It's a week of Bobs, apparently. Roberts Mould, Pollard, and Wyatt all have new releases (in one case, two) along with a mixed bag of genres that should keep most well-settled heads spinning.
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery Deluxe/Remaster: The music of this prog-rock classic is legendary and seemingly timeless. Who doesn't know "Karn Evil 9"? I will fight them that claim not to know it! The artwork has always been a favorite of music fans - myself included - and this remaster puts it back in a format that duplicates, in smaller form, of course, the intricate and beautiful design of the original vinyl release. HR Giger's stunning, weird artwork is featured in a diecut, folding package with a mini-poster inside, along with an extensive 24 page book with rare photos and an essay. But that's not all - for the first time ever, instrumental outtakes of "Jerusalem" and the full "Karn Evil 9" suite are appended to the album. Pretty cool deal even for casual fans.
Jesu - Lifeline EP: Where Godflesh drifted only minimally, or maybe laterally within their little niche of grinding, pounding metal, Justin Broadrick seems to have seen Jesu as a vehicle for ascending through other genres, release by release. With the release earlier this year of Conqueror, Jesu successfully mixed his roots in Godflesh with his love of shoegaze, with an unexpectedly beautiful and mature result. The four song Lifeline EP will probably be another step forward, if maybe less dramatic than Conqueror and its predecessor, the Silver EP.
Also of note for Broadrick fans is Pale Sketches, 46 minutes of unreleased Jesu material from the past 7 years. It will be limited to 2000 copies and once it's gone, it's gone, so get yourself over to Avalanche, the only place to buy one, and order a copy right now.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
So have you heard anything about a new Porcupine Tree EP? I just heard something about this and it sounds pretty interesting -- theres supposedly a twenty minute song on there featuring Robert Fripp.
Good stuff as always here, Tom, and I didn't mean to change the subject of your column but I figured you might be the guy to ask.
-Glen
2 - Tom Johnson
Yep, I've have it and I've heard it - in fact, I've got it up on my site via the MediaMaster player if you want to hear it. I've been hoping to do a short write up soon (in fact, I probably should do that now that you ask) but fans will need this simply for "Normal" alone - it carries on the "Trains" theme that Fear's "Sentimental" started. I'm not sure what's going on with these songs, why they're all tied together, but it's clearly not a case of accidentally reusing a motif. And, yes, PT fans NEED this EP - it's essential stuff.