MIKE KENEALLY

I just noticed recently that monster drummer Marco Minnemann was Keneally's drummer on his albums from the 10's. Of course it's that Bryan Beller connection, but man we get the stunt guitarist and the stunt drummer on the same album? Speaking of drummers I was surprised to see that Nick D'Virgilio was on the kit here on "Dog". I just didn't see that one coming. He is one talented drummer I'll say that. And I'm surprised also that this recording is listed under the MIKE KENEALLY BAND which I have only seen on two of his live releases.

There is one long track on here which sort of encapsulates my feeling for the whole album. Hit and miss. The over 15 minute "This Tastes Like A Hotel". Man it sure sounds like fake beats and 80's synths 4 1/2 minutes in, but then those powerful rock sections that come and go make up for that. The long guitar solo over the bass and drums is great. My least favourite is the opener "Louie". There's some light and funny tunes, and no these guys don't take themselves too seriously. And we do have some drum programming and bouzouki on that shortest track "Physics".

So another good one, and honestly anything Keneally did during the first half of the 00's needs to be heard.

So 18 tracks over 67 minutes and what a surprise to see a long song like "Gita" at 12 minutes, as well as the 8 1/2 minute "We Are The Quiet Children". Keneally's guitar solo after 3 minutes on "Life's Too Small" reminded me of Zappa, as well as the song "Chee". And how hilarious is that one minute opener that sounds like an outtake from a cooking show, so funny. Again a lot of poppy and humerous songs with some excellent playing. That's what Mike Keneally is all about, and why he is so hit and miss in my world.

"Wooden Smoke" though from 2001is a different animal in the Keneally discography. Still a lot of tracks but not the variety this time around. Apparently a lot of these tracks were composed with Mike sitting on his living room floor with his acoustic guitar. And while this isn't completely an unplugged album, it's close. Even the humour is scaled back here a lot. Hence the maturity reference earlier. This comes across as folky, singer/songwriter material for the most part.

Some meaningful lyrics like on "Father's Day" and we do still get some poppy tunes. Light beats, strummed and picked acoustic and vocals often stand out. Piano leads the way on a couple of tracks like "Haugseth" and "Pantomime". "2001' is too poppy with harmonies adding to that and my least favourite. The most adventerous pieces are "Dee 'N' A" and "Thanksgiving". Sure you could say this is Keneally's most intimate record.

For a music fan like myself who detests unplugged albums, I knew this would be a challenge. I like that it's more uniform sounding sure, but prefer it was uniform in a different style. Like the followup "Dog" for example where we get some consistent energy, and Mike brought in Nick D'Virgilio on drums for that one.

There are two tracks here that standout for me including Frozen Beef(Come With Me)" that has vocals and is a little heavier than the rest. The bass is great here. The other is the instrumental called "Egg Zooming" that has a Zappa vibe and is jazzy. Like "Boil That Dust Speck" this does not end well with those last four songs.

This is an entertaining release though as most of Mike's are, but also a mixed bag, as most of Mike's are.

"Bullys(Sic)" is the one track that stands out for that guitar solo that never ends. I have an appreciation for "Faithful Axe" where we get all these YES snippets. "Helen Was Brash" is great for the humour along with "I Will". Some funny song titles, I'll say that. It doesn't end well with those final four songs. So ten tracks under two minutes and this is all over the place. Good album but this is not my music.

1. "Logos" (3:12) pure Zappa-esque comedic satire. (8.5/10)

2. "Both Sides of the Street" (2:41) raw American rock 'n' roll in the vein of THE BAND with Roy Orbison-like lead vocals and more brilliant persiflage. Just not my style. (8.6667/10)

3. "Mercury in Second Grade" (4:42) Mike's channeling a bit of Lou Reed on this one. (8.25/10)

4. "Celery" (5:03) now channeling some hard rockers, part Grunge, part 80s metal hairband (sans vocals), mostly LENNY KRAVITZ. Nice, confident guitar play on display--with some great lead solos (which happen to all come from guest artist Steve Vai). (8.75/10)

5. "Spigot (Draw the Pirate)" (5:11) my favorite song style and vocal performance on the album, it's as if THE MARS VOLTA were channelling a bit of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS (or vice versa). The amazing guitar work on this one is neither Omar Rodriguez-Lopez or Duane Allman or Dickie Betts--or even Steve Via: this is Mike! (9/10)

6. "Ack" (3:33) a jerky jazz-rock piece that, while reminiscent of many of Frank Zappa's orchestral workouts, also sounds a lot like both DAVE NEWHOUSE and ALLAN HOLDSWORTH. Mike's Dutch collaborators do quite an amazing job pulling--and keeping--this song together. (8.875/10)

7. "Lana" (4:35) this one opens sounding like one of ADRIAN BELEW's BEARS' songs, but then there are some Crimsonian twists and turns that sound as if Tony Levin and the multi-drum lineup were at work behind Mike's heavily-treated industrial-psychedelic vocal (which reminds quite a little of Brian Eno's vocal work on "King's Lead Hat"). More great guitar work in the instrumental final third. Great song. (9/10)

8. "Big Hit Song" (5:09) more ENO-esque performative music played through a serious THE BAND filter with some Todd Rundgren shenanigans on top. (Which makes me wonder how Todd and Frank would have got on.) (8.875/10)

9. "The Carousel of Progress" (7:24) another brilliantly rendered song that conjures up the work of Frank Zappa, solo Brian Eno from the 1970s, experimental Todd Rundgren, mischevious Adrian Belew, with a sprinkle of David Byrne and a pinch of Andy Partridge. (13.33333/15)

A lyrics-driven album (which are full of brilliant word-play) of rather mundane (though obviously skillfully rendered and engineered) songs reminds me of why I've never been a fan or devotee of bands like The Kinks, David Bowie, The Pentangle, The Velvet Underground, or Americana acts. The whole album is a series of one-act vignettes each featuring Mike wearing different hats as he tries to step into the roles and costumes of other musical acts. The music and sound engineering are impeccably rendered, the imitations/homages brilliant and spot on (and, I'm sure, far more nuanced and history-imbued than my little brain can pick up) it's just that Mike feels connected to types of music that I've never gravitated to. Ever.

Total Time 41:30

B-/four stars; an album of supremely crafted and rendered songs that some prog lovers will adore while others will find them more of a side-act.

'The Thing That Knowledge Can't Eat' is textbook Keneally in that sense. It's eclectic almost to a fault; veering from straight-ahead pop rock (Both Sides of the Street) to Zappa-esque big band jazz (Ack) and full-blown wacked-out experimentalism (Lana), and all points in between. As always, there are times when Mike's tongue appears to be firmly in his cheek and others where his heart's just as firmly on his sleeve, but no matter whether he's feeling playful or serious, the album exudes a welcoming warmth throughout.

Longtime fans will be delighted by another excellent addition to his already impressive discography, and newcomers could do a lot worse than to start here.

Track Highlights: Celery, Lana, The Carousel of Progress

"The Thing That Knowledge Can't Eat" is a creative eclectic release from one of the most talented and underappreciated musicians on Earth. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

And just a reminder that Mike worked with XTC's wonderfully quirky frontman Andy Partridge here, which is just awesome. Reminded, too, just how much of a Partridge tune we have in "You Kill Me", recorded here as an acoustic, low-to-the-ground Pop song.

Certainly, for some of the greatness on this disc, we have less exciting passages. It can get monotonous, yet I was reminded how well everything was performed. I'm not mad at it haha. Monotony and then beauty. Not crazy about "Bobeau" for instance, but the middle section is a lot of fun. So much texture.

But a whole lot of it--heavily textured and ultimately complex or otherwise--tends to not be all that interesting. It didn't consistently hold my attention. I enjoyed moments aplenty just because we're dealing with Mike. He is incredible. One of the greats, in my opinion. Likewise, you would expect more from him and a just-as-seasoned, if not moreso, Andy Partridge.

Now, I've mentioned "Bobeau", but "Bobo" is a surefire highlight [italics denoting not only an implied verbal stress]. The soft keys, the harmonic trills of the guitars, the horns; it's a very, very nice listen. To me, a fan of Keneally, the only other highlight was the opener, "I'm Raining Here, Inside".

True Rate: 2.5/5.0

Mike is a severely underrated musician and so is his current band. Rick Musallam is the ideal complementary guitarist, Joe Travers is a monster drummer, and the bass playing of Bryan Beller is incredible. In fact, "Seven Percent Grade" which appears on Beller's solo record is one of the highlights of the disc. As for the recording, it sounds great with good separation of the guitars and the bass and drums sit well in the mix.

A special edition two-disc CD/DVD version is available through Keneally's website that is worth the extra cost. The DVD is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes and contains all the songs on the CD plus: "Tranquillado", "Choosing to Drown", "Self n Other", "Hello, Hello", "Splane", "Frozen Beef", a cover of Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song", "The Cowlogy 1, 2, 3", and "Own". The audio options are DD 5.1 or stereo (both sound great) and there is a commentary track by all the band members. At times, the video is grainy and alternates from full screen to letterbox but the editing is well done. Highly recommended!