Donald Fagen Returns

So Donald Fagen is back with his third solo album (first one in thirteen years), "Morph the Cat". Having listened to a portion of the album, its replete with complex, appealing grooves and jazzified harmonic progressions. Listen to "H Gang" for example. Classic Donald Fagen material, a nice bookend to the trilogy. Also check out his other two albums, "Kamakiriad" and "The Nightfly", the latter being an especially enduring classic.

Certain bands have a unique way of motivating me in music; if I listen to the great mass of modern popular music in just about every genre, I get a bit frustrated at the plainness, the boring cookie-cutter progressions, and the utter lack of impressive musicianship. It ironically makes me less interested in playing music when the music I hear wouldn't challenge me at all...people are getting paid, actually PAID to recycle this drivel and that depresses me a bit...

Then I listen to Steely Dan or Yes, and I realize, wow, I could focus entirely on my playing for ten years and not have the chops to hang with these guys. Knowing there is something beyond power chords and distortion keeps me interested.

Awesome grooves though, this is a great record...can't wait to get my actual copy (right now he's streaming lofi versions on his website, donaldfagen.com).

Cheers mates.