10. Between the Buried and Me - Future Sequence: Live at the Fidelitorium (Metal Blade)
If there is something else I really love, it's ridiculously over the top metal that delves into progressive rock territory. And, for my money, no one has done that as well in recent years as North Carolina's Between the Buried and Me. This live set captures the band recreating, in full, their 2012 full-length, The Parallax II: The Future Sequence. While that's not my favorite album of theirs, it's a pretty massive slab of prog-metal ridiculousness and sometimes I just want to revel in it.
9. Band of Horses - Acoustic at the Ryman (Brown Records)
Here was a band that fell of really, really hard. Like most of the world, I discovered them thanks to their highly hyped debut, 2006's Everything All the Time. Seeing them play later that summer at the Pitchfork Music Festival only confirmed how much I liked them. What followed was a really solid second album, a third (and major label debut) that was mostly fine but showed some diminishing returns, and a fourth that just flat out sucked. I'd all but given up on them, but hearing them stripped down at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium reminded me about what I first loved about these guys. I'm still doubtful that another studio record will turn the ship around, but this is a pretty solid live document.
8. Naam - Live in Berlin (DesertFest)
Really this is more an EP than anything else, but these 24 minutes rock just as hard as anything else on this list. Brooklyn's Naam have been kicking around for awhile now, releasing two full-lengths and a handful of EPs on the always reliable Tee Pee label. Their particular brand of heavy psych is most definitely heavy on the psych, but heavy on the fuzz and riffs as well - think Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath. This live document captures them firing on all cylinders and will serve as a great doorway to their other work.
7. Gary Clark Jr. - Live (Warner Bros.)
While I've found his studio work to be frustratingly inconsistent, where he tries to wear way too many hats and inevitably falls far short at pulling off most of 'em, it seems that Gary Clark Jr.'s place is on the stage. This 2-disc live document captures performances from the festival circuit that Clark was on during the summer of 2013, which certainly seems like a comfortable setting for his particular blend of blues-rock. It's a genre that gets clowned, usually very much deservedly, but when played well and without ego it can still be really powerful. He's a fantastic guitar player, but I think his greatest strength is knowing when to cut and run, this isn't another Bonnaroo jam session that will bore you silly.
6. The Bad Plus - The Rite of Spring (Sony Masterworks)
This is likely cheating, but it was fine tuned as a live performance so much that this recording really has a live feel to it. Igor Stravinsk's The Rite of Spring is one of those monumental compositions that even those with the most adverse reactions to classical music know and, usually, love. It's a big task for any group to tackle it, let alone a three man jazz band. And, getting it out right now, this never reaches the dramatic swell and power of the full orchestrations you've heard, but that's fine. The Bad Plus make this their own and pull the piece apart to best suit their approach, without sacrificing the emotional impact. It's not as dynamic, but is still a very engaging take.
5. Circle / Pharaoh Overlord - 6000 km/h (Full Contact/Ektro)
I'm cheating a bit here, but it's really hard to separate these two from each other. If you've been paying any attention to via//chicago over the years, you'll be well aware of how big of a fan I am of the Finnish band Circle, and their various off-shoots. These two records catch recent live performances of both Circle and Pharaoh Overlord (an off-shoot that, for this recording, contained three members of Circle) and both are absolutely killer. The Circle record features a couple rare jams and runs the gamut from brief bursts of hardcore noise to drone goodness. Pharaoh Overlord, on theirs, gives us four lengthy tracks that alternate between noisy prog and jazzy noise.
4. Fripp & Eno - Live in Paris 28.05.1975 (DGM)
This is quite a fascinating historical document that captures what is, in retrospect, quite a pivotal moment for both of these two legends. Robert Fripp had just begun the five year hiatus that shelved King Crimson for the back half of the decade, while Brian Eno was deep into his four album run of terrific pop records after having parted ways with Roxy Music. These two had already made quite an impact with 1973's ambient (No Pussyfooting), but this live set is taken from the only, very brief, tour these guys underwent as a duo. Backed by Eno's prerecorded loops (included here as bonus on disc 3), the pair meld together on some fascinating pieces that rely on Eno's brilliant sound manipulation and Fripp's fantastic guitar work. Probably not the best entry point for newcomers, but an essential document for fans.
3. Causa Sui - Live at Freak Valley (El Paraiso)
I've been a fan of this Danish four-piece for a few years, since I first discovered the excellent El Paraiso record label and the 2-disc compilation of Causa Sui's Pewt's Sessions. Since then I've also discovered their three-part Summer Sessions series and their terrific 2013 full-length, Euporie Tide. Live at Freak Valley is a two disc package that captures their full, 90-minute set from the German festival, Freak Valley, that came hot on the heels of Euporie Tide's release. It's the perfect format for a band that has pushed their sound out this far, evolving from a rather straightforward stoner rock sound to something far more psychedelic and hallucinatory. If you haven't checked this band out yet, there are far worse places to start.
2. Earthless Meets Heavy Blanket - In A Dutch Haze (Outer Battery)
Speaking of killer performances from European heavy music festivals... here's another absolutely killer performance, this time a fiery team-up from two fine purveyors of heavy psych-rock from America. Earthless is a Bay Area trio that cranks out lengthy psychedelic instrumental jams that are riff-heavy and heavily influenced by krautrock. Heavy Blanket is one of J Mascis' umpteen bands, a trio that also trades in psychedelic heavy rock, but one that leaves plenty of room for Mascis and his furious fret-work. This records captures the two bands teaming up to absolutely decimate the Roadburn Festival (hence, In A Dutch Haze) with their potent blend of stoner rock. It's a heavy, heady trip well worth taking for any fans of exploratory heavy music.
1. Grateful Dead - Wake Up To Find Out (Rhino)
And, continuing on with the theme, here's some more exploratory rock music, though one that is decidedly less heavy than Earthless and Heavy Blanket and a little more hippie than Causa Sui. Yes, this is another live document from perennial via//chicago favorites, the Grateful Dead. But it marks for a slight departure from the band's recent focus on the '60s and '70s by presenting a complete live set from the band's twilight years - specifically a March night from their well-regarded, if under-appreciated 1990 Spring Tour. What makes this particularly special is that Branford Marsalis sits in for a killer first set "Bird Song" and the entirety of the second set. I'm typically not a Marsalis fan, but he really did pull something special from Jerry and the boys on this tour. If you have't delved into the latter years of the Dead's career, this is a great place to start - a shining gem from a surprisingly solid tour.
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