I’m typing this with a Calculus book in my lap, perfecting my implicit differentiation (well, at least learning it well enough for an exam tomorrow).

Today’s rotation: Asia Minor - Crossing The Line Höyry-Kone - Huono Parturi Änglagård - Epilog Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Darwin! Low - Songs For A Dead Pilot EP Kenso - Zaiya Live

The Änglagård and Banco are classics. Picked up the Änglagård after Minion (an online comrade that I may often reference here) started praising the song “Höstsejd” from the album Epilog (I always sit up and take notice when Minion praises prog outside of the “prog mainstream”… I think he’s grown more receptive to it since I’ve eased off of my prog-pimp ways. He still doesn’t care for Italian… well, “classical-influenced” Italian at least. I think he likes the DFA songs he’s heard. DFA’s just symph-fusion that happens to be Italian).

I’m going to have to listen to the Höyry-Kone some more. A lot more. It’s very schizophrenic and constantly changing (though I hear that the band’s debut album is even more varied!). Kind of hard to get a grasp on the material when it refuses to sit still stylistically. I understand that they’re a blast to see live… I can imagine!

Now, the Asia Minor is just divine. How I wish this album were more widely available! It’s on Musea, so it’s easily mailorder-able, but I wish it could find it’s way into record stores the way Magna Carta and Metal Blade releases have lately (though, believe it or not, I’ve seen recent Cuneiform and Laser’s Edge releases in Tower Records! Hot damn!). It could be a lot more popular than it is. The band is Turkish, but sing in not-too-accented English. They play a very pleasing brand of symphonic - definitely influenced by the ‘70s British scene, but with very identifiable Middle Eastern influences, too.

There’s a little discussion going on at RMP (rec.music.progressive newsgroup) about overrated bands. The discussion started with just prog bands, but somebody mentioned listening to REM, Cranberries, and Smashing Pumpkins in the early/mid ‘90s, and that has sparked a tangent discussion about those bands (primarily REM). Half of the participants seem to think REM (specifically, “Automatic for the People”) is fantastic, while the other half dislikes it. Most interestingly, the divide isn’t between “progsnobs” and those less “prog-inclined” (ugh, that’s a terrible term, but bear with me). Rather, there are so-called “progsnobs” (also a terrible term, which hardcore prog fans have basically taken upon themselves in a tongue-in-cheek fashion) on both sides of the divide.

I don’t own Automatic for the People, but I’ll pick up a used one sometime. I have Out of Time, which I recently listened to after a long absence, and decided that it’s sorta “ehh”. AFTP is supposedly superior, so I’ll give it a shot whenever I can find a cheap copy.

There is a ton of jazz available from the BMG music club. I’m going to need about four memberships to get everything I want. Need to hit up some friends to allow me to have a membership in their name (which I’ll pay all associated costs for and all… hell, they can even pick a CD for themselves for their trouble). First targets will be two John Coltrane sets (the 4 CD “Complete Village Vanguard Years” set and the 3 CD “Impulse! Years” set) and Miles Davis’s “Complete Bitches Brew Sessions” 4 CD set. That’s one membership right there. So much music, so little time…