Square Pegs Round Holes – Ultraviolet Hippopotamus (2011)

Album artwork for Square Pegs Round Holes

I’ve always thought of the term “music blogger” as being somewhat restrictive.  It seems like such an unimaginative term for an overlooked cornucopia of enlightenment.  It is, unfortunately, far too easy to become numb to the everyday processes of searching for new music, weighed down by the sheer banality of it all.  On the other hand, I have witnessed an uncomfortable number of music bloggers fall victim to the competitive, quasi-political nature of the cutthroat world they live in.  I believe it is essential to leave both of these attitudes behind.  Rather than a “music blogger,” I think the term “aural adventurer” might be more appropriate, or perhaps even “sonic expeditioner.”  Why do I remain passionate about finding new music?  It’s about the journey, not the destination.  This is a core philosophy that applies to the world of music as much as it applies to life itself.  The other night, I walked out the door with nothing but my iPod and a pair of Sennheiser headphones, eager to embark on such a journey.  As my legs took me across the beautiful campus of the University of Miami, I retreated into my mental space – my inner theater – and embraced the sonic landscape that was beginning to form.

The album of choice for the night was Square Pegs Round Holes by Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, a band which I had never heard of before.  I stumbled upon them quite by happenstance, thanks to the wonders of the Internet.  The first words used to describe the group that I read were “improvisational progressive rock band.”  Boy, did that get me excited.  I knew from that moment on that I owed it to myself to at least check out some of their music. Approximately 67 minutes later, I found myself in a state of amazement as the full splendor of Square Pegs Round Holes sank in.

To End the Illusion of Separation – Papadosio (2012)

Album artwork for To End the Illusion of Separation

The concept of the psychedelically-charged jam band has been around since the 1960s.  Groups like the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd kicked off a revolution that would soon become a major chunk of America’s musical history.  Since those times, there has always been a strong-minded, passionate group of musicians and music lovers that have kept the genre alive and allowed it to evolve into something new.  Today, a movement of new musicians has been combining the jam band mentality with modern technology to create a style of music dubbed “jamtronica,” or “livetronica.”  Papadosio, a band formed in Athens, Ohio in 2006, has been on the forefront of this movement for several years now.  They approach the genre with a strong songwriting background, which they use to incorporate melodic vocal harmonies and heartfelt messages about the unity of mankind.  Last Tuesday, the band released a double disc album, To End the Illusion of Separation (T.E.T.I.O.S.), featuring 20 tracks of new material.  Spanning the course of two full hours, the album is their most diverse effort yet, and it takes the listener on a whirling journey of transcendent emotion, spirituality, and euphoric release.

One of the simplest ways to describe T.E.T.I.O.S. would be to consider it as a complete musical experience.  In other words, it’s a full, two-hour experience that travels through an eclectic collection of uniquely-orchestrated soundscapes, arranged in a manner that allows for a natural progression from beginning to end.  In many ways, it is comparable to a feature-length film.  Many, many words could be used to describe the true emotion that Papadosio’s music evokes, yet its true nature lies in the listener’s personal experience.  It is musical therapy at its finest; all of your real-world problems seem to fade away as the band’s creative voice resounds through your entire consciousness.