Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse
I believe, and am currently too lazy to verify, that this is the second full-length album from this technical metal group, but the first on Sensory. The thing that’s neat about this band and apparently still in effect is their tendency to draw from all over the metal spectrum for their blend, so that the fact that they are technical metal doesn’t necessarily point them out as being in the death metal or prog metal direction. This is a band not quite as hectic and insane as Behold…the Arctopus and despite what are extraordinarly complex and, often, gymastic compositions, there’s a very strong melodic content which occasional makes me think of prog metal, but not enough where I start shifting on my seat, wondering if a video is about to start. Music like this is quite enjoyable, slightly accessible while being unusual in the way the band links together riffs and then slams through them. Certainly an equal or better to previous material, I’m still feeling like I’d need quite a few listens to absorb what’s going on and start thinking of the tracks here as songs.
Faust - IV (2 CD remaster)
I’m quite glad this came out, not only because it’s my reigning favorite Faust album, but also because my previous copy was about to crap out, it’s probably about as half as old as I am. The second disc basically includes a BBC session and various alternate and extended versions of the album tracks, making this indeed an extended and somewhat deluxe version of the fourth. While at times I may think that makes it a bit too long, given the album’s rather spacey and jamming nature, that’s quite a deal. With every Faust album being different, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society (3-CD Special Deluxe Edition)
With a 9 in slot, I thought this three CD version of this seminal Kinks album would be massive overkill, instead the album triggered and I realized what a gem this collection of pop songs was. It basically covers both mono and stereo versions of the album, both of which sounded great to my ears, and then a third disc of outtakes and alternate versions of the songs, giving one often two, three or more versions of certain songs. I think, in many ways, that it was perfect timing for a listen, as with four previous listens under the belt, I could give this the time now to start getting familiar with it. Great pop music overall and it’s never sounded better. It got the big bump to an 11 with room to grow.