Buckethead

a1049151453_10.jpg

Pike 14/275
  1. "Ricochet" - After mucking about a bit at the beginning, the song gets into a really nice groove, with some great riffing and some ultra noodley guitar stuff that I think sounds pretty awesome. A little after the three minute mark it gets really cool, love the guitar there. The riff returns near the end and I think as a whole the song is awesome. Just hope that the rest don't stick too closely to this formula. 9.5/10
  2. "Nebula" - Ooh, really nice riff on this one. Oh, nice soaring guitar there! Dang, this is really awesome. A boppy Seinfeld-like bit comes in but is fast replaced by some cool riffing. Really cool stuff. 9.5/10
  3. "The Canals" - Ultra fast but loose riffing opens the song, before it gets into a really boppy bit. Noodley guitars come in next. They start to really soar after a bit. Then a nice riff kicks in but the noodleness ups the ante for itself... but then boppiness returns again. I like this robotic guitar happening here. Pretty cool stuff. 9/10
  4. "Chickephant" - *Sees runtime* Uh-oh, hope this one isn't a bust. Cool noodley stuff here, but it could easily get boring fast... The drumming here is insane. Right up to the four minute mark it was cool, but god, 10 minutes is a long time for nothing more than mindless noodling. Thank god the drumming is good. This works much better in the background, honestly. I think this is gonna be the make-or-break moment of the Pike, and it feels like it's leaning towards break. 5/10
  5. "Dry Ice Screeches" - I mean... it's... I dunno. 3/10
  6. "Death Star Surface" - Ah, hopefully we're back to greatness again. Noodling, then an awesome riff, then a slow-down, then another heavy riff, then whoosh and a bop, and then noodling, and then some quiet stuff, and then some heavier stuff, and then some noodling, and then some weird stuff, and then a heavy as fuck riff, and then some slow, heavy riffing, and then some loose, heavy riffing, and then we're done. MUCH better! 9.5/10
  7. "Tree of Lanterns" - Some great noodling and then we barrel into a fucking awesome riff. Then it all calms down in a nice section of coolness. Then we barrel right into another fucking heavy riff. Then it bobs down but bobs right back up nicely. Then it quiets down again a bit. This tin-can section knocks the song down a bit, unfortunately. Most of it was great, though. 8.5/10
  8. "Elephicken" - Props for being a good closer. 7.5/10
The first three tracks were awesome. They had all the right ingredients for a meh album but came out sounding fantastic. Then "Chickephant" came in and rewrote the scene. This was such a promising Pike, but unfortunately it got shattered a bit before it could fully achieve greatness. What a loss. Ah well, the good stuff was definitely good and I'd listen again just for that.

Rating: 7.7/10

9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
Just listened to that vinyl rip of Crime Slunk Scene. I like the production on it a lot, and it was fun rediscovering the album. "King James" and "Soothsayer" slay the competition but there isn't a bad song on the album. Interesting that they took off the last two tracks, but I'd still buy it, and may just end up doing it since I'm looking into ordering a record player at the end of the month. Good stuff.
 
574112.jpg

Pike 15/275
  1. "Puzzle Box" - Acoustic with some growing electricity. Short but sweet. I love it. 10/10
  2. "Ran" - Starts off quietly before building into a very heavy track. Feels like someone running, certainly. I'm liking this a lot. This noodley stuff sounds awesome. 9.5/10
  3. "Pullout Drawer" - Back to quiet acoustics. Got a lot of nice bits to it. The ending is creepily great. 9.5/10
  4. "Early Coin" - Oh shit, this is like Bucket trying to do a CSN song or something. I like it better than CSN at any rate. Very flowery. 9/10
  5. "View Master" - Simplistic... dark... haunting... building... really feels like the album cover coming to life. 9.5/10
  6. "First Day of Autumn" - I thought this was an ad at first. :D Sounds nice though. Good acoustic stuff. Short, though. 8.5/10
  7. "Find" - Haunting stuff at first, but nearly three minutes in and it explodes into some cool soloing before going back to the creepy atmosphere. Then it explodes into cool soloing again. Awesome stuff, really. 9.5/10
  8. "Dragon Shield" - Cool acoustics before building up a bit. This is even better than its contemporaries "Early Coin" and "First Day of Autumn". I like it. 9.5/10
  9. "Big Little Book" - Really nice atmosphere and album placement. 9.5/10
  10. "Stock" - Really nice stuff. The electric / acoustic duo here is great. 9.5/10
  11. "Toys of Jupiter" - Ghost town vibe. I love it. 9.5/10
  12. "Learn Circle" - This is awesome. Great way to wind it down with some haunting music and great guitarwork. 10/10
Talk about an album that succeeds with almost everything it's going for. The album cover is awesome and gives a bit of an insight as to what you'll find in here. "Early Coin" and "First Day of Autumn" are a little disjointed from the rest but aren't terrible and help keep things interesting, but every other track is awesome. I like this one a lot. Great 15th release from Bucketheadland's kiosk. Good shit.

Rating: 9.4/10

9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.4 - View Master (15)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
I've just finished my "review-of-reviews" (here) up to & including Pike #272 Coniuncito. Buckethead only released one further Pike in 2017 & has only added two more in 2018. I'll tidy these up & probably pull together links to all the reviews in one post for reference. Early comments were sparse & I think I even missed a whole run (of maybe five or so) in the 100's somewhere (that I just noticed); but I'm not returning to comment on those. It feels done now. After this I'll start to pull together a Pikes Top XX. I'll see how easy or hard that proves to be. I don't want to pull non-Pike albums into the mix right now. Too much! :ok:
 
Diesel 11 said:
Alright, but do the non-Pikes eventually. :p
Click to expand...
Okay, and then the collaborations...

In all seriousness, I do want to see yourself, Mosh & Foro give some of the side-project stuff a listen; especially all the Thanatopsis stuff, as all that session work informed a whole bunch of material including Population Override. Which, it goes without saying, is awesome.
 
I wanna hear it too! Either sometime during my Pike listen or after it, I’m gonna start diving through the collab stuff. Unless I just completely lose interest in Buckethead, I’m gonna hear all of it.
 
a2312301945_10.jpg

Pike 16/275
  1. "The Boiling Pond" - A quiet opening transforms into a real barnstormer with the album's title track and first song. I love the guitar sound here. Really awesome stuff all-round. 10/10
  2. "Conductor" - Such an awesome, driving riff here. Love it. 10/10
  3. "Ancestors" - So metal, so awesome. Great stuff. 10/10
  4. "Piledriver Impact" - So fucking awesome, heavy, balls-out riffing. And then he starts soloing. Loved it. 10/10
  5. "Subterranean" - Groovy shit, this. I'm liking it a lot. I don't wanna seem like I'm overrating it here, but this album has been fantastic so far. 10/10
  6. "Punmul" - Not as good as the previous ones and too short as well. Still pretty nice though. 8.5/10
  7. "Flesh Tearing Cliffs" - This is a crushing riff with more force than a hundred tanks and it really is exactly what the title says. 10/10
  8. "Life of a Fly" - Another awesome song, not quite as good as the 10s but still just as effective. Bone-crushing epicness. 9.5/10
  9. "Screaming Skull" - Very Slayer-esque. Short but sweet. 9/10
  10. "Subterranean Part 2" - Very repetitive, but it works great as the album's closer, bringing things to a strong end. 9/10
Wow, Bucket is really bringing things up again. This Pike was awesome. With almost no focus on solos and almost 100% heavy riffing, this was like a tank rolling across the bloodied corpses of its enemies. Awesome fucking stuff. Featuring not one, not two, but six songs I think are quite possibly perfect, this is definitely my favorite Pike so far. The feel, the style... all incredible. None of the 10s would qualify for a Top 10 position, mind you, but they're still so goddamn good. I love this one, and I hope it loses none of its charm when I return to it in future.

Rating: 9.6/10

9.6 - The Boiling Pond (16)
9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.4 - View Master (15)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
cover_241081742015_r.jpg

Pike 17/275
  1. "The Spirit Winds" - Just over 25 minutes is this monstrous title track and basically what the whole Pike's about. I liked it, actually, but that runtime is definitely overkill. :lol: Shan't complain though, it was nice as a whole. 9/10
  2. "Petal" - This is so nice. 9/10
  3. "Frog Charmer" - This pretty cool, but not outstanding. 8.5/10
  4. "The Pier" - Oh, this is better. I like it. Short but sweet stuff. 9/10
  5. "Cab Window" - Oh, typical Buckethead soloing makes its appearance late into the album, but it does so nicely. This is a pretty cool song. 9.5/10
After the last few Pikes, this was a very cool one to listen to. With a monster main course but some dainty deserts succeeding it, it's pretty nice overall.

Rating: 9/10

9.6 - The Boiling Pond (16)
9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.4 - View Master (15)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - The Spirit Winds (17)
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
maxresdefault.jpg

Pike 18/275
  1. "The Astrodome" - Very mellow. Pretty nice, but not outstanding. 8/10
  2. "Airtight Garbage" - Oh, it feels like the Pike woke up. Good. 8.5/10
  3. "Explorer Twin" - Cheery, too cheery maybe. 7.5/10
  4. "Omega Wing" - This one was much nicer. 9/10
  5. "Hollow Eyes" - This was also nicer. 9/10
  6. "Beaming" - Also nice. 9/10
  7. "Sun Heart" - Too short and not too outstanding, but it's still nice. 8.5/10
  8. "Light Mote" - Definitely the best song on here; a bit lengthy but it's very nice, mellow stuff. 9/10
Very mellow acoustic affair. Not quite my thing as a whole but it had some nice parts. Nearly lulled me to sleep though; guess I'll cut my losses and go the fuck to bed now.

Rating: 8.4/10

9.6 - The Boiling Pond (16)
9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.4 - View Master (15)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - The Spirit Winds (17)
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.4 - The Astrodome (18)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
a1556341466_10.jpg

Pike 19/275

What a great Pike! It's just one long track, really, but there's so much variation here it boggles my mind. Bucket takes a bunch of little things here and there and just throws them into a melting pot, and presto - we've got Teeter Slaughter. I love it. So enjoyable, feels like a trip through Bucketheadland. Excellent stuff.

Rating: 9.1/10

9.6 - The Boiling Pond (16)
9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.4 - View Master (15)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.1 - Teeter Slaughter (19)
9.0 - The Spirit Winds (17)
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.4 - The Astrodome (18)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.7 - The Mark of Davis (14)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
 
Finally got around to listen to the interview Bucket gave a little while back. Damn, that was... I don't even know. So amazing hearing him speak about his stuff so openly like that. I hope he only gets better from here on out.
 
Diesel 11 said:
Finally got around to listen to the interview Bucket gave a little while back. Damn, that was... I don't even know. So amazing hearing him speak about his stuff so openly like that. I hope he only gets better from here on out.
Click to expand...
Don't know if you knew/recall: they said, just after the first one, that he'd agreed to do a second "interview". Hopefully it will be more music focused. It would be really interesting if Dan Monti did a full interview somewhere too; his relationship with Buckethead (like Brain has done) & how they've produced the Pikes generally.
 
Diesel 11 said:
th

Pike 13/275
  1. Track 1 - This is already shaping up to be a very different type of Pike. Track 1 just repeats itself numerously but somehow it doesn't get old. I like it. 9/10
  2. Track 2 - Literally jumped because of how much louder this was, relatively. This is very nice stuff. 9/10
  3. Track 3 - Very minimalistic. Hard to believe that this is the same guy who wrote "King James" and "Jordan"... 9/10
  4. Track 4 - Very nice. I like that thing that closes it all out. Great stuff. 9/10
  5. Track 5 - So quiet.... 9/10
  6. Track 6 - Quiet start, and then it finally gets louder with a more normal song style. So relaxing. I like it a lot. 9/10
  7. Track 7 - Very nice thing. 9/10
  8. Track 8 - Pretty stuffs. 9/10
  9. Track 9 - Christ, is this literally Track 1 all over again? Genius. 9/10
After the weaker past few Pikes, this is a very nice return to greatness, but it's far from a normal Pike just from the cover on. The photo of Brian and his father is great, but the way it's shot gives it a haunting vibe, and Bucket truly brings it all out with the tracks. Ambient and moody, this one gives off a great vibe and is executed greatly. Really, one of the best Pikes yet.

Rating: 9.3/10

9.5 - Racks (8)
9.5 - It's Alive (1)
9.3 - The Shores of Molokai (7)
9.3 - Pike 13
9.0 - Look Up There (5)
8.9 - 3 Foot Clearance (3)
8.8 - The Silent Picture Book (10)
8.8 - March of the Slunks (9)
8.5 - Empty Space (2)
8.4 - Forgotten Library (11)
8.0 - Underground Chamber (4)
7.8 - Propellar (12)
7.5 - Balloon Cement (6)
Click to expand...
You gave every song a 9, how did you get a 9.3 for your overall?
 
I try to keep track ratings and album ratings separate - sometimes I use them if I feel it’s more accurate that way, other times I don’t. An album can have really good songs and still be shit because they don’t work together; other albums can have some meh songs but still work well together. The whole album rating comes from song rating averages thing is hardly accurate. I try not to use it unless I’m at a loss on how to rate it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top