Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (2013)

Although Sonic Ruin was originally meant to be aimed squarely at the Glam/Punk/straight-up Rock and Roll styles, anybody who knows me knows that I am an unabashed Progressive Rock fan also. I have always claimed Marillion as my favorite band (considering Misplaced Childhood the only perfect album ever recorded, and even naming my daughter "Kayleigh" backs up that claim) and spend most Winter months listening to nothing but Prog. I don't know why that last part is, it just turns out that way.

During a recent discussion on a message board somebody mentioned Steven Wilson's The Raven That Refused to Sing as a flawless album. I have had the album in my possession for a few years now, have tried giving it a spin a few times, but it has always fallen short of really grabbing me.

The problem I ran into with first giving this a spin is that it is without a doubt a Steven Wilson product. For those who do not know, Steven Wilson is the creative force behind Porcupine Tree. Porcupine Tree, for those who do not know, are a Progressive Rock band that took the Prog world by storm (minor breeze in the air in the greater scope of music) back in the 90s. Wilson is an incredibly talented musician, but the problem one can run into is that he has a very distinctive style. He is not one who blends into the surroundings, he instead will blend the surroundings into himself. Case in point being the work he did with Fish, the former vocalist for Marillion. It was no longer a Fish release, as much as it was a "Fish singing for Steven Wilson." This is a wonderful thing if Wilson is your guy, but if his style rubs you a little wrong, then whatever he touches will possibly not be your cup of tea.

So on the shelf that Raven sat. Until today.

One of Wilson's goals, from what I have been told, is that he wanted this to harken back to the glory days of Prog. He wanted analogue. He wanted that warm feeling. So, I am compensating as best I can at this point. For my listen I am having to use a digital download version (sorry, I do not have the vinyl and I can't afford to spend the money on the vinyl at this time), but I will be using my Yamaha Orthodynamic YH-1 headphones! These headphones were bought new by my parents back in 1978 and were considering quite revolutionary for the time. They still sound wonderful and if I had the vinyl I would be able to tell you exactly how well Wilson achieved the goal of re-creating a certain vibe. As is, we will have to deal with the digital download aspect. Sorry.

First things first, even though I do not have the vinyl or actual CD version (sorry audiophiles, stoning may commence as soon as you find me), the production on this is pretty ridiculous. One of those recordings that make just the act of listening a nice experience. One of those times when even the non-audiophile will hear something and think "Gee, that is pleasant."

"Luminol" is a rather fitting tune to be listening to so close to the departure of Chris Squire from this planet. The driving force behind the song is a bass riff that would have been comfortable under the power of Squire, bringing about memories of "Tempus Fugit" from Drama.

At this point I do understand the massive love that Proggies have had for this album. I am not saying I am sold yet, but this dang thing is using every single trick in the Prog handbook. Name a Prog act and at 3:27 into the song every band has been present in some way shape or form. No, not stealing from them, but definitely influences.

That bass run is so intoxicating. I would have to guess that in the studio they had to just keep shutting off everything but the bass and drums and just enjoy this groove. It is that type of bass playing that when the jokes about bassists start up one just thinks of that and goes "Yeah, but . . . "

Nice melody for song two, "Drive Home." The song starts out as a beautiful and gentle melody, but by the time we reach the guitar solo that beauty starts exploding into a rabid flurry of notes and distortion, but never losing the melody under it all.

Time for some headphone workout with "The Holy Drinker." A tune to make a Crimson fan happy as Jazz and Prog Rock collide head-on in an Avant-Garde landscape, which eventually leads into a nice tight Rock groove.

One aspect that I think drives me a little crazy with Wilson is his dropping into total spacey moments, even when he has a wonderful groove going. Yes, this is a key to Prog, having these moments breath life and story into the structure of the songs. I am not saying that they do not work, but when Wilson hits that groove and really brings out the Rock, he does so in such a powerful way that when it leaves it really is frustrating, and at times makes me wish he would just make a 10 song, half-hour explosion of Rock anthems. Remember, my main love in life is Glam and straight-up Rock and Roll, and that part of me takes over in this situation.

"The Pin Drop" is a fascinating little number. Swirling music, nicely layered vocals that mix into the swirls, opening up to a wonderful and full chorus that holds onto the swirling feel.

Uh-oh . . . Steve Hackett time? "The Watchmaker" started up, just an acoustic beginning and Hackett popped into my head. I don't wish to make a comparison, as really there isn't anymore of a Hackett connection here than there would be with any other acoustic guitar. Maybe. Actually, there might be a tonal similarity to it Genesis going on in that guitar. Let's see if it steps into a Genesis mode in a second here.

By the way, can you tell I am writing this exactly as I hear it? This is a stream of consciousness writing project happening at this very moment. Good thing for you it is a short album.

Nope, won't do the Genesis thing. At 4:30 though it does get super good. Dropping in that Squire-ish bass, flute, and just another wonderful groove. Eventually the song takes numerous more shifts, all of which drop in and out without a single jarring moment, as each segment works into the next so that the shifts never seem wrong, even the most jarring move towards the 10:30 mark. The music switched just enough before the big break to make the song work.

Final proper tune (my version has a demo track for "The Holy Drinker," but I am not counting that one) is the title track, "The Raven That Refused To Sing" and it opens with a haunting piano and light vocal melody. "Haunting" is easily the best way to describe this song. It digs in deep into the brain and settles in, building into a beautiful song that holds onto that haunting side. It is that type of song that just builds and builds as it moves along, adding a little more to the emotion that you thought could not get any deeper or more intense. One of those songs that if you can connect to the lyrics at all it will leave you a quivering mess of tears and laughter by the end because somebody finally understands your own feelings.

Dang . . . this album really is as good as everybody gushed about 2 years ago. Bah . . . I bet I missed an absolutely fantastic tour for this thing. If one of you could be so kind to tell me that he did not tour the States, as so many do not, I would be much obliged. I am fine with being lied to about this.

Look at that, a year has almost passed again!

I can sit here and start to claim all of the grand things I am planning, but it is quite obvious that I should not promise anything. As Drivin' N Cryin' said, "A promise unbroken is a strange thing indeed." That being said, I will be trying to actually complete a few things with Sonic, if they happen only time will actually tell.

Things changed in my life, which quickly put a halt to the plans from the last posting. In a nutshell I did become employed. The job, teaching first-grade, proved to be just as time consuming as my cooperating teacher had always promised it would be, which caused Sonic to fall to the back seat.

As this summer approached I had started to dream of wondrous ideas with Sonic. I was going to re-launch the print fanzine again, full of wonderful articles. The idea would be to not focus on interviews, but actually focus on actual essay style articles. I wanted the 'zine to be a reading priority for the music snob, of which I am one.

The problem is, however, that it would cost money. While I am finally employed, I did choose a career where the greatest pay is through the students' success, not in the financial flood. I could possibly make it work, but I also had to buy a new car recently. It is a fine car, but sadly modern technology in cars does not include a printing press. Dang near everything else, but no printing press.

This has lead me to choose to go the blog route. Considering this is the blog route, I am also going to try and do as much as I can with this blog. I will do the thing I have mentioned, essay type of articles, but also just writing about the things that happen or go on that I think would fit. I am hoping to have some contributions from outside sources also.

Eventually this will all hopefully lead up to a print form of Sonic again. I am not going to promise that will happen, or even that updates here will be regular. But, in all honesty, I do believe I will be able to do this blog thing on a semi-regular basis. So please check back from time to time.

- Carl

Which would be better, video or article?

First off, I apologize for there not being any updates. Truth be told this has been a much harder summer than I had expected. I'm not going to dig into any reasons, as I am sure that nobody really wants to hear/read it, but my head just has not been where it should be. I am trying to dig myself out, and this is going to hopefully be the catharsis that it once was.

Now, the reason for this post. I see a lot of people doing stuff with their vinyl and collections. Some people are listing what they are listening to (say "hi" Bob), others are just digging through their collection one album at a time, but only saying "hey, I own this." So I decided I want to start getting into my vinyl.

Options:
One thing I am thinking is to go the video route. Grabbing one of the records, playing it, and discussing it on camera. Posting and hosting it here.

The other thing would be the exact same as what I just mentioned, but instead I would just write about it. Still covering the same stuff that might come about with the video one, but saving you folks the pain of listening to me.

So, which seems the more interesting route to take? I know my son would prefer the video, because then he could try and get his own channel going. My only hang-up with it is that it seems awful cheesy and a little arrogant in a way, for some reason.

School is done and as I promised, Sonic will now return.

Now that I have actually finished college and am holding a degree in elementary education, I have numerous goals this summer. One of which is the obvious of becoming employed again. That goal, however, probably means very little to the people outside of my family. But of interest to the people outside of the family would probably be the idea of my getting Sonic off the ground again. I have said all along that Sonic was only being put away while I became obsessed with finishing off the college thing, and that it would be back. Over the years I have been forced to rethink certain aspects of the 'zine and came to realize I would have to change certain aspects.

Format:
I know one of the charms of Sonic for the three people that bought an issue was the fact that it was a print 'zine. The fact is, though, that print is dying. I love print also, but I am seeing more and more fanzine/small press 'zines decide to fold up shop due to the cost not being feasible. Sonic never made any money, and it actually never paid for itself. I think that in the end I probably sold 10 copies of each of the issues 100+ print runs. I gave the rest away.

I am cool with giving the 'zine away for free. It came with enough freebies from bands that it was worth it, in my eyes. Not so much in the eyes of my wife. For her those bands were just giving me more crap to clutter up the house. I also started to share her views once more and more bands found out about Sonic, and I was suddenly flooded with bands that I had no interest in covering or ever listening to. Eventually for every Glam/Sleaze/RnR band I was sent, I was sent 20 Rap/bad Alternative/bad Metal CDs. I was flooded with REALLY bad stuff. So my incentive for keeping it going was suddenly becoming the clutter my wife accused the cool stuff of being.

So my idea is to do a .pdf copy, and then look at a print on demand site. This way if somebody insists on having a print copy they can go and just order a copy. The company that did the last issue of Sonic was just such a company, but they have since gone under. I do believe that I know of another one, and I will be looking into that company. If I can't find any print on demand sites, then .pdf will be the format until I am employed and making a decent living again.

Content:
O.K., Sonic was supposed to be about covering only the bands I love. That kind of died away once I was flooded with freebies. I suddenly had a lot of garbage sitting around here and I felt obligated to give it some form of coverage as somebody put their money into it and thought about sending it my way.

Sonic was also only about music. I started out thinking I wanted nothing but music in it. All music, all the time.

The new version of Sonic will be going back to covering only what I want to cover. This time that includes things other than music. If I want to cover a novel, comic book, TV show, movie, whatever, I am covering it. If somebody sends me something, I will be placing a disclaimer by my address that warns the person that sending me something does NOT guarantee coverage. Sender beware, in other words.

I found that the music was burning me out. I was getting tired of trying to write about it. When I was suddenly being flooded with stuff that I really didn't like, that started to hurt the stuff I did love. When I was in college years ago for the first time, I was in it for art. I found that being forced to do art killed my love of drawing. It turned a passion into a job, and that really killed the love. That started to happen again with music. I started to associate negative feelings to it all, so I am going to try and avoid that this time out.

This blog:
This will be the testing area, by the way. Before I start to assemble the .pdf thingy I am going to play around here for a few to get back into things. The picture above shows my iPod being loaded up with a bunch of CDs I have not uploaded to it yet. There are many CDs around here that I have yet to listen to. Many of those will get quick little blurbs on this page. I have also been watching more movies as of late, catching up on a lot of movie that have slipped by over the years. Those will also get little blurbs.

Rock City Angels:
There will be a special edition of Sonic that I still intend to run print copies of. It will be a tribute issue to RCA. Issue 4 of Sonic was supposed to be an issue similar to issue 3, with a lot of the attention given to RCA. In the years that have passed Bobby Durango, vocalist and main guy of RCA, passed away. I have a decent chunk of interviews he did for me with interviews of the band. I will be able to pull together a decent sized issue with that and writings I will do covering the four Rock City releases I have here. We will also see what else I can pull together for that one. He was a heck of a nice guy, and the band had become what they had promised to be when the Geffen album was released. I, for one, expected them to actually keep getting better. Sadly, that will never happen now.

So that is what I am planning for Sonic Ruin. Will it happen? Who knows? I'm going to sure as heck try again. I know I will be seeing the Quireboys on the 15th of August, so expect something about that to be written. Hopefully I can pull off an interview!

Until later . . .

The GutterCats - Whisky Avenue E.P.

NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS BEING REVISED. THE OVERALL OPINION OF THE E.P. WILL STAND, BUT A FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE REVIEW HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, AND OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE BAND AND ROCKY SHADES I HAVE CHOSEN TO REVISE THE REVIEW. 

The GutterCats – Whisky Avenue EP

Line up:

Andy Guttercat – Vocals

Natt – Bass

Mitz – Drums

James Guttercat – Guitar

Let's take a moment to ponder on a question. When was the last time you heard a band and thought to yourself “Damn, that was a lot of fun”? Music that was written with a complete lack of social or political statement. Music that was written by a bunch of guys who are throwing on the guitars, picking up the sticks, and just planning to have fun. Lyrics that are all about fun, living it up. Not in a tongue in cheek way, making fun of their past (Steel Panther), but rather writing their lyrics and actually meaning to have a blast. The type of thing that is done with humor, but mainly because the guys are just like that, just having a blast. No self-mockery of self-loathing. No anger. Just fun. No, not like that stupid band that has become so popular that calls themselves “fun,” even though there is nothing fun about their music, unless you are a masochist. But fun, real fun.

Let me introduce you to The Guttercats.

The Guttercats are actually all about a tip of the hat to their favorite bands from their past and having a hell of a good time. If the listener is familiar with The Last of the Teenage Idols, The Babysitters, or Wrathchild, then the listener will be able to pick out the influence. In fact, they do this so closely that one can actually pick the songs apart as almost a song by song tribute. There are three songs here, and each one pays their tribute.

Do not misunderstand me, these are not a bunch of rip-off tunes. These are every bit as much a tip of the hat style as Hanoi Rocks did once upon a time. “Back to Mystery City” aped The Dead Boys “3rd Generation Nation,” but still managed to be its own song. They did that with Alice Cooper, The Dictators, The Ramones, and a slew of others. This is how The GutterCats do their thing. They pay tribute, but they do it in the guise of making other bands sound their own. All of the songs do sound like the same band, they all have their own style, but they also meld perfectly into what inspired them. They all work on this EP, but each of the bands mentioned could also take these tunes and play the songs, and their sounds would work perfectly with the tunes.

We kick off with a very Babysitters type of tune, “Whisky Avenue.” Straight Bluesy Punk, Rock and Roll with more attitude and fun than most bands know how to handle. Cocky, silly, and swaggering all over the dang club. Are the lyrics great? No, but they work perfect for what they are meant to do. They are simple enough to get a crowd singing along while raising their drinks as vocalist Andy pours beer over their heads during the breakdown, and ends it with spraying beer, or champaign, all over the place.

“Who's She Killing” may as well be a long lost LOTTI track with Andy channeling Buttz (LOTTI vocalist) almost to perfection. He steps into Buttz shoes so closely that I would almost swear Buttz was in on giving Andy tips. If you are familiar with LOTTI then you know what this tune sounds like. If you are unfamiliar, this will be a tough one to describe. Nobody sounds like LOTTI. They are Rock and Roll, they are Glam, they are Punk, they are . . . British . . . they are unlike anything that ever existed, and nothing has been like them since. If this was the only song The Guttercats ever recorded I would still rate them as a great band. The fact that somebody else was able to figure out what made LOTTI the brilliant band they were, and then wrote a song in the style of LOTTI instantly makes that band a wonder to behold. This is as much a statement of love for The Guttercats from me, as it is a statement of love for Last of the Teenage Idols.

Who's following along here? First song is a Babysitters type of tune. Second song was a LOTTI style tune. Anybody wish to guess what the last one might possibly be? Yes, “Mile High” is all Wrathchild. The vocal delivery is close to Rocky Shades, lyrics are similar sex style lyrics one would expect from Rocky, and the whole thing just fits that early 80s Wrathchild did.

One thing I do find funny about these songs also comes down to the comparison to the earlier bands. In all three of those bands the best vocalist was Buttz during his LOTTI days. That was when he seemed to have the most control of his voice, the most confidence, and the best swagger, sneer, and Hell bent humor. Rocky was always a bit of an acquired taste, and when people usually have a problem with Wrathchild, it is his voice that throws them for a loop. Give him a few listens, and one will fall in line and understand where he is coming from. On these songs, oddly enough, the best vocals come on the song that is the most LOTTI like. Andy does himself a heck of a fine job here, a moment to be proud of.

Good Lord people, I have rambled on and on about a three song fucking EP! Take a hint, get the damn thing. Solid songwriting, solid guitar playing, solid bass playing, solid drumming, an all around damn fine release for those of you who like Glam, Trash, Punk, Rock and Roll, and just a whole shitload of fun. Drop the band a line, get hold of it, and rock the fuck out of your neighborhood!

 GutterCats on Facebook - GET THEIR SHIT!!! 

Bobby Durango - RIP

So I was supposed to be working on homework this morning, but when I was bouncing around here this morning I found out that Bobby Durango passed away last year. Bobby was the vocalist for Rock City Angels, a band that showed up in the late 80s and should have been huge. Problem is that they showed up at the Hairband time, and got labeled a Hairband, but they were far from it. They played straight up Blues infused RnR.

Back in 2009 RCA showed up again, new line up fronted by Bobby. I had Sonic Ruin going at the time, so I decided to try and get something done with the band. Bobby and I started to go back and forth through emails and we hit it off, possibly better than I ever hit it off with any of the other bands I was interviewing. We spent a long time working on the interviews, and he went out of his way to make sure I got all that I needed. 

During that time I was going through Hell with my job. I knew the poop was hitting the fan, and my mood was going downhill fast. I lost interest in almost everything, and Sonic was one of those things. Sadly, the Durango RCA interview never saw the light of day. I lost touch with Bobby, except we were Facebook friends. Every now and then I would pop him a line, or he would pop me a line, just to say "hi." He told me on numerous occasions that he understood how things fell apart, and he had no bad feelings. I still felt terrible about it, and have gone back numerous times to look over what I had started, and thought about finishing it up.

Now today I see he passed away. It was last June. A long time ago. On his page there are a few "miss ya buddy" type of posts. Only one hidden in another message about how he passed (liver failure). I saw no mention on Yahoo news, nothing on any other sites. No mention anywhere on here. He may not have been an Axl Rose size success during that time, but he was supposed to be the guy that knocked Axl of his throne. Anybody from back then will remember that hype. 

So, instead of homework right now I am digging through that interview we did, finding the emails we exchanged, planning out how to make the issue that was originally intended for him to now being a great tribute to him. If anybody has any old pictures, ads, anything RCA related and is willing to donate it, please send it along. Thanks. Peter Banks is gone, Clive Burr is also gone. This one, though, is the one that really is the punch to the gut. Bobby was one of my guys, from my world.

RIP Bobby.

Yes, by the way, this work will have as little info in it as possible about the former member who went on to massive stardom. That guy gets enough publicity. This is about Bobby.

Suicide Bombers – Criminal Record:

Anybody who is familiar with Chris Damien Doll and his former band Trashcan Darlings should have an idea of what to expect out of Chris's new offering, Suicide Bombers. This is not to say that this act sounds exactly like Trashcan, but there are similarities, for obvious reasons. The main songwriter in Trashcan was Chris and this band has a similar style. While this is a separate band, there is no doubt this is a Chris Damien Doll product, and if this review gets somebody to pick this album up, I would kind of like to think that it might also cause them to seek out the previous band also. There is a lot of Chris Damien Doll goodness out there for people to spend some time with.

Let us first explore what is the same in these songs with those from previous days. The main thing one should notice is that Chris continues to show his care of song construction. Chris doesn't just write a song. Chris seems to like to pull apart his songs, find ways of fleshing them out, and actually building a song. His material might sound like “just rock and roll,” and one could easily take it for such. But if one was to really listen to the songs, the layering, the transitions, every aspect, one can find that there is a lot going on. Everything flows and everything fits.

It would seem that the big difference between the two bands is that while Trashcan had that Punk edge, Suicide Bombers live up to their name. They deliver bombastic Rock, the kind of stuff arenas were built for (sorry, sporting events were just time killers until somebody invented the electric guitar). The kind of stuff that was made to shake the earth. This is R-O-C-K that finds the right groove, the right hook, and then goes for the jugular. Hooks in the verses, and hooks for every chorus.

Songs such as “High On Explosives” and “Princess Socialite” push forward with such an urgency that in a live situation I would have to expect the club would be bursting. “Princess Socialite” in particular has such a high energy, and carries such a wonderful chorus, that when the song calms down in the middle one is almost thankful for the small break.

The only time the Bombers seem to not be so interested in rocking the living Hell out of your world is when they slow down ever so slightly for “Teenage Breakdown.” Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near an “Every Rose Has Its Thorns” slow down, but just enough to probably give the boys a chance to stop running around the stage. Think mid-tempo Dogs D'Amour from either Dynamite Jet Saloon or Errol Flynn. I could almost hear Tyla singing this one. A duet between Tyla and Chris would be absolute Heaven for this tune.

“Bombers En Vogue” might not have the same high energy drive as other songs, and might move at a slower pace, but the tune is all about strutting. The song works as a theme song, and it gives the listener an idea of the cocky swagger that the band must have. It gives us an idea of what their stance and position on a stage must be like. These guys own the land that stand on, and the stage is always theirs to conquer, no matter the locale or situation.

Chris does sound quite a bit like Trashcan vocalist Strange? Gentle, which surprised me quite a bit when I first heard the album. It probably should not have been too much of a surprise, as Trashcan ended due to Strange? feeling he had run the course, so Chris might not have been ready to put that band to bed yet. Chris might be a little bit better than the man who guided his previous band, but it will ultimately come down to a personal taste. If one liked Strange's voice, then one should be cool with Mr. Damien Doll.

This is not a perfect album, but it is extremely good. If there is a spot that might cause one to pause, it would be that Chris might have an acquired taste voice. It is not bad, but it is a voice perfectly suited to Trash and Punk. One won't find Chris throwing down against a Sebastian Bach, which for some is a grand thing. A voice like that would work against the attitude and power that hides within these songs. In all honesty, however, I am growing more and more fond of this album as time passes by.