Dredg

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]I figure at least a few of you listen to them, so it's worth having a thread about, especially if we can introduce new listeners.

[B]Dredg [/B]is a progressive rock band that has currently released three albums. The first, [B]Leitmotif[/B], which was created in 10 days and is the most strange of the albums. [B]El Cielo[/B], the 16-track thrill ride that sounds like listening to a dream. And [B]Catch Without Arms[/B], the band's most simple and straightforward album of which I've only heard 2 songs ^^;;

[CENTER][U][B]Leitmotif[/B][/U]

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/Dredgleitmotifnew.jpg[/IMG]

1. "易" (Also referred to as "Symbol Song")* ? 4:23
2. "Movement I: @45°N, 180°W" ? 1:02
3. "Lechium" ? 6:25
4. "Movement II: Crosswind Minuet" ? 1:23
5. "Traversing Through the Arctic Cold We Search for the Spirit of Yuta/Intermission" ? 6:38
6. "Movement III: Lyndon" ? 3:08
7. "Penguins in the Desert" ? 4:13
8. "Movement IV: RR" ? 3:00
9. "Yatahaze" ? 3:45
10. "Movement V: 90 Hour Sleep/Untitled" (secret track) ? 20:21[/center]

This might be my favorite album of all time, which is odd, because it's so short, and I'm a long album sort of person. The reason it's short, though, is because there is never any time wasted. The album is masterfully crafted to absolute prefection through and through. It is divided between 5 regular songs and five musical interludes, or 'movements'. Each of the movements leads into or out of a track on either side of it. This way, if you only want to hear the songs themselves and don't care about the more artsy stuff, you can just skip past it. Of course, you don't know what you're missing if you do.

I can't even pick a favorite song from the album because they are all so unique and amazing. [B]Symbol Song/Movement One [/B]is fast-paced and gets you right into the action as the perfect beginning to the album, leading into [B]Lechium[/B], which is more eerie and overall epic. Then we get to [B]Traversing... [/B]which has a lot of acoustic guitar and unique sounds as well as interesting vocal work. Around there is where the movements start to become more of their own songs, like the almost creepy [B]Lyndon [/B]which has a male opera singer along with the music. [B]Penguins in the Desert [/B]combines the heaviest and calmest moments on the album perfectly into an emotional performance that gets you ready for the absolute masterpiece that is [B]Yatahaze [/B]and the ultimate epic conclusion.

If you stick around adfter the 8 minutes of silence I refer to as the 'credits' for this cinematic album (or fast frward through them if you're not in your car,lol) you also get a 10-minute seret track. The secret track is kind of just random experimental sounds and what appears to partly be the demo for Penguins in the Desert, and I absolutely love it. I can't say anything negative about the album except that the 2-minute intermission after Traversing is kind of boring.

[CENTER][B][U]El Cielo[/U][/B]

[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dredgelcielo.jpg[/img]

1. "Brushstroke: dcbtfoabaapasba" ? 0:57
2. "Same Ol' Road" ? 5:14
3. "Sanzen" ? 4:34
4. "Brushstroke: New Heart Shadow" ? 1:33
5. "△" ("Triangle") ? 5:03
6. "Sorry, But It's Over" ? 4:08
7. "Convalescent" ? 3:32
8. "Brushstroke: A Walk In The Park" ? 1:40
9. "Eighteen People Live In Harmony" ? 4:28
10. "Scissor Lock" ? 3:23
11. "Brushstroke: Reprise" ? 1:33
12. "Of The Room" ? 3:44
13. "Brushstroke: An Elephant In The Delta Waves" ? 1:47
14. "It Only Took A Day" ? 3:16
15. "Whoa Is Me" ? 5:36
16. "The Canyon Behind Her" ? 6:40 [/CENTER]

Dredg?s second album, El Cielo, is a very different sound from their first album, but just as amazing. The album is far more lyrical, and the songs are more defined. While there are still some insert tracks like on the first album, there are more regular songs, not to mention a larger tracklist, nearly doubling the length of the previous release.

The sound is much more clean, for one thing. Like I mentioned before, the songs are sometimes more normal, featuring choruses and such, but there are still plenty of oddball songs as well. For example, the creepy track [B]Scissor Lock [/B]is a personal favorite as well as [B]Whoa Is Me [/B]which climaxes a several minute musical interlude with a spoken word part that sounds like a radio DJ talking about the song. There are so many wonderful quirks lacing together the beautiful tracks that it creates a tepestry of amazement.

Like the first album, it?s ticket to greatness is it?s creativity, but it is creative in such a different way that it is a considerably new experience. Truly, both albums are masterpieces in their own right.

[CENTER][B][U]Catch Without Arms[/U][/B]

[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Catch_Without_Arms.jpg[/img]

1. "Ode To The Sun" ? 4:12
2. "Bug Eyes" ? 4:13
3. "Catch Without Arms" ? 4:11
4. "Not That Simple" ? 4:56
5. "Zebraskin" ? 3:26
6. "The Tanbark Is Hot Lava" ? 3:45
7. "Sang Real" ? 4:28
8. "Planting Seeds" ? 4:12
9. "Spitshine" ? 3:34
10. "Jamais Vu" ? 4:55
11. "Hung Over On A Tuesday" ? 4:05
12. "Matroshka (The Ornament)" ? 5:38[/CENTER]

I've only heard the first 2 songs on this album - [B]Bug Eyes [/B]because it has a music video, and [B]Ode to the Sun [/B]because it has a lot of AMVs on youtube. The songs sound a lot more TV-friendly than anything from their other two albums, but are stil unique in small ways. Not to mention Gavin's voice is always pretty. Ode to the Sun is a great track and easy to get stuck it your head ^^;;[/COLOR]