Scenes From My Memory v. Honor Thy Father

[TAC]

Ahh, so the Black Bitch is indeed Train Of Thought.


Purchased by brand new Train Of Thought because I had a long ride ahead of me as well.

[Indiscipline]

Ahh, so the Black Bitch is indeed Train Of Thought.


Purchased by brand new Train Of Thought because I had a long ride ahead of me as well.

The Black Bitch would be Wife#1, or ThanHoe, eater of worlds.

ToT is Bad Trip, because honestly the cover has to be the result of Peyote abuse.

[TAC]

Ahh, so the Black Bitch is indeed Train Of Thought.


Purchased by brand new Train Of Thought because I had a long ride ahead of me as well.

The Black Bitch would be Wife#1, or ThanHoe, eater of worlds.

Oh ok.

Carry on..

[wolfking]

TOT being my favourite, I'm interested to follow along here. 

[Indiscipline]

TOT being my favourite, I'm interested to follow along here. 

Oh, afraid you will find my Side A whining intolerable, but I shall be throwing babies in the air on Side B!

[TAC]

TOT being my favourite, I'm interested to follow along here. 

Oh, afraid you will find my Side A whining intolerable, but I shall be throwing babies in the air on Side B!

My CD only came with one side.

[Indiscipline]

Dammit

I missed you man.

[wolfking]

TOT being my favourite, I'm interested to follow along here. 

Oh, afraid you will find my Side A whining intolerable, but I shall be throwing babies in the air on Side B!

I can't wait to hear what you have to say.  Even more interesting when it's the total opposite of my opinions.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I fear that our esteemed Indy's discernment of Train of Thought may have been obscured by the influence of the somber shadows cast by the Black Bitch....

[Indiscipline]

Puppies, and his Acid Groupies, may not be wrong.

DISCLAIMER: Given the period in my DT life I'm tackling, from this write-up onwards I may express feelings and thoughts which those amongst us starving for a good triggering cause may want to define as misogynistic. Nothing could be further from the truth; I will profusely spit bile and venom only towards (myself, naturally, and) one specific individual whose feminine gender is merely happenstance. I love women, my whole family – not counting underage creatures -  is at this point made exclusively of women, even my focking sister married a woman and I believe my mother would as well if she could go back in time and still never meet Podaar.

As usual, ado be focked and let's play

As I Am:

0:00 – 0:36: An album bleeding into another. Check that box, motherfocker, we 're gonna do it all! Also, always nice when a record opens with Johnny M doing the honours. He is, after all, the blue lion in the Voltron.

0:36 – 0:55: Nice tritone and homage to the song that scared the shit out of a generation and tricked the next one into believing it invented heavy metal. 

0:55 – 1:14: That was a great Johnny P feedback experimentation moment, quite genuine and not for the sake of being hip. I can accept heavy DT if genuinely experimental and not turning my guy into James LaOrc.

1:14 – 1:29: Say your prayers little one, don't forget my son to include everyooooone ... Sorry, couldn't help it.

1:29 – 1:44: I love heavy metal, I love a lot of heavy metal bands, and the ones I love I do because they are masterfully built to play heavy metal. DT is not. I don't want prog from Iron Maiden, I don't want pop from Genesis and I don't want non-DT music or posture from DT. I feel like going to the jewelry store and being sold a banana.

1:44 – 2:13: I am too much horrified by the way James' voice is sounding 15 years older to realise this song will make a very good live opener.

2:13 – 2:28: Now I lay me down to sleep, pray the lord my soul to keep ... Sorry, they couldn't help it.

2:28 – 2:44: And this is how Countdown to Extinction would sound with an actual singer on board. And now you can't unhear it and at least you're pissed as I am.

2:44 – 3:27: Fock it. Fock it up the Hetfield clumsy parody. I am being a fan for a decade, otherwise this disc would intercept and behead a flying sparrow somewhere between Florence and Rome.

3:27 – 4:54: Repetition hence … back to the soap opera: piggybacking on the song's title, lets see me as I was back then, i.e. a full on unadulterated cunt, full of myself like a morning prick full of piss but convinced it's sex power. Not feeling an outcast for the first time in my life made me feel a self-centered pissy pagan god humanity just existed to validate. Obviously, the perfect mental state to read a potential partner and starting a love story. Better going back to the tune ...

4:54 – 5:23: Right, there's a Rudess in this band. Well, they could respectfully let him out of this thing. This section is as humiliating as having Bill Walton warm-up during garbage time on a december blow-out.

5:23 – 6:08: I can't fathom what arguably the best guitarist in his generation still needs to show and why does he think he needs some mindless finger athletics to show it.

6:08 – 6:20: The irrepressible return of Shave and a Haircut ... Two Bits! Small victories.

6:20 – 7:47: blablablablablablablabla, so …

And there I was, early on stage waiting for the director to come and chat, while the ballet was warming up; and there she was, hair as dark as sin, eyes darker than atonement. I stared a bit, just on hunter's muscle memory, but she stared back, speaking volumes I chose to read as hagiography to my ego while they actually were chapters in the focking Necronomicon.

Comin Next – This Dying Band

[Dream Team]

Yup, worst DT album opener.

For us metal fans that don’t like TOT that much, it’s easy to explain. When Metallica and Maiden made their classic albums they did it in THEIR styles. When DT tried to make their version of those albums, they did it in OTHER BAND’s styles. The DT style of heavy and/or fast was already well established; AFIL, TKH, PMU, UAGM, Scarred, FT, BTL, Home for starters. A full album of those types of songs would have been amazing.

[wolfking]

3:27 – 4:54: Repetition hence … back to the soap opera: piggybacking on the song's title, lets see me as I was back then, i.e. a full on unadulterated cunt, full of myself like a morning prick full of piss but convinced it's sex power. Not feeling an outcast for the first time in my life made me feel a self-centered pissy pagan god humanity just existed to validate. Obviously, the perfect mental state to read a potential partner and starting a love story. Better going back to the tune ...

For some reason I can resonate with this so much.

I don't think it's one of DT's best by any means and I get the criticism for it.  I have always enjoyed it though.  It was kinda of polarising hearing it for the first time though.

[DragonAttack]

'Life is what happens while we're busy making plans....'

Before this moves on too far, I did sit and spend a couple of sit downs and listened to Six Degrees (using TGD instrumental) whilst reading the in depth comments.  It was quite a trip!

[emtee]

I love As I Am.

Actually one of my favorites of theirs. Straight to the point, catchy and no unnecessary wanking.

[Dream Team]

I love As I Am.

Actually one of my favorites of theirs. Straight to the point, catchy and no unnecessary wanking.

You don’t call that solo wanking?

[wolfking]

I love As I Am.

Actually one of my favorites of theirs. Straight to the point, catchy and no unnecessary wanking.

You don’t call that solo wanking?

In his defence he did say 'unnecessary' wanking.  So there is the question, does the solo fit the song?  I never had a problem with the solo personally.

[Podaar]

Yes, the solo fits the style of song. Yes, JP likes to play this way. That's actually what the fucking song is about. The DT Custom Shop is closed, kids. You either connect with it or you don't...that doesn't make it crap, or wanking, or whatever negative you want to throw at it. Is it my favorite? Not even close. Still, I find it enjoyable when I hear it, which isn't often to be truthful.

[TAC]

For us metal fans that don’t like TOT that much, it’s easy to explain. When Metallica and Maiden made their classic albums they did it in THEIR styles. When DT tried to make their version of those albums, they did it in OTHER BAND’s styles. The DT style of heavy and/or fast was already well established; AFIL, TKH, PMU, UAGM, Scarred, FT, BTL, Home for starters. A full album of those types of songs would have been amazing.

I like this. It makes sense.


as does this..

I love heavy metal, I love a lot of heavy metal bands, and the ones I love I do because they are masterfully built to play heavy metal. DT is not. I don't want prog from Iron Maiden, I don't want pop from Genesis and I don't want non-DT music or posture from DT. I feel like going to the jewelry store and being sold a banana.

I can get my metal in a lot of places, and I don't look to Dream Theater for my metal. I like that they're heavy and put a heavy spin on Yes and late 70's Rush. That's a good marriage.

2:28 – 2:44: And this is how Countdown to Extinction would sound with an actual singer on board. And now you can't unhear it and at least you're pissed as I am.

2:44 – 3:27: Fock it. Fock it up the Hetfield clumsy parody. I am being a fan for a decade, otherwise this disc would intercept and behead a flying sparrow somewhere between Florence and Rome.

During the 6 D's song discussion, I mentioned that James does a better Hetfield than Mustaine, but why are they the only two choices when DT goes into Metal Mode?
I know we'll be talking about it much more in This Dying Soul.

5:23 – 6:08: I can't fathom what arguably the best guitarist in his generation still needs to show and why does he think he needs some mindless finger athletics to show it.

Because every now and then, you just have to, that's why. But I understand your sentiment on this. However is you start tuning this solo out before it ends, you'll miss the God like finish that starts at 6:00. It's set up by the run right before it, but man..



Personally, I think a song like As I Am is a song that I consider beneath MY Dream Theater. That said, the first minute or so crushes, but after that, they could've wrapped this up in under 5 minutes.

*Makes mental note to discuss this song again in the context of the Iron Maiden opening set in 2010.*

[wolfking]

Yes, the solo fits the style of song. Yes, JP likes to play this way. That's actually what the fucking song is about. The DT Custom Shop is closed, kids. You either connect with it or you don't...that doesn't make it crap, or wanking, or whatever negative you want to throw at it. Is it my favorite? Not even close. Still, I find it enjoyable when I hear it, which isn't often to be truthful.

The thing is, we hear JP play so many beautiful, slow, emotive solos all the time, why not allow him on the other end of the spectrum to let him play his ass off.  He can, so why the fuck not?

If anything, TOT was the album the let JP off the leash in a way to really try and get him to tap into the metal side he loves so much.

[wolfking]

Because every now and then, you just have to, that's why. But I understand your sentiment on this. However is you start tuning this solo out before it ends, you'll miss the God like finish that starts at 6:00. It's set up by the run right before it, but man..

I love this reasoning.  And yes, the climax to the solo is fucking awesome.

[Indiscipline]

These are great points, everybody, and great interactions.

Heart on my sleeve (and bloody cufflinks), for maybe the first time I'm not only happy buddies are following, but I also feel stimulated -  still keeping honest to myself, of course - to be a little less dismissive of stuff I tend to instinctively refuse. I'm rewriting my next write-up. Still don't like the song, but I can certainly be a little less of an arshole about it.

Alas, it's too late to change the soap opera bit.

Thank you gents!

[wolfking]

I want the full unedited writeup about my favourite DT song.  Don't hold back.

[Indiscipline]

I want the full unedited writeup about my favourite DT song.  Don't hold back.

No worries. "A little less of an arshole" still leaves a ton of arsehole here to play with.

[wolfking]

Thank you for spelling 'arshole' in my language.  That's very considerate and correct in my eyes.

[TAC]

I'm rewriting my next write-up. Still don't like the song, but I can certainly be a little less of an arshole about it.

Don't rewrite anything! It's the Scenes From YOUR Memory Thread. Put it out there as you recall. We'll straighten you out!

[Indiscipline]

[Dream Team]

Yes, can't wait for your take on James' impersonation of Dave Mustaine! I'm sure you'll posit that it's a great use of his voice.

[Indiscipline]

In an album of pretty high highs and pretty low lows, the epitome of peaks and valleys DT song:

This Dying Soul:

0:00 – 0:40: I get it! This is a sort of thrash titans tribute album. The first 5 chords – albeit in a slightly different progression, accents and tempo – just scream “For Whom the Bell Tolls intro homage”, then Mike goes full on sophisti-Lombardo and everything blurs. I can live with that.

0:40 – 0:52: … Then Johhny P says: “Mike, I see your Metallica Slayer double pair and raise you an Uli and Ritchie Charon Babylon full house on steroids”.

0:52 – 1:11: It wasn't a full house, it's a full Home, and so far the best melodic line in this album. To be fair it's the only one at this point, but it's still focking great. Can we please not move from this nice but still virile spot in The Compass?
 
1:11 – 1:44: Finally Mr Rudess has come out to play, how corteous. Pretty solo, weirdly borrowing some Derek filters.

1:44 – 2:04: Still sneakly masquerading and hiding in plain sight, but still For Whom the Bell Tolls homage, this time the chorus riff.

2:04 – 2:32: Are we back to Nick and Vic Focking? No, wait, it's a clever shout out to tie The Mirror into the ongoing Saga. It makes absolute sense, lyrically, musically, existentially.

2:32 – 2:42: LeFock? Stop with this gimmick nonsense that has obviously carried over from the last album, I beg you! What is this? Rage Against The Majestchine? Stop dressing a dignified lady as a poledancer for fock's sake!

2:42 – 3:01: Ok, I'm cooling down, just in time to confirm a suspect arisen during the previous song. What the fock is wrong with James? He's not exactly struggling, but voice definitely sounds lacking a cylinder. I missed last tour so I'm focking in the dark and slightly unnerved.
 
3:01 – 3:39: … And that's a pity because a full roaring set of pipes is the least you could do to honour this beautiful monster of a chorus. What a focking ping pong of opposite emotions, and totally appropriate for the Black Bitch Chapter.

3:39 – 4:07: This. This is the exact point where you can see my heart sink into my shoes and hit DT rock bottom. What next? The Majestie Boys? Are you focking traitorous pimp of an album done manipulating my hopes and emotions like I was a poor dumb hoe? Wait, totally appropriate for the Black Bitch Chapter.

4:07 – 5:04: And this stretch of gimmicking and posturing is – philosophically speaking – the worst DT minute I have ever heard, ruining what had started as a, yes dammit, a great tune. Please allow me a couple of points here, since, having been wisely helped to eschew self-censorship, I should at least indulge in over-clarification:

1) This is not experimental, since the “not tipically DT” bits are pretty standard stylistic features … in other acts' catalogues.
2) This is not an organic change of style. A whole unexpected thrash album would be, a la Painkiller. This is good old fashioned DT music forcibly injected with tough young metal fan juice. Which leads to ...
3)  I would love this song sans the rap/nu/gimmicky stuff, and I could understand this song entirely (and experimentally) made of  rap/nu/gimmicky stuff (and Mike should have the balls to sing his own brainchildren when it's obvious his singer isn't cut for them). I can't tolerate one foot in both shoes.

5:04 – 5:43: Repetition hence (further) considerations: I didn't mention this in the points above, but i did notice James being forced to Mustaine in his darkest hour. Now, not only this is becoming unsufferable, but it strikes me as a tad hypocritical as well; you basically start an album saying. “this is who I am, this is the way I play and tough titties” and the very next thing you won't allow your vocalist to be who he is, to sing the only way he can sing. I would have called the first track "I'm a Guitar God but I'm Happy to Play Trombone Left Handed if Asked”, just for consistency's sake.

5:42 – 5:59: And this is a gorgeous part, courtesy of piano and ternary feel, and I love it to pieces. And the regret for what this song could have been goes off the charts. Black Bitch, again.

5:59 – 6:31: And guess what? When a James-friendly (or music-friendly, but your mileage may vary) vocal line appears, Big James just shines. If I realise it, there's a good chance four music geniuses realise it too. Before joining this forum I didn't know anything about the band outside what was contained inside the record sleeve/cd box or what I could witness live. Now I know James had been “talked to”, and now I believe he's been punished with this album.

6:31 – 7:15: See? They won't make up their minds. Walk! … no, ACOS! wait … Walk again! …. and ACOS! Quoting mister Ian Hunter, you're never alone with a schizophrenic.

7:15 – 7:45: All together now please, because you focking knew this was coming: Blackened is the end, winter it will send, throwing all you see into obscurity ... Sorry, couldn't help it.

7:45 – 8:05: This I like. This is once again very AchangeofSeason-esque. Clever songwriting. Isn't that where Mike's turmoils started?

8:05 – 8:35: My Canadian client can't perform ominous preposterous and posturous spoken passages, sorry. If focking Manowar could afford Orson Wells, you could at least call Morgan Freeman perhaps? Hell, is Liev Schreiber too much busy for this?

8:35 – 8:55: This is definitely ACOS, but can't place it and don't wanna cheat. Winter section, right before the liberating ride bell?
 
8:55 – 9:37: Now, this focking rocks! It's heavy and progressive and genuine. And if you can't see the difference from the segments I've whined about earlier, I don't know what to tell you.

9:37 – 10:30: Please let me get out of the timeline for a moment: doesn't this technically commendable but musically rather plain guitar-keyboards trade off blend with another dozen  technically commendable but musically rather plain guitar-keyboards trade offs in future albums? Because, you know, I still can literally sing you every Johnny P's and Jordan's solo when musically meaningful.

10:30 – 11:24: Thank God. This is how you build a kickass musically intelligent and dramatic solo story. I'm obviously talking about the bass. It's really a thing of beauty, and I believe the chaos sorrounding it is accurately designed to underline it while pretending to conceal it.


“Hi!”

“...”

“I said hi!”

“ ...uh ...”

“Is something wrong with my face?”

“ uh? … er, no, why?”

“Well, you've been staring at it for the last 15 minutes”

“MAKE-UP PLEASE!”


Coming Next: Endless Sacrifice thanks to Pup

[Lonk]

 

[wolfking]

I enjoyed that reading along while listening.  Love the Walk/ACOS description, quite accurate even though I've never thought of it myself. 

This is my fav DT song.  I can see a lot of what you are talking about.  Interesting take on James though, again, I never thought that but fair play I guess.  it's just not the sort of style that is best suited to his voice, even though he's done a lot in this style with DT and solo.  I guess personally, I just never cared how blatant they went with this style and especially this song.  Is it not organic and it was the band creating a heavy album based around how their favourite artists created heavy albums, maybe, but I think DT had proved they were so much more, they could afford to wear their influences blatantly on their sleeve from time to time. 

I guess I always just loved the groove element to this song.

[TAC]

Just did my listen/read through, but it's too late and there's so much to chew on here, so I'll hit this tomorrow.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Wait, shouldn't Endless Sacrifice be next?

[Indiscipline]

Wait, shouldn't Endless Sacrifice be next?

[TAC]

This Dying Soul:

0:00 – 0:40: I get it! This is a sort of thrash titans tribute album. The first 5 chords – albeit in a slightly different progression, accents and tempo – just scream “For Whom the Bell Tolls intro homage”, then Mike goes full on sophisti-Lombardo and everything blurs. I can live with that.

0:40 – 0:52: … Then Johhny P says: “Mike, I see your Metallica Slayer double pair and raise you an Uli and Ritchie Charon Babylon full house on steroids”.

0:52 – 1:11: It wasn't a full house, it's a full Home, and so far the best melodic line in this album. To be fair it's the only one at this point, but it's still focking great. Can we please not move from this nice but still virile spot in The Compass?
 
1:11 – 1:44: Finally Mr Rudess has come out to play, how corteous. Pretty solo, weirdly borrowing some Derek filters.

1:44 – 2:04: Still sneakly masquerading and hiding in plain sight, but still For Whom the Bell Tolls homage, this time the chorus riff.

2:04 – 2:32: Are we back to Nick and Vic Focking? No, wait, it's a clever shout out to tie The Mirror into the ongoing Saga. It makes absolute sense, lyrically, musically, existentially.

2:32 – 2:42: LeFock? Stop with this gimmick nonsense that has obviously carried over from the last album, I beg you! What is this? Rage Against The Majestchine? Stop dressing a dignified lady as a poledancer for fock's sake!

2:42 – 3:01: Ok, I'm cooling down, just in time to confirm a suspect arisen during the previous song. What the fock is wrong with James? He's not exactly struggling, but voice definitely sounds lacking a cylinder. I missed last tour so I'm focking in the dark and slightly unnerved.
 
3:01 – 3:39: … And that's a pity because a full roaring set of pipes is the least you could do to honour this beautiful monster of a chorus. What a focking ping pong of opposite emotions, and totally appropriate for the Black Bitch Chapter.

3:39 – 4:07: This. This is the exact point where you can see my heart sink into my shoes and hit DT rock bottom. What next? The Majestie Boys? Are you focking traitorous pimp of an album done manipulating my hopes and emotions like I was a poor dumb hoe? Wait, totally appropriate for the Black Bitch Chapter.

4:07 – 5:04: And this stretch of gimmicking and posturing is – philosophically speaking – the worst DT minute I have ever heard, ruining what had started as a, yes dammit, a great tune. Please allow me a couple of points here, since, having been wisely helped to eschew self-censorship, I should at least indulge in over-clarification:

1) This is not experimental, since the “not tipically DT” bits are pretty standard stylistic features … in other acts' catalogues.
2) This is not an organic change of style. A whole unexpected thrash album would be, a la Painkiller. This is good old fashioned DT music forcibly injected with tough young metal fan juice. Which leads to ...
3)  I would love this song sans the rap/nu/gimmicky stuff, and I could understand this song entirely (and experimentally) made of  rap/nu/gimmicky stuff (and Mike should have the balls to sing his own brainchildren when it's obvious his singer isn't cut for them). I can't tolerate one foot in both shoes.

5:04 – 5:43: Repetition hence (further) considerations: I didn't mention this in the points above, but i did notice James being forced to Mustaine in his darkest hour. Now, not only this is becoming unsufferable, but it strikes me as a tad hypocritical as well; you basically start an album saying. “this is who I am, this is the way I play and tough titties” and the very next thing you won't allow your vocalist to be who he is, to sing the only way he can sing. I would have called the first track "I'm a Guitar God but I'm Happy to Play Trombone Left Handed if Asked”, just for consistency's sake.

5:42 – 5:59: And this is a gorgeous part, courtesy of piano and ternary feel, and I love it to pieces. And the regret for what this song could have been goes off the charts. Black Bitch, again.

5:59 – 6:31: And guess what? When a James-friendly (or music-friendly, but your mileage may vary) vocal line appears, Big James just shines. If I realise it, there's a good chance four music geniuses realise it too. Before joining this forum I didn't know anything about the band outside what was contained inside the record sleeve/cd box or what I could witness live. Now I know James had been “talked to”, and now I believe he's been punished with this album.

6:31 – 7:15: See? They won't make up their minds. Walk! … no, ACOS! wait … Walk again! …. and ACOS! Quoting mister Ian Hunter, you're never alone with a schizophrenic.

7:15 – 7:45: All together now please, because you focking knew this was coming: Blackened is the end, winter it will send, throwing all you see into obscurity ... Sorry, couldn't help it.

7:45 – 8:05: This I like. This is once again very AchangeofSeason-esque. Clever songwriting. Isn't that where Mike's turmoils started?

8:05 – 8:35: My Canadian client can't perform ominous preposterous and posturous spoken passages, sorry. If focking Manowar could afford Orson Wells, you could at least call Morgan Freeman perhaps? Hell, is Liev Schreiber too much busy for this?

8:35 – 8:55: This is definitely ACOS, but can't place it and don't wanna cheat. Winter section, right before the liberating ride bell?
 
8:55 – 9:37: Now, this focking rocks! It's heavy and progressive and genuine. And if you can't see the difference from the segments I've whined about earlier, I don't know what to tell you.

9:37 – 10:30: Please let me get out of the timeline for a moment: doesn't this technically commendable but musically rather plain guitar-keyboards trade off blend with another dozen  technically commendable but musically rather plain guitar-keyboards trade offs in future albums? Because, you know, I still can literally sing you every Johnny P's and Jordan's solo when musically meaningful.

10:30 – 11:24: Thank God. This is how you build a kickass musically intelligent and dramatic solo story. I'm obviously talking about the bass. It's really a thing of beauty, and I believe the chaos sorrounding it is accurately designed to underline it while pretending to conceal it.

Before I forget..8:05-8:35....This is the Megadeth part, which James pulls off much better live, but live  or in studio, I wished he had a better way to end it. "...of God and maaaaaaan" just doesn't work.

And the Majestie Boys section, something that I shouldn't care for is....fine.

And I'm surprised you like that ending wank section. Maybe it's being in awe of John Myung, but I love it.



I LOVE This Dying Soul. It's like The Glass Prison but with actual interesting parts. I don't mind the "NU-ish" experimentation. They work much better live and I don't think the production helps these bits, or any bits for that matter.

My issue with Train Of Thought in general is the sterile as shit production. Wasn't this the first pro tools album they did? It sounds it. The vocals are simply off, and it's not James' fault. Listen to him in the background at 6:00. He's in there somewhere. When I need my dose of any of these songs, I grab Live At Budokan.

[Indiscipline]

Yes! In a live setting it's a whole new song ... and a whole new album, really.

Maybe it's because you are more "naked" live, and it's more difficult to sound too far from yourself. Also, the mix is way more spaced out, probably because you hear just one guitar and not multiple tracks. Thinking about it, Train of Thought is the DT album that sounds more different from its live renditions (excluding I&W, obviously).

About the outro section, I don't mind the wankery ... in fact I feel the guitar at that point has a kind of fast percussive function, completely ancillary to the gorgeous bass melody.