24-7 Spyz - The Soundtrack to the Innermost Galaxy

Bronx-based black rock group 24-7 Spyz have been operating on the fringes of the mainstream for more than 30 years now, doggedly practicing their own particular musical gospel - a spicy blend of hard rock, metal, punk, soul, funk and even reggae and R&B - to those fortunate enough to have encountered it. Over the course of 6 albums they have persevered through lineup changes, record label mismanagement, and general public indifference to deliver material that, while not as consistently strong song-to-song as one might hope, was always a welcome respite from the tidal wave of grunge and nu-metal that dominated the popular rock landscape throughout the 90s. Now, 13 years have passed since their last album, and the Spyz have returned to a vastly different musical and cultural landscape to deliver The Soundtrack to the Innermost Galaxy, a joyous and ebullient collection of diverse songs that show the band in perhaps the best form of their long career.

Things begin with a quick, silly introduction (a modern Spyz tradition) before quickly establishing the playbook with "Anthem". Guitarist and singer Jimi Hazel delivers propulsive riffs as the other members of the group make their presence felt musically as well as vocally - bassist Rick Skatore, drummer Phil "Fish" Fishbone (the mastermind behind black rock brothers in arms Fishbone), and guitarist Ronnie "Head" Drayton - as the track shifts between Pantera-esque grooves and guitar solos to hip-hop, all while maintaining a goofy tone. The Spyz seem loathe to limit themselves to any one single genre as the album continues, moving through the brilliantly melodic heavy R&B on "Brothers and Sisters", the African psychedelia of "Ascension", to the stomping protest piece "Repeating Myself" and the breathlessly exuberant Gospel sentiment of "Thank You". There is a general warmth and confidence on display here that is quite impressive considering the time gap between this and the bands' previous record - Jimi Hazel's singing has only gotten better with age and his playing is as good as I've ever heard it.

I'm not able to get a dynamic range score at the moment for Soundtrack to the Innermost Galaxy, but I haven't experienced any noticeable symptoms of over compression or brickwalling in my time with it so far, in either MP3 or CD form. Mixing-wise, the album is quite good considering how tough the balancing act of these 2 excellent (and loud) guitar players, along with bass, drums, and oftentimes multiple vocalists all fighting for space at the same time. Discovering that Terry Date was once again on hand to mix the album was a great surprise as he clearly understands what type of sound the Spyz are looking for.

I could go on about Soundtrack to the Innermost Galaxy, but suffice it to say that it's something special. If you consider yourself a fan hard rock, metal, soul, or just bands with a unique sound, 24-7 Spyz have really delivered something worth checking out here. I only hope that it won't take 13 more years for the followup.

Alan Parsons - The Secret

It's difficult to think of a producer who has had a hand in as many memorable albums as Alan Parsons - from his work at Abbey Road Studios with The Beatles and Pink Floyd, his production roles with The Hollies, Al Stewart and others, as well as his own solo records and collaborative band with Eric Woolfson, The Alan Parsons Project. His imprint on an albums' sound is wonderfully consistent and instantly recognizable: softened drums, lush string arrangements, layered vocal harmonies, and an all-encompassing warmth that envelopes the listener like a favorite blanket.

Returning with his 5th solo album and his first in 15 years, The Secret, if nothing else, is a textbook Alan Parsons experience. Fans of his work in the 70s and 80s with his Project will find themselves right at home amidst the soft pop on offer here, which makes up the bulk of the material. As usual there is a light flourish of art rock adornment to be found - particularly on album highlight "One Note Symphony" and the opening track "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The majority of the album rests squarely in the soft pop category of Parson's wheelhouse, and longtime Project listeners will no doubt find the driving guitar-lead chug of "Miracle" and "As Lights Fall" reminiscent of Eye in the Sky-era Parsons Project.

While the album as a whole sounds excellent, I find that some of the songwriting decisions don't quite work out. "As Lights Fall" features Alan Parsons tackling the lead vocal role himself quite capably, but on "One Note Symphony" his vocal harmonies are noticeably off-key. Another trademark element of Alan Parsons Project albums is the rotating cast of singers, a feature that has been carried along onto The Secret, and I have few complaints with the roster Alan has assembled here. Jared Mahone ("I Can't Get There from Here"), Todd Cooper ("One Note Symphony", "Requiem"), and Mark Mikel (The incredibly Lennon-esque "Fly to Me") are my personal standouts and all deliver their performances wonderfully. The sole stumbling blocks come in the form of the bizarre inclusion of Foreigner's Lou Gramm on the ballad "Sometimes", a song that manages to be excessively schmaltzy even for an Alan Parsons album. The more I hear the track the more I think that fellow Brit Elton John would have been much more suited to the melody and desired delivery style, as Gramm's warbly vibrato distracts me more than enchants me.

The last couple of songs are fine, but nothing incredible. Songwriting was never Alan Parson's talent in the past, and The Secret doesn't do much to change that perception - there are few surprises here in terms of arrangement and composition. What The Secret makes up for in raw pop writing, however, is pure production value and dynamic range - even the weaker tracks here resonate with Parson's enhancements. Take the gorgeously overblown saxophone and piano tracks anchoring Todd Cooper's vocals on "Requiem", the string orchestration providing accent to P.J. Olsson's suave vox, or Alan's airy vocal harmonies in "Soiree Fantastique" - each track has been meticulously engineered and recorded to provide the richest listening experience possible. And that listening experience is Alan Parson's true legacy, because whenever the songwriting takes a dip or the lyrics get chintzy, you can always rest assured that the bottom line standard of what an acceptable sounding song is, will never drop too far below "fine". Mostly hits, a couple of misses, but The Secret as a whole is such a production treat to savor that it never feels aggressively out of place or overstays its welcome, clocking in at a modest 48 minutes. If you're a fan of the Alan Parsons Project or just excellent sounding records, The Secret is definitely worth your time even if it stumbles a couple of times before reaching the finish line. After all, who doesn't?

Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

I'm not sure if listening to too much Steven Wilson/Alan Parsons-engineered albums recently have made my ears into production snobs, but I cannot bear to listen to this album the whole way through. I can't tell you how many times I've thought to myself "You can do this, no problem, it's really not that bad", pressed play, and turned it off after 2-3 songs. I'm not sure how much blame rests with the music itself but in either case, this album was not engineered well.

And the songs themselves? Actually, I enjoy a couple of them. "Paralyzed", "S2N", and "Room 137" probably crush live, and when the band commits to the huge riffs that Petrucci throws out, it works pretty well. Other than that, nothing very memorable. John Myung's bass tone is loud and muddy, the drums are as cold and flat as cell wall, and James Labrie sounds... odd. Not bad necessarily, just that some of his vocal lines sound strange, like they weren't sure if some of these songs would work better as instrumentals or not, and threw together some quick vocal melodies just in case. "At Wit's End" is also pretty enjoyable, but again, the mix drowning you in guitar while also seemingly never getting louder or any softer for the whole runtime just makes everything blur together - no quiet time means that none of the big crescendo moments land as well as they should. So yeah, a couple of good moments (especially the outro of "S2N", holy shit that's good) amidst a sea of heavily compressed, semi-memorable Dream Theater material.