Guitar Hero II contained an awesome song by an artist I had never heard before. The song was Jordan an all out guitar and bass jam that just made my son and I want to know more about the man known only as Buckethead.
Population Override was the first CD we picked up by Buckethead. He has several albums out, we just picked this one at random.
Express Review of Population Overload
Wow! This is *^%# Fantastic!
Full Length Review
Not since Jimi Hendrix have I heard a guitar player that was so original, so unique and so talented. Seriously this guy rocks! Yes, he is strange, he wears a mask and a KFC bucket on his head but the things he does with his guitar are unlike anything I have heard before ever. The album consists of ten instrumental tracks all that feature Bucketheads brand of guitar music. This album is just one of 33 releases by Brian Carroll (Buckethead's real name) and it was released in 2004.
Unrestrained Growth starts the album, and it has a sound that is like jazz meets rock meets experimental. It slides right into Too Many Humans. The solos are backed with a steady mellow drum and bass line, and the sound is just pure escapism. As a teenager, I would have called this headphone music. The genre is listed as Experimental Rock, Guitar Virtuoso and Instrumental Rock, but that doesn't begin to describe the music that is being played here. Take the guitar talents of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, the inspiration of Jimi Hendrix, the long drawn out jams of Steve Howe or Ritchie Blackmore and mix in some Al DiMeola for good measure, and then you may have an approximation of this guy. Go to a kiosk at Borders or your favorite music store and just give any track a listen. This is not music you can dance to or exercise to or drive to, it is just music to listen to and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.
Although the ten tracks are separately numbered, they all just slide together. Only subtle changes in melody or tempo give you a clue that the track has changed. No lyrics interrupt the music. Buckethead is joined on this album by a drummer referred to as Pinchface, and a keyboard player, Travis Dickerson. The keyboards and guitar play off each other in beautiful harmony.
Although many of the songs flow together, track 6 A Day Will Come stands out as one of my favorites. It begins with a crazy synthesizer riff that is quickly joined by a heavy drumbeat and Buckethead's effects laden guitar work.
The best way I can describe this music is that this is what New Age music would sound like if it was played by talented musicians and guitar players. Guitarists that he reminds me of most, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
Track Listing Unrestrained Growth, Too Many Humans, Population Override, Humans Vanish, Cruel Reality of Nature, A Day Will Come, Earth Heals Herself, Clones, Superhuman, and an untitled tenth track.
Summary If you like dreamy instrumental guitar music that will take you away, you owe it to yourself to check out this guitar virtuoso. Don't let the KFC bucket turn you away, this man is a genius on the guitar, hear it for yourself.
Related Review
Guitar Hero II which features Jordan a song by Buckethead exclusively for this game as an unlockable bonus track.
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