Third Eye Vision
 

Welcome one and all to The Dude's journal here at MB (something I should have began ages ago) where I will be sharing album reviews, favorites lists, and interesting music videos I come across! Make yourself comfy...

Well I'm going to break it down. I was very reluctant, even as a big Buckethead fan, of listening to this box set. But when I plugged in the fan created titles throughout the set, the problem of going through it and not being able to differentiate what was where disappeared. Any fan of Buckethead will love the hell out of this 9.5 hour box set. Any Buckethead novice ... need not run away! This is the sampler pack! It's got the insane shred, yes. It's got that beautiful, melodic "Electric Tears"-esque style you've heard about. It's got the funk, and ambient, and surprises at almost every bend. So stay tuned and I'll even tell you which tracks are the stand outs in case you don't have a whole 9.5 hours layin' around like I do. Err... enjoy!

Vol. 1: I
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 0:54
2. "Track 2" 14:51
3. "Track 3" 2:58
4. "Track 4" 2:31
5. "Track 5" 0:41
6. "Track 6" 15:02
7. "Track 7" 1:44
8. "Track 8" 5:33
Total length:
44:19

Track 1, given the cheery nickname "Sonic Slaughter", is a welcome to the next 9.5 hours. If you've reached your breaking point already, thanks for playing and try again next time. If you've made it past the first minute, track 2, "Pollywogs Dancing on a Quilt of Faces" , is the true welcome to your experience with the set.



Funky rhythms, soul-searching guitar squeals, and a beautiful melody that transforms over the next 14 minutes... this is your first keeper. Put a star next to this one. You will want to revisit this jam with your children someday. With delicate sweeps and Jimi dives around the 5:00 marker, my pants are creamed and I'm having a cigarette. Tears of joy start soon after. And don't think you'll escape from the weirdness and the shreddy because he's flashing back to "For Mom". This is all wrapped up together. You get the good with the great.
11:15-12:12 Aw damn what the hell IS this awesomeness he wails? And it hardly takes but 30 seconds downtime before Buck is ready to go full-bore whacko for the outro. 30 seconds left? Oh yea, let's calm back down for a moment.... ahhh.....

Track 3, "Jengamoose" is something like a flanger heavy, electronic, heaven versus hell showdown. Couple that with some slick, quick licks from the Buck and some snazzy jazziness and this makes for a fairly fun track when you're feeling like being a goofball. More cowbell as well. It only adds to the fun. So Buck takes it away with a melancholy riff to end 'er.



"Appenzel Pointed Hood Hen"" is Buckethead dicking around. Especially so. It's got a couple fun licks, and it does seem to tell the story of the hen from the title. In bleeps and bloops from Buck that sound like a bagpiped army. And dramatic overtones. This is a weird one.

and "Trail of Misconception" is a bland, hardly noticeable 45 second interlude which only serves as a stopper to prepare for the onslaught that is:

"Sourced Autonomy". This track is an aural assault. There are two tracks to pay attention to. One is the overbearingly shreddy side and the other is playing strange pinch harmonics and chords, and generally a slower counterpoint to his own shredding. Sometimes he meets up with himself and he shreds it side by side with himself. But it's most interesting hearing the shred half juxtaposed with his slower side. The drums are nothing to argue with about at all, as well. It is up to you to decide if you love this track or hate it, but I must warn, this isn't your typical throwaway shred jam. Yes, Buck. does make those. No, this isn't it. But, I do understand how in-your-face this track comes. Check the clock. He's not even halfway done. Is this done in one take? Is he setting a Guiness World Record for most notes played in 15 minutes? I give this a 4.5/5 for being unpresentable to sane people. I play it by myself all the time, but I know many folks who would be ripping eyeballs out by 7:30 (mine or their own...well, they'd take their ears out). When the shred gets overbearing, remind yourself you can block that out (it's so incessant) and focus on the drums and alternate guitar work. Which is what I recommend anyway, because it's quirky. Ears... bleeding... Somebody give Buckethead a damn trophy already.

"Transmission Miscommunication" is a personal outro from the 15 minutes of shred. And it's weird enough to send those too weak to go on, packing. Very interesting piece, though, as an interlude. With headphones, it brings to mind images of being assaulted by monkeys in a research facility ... coupled with screaming!

and our first volume of thirteen comes to a close with a nice piece called "Angiobanjiplasti". There's a lot going on here. And you're never sure why, and I doubt you could guess what insane angle they will throw in to make your expectations for the song worthless as it progresses. I'll tell ya the guitar solo took me by surprise, but that warbling can't be messed with. His tone is something straight from a basement water heater closet. This one track crosses into many territories. It's sort of a ... "Here's what else we have up our sleeves over the next 8.5 hours...
Instrumental avant-garde storytelling. Insanity. Guitar solo. Back to scenescaping.

Tell me how you'd describe this track. I mean I can't really put it to words very well...that's why Buck tells the story with music :D but I enjoy being invited into such a strange world, don't you?



Hang on, this is just the beginning!

Vol. 2: N
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 1:26
2. "Track 2" 10:49
3. "Track 3" 2:58
4. "Track 4" 2:09
5. "Track 5" 15:49
6. "Track 6" 3:18
7. "Track 7" 6:04
8. "Track 8" 2:16
Total length:
44:49

"Pullets on Parade (Million Chicken March)" starts off like a deranged sea shanty, only to (unfortunately) lose the sea shanty. This album intro has us clapping along to 60's novelty "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" with Buck opening up on top. It's got a bit of charm on its own, but what we're really waiting on is:

"Flying Finger Fury (In the Coop)". I'm not sure how exactly the names were decided upon, but I must say in general they are fairly descriptive of what one might find inside... This is no exception.

Buckethead lets out a medium tempo bit of finger fury to start us off. The bass and drums on this track stand out really well. Really get the head and foot nodding. Buckethead soothes us with his vicious assault. Quiet, soft tones with fierce licks and riffs. Make for a funkin perfect match if you ask me...
I love when things get a bit slappy and sloppy. Put a star next to this one. It's unfunkgettable. I actually wish it were longer, but pushing 11 minutes, I won't complain too much...



"Hanged Man's Lament" ... as the bells toll in the church tower, the little drummer boy plays your personal death march. That's it. It certainly halts the happy mood from the last track in its tracks.

Thankfully, "Robot Foot Pursuit" comes in to save the day. Like... just kidding about Hanged Man's Lament, here's the real segue... Very fun, fairly simple, but fairly short. Trick ending though! Use that as your cue to go to the bathroom or grab a beer or get your smoking tools. You'll be needing them for the next 15 minutes:

"Blue Marbles Moon" wishes it would have made it onto a disc like Population Override or Electric Tears. But then it laughed, because it knew it was far superior (Wha!?) It warms up and grooves, and builds and moves gracefully and with patience until emotional guitar release begins around 12 minutes and settles to outro the last minute and a half. I don't want to break this one down note for note. I was too busy smoking a bowl. You must listen to this track if Buck's mellow, technical guitar work is your style.



and then comes the avant-garde instrumental story-telling of the great "Droid Factory Conveyor Belt Ambush". Gather around kiddies, and keep quiet. The name really does tell it all. Imagine you're on the factory floor of the droid manufacturing plant, on a planet far, far, away...
Sneak in, Mission Impossible style... but it's quiet... too quiet. Creep ... ah, hell, go for it... Ah damn, we've been spotted. Move move move!!! Ah... it's like a space western. Got it. Daring escape! Did our heroes survive? Find out next week!
Coming next time: Our heroes are in peril of being trapped by the forces of E-VIL in the Droid Factory... will they make it out ALIVE???

"The Beheaded"
Coffee or Meth. And maybe anger management issues. Very fun, for those insane like us. Pretty funkin nutty though. This might be another one of those scenescape stories but my guess is... like I said... drugs. My god what's going on at 3:20? Is that a coherent and awesome funky bassline/solo over one long drum roll? Ah, yes. It was. Drums gonna take a break? Yea, just to save some energy for the spazzmatictacity that follows. At least Buck on guitar stays fairly 'normal' from here on out. Playing fast-paced but coherent riffs, over spazzed out insanity. Preview for yourself...



And we outro with the eerie, yet bouncy, "Memories of Forgotten Dreams". Swirling death in the ears is replaced by a rousing drum beat-up and wankery until the end. I take issue with the wankery of an ending, but only for a moment. There's 11 more volumes!

Vol. 3: S
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 14:51
2. "Track 2" 2:16
3. "Track 3" 3:48
4. "Track 4" 7:32
5. "Track 5" 4:24
6. "Track 6" 10:31
Total length:
43:37

If you like a) Buckethead, b) having fun, and/or c) funk, there is no reason to not listen to "Funkaslunk". It's what you might play to that special slunk that you're trying to funk. Pure fun, handfuls of experimental licks in between what's expected. Very playful. I literally laugh out loud at some points. LOLs of joy and surprise. It's difficult to explain, just ... make a note of this track. I like how it starts to deviate from the safety of funk towards the end. They use the funky parts as an anchor. If they start to get to wild, they touch back on some funky riffs. Don't be a-feared, the funk's here to help!



"Down a Darkened Hallway" ... this is the same track that ended the second volume. What the hell? It wasn't that great of an outrolude. It's hardly better as an interlude (but is more proper).

"Slow Shifting Highway" is the first track under five minutes, so far, I've found to be exemplary. Up to this point, the epics had been those with epic jamouts. This track pulls together in under four minutes, delivering a nice, powerful, simple riff across the board. This could easily be made into a radio (pop?) song with the right vocalist. If you're looking for more mellow Buckethead but need an average lengthed song, this is a must grab...


"A Dead Brain's Pulse" has the rhythm of ... a life pulse slowly slipping away. The drums play an eerie part with a delayed hit and strange time while dual guitars play at different volumes (interesting effect). One guitar fades out while the other squawks like a seagull for the remainder of the tune. Drums finally find something else to do with a minute or so on the clock. Too little too late for me, here, but maybe it'll work for you.

"Listening Device" I'm going to chalk up to being ... a strange (imagine flying saucers and firecrackers) segue into "Wormhole Collapse" ... but they come out of nowhere with a drum beat and Buck settles down on the guitar long enough to make a few pleasant, bluesy riffs but... Old McDonald can take his horn back home. :P

"Wormhole Collapse" is a barrel of fun as well. Here's another half speed-shred session that is well based in rhythm that is fun for the whole family...

Love the drums, love ... love it all. Love the eccentricity, love the flow of the piece. Love the skill and speed and flare. Love this. This is where the magic happens!



=======================================
Three down and ten to go. I'll try to wrap this up in one or two more sittings, as soon as possible. But it's late for the night. Let me know what you think!

Vol. 4: E
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 3:20
2. "Track 2" 7:07
3. "Track 3" 9:02
4. "Track 4" 3:29
5. "Track 5" 5:21
6. "Track 6" 3:29
7. "Track 7" 3:58
8. "Track 8" 6:39
Total length:
42:30

Volume 4 kicks off with "Raging Nugget"... a raging little funky jam nugget as it were... some monstrous Buckethead licks and soloing laid against mellow, peaceful sections and a lively bassline. Short and very sweet. Don't skip this track.



"The Machines Shall Remain" is an eerie avant-garde piece that takes us, seemingly, back to the Droid Factory for another creep around. With a vivid imagination, it seems as if we've escaped from our holding cell, but an alarm has been tripped... and there's a confrontation while attempting to flee. It's fairly even for a little while, but we really start taking our licks. And it looks fairly bleak for us. We're entered into a state of delusion...

Track 3 picks up a bit on the mood; the drums come out jammin right away and Buck is not too far behind. "Milk Plus Synthemesc" This could have been a very beautiful song, but the Buck went for dissonant and creepy, spontaneous and barely cohesive. It works. But I can see what could have been on this track, so I score it lower than I should. This is a very interesting insight into how strange a guitar solo can be. The tone is hellish, something about his note choice seems like he's playing on the edge of insanity... I do love how the bass and drums juxtapose with Buckethead's warbling around... Excellent dissonant shreddism.

And then... "1984 Beat Bumpin' (Tribute to Darren Robinson)" is something all together different. An early hip-hop drum instrumental that turns more recognizable with organ, beatbox (possibly Buckethead himself), harmonic guitar and sample work. At 2:15 the bass jumps in and the drums change up, giving the track some needed flow and groove. Yayuh!



"Domo-Kun's Nightmare"... what to say about Domo-Kun's Nightmare. Skip it unless you've been digging these avant-experimental instrumental stories. This one isn't so much a nightmare as electronic steel mill hell. It is scary, though, so I guess that's why it's called nightmare... Metal on Metal, whirling/bubbling energy/liquid/sound... Not my idea of a 'happy place'...

"Silkie Bantam" to the rescue! Ahh, that's so much better. That's the kind of Buckethead I like to hear. Riffs barely restrained. It's as if someone's tied cinderblocks to Buck's wrists. He's still chugging out insane riffs and building emotionally, but every time he goes to let it out, he restrains himself. Then, at the two minute marker, he finally explodes and levels the building to the ground. Additionally, a wonderful outro solo make this a keeper! Excellent drum work too. Love the rolls at the end!



Welcome to "Ectoplasm Circus"! Step right up! Step right up! No, not so close, Ok! Here we go! This is an exercise in goofy carney-ism that breaks into a slunky funk of insanity. Like someone's drilling into your brain with a guitar needle. And of course, they throw down that 1 1-2 drum beat to get down with while they extract your grey matter through your ears. The best this gets is after 2:50. The insanity finally breaks and Buck becomes open to the possibility of making sense and keeping a less alarming noise going through our ear canals.

"Visiting Rights" is a bouncing bass drum, chimes, and Buckethead coming in and out with seconds worth of random notes. Downright unnecessary and boring, but the last 60 seconds hold merit for serenity.

Vol. 5: A
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 10:35
2. "Track 2" 1:14
3. "Track 3" 4:48
4. "Track 4" 10:11
5. "Track 5" 5:00
6. "Track 6" 1:40
7. "Track 7" 1:58
8. "Track 8" 2:54
9. "Track 9" 4:03
Total length:
42:27

This volume starts off with "Fractal Shadows", a brilliantly serene track that balances passive guitar and rocking drums evenly to create a very progressive, upbeat, and motivational soundtrack to anything from driving/running to smoking a bowl. At 1:45 Buckethead's signature lick of the song rears its head and he really carries the tune as Brain (or I'm a monkey's uncle) really keeps the track grooving hard. Buckethead softly solos for the rest of the song. It is up there as one of my favorite tracks he's released. He's got a penchant for serene + rockin' and that's all that track is.



Then ****ing "Red Eye Spider Cloud" has to snap you out of your happy zone. I don't know why. Sounds like a bunch of chickens being raped and slaughtered in a newsroom. Basically, drum machine + Buckethead warbles for a little over a minute. It's just the lead up to the equally eerie "Liquid Tungsten Robot Factory", track 3. This is as if Buckethead walked in to some factory, noodling on his guitar, and found some sort of muse in the randomness of the factory work. Not to say that you can't tell it's just a ridiculous drum machine beat.

When track 4 bursts onto the scene randomly, a high feeling of relief should envelop you. "Bucketbot's Bass Binge Buddy" is a hot, mellow, funky track in a return to the vibe from track 1. This time around, it's a kickin' bass/drums combo that gets you bouncin' your head. Expect some fantastic bass shredding. Those thicker strings hardly slow Buckethead down at all. It just makes for a much deeper sound, which is highly enjoyable! This track breaks ten minutes, which is not a bad thing. It flys by faster than I care for. I would like this to carry on for another 20 minutes in this fashion



But alas, it's time for another change-up.
Track 5, "Atomic Butterfly", is a fun, wacky track that, if properly done, could be made into a rap song. It is off the wall, but not in the pain in the ass warbling way of tracks 2 and 3. The drum track here keeps a sense of normality while Buckethead switches between quiet and in your face with a strong synth(?) riff and a slappy bassline.



"Sander's Retort", as in Colonel Sander's, as in KFC... his retort to all the chicken saving efforts. Yeah. His retort is lacking... it's more like nothing. This track, I'll just say ruthlessly, is useless. Even is there is an avant story-arc going on. It's a good quiet space marker. Glad to say it's only a minute and forty...

Track 7, "Percolates Jazz... The Last Drop"... has interesting guitar work over an originally annoying, bouncing rabbit with a trash can lid tied to his feet and a neat, fast-paced drum machine track. Well... the bouncing stops about 1/3 of the way through, making it listenable. The track ends with some eerie notes on Buckethead's behalf, cutting his noodling short to produce some unsettling outro notes.

"A Moment I Can Give". Beautiful. Just under three minutes, I would say it's a shame it's so short but in this case it seems right. It's nice to have a few 5 star songs that are less than 8+ minutes long. The quiet rim shots on the snare for the first half and hitting in the center for the second really do the trick of building the track without adding too much complexity. This is Brain again, on drums, I'm sure or I'm a monkey's uncle. Don't miss this sweet tune.



And this volume winds down with "Funeral Parlour"... a strong echo effect and a couple of varied hits make for an eerie sound. An unexciting outro, but more is right around the corner... here come's volume 6: R!

Vol. 6: R
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 19:45
2. "Track 2" 3:42
3. "Track 3" 4:30
4. "Track 4" 1:11
5. "Track 5" 15:46
Total length:
45:00

Volume 6 opens up with one of, but not THE, longest track in the set.
It's worth hearing at least once, maybe. If you're into this sort of thing. If you're still reading this... you'll probably want to hear it once. This is called "The Eye of the Storm", but seems more akin to "The Torrential Downpour with thunder and lightning and car crashed and **** exploding and total collapse of the area part of the Storm" because there is not a moment of rest to be found here. Pure noodle. Rockin drums. I really dig on Brain's drumtrack, and kind of ear up to the guitar when he stops noodling, before he goes back to it. 1:45, very interesting use of sound effects. 4:40 - 5:40, very annoying use of sound effects... fax machine or something. This is absolutely nuts-o.

Perhaps it should be noted, though, that the dude did just shred and noodle for about twenty minutes at intense speeds, more or less without pause. I think that's the point of this song. Guiness World Records attempt? Se duele mi cabeza un pequito.





Then we roll into "Unhinged Paradox", which is eeriness around a classical piano sample that I've heard before, but couldn't place a name or artist to. There's an interesting juxtaposition between the unabashedly upbeat piano versus Buckethead's echoing guitar and the hi-hat. Ditch the piano for something more in tune with the feel of the track, a creepy, old organ. Buckethead keeps his echo effect on and there's some sort of wankery with a sample and distortion. It's an interesting track. Not annoying, but uncomfortable, which seems to be the goal...

"Last Light", track 3, is a welcome, upbeat track. It comes in at just over four minutes, but it's pure delight. Buckethead has a really mellow tone here, and even when he's noodling at high speeds, it still sounds gorgeous. Not only is the tone sweeter here, but he switches between noodling, tossing chords, and sweet riffs in. It's really an all together well done, above average track. Drums are stiff and boring here though, drum machine status.



"Dig Up From Underneath" has a dark, off-kilter sound. Buckethead seems to be making a rocking jam on all the wrong notes for the **** of it. It still sounds sweet, and it also gives it a creepy vibe...

and to end this short volume,

"Amputee Shuffle". With a name like that, you know it's going to be weird and groovy right? Right. Kind of reminds me of a Charlie Chaplin movie, where Charlie Chaplin is Buckethead, and he's comically caught up and pitted against an amputee in a squabble. Very cool guitar licks hidden in here, in between the noodling. Very rockin' drums provided amazingly by Brain, I assume.


Laughed out loud at 6:00 when he starts to do that old western galloping song, and botches it and noodles out and works his way elsewhere. Just a good ol' solid jam session.

Vol. 7: C
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 2:58
2. "Track 2" 16:40
3. "Track 3" 4:14
4. "Track 4" 4:20
5. "Track 5" 1:52
6. "Track 6" 11:03
Total length:
41:13

We start out this volume with "Grease On My New Shoes". It's rockin', it's infectious, the bass is funky, the drums are groovin'. This is the most accessible track on the album. Very "In yo' face". Can't help but nod your head and tap your feet.



There's something about "Solitary Psychosis" that I hate, and while I'm thinking that, I hear something I simultaneously love. Sadly, there's a lot of that in this track. I wish I could delete this song, but there are really good moments tucked in here. It even gets my head nodding something fierce. Mostly thanks to the drums, but even the use of effects is really intriguing and proper. I think there's a keyboard in there... whatever it is, there are some cool riffs and solos on that here as well. There's just too much noodling on the guitar here in an abrasive tone to be considered a great track. It mellows out around 12:30 marker, but has a very abrasive ending. I think he's trying to crack a glass with high pitch squeals. It's not for the faint of heart, or one to cast out, but you better like Buckethead or eclectic music if you're listening to it. Or your head goes 'Boom'.

Tap your foot for "Flaming Pinãtas / Burnt Candy", but don't get too attached to it. There's a 30 second, akward break. When the beat picks back up, we're treated to some eerie organ and akward guitar effects.... sounds like a panther with it's testicles caught in a steel trap. I dunno, go for it:



Track 4, "Tower of Insanity". Let's see. Big giant church bell sound coming from Buckethead's guitar. Check. Brain on drums smashing like a maniac. Check. Tower ... of insanity. Nothing more. Consider it a Brain drum solo. It made me feel better.

Track 5, "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys", seems to take place in an outdoor cafe in France. Wankery ensues. It starts off pleasantly enough, but doesn't really go anywhere or say much.

"Easter in the Batcave" starts off with a train and some loud ass chimes. Buckethead inches in with some slow, eerie notes and sound effects before warbling down into his Batcave. Once in his cavern, the echo comes on. Cool riff at 3:55 - 4:10. This track tells an interesting story. If you're imagination is hard at work, you'll write your own story around it. It's worth a listen, but not one of the best or most interesting tracks... just cool if you can appreciate it as less of a song and more of a soundtrack to a story.
Some very wicked riffs start around the 7 minute marker. Check it out!



This volume is kind of lackluster, but that's why I'm posting reviews. Take from these reviews all that you care to take. But make sure if you're interested, make your own judgments and share them!

Vol. 8: H
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 10:20
2. "Track 2" 2:26
3. "Track 3" 5:27
4. "Track 4" 9:55
5. "Track 5" 2:30
6. "Track 6" 0:33
7. "Track 7" 3:32
8. "Track 8" 4:36
9. "Track 9" 2:14
Total length:
41:37

Ahhh yeah! We get a badass, rockin', funky, chillout jam right off the bat. "Oishii" is another 5-star, ten+ minute, stunningly beautiful masterpiece. The main riff is mellowing, and the verses are invigorating, and the solos mix between being gentle and comforting to in your face as the guitar volume gets amped up for the second half of the track. Meanwhile, Brain lays down some wicked beats and keeps it consistently kickass. Some call it 'haunting', but not me. That's the kind of level of different interpretations we can get from songs such as these. I'm sure I could cry like a little girl to this song if I was in THAT mode, but as it stands, I find it upbeat and invigorating.

Do not miss "Oishii"!


"The Orpington" has Buckethead playing slow blues riffs over a fast-paced pounding on the drums. When Brain cuts quieter and calmer on his set, Buckethead picks up andwarbles until the end. It's kind of skippable, unfortunately.

"A Day in the Park with Herbie" is track 3. It's got a bunch of weird, funky, and clever all rolled into one. Buckethead has a snazzy little riff from 1:25 through 2:45 with an interesting tone, but then loses power to his batteries. He comes back in with weird ass squeals and speed noodling against a ticking clock/metronome. When the drums are present in this song, they kick ass. When they're not, it's unfortunate. Hit or miss here.

"Switch Way" carries on where track 3 left off, but better. Drums are kicking ass, Buckethead's same tone is back but with a madly coherent solo within the first two minutes. He carries on and on, and at times loses focus, only to strike back with precision, for example 5:55-6:25.



"Treasure Section" ... I definitely want to rap over this somehow. It's like video game, treasure room music. With a badass horn section or something. This one is worth checking out for being different. Upbeat, bad@ss, a friendly solo. Weird, but proper ... what more can I ask for?



"Wire Bop Pumpkin" has another drum machine beat with warbles. It's short, it's sweet.

"Captain Kangaroo's Ether Hypnosis" is an echo-y, bizarre, ether trip in audio form. Worth a listen if you want to see what that's like.

"In Search of the Bigeminy Junction", track 8, is a strange one. Got kind of a chugging train feel and Buckethead being all over the map, but at maintainable levels of listenability. He has some really wicked slaps in here, but I'd say it's hit or miss.

"Cybernetic Chickenheads & the Scavenger Slunk Run" starts off promising but never really takes off, and that's if you don't mind the drum wankery bouncing around. Alas, Buckethead uses the tried and true, "Can't Beat em, Join em, and outweird them"

Vol. 9: O
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 9:23
2. "Track 2" 4:23
3. "Track 3" 5:18
4. "Track 4" 16:52
5. "Track 5" 6:37
Total length:
42:39

"Bullfrog" is the name of track one, and it's the best thing on this volume. It rocks in your face. Buckethead stays in the realm of normality, or at least rides the fence really well. Guitar and bass mesh perfectly against an aggressive but funky drum track. I'd really recommend this one to most anyone looking for some more awesome tracks that won't make their ears bleed straight away.

Another epic jam.


"Escher Relativity" is slow, and quiet. Dare I say, too quiet. Not enough going on here for the good foundation laid down. Then again, some may find this track to be very soothing. I can see that, as well. It's not too short, and not too long.

But don't get comfy, "The Poison Hand" crashes the scene and it's as if you're in a graveyard in a video game. Creepy goes weird and bouncy, slowed down, sped up, twisted around, eaten, and warbled back out again. This track runs the gamut in a friendly way. It's different.



Track 4 is "Robot Chicken". A 16+ minute track of warbling solo and weirdness over a rockin' simple drum track. Buckethead doesn't get screechingly noisy or obnoxious, so much as he uses odd tones and hits odd notes to make his pretty riffs have that twisted sound. At times I feel like I'm on a pirate ship. Heh. Worth at least a listen. It's long, but it's consistently entertaining.




The last track on this volume, "Tunnel to the Light", is abstract. The title here fits really well. The first half of the track emotes the frantic, claustrophobic feelings of being in a tight tunnel digging your way out. The second half of the song is the relief felt after reaching safety. The track winds down in a mellow manner. It's a welcome relief.

=================

Finishing this out soon, and I hope to promise it doesn't take me another month to sit down with this again! Enjoy!

Vol. 10: F
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 5:13
2. "Track 2" 9:35
3. "Track 3" 6:45
4. "Track 4" 1:13
5. "Track 5" 6:45
6. "Track 6" 3:36
7. "Track 7" 7:13
8. "Track 8" 2:07
Total length:
42:31

Track 1, "Aldebaran Strikes Hard", comes out of the box striking hard like a dirty East-Coast hip-hop track. This could be a very interesting track to rap over. Nice, slow guitar enters, keeping it creepy and dirty. The track suddenly loses its OOMPH and descends into wankery warbling. Very fast finger picking and tapping, and as he wraps it up, the horns come back in and things get 'hard' again... It's hit or miss, check it out. I think it's interesting.


"Down In It" comes out strong too. Very funky bassline, very smooth, fast drumrolls from Brain, and Buckethead lays down this nasty sounding solo. He lays down some solid riffs in between bouts of bluesy, noodly soloing. The drums on this track blow me away. Absolutely beautiful rolls. It's a huge +1 for this song.



Track 3, "The Ludovico Technique", is another exercise in avant-weirdness and instrumental storytelling turned classical. It's a very strange direction to take the song, but it is quite soothing so I'm not complaining...

"Hole in the Feeding Tube" is a mix of activity. Buckethead softly strums while someone plays spoons and a strange drum machine pattern blast off. It's short and to the point.

"Aces of Galaga" is a descriptive title. Buckethead warbles over old school bleeps and bloops, and other arcade sound effects. It's fairly silly.

"Bot's Lament" is next. Imagine a robot crying and stomping around in a temper tantrum, on hallucinogenic drugs.

"Strange Visualization" is a short, eerie two minute piano track with 5+ minutes of silence leading to the 'bonus track'... "Evil Lurks Within", which is another one of those creepy guitar tracks without drum or bass to support. Makes you want to pull out a Ouija board or something...

Overall, this is my lowest rated volume for having a lot of filler, even for a box set of what are basically B-sides. Good thing there's 13 volumes...

Vol. 11: T
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 2:56
2. "Track 2" 4:21
3. "Track 3" 1:10
4. "Track 4" 4:04
5. "Track 5" 6:10
6. "Track 6" 3:14
7. "Track 7" 3:24
8. "Track 8" 3:50
9. "Track 9" 4:05
10. "Track 10" 4:25
11. "Track 11" 4:46
Total length:
42:29

This volume starts off well with "Binge Buddy Lounge". Sweet drum intro, rockin', funky bassline. Funky guitar work. Bobbin' the head, tappin' the foot. Gettin' down! Sweet guitar solo, too!

"I Never Made It Without Biting (Bloodblister Popcorn)" is exactly like "Tower of Insanity", but Tower is better. Not much better, but a few notes worth. End of story here. Skip, next, moving on...

So it's time for the "Electronic Zookeeper's Revenge", which is kind of a electronic dj break set almost. It's got it's groove. It's wicky-wacky.

"Delirium Chamber" is up next. The off playing on the keys of the piano really do help paint the picture of a delirium chamber, and then we get some warble and sound effect out of Buckethead. Quiet, extended outro with just a break every measure. This is what crazy feels like.

"Animatronics Séance" is strange as well. Sounds like Buckethead is strangling his guitar. And mind, when I say strange every time, I mean stange for Buckethead as is. We all know he's a little weird, but this is some off the charts weird. Playing with video game, Atari/arcade sound effects with his guitar or machinery to create an extended electronics jamout. It's different.

"Slunk Funk" is a godsend. Buckethead's funky songs are where I really find his playing to be right up my alley. This is a jammin' track with an extra memorable guitar riff, sweet bass licks, a jammin' solo, and a fast-paced drum track. I find this to be a 5-star any way you look at it. Mark it.



"Funeral For a Friend" has an interesting tapping intro and speed picking. There seems to be a story of a funeral procession for a clown that died... and all the clowns' clown friends are in charge of moving his casket but things go comically wrong. Fast-paced humor. Perhaps they dropped the casket. Outrage occurs and a comic clown-car chase scene follows. This goes on for a while until what I imagine is a car crash occurs. Funeral For a Friend. Interesting. Sorry if my imagination got carried away, but that's the only way to make that enjoyable, and it does work. Create your own story!

"Chicken Cleaver Duty" starts out as drums only, and quietly, classical instruments creep in. There's a break, and then a drum machine with chickens squawking about over it plays. The guitar finally makes an appearance towards the end of the track against a fast jazz beat, where Buckethead warbles as he chops off the chicken's head and it runs around in circles. Hooray!

"Super Booger Auditory Wax Candy" starts off with some stange licks from Buckethead's guitar and just doesn't stop. There's a cool riff to be heard come the 2:55 marker, and it's the only thing that save this track from noodling hell.

"Random Order" starts off as a cool drum machine beat but descends into creepy organ playing and then "Three Stooges'-esque sound effects, with warbling, noodling on top. Buckethead then goes on to pick up his guitar and play a very off kilter solo before the cool drum machine part from the beginning comes back to finish out the track.

Track 11, the final track of this volume, goes by the name of "Scabscratcher Shuffle (They Buried Him Alive)" and has one of the strangest shuffles to be heard, on top of an almost nonexistent drumbeat from the drum machine. As the track winds down, Buckethead pulls out some sweet riffs, but it's
still kind of out there.

Vol. 12: H
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 3:12
2. "Track 2" 10:48
3. "Track 3" 2:15
4. "Track 4" 10:16
5. "Track 5" 2:57
6. "Track 6" 3:33
7. "Track 7" 1:19
8. "Track 8" 15:19
Total length:
49:44

Volume 12 starts out with "Animatronics Workshop". Similar to the other Factory/Workshop themed tracks, it's more of an experiment ambient terror. A slow, rather sweet bassline and mellow jazz drums accompany a screeching guitar tone as Buckethead shreds up and down scales and all around. It provides an eerie creeping on private property feel to it. As the drums pick up some funk, Buckethead warbles his way through a whiny solo, like a child throwing a tantrum. It's hard even as a fan to enjoy this, but I see where he was coming from.

"The Organ Grinder's Mishap" is the second track. This track carries on the creepy vibe, but the in-your-face screeching guitar tone is suspended. Creepy overtones sweetly played on guitar with accompanying drums. As the clock tower chimes, a piano incessantly wails insanely for a few minutes, followed by some notes on guitar strummed softly. Minutes of ambient rattle creep by until harsh keyboard/organ overtones signify the climax. Odd instrumental story-telling. A pain in the ear for some.

Track three, "The Last Tooth to be Pulled", has a very enjoyably, funky drumtrack laid down, while Buckethead warbles with some different tones. Conversing in squeaks and warbles. A few funky guitar licks are thrown in, but nothing to really resemble a song. More of a warble session.

"Alektorophobia", track 4, is where this volume starts to show hope. A small choir sings a chorus of 'aah aahs' to creepily introduce the track, with sporadic thunderous strums of the guitar. When the drums enter, head nodding is not optional. This just got sick. Very funky, very 'hard' drumming from Brain. There's a rumble and synth break and we're back to the wicked drum and guitar pattern. Buckethead is starting to piece these notes together at this point. Another long break for synth and effects. It sounds like a power band from old Hanna Barberra superhero shows. This goes on for minutes, which was mildly disappointing for me. But it could be up someone's alley if you're into avant-garde -ish electronic-y stuff. You be the judge, though...

"Electromagnetic Interference" is up next, and it's a short continuation on the electronic-themed wankery. There's semblances of a beat here. Avant-garde. Buckethead softly solos on acoustic I believe against an electronic drumbeat. His speedy shredding blends well with the bleeps and bloops of the machine.

Track six, "The Sticker on Endorphins", is a strange one. It's got a very modified, over the top, almost 8-bit tone. This is a slow passage, like an electronic robot's death march. Or somebody struggling to fight off a hoard of junkies while on acid.

"One Last Breath" is even shorter, at 1:20. It reminds me of wind chimes in the breeze, or a really pleasant alarm clock.

The last track on the album is "Monsta Kreepathon: Revenge of the Mutant Slunkzilla". This is a cool aural assault. His bends sometimes get close to cringe-worthy, the general feel is strange but slunky. Drums are funky, gettin' down pretty hard. Bass keeps it funky. Buckethead warbles in an accessible way, making things a little hectic but expectedly so. He's purportedly telling a story here, as well. This is, after all, the revenge of the mutant slunkzilla...
Guitar lick at 2:30 rocks, as well as at 6:45 and both lead into very appreciable little solos that border on insanity but never make the leap. Foot tapping is unhelpable. Tribal drumming and back to funky. Love it. Don't miss this track.

Vol. 13: E
No. Title Length
1. ""Track 1"" 45:01

Yup. One track. "The Butcher's Last Dance". And it's love it or hate it. Well, actually, it's love it, hate it, or go incurably insane. Buckethead solos for 45 minutes and it's not really him that's love or hate or insane about this song. It's the absolutely :banghead: of a drum track that repeats without change for 44 minutes. It was used in a shorter track earlier, as sort of a preparation for this. If you can handle it, the guitar work is very stellar. I've sat through it about 2 or 3 complete times so I have a right to say I'm done with it.:p: But give it a shot: