May 23rd, 2024 -The Harmony C

 

Good evening and happy Thursday!  The Meista here tonight chilling with another great pairing... a tasty C Pale Ale from the fine folks at Equilibrium Brewing Company and Steven Wilson's latest, fantastic album "The Harmony Codex"!  Yes!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Steven Wilson
• Title: "The Harmony Codex"
• Recorded: December 2021 at Steven's home studio in North London, England
  Release date: September 29th, 2023 (7th full-length solo studio album by Steven Wilson)
• Record company: Virgin Music Group / Spinefarm 
• Production: Steven Wilson and David Kosten
• Album cover art: Carl Glover
• Personnel: Steven Wilson (vocals, voices, acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, synthesizers, celesta, keyboards, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, piano, Mellotron, percussion, audio feedback effects, and programming)
• Additional musicians: Nick Beggs (Chapman stick), Craig Blundell (drums and percussion), Ben Coleman (violin), Jason Cooper (tom drum), Jack Dangers (electric beats and programming), Samuel Fogarino (drums), Lee Harris (guitar), Adam Holzman (Rhodes piano, piano, Wurlitzer organ, Moog synthesizer, and DFAM loops), David Kollar (lead and ambient guitars), David Kosten (programming), Pat Mastelotto (drums), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Nate Navarro (fretless bass), Guy Pratt (bass guitar), Ninet Tayeb (vocals, backing vocals, and guitar), Theo Travis (flute, saxophone, and duduk), Niko Tsonev (guitars), Rotem Wilson (voices), and Nate Wood (drums)
• Musical style: Art rock, progressive rock, electronica 
• Sound: Far more progressive and complex than his previous album, the tracks on "The Harmony Codex" are a wonderful collection of thoughtfully constructed, personal, genre-bending, and mesmerizing musical gems.  It blends elements from Mr. Wilson's entire career with new twists and turns.  
• Major themes: Life, society, isolation, harmony, dreams, seeking knowledge, self-discovery, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Inclination"
2. "What Life Brings"
3. "Economies Of Scale"
4. "Impossible Tightrope"
5. "Rock Bottom"
6. "Beautiful Scarecrow"
7. "The Harmony Codex"
8. "Time Is Running Out"
9. "Actual Brutal Facts"
10. "Staircase"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Equilibrium Brewing Company (Middletown, New York)
• Website: https://www.eqbrew.com/
• Brew: C Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.8%
• Ingredients: The base is their Photon Pale Ale, but amped up with hops.
• Pour: The C Pale Ale pours a very hazy, bright, golden yellow with a frothy, eggshell white, 2+ finger, rocky head with great sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, tropically fruity, grainy, and more subtle sweetness.  There are aromas of orange juice, tangerine, lime, grapefruit rind, peach, apricot, pineapple, lemon zest, mango, crackery grains, herbal tea, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the C Pale Ale follows the nose with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit, and more subtle bready flavors.  There are notes of tangerine, orange juice and zest, pineapple, peach, light strawberry, crackery biscuit, and softer toffee notes.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, refreshing, and juicy, yet smooth and creamy with a dry, slightly bitter, yet clean finish.

Overall pairing: Wonderfully flavorful and very drinkable, the is the perfect beer to toss back on a mellow Sunday afternoon with the fantastic and artistic prog stylings of Steven Wilson's "The Harmony Codex"!  I also like the look of the beer can label art with the album cover!  'Nuff said!!

Cheers!