STEVEN WILSON, Impossible Tightrope: Live in Madrid ( Fiction Records). A Steven Wilson concert is an exercise in precision. His music is intricate and full of expression. Pulling his songs off in front of an audience means knowing exactly what to do and exactly when to do it. Fortunately, Wilson always surrounds himself with top-flight talent more than capable of achieving that level of musicality. All this to say that Wilson and company — Randy McStine (guitars), Adam Holzman (keyboards), Nick Beggs (bass), and Craig Blundell (drums) — make the difficult sound simple as they burn through Wilson’s latest solo effort The Overview and other select solo and Porcupine Tree classics. It’s also nice to hear a couple of really old school PT classics that haven’t found their way to the stage in quite some time. It’s simple: if you enjoy Steven Wilson and his music, picking this up as a no-brainer.

CAPTAIN BUCKLES, Hurry Up (Smitti Records). A self-described collective of New Orleans-based sidemen band together (pardon the pun) to create a highly soulful group of their own. The music draws not only from their hometown, but from Memphis, Austin, Detroit, and other soulful American locales. The result is an album eclectic groovaliciousness based in talent and enthusiasm. It’s quite enjoyable.

BIG BIG TRAIN, Woodcut (InsideOutMusic). Let’s start with the seemingly obvious: Big Big Train does not miss. EVER. Whatever they might be aiming for musically is hit. In this case, it’s a combination of Canterbury prog, smoldering but subtle guitars, soaring vocals, and compositional ambition. Check, check, check, and check. The album is well paced, offering fire where it’s needed and a chance to rest right after. These folks truly know what they’re doing. This is an hour well spent.

ECHOING PEAKS, The Ascent (Echoing Peaks Records). Thundering blues rock straight out of the FM radio of the seventies and eighties. Tinges of the blues come from the guitar while the bass and drums stomp out a heavy and deliberate groove, sometimes with a tinge of Country. And then it shifts directions. Repeatedly. There’s even a Spaghetti Western riff played on the sly. There’s nothing tricky here. What you hear is what you get. And that’s perfectly okay.

PAT METHENY, Side-Eye III+ (Uniquity Music). Passion, poetry, precision. Pat. How many ways can one describe one of THE all-time generational guitarists. Sooner or later, one runs out of superlatives. So here we are again, listening to Pat Metheny do what he does just as well as others. But one had best not look past his cohorts, who are every bit as precise and passionate. Plus, this jazz comes with some fascinating extra touches in the realm of subtle background vocals and electronic interludes. It’s vintage Metheny, even when it isn’t.

THREE-LAYER CAKE, Sounds the Color of Grounds. What in the name of Primus’s deranged uncle Elbert is a-goin’ on here? The fantastically bizarre efforts of bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen, Dos), drummer Mike Pride (John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Mary Halverson), and guitarist Brandon Seabrook (who also plays banjo and sitar) use their eclectic musical backgrounds to make a wildly eclectic record. Don’t even think about trying to put it into a genre. This music is gloriously unhinged! Sounds come from everywhere, as though the band recorded three separate pieces at once but manage to cram them together into something musical. There are even hints of jazz here and there. It’s clear these guys have chops. They’ve just chosen to put them together in a most … unique way. That’s what makes it cool!

RUSH, “Distant Early Warning (Terry Brown Remix)” (UMG Recordings). Rush and producer Terry Brown enjoyed a long, fruitful relationship. Grace Under Pressure, released in 1984, represented a change in direction. Peter Henderson became the first of several producers to helm Rush projects going forward. Now Brown has returned to remix Grace … as part of a Deluxe Re-issue. “Distant Early Warning,” the album’s opener, had been released as a teaser. And yes, there is a difference between the original and new mixes. The new mix is crisper and has more “pop,” particularly from Neil Peart’s drums. If this is any indication of what’s coming, it should be a wonderful experience.

FOO FIGHTERS, “Your Favorite Toy” (RCA Records). Foo Fighters be Foo Fightin’, ‘cause that’s what they do! The band is back with their brand of hard charging rock and roll. While there’s nothing all that new here (save for the absence of Josh Freese, as the drums seem a bit more subdued), there really doesn’t need to be. These guys are a 30-year-old well-oiled machine. What they’ve done ain’t broke, so there’s no need to fix it.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed or have your band photographed while in Chicago, contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com