Buckethead

I was just doing everything I listened to in the week, but I can do batches of 10 too.
 
Whatever's easiest. Just feels a little neater reading your posts in smaller batches...

Though, don't let me hold you back or anything! :ok:
 
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Apologies for the delay in responding to this, Foro.
Forostar said:
Too bad. I couldn't get three Pikes.
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Try these links...
Forostar said:
15 View Master 2013
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http://music.bucketheadpikes.com/album/view-master
Forostar said:
18 The Astrodome 2013
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http://music.bucketheadpikes.com/album/the-astrodome
Forostar said:
Broken link:
85 Walk in Loset 2014
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http://music.bucketheadpikes.com/album/walk-in-loset-2

I was able to add all of these to my shopping cart. Also, not stated, but looks like all Pikes from 1-49 are still at $2/each.
 
Mosh said:
I was just doing everything I listened to in the week, but I can do batches of 10 too.
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I'm going to give this a try, see how it goes.

81 - Carnival of Cartilage: This one had a great started. Loved the strange guitar tone and the circus music. Really infectious riffs and melodies. The amazing thing about this Pike is that it's one 30 minute track that was actually obviously planned out. Not a lot of noodling on this and the bass and drums are working with the guitar melodies. Everything locks in really nicely. The music is unmistakably Buckethead but still fresh sounding. This is not one to miss.

82 - Calamity Cabin: The experimentation with the guitar tones continues, but the music is the same sort of heavy riff driven stuff that dominates these Pikes. Still an enjoyable listen. Lots of awesome riffs and guitar playing. Not a whole lot to talk about on this one, but it's cool that 80 albums in these are still entertaining to listen to.

83 - Dreamless Slumber: There were some nice moments on this Pike but the whole thing felt too disjointed for me. Lots of noisy sections mixed with some meh blues/funky riffing. I can appreciate noise/ambient music but so far I haven't been convinced that Buckethead is very good at it. This one wasn't bad, but it goes in the 'meh' category.

84 - Whirlpool: I've started to notice a new category of Buckethead albums. I call it the "sound collage" Pikes. These are Pikes with no real form or main ideas but are more a slab of short ideas cut and pasted together to form a song. The idea of this can be interesting and sometimes it brings good results, but it can also risk sounding obnoxious. Sometimes I wonder if Buckethead records a bunch of short ideas that he later fleshes out into songs, and then the ideas that don't get used just get stitched together resulting in albums like Whirlpool. Again, it's an interesting concept, but so far it rarely works.

85 - Walk In Loset: Kinda somewhere in between heavy and mellow. This was a fun one. Lots of infectious melodies and cool moods. Also some really nice grooves in the last tune. You can really tell when he's putting effort in a Pike, especially comparing this to something like Whirlpool.

86 - Our Selves: Might as well be the same album as the previous Pike. Wouldn't be surprised if he had an hour's worth of music, but wanted to keep the 30 minute Pike format. It's a good idea if so. His music is best consumed in this format IMO. Another solid entry.

87 - Interstellar Slunk: This is the definition of an album with noodling. Lots of shredding, no songs. Pass. I will say Flat Fleet is a bit better, but it eventually also devolves into mindless shredding. It is worth hearing though, but not worth hearing the whole Pike for. He has had similar tunes that are both better and on better albums.

88 - Red Pepper Restaurant: This one is a little more "out there", but not so much so that it becomes unlistenable. Lots of fun grooves. The closing track is worth the price of admission alone, but the other 3 tunes aren't to be passed up either.

89 - The Time Travelers Dream: This one had a dark creepy vibe to it. I really enjoyed that. Good for if you want a moodier Buckethead album. This is the sort of album that is less about cool shredding or guitar playing and more about creating an atmosphere. The weird ambient sounds also work well here. Some pretty amazing buildups throughout as well. Despite being cut up into 9 tracks, it really flows as a single piece.

I'm actually well into the 100's now, just haven't really had a chance to write about them. So expect lots of updates this weekend.
 
How are you able to review pikes after you've heard so many others. Perhaps you do another (quick) listen right before the review (I'd do that).
 
90 - Listen For the Whisper: Love these melodic Pikes with just 2-3 long songs. These work best when he establishes a mood and he does so really well on this Pike. Love the pounding rhythm of Crane. How it persists through the whole song with layers being added on. It really doesn't feel like 15 minutes. A very hypnotic tune.

91 - Sublunar: I've criticized previous albums for being too noodly and maybe this would fall into that category, but it actually works for me in this case. I can enjoy these albums if he's doing something interesting and there are definitely some cool grooves and rhythms here. Some interesting stuff going on harmonically too. I like the way he incorporates interesting chords into his riffs. The shredding is fun and mixed in tastefully.

92 - Splatterhorn: Another example of a more experimental Pike that totally works. Kinda reminds me of Carnival of Cartilage but with shorter tunes. Some noisy moments but also some really moody mellow parts. A varied listen. The "collage" style actually works here.

93 - Coaster Coat: Love the variety on this Pike. 3 vastly different tunes. You've got one long piece that is basically just guitar. It's minimalist but hypnotic. Then a heavy riff driven song and finally a nice melodic piece that kind of combines the two styles. This was one of my favorites of the last few groups of Pikes.

94 - Magic Lantern: Some brutal riffs on this. The title track is so good. Love those hammer on riffs that Buckethead frequently writes. Those are all over this Pike. Just a huge slab of great riffing. Land Of the Lanterns works great as well, despite being stylistically unlike the rest of the Pike.

95 - Northern Lights: After a few Pikes featuring more carefully composed pieces it's fun to hear a Pike that is more of a loose jam. Very good guitar playing here. From the riffing to the soloing and even the rhythm guitar work.

96 - Yarn: Here he falls back into mindless shredding mode. The guitar playing is technically impressive but there doesn't seem to be much of a purpose. Although I will say that it would probably be fun to see him perform tracks like this live. I don't get much out of hearing it on record though.

97 - Passageways: This Pike reminded me of early instrumental Floyd. The way it starts off very sparse and slowly builds up into a climax of soulful guitar playing. The whole Pike is basically one long buildup and it pays off. It requires some patience, but is worth it.

98 - Pilot: Another noisy Pike. Again, some interesting sounds, but I find myself tuning out after about 5 minutes. I like it better when he incorporates some of these electronic noises into his actual music.

99 - Polar Trench - This was actually on my recommended list, but upon listening to it again I realize that it's only for the song The Light In the Fog. The rest is kinda uninspired and generic to me. Check out that track and skip the rest IMO.
 
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In to the (first) 80's! :ok:
Mosh said:
81 - Carnival of Cartilage: This one had a great started. Loved the strange guitar tone and the circus music. Really infectious riffs and melodies. The amazing thing about this Pike is that it's one 30 minute track that was actually obviously planned out. Not a lot of noodling on this and the bass and drums are working with the guitar melodies. Everything locks in really nicely. The music is unmistakably Buckethead but still fresh sounding. This is not one to miss.
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Aye, good fun. Being one track is would be hard to rate it outstanding, but it's a fun listen. I'd much prefer it if he side-stepped up this kind of alley more oftern, rather than defaulting to putting out one-guitar-part thrashy shred efforts. That said, this must have actually taken him a fair amount of time to write.
Mosh said:
82 - Calamity Cabin: The experimentation with the guitar tones continues, but the music is the same sort of heavy riff driven stuff that dominates these Pikes. Still an enjoyable listen. Lots of awesome riffs and guitar playing. Not a whole lot to talk about on this one, but it's cool that 80 albums in these are still entertaining to listen to.
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Totally solid, with a few early highlights; I like Walking In Circles, The Forest Sings, and Downpour. Not one I've listened to in a while (altho' I'm listening to it right now), but nothing poor on this release. And I suppose it is still pretty remarkable you're still enjoying these! :p
Mosh said:
83 - Dreamless Slumber: There were some nice moments on this Pike but the whole thing felt too disjointed for me. Lots of noisy sections mixed with some meh blues/funky riffing. I can appreciate noise/ambient music but so far I haven't been convinced that Buckethead is very good at it. This one wasn't bad, but it goes in the 'meh' category.
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Absolutely agree; I actually hate this Pike. There's literally nothing about it I like or could recommend. Disappointing.
Mosh said:
84 - Whirlpool: I've started to notice a new category of Buckethead albums. I call it the "sound collage" Pikes. These are Pikes with no real form or main ideas but are more a slab of short ideas cut and pasted together to form a song. The idea of this can be interesting and sometimes it brings good results, but it can also risk sounding obnoxious. Sometimes I wonder if Buckethead records a bunch of short ideas that he later fleshes out into songs, and then the ideas that don't get used just get stitched together resulting in albums like Whirlpool. Again, it's an interesting concept, but so far it rarely works.
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Again, I agree with most of that. Slightly less annoying than Dreamless Slumber overall, but pretty disappointing. There's a few mildly interesting things going on in EE, but literally nothing else worth returning to.
Mosh said:
85 - Walk In Loset: Kinda somewhere in between heavy and mellow. This was a fun one. Lots of infectious melodies and cool moods. Also some really nice grooves in the last tune. You can really tell when he's putting effort in a Pike, especially comparing this to something like Whirlpool.
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Aye, top Pike. All three tracks are stellar compared to the previous two Pikes. One for Foro! :ok:
Mosh said:
86 - Our Selves: Might as well be the same album as the previous Pike. Wouldn't be surprised if he had an hour's worth of music, but wanted to keep the 30 minute Pike format. It's a good idea if so. His music is best consumed in this format IMO. Another solid entry.
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Indeed, these two really could be one hour-long album. Calling Foro!
Mosh said:
87 - Interstellar Slunk: This is the definition of an album with noodling. Lots of shredding, no songs. Pass. I will say Flat Fleet is a bit better, but it eventually also devolves into mindless shredding. It is worth hearing though, but not worth hearing the whole Pike for. He has had similar tunes that are both better and on better albums.
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It's worth hearing, yes. I like Buckethead's mindless shredding on it's own, but there's no standout here. Barney Peeled Out is just shredding; I can deal with that for five minutes, no problem. Coral Castle is an actual viable track, but is probably poorer; I don't really like it. Flat Fleet is actually pretty decent with some interesting little things going on. And 0.5 is ambient noise; which actually works for once, although I have no clue why it fits on this album...
Mosh said:
88 - Red Pepper Restaurant: This one is a little more "out there", but not so much so that it becomes unlistenable. Lots of fun grooves. The closing track is worth the price of admission alone, but the other 3 tunes aren't to be passed up either.
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Surprised you liked this. I'm not a fan of the tone/sound at all. First three tracks, for me, are disappointing. Last track (Level 4) is a total keeper though; the ugly tone is gone & as a result we have another excellent track.
Mosh said:
89 - The Time Travelers Dream: This one had a dark creepy vibe to it. I really enjoyed that. Good for if you want a moodier Buckethead album. This is the sort of album that is less about cool shredding or guitar playing and more about creating an atmosphere. The weird ambient sounds also work well here. Some pretty amazing buildups throughout as well. Despite being cut up into 9 tracks, it really flows as a single piece.
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I love this album. As you say, it really is an album which answers any suggestion that Buckethead only does guitar-driven albums. This isn't about guitar playing, it's just great music. Atmosphere, as you say. Fine stuff.

An uneven decade overall, but some excellent albums in there...

Next Review >
 
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< Previous Review

And closing out the first 100...
Mosh said:
90 - Listen For the Whisper: Love these melodic Pikes with just 2-3 long songs. These work best when he establishes a mood and he does so really well on this Pike. Love the pounding rhythm of Crane. How it persists through the whole song with layers being added on. It really doesn't feel like 15 minutes. A very hypnotic tune.
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Quality, quality, quality. Why I listen to Bucket.
Mosh said:
91 - Sublunar: I've criticized previous albums for being too noodly and maybe this would fall into that category, but it actually works for me in this case. I can enjoy these albums if he's doing something interesting and there are definitely some cool grooves and rhythms here. Some interesting stuff going on harmonically too. I like the way he incorporates interesting chords into his riffs. The shredding is fun and mixed in tastefully.
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This is an odd one. Very late in getting it's digital release, I first listened to this a few years after the albums around it. If you listen to the track splitting it's totally arbitrary, as this was one big track on the CD release. Just about holds itself together for that length. As you say, quite upbeat, with a good groove/funk thing going on. Enough to keep me entertained for the full 30 minutes (I like it), but no single track that could be called truly outstanding, as might be expected from the type of music & the track format.
Mosh said:
92 - Splatterhorn: Another example of a more experimental Pike that totally works. Kinda reminds me of Carnival of Cartilage but with shorter tunes. Some noisy moments but also some really moody mellow parts. A varied listen. The "collage" style actually works here.
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Agreed it's sort of similar (certainly in tone) to Carnival; but doesn't really work as well, for me, to be honest. Not as frustrating as a Dreamless Slumber, but very hard to pick an individual track that I really like. A bit of a 3-star album for me personally.
Mosh said:
93 - Coaster Coat: Love the variety on this Pike. 3 vastly different tunes. You've got one long piece that is basically just guitar. It's minimalist but hypnotic. Then a heavy riff driven song and finally a nice melodic piece that kind of combines the two styles. This was one of my favorites of the last few groups of Pikes.
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Aye, this is a nice Pike. I'm not really a fan of the guitar work on Flying Cat (and tracks like this generally; just a bit generic sounding); although the track itself is decent. Coaster Coat and Coastline are 5-star. I could listen to stuff like Coastline all day...
Mosh said:
94 - Magic Lantern: Some brutal riffs on this. The title track is so good. Love those hammer on riffs that Buckethead frequently writes. Those are all over this Pike. Just a huge slab of great riffing. Land Of the Lanterns works great as well, despite being stylistically unlike the rest of the Pike.
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Yip, totally solid. Dips a little with Wind From Where, but Land from the Lanterns is a real standout.
Mosh said:
95 - Northern Lights: After a few Pikes featuring more carefully composed pieces it's fun to hear a Pike that is more of a loose jam. Very good guitar playing here. From the riffing to the soloing and even the rhythm guitar work.
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Aye, two excellent tracks. Actually quite a lot of real shredding; but more in the melodic/rock vein in this case.
Mosh said:
96 - Yarn: Here he falls back into mindless shredding mode. The guitar playing is technically impressive but there doesn't seem to be much of a purpose. Although I will say that it would probably be fun to see him perform tracks like this live. I don't get much out of hearing it on record though.
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Again, totally agree. Stuff like this probably would be pretty cool to see live, but it's not always the most enjoyable to listen to through your headphones at home. I probably disagree with you slightly in terms of this being "mindless shredding". There is some purpose in here somewhere. I can live with H.V. and Spindle 2; after repeat listens they're actually pretty decent. Spindle 1 not so much...
Mosh said:
97 - Passageways: This Pike reminded me of early instrumental Floyd. The way it starts off very sparse and slowly builds up into a climax of soulful guitar playing. The whole Pike is basically one long buildup and it pays off. It requires some patience, but is worth it.
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Absolutely love this Pike. And listening to them in order it really stands out in terms of the last 20-30 Pikes. Nice keyboard work (where's that been?), lyrical, almost melancholic. Very nice. Possibly one of my favourite early Pikes.
Mosh said:
98 - Pilot: Another noisy Pike. Again, some interesting sounds, but I find myself tuning out after about 5 minutes. I like it better when he incorporates some of these electronic noises into his actual music.
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Now I'd call this one of his "collage" Pikes. Very difficult to pick out individual tracks because of the format; and it's overall feel isn't really pushing any buttons for me either. Pilot 1 and Pilot 9 are mildly more interesting than the rest, but that might just be because they are at the start and end. Mostly 3-star...
Mosh said:
99 - Polar Trench - This was actually on my recommended list, but upon listening to it again I realize that it's only for the song The Light In the Fog. The rest is kinda uninspired and generic to me. Check out that track and skip the rest IMO.
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Couldn't agree more. There's just something that really, really doesn't work on this album for me. The Light in the Fog is indeed worth listening to; respectable without being outstanding. The rest are just, as you say, so generic. It's a Buckethead style/sound I'm not a fan of. How would you describe it, sort of bluesy funk? It really should work for Bucket, but just doesn't; these kind of tracks are just so bland.

Again, pretty uneven. The next couple of decades (~100 > 120) are a real mixed bag. Be interesting to see how you rate them...

You know for starting the Pikes reviews in mid-February, this is a pretty decent pace you're keeping up here Mosh. That's ~10 weeks and 100+ Pikes reviews you've posted up (assuming you've listened to more, but haven't posted about them yet). 10/week. Impressive! :D

Next Review >
 
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CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Aye, good fun. Being one track is would be hard to rate it outstanding, but it's a fun listen. I'd much prefer it if he side-stepped up this kind of alley more oftern, rather than defaulting to putting out one-guitar-part thrashy shred efforts. That said, this must have actually taken him a fair amount of time to write.
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Yea I imagine this was in the works for awhile. Very detailed piece. For being one track I think it has a lot of interesting moments. Was never bored.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
It's worth hearing, yes. I like Buckethead's mindless shredding on it's own, but there's no standout here. Barney Peeled Out is just shredding; I can deal with that for five minutes, no problem. Coral Castle is an actual viable track, but is probably poorer; I don't really like it. Flat Fleet is actually pretty decent with some interesting little things going on. And 0.5 is ambient noise; which actually works for once, although I have no clue why it fits on this album...
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Worth hearing but the problem with a discography of nearly 300 albums is that there isn't room for anything that is only worth hearing. I didn't hate this album and as I mentioned Flat Fleet is cool, but chances of revisiting this are slim to none.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Couldn't agree more. There's just something that really, really doesn't work on this album for me. The Light in the Fog is indeed worth listening to; respectable without being outstanding. The rest are just, as you say, so generic. It's a Buckethead style/sound I'm not a fan of. How would you describe it, sort of bluesy funk? It really should work for Bucket, but just doesn't; these kind of tracks are just so bland.
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Bluesy funk for sure. It was actually kind of interesting the first few times because it wasn't something he did much, but there's only so much you can do with that style before it gets old. I don't think Bucket's playing in this style is particularly engaging either.
 
I have not abandoned this project. Just haven't had time to write on the albums. I am currently in the 130's. Semester ends tomorrow and I will get back to writing regularly again (survivors will also be back).
 
Btw, if you want a Pikes break you really should (if you haven't already done so) listen to some of the collaboration stuff he did at TDRS with Travis; some of it's really good e.g. all the Thanatopsis related releases, Population Override sessions, etc. It's amazing how different this material is compared to the (now) quite homogeneous sound of the Pikes.
 
That might be a good idea. The problem is if I take a break from the Pikes I might never finish. :p I'd rather power through it. I definitely intend on listening to those eventually though, loved Population Override.
 
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