Clang & Clatter

Piece of Mind is without a doubt the first Iron Maiden album I considered “mine.” It’s not that the preceding releases were somehow inferior, but moreso that they just didn’t connect with me like this one. For starters, I discovered the first three Maiden albums through a family friend at the same time, somewhere around the release of Number of the Beast and the very same summer he turned me onto Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne simultaneously via Speak of the Devil and the Scorpions’ Blackout. Add to that the Eddie imagery and “devil worship” claims (along with some wildly inaccurate band stories from said friend), and you can imagine how it might have been a little much for a pre-teen living squarely in the Bible Belt in rural Mississippi. I was probably more than a little overwhelmed and couldn’t fully appreciate Iron Maiden, so I promptly dismissed them. Whatever the case, it’s funny that just one short year later, you would find me listening to the vinyl version of this album, completely engrossed in the music, album art, gatefold, and lyric sheet, soon on my way to becoming a full-fledged Maiden fan.

Having long since become a fan of the earlier albums, Piece of Mind is still one of my favorite Iron Maiden releases. It spawned two hits (if you can call any Iron Maiden song a hit), “The Trooper” and “Flight of Icarus,” both of which have become staples of the band’s setlist, and it is (understandably) considered essential listening for any metal fan by more than one music publication. It is a fantastic album as a whole, especially the first half, though I do sometimes find myself skipping over the last three songs if I’m not in the right mood.

Happy 30th Birthday, Piece of Mind!

> So good to be an ant who crawls atop a spinning rock

Here’s a taste of the new QOTSA album …Like Clockwork due out this June. The band debuted new single “My God Is The Sun” at Lollapalooza Brasil on March 30 where they also introduced new drummer Jon Theodore, former Mars Volta skin-beater.

You can pre-order …Like Clockwork at iTunes and Amazon.com, although currently your only options at the latter are physical media versions.

Former MAE frontman Dave Elkins has made his new solo album Color (n.) Inside the Lines available for streaming via his Schematic SoundCloud channel prior to its public release tomorrow. MAE fans that have been following Dave’s progress on the release through his indiegogo funding campaign and his new multi-dimensional/multi-disciplinary studio/management/label/community project Schematic know to expect more of the same catchy, poppy goodness that fueled his former band—lush soundscapes, layers upon layers of vocal harmonies, and interesting time signatures. There are more electronica elements this time around, but they serve to enhance the songs rather than to monopolize the listener’s attention.

I’ve only given it a cursory listen except for the tracks Dave had already given us sneak peeks of, but I think I’m already sold. I plan to plop down my hard-earned cash when it hits the digital download outlets tomorrow morning, and I’ll probably still be bobbing and dancing in my cube like I have for the last hour. Not very metal, huh?!

Give it a listen, and if you like it, purchase Color (n.) Inside the Lines when it becomes available.