siLLy puPPy
BUCKETHEAD (as Bucketheadland) / Pike 247 - Rivers In The Seas / 4th release of 2017 / All instrumental / Contains 4 tracks / Clocks in at 31minutes 20seconds / everything played by Buck-buck-buckethead
“Rivers In The Seas” (8:03) begins with a clean guitar riff that becomes joined by a second clean guitar and drums and then creates a calm and placid mellow mood. Ugh, i’ve heard this one like a million times before. I could find twenty PIKEs that have this same track on them so i’m no in the least impressed. Why does BH insist on recycling certain sounds to death, particularly these mellow lullaby albums? Yawn
“The Roles Of Uncertainty” (9:30) likewise begins with a clean guitar, bass and slow drums but this one has a more ominous atmosphere to it and then picks up the steam a bit more as it semi-rocks. Already a more interesting track. The duo guitars provide rhythm and a higher register lick and then it breaks down into a darker guitar arpeggio with a brooding atmosphere. It picks up again with a more bluesy harder rock sound but it never gets too heavy. This one is more interesting in how it ratchets up the tension and then releases. Much better style of construction but still too long for ideas presented
“Other Portals” (7:40) with a title like this, it better be trippy as bleep. And i have to say that it starts out with a series of strange ambient sounds that usher in a drum beat before erupting into rock guitar, bass and drums. An atmospheric background pops in and out of the forefront. As the track picks up steam it maintains a healthy bass line and tasty guitar chops. This one really works well as it maintains a powerful melodic development that continues until the end. While the formula is significantly different, the right notes collude to make a better bigger picture
“Seven Planes (6:07) starts with clean guitar and an atmospheric background and is very slow. After a sizable intro it picks up steam a bit and the guitar becomes electrified but just like a fledgling birdie in a nest that is ready to jump out and fly for the first time, it reverts back to slow and mellow. But then it works up the courage to rock and then it’s mellow. It doesn’t seem to know what to do! Dynamics dysfunction aside, the melody is slightly atonal and has some strange tension built in. When all is said and done it mostly prefers to stay in the mellow atmospheric mode with only occasional rockin’ outbursts that don’t last too long.
Except for the first track which is too long and derivative of past efforts, the rest of album is fairly interesting although i would hardly call this PIKE a bastion of creativity as all the ideas here have been done many times, it’s just that the compositions tend to have enough oomph to keep them interesting. Not bad but not great either.