Top 5 Under Appreciated Albums, Fav. Books, Binge-worthy Series: Lost Symphony (Benny)
Benny of metal outfit Lost Symphony gave PWV a few great lists, the first being his Top 5 Under Appreciated Albums, so check those out below and be sure to check out the band’s website to check out their upcoming album, Chapter II, set for an October 2020 release.
Top 5 Under Appreciated Albums
1. Faith No More – King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime – I think it’s pretty easy to say that Faith No More may be one of the most underappreciated bands ever. Period. Mike Patton should need no introduction, but if he does, YouTube his vocal range. It’s almost a joke how much shit he has done from scream-o albums to operas in other languages, and he’s AWESOME at both. This is an album towards the end of a very torrid beginning of a band too crazy to contain itself. Their guitarist, Jim Martin, had left and all kinds of drama, shit-throwing, and other madness had already gone down. I remember meeting Mike Bordin just after he recorded it on tour with Ozzy. He encouraged everyone to go “and pick it up,” despite seeming none to pleased to have fifteen year olds pestering him. But when it came out it seemed as if many people didn’t dig the expressionistic, more chaotic, bombastic direction FNM had taken. Their single “Diggin’ the Grave” was, at the time, polarizing. It was the reason I got into FNM and anyone looking back should be able to listen to this with fresh ears and know it was pure genius. Lightning in a bottle for a band playing with a lot of fucking lighting.
2. Muse – Absolution – One of my friends put this on when it came out and I remember saying “this just sounds like a bad Radiohead ripoff.” I was a fucking idiot. Probably on drugs. Because I’m not an avid fan of Radiohead but I LOVE Muse. Thom Yorke and Matt Belamy have a lot in common as singers, but as songwriters, I think Bellamy is next-level. His guitar playing reminds me of a simplified Brian May and the songs are almost always beautiful classical progressions produced in whatever style du jour the band decided upon. This is an album you can listen to from start to finish and everything about it from the production to the reckless abandon to the performance is on point. The lyrics speak deeply and yet are vague enough for you to fill in the blanks with whatever demons are going on in your head. It goes from absolute melancholy to manic metal grooves. And for those nerdy music enthusiasts, both Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci have stated the influence of this album on them. Its actually pretty clear on their album “Octavarium,” which happens to be one of my favorites from Dream Theater.
3. Paganini – 24 Caprices – If you grew up on Richie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen, you probably already know about Paganini. For the other 98% of people, Paganini may have slipped through the cracks. You have probably heard the urban myth they based the movie “Crossroads” on, you know, the one where Ralph Macchio goes up against Steve Vai in a guitar dual…and WINS?!?!?! Anywho, the real story was there was this dude Nicolo Paganini and he played violin so fast that many thought he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his talents. This record is basically an attack of the notes. From the guy who brought you “Flight of the Bumblebee” comes “5th Caprice,” the violin equivalent to Van Halen’s “Erruption,” except even CRAZIER. Yup, if you love shred metal, you’ll LOVE shred classical. This is THE MOST METAL classical gets and I love it.
4. Queen – Rock Montreal – its no secret that Freddie Mercury was kindddddaaa the best. It’s also no secret they were an incredible live band. This is the last night of their last tour as a true four piece…ever. They are at their tightest, its clear. Freddie absolutely owns the show with endless bravado and stage banter. Songs like “Somebody to Love” will literally give you goosebumps, there’s one note he holds out that…well, you’ll know it when you listen! Not only are these some of the most inspired versions of the setlist, but its really one of the best bands and the very height of their live performance. Not to mention that the sound quality on this is vastly superior to some of the other live releases.
5. Pink Floyd – Pulse – When this came out it got totally shit on. Stuff like “where’s Roger Waters” and (I’m paraphrasing) “they’re stiff playing to lights.” I bought this record with no knowledge of who Pink Floyd were or anything other than the CD blinked a red light and the album cover looked like a super trippy eye–one of the first digital-image album covers. I got it for my 13th birthday, you know, when a Jew turns into a MAN. I listened to it… a little. It starts off with “Shine on Your Crazy Diamond,” a 17 minute tune that takes 7 minutes and change to have the vocals kick in. Needless to say, at 13, I had NO ATTENTION span for it. But that light kept blinking. Just blinking at me. And when my parents dragged me on roadtrips across the states I had no refuge other than my portable CD player. One trip, I think I was 14 or 15, I remembered listening to “High Hopes.” All 7.5 minutes of it in a row, noticing the crescendo of the orchestra and the perfection of David Gilmore’s guitar. I had no idea it was a new song that people hated because it wasn’t old. I thought it was beautiful. As I listened on I realized that I loved Pink Floyd and that furthermore, having not known Roger Waters, was unaffected by his absence. To this day, I’d still take Gilmour over Waters despite knowing that Waters wrote so many of the tunes. Still, he had nothing to do with “The Division Bell,” which was what this was a snippet from that tour. Those songs fit in right next to “Run Like Hell” and “Astronmy Domine” for me. The performances are still amazing and Gilmour’s tone is the epitome of the word.
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The next two lists given could be rather useful information while we’re stuck in this quarantine, so don’t miss his Top 5 Books and Top 5 Binge-worthy Series.
Top 5 Books
1. The Game – Neil Strauss -For those that have read it, ok, I get it. For those who have not, it is a book about a writer who starts off as a bald, insecure, dweeb type and ends up being one of the most esteemed “pickup artists” in the world. This book is out of control, from crazy mind tricks, to cold reading, to NLP, to magic… It’s one part “how to fuck chicks,” one part crazy memoir and one part “just kidding, don’t be vapid like all of these fucks I’ve created from what you’re reading, love matters!” You probably don’t even need to read it now. Just so you know, Neil Strauss works for the New York Times and Rolling Stone and co-wrote books like “The Dirt,” “How to Make Love Like a Pornstar,” and Marilyn Manson’s autobiography “The Long Road Out of Hell.” BTW, anyone who can make Motley Crue not seem so douchey (except Tommy Lee, he’s a doll), is a fucking poet.
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck – Mark Mason – I’m kinda high strung. Did you NOT notice? This book is a very good, simple, how-to on how to let go. Just a little. Put the bags down, for just a moment. Breathe. Then read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehelo and truly let go.
3. The Unquiet Dead: A Psychologist Treats Spirit Possession – Dr. Edith Fiore – Well! This one is OUT THERE. This doctor, in, I don’t know.. the 60s, 70s (?), thinks she can help with all kinds of mental disorders by exorcising evil spirits or helping people regress to their past lives. It’s transcriptions of tapes made with patients under hypnosis. Is it legal? Who knows? Wow.
4. Tunes For Bears to Dance To – Robert Cormier – Let me preface my statement that Robert Cormier is one of the greatest writers of our time. With books like “Pardon Me, You’re Stepping on My Eyeball” and his infamous “The Chocolate War,” Cormier is hands down the greatest treasure to ever come out of Leominster, Massachusetts. This story reads kinda like a less wordy Stephen King short story. It’s about a kid that works in a grocery store who witnesses some pretty terrible stuff. Gets put in some precarious positions. In 80 pages, you should be standing on your feat. Thinking.
5. Animal Farm – this book used to be mandatory reading in many schools. That probably means endless amounts of kids discounted Bradbury’s terrifyingly accurate metaphor for society and its downfall. If you haven’t read it, its like 100 pages large print. Go read it if you’re a fucking drummer!
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5 Bingeworthy Series
1. The Kominsky Method – Michael Douglass plays a washed-up actor and his agent is Alan Arkin. Between an incredible cast and a constant dynamic range between pulling mercilessly on the heart strings and belly laughter, this one is good. Real good.
2. Better Call Saul – Sure, it might be cliche to say Breaking Bad was the best show ever produced. But I’m one of those that thinks its friggin’ up there. Which is why its not surprising that Vince Gilligan’s ofshoot of his character “Saul Goodman” he created for Bob Odenkirk is absolutely brilliant. It’s about a lawyer and his asshole brother (and A LOT more). It will ALL make sense when you WATCH it.
3. Bonding – For the stoner, short attention span types, this show is about a dominatrix and her sidekick. It’s quirky and each episode is around 15 minutes. Is it Shakespeare? Naw. Can you watch and thoroughly enjoy it in one evening? Yup. You may even watch it again if it’s your type of humor.
4. Love, Death, and Robots – I’m not into anime or CGI, but this show is bananas. It’s a bunch of short stories with varying levels of sci fi and dark undertones depending on which episode. Some episodes are meh, but the good ones are some of the best things I’ve ever seen animated. If you’re into dark, weird shit, this is definitely for you. If you’re not into adult swim I’d suggest moving onto the next one.
5. Californication – David Duchovny plays a playboy writer. Isn’t that an oxy moron? Its very early 2000 California but hilarious. Its misogynistic, vapid, and constantly zinging one liners. I know, not a good sell, but it has a lot of heart and all of the acting, especially Duchovny is excellent. It’s like a pixie stick, totally delicious and all sugar. You’ll wanna snort it if you’re 7.
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About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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