Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Security) (1982)

"Still the warmth flows through me / and I sense you know me well / It's only common sense / there are no accidents 'round here"

Whereas the previous album Melt is his most coherent self-titled, the fourth and final album of the set is largely formless and oblique. For Security, Gabriel eschewed his rock roots almost entirely, fully immersing himself in the burgeoning field of electronic music with extensive use of synthesizers and samples, as well as the decision to record the entire album digitally (which at the time was almost unheard-of). The songs here are nebulous, seamless electronic experiments, and while there are some moments of more traditional prog to be found, for the most part this release is far removed from what listeners expect from Peter Gabriel. Security is not an album for everyone, to be sure; but for the dedicated listener it can be thoroughly rewarding. What could have easily been a clumsy attempt to aimlessly tread new ground instead ended up as a subtle, nuanced venture into territory that Gabriel had been quietly charting out on his previous albums. His years of experimentation with incorporating these sounds into rock music left him well-off to successfully take the next step, right off into the deep end. Security is an abstract, haunting and consistently beautiful piece of work that deserves just as much attention as its more accessible precursors.



1. The Rhythm of the Heat
2. San Jacinto
3. I Have the Touch
4. The Family and the Fishing Net
5. Shock the Monkey
6. Lay Your Hands on Me
7. Wallflower
8. Kiss of Life

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Peter Gabriel (Melt)
Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Melt) (1980)

"You know I hate to hurt you / I hate to see your pain / but I don't know how to stop"

The third Peter Gabriel album shows him retreating both from his past in Genesis as well as from the commercial, accessible sound that he embraced on his first two solo efforts. Melt is instead a dark, aggressive, unsettling album that tells stories of break-ins, political assassinations and intense mental decay. This release features his old bandmate Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals, and it's the first time Collins experimented with his gated reverb technique of pounding, punchy drums without any use of cymbals, which lends itself very well to an album like Melt. It also has Gabriel delving further into the realm of electronic rock music, which at the time was still in its infancy. Of all Gabriel's self-titled albums, this is easily the most coherent and consistent of the bunch. If you have to choose one to listen to, it should be Melt. If you're not convinced after listening to "No Self Control", well, you're a lost cause.



1. Intruder
2. No Self Control
3. Start
4. I Don't Remember
5. Family Snapshot
6. And Through the Wire
7. Games Without Frontiers
8. Not One of Us
9. Lead a Normal Life
10. Biko

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Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Scratch) (1978)

"I need perspective, I don't trust my eyes"

On Gabriel's second eponymous album, Robert Fripp moves up to the title of producer, and also plays guitar on half the tracks and uses his Frippertronics looping technique on "Exposure". While this record still likes to toe the line between prog and pop, it falls more often on the side of prog. Scratch is perfectly unfocused, meandering through rock, electronics, and even a little bit of reggae on "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World", with Gabriel's obtuse lyrics managing to strike a personal chord - even if it's not one that you can quite put a finger on. It's not quite as accessible as its predecessor, but despite its experimentation and free-wheeling, it's still a pop album at heart, never passing up an opportunity to pull you in with a catchy hook or infectious keyboard rhythms, seen prominently in the closing of "White Shadow", which is the centerpiece of the album. All four of his self-titled releases are absolutely worth the time of day, but this one might just be my favorite.



1. On the Air
2. D.I.Y.
3. Mother of Violence
4. A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World
5. White Shadow
6. Indigo
7. Animal Magic
8. Exposure
9. Flotsam and Jetsam
10. Perspective
11. Home Sweet Home

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Peter Gabriel (Car)

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Car) (1977)

"When illusion spin her net / I'm never where I want to be / and liberty she pirouette / when I think that I am free"

Shortly after leaving Genesis in 1976, Peter Gabriel recorded a string of four self-titled albums between 1977 and 1982, all of which are generally referred to by what image is on each of their respective covers; given the short length of time for that transition to take place, it makes sense that these albums (and this first one in particular) sound strikingly similar to Genesis's work during that period, but there are certainly pronounced differences. With the stigma of being part of a progressive rock band no longer hanging over him, Gabriel was free to make music that, while certainly having some of the trademark bombast of prog, as well as experimentation with electronic music (it was recorded by Robert Fripp, after all) and large orchestration, was remarkably poppy and concise for an artist who not too long before was writing massive rock operas. Depending on how you look at it, Car is either a brilliant example of accessible, digestible, yet still immensely respectable prog rock or a boundary-pushing pop album that still sounds fresh and resilient over 30 years later. Either way, it's not something you should pass up on.



1. Moribund the Burgermeister
2. Solsbury Hill
3. Modern Love
4. Excuse Me
5. Humdrum
6. Slowburn
7. Waiting for the Big One
8. Down the Dolce Vita
9. Here Comes the Flood

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Stationary Odyssey - Johnfriend (2009)

"Post-rock-punk-ambient-prog-grind-rockers Stationary Odyssey have released a FREE digital EP titled "Johnfriend". The "Mud Center" Indiana-based duo of Aaron Tanner and Brett Siler released their previous full-length “Head! Foot! And The Pink Axe” on Joyful Noise back in 2006. One split with Child Bite later, they have resurfaced with the more polarized "Sons Of Boy". Featuring a host of guest musicians such as Chris Schlarb (Asthmatic Kitty, I Heart Lung), Shawn Knight (Child Bite), and Aaron Tanner’s seven-year-old son - the Stationary Odyssey boys have created an 8-track mini-opus of face-melting moments alongside crystalline spasms of beauty.

With the Johnfriend EP we get a glimpse into the new Odyssey album wrapped in feedback-laden amusement. The EP contains a new track from the album, a feedback-laden cover of T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution", a remix, and an A Capella demo."

This is quite an interesting little release, and hard to describe, hence my usage of their description instead of my own; keep an eye out for their full length to appear here soon

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The Constellation Branch - The Dream Life, The Real Life, The Empty Glass... (2008)

This Phoenix four-piece has been setting the blogosphere on fire for the past week or so with this release; everyone and their dog seems to be getting blown away by this little band's debut album, which I would compare favorably (as other reviewers have) to a mix of mewithoutYou and Radiohead, with a bit of '80s/'90s emo flair thrown in for good measure; what makes this so surprisingly good is that it doesn't sound like a debut; this sounds like a band that's spent years perfecting their sound

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Paatos - Kallocain (2004)

A combination of progressive rock and trip-hop, and no you didn't read that wrong

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The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever (2008)

2008 saw these bodacious rocker dudes stepping up their indie-prog-rock to the next level, now it's only a matter of time before people start noticing

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The Big Sleep - Son of the Tiger (2006)

An "indie rock" band that actually, you know, rocks. About time, eh

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