"YYZ" RUSH (1981)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

It’s quite appropos that one of the key entry points into the catalog of one of Canada’s greatest rock bands of all time is named after the international code for Toronto’s main airport. Moving Pictures – like The Wall or Led Zeppelin IV – was a gateway album for me. But here’s the difference for me. Not only did Moving Pictures get me into the greater Rush canon, it helped solidify my passion for music, for life. While it was much more mainstream than a 2112 or Hemispheres, it was still largely progressive in so many ways. The lyrics. The song composition. The experimentalism. Only “The Camera Eye” clocked in at over ten minutes. But “YYZ” felt like an epic, “2112 Side A”-level affair compacted into four minutes.

Absolutely mammoth. Geddy’s bass lines run at impossibly fast lightning speed. Alex takes full advantage of the song’s instrumental nature, delivering one monster riff after another, culminating in his solo at the 2:20 mark. As for Neil, no corner of his drum kit is spared on this track. He uses everything at his disposal. The piece's introduction, played in a time signature of 10/8, repeatedly renders "Y-Y-Z" in Morse Code using various musical arrangements. From there, the greatest track lets loose, daring countless musicians to try their own rendition, including Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Dream Theater, Primus and Muse. “YYZ” has become a sort of rite of passage for both musicians and fans alike.

"WAITING FOR THE WORMS" PINK FLOYD (1979)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Few rock & roll moments can rival the experience of hearing The Wall for the first time as a teenager. I was obsessed with this album for quite a while – and the movie, too. The Wall is an extraordinary soundtrack because, first of all, it’s a true soundtrack filled with songs intimately woven into the scenes of the movie. These tracks aren’t just background noise. Beyond simple ear candy, this was music that indulged the head and the heart fully. There was no filler on here. “Waiting For The Worms”, as a deep cut, is all the proof you need.

“Waiting For The Worms” is a perfect example of the ingenuity and ambition of Pink Floyd. They gave their minds and hearts fully to the music. This track won me over from the first listen. It flaunts like Queen one moment, and trudges like Sabbath another. To call it a rock song is to overlook its complexity – this is more like a composition with four interconnected movements. The megaphone alone crawls under your skin and stays buried there for days.

“The Worms will reconvene outside Brixton bus station.”

"BONES" RADIOHEAD (1995)

This month on Twitter, @sotachetan hosts #BrandedInSongs – which is a head-on collision of my personal world of music and my professional world of branding and advertising. The challenge is to simply pick a song with a brand name in its lyrics or title. I added one more criteria to my picks, which is this: the songs themselves must be as iconic as the brands they mention. No filler here.

Music fans have mostly heralded the originality and ambition of OK Computer and Kid A over all the other incredible Radiohead albums. OK Computer is one of my favorite albums of all time, no doubt. But it’s not even my favorite Radiohead record. That distinction belongs to The Bends. I love innovation just like any semi-serious music fan, but at the end of the day, I just want a great collection of bangers. Like the first six studio albums from Zeppelin, The Bends is an album built on monster guitar riffs, not monster ambitions. There’s not a weak link in the bunch. “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, “Fake Plastic Trees” and “(Nice Dream)” are perhaps the most well known songs on the tracklist, but “Bones” is one of those that makes me wish Radiohead would keep rocking out a little more.
How about Jonny’s guitar chops on this one? On “Bones”, this makes me think of all the kids out there who want to play guitar. I think most of them want to play like Jonny. Thrashing, screeching and motoring his way across a three-minute piece de resistance. Everything else rides on this monster wave, that grooving bass line and Thom’s vocals that fluctuate from straight-ahead underground to falsetto in the heavens. “Bones” is the kid in Thom, Jonny, Ed, Colin and Philip jamming in the garage because there’s nothing remotely better to do with their time.

“Now I can't climb the stairs. Pieces missing everywhere. Prozac painkillers. When you've got to feel it in your bones.”

“MONEY" PINK FLOYD (1973)

This month on Twitter, @sotachetan hosts #BrandedInSongs – which is a head-on collision of my personal world of music and my professional world of branding and advertising. The challenge is to simply pick a song with a brand name in its lyrics or title. I added one more criteria to my picks, which is this: the songs themselves must be as iconic as the brands they mention. No filler here.

Dark Side of The Moon has triggered very polarizing reactions to it. On one end of the spectrum, fans consider it to be the holy grail of prog rock converging with jazz. On the other end, a sizable population of music fans think it’s grossly overrated. I lean toward the first end simply because I don’t think there’s anything else like it. What’s great about it? Plenty. There’s the creative ingenuity first and foremost, which is prominent in the unconventional song structures, the improvisational nature of the instrumental solos, and the new dimension of sound design and effects.To the naysayers, I say this.You might not like the sound of it, but you have to recognize the magntiude of creativity of Dark Side. Like a Pet Sounds, Aja, Psychocandy or OK Computer, it sounds like nothing that came before it. Just take a listen to “Money” if you don’t believe me.

While “Money” belongs in the annals of classic rock history, the song seems to be more at home inside a tiny jazz club than a stadium. The track begins with the iconic sound of the cash register. This is genius, not gimmick. There was no established template telling rock bands this was the way to kick off a song. This is the ingenuity of Pink Floyd from the very first second of the track. Next, the bass line kicks in, one of the most memorable ones ever crafted. You don’t have to be a rock fan to instantly recognize it. But I think what brings “Money” over the edge is the combination of sax and guitar work. Trippy psychedelic guitar licks during the verses surround the sax solo that improvises in the gaps. Like I said, rock seamlessly blended with jazz. And like any good jazz outfit, one solo leads to another. The song’s climax is Gilmour’s guitar solo exploding greedily for nearly half the song.

“I'm in the high-fidelity first-class traveling set, And I think I need a Lear jet.”

"THE SPIRIT OF RADIO" RUSH (1980)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

I could’ve picked any number of album openers from this Canadian trio. But “The Spirit of Radio” is probably the one that’s most endearing to me as a fan. Before I owned my Permanent Waves cassette, I was borrowing one from the town library. Slightly turned off and amused by the beige plastic back and slightly turned on by the front album cover. Where would this album take me? It was off in a hurry to show me prog rock could be accessible. That instrumental prowess matters. That music doesn’t have to be super complicated. Sometimes nothing gets you going like a good guitar solo. Enter “The Spirit of Radio”.

“The Spirit of Radio” was the stuff of a young boy’s fascination and admiration with hard rock. I mean, it just rocked really hard. One of Alex Lifeson’s best moments in the studio, in my opinion. But then it has an unexpected moment where a reggae refrain seeps in and disrupts the carnage, like some comic relief. Only Rush could do this. And since this is Rush playing, everyone, of course, is firing on all cylinders. Geddy is on a rampage on his bass guitar – and singing at the same time when performed live. And Neil is bullying his drums into submission. Not just an incredible album opener, a phenomenal setlist opener, eye opener and mind opener.

“For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall, concert hall, and echoes with the sound of salesmen.”

"IN THE FLESH?" PINK FLOYD (1979)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

The Wall was my introduction to the world of Pink Floyd – and today still remains one of my favorite albums of theirs. It made me appreciate the power of a concept album. How all the tracks are strung together by a single idea and a single narrative. The Wall made me appreciate musical storytelling. Eventually this fascination meant getting the poster, watching the movie and diving into other more “accessible” parts of the band’s catalog. None of this would be possible if “In The Flesh?” didn’t reel me in with the deep, tangible conviction that I was going to be missing out if I didn’t keep listening.

I’ve written quite a bit about loud-quiet-loud dynamics on this blog – something mastered by several different bands such as the Pixies, Nirvana and Live. Well, it doesn’t get much better than Pink Floyd’s “In The Flesh?” Gilmour’s opening monster guitar riff gives way to Water’s sinister vocals. The track then revisits Gilmour’s iconic riff only this time accompanied by the sound effect of a plane nosediving in the sky. Never before have I felt like I just heard an entire album after only listening to Track 1.

“So ya thought ya might like to go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusion. That space cadet glow.”

"TIME" PINK FLOYD (1973)

For the month of October, I’m taking the #OctAtoZBandChallenge challenge. The premise is simple. Pick a band starting with the day’s assigned alphabet letter and then choose a song from that band.

Day 16

There are only a small handful of albums that shook me to my core when I first heard them. Dark Side Of The Moon is one of them. I didn’t need the mind-expanding drugs to help either. It was always about the music. It was unlike anything that came before it, and I would argue that nothing else after it comes close. Calling a track on this album a song simply isn’t doing it justice. Each one is a sonic experiment, engineered by Alan Parsons and brought to life by one of the most experimental rock bands in history. “Time” is a natural choice for so many reasons.

Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, “Time” starts with its iconic soundscape of clocks and wind chimes, indicating the passage of time in a simple, yet captivating way. This is the only song on Dark Side that includes all four band members as co-writers. Each member brings something powerful to the track. Gilmour’s vocals are among his best. “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.” Waters and Mason lay down a rhythmic bed that accentuates the passing of time. And Wright’s organ hooks and the exhilarating backing vocals are the gateway between the song’s firm rock stance and bluesy demeanor.

“Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way. The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.”

"HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF" MUSE (2019)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

In the past 20 years, the 80’s have made quite the comeback. The decade’s sound was prominent in bands like The Killers, The Bravery and Franz Ferdinand. Then later, 80’s covers started going from nostalgic filler to new musical dimensions from some of most established artists around. Weezer’s “Africa” and Johnny Cash’s “Personal Jesus” come to mind. But Muse’s lesser-known rendition of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” also caught my attention recently on Spotify.

The original was utterly infectious and highly emblematic of the decade. It was all about those juicy instrumental elements. Nick Rhodes’ celestial syynthesizer swirls. Andy Taylor’s laser-sharp guitar riffs. John Taylor’s octave leaping bass lines. Rather than turn the song upside down, Muse took all the likable elements and simply turned them up a notch, giving each instrument a little more sonic edge. It’s predictable in the sense that this is Muse in its comfort zone, but the most unpredictable aspect of the track is the song selection itself.

“Darken the city, night is a wire. Steam in the subway, earth is afire.”

"THE 2ND LAW: ISOLATED SYSTEM" MUSE (2012)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

The natural pacing of a band’s music tells you a lot about their approach. It’s a lot like basketball where some teams prefer to push the ball up the court and play fast while other teams are better at slowing things down and playing in half-court sets. Muse is almost all run-and-gun. Their natural inclination is to go hard and fast, which makes a track like “The 2nd Law: Isolated System” a real test of their capabilities. This is where they downshifted without stepping on the brakes.

Together with its companion track, “The 2nd Law: Unsustainable”, this track helped wind down the album to a contemplative, other-worldly state. It’s more science, less fiction. It’s cinematic. And it’s the kind of track that can double as a film score because its vast, orchestral soundscape works in layers. Each of the layers are worth unpacking and enjoying on their own. Muse has always amazed me at the sheer amount of sonic bliss that they’re able to create from just three musicians — and “The 2nd Law: Isolated System” is no exception.

"UPRISING" MUSE (2009)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

The thing about Muse is that just about every song is instantly recognizable as a Muse track. The instrumentation is always ambitious, even on the poppier Black Holes and Revelations. The sounds are drenched in full distortion to the point where Bellamy’s guitar often sounds nothing like a guitar. And there’s something otherworldly about the music. In one track you feel like you’re being abducted by aliens. On another you feel like you’re leading a revolution against evil. Which is exactly what I feel every time I hear “Uprising”.

I’ve yet to see Muse live, and it’s songs like “Uprising” that make me rightfully feel like I’ve missed out completely. This song was meant to be played hard, loud and live. It rips your guts out and rebuilds your innards even stronger. It blows your mind and then reprograms you to be ready for the revolution - at least in your head. It’s not just a hard rock song with a sci-fi edge. It’s a transporter for your soul. And you can’t ask for more from music.

“They will not force us. They will stop degrading us. They will not control us. We will be victorious.”

"STOCKHOLM SYNDROME" MUSE (2004)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

I first discovered Muse on a car ride. My in-laws asked me if I heard the band Muse and then proceeded to play what I think might’ve been Black Holes and Revelations. I wasn’t hooked immediately, but I was intrigued enough because I had heard nothing like them before. Muse is a genre masher. They’re not metal, but they use heavy distortion and emphatic beats as well as anyone out there. They’re not classical, but classical structures and styles from Chopin to Rachmaninov are imprinted all over their music. And they’re definitely not punk, but many of their songs are anti-establishment at their core. “Stockholm Syndrome” is one of them.

“Stockholm Syndrome” lifts you up and then shoves you down. Every single note and word seemingly unleashes a fit. You might just be casually listening to the music when you feel the slightest bit of insanity taking over. Interestingly, the song personifies the abuser in a Stockholm Syndrome scenario, not the victim. Like the abuser, the music feels like it’s trying to sway you. Convince you. “Stockholm Syndrome” wants you to keep on listening and never leave its side.

“And we'll love, and we'll hate and we'll die. All to no avail.”

"LEAVE THAT THING ALONE" RUSH (1993)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

While Counterparts represented a return to the guitar-heavy side of Rush, some of the songs contain reminders of the power guitar riff era of “Working Man” and the band’s first album. But one track, in particular, showed a new side to Rush. “Leave That Thing Alone” helped bring up the rear on the album and ushered in an evolved sound as one of their best instrumentals in several years.

“YYZ” and “La Villa Stangiato” still stand the test of time as two of Rush’s best instrumentals, and two of their best songs period. But I don’t think “Leave That Thing Alone” is that far behind them. Like a classic jazz recording, Lee, Peart and Lifeson all take turns in the spotlight. But for the most part, it’s Lifeson’s multiple riffs that assert the most presence, echoing Counterparts’ heavy emphasis on guitars. Hats off to Peart for being one of rock’s most talented lyricists, but tracks like “Leave That Thing Alone” make me wonder why Rush hasn’t composed and recorded more instrumentals.

"RED SECTOR A" RUSH (1984)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Grace Under Pressure is rarely mentioned among Rush’s best albums. On the surface, it seems that other recordings were able to assert a more clearly defined musical agenda, including Fly By Night, 2112, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, among many others. But one could argue that Grace Under Pressure is where Rush started to put multiple musical explorations together unlike any other album. While Signals was almost exclusively synth, Grace Under Pressure is where Lifeson’s guitar-driven attack collided with Lee’s synth explosions. You can hear it loud and clear on “Red Sector A”.

Uncharacteristic of the band, there isn’t a single bass line to be found on this song. Instead Lee focused solely on creating calculating synth jams and singing the harrowing story of life inside a prison camp. Meanwhile, Lifeson and Peart led the attack on guitar and drums, building a soundscape that washes over you. What’s more profound beyond the music is the influence of “Red Sector A”, which bears a striking resemblance to the epic musicality of Muse.

“All that we can do is just survive. All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive.”

"RED BARCHETTA" RUSH (1981)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Growing up, one of the albums that I’ve played from beginning to end incessantly was Moving Pictures. In the streaming age, this ritual has lost its luster a bit, as I’ve ended up playing its individual tracks probably more often than the entire LP. But in recent years, this has only helped reinforce how much each of these songs mean to me — and none more so than “Red Barchetta”.

“Tom Sawyer” had attitude. “YYZ” had technique. “Limelight” had melody. But “Red Barchetta” had heart. About a joy ride turned car chase, it had all the musical trappings to further the narrative — from Peart’s cymbal crashes to Lee’s adrenaline-fueled vocals. One of my favorite Alex Lifeson guitar solos happens at the 3:20 mark. Often overshadowed by Lee’s bass playing skills and Peart’s prowess on drums, Lifeson more than held his own on “Red Barchetta”.

“Drive like the wind. Straining the limits of machine and man.”

"THE TREES" RUSH (1978)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Not an easy task picking just four Rush songs for a Rock Block. I could easily dedicate an entire month of Mental Jukebox to the band. But we all know Rush isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s mine, and it has been mine since middle school. Rather than wax poetic about the brilliance of “YYZ” or “Freewill”, I’m going to skip ahead to the second and third upper echelons of Rush greatness, starting with “The Trees”.

“The Trees” was one of only two normal-length songs on Hemispheres. But regardless, it still had strands of prog rock throughout. The instrumental interludes and chord progressions were eclectic — and the lyrics are some of Neil Peart’s best, a story about trouble in the forest among the maples and oaks. Musically, The Trees covers a lot of ground in under five minutes, starting with a classical guitar introduction, shifting into hard rock Rush and then finishing off with a foreshadowing of the bass and guitar stylings that would later appear on Permanent Waves and, most noticeably, on Moving Pictures. Epic is an understatement.

“There is trouble in the Forest. And the creatures all have fled as the Maples scream ‘Oppression!’ And the Oaks, just shake their heads.”

"GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS" PETER GABRIEL (1980)

Inspired by Albumism, I’m doing my own version of Flying Solo with individual tracks. Band breakups and hiatuses are never fun, but these solo jams were defining moments in my life’s soundtrack.

Before his foray into alternative rock and world music, Peter Gabriel carried the prog rock themes of early Genesis into his solo work. With “Games Without Frontiers”, he made prog rock more accessible.

One of my favorite Peter Gabriel anthems, just about everything in it was progressive, from the vocals to the keys to the guitar to the whistling. But the melody was palatable, even catchy. Each track on Peter Gabriel 3 was like a unique book that you could pull off the shelf, dust off and devour. “Games Without Frontiers” felt like a post-apocalyptic narrative, like The Hunger Games, Battle Royale and Lord of the Flies rolled up into one 4 minute jam.

“If looks could kill they probably will. In games without frontiers - wars without tears.”

"WUTHERING HEIGHTS" KATE BUSH (1978)

For Women’s History Month, I’m selecting some of my favorite songs from some of the most talented and influential women in music. From frontwomen to singer-songwriters to iconic performers, I’m picking one song a day on Mental Jukebox until the end of March.

It’s not a pop song. Or a rock song. It’s just a brilliant work of art. The songwriting and instrumentation for “Wuthering Heights” are more akin to the storytelling approach and epic scale of a Broadway musical than anything else. It’s what was playing in Kate Bush’s head after reading the novel and film adaptation of the same name. At the age of 18, “Wuthering Heights” showed us Kate’s innate ability to surprise us and introduce us to different worlds.

“I'm coming back to his side to put it right. I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering, Wuthering Heights.”

"CLOUDBUSTING" KATE BUSH (1985)

This week I’m featuring 80’s deep cuts on Mental Jukebox. They’re the non-charting singles. The forgotten b-sides. The unheralded album staples. While they may not be the first songs that come to mind when you think of the 80’s, they’re some of the most important musical statements of the decade.

Kate Bush stands in two worlds. One foot firmly in the future. Another foot firmly back in time. No other female artist in her era was more influential. But for some reason, her full body of work has gone largely unnoticed in the U.S. Even “Running Up That Hill” was only considered a minor hit in the states. That qualifies “Cloudbusting” as a true deep cut. With its austere, cello-led string arrangement, it’s the antithesis of radio-friendly and the blueprint for genre crossover maneuvering.

“I just know that something good is gonna happen.”

"WISH YOU WERE HERE" PINK FLOYD (1975)

It wasn’t your typical Pink Floyd, neither falling within the prog rock era or their hard rock catalog. Nonetheless, “Wish You Were Here” was one of their best, most memorable songs - even deemed by Waters and Gilmour as being one of their finest collaborations. It’s one of my favorite Floyd songs of all time because it struck an emotional chord and went surprisingly minimal, allowing just the melody, lyrics and unforgettable guitar riff to shine.

“We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year.”

"OWNER OF A LONELY HEART" YES (1984)

In my previous post, I wrote about the evolution of The National. In this one, I look at an even more dramatic change in a band’s musical demeanor. Yes went from prog rock to album oriented rock to something resembling new wave and pop on the album 90125. Those of us who grew up on MTV will never forget “Owner of a Lonely Heart”. It was still musically ambitious, but it was equally musically accessible with its spastic synth blurbs and killer bass line in the bridge.

“Move yourself. You always live your life never thinking of the future. Prove yourself. You are the move you make.”