Album Recommendations 6
It has been a long time since I published an album recommendations blog post, so as the end of the year draws ever closer, I would like to take the chance to share with you some artists I have discovered this year, and my favourite album from that artist – yes, I am well aware that I may have been living under a rock to have not properly given them the time of day until now.
There are also some old favourites of mine in there, so be sure to take a breath for a moment and check them out if you can!
妖精帝國（ようせいていこく）- PAX VESANIA (2013)
Some bands are just about the music, but others have a more intricate concept and, in this case, Yousei Teikoku have a strong theme that has persisted throughout their career. The name translates to Fairy Empire and that should give you some idea of how this band operates.
Even if you do not follow the story, or you are unable to understand the Japanese then you can still enjoy it. Well… that is if you want a band with seemingly endless energy and strong technical proficiency.
This song was used for the anime ‘Future Diary’ in 2011, and is every bit the intense anime opening song you want it to be, but it also stands up on its own! If you are interested in big symphonic sounds and gothic themes, this song would be perfect for you!
For many years, Tony Bennett was known as one of the top singers in the world, with endless charm and a tone that could move anyone. One of the things he became famous for towards the end of his career was a string of duet albums where he would sing with various artists, sometimes unexpected ones like Lady Gaga or Amy Winehouse.
In the early 2000s this album was created, and what a stable of musicians he managed to gather for it. Billy Joel, BB King, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and more! The titled track of the album has a little feature from each of the artists found on the album. One of the things that I like the most about this offering is that sometimes there is something fast and energetic, or it could be slow and sombre, reflective or heart-warming.
There are lots of little surprises in this one!
Not only is Ray Charles a veritable legend in the music business, he was known to be a character all around – this was probably a necessity having lost his vision at an early age.
His signature vocal style and piano wizardry are enough to impress even the most stoic of critics, but I also love this track as a guitar player. There is so much space for a guitarist to play over in this song, yet everything still feels connected. This is definitely a tune for staring out of the window during a long train journey on a rainy day.
Michael O’Neill – Arrival (2024)
Michael O’Neill may not be a household name, but ever since I discovered his playing thanks to a George Benson live show recorded many years ago, I realised that your name does not have to fall from everyone’s lips in order to be successful. So far, O’Neill has had a long and illustrious career and he continues to do so. This album was gifted to me by Michael himself when he visited Tokyo and we met for dinner in the not-too-distant past, and it is an example of pure class, a masterful lesson in phrasing and just pure coolness.
Sometimes you hear that someone has created an arrangement of a song, be it in any style, and all they have done is simply make one change, usually rhythmically. This can be very effective, and is a lot of fun in a jam session, but it can also sound derivative and lazy. This song however, is the absolute opposite of that!
To start off with you might enjoy this song for what it is, but then slowly you start to realise that it seems familiar. The original song features one of the most recognisable riffs of all time, one that many a young guitar player learns first on their journey, and this version retains some of that prestige yet still makes the song its own.
ZZ Top – Tres Hombres (1973)
ZZ Top are without a doubt one of the most famous power trios, fronted by what would be two of the most famous beards in the music industry. This album follows that tested power trio formula, but within a class of its own. There is some layering throughout the tunes, but nothing that would render the music impossible to play live.
The album also stands up to modern offerings in terms of sound quality, which is great considering the album was 53 years old at the time I was writing this blog post. All of the tunes are well written, but they do not lack that all important blues-y feel.
Sometimes playing a blues progression can feel a little stale, especially when you are used to hacking away at the chords or playing the all-too-common shuffle riff everyone learns in the early days. This tune is a masterclass in using a riff-based idea to highlight the chords of a 12-bar blues progression.
To further prove how great Billy Gibbons’ rhythm playing is, check out how he just slightly pulls back during the harmonica solo, really letting the lead instrument shine.
If you are in the mood to punch something, looking for something to mirror your anger or you just want to blow off some steam, The Haunted may be the band for you! This album has pure aggression and slamming guitar sounds at its heart, as well as tasteful samples and a smattering of surprisingly melodic riffs too!
‘99’ has one of the riffs that I had been hearing for a long time, but I could never remember where it came from. The bit that catches you off guard when you try to learn it is the unexpectedly tricky rhythm – the song shoves in a random bar of one beat and, whilst it looks a little silly on paper, it sounds amazing in the context of the entire song.
The solo is also worth noting, because it does not use the typically insane levels of shredding and ‘widdly’ nonsense. The solo works and, with a few fast passages thrown in, could show many other heavy bands a thing or two!
Final Thoughts
This list of recommendations is varied and you may not like all of them, but that is the beauty of music! Appreciate them for what they are and what they could mean to someone else.
That being said, the chaotic neutral listener in me wonders what the result would be if everyone on this list somehow got together and created a piece of music.
Something that I think would be good for any listener is to make sure you listen on a good pair of headphones, or on speakers that you can trust will reproduce the music as intended. I spent so many years using terrible earphones that, when I finally got hold of something worthwhile, I realised how much I had been missing! I would go into detail, but that is another blog post, I think!
