Sixty years after Ornette Coleman released The Shape of Jazz to Come, contemporary musicians continue to challenge and expand upon the core tenets of the genre. Besides its notable anniversary, I mention Coleman’s breakthrough specifically due to its embodiment of disruption. The reception for his playing style has softened considerably…
It seems as if the dubiously titled nu-prog has been slowing down over the past two to three years, at least when compared to the onslaught from the genre that we experienced in 2014-2016. However, the collective imagination around the sound still seems to be there. Something about the unabashed…
We here at Heavy Blog like to ponder the big questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Is viking metal even a thing? You know, the big stuff. In order to better address such pressing matters, we bring you Heavy Issues: a bi-weekly column by which we plan to…
Midpoint. Half in, half out. Shadow. A divide. Balance. The semantic milieu surrounding stuff that’s divided 50/50 is incredibly rich; it opens some of the greatest cultural creations of all time (“Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark” – Dante’s The Inferno) and…
As one of the newer writers for Heavy Blog, I feel as though I need to make another confession: I got into Metallica in the 90s. Are you all happy now?! You’ve broken me down and forced me to face the truth! And now you all know my terrible secret!…
It’s always thrilling to find extreme metal in unlikely places. Labenese (by way of Amsterdam) blackened death metal act Kaoteon are embracing their status as unique cultural representatives by writing some truly compelling music while smashing middle-eastern stereotypes. Regardless of locality though, Kaoteon crushes. Spearheaded by duo Anthony Kaoteon (guitar) and…
I distinctly remember where I heard Radiohead’s Kid A for the first time. It was on a road trip, driving with my parents and siblings to Yellowstone National Park. The mostly desolate and flat landscape surrounding most of our seemingly interminable drive from Colorado and through some of the most…
Of the many bands I became familiar with and wrote about in 2017, few meant more to me than the Boston art-rock/prog rock/whatever you want to call it collective Bent Knee. I’ve written about them several times this year, including a lengthy interview and profile of the band with frontwoman Courtney Swain. Frankly, by the time we were ready to roll out our album of the year list (where they ranked #17) I didn’t think I would be writing about them again for a while. But they were stopping through Brooklyn again in December, this time with the always amazing prog force that is Thank You Scientist, and I knew I had to come out and see them.
“Folktronica” may be the most contradictory musical oxymoron permeating the modern musical landscape. Juxtaposing the most organic and synthetic genres seems like a recipe for disaster, and yet, the it’s somehow worked surprisingly well for a subset of modern, electronically-inclined folk artists. Whether it’s indie darlings like Bon Iver or acts like Four…
No genre has experienced a more distinct shift in its cultural purpose than classical music. What was once the sole form of musical expression in Western culture has been largely relegated to specific roles in society. Modern classical certainly hasn’t lost any of its esteem, but in terms of popular…
