I had the pleasure of being introduced to The Mercury Tree at Progtoberfest this past year. This Portland band was easily one of the most interesting and modern sounding bands on the bill. They are far from being just another prog band, as they incorporate influences from math rock, jazz, alternative rock, and more. All of this is evident on their latest record, Countenance, which displays an enormous stylistic range (and a huge progression from their previous records). If you're a fan of bands like The Mars Volta, Tera Melos, Tool, and King Crimson, then give this record a listen.
King Crimson
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 The legendary Swedish symphonic proggers return with a new lineup and a new live record. How does it hold up? Read on ... |
 King Crimson have a returned with a new lineup, and they played their first shows last week, with a heavy focus on material from the 1970s. This is surprising, as the post-1980 incarnations of KC only ever performed four songs from the ‘70s - ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’, 'The Talking Drum', ‘Larks Tongues in Aspic, Part II’, and ‘Red’, all of which are also being performed on this new tour, alongside seven other songs from the era. Since the band has finally decided that it is time to look backwards in a more traditional manner, I thought it would be fitting to devote a post to discussing the more unusual ways in which the band preferred to look backwards over the past two decades. |
 In my last post, I did an in-depth analysis of the title track from King Crimson’s Discipline. I’d recommend reading that before delving into this one. |
 An in-depth analysis of King Crimson's 1981 song "Discipline". |
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