways: "Dude, do you know the best pessimist?" "No clue, is he from around here?", and hell, I never thought that he would show me an artist that I would actually become fond of. So I thank thee!

Anyway, this is one of those records that doesn't hit you immediately (at least in some tracks), but has some really heart-felt songs. The Best Pessimist really builds great sounding and atmospheric ambiances with really simple, singable and appealing melodies. Throughout the whole album, you can actually hear a theme or a storyline being told within each measure, chord and note. Yes, yes, very (un)poetic of me, but I really do fancy alot theme-based instrumental albums and this - in my humble opinion - is one of them.

So, in the general hearing of things, the album has a great deal of mixed feelings: some are sad and mellow, others quite haunting and esoteric, others are lullaby-ish and calming and others are just a bit of all worlds. I especially do like the way it finishes, as the song "I" is a very powerful way to end this storyline that goes in my head. And no, I'm not going to tell you about it...you just hear it and think/imagine your own story. It's alot more fun that way.

Before giving my final praises, and in a sidenote, The Best Pessimist is literally a one-man show, so props to Sergey Lunev for creating such an excellent sounding album with great musical landscapes and a blend of very diverse sounds and styles. Oh and look at that, final praises made.

Nightwish - Imaginaerum

This is one of those albums I’m happy not to have to give a note… As most of you may know, Nightwish are a Finnish Symphonic Metal band from Kitee. Driven by Tuomas Holopainen’s creative mind, Nightwish have been the spearhead of the Symphonic Metal scene, as well as a flagship for Finnish art. However, a few years ago they have parted ways with their iconic lead singer Tarja Turunen, leaving them with a new record and no voice for it. That led to Dark Passion Play, an album labeled as “pop metal”. There were many problems with that particular CD but the main one was the new singer, Anette Olzon. She was singing out of her range (the tracks were made with Tarja’s voice in mind) which could only lead to a grand disaster…

But this time, with Imaginaerum, that “excuse” was no longer valid. And it is not needed.

The album, as a piece of art, is absolutely flawless: Big arrangements with powerful guitars and voice. Everything is blended together in absolute perfection.

However, there is a small problem: the album is happy.

To address this problem (and minimize its effect) one must first acknowledge that Nightwish are as trve as it gets. Their music is the perfect mirror for Tuomas’ life. With that said, Tuomas has said himself that the last few months were the happiest of his life, and as such we all can hear that in his music.

Does that make it easier for me to listen to Imaginaerum? Maybe… I’m happy for the guy. I hate and reject depression with the force of a thousand suns, and to see someone leave its mire-like claws and be able to tell the tale in such a big way is something that I profoundly admire. I like to focus my mind on that while listening to this album. That way I’m able to endure all that… happiness.

My highlights:  the pre-chorus of “Ghost River” and the first half of “Scaretale”. If the whole album was like that this would be one of my favorite albums.

Note: credit must be given to Anette. If I had any heroes or idols, she would be one of them. As she was passing through hell, a lot of people (loudly) expressed their hate for her and her voice and that almost led to the end of Nightwish. However, she persevered. She kept being herself (silly un-Metal stage behavior included) and, most importantly, delivered a beast of a performance. Anette, I hail thee.

Bilateral - Leprous

Leprous are a fairly unknown band from Notodden, Norway. Even among metal heads, few claim to know them. But they're not just another band form Norway, they're the backing band for one of Black Metals' Emperors: Ihsahn (pun intended). To any metal fan, that fact alone should be an unquestionable seal of quality.


However, to try to qualify Leprous based on their relation with Ihsahn is an absolute error. Leprous practice a rare blend of metal, prog and power. Their sound falls on the same category as Opeth's, Porcupine Tree's or Devin Towsend Project's, the undefined: it's a genre on it's own with specific rules that apply solely to it's own universe.


Although their first releases might have suffered from schizophrenia, Bilateral is a mature album in which every track has value on it's own and as part of the whole.


Instrumentally, the work is flawless: two guitars, bass,  keys (that organ...), a powerful voice and drums that feel and sound like an orchestra, various movements flowing and fighting for space at the same time and genius ecstatic moments where one has to wonder if there's anything else beyond that.


All in all, this is one of my favorite albums of all time.




Web: http://www.leprous.net