Terje Rypdal - Bleak House (1968) [Jazz]



My favorite Rypdal album happens to be his '68 debut, which displayed a tremendous amount of diversity and songwriting savvy unusual even for the late 60's. The title track swings like a sledgehammer, with Terje's guitar guiding that force like a sherpa through the mountainside. The other big star on display is Jan Garbarek on sax and flute respectively, but Rypdal is front and center: the last minute or so he turns up the distortion and heaviness a few notches and it takes the whole cut into unassailable territory...though that status applies to the rest of the record too. Sublime.

OLD - Break [You] (1995) [Atmospheric Industrial Stuff]



One of those synthesized slabs of alternative-minded doom pop that makes you wanna boot up your old copy of Quake or Doom and mow down some hellspawn at 2 AM in the morning. This track in particular has a nice (albeit processed) vocal melody and a killer bassline. OLD have other albums and material, but upon revisiting the Formula album I'm surprised at how well it has aged. A more ethereal Godflesh skipping along to a Post-Punk groove? Not a bad spin in 2020 and beyond.

Yes - Fly From Here Pt. II - Sad Night At The Airfield (2018) [Progressive Rock]



Trevor Horn remixed all the music and then re-recorded his vocals in this 2018 "remake" of the 2011 album Fly From Here at the request of a lot of people, resulting in 2018's Fly From Here - Return Trip. The singer on the 2011 outing was a guy named Benoit David - he isn't bad, but he's not quite up there with Jon Anderson or Trevor Horn.

Thus, for all intents and purposes, this is the last "real" Yes album, and it is a joy hearing Squire's phenomenal bass brought to the forefront (RIP), as it is one of his best performances since the 70's.

It helps that Trevor Horn is a good singer in general (he was also the lead singer on 1980's underrated Drama), but this particular track also showcases his songwriting chops in the best way possible. I love Howe's acoustic work in particular on this cut, and the mood is mournful but crackling with understated tension as it moves along.

The Great Tyrant - There Is A Man In The House (2008/2011) [Avant-Post-Punk]



Having seen this lovable trio live before they became the smoother (and perhaps more overtly sinister and well known) Pinkish Black, I can confirm that this self-titled song and album is a phenomenal blend of Zeuhl and some late period Scott Walker-esque morbidity, coupled with a virulent dose of synth-punk to complete the picture. It's just what the doctor ordered.

A tune a day is quite a fast pace, but you seem to be doing well with a lot of great music which is all pretty obscure by my standards. Recent favourites:-

Terje Rypdal - at least I'd heard of this guy, thanks to stephen
Old - my favourite of the recent posts
The Great Tyrant - thanks to your intriguing description I gave it listen. Nice - especially the synth sliding along on top of the noise.

Keep up the good work, Anteater :thumb:

^ Thank you Lisna, glad you are tuning it and enjoying some of the material. The other Rypdal album I think you might particularly enjoy is 1976's After The Rain, which has a more orchestral approach. He also plays all the instruments instead of just guitar. It's a great "solo" project in the literal sense.

Anyway...

Max Corbacho - One True Light (2011) [Ambient]



This guy is as prolific in the electronic ambient world at this point as Robert Rich and Steve Roach, but his compositional voice is harder to define in some ways to me. This particular piece, put on his odds-n-ends album Lost Links back in 2011 because it didn't quite "fit" his other albums, is in my opinion his unassailable masterpiece. There's something about the undulating, gradually unfolding nature of One True Light that makes it special and uncannily peaceful to me. The aural equivalent of a plunge into cold, completely clear water on a sunny afternoon.

Puzzle - N.Y.C. (1974) [Jazz-Rock]



Along with Chicago and BS&T, Puzzle were an early purveyor of jazz-rock's commercial and progressive possibilities, though unlike the former they actually spent most of their time around Chicago and were signed by Motown in 1972.

Their second album was remastered awhile back and I bought it without knowing much about them or the tunes. Luckily, it's pretty damn good, even swinging with a bit of a free jazz sensibility amidst all the yacht rockery. N.Y.C. bookends the album as the point where their more progressive and pop-oriented tendencies gel most harmoniously, especially with that Pharoah Sanders-esque opening stanza that builds into the main melody. Noice!

Strangeways - Fallen Angel (1997) [Moody, Jazzy Alt Rock]



Former late 80's AOR cult band turned 90's Scottish alternative rock soothsayers did a damn fine job on this slice of storminess, complete with some streetcorner sax straight out of a classic Morphine long player and some desert rock vibes on the guitar.

Lethal - Fire In Your Skin (1990) [USPM]



A stellar power metal debut with plenty of NWOBHM swagger and some prog touches here and there for flavor. It chronicles the utter breakdown of a man, and the atmosphere is palpable. It helps that Tom Mallicoat is a particularly good singer, falling somewhere between Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and Ray Alder (Fates Warning) in overall style.

The Pop Group - We Are Time (1979) [Post-Punk]



Felt a little nostalgic today, so went back to where it all started. We are a few decades in now and Mark Stewart's band of lovable loons will always be ahead of the creative curve in every possible way. Owning anything of monetary value may be theft, but I'm glad my uncle got me Y on vinyl as a preteen who despaired at the state of the world. The incessant, unassailable grooviness of We Are Time was glorious when I first heard it and it cannot be diminished even now.