Reinvestigating Supertramp's "Crime of the Century": Prog Review #27
Progressive ideas may not be the point of Supertramp, but the band uses those available options to turn half-finished song ideas into amazing compositions…. It's damn near perfect.
A recipe for Van Der Graaf Generator's "Pawn Hearts": Prog Review #26
Van Der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts is a peculiar dish - at once overly familiar and an acquired taste. Full of familiar and tired prog ingredients thrown together in a stew, Pawn Hearts retains a distinct, if somewhat confused, character.
Bugging Out to The Mars Volta's "Deloused in the Comatorium": Prog Review #25
"Now I'm Lost" keens Marcel Rodríguez-López on the chorus of Inertiatic ESP. I share his sentiment
The Harmonic Tremors of Magma's "Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh": Prog Review #24
There's a musical statement here: a garbled, manic, exuberant statement.
Podcast Review: Obscure with Michael Ian Black
Only faithful listeners to Obscure with Michael Ian Black can listen to a classic read aloud and hear it accompanied with uniquely thoughtful and entertaining commentary.
Tangential Musings on Tangerine Dream's "Phaedra": Prog Review #23
My wife says "it sounds like Blade Runner"
A Great Discovery in Rush's "2112": Prog Review #22
Though less impactful upon me than Foxtrot (1972), 2112 (1976) constitutes the prehistory of my love of prog.
A Smashing Video Game Crossover
Who could resist this pinnacle achievement of one of the leaders of video gaming?
An Exorcism for Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells": Prog Review #17
Many people are perhaps familiar with the opening 4 minutes or so, a section best known as the theme from The Exorcist (1973)
Pink Floyd's "Animals" Tamed: Prog Review #13
In simplicity, Floyd finds their most power and charm.
No Future in Can’s “Future Days”: Prog Review #8
A link between Progressive music and Video Game Music (VGM) is obvious to those of us who enjoy both genres
#TOS Too: Star Trek S1E13, “The Conscience of the King”
At a time when we are facing up to the idea that many of the artists responsible for entertaining us on a daily basis may have dark secrets, this is a curious episode to be reviewing.
One Beep for a Dying Colonialism: Star Trek TOS, S1Ep11 and 12, "The Menagerie"
The ideal of an harmonious human race necessitates external threats, but the fantasy of the show is pernicious by making the threatening aliens so frequently absent. This works as a variation of Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism in that discourse about the other (aliens) is controlled by European (Federation) writers, so that the subjects of inquiry are given no voice in creating a knowledge base about them. The result is a total demonization of the other that justifies continued cultural and political domination via colonization.
Wishing I Wasn't Here Listening to "Wish You Were Here": Prog Review #4
Two Pink Floyd albums in the top five? Maybe I should have started from the bottom of the list.
Sorting Through "Moving Pictures": Prog Review #3
It’s a wordplay offensive enough to be reminiscent of Byron’s Don Juan, and appreciating that phrasing or not might be a determining factor of who does and does not enjoy Rush music in general.
Seeking Audience "In the Court of the Crimson King": Prog Review #2
From the pinnacle of early prog we move backward to its inception: In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) must have made a remarkably jarring entrance into the world of popular music on its release.
Prog Review #1: In which we Illuminate the "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd.
Unfortunately, #1 is the album I’ve been dreading most: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Mini-Golf of Ottawa Summers Past
Spring is upon us, and that means it's time to hit the links in a small way. MINI GOLF! is a big passion of mine, and I here offer a review of the Ottawa mini golf scene. Sadly, I have not been to any of these locations since the original posting of this article (December 2013), but I trust the reviews still hold true. I think you'll agree that when it comes to planning your next golf date, these reviews will help you make it a hole in one.
Peace at Any Cost? Star Trek TOS, S1Ep10, "The Corbomite Maneuver"
Weird children is an apparently common theme in TOS.
“Toy Story Three” Is Not Sad, But Neither Are You For Thinking So
No, I’m not a heartless monster. I cry at the beginning of Up every time. And then I cry again at the end. Sometimes, just thinking about Up makes me cry.