The Sky Moves Sideways - Porcupine Tree

During the past year I began listening to Porcupine Tree. There are two albums that have striked mea lot and that I listen to regularly. One is Fear of a Blank Planet and the other one is The Sky Moves Sideways. I have already talked a bit about the first one in the post about PT (and surely I will make a post entirely devoted to it in the future) so now I would like to expand on the The Sky.

If you like Pink Floyd and you wonder how they could have sounded like have they begun playing in the ´90s instead of the ´60s, then this is an accurate proxy. Furthermore, the structure of the album is very similar to the one of Wish You Were Here (and for what I understand this has been made on purpose): it has 5 songs and the first and last are two parts of the same one, lasting +18 and +16 minutes each.

Coldplay

Coldplay is a rock band from London. As a matter of fact, they met and start playing together at the University College London. Short after ending up their studies, they got out thier first album. Thier appearance in the world musical scenario got a lot of people really thrilled. However, this emotion has been gradually fading out.

Sites to learn to play music II

A month ago I made a post about some useful sites to learn to play an instrument. Today I bring you some more. It´s incredible how many people told me that they wanted to learn to play some instrument but didn´t have the money or time to take lessons with a teacher or assist to an university or a formal school. So, I´m glad this posts are helpful.

Porcupine Tree

In my view, this is one of the most undervalued bands in history. Is not that they are not successful. Up to some extent they are, and at least many know that they exist. But they are SO GOOOOD that more people should take a while to listening to them. And by a while I am actually saying something like 6 months in which this band would have to be your main choice whenever you feel like listening to music.

Depeche Mode

This is another band which has a very distinctive sound. It´s pretty easy to identify a Depeche Mode´s song when you listen to it for the first time. There are many reasons for it. 

Playing for Change

Playing for a Change is a Project that uses music in order to get together people from different countries, religions and cultures. The idea is that music doesn´t follow any of these “logics” that are used as excusses for war, hate, etc. This way of understanding music is similar to the one that motivates the name of my blog. Hence, I think is a good idea for me to present you some of the stuff these guys have produced.

U2

It´s hard to find a simple description for U2. We could say that they are a band that has composed an enormous amount of hits. Probably, there is not another band which has so many songs known by so many people. Doing this, however, would not be fair to a great deal of songs that are not played on the radio or even by U2 itself in the concerts.

Sites to learn to play music

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about some websites where one could fin courses on music. This were formal education courses. Now I bring some sites that are more "practical" since they are aimed at learning some of the fundamentals of music and at learning how to play an instrument. One of them may suit your needs. I´ve been learning to play the guitar for some time now and I have used this webs to get some valuable exercises and advices.

There are a lot more and I will post some of them later on. In this ocassion I leave you this ones:

Muse

To my view, Muse is THE BAND of the last decade. Radiohead and Porcupine Tree have produced better things but of the bands that make their appearance in the 2000s, Muse is clearly the best. No doubt about it. In the years to come they will be the referential band and I´m pretty sure that in 30 years a lot of youngsters will say “fuck, I would have loved to be there to see Muse”. Well, kids, I wasn´t able to see Pink Floyd, so stop crying. Well thought, you haven´t as well, so cry the double.

Radiohead

In my opinion, they are the second best band still active, only after Porcupine Tree. They are very innovative and dare to experiment, never get stuck and have songs that'll blow your head!, Thom Yorke's voice is quite unique and very good, despite what may seem at first impression. Greenwood's guitar is one of the bests these days.

Brian Eno

I've noticed that there is a link between many of tha bands and musicians that I   admire: U2, Bowie, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel and, more recently, Coldplay. What do all have in common? They have been influenced directly (in production or participating as a partner) by the great avant-garde music Pop: Brian Eno. This great english artist, like it or not, is responsible for many of our favorite records, no matter how they sound ... bright, distinct, unique. 

King Crimson

When we talk about progressive rock we tend to place all groups in the same boat, when in reality there are many glaring differences between Pink Floyd or Genesis. And although it is a type of music that owes its greatest popularity to the group made by Waters and Gilmour, it is also true that, in my opinion, the progressive rock group that has remained more current and  has shown throughout his career a constant renewal that sets it apart from its other contemporaries is King Crimson.