OSI - “For Nothing”
OSI has released the official video for the track “For Nothing,” the first off Fire Make Thunder, the fourth album from Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos. The video, which sports a dark, surrealistic style resembling something from Tool during its heyday, was directed by Jimmy Ahlander of Pixeltown Arts.
OSI - “Big Chief II”
OSI - “Cold Call”
Decibel Magazine’s Deciblog is streaming the new OSI song “Cold Call” from the upcoming album Fire Make Thunder. I have provided all the OSI deets here before, and since it seems no one but me cares anyway, I’m not going to rehash it all now. I’m just gonna enjoy Kevin Moore’s spacey vocals and weird electronic noodling on top of Jim Matheos’ dense riffage.
Later.
OSI - Fire Make Thunder Album Sampler
Fire Make Thunder, the fourth album from the progressive rock project formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and Chroma Key (and former Dream Theater) keyboardist Kevin Moore, is due out on March 27. Judging from the audio samples alone, Jim Matheos’ riffs seem to be heavier and meatier than other OSI releases, and it seems OSI’s albums are getting better with each release, with the exception of their excellent debut Office of Strategic Influence. They are going to have to get a lot better to top that one in my opinion.
Enjoy!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, do the Friday Five shuffle.
U2 - “Kite” (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2000)
I was a big fan of this album when it first came out. I don’t know if I overplayed it or what, but it doesn’t seem to stand up well these days to me. That being said, “Kite” is one of the better tunes, and I don’t immediately want to skip it.King’s X - “Sometimes” (Out of the Silent Planet, 1988)
Mid-tempo groove from the Texas trio filled with complicated, twisting, heavy riffs, arpeggiated guitar verse sections, excellent vocal harmonies, and Doug Pinnick’s raspy, soulful lead vocals. Just the usual stuff that the music world wasn’t ready for in 1988.Rush - “Bravest Face” (Snakes & Arrows, 2007)
iTunes is really digging Rush lately, especially this album for some reason. Much of Snakes & Arrows was written on acoustic guitar, and it shows more here than on other tunes. I like this song, but the opening verse almost kills it for me every time, what with Geddy’s uncharacteristic almost-out-of-tune vocals and Alex’s strange acoustic riff—that is until we hit the bridge and the real Rush shows up.OSI - “Standy (Looks Like Rain)” (Office of Strategic Influence, 2003)
Probably the most melodic and laid-back song on the debut album from this supergroup featuring Fates Warning’s Jim Matheos and former Dream Theater members Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy. And at 2:09, it’s way too short.Flight of the Conchords - “Mutha’uckas” (Flight of the Conchords, 2008)
Seriously, dude, iTunes totally played this tune yesterday when I was shuffling. What gives?! “Too many mutha’uckas ‘uckin’ with my shi’!”
OSI - “Free”
Here’s a spacey instrumental—and just as spacey video—from the debut release Office of Strategic Influence from OSI, whom I’ve written about before here.
Enjoy!
One of Mike Portnoy’s many projects over the past few years has been to produce drum-cam “instructional” DVDs of his drumming on the various releases by Dream Theater and his side projects, complete with full tracks, drum isolation tracks, and commentary. This video comes from a similar Hudson Music DVD called “In Constant Motion” that includes the track “The New Math (What He Said)” from the side project OSI.
OSI is the brainchild of Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and features former Dream Theater keyboardist and Chroma Key founder Kevin Moore, and the name refers to the U.S. government agency formed after 9/11, Office of Strategic Influence, which is also the name of the band’s 2003 debut release. Portnoy provided his drum talents to both this and the project’s second album Free, and the songs are more focused on ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes and compositions than on the progressive rock and metal Matheos and Portnoy are more well-known for. This particular track features samples of news anchor Dan Rather’s on- and off-camera antics and hysterics.
As with Yellow Matter Custard, Mike is playing a smaller kit than his Dream Theater double-kits that can sometimes weigh in at 20 or more pieces and upwards of 30 cymbals. It’s amazing to see what a drummer of his caliber can do with such a (relatively speaking) small kit.
If you like the song itself, you really need to check out Office of Strategic Influence. It contains similar instrumentals, as well as tracks that feature Moore’s laid-back, spacey vocals which provide a nice complement to the instrumental textures of the compositions, and enough background samples and sounds to keep things interesting.
InsideOut Music is offering its latest sampler compilation Music In Progress, Vol. II as a free full-album download at Amazon.com. Despite only a name-recognition familiarity with many of the artists, it’s worth grabbing if only for the excellent cuts from the Devin Townsend Project, OSI, Dream Theater’s James LaBrie, and the mighty King’s X. Many of the other tracks here are uneven or uninspiring at best, even though the dullest of them has its bright moments, which is always a possibility in a genre where songs normally run well past the five-minute mark. The surprise gem for me among the artists not already listed is the track offered by Pain of Salvation — a trudging, sludge-rock groovefest which alternately reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, and Lenny Kravitz (believe it or not) until you hit the spacey middle section that serves as a reminder that this is a prog band.
If you enjoy the brand of progressive metal served up by InsideOut’s roster, Music In Progress, Vol. II might be worth picking up.
