Mastodon - The Czar

What follows is nothing but my opinion: Mastodon is one of the best Metal bands to emerge in the 21st Century... period! Progressive Metal and Sludge Metal are a winning combination right here. The band has released a very good album recently entitled "The Hunter", but honestly, if you want to start listining to this band (and you should), I would recommend "Crack The Skye". Many consider it to be their "Magnum Opus"... and that's where you can find the song "The Czar", by the way.
Here is a live version:

The Mars Volta - L'Via L'Viaquez

The Mars Volta is one of those rare bands capable of fusing diferent styles in order to create their own. Their mixture of progressive, experimental, jazz, psychedelic and even latin elements brings a new world of possibilities, which they explore relentlessly. And their second album, "Frances The Mute", might be the best example.
Here goes a song from that album:

John Frusciante - Unreachable

John Frusciante is quite an artist. He was the guitar player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and as released several solo albums. He also collaborates with many artists regularly. But "The Empyrean" is a personal favourite, a great album for sure: a mixture of Psychadelic and Experimental Rock, and also spiritual lyrics... "Unreachable" is of of its very best songs.
Here it goes:

The Crow

"The Crow" is a legendary action film made in 1994. It was Brandon Lee's very last film, since he died after being accidentally wounded by a bullet on set. The film was highly praised.
Instead of showing you a trailer, I'll give you the whole film.
Enjoy:

Juno

A great Drama/Comedy film about a pregnant teenager. It's interesting how the film deals with such serious subject, but with a strong sense of humor in it.
Here goes the trailer:

Opeth - The Lotus Eater

For those who like Metal, the Swedish Progressive Death Metal band Opeth is an absolute "must". Led by Mikael Åkerfeldt through the years, the band explored progressive, death, folk and even jazz-fusion elements, adding them to their own signature sound. "The Lotus Eater", a song from their album "Watershed" (a personal favourite) showcases their diversity.
Here goes a live performance:

George Orwell - 1984

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, and published in 1949. It deals with such themes as oppression and brainwashing. It was, to an extent, George Orwell's comment on the path society was taking at the time it was written, something like: "If we don't change, then this is what we will have in the future". The novel is, of course, absolutely fascinating.

"The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed - would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper - the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
- George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 1

The Elephant Man

I saw this film just yesterday, and I loved it. It's about a man, John Merrick, and his struggles to cope with the Protheus Syndrome he had. Truly a lesson about the beauty of the inner self.
Here goes the trailer:

BLACK SABBATH ARE BACK!!!

After many rumours, the facts have come: Black Sabbath, the godfathers of Metal, are back! In 2012, they will be releasing their first album in 33 years (produced by Rick Rubin), they will headline the Download Festival, and a world tour will follow. These guys are one of my biggest influences, it's hard to find the words to describe how excited and happy I am. All I can write is: Get ready, for the lords of darkness rise again!

Alex Grey

Alex Grey is a visionary transcendent/psychadelic artist. His x-ray paintings often show a perfect union between body, mind and spirit, and they deal with such themes as life, death, meditation, spirituality and transcendency. I heard of Alex Grey when I aknowledged that he was the one who made the cover of Tool's album "Lateralus". So I checked more of his artistic work and I was blown away!
So here are some of his paintings:

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

Today, one of the greatest albums of all time turns 40. That's right, it was 40 years ago today that Led Zeppelin (absolute Rock legends) released what is perhaps thair most successful album ever: Led Zeppelin IV (also know by others titles such as "IV", "Zoso", "Four Symbols", "Untitled" and many others). The album contains many Rock classics such as "Black Dog", "Rock And Roll" and "Going To California", but the most famous song of all is, by far, "Stairway To Heaven". Since I have a really hard time describing this song through words, I'll let music do the magic. Here it goes, and have a nice journey:

Blackbird Prophet - Time Will Heal

So today I want to give you something a little... personal. One of the things that shows my passion for music the best is the fact that I am a musician myself. I sing and play guitar on a Progressive Rock/Metal band called Blackbird Prophet and we have released our first song recently.
The song is called "Time Will Heal", and so here it goes:




We are recording more music at the moment and the vibe is really good. So here's some advice: be alert and follow the band's activity for the next couple months. Just saying...
You can follow us at Facebook, Youtube, Soundcloud, Last.fm and Myspace. Here are the respective links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blackbird-Prophet/198708970173604

Youtube: http://youtube.com/user/blackbirdprophet

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/blackbirdprophet

Last.fm: http://www.lastfm.com.br/music/Blackbird+Prophet

Myspace: http://myspace.com/blackbirdprophet


Follow the band closely and get ready... meanwhile, I'll update you through this blog.
Cheers!

Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii

Pompeii, as you probably know, is an Italian city which was destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, spanning two days in the year AD 79. In 1971, Pink Floyd decided to visit Pompeii to play some of their music... to no audience. This, along with footage of the recording of "The Dark Side Of The Moon", resulted in a tremendous film called "Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii".
And here goes the whole film... enjoy:




By the way, here is the track listing:

1 - "Echoes, Part 1"/"On the Run" (Studio Footage) (Uncredited) (from Meddle/The Dark Side of the Moon, 1971/1973)
2 - "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (B-side of "Point Me at the Sky" single, 1968)
3 - "A Saucerful of Secrets" (from A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968)
4 - "Us and Them" (Studio Footage) (from The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
5 - "One of These Days I'm Going to Cut You into Little Pieces" (from Meddle, 1971; also known as "One of These Days")
6 - "Mademoiselle Nobs"
7 - "Brain Damage" (Studio Footage) (from The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
8 - "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (from A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968)
9 - "Echoes, Part 2" (from Meddle, 1971)

The Power Of Album Artwork

Most records are praised for the obvious reason: music. But others, besides containing tremendous music, are also known for their amazing covers. The artwork, despite being secondary when compared to the songs, is another form of expression, a different type of art, which many musicians explore for graphical purposes. And the results are, sometimes, legendary.
Here are some of my favourite album covers:

The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Here is the most iconic band of the 20th century! "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" was their most successful album, known for its psychadelic and experimental sound, and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" is one of its anthems... and yes, the title stands for L.S.D.
Here is a vídeo of this song, taken from the "Yellow Submarine" film:

Tool - Vicarious

Tool is a Progressive Rock/Metal band, with a transcendent style and sound. Their albums are known for being long and complex, often incorporating sounds and details which can only be heard with extreme attention from the listener. Their music videos have been widely praised, as well as their artwork and live shows, and they have faced censorship for several times. They also use many odd time signatures and their lyrics go from personal to spiritual and mysterious. Patrick Donovan described Tool as "the thinking person's metal band. Cerebral and visceral, soft and heavy, melodic and abrasive, tender and brutal, familiar and strange, western and eastern, beautiful and ugly, taut yet sprawling and epic, they are a tangle of contradictions."
"Vicarious" is the first single from their latest album, "10.000 Days". Here goes the video:





And you might find this interesting... here is it's "making of" (divided in four parts):

A Clockwork Orange

"A Clockwork Orange" is an all-time classic. Made in 1971, it was a groundbreaking film, mostly due to its imagery of violence and nudity, but also because of the moral and philosophical themes discussed. It changed the face of the seventh art.
Here is the trailer:

Readymade

Paintings, scluptures... that's what people expect when they step into an art museum, right? Well, some artists have decided, throughout the history of humanity, to break society's conception of art. One of those artists was Marcel Duchamp, one of the main figures of dadaism and surrealism. An avant-garde mind, causer of much controversy, mostly due to his famous readymades.
A readymade is simply a found object, which is presented as art. There is the famous case of the "fountain", which was based on Marcel Duchamp picking an urinol, signing it with the pseudonym "R. Mutt" and presenting it as a piece of art. Another famous (yet different) case was a parody Duchamp made on the Mona Lisa. He bought a cheap copy and added a mustache and goatee to it.
Here go some fine examples of readymades for you (including the ones mentioned above):










"I don't believe in art. I believe in artists."
By: Marcel Duchamp

Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize

Porcupine Tree is a highly successful progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson (vocals, guitar, keyboards and songwriting). They are regarded by many as "the new Pink Floyd" (although Steven Wilson dismisses such thing) and they have released many albums, such as "The Sky Moves Sideways", "Stupid Dream", "In Absentia" and "Fear Of a Blank Planet" (their most successful).
"Anesthetize" is an epic, nearly 18-minute song from the album "Fear Of a Blank Planet". Here goes a live version of the song, split in two videos. Enjoy:







"Anesthetize" is also the name of a live DVD the band released last year (the videos above are taken from this very DVD). Classic Rock magazine considered it to be the "DVD release of the year". Check it out if you have the chance, even if you are not a fan of Porcupine Tree. Here's a trailer:

Welcome to Crystal Midnight Sky

Welcome to a blog fully dedicated to art. Although I favor music, movie trailers, paintings, poems, quotes and humorous videos will also be posted. I believe the best way to see this blog is to understand that this is a way for me to share the art I admire with all of you. Besides, it's a vehicle for me, I control this blog and I make all the decisions about it.
Have a nice artistic ride and let it expand your mind!