Episode 86: Somebody Get Brian a Dictionary

Boy do we have a long one for you! Clocking in at 1 hour and 42 minutes (including over 15 minutes of music) I think we have a new record for longest Sideshow Podcast. Why is it so long? Well, for starters, Kyle is back this week, and just like any other time he is here, he hosts the show. The ROCK(jock) takes through our our standard four new albums reviewed, plus a couple of previews, Brian’s live review of Kvelertak, and some further discussion on the Tim Lambesis situation. Yeah, it’s a jam packed show. We’re just trying to give you more for your money…so to speak.

Sideshow.86

Reviews: Beyond Creation – The Aura (Season of Mist); Cathedral – The Last Spire (Metal Blade/Rise Above); Clutch – Earth Rocker (Weathermaker); The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer (Sumerian/Party Smasher)

Also, since I, Brian, write these little posts, let me say: I am acutely conscious of the fact I need to ameliorate my lexicon. Yes, I apprehend I erroneously used the word ‘penultimate.’ Please pardon my limited knowledge of the English language.

The Dillinger Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer

Clutch – Earth Rocker

Cathedral – The Last Spire

Beyond Creation – The Aura

First Impression

Karnivool – “The Refusal”
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Darn! I was hoping you WOULDN’T review Clutch this week because now I can no longer keeps saying “when are you going to review Clutch?” The song Cyborg Bette on Earth Rocker is best song about getting it on with a robot since Sy Borg by Frank Zappa. For me, when Earth Rocker came out in the middle of March it was one of the best albums of 2013 at that point. But in hindsight it was only because of the light release schedule at the beginning of the year that made Earth Rocker seem so good. In the two months since Earth Rocker has come out, there have been a lot of good albums that have come out that have been better than Earth Rocker. It’s not that Earth Rocker has gotten better or worse for me, it’s just that other releases since then have been better. Even at the end of March to me there seemed to be a lack of good releases in 2013 but April and May has seen a flood of good stuff get released.

My opinion of One Of Us Is The Killer by Dillinger has changed a bit over the week. I had told Brian that the album wasn’t really changing my opinion of Dillinger. But over the past week I’ve continued to listen to the album and it is not wearing out its welcome, which is a good thing. The title track is certainly a song of year contender for me. My feeling about Dillinger applies to their type of music in general. In many cases of spastic, chaotic music there can be moments of brilliance that emerge from the chaos and then there are parts that are utterly forgettable. The best example of this is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (I like how I managed to get a Zappa reference and a Captain Beefheart reference in the same post). One Of Us Is The Killer has a similar Captain Beefheart thing going on throughout much of the album and I’m not sure if those moments of brilliance are really that good or if they are made better just in contrast to the rest of the forgettable music on the album (such as the last 4 songs). But as you said, this album is definitely a grower and may yet grow on me even more.

What amazed me about the bassist from Kvelertak climbing around everywhere was that he’s a big guy. This was not the little guitar player in Kvelertak who looks like Brendan Small who was climbing over everything, this bass player had to be at least 6 foot 3 and over 200 pounds climbing all over the place.

Another reason that Cathedral will get critical acclaim is because they’ve “paid their dues” and have managed to have over a 20 year career and this is their last go round as they ride off into the sunset. So now they will get acclaim for this specific album as sort of a “lifetime achievement” award much like sometimes an actor receives an Oscar not because they gave their best performance in that specific movie but because they have been good for a long time but just haven’t won an award (like Al Pacino).

An hour and 42 minutes! No wonder why Kyle only has time for this once every three weeks. You guys are becoming like a prog band. You’re the Mastodon of podcasts. The length of your podcasts are the equivalent of a band that started out with succinct 3 or 4 minute songs and now has progressed into full blown Crack The Skye era 10 minute epics.

2 comments

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bobsala says:

05/26/2013 at 12:19 pm

Darn! I was hoping you WOULDN’T review Clutch this week because now I can no longer keeps saying “when are you going to review Clutch?” The song Cyborg Bette on Earth Rocker is best song about getting it on with a robot since Sy Borg by Frank Zappa. For me, when Earth Rocker came out in the middle of March it was one of the best albums of 2013 at that point. But in hindsight it was only because of the light release schedule at the beginning of the year that made Earth Rocker seem so good. In the two months since Earth Rocker has come out, there have been a lot of good albums that have come out that have been better than Earth Rocker. It’s not that Earth Rocker has gotten better or worse for me, it’s just that other releases since then have been better. Even at the end of March to me there seemed to be a lack of good releases in 2013 but April and May has seen a flood of good stuff get released.

My opinion of One Of Us Is The Killer by Dillinger has changed a bit over the week. I had told Brian that the album wasn’t really changing my opinion of Dillinger. But over the past week I’ve continued to listen to the album and it is not wearing out its welcome, which is a good thing. The title track is certainly a song of year contender for me. My feeling about Dillinger applies to their type of music in general. In many cases of spastic, chaotic music there can be moments of brilliance that emerge from the chaos and then there are parts that are utterly forgettable. The best example of this is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (I like how I managed to get a Zappa reference and a Captain Beefheart reference in the same post). One Of Us Is The Killer has a similar Captain Beefheart thing going on throughout much of the album and I’m not sure if those moments of brilliance are really that good or if they are made better just in contrast to the rest of the forgettable music on the album (such as the last 4 songs). But as you said, this album is definitely a grower and may yet grow on me even more.

What amazed me about the bassist from Kvelertak climbing around everywhere was that he’s a big guy. This was not the little guitar player in Kvelertak who looks like Brendan Small who was climbing over everything, this bass player had to be at least 6 foot 3 and over 200 pounds climbing all over the place.

Another reason that Cathedral will get critical acclaim is because they’ve “paid their dues” and have managed to have over a 20 year career and this is their last go round as they ride off into the sunset. So now they will get acclaim for this specific album as sort of a “lifetime achievement” award much like sometimes an actor receives an Oscar not because they gave their best performance in that specific movie but because they have been good for a long time but just haven’t won an award (like Al Pacino).

An hour and 42 minutes! No wonder why Kyle only has time for this once every three weeks. You guys are becoming like a prog band. You’re the Mastodon of podcasts. The length of your podcasts are the equivalent of a band that started out with succinct 3 or 4 minute songs and now has progressed into full blown Crack The Skye era 10 minute epics.