Buckethead

[Mosh]

Absolutely. And it's definitely not a Pike. Elephant Man's Alarm Clock and Crime Slunk Scene were announced on vinyl a few weeks back, so it's most likely that this is just a re-release but on vinyl for the first time. It's definitely at the very least a vinyl release of the original Bucketheadland (1992) album. None of these have ever been released on vinyl before. Did you see the personal recordings bit? How cool is that! Population Override is already out on vinyl; one for Mosh, perhaps? Bucketheadland 2 has been announced by ION records for this summer I think. It's all a bit exciting. In respect to this specific announcement, a few people are speculating (& are going to be pretty disappointed) that, with no mention of it being a double LP, and no mention of dropped tracks (like with CSS), that this might not simply be a Bucketheadland re-release; the original comes in at nearly an hour, so...

... peeps are saying this might be a new studio album, with CD & digital download still to be announced. It's possible. Don't know if Buckethead would even have the masters of the original or the rights to re-release this himself. People have been asking about "Bucketheadland 3" for years, jokingly. Maybe the title really is "Bucketheadland 5 13 10 31". I'm not convinced. Max Bob (of Deli Creeps) posted some pictures of Travis' TDRS studio a few months back & all of this has stoked the speculation.

@Mosh @Forostar

It's a goddamn new album! Pikes services just confirmed it!

Oh my, this just got exciting!

So it's a new album, but do we know if this is a Pike or not? Pretty interesting either way. The personal recording bit sounds cool but I'm not sure if I'm willing to spend extra for it. Any idea of what's on the dvd?
Was looking at the Project Override vinyl, definitely on my list. Is it true that the vinyl has bonus tracks?

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

So it's a new album, but do we know if this is a Pike or not? Pretty interesting either way. The personal recording bit sounds cool but I'm not sure if I'm willing to spend extra for it. Any idea of what's on the dvd?
Was looking at the Project Override vinyl, definitely on my list. Is it true that the vinyl has bonus tracks?

It's not a Pike; DVD content hasn't been revealed; & the bits of strings are from the recording of the album (not the personal recordings). The Population Override bonus tracks are just 3 tracks apiece from The 13th Scroll (Cobra Strike) & Funnel Weaver, which are both ION releases. First pressing (1000 copies) is sold out, second pressing (500) is down to 60 copies. You can buy the vinyl via bandcamp & they give you the digital download with it.

 

[Mosh]

OK cool. Yea I'll get this, hopefully it's good. Kinda interesting that it's not a Pike. Is the Pike series coming to an end?

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

Don't know. It's mostly speculation right now as there's not been (& isn't likely to be) a "proper" announcement.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

Okay, shit just got real. Bootsy has just put up on his FB page that he & Buckethead are collaborating on a new album together. The same one just announced? Who knows! Who cares! This is cool, as, fuck. If Brain is announced as the drummer then I think I might just piss my pants with excitement...

 

[Mosh]

Pike 150 - Heaven Is Your Home: The albums/songs Buckethead creates for his parents are generally among his best work, that has been the case pretty much since the beginning. The Pike for his mom is probably in my top 5 Pikes. So naturally I have pretty high expectations for this one. As expected, Buckethead delivers. Totally different from Hold Me Forever. In fact, it's more what I expected that album to be. Mellow, sparse. Amazing lead tone. A very restrained effort. Even his mellower albums lately tend to have explosive buildups, but he doesn't do any of that here. It's all mellow and minimalist. Not as good as Hold Me Forever IMO but still a top notch Pike.

Pike 151 - Fog Gardens: The electronic drums are back for another noodling Pike. This is a mixed bag. I really liked the opening and closing tunes, but the rest didn't do much for me. The 19 minute title track was too heavy on the shred side. It's not that I automatically dislike shredding, but I find Buckethead recycles a lot of the same licks and most of them sound very same-y. There's some good playing but overall it feels lazy to me.

Pike 152 - Carnival Cutouts: More shredding in the opening track here, although the non-shred portions are pretty interesting. This is actually probably one of his better shred tracks. Still, my usual criticism of this music stands: it gets old after about 3-4 minutes and doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's really hard to stay engaged for 13 minutes of that. Water Balloon Filling Station is short and sweet. A funky sort of jam and ends at the right time. The final track is a step in the right direction. It's more on the riff driven side. Some really cool melodic parts too. I'm not sure if that's enough to redeem this album though. I'd say maybe check out Lasso the Slug but it's probably not worth seeking out the entire Pike.

Pike 153 - Whisper Track: Classic styled Buckethead riffing to start this one off, but then it turns to shred. And that pretty much defines this whole Pike: really promising ideas that are underdeveloped in favor of endless shredding sections. There are some cool parts, even the shred is exciting at times, but overall it's a pass. Such As Straw is awesome though. The rest of this Pike is probably skippable, but Such As Straw is a real diamond in the rough.

Pike 154 - The Cellar Yawns: After a string of meh albums, Buckethead delivers what may be a top 20 Pike. This one blew me away. The dynamics are amazing. It starts out sparse with some short heavy buildups throughout. Lots of restraint. Great melodies and lead playing. It's overall top tier atmospheric Buckethead. But then with the closing title track he delivers what might be the most brutally heavy Buckethead track since Cuckoo Clocks of Hell. I was not expecting that at all. Amazing track with intense riffing, lots of twists and turns. The true return of classic Buckethead.

Pike 155 - Ancient Lens: Some dark doomy riffs start this one off. It's almost like Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd. He also seems to be going back to a more traditional drum sound, but the electronic sounds haven't completely vanished. Here they're mostly in the guitar sound. Great opening track overall. The electronic drums return for the more groovy Fossilized Dunce Cap. Another great tune. Some low guitar riffing, which I'm not normally a big fan of, but it works pretty well here. Also some soloing moments that are tastefully placed. The closer is much more on the melodic side. Buckethead uses more of the guitar neck here which is always a good thing. Interesting how this album builds in energy. Love when Bucket pays extra attention to the flow. Another great Pike.

Pike 156 - Herbie Climbs a Tree: Not sure who Herbie is, but last time he was involved in one of these Pikes I wasn't impressed. However, the last two Pikes have been a real return to form so we'll see what happens. It starts out pretty funky with a strange guitar sound and the now-staple electronic drums. Overall the opening title track is a decent jam but doesn't do much for me. Things start to really get good with Sealed Room. Awesome classic Buckethead riffing. It's my favorite blend of heavy and melodic. Things get more mellow with Lone Lagoon. Maybe a leftover from The Cellar Yawns? Great track with some fantastic lead playing. Moving Walkway is an interesting closer. More riff driven stuff with some eerie melodies. Just a solid tune with lots of twists and turns. Great Pike, was not expecting this level of variety.

Pike 157 - Upside Down Skyway: I love the sinister riffing that starts this one off. Always interesting to see what he does with shorter song formats. Caterpillar Invasion is as classic a Buckethead tune as any. Very promising start. Skull Rock and Suspension Bridge continue the high quality. Slowing things down in track 3 is always an effective strategy IMO so the album is very well sequenced so far. It seems that high quality short songs from Buckethead are scarce lately, but here he just delivered 3 killers in a row. Bucket goes back to his usual long format with the title track, a more bluesy jam. Decent tune but definitely not the main event of this Pike. Things pick up again with Kendo Training Port, another solid melodic/riff driven song. Things mellow out with the closer, another bluesy sort of jam, but much stronger than the title track. Another winner, very reminsicent of the earlier Pikes.

Pike 158 - Twisted Branches: Been awhile since he's done a multipart piece, those are usually cool so I'm looking forward to this. Already he's throwing curveballs by starting out mellow and then exploding into this awesome heavy riff. The heaviness is akin to The Cellar Yawns, which is totally welcome. It's an onslaught of heavy riffing, quick time changes, and brutal rhythms. It does slow back down a little in part 4 when Bucket delivers an awesome phaser guitar melody. However, this moment is short lived and things quickly get heavy again. Love the tapping in the final part followed by some very thrashy riffing. Overall a fantastic piece that is once again reminding me of the earlier Pikes. But of course the Pike doesn't end there. How do you follow that up? Collapse Cliff is a solid jam with classic Buckethead riffing. Doesn't feel all that much different from the title suite, perhaps some leftover riffs? If so, even his leftovers are great. Mummy In the Wall is shred, but at 2 and a half minutes, it's the perfect length for that sort of thing. The even shorter Swollen Trees is another nice slab of riffing that closes out another juggernaut of a Pike.

Pike 159 - Half Circle Bridge: Not sure about the shredding, but I really dig the electronic sounding riff in between the shredding in the opening track. Another example of a really cool musical idea that is cut way too short for less interesting shredding. The soloing in this track actually isn't too bad. Some nice licks. This is fine as long as it's not the whole album...
Luckily that seems to be the case. Circle is a decent slab of riffing. Not quite as strong as what was on the previous Pike, but still worth hearing. Tet is a really interesting noise collage. Kinda unlike anything he's done before. Good Pike, but the only thing I see myself going back to is Circle, so I'm not going to recommend it. Still some interesting stuff here.

A few throwaway Pikes but that run from 154 to 158 is unreal. It's like Buckethead has time travelled back to 2011 when the Pikes series was fresh. These are some of the most inspired and exciting albums he's done in a very long time. Was not expecting anything like this so late in the series, especially in the middle of 2015 and not long before the infamous Halloween series.

 

[Mosh]

Okay, shit just got real. Bootsy has just put up on his FB page that he & Buckethead are collaborating on a new album together. The same one just announced? Who know! Who cares! This is cool, as, fuck. If Brain is announced as the drummer then I think I might just piss my pants with excitement...

That would be awesome. Get Travis involved and we're all set.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

The "Bucketheadland 05 13 10 31" is definitely a new album. No other detail yet. Bootsy appears to be talking about something else though. There was talk of them hitting the studio last year, mid-tour (when they met-up); but, again, Bootsy says it isn't recorded yet. So it sounds like we're talking more than one album here!

I'm so fucking excited!

 

[Mosh]

The one thing missing from these Pikes is other musicians.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

The one thing missing from these Pikes is other musicians.

Yeh, there's just too much Buckethead!

I'll get to comment on your reviews by the weekend when I get time. I'm genuinely surprised (again) that you enjoyed quite a few of them. There are some stunning Pikes in there, that's a given; but some of it is turgid as hell. You seems to find them interesting tho'!

Cried has drawn heavily from this run for his "Turgid Highlights" playlist...

 

[Mosh]

Well I'm a prog fan so a little turgidness isn't going to bug me too much.

 

[Mosh]

Pike 160 - Land of Miniatures: The opening track is a nice funky jam with a solid solo at the end. Good stuff, but I thought it plodded a little too much. This seems to be the case for a majority of the album. But it is another example of a fairly uninteresting Pike with a great closer. Way Back When is a really strong mellow piece. Love the way the lead guitar interacts with the clean rhythm guitar on this tune. Check this song out, take or leave the rest.

Pike 161 - Bats In the Lite Brite: Nice ambient synth stuff to start this out. You know, as far as the ambient/noisy stuff go, this is probably the best of the bunch. Still only for a select audience, but I found this much more listenable than most of the others. Some really nice soundscapes and a creepy atmosphere. I would put this on a Halloween playlist.

Pike 162 - Four Forms: I'm digging the spacey sounds of the opening here. One thing I appreciate about these Pikes lately is that Buckethead is really experimenting with new soundscapes. I'm slightly disappointed that the rest of the album doesn't seem to be in that direction, but it's still good stuff. Some really awesome riffs and cool guitar effects. A mixed bag Pike, but I'll recommend it because that opening track is so cool and takes up a good chunk of it, and the rest of the album is mostly pretty good. Not one to rush out for, but also not one to skip.

Pike 163 - Blue Tides: The weird spacey sounds return in what is certain to be a mellower Pike. Definitely more on the minimalist side of things, which I really like. It's mostly Buckethead soloing over a simple chord progression, but the soundscapes he creates doing so are unbeatable. The music here is so hypnotic. These never get old.

Pike 164 - Ghoul: A heavy, moody Pike. Some really dark riffing and melodies. I've noticed that these Pikes have taken a darker turn. Getting ready for Halloween already? I've found Buckethead to actually be fairly hit or miss in this mode, although it mostly works here. Some really good stuff. Maybe it's because Chris Cornell just recently died, but I found myself being reminded of Soundgarden and the the heavier side of Grunge. What works for me is that it's not all dark and sludgy. There are some really uplifting melodies to balance out the darkness. Some really cool arpeggiated stuff toward the end of the opening track, for example. The second song is much more upbeat, but still brutally heavy. I'm thinking less of Grunge and more of thrash Metal. Like the groovier side of Megadeth (another band that I'm frequently reminded of when listening to Bucket). I'm glad this track is different. As I've mentioned before, the best Pikes are usually filled with variety. Overall a much more stripped down Pike than his usual work as of late, but it's a nice change. No shortage of delicious musical content here.

Pike 165 - Orange Tree: Some really cool syncopated rhythms to start this off. The interaction between the bass, drums, and guitar makes it seem like three different players, rather than Bucket on guitar/bass and a drum machine. Really cool stuff here. Very Rush-like in its trio setup as well. Not to mention the guitar effects. Also contains an unexpected soft section, which is more on the psychedelic side. Some really interested soundscapes in the second track. Very spacey and sparse sounding. Not a lot of drum work, mostly guitars and synth. Are there any other Buckethead tracks with this sort of sound? I can't think of any atm. Regardless, it's very cool and eerie. This is another good Pike, mostly because it's so unlike the rest of his catalog.

Pike 166 - Region: A less interesting Pike. More of a blues jam, one of my least favorite styles of Buckethead. Very predictable too. I even expected the mellower closer, which was of course the highlight of the album but still not that interesting IMO. Meh.

Pike 167 - Shapeless: Revisiting the 3 song format after a short departure from that. The opening tune is a long jam for Buckethead to solo over. It's a good slab of guitar. Especially the ending. I prefer something a little more composed, but this is good for what it is. Vague Lights is heavier and more composed. Some solid riffing, although it drags quite a bit in the middle. As once again expected, Sleep Book is another mellow closer. This one is very good, much stronger than Ancient Desert on Region IMO. Overall, a decent Pike but it's starting to feel like Buckethead is going through the motions again.

Pike 168 - Ognaradar: More Buckethead going through the motions. Some shredding, some downtuned riffing. All pretty noodly stuff that doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Pike 169 - The Windowsill: The first two tracks on this one reminded me of Buckethead's early electronic period. Similar sorts of grooves, but with a slightly different instrumentation. Very bass driven stuff, which is at least a nice change of pace. This Pike would probably make good background music, but I found it to be pretty dull by itself.

2015 is a real slog to get through so far. There will be moments of brilliance followed immediately by long stretches of mediocrity. It's obvious at this point that even in 2014 and 2013 there was a higher level of quality control. There were plenty of clunkers but they were usually surrounded by higher quality albums. In 2015 there are a lot of long stretches of mediocre and worse Pikes. On the other hand, when he's on a roll he's delivering some of the best music since this project started. So it varies wildly.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

< Previous Review

This is brutal even playing catch-up with you!

Pike 140 - Hat and Glasses: Lots of cool twists and turns in the opening track. The low electronic grooves work really well here. I like how he switches from riff driven sections to more noisy grooves. They complement each other really well on this track. This tune is like if Buckethead took all his heavier styles and put them in a blender. Almost like a collage Pike but a little more organized. My only complaint is that some of the more interesting parts are cut too short, which he has a tendency to do. But overall it's an enjoyable track. Just a solid jam. The second track, Glasses, is just classic Buckethead. Really awesome melodic guitar playing here. It's nice he's focusing on an area in this tune that he only scratched the surface of in the previous track. There's some shredding, but he builds up to it and the soloing is well developed overall. Nice dynamics too. Love how it mellows out in the middle with this really sinister groove and some tasty soloing. My only complaint is that it never really builds up from there until the very end, it just sorta stays in that dynamic. The ending is short and not all that satisfying. Would've liked more variety in this tune. Overall, this track isn't quite as strong as the opener but it's still enjoyable. A good Pike that has me more enthusiastic about this next set.

As unappealing as a Pike with only two tracks on it sometimes is, this is a solid release. Hats is a real mixed bag, but there's plenty of melodies & riffs to keep you interested (4*). As you say, there are ideas in there you'd like to hear drawn out a little more sometimes. But, well, that's Buckethead for you. Glasses is Buckethead in his Rock mode. Pretty generic stuff; but then there's Bucket's soloing, which I love to hear him do over this stuff. Quite a long slow/softer mid-section keeps it interesting (4*).

Pike 141 - Last Call For the E.P. Ripley: A bit of a collage Pike. Not exactly noise but not all that musical either. Some cool grooves sprinkled in but overall nothing especially engaging. I do like the emphasis on the bass playing though. This is one of those Pikes that would probably be more entertaining in a live setting. On the record it's a little too all over the place for me. The last track is really cool though.

It's turgid & muddy time! I find it hard to listen to a whole album of this, to be honest. And I'd much prefer to hear the bass tone being a little cleaner sounding. So, all 3* for me, with a few tracks that have a couple of cooler things going on: opener Stop 1 (4*), Stop 4 (4*), and Stop 6 (4*). They all make Cried's "Turgid Highlights" playlist. There's some decent bits here & there, but overall it's not something I'd particularly recommend. Also, last track? Are you thinking of the Pike #143 maybe?

Pike 142 - Nautical Nightmares: Very similar to the previous Pike. Neither of these are bad, they're actually pretty listenable. But Buckethead meanders quite a bit in this mode. If the Pikes series makes anything obvious, it's that Buckethead isn't capable of self editing. I think I slightly prefer this one to E.P. Ripley (there are some really cool riffs, check out Shell 8) but still not something I see myself revisiting often. That being said, you could probably combine these two Pikes and make something awesome. It'd be interesting to see him in xenochrony mode again and reedit some of these collage Pikes to make something new. Like an hour long "Best Of" compilation, but it's new music. Either way, if this is what constitutes as "filler" for this set of Pikes, it's already going to be a much stronger group than what we've had lately.

The turgidity continues! This is slightly better overall I feel, but still too muddy for my liking. Don't really mind the odd track coming on shuffle from this one. Odd little bits that are cool, like at the start of Shell 2 (3*); but these are sometimes lost amongst the noise. I actually have more 4* (Shell 3, Shell 4, Shell 6, Shell 7, Shell 8, and Shell 9) than 3* (Shell 1, Shell 2, and Shell 5) on this one. Now normally that would disqualify this Pike from the "Turgid Highlights" criteria, as more than half of the album is actually not half bad i.e. better than 3*. Still, is sounds and feels so turgid that they made the playlist!

Pike 143 - Blank Bot: Yet another "collage" Pike and easily the best of the three. I came really close to putting this on the recommended list, but it just barely misses the cut. When this Pike is good, it's really fantastic. QZ 5 is awesome. The closing track is also very cool. The main highlight of this Pike is the drum/percussion programming. Buckethead really gets creative here. So even the noisy sections are far more interesting than what he usually produces in this category. Those noisy sections still make up too much of this album's time and I found myself losing interest in those parts by the end, especially when he was giving hints of really awesome musical moments. Still, not bad at all.

Still surprised that you found these that interesting; I'm putting it down to that break you had. Well it's certainly different sounding, I'll give it that. So, again, mostly 3* for me on this one. The following made the "Turgid Highlights" playlist (with this being turgid): QZ 1 (4*), QZ 5 (4*), and QZ 6 (4*). You're right, QZ 5 has quite a lot of really cool guitar work going on in it. But QZ 9 is obviously something totally different (5*). It's almost like Buckethead was gently reminding you that it was still him making all this stuff. A little wink to his real strength.

Pike 144 - Scream Sundae: Great jam to start this one off. Kinda going back to the Hat and Glasses sound with this Pike. It seems improvised but then the drums follow the guitar indicating that there is at least some planning. Either way, there's a ton of great riffs and melodies in this track. Not a whole lots of shredding, but Buckethead's classic soloing style is on full display here. He's in his best mode. Second track is going back to that funky/blues style and is significantly less interesting, but not too bad. Luckily it's only 5 minutes which is a more acceptable length for that sort of thing IMO. The album ends with him in shred mode, but there's still some cool riffs in there. Overall, this Pike is recommended mostly for the opening track, which is about half of the album. The other half is still pretty good though and I really like when he opts for variety.

Begone turgidity! Still not a fan of the drum sound here, but this is solid. Scream Sundae (despite those drums) is awesome (5*); as you say, packed with riffs, mixed up with nice melodies and soloing. Just imagine this track with an actual drummer. Awesome. Pop-Up Skull opens with a tone & style of playing I really like with Buckethead; great groove. Not up there with the opening track, but good stuff (4*). Uncle Bubbles is a little rough around the edges, but has enough riffing & soloing to keep me interested (4*).

Pike 145 - Kareem's Footprint: The solo bass in the first track immediately reminded me of Vacuum, which was interesting but too same-y overall. This Pike remedies this by mixing the solo bass tracks with guitar driven tunes. It's primarily bass, but the guitar tracks help keep it interesting. The bass tunes (which are the main event anyway) are also way better than what's on Vacuum. They're funkier and don't feel incomplete the way a lot of Vacuum is. Anyway, I'm glad he's trying out different formats and styles for the Pikes.

The turgidity returns. Again, I have no problem with the playing, but would just like a cleaner tone & less of the crappy drumming; brings this whole release down for me. To be honest, I only really like Inosanto: Kali Master on this (4*). Everything else is just a bit meh (3*). So only one track makes the "Turgid Highlights" playlist this time. A frustrating release.

Pike 146 - Carrotcature: This one is basically just a single long jam. There are some cool ideas here and there, but overall a bit too noodle-y for me. Another one of those Pikes that would be more enjoyable in a live environment. In this context, I found myself frequently getting bored.

Back to more of a Blank Bot sound again, but with some heavier guitar moments. Again, mostly 3* tracks for me here. C-ret 3, C-ret 5, C-ret 6, and C-ret 7 are decent (4*) and make the "Turgid Highlights" playlist. Still turgid though...

Pike 147 - Popcorn Shells: This one gets a half recommendation. The opening track has too much noodling for me. There's some cool licks here and there but it never seems to go anywhere in the entire 14 minutes. That's already half the album gone, which is not a good sign. However, somehow the last two tracks manage to pick things up in a big way.
Stetzab is like something out of Bucket's early electronic period. My opinion on that material still stands: it's fun for a song or two before it gets annoyingly repetitive. Since it's just the one song, it works here.
The last track is a really cool riff driven synth/guitar thing. Very nice track. Interesting to hear him experimenting with more electronic sounding drums too. They have been present in the past few Pikes too, but they really help shape the sound here more than ever.

I'm probably the opposite way around here. See, I prefer the opener Popcorn Shells to the other two tracks. Nothing particularly new, but squeezing in as a 4*, just. I just don't think I'm that interested in the bass style in Stetzab; I find it pretty uninspiring (3*). Yester, again, just no fan of this style or tone (3*). Live, with a drummer, this stuff might be decent. Pretty sure he's playing a distorted bass here btw.

Pike 148 - Inivsable Forest: Finally a softer Pike. Some great buildups here. His lead tone is also fantastic on this Pike. You always know what you're going to get with these Pikes but it's always satisfying. Great melodic stuff throughout with some nice atmosphere to top it off.

Just awesome from start to finish (all tracks 5*); absolutely stellar Pike. Deeply melancholic throughout, with some glorious playing. The turgidity has been vanquished!

Pike 149 - Chickencoopscope: The variety in this Pike makes it worth checking out. Kinda like Louzenger but with better sound and more interesting songs. The shreddy parts make their return but it's not as bad as usual. There are some interesting funky bits too, particularly during that clean guitar solo. The electronic sounding drums continue, but it's still working for me. Overall I felt like this was a compilation of leftovers from that past several Pikes. I wonder if he ever goes over the 30 minute mark and just saves that stuff until he has 30 minutes of leftovers for a newer Pike. "Compilation Pikes"?

For some reason this never really clicked the first couple of times I listened to it; probably that drum sound reminding me of the turgidity that we had just left behind. Chickencoopscope is actually quite nice; lovely melodies going on (4*) despite that crappy drum sound. A Roosters Eye View is all noisy guitar work to begin with, but it knuckles down to some of the usual tap-shred antics. Decent, if nothing new (4*). Chicken Fountains, like the opener Chickencoopscope, again has some nice melodies going on; quite memorable (4*). Wire Reflections makes the "BucketSound VIII - ODDITIES" playlist for just being plain bizarre (3*). The Wonders of Feathers is again solid, with some cool soloing going on that I quite dig (4*). Solid pike overall without having anything spectacular. Didn't rescue a difficult decade for me...

Very interesting decade. Not a single bad Pike in the bunch and some of his most interesting and experimental work that he's done in a long time. Even the ones I didn't care for were still interesting and much better than the weaker moments in other decades. Overall this set feels much more inspired than what he is usually doing in 2015.

Hmmm. As I said, I found this pretty hard going. Yes, I'd agree, at least the experimentation was different and wasn't more of the same. There was just too much of it in a row though. This is always interesting to return to (hence my playlist building), but it was hard going at release time.

Next Review >

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

< Previous Review

More than halfway though 'em!

Pike 150 - Heaven Is Your Home: The albums/songs Buckethead creates for his parents are generally among his best work, that has been the case pretty much since the beginning. The Pike for his mom is probably in my top 5 Pikes. So naturally I have pretty high expectations for this one. As expected, Buckethead delivers. Totally different from Hold Me Forever. In fact, it's more what I expected that album to be. Mellow, sparse. Amazing lead tone. A very restrained effort. Even his mellower albums lately tend to have explosive buildups, but he doesn't do any of that here. It's all mellow and minimalist. Not as good as Hold Me Forever IMO but still a top notch Pike.

Mesmerising. Admittedly you do need to me in the mood for two tracks of this kind of length; but still, they're lovely, lovely stuff. Heaven is Your Home is melancholic without necessarily being depressing (a common Bucket mode); but also bordering on uplifting at the same time. Quite sad because of the dedication (5*). Buckethead lost both his parents within a year which horrible. Don't know how that affected him. The start of Always Watching is one of the saddest things I've ever heard. Heart-wrenching (5*).

Pike 151 - Fog Gardens: The electronic drums are back for another noodling Pike. This is a mixed bag. I really liked the opening and closing tunes, but the rest didn't do much for me. The 19 minute title track was too heavy on the shred side. It's not that I automatically dislike shredding, but I find Buckethead recycles a lot of the same licks and most of them sound very same-y. There's some good playing but overall it feels lazy to me.

For me it doesn't start particularly well with Ice Eclipse. Just not much going on here; not a fan of the drumming or the plodding (3*). Now Fog Gardens is a bit better, at least lifting the pace a little. Shredding a plenty, but with a decent tone & enough to keep it interesting (4*). Still way too long as a track though. The Bottle House is back to Bucket doing Rock. A little sluggish, but the soloing elevates this track to something half decent. As I said before, always like to hear Bucket's take on soloing over this kind of rhythm material (4*). Track is again very rocky, but the pace is considerably more agreeable. Again, the soloing is just plain old fun to listen to (4*). Solid enough Pike I suppose.

Pike 152 - Carnival Cutouts: More shredding in the opening track here, although the non-shred portions are pretty interesting. This is actually probably one of his better shred tracks. Still, my usual criticism of this music stands: it gets old after about 3-4 minutes and doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's really hard to stay engaged for 13 minutes of that. Water Balloon Filling Station is short and sweet. A funky sort of jam and ends at the right time. The final track is a step in the right direction. It's more on the riff driven side. Some really cool melodic parts too. I'm not sure if that's enough to redeem this album though. I'd say maybe check out Lasso the Slug but it's probably not worth seeking out the entire Pike.

Carnival Cutouts still has that annoying drumming & noisy guitar work; but it's decent enough if, as you say, way too long (probably just a 4*). Water Balloon Filling Station is probably less interesting, for me anyway. Just totally generic (3*). Lasso the Slug is better, as you say. Just a bit uninteresting at this stage. Like track one, it's just a 4*. Overall a pretty hard Pike to recommend. Not even sure if I agree with my own ratings...

Pike 153 - Whisper Track: Classic styled Buckethead riffing to start this one off, but then it turns to shred. And that pretty much defines this whole Pike: really promising ideas that are underdeveloped in favor of endless shredding sections. There are some cool parts, even the shred is exciting at times, but overall it's a pass. Such As Straw is awesome though. The rest of this Pike is probably skippable, but Such As Straw is a real diamond in the rough.

The crappy drumming continues, but at least there's some riffing here of interest. Kind of agree with your assessment. If you're in the mood for shred Whisper Track is decent enough (4*); if not, one to skip maybe. Hillsides is a similar story (4*). Probably both just 4* tho'. Such as Straw is way, way better. Lovely lead guitar lines (5*). Overgrown Shrubs is essentially an extension of the previous track; the soloing section basically. Another 5* track.

Pike 154 - The Cellar Yawns: After a string of meh albums, Buckethead delivers what may be a top 20 Pike. This one blew me away. The dynamics are amazing. It starts out sparse with some short heavy buildups throughout. Lots of restraint. Great melodies and lead playing. It's overall top tier atmospheric Buckethead. But then with the closing title track he delivers what might be the most brutally heavy Buckethead track since Cuckoo Clocks of Hell. I was not expecting that at all. Amazing track with intense riffing, lots of twists and turns. The true return of classic Buckethead.

Side Less Well opens & you know it's going to be stunning. Lovely synth work & much improved drumming sound. Really moody one here with, as you say, great restraint. Buckethead at his simplest and best (5*). Again, these tracks sound so effortless. Damp has a slightly different pace & feel to it, but is again another absolutely keeper. Soft and forceful at the same time (5*). Clothstraw is just a little mood track at under three minutes; but you would take this every day over any of his noisy stuff. Very pretty (5*). Boom! The Cellar Yawns. Unexpected indeed. Absolutely brutal, with probably some of the heaviest riffing of the whole Pike series. Ten minutes & you don't notice it (5*). The new heavy...

Pike 155 - Ancient Lens: Some dark doomy riffs start this one off. It's almost like Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd. He also seems to be going back to a more traditional drum sound, but the electronic sounds haven't completely vanished. Here they're mostly in the guitar sound. Great opening track overall. The electronic drums return for the more groovy Fossilized Dunce Cap. Another great tune. Some low guitar riffing, which I'm not normally a big fan of, but it works pretty well here. Also some soloing moments that are tastefully placed. The closer is much more on the melodic side. Buckethead uses more of the guitar neck here which is always a good thing. Interesting how this album builds in energy. Love when Bucket pays extra attention to the flow. Another great Pike.

Ancient Lens has an unusual lead tone, but this time the "noise" is used to great atmospheric effect. A glorious track (5*). Fossilized Dunce Cap is pretty damn heavy, but not in a Cellar Yawns way. Still has elements that don't work in other instances, but I really like this track (5*). 2 x 6 similar to the previous track but maybe (unfairly) suffers from being just too similar (4*). The quality continues though.

Pike 156 - Herbie Climbs a Tree: Not sure who Herbie is, but last time he was involved in one of these Pikes I wasn't impressed. However, the last two Pikes have been a real return to form so we'll see what happens. It starts out pretty funky with a strange guitar sound and the now-staple electronic drums. Overall the opening title track is a decent jam but doesn't do much for me. Things start to really get good with Sealed Room. Awesome classic Buckethead riffing. It's my favorite blend of heavy and melodic. Things get more mellow with Lone Lagoon. Maybe a leftover from The Cellar Yawns? Great track with some fantastic lead playing. Moving Walkway is an interesting closer. More riff driven stuff with some eerie melodies. Just a solid tune with lots of twists and turns. Great Pike, was not expecting this level of variety.

Herbie is Buckethead's hand-puppet. He apparently would only speak to Guns' management through Herbie (& Brain)! Herbie Climbs a Tree and it's pretty funk groovy. Not amazing, but I can listen to this sort of funk stuff all day (4*). Sealed Room is back to some fairly brutal heavy riffing with tasty lead work. We've stepped up a gear here (5*). Lone Lagoon is laid-back coolness. Lovely tone & some choice synth work thrown in there. Very nice (5*). Moving Walkway has that buzzy tone thing going again. Not a huge fan of that, but the actual playing/music here is decent enough (4*). Two middle tracks are the stars here.

Pike 157 - Upside Down Skyway: I love the sinister riffing that starts this one off. Always interesting to see what he does with shorter song formats. Caterpillar Invasion is as classic a Buckethead tune as any. Very promising start. Skull Rock and Suspension Bridge continue the high quality. Slowing things down in track 3 is always an effective strategy IMO so the album is very well sequenced so far. It seems that high quality short songs from Buckethead are scarce lately, but here he just delivered 3 killers in a row. Bucket goes back to his usual long format with the title track, a more bluesy jam. Decent tune but definitely not the main event of this Pike. Things pick up again with Kendo Training Port, another solid melodic/riff driven song. Things mellow out with the closer, another bluesy sort of jam, but much stronger than the title track. Another winner, very reminsicent of the earlier Pikes.

We're still on the fairly stale drum sound (for me), but the riffing & tone is markedly improved from some of the recent buzz-tone tracks. Two short tracks open the Pike, Caterpillar Invasion (4*) and Skull Rock Cove (4*). I like both of these although nothing spectacular going on. Suspension Bridge is a lovely little track; great feel & atmosphere, with some glorious lead guitar lines (5*). Upside Down Skyway is back in the Bucket groove. Quite long, but you barely notice it; I love this (5*). Kendo Training Port is a really short track that's kind of hard to classify. Just some really nice melodic/heavy guitar work going on (4*). Braking Zones is, again, a decent melodic/heavy track (4*). Insects slows it right down. Lovely bluesy soloing with a mixture of lead tones. Very nice indeed (5*).

Pike 158 - Twisted Branches: Been awhile since he's done a multipart piece, those are usually cool so I'm looking forward to this. Already he's throwing curveballs by starting out mellow and then exploding into this awesome heavy riff. The heaviness is akin to The Cellar Yawns, which is totally welcome. It's an onslaught of heavy riffing, quick time changes, and brutal rhythms. It does slow back down a little in part 4 when Bucket delivers an awesome phaser guitar melody. However, this moment is short lived and things quickly get heavy again. Love the tapping in the final part followed by some very thrashy riffing. Overall a fantastic piece that is once again reminding me of the earlier Pikes. But of course the Pike doesn't end there. How do you follow that up? Collapse Cliff is a solid jam with classic Buckethead riffing. Doesn't feel all that much different from the title suite, perhaps some leftover riffs? If so, even his leftovers are great. Mummy In the Wall is shred, but at 2 and a half minutes, it's the perfect length for that sort of thing. The even shorter Swollen Trees is another nice slab of riffing that closes out another juggernaut of a Pike.

The Twisted Branches suite is awesome. Starts quiet to draw you in, but then comes in with this heavy crunchy tone & riffing. Not in-your-face heavy because of the mix, but this is still really heavy. Lead lines are nicely blended in; the whole thing seems very well planned out with a lot of breaks & changes. Yeh, has that lovely melodic break, but it doesn't last long. Cracking set of tracks (all 5*). Collapse Cliff comes bouncing in with the same crunchy tone feel. Great track (5*). Mummy in the Wall is a little more scrappy as is evidenced from the off. Some tap-work which works okay here. Great riffing mid-track. Solid (4*). Swollen Trees is super short, but a totally solid track (4*). The whole Pike has a great tone to it.

Pike 159 - Half Circle Bridge: Not sure about the shredding, but I really dig the electronic sounding riff in between the shredding in the opening track. Another example of a really cool musical idea that is cut way too short for less interesting shredding. The soloing in this track actually isn't too bad. Some nice licks. This is fine as long as it's not the whole album...
Luckily that seems to be the case. Circle is a decent slab of riffing. Not quite as strong as what was on the previous Pike, but still worth hearing. Tet is a really interesting noise collage. Kinda unlike anything he's done before. Good Pike, but the only thing I see myself going back to is Circle, so I'm not going to recommend it. Still some interesting stuff here.

Half starts off, indeed, with quite an unusual guitar tone/riff. Fits really well with that drumming for once. Shredding is a bit of an ill-fit, but tonally is made to fit better here. A solid 4* for me. Circle is another solid track without being spectacular. I like the early main riff; simple but effective. Bridge continues with more of the same (4*). Not a Pike for great variety I feel. He's sticking to riffing while keeping the lead lines simple though; not too much nonsense. Now the last track, Tet, is something you don't hear every day. This is straight into the "BucketSound VIII - ODDITIES" playlist. How this fits on this Pike I have no idea, but it's pretty cool (4*). In fact it's probably the most interesting track on this. It's almost dancey feeling at times.

A few throwaway Pikes but that run from 154 to 158 is unreal. It's like Buckethead has time travelled back to 2011 when the Pikes series was fresh. These are some of the most inspired and exciting albums he's done in a very long time. Was not expecting anything like this so late in the series, especially in the middle of 2015 and not long before the infamous Halloween series.

Yeh, some of these were a real step up in terms of production I felt too. I mean, that #140 (May 30th) to #159 (July 31st) run was 20 Pikes in nine weeks; so he was releasing more than two a week at this stage. Sure, some of them aren't very good. But how do you write, record, mix, and release that many in that short a space of time? Some of them sound incredibly polished for albums that Monti & him must have completed from start-to-finish in a couple of days. It was insane & too much. Having said that, you seemed to like a lot more of it than me. It's still very uneven.

Next Review >

 

[Mosh]

Also, last track? Are you thinking of the Pike #143 maybe?

Nah, I've been typing these up while listening now that I'm listening to them at home. But revisiting this track I'm not really sure why I mentioned it because it doesn't seem like any sort of departure from the rest of the album.

The turgidity continues! This is slightly better overall I feel, but still too muddy for my liking. Don't really mind the odd track coming on shuffle from this one. Odd little bits that are cool, like at the start of Shell 2 (3*); but these are sometimes lost amongst the noise. I actually have more 4* (Shell 3, Shell 4, Shell 6, Shell 7, Shell 8, and Shell 9) than 3* (Shell 1, Shell 2, and Shell 5) on this one. Now normally that would disqualify this Pike from the "Turgid Highlights" criteria, as more than half of the album is actually not half bad i.e. better than 3*. Still, is sounds and feels so turgid that they made the playlist!

I definitely agree with the muddy sound. It doesn't help the music that already seems largely uninspired at times. Definitely some good music on here but the weaker moments combined with lower quality production makes you wonder if he is even trying on albums like these.

Still surprised that you found these that interesting; I'm putting it down to that break you had. Well it's certainly different sounding, I'll give it that. So, again, mostly 3* for me on this one. The following made the "Turgid Highlights" playlist (with this being turgid): QZ 1 (4*), QZ 5 (4*), and QZ 6 (4*). You're right, QZ 5 has quite a lot of really cool guitar work going on in it. But QZ 9 is obviously something totally different (5*). It's almost like Buckethead was gently reminding you that it was still him making all this stuff. A little wink to his real strength.

The break certainly helped. Obviously I didn't recommend any of the last three Pikes so I wasn't that fond of them, but he's at least experimenting more than before when the "filler" Pikes were mostly just slabs of shred.

Begone turgidity! Still not a fan of the drum sound here, but this is solid. Scream Sundae (despite those drums) is awesome (5*); as you say, packed with riffs, mixed up with nice melodies and soloing. Just imagine this track with an actual drummer. Awesome. Pop-Up Skull opens with a tone & style of playing I really like with Buckethead; great groove. Not up there with the opening track, but good stuff (4*). Uncle Bubbles is a little rough around the edges, but has enough riffing & soloing to keep me interested (4*).

The drum sound works better for me than it probably should. The electronic sounds add some more high frequencies to the overall sound, which is often lacking in some of these Pikes. It's also interesting to hear him embracing the "fake-ness" of the drums a little.

Hmmm. As I said, I found this pretty hard going. Yes, I'd agree, at least the experimentation was different and wasn't more of the same. There was just too much of it in a row though. This is always interesting to return to (hence my playlist building), but it was hard going at release time.

Yea having multiple Pikes like that in a row is difficult for me too. My main criticism of the Pikes since the beginning is that he sticks to a particular sound for too long without switching things up enough.

Herbie is Buckethead's hand-puppet. He apparently would only speak to Guns' management through Herbie (& Brain)! Herbie Climbs a Tree and it's pretty funk groovy. Not amazing, but I can listen to this sort of funk stuff all day (4*). Sealed Room is back to some fairly brutal heavy riffing with tasty lead work. We've stepped up a gear here (5*). Lone Lagoon is laid-back coolness. Lovely tone & some choice synth work thrown in there. Very nice (5*). Moving Walkway has that buzzy tone thing going again. Not a huge fan of that, but the actual playing/music here is decent enough (4*). Two middle tracks are the stars here.

Yea I'm not sure how I feel about that buzzy tone. It works sometimes but he tends to overdo it. I'm not a huge fan of over processed guitar sounds, but sometimes it adds color to otherwise bland sounding music.

Yeh, some of these were a real step up in terms of production I felt too. I mean, that #140 (May 30th) to #159 (July 31st) run was 20 Pikes in nine weeks; so he was releasing more than two a week at this stage. Sure, some of them aren't very good. But how do you write, record, mix, and release that many in that short a space of time? Some of them sound incredibly polished for albums that Monti & him must have completed from start-to-finish in a couple of days. It was insane & too much. Having said that, you seemed to like a lot more of it than me. It's still very uneven.

Definitely better production on these. Even disregarding how quickly he makes these, I think they're solid production efforts on their own. Like if, say, The Cellar Yawns was the only release that year, it'd be more than acceptable IMO. I dunno I found this decade to be a return to form. Unfortunately the momentum didn't seem to last.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

< Previous Review

Okay, let's bring this review of reviews up-to-date!

Pike 160 - Land of Miniatures: The opening track is a nice funky jam with a solid solo at the end. Good stuff, but I thought it plodded a little too much. This seems to be the case for a majority of the album. But it is another example of a fairly uninteresting Pike with a great closer. Way Back When is a really strong mellow piece. Love the way the lead guitar interacts with the clean rhythm guitar on this tune. Check this song out, take or leave the rest.

So Land of Miniatures has that Ancient Lens (Pike #155) kind of lead guitar tone; which isn't very good but does actually work in that track &, I think, this one. I'm not sure if I'd describe this as funky; it's certainly got a good swing to it. Admittedly, we're ten minutes in and there's been little progression; so I'll except that criticism of it. The soloing starts just after the ten minute mark & it's sweet as hell. I suppose it's not up there with other big, long openers; but, I dunno, I think this pretty damn good (4*). Loathsome Shape is another track which reminds me a lot of recent tracks in being quite unmemorable. I mean, it's decent, but nothing more (a poor 4*). Triceratoptron has that buzzy lead guitar tone again. And again, I think it works okay here. There's some decent melodies going on here, although I do find myself asking why the guitar tone had to sound like this. Some mid-song shred going on here & then some crazy good soloing towards the end, almost elevating this track to something better than 4-star but not quite (4*). Way Back When is the odd one out on this Pike; and it's all the better for it. Clean, melodic, slow; just everything that makes this Buckethead mode his best. Really beautiful soloing here. Superb track (5*).

Pike 161 - Bats In the Lite Brite: Nice ambient synth stuff to start this out. You know, as far as the ambient/noisy stuff go, this is probably the best of the bunch. Still only for a select audience, but I found this much more listenable than most of the others. Some really nice soundscapes and a creepy atmosphere. I would put this on a Halloween playlist.

So probably Buckethead's best Ambient/Noise Pikes release to date. Nothing abrasive here. Well mixed & probably came out just the way he wanted this. This isn't a real 4-star release, but I've actually rated all of these 4-star to distinguish them from most of the other Ambient/Noise tracks that I've rated. Unfortunately for you Mosh (who still have to listen & review the Halloween series of releases) this is as good as it's going to get. It basically works because for once he's found the right balance between guitar noises (very subtle here; well mixed) and brooding synth work. This is almost better than most of his DCK material.

Pike 162 - Four Forms: I'm digging the spacey sounds of the opening here. One thing I appreciate about these Pikes lately is that Buckethead is really experimenting with new soundscapes. I'm slightly disappointed that the rest of the album doesn't seem to be in that direction, but it's still good stuff. Some really awesome riffs and cool guitar effects. A mixed bag Pike, but I'll recommend it because that opening track is so cool and takes up a good chunk of it, and the rest of the album is mostly pretty good. Not one to rush out for, but also not one to skip.

Guitar tone on Midnight Sun is fucking incredible. What a track, up there with some of his other big-opener Pike releases (5*). Four Forms has that buzzy tone again, but he keeps the lead work to a minimum here & lets the buzz-tone do the talking in the rhythm department. I like it, but not quite 5-star material (4*). The buzz tones continue in Collapse Surface; although he has a cleaner lead tone going on here & some heavy drumming sections. Nice soloing late on too (4*). Open Warp has a slightly less agreeable drum-rhythm going on to begin with, but again has some nice pounding drumming sections once it gets going. Nothing spectacular, but pretty good (4*). Dripping Castle is totally different opening with just guitar. It then bowls in with this massive Midnight Sun-like tone again; all buzzy & heavy. Short, but I really like it (5*). Incidentally, the drumming is much improved generally. Ricochet Laser drops the buzz tones & the drumming is a little more developed again. Some nice killswitch stuff mid-track & then this bizarre vibrating tone thing going on with the bassline following it. Unusual & kinda cool track (4*). Thing From the Sea clatters in with a tap-shred intro, then settles down to some fairly entertaining guitar work throughout, with some pounding riffs (4*). An interesting Pike all-in.

Pike 163 - Blue Tides: The weird spacey sounds return in what is certain to be a mellower Pike. Definitely more on the minimalist side of things, which I really like. It's mostly Buckethead soloing over a simple chord progression, but the soundscapes he creates doing so are unbeatable. The music here is so hypnotic. These never get old.

They never do, do they? Blue is very nice indeed. Some real feel to his playing here, very gentle. Everything is driven by the lead guitar melodies. Excellent stuff (5*). Tide is a little more upbeat in mood/atmosphere; more laid-back. Again, hard to make any criticism of anything here. Just glorious playing with great feel (5*).

Pike 164 - Ghoul: A heavy, moody Pike. Some really dark riffing and melodies. I've noticed that these Pikes have taken a darker turn. Getting ready for Halloween already? I've found Buckethead to actually be fairly hit or miss in this mode, although it mostly works here. Some really good stuff. Maybe it's because Chris Cornell just recently died, but I found myself being reminded of Soundgarden and the the heavier side of Grunge. What works for me is that it's not all dark and sludgy. There are some really uplifting melodies to balance out the darkness. Some really cool arpeggiated stuff toward the end of the opening track, for example. The second song is much more upbeat, but still brutally heavy. I'm thinking less of Grunge and more of thrash Metal. Like the groovier side of Megadeth (another band that I'm frequently reminded of when listening to Bucket). I'm glad this track is different. As I've mentioned before, the best Pikes are usually filled with variety. Overall a much more stripped down Pike than his usual work as of late, but it's a nice change. No shortage of delicious musical content here.

I agree that moody works best with beautiful melodies interwoven; it can't just be relentlessly depressing. Altho', personally, I really like his gloomy stuff. Still, this is less moody & more reflective feeling. Again, it all just seems to flow so easily, as if 17 minutes was just how long this should have been. There's so much going on in Ghoul 1, I really like it a lot (5*). Ghoul 2 picks up the pace considerably to begin with. It still has little nod-of-the-head to Ghoul 1 interludes, but otherwise we're racing along, the bass & guitar parts hand-in-hand. And by 2 minutes in we're really rocking a long here; great groove. I absolutely love this track (5*). Great Pike.

Pike 165 - Orange Tree: Some really cool syncopated rhythms to start this off. The interaction between the bass, drums, and guitar makes it seem like three different players, rather than Bucket on guitar/bass and a drum machine. Really cool stuff here. Very Rush-like in its trio setup as well. Not to mention the guitar effects. Also contains an unexpected soft section, which is more on the psychedelic side. Some really interested soundscapes in the second track. Very spacey and sparse sounding. Not a lot of drum work, mostly guitars and synth. Are there any other Buckethead tracks with this sort of sound? I can't think of any atm. Regardless, it's very cool and eerie. This is another good Pike, mostly because it's so unlike the rest of his catalog.

Opening track Orange Tree is very reminiscent of the three part work he did on Infinity Hill (Pike #74). Now this is the kind of bass work I want to here him doing more of; assuming it's not Monti! Programmed drums are incredibly well worked out too; they put a lot of effort into this one & it pays off. Great track (5*). Now Town Hall Bell is just super odd & cool. Again, there's some really unique & interesting stuff going on here; including the percussion stuff. The guitar part is so odd, but yet fits so eerily well with those piping synth sounds. Probably the highest rated track in the "BucketSound VIII - ODDITIES" playlist. A piece of magic for me (5*).

Pike 166 - Region: A less interesting Pike. More of a blues jam, one of my least favorite styles of Buckethead. Very predictable too. I even expected the mellower closer, which was of course the highlight of the album but still not that interesting IMO. Meh.

Hmmm, I think this is pretty good. Region kicks it off; nice bass part & nice guitar tone. I like it (4*). Castle Stairs is more arena-Rock mode than blues jam for me. Some pretty tasty soloing here I thought (5*). River of Liquid Fire is again pretty laid back with some nice soloing. I'll take a good solid lead guitar line over stale sludgy rhythm work any day. I think this is decent (4*). Clock Striking has that twangy gloom-period feel to it, in terms of tone. Okay, so this is pretty blues jam, but it pisses all over his other efforts in this department. The tone & mix is bang on for me (5*). Finishes with Ancient Desert which is a bit cleaner sounding & is probably tonally the most divergent track of the album. Lovely (5*). Did we just listen to a different album?

Pike 167 - Shapeless: Revisiting the 3 song format after a short departure from that. The opening tune is a long jam for Buckethead to solo over. It's a good slab of guitar. Especially the ending. I prefer something a little more composed, but this is good for what it is. Vague Lights is heavier and more composed. Some solid riffing, although it drags quite a bit in the middle. As once again expected, Sleep Book is another mellow closer. This one is very good, much stronger than Ancient Desert on Region IMO. Overall, a decent Pike but it's starting to feel like Buckethead is going through the motions again.

We're back to the buzzy lead tone again & clunking (not in a bad way) bass playing. (Shapeless could very well be a reference so this entire Pikes series...) So, the opening track, Shapeless, is way too long. I quite like it, but it's only a 4-star probably because of that length. The soloing is pretty cool though (4*). Vague Lights sounds vaguely familiar. This track has actually got some fairly decent sections to it (4*). It's hard, at this stage, to think what's inspiring him to write material like this though. I agree, we've basically been here before. The Sleep Book is completely different. Great stripped down acoustic track from Bucket here (5*).

Pike 168 - Ognaradar: More Buckethead going through the motions. Some shredding, some downtuned riffing. All pretty noodly stuff that doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Now we're all buzzy tone and down-tuned; it doesn't bode well. I've actually listened to this quite a lot & asked myself what I don't like about it. What I would have felt if this had been Pike #8 or something?; whether I'd have felt differently about it. I don't know. But I do know at this stage of the Pikes I was totally worn out & this release pretty much summed up everything that was wrong. It's not the only culprit, but there's just nothing much to really say about this Pike. I've rated all of these 3-star, except the second track na. There's a tune in here & it's not half bad (4*). It doesn't stop this being one of this most uninspired releases of this period. And I like his shredding!

Pike 169 - The Windowsill: The first two tracks on this one reminded me of Buckethead's early electronic period. Similar sorts of grooves, but with a slightly different instrumentation. Very bass driven stuff, which is at least a nice change of pace. This Pike would probably make good background music, but I found it to be pretty dull by itself.

The muddy slap bass work is back & it still isn't doing anything for me. Again, as we've discussed before, seeing Buckethead do this sort of material live (which you can see on YouTube) is actually pretty entertaining, particularly in a band set-up situation. It's just lifeless in the studio though. It would really take some good production & mixing to brighten this type of playing up & the Bucket/Monti home-studio set-up just isn't cutting it I don't think. The Moors is quite boring (3*), and The Dunes isn't any better (3*). Now The Windowsill is a lot, lot better. The bass is slower & a little cleaner; but importantly there's some tone-drenched lead guitar work going on here which flips the boredom to interest. I was going to say it's too long, but having just listened to the entire track for the first time in while I have to say I really enjoyed that. Apparently I already knew this though, since I appear to have given it a 5-star rating (5*). A disappointing Pike overall tho'.

2015 is a real slog to get through so far. There will be moments of brilliance followed immediately by long stretches of mediocrity. It's obvious at this point that even in 2014 and 2013 there was a higher level of quality control. There were plenty of clunkers but they were usually surrounded by higher quality albums. In 2015 there are a lot of long stretches of mediocre and worse Pikes. On the other hand, when he's on a roll he's delivering some of the best music since this project started. So it varies wildly.

Yip, incredibly uneven. There's some real gems in here & a reminder of what he can still deliver. Nothing to get too cut-up about considering how good later releases have been; but at the time, this really felt like burnout for many fans. Music took a dive, release rate was frightening, most people couldn't even afford to keep up, and there was no sign of direction change. Halloween didn't help of course!

God, I've just reviewed what I've typed here --& my commentary is getting even more meandering & possibly turgid than the music...



Next Review >

 

[Mosh]

Pike 170 - Washed Away: A really solid mellow Pike to kick off the next decade. Great guitar tone here. Bright but not without the warmth of Buckethead's usual clean tones. This is up to the usual standard of Buckethead's more atmospheric Pikes. Lots of buildups and fantastic melodies. Second tune is much heavier, but still good. Lots of crushing riffs and some solid leads. It's short but it's another classic sounding Buckethead tune. Hopefully he has a whole album of these sometime in the future. Off to a great start here.

Pike 171 - A Ghost Took My Homework: This one almost won me over. Lots of cool moments, but it's mostly padded by less inspired riffing and Bucket's usual generic leads. I normally like all the twists and turns, but in this case it felt directionless. I had a hard time connecting with any of it. I would be on board for certain moments and then it would shift to something far less interesting.

Pike 172 - Crest of the Hill: Very similar to the previous Pike, but slightly better. This one is at least worth checking out IMO. It's also pretty inconsistent but the stronger moments are very good and the weaker moments aren't too bad. Some really cool melodies here. Just wish he'd develop some of them more, but I've gotten used to him not building on ideas with potential. Also love the atmospheric closer, Equestrian Statue. Not a great Pike by any means, but it's listenable. Still feels like Buckethead isn't trying very hard with these last two.

Pike 173 - The Blob: Another collection of uninspired plodding riffs. Again, there are good ideas in here but the bulk of it is pretty generic. I've heard it all before.

Pike 174 - Last House On Slunk Street: OK this is interesting. 16 tracks! It has been a very long time since Bucket delivered a slab of very short tunes. I was interested to see where he went with it, but it turned out to be another disappointment. Some nice heavy riffing, but the bulk of it was more mindless shredding. Just felt like a compilation of material he wasn't sure what to do with.

Pike 175 - Quilted: Been awhile since there was a Pike consisting of just a single song. Great atmosphere on this Pike. Just guitar and synth playing very minimally. It's a very dynamic piece with some intense buildups mixed in. The whole thing is very hypnotic. It's a little on the long side, would probably skip if it came up on shuffle, but I'd rather have 30 minutes of that than any of the previous 4 Pikes. Also makes great background music.

A very meh set of Pikes. Now on to the Halloween gauntlet!

 

[Mosh]

Unfortunately for you Mosh (who still have to listen & review the Halloween series of releases) this is as good as it's going to get.

That is too bad, because this Pike had me almost optimistic about the Halloween series.

Guitar tone on Midnight Sun is fucking incredible. What a track, up there with some of his other big-opener Pike releases (5*). Four Forms has that buzzy tone again, but he keeps the lead work to a minimum here & lets the buzz-tone do the talking in the rhythm department. I like it, but not quite 5-star material (4*). The buzz tones continue in Collapse Surface; although he has a cleaner lead tone going on here & some heavy drumming sections. Nice soloing late on too (4*). Open Warp has a slightly less agreeable drum-rhythm going on to begin with, but again has some nice pounding drumming sections once it gets going. Nothing spectacular, but pretty good (4*). Dripping Castle is totally different opening with just guitar. It then bowls in with this massive Midnight Sun-like tone again; all buzzy & heavy. Short, but I really like it (5*). Incidentally, the drumming is much improved generally. Ricochet Laser drops the buzz tones & the drumming is a little more developed again. Some nice killswitch stuff mid-track & then this bizarre vibrating tone thing going on with the bassline following it. Unusual & kinda cool track (4*). Thing From the Sea clatters in with a tap-shred intro, then settles down to some fairly entertaining guitar work throughout, with some pounding riffs (4*). An interesting Pike all-in.

It definitely had a lot of interesting stuff going on. I appreciate Buckethead being more experimental lately, although he could definitely take it further IMO.

I agree that moody works best with beautiful melodies interwoven; it can't just be relentlessly depressing. Altho', personally, I really like his gloomy stuff. Still, this is less moody & more reflective feeling. Again, it all just seems to flow so easily, as if 17 minutes was just how long this should have been. There's so much going on in Ghoul 1, I really like it a lot (5*). Ghoul 2 picks up the pace considerably to begin with. It still has little nod-of-the-head to Ghoul 1 interludes, but otherwise we're racing along, the bass & guitar parts hand-in-hand. And by 2 minutes in we're really rocking a long here; great groove. I absolutely love this track (5*). Great Pike.

I like the gloomy stuff but in small doses. One Pike of that is interesting, several in a row becomes grating. It's excellent on Ghoul.

Opening track Orange Tree is very reminiscent of the three part work he did on Infinity Hill (Pike #74). Now this is the kind of bass work I want to here him doing more of; assuming it's not Monti! Programmed drums are incredibly well worked out too; they put a lot of effort into this one & it pays off. Great track (5*). Now Town Hall Bell is just super odd & cool. Again, there's some really unique & interesting stuff going on here; including the percussion stuff. The guitar part is so odd, but yet fits so eerily well with those piping synth sounds. Probably the highest rated track in the "BucketSound VIII - ODDITIES" playlist. A piece of magic for me (5*).

Definitely a spiritual successor to Infinity Hill. I want to see him do this sort of stuff with real musicians though. Maybe on that mysterious Halloween release?

Hmmm, I think this is pretty good. Region kicks it off; nice bass part & nice guitar tone. I like it (4*). Castle Stairs is more arena-Rock mode than blues jam for me. Some pretty tasty soloing here I thought (5*). River of Liquid Fire is again pretty laid back with some nice soloing. I'll take a good solid lead guitar line over stale sludgy rhythm work any day. I think this is decent (4*). Clock Striking has that twangy gloom-period feel to it, in terms of tone. Okay, so this is pretty blues jam, but it pisses all over his other efforts in this department. The tone & mix is bang on for me (5*). Finishes with Ancient Desert which is a bit cleaner sounding & is probably tonally the most divergent track of the album. Lovely (5*). Did we just listen to a different album?

I dunno, I'll have to go back to this one but my impression of it was a very generic slab. I like Bucket's arena rock mode though so I might have to at least give Castle Stairs another shot.

Yip, incredibly uneven. There's some real gems in here & a reminder of what he can still deliver. Nothing to get too cut-up about considering how good later releases have been; but at the time, this really felt like burnout for many fans. Music took a dive, release rate was frightening, most people couldn't even afford to keep up, and there was no sign of direction change. Halloween didn't help of course!

Yea I remember following some of these releases when they came out. I only listened to samples on bandcamp but once he got to releasing an album every day my impression was that the whole Pike thing was just a gimmick without much artistic merit. Obviously now I don't think that is entirely the case, but 2015 definitely makes you wonder how many of these albums were born out of inspiration rather than the Pike gimmick.

 

[Mosh]

Pike 176 - 31 Days Til Halloween: Actually not too bad at all. It's mostly just clean guitar with some small synth embellishments, but he definitely succeeds in creating a creepy vibe. There's some dynamic work and buildups. As far as atmosphere goes, it works. For what it is, this is a decent start to the series.

Pike 177 - 30 Days Til Halloween: More synths here, more guitar effects. Not nearly as raw as the previous Pike. Nothing here really impressed me.

Pike 178 - 29 Days Til Halloween: Actual music? I was not expecting anything other than noise and ambience for these Pikes. Obviously I'm pleasantly surprised. There's a bit of shredding on here but he does a nice job at building up to it and the shredding itself is a little more inventive than usual. But really the main reason I'm recommending this is Part 1. The riffing on this is brutal, some of his heaviest work yet. More of this please.

Pike 179 - 28 Days Til Halloween: This is a much more minimalist effort. Lots of strange noises but pretty raw overall. While the previous three Pikes all held my interest at various points, I was pretty bored with this one throughout. The atmosphere, which is the most important aspect of a Pike like this, didn't seem to be there. Part 6 is almost redeeming though. Some pretty creepy guitar work there.

Pike 180 - 27 Days Til Halloween: This reminded me of some other ambient music I've heard and it's driving me crazy because it might be something Bucket was actually drawing inspiration from. Either way, this one is better than 28 and 30, possible 31. A solid effort.

Pike 181 - 26 Days Til Halloween: Some more electric sounds on this one. I at least like that each of these Halloween Pikes have had a slightly different type of soundscape.

Pike 182 - 25 Days Til Halloween: I enjoy the low droning noises here. The foghorns and more abrasive noises, not so much.

Pike 183 - 24 Days Til Halloween: This one is more on the abrasive side. Not a fan of that delay effect he uses on a lot of these ambient Pikes. Something about it just doesn't mix with the rest of the sounds very well. Again, I like the moodier quieter stuff. Some interesting noises on here about halfway through. The synth stuff at the end is also kinda cool.

Pike 184 - 23 Days Til Halloween: I didn't mind this one. Pretty creepy stuff and nothing too abrasive. I can enjoy that low droning.

Pike 185 - 22 Days Til Halloween: This was more on the abrasive side. Lots of loud guitar noises and noodling. Nothing particularly interesting here and it often bordered on obnoxious.

Pike 186 - 21 Days Til Halloween: This one is all guitar. It's pretty heavy on the noodles, but there's some interesting stuff sprinkled in.

Pike 187 - 20 Days Til Halloween: Here Buckethead trades in his guitar for an 80s synthesizer. Some of the stuff on here is very reminiscent of John Carpenter, which is more than an appropriate influence for the series. I actually enjoyed parts of this. Some of it felt like it could fit in a horror movie.

Pike 188 - 19 Days Til Halloween: Interesting to hear Buckethead experiment with wind instrument sounds. Some more John Carpenter-esque stuff about halfway through as well. I thought this was a decent blend of noise, ambient, and even melodic sounds.

Pike 189 - 18 Days Til Halloween: Even more John Carpenter influenced music here. Really dig the synthy stuff he's doing. He's actually pretty good at it, much better than he is at the more noisy stuff at least. Unfortunately, about ten minutes in it goes back to noise. While there are some interesting bits here and there most of it doesn't do anything for me. A real missed opportunity here.

Pike 190 - 17 Days Til Halloween: Dunno what to say about this one. 30 minutes of noise, nothing too atmospheric or engaging.

Pike 191 - 16 Days Til Halloween: This one had a really cool synth part that lasted ten seconds before going back to more noise.

Pike 192 - 15 Days Til Halloween: And the project seems to have really hit a wall. While nothing so far has been particularly interesting, there seemed to be a decent level of variety and some noteworthy parts. These last three Pikes haven't really had anything worth talking about. A lot of it has to do with his choice of sounds. Many of them just don't blend well. It kills the atmosphere and reminds the listener that you're listening to some guy noodle around with a synthesizer and an electric guitar in a studio. Good ambient music makes you forget you're listening to electronic sounds IMO.

Pike 193 - 14 Days Til Halloween: This is a perfect example of what I was talking about in the previous Pike. The "main" sort of sound is that wobbly synth thing and it sounds like a default synth from Logic Pro X. Nothing wrong with that sound, but in this context it seems pretty lazy. Anyone could load that patch and noodle around with it for a half hour.

Pike 194 - 13 Days Til Halloween: A slightly better blend of sounds this time, but still not much in the way of atmosphere.

Pike 195 - 12 Days Til Halloween: Another step in the right direction. Better sounds, more thought put into the atmosphere, but overall this project still seems far beyond worn out.

Pike 196 - 11 Days Til Halloween: See above.

Pike 197 - 10 Days Til Halloween: I dig the backmasking stuff toward the end. There were some creepier moments here, overall one of the better entries after a few really mediocre Pikes.

Pike 198 - 9 Days Til Halloween: This one wasn't too bad. Had a decent atmosphere and some cool sounds. Heavy distortion on both the guitars and keyboards to the point that they didn't sound like instruments anymore, which is a positive in this context.

Pike 199 - 8 Days Til Halloween: Real music! Awesome groove with a creepy vibe to start this off. It goes back to noise fairly quickly, but it goes back and forth between noise and real music which works for me. It's a decent balance and probably the most well rounded Halloween Pike so far.

Pike 200 - 7 Days Til Halloween: Decent soundscapes on this one but I could do without the guitar/banjo noises.

Pike 201 - 6 Days Til Halloween: Similar to the previous Pike, but with less out of place sounds. An improvement!

Pike 202 - 5 Days Til Halloween: Not much to say about this one. Some nice use of piano. It starts out with some weird sounds but settles into something kinda atmospheric.

Pike 203 - 4 Days Til Halloween: I liked this one. Loved the weird sound effects and it maintained a creepy vibe all the way through. This one is worthy of a Halloween playlist.

Pike 204 - 3 Days Til Halloween: Another solid entry. Some cool demonic sounds and everything blended together fairly nicely. It's at least nice to hear him improving.

Pike 205 - 2 Days Til Halloween: Decent synth work here.

Pike 206 - Happy Halloween: Given that this is the end of the countdown, I was expecting Buckethead to go all out on this album and deliver his best work in the style. Unfortunately that was far from the case. In fact, I found this to be one of the weaker ones in the series. Way too much guitar noodling and the ambient sounds don't really do much for me. I guess it's the appropriate conclusion for a very mediocre and weird series of albums.

Pike 207 - 365 Days Til Halloween: A much stronger offering and overall a better conclusion to the series. Works well as a nice "epilogue". Some sounds from previous Pikes make a return and the whole thing is pieced together fairly well.


That was an exhausting string of Pikes. Nothing in there I'd ever come back to, but it is really one of the stranger moments in an already strange career for Buckethead. Some of these worked better than others and judging them for what they were I found a few that really weren't bad at all. Still, I think it's important not to take these too seriously. I'm not sure what he was going for exactly with some of these, but it must have meant something to him to dedicate so much time to it.

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

God, you really just did that, didn't you?

Congratulations!