I’m on a big music fix right now as I’m nearly finished building my new recording studio. I’m really ansy to just get in there and start laying it all out there.

For the last two weeks I have been furiously listening to only one record: Year of the Black Rainbow.

Unlike most Coheed and Cambria records, this one has taken the longest to grow on me. Truth be told, I thought the singles were the only thing saving it at first and it was really disappointing. For the last two records hit me like a freight train on crack. Sometimes, though, you have to take a step back from something and not expect it to rock your world in 5 seconds. Chalk it up to our collective ADD perhaps.

My two favourites continue to be the singles, the Broken and Here We Are, Juggernaut, a song that is quickly becoming my favourite Coheed song (I’ll regret that statement, I’m sure). Yet songs like Guns of Summer, Far, Made Out of Nothing and Pearl of the Stars have become really fun to listen to as they’re completely different from anything the band has put out before.

Guns of Summer is, simply put, a beautiful mess. But that’s what makes you start to move as soon as the chorus hits and everything cleans up in a hurry.

Far was one I liked right away, and I’m glad that its only continuing to grow on me. The synth-heavy tracks liken it to the Prize Fighter Inferno record, but the vocals are just like traditional Coheed.

Made Out of Nothing has a killer opening and verse riff, especially when the lead part kicks in under the prechorus. Then the chorus is perfect pop.

Pearl of the Stars is interesting because, like Far, it’s unlike any other Coheed song. For the first time in the band’s history, Claudio really shows off his lower register while delivering the lyrics with his classic high level of emotion.

I’ve also been reading the novel that accompanied my preordered version of the album. It chronicles the origin story of the sci-fi opera that accompanies all of the albums. It’s been fun diving into the fiction in earnest for the first time since knowing the band. Before starting the novel I searched online for all I needed to know beforehand. Now all the names and places have great significance, making it all more of a special experience looking back.

I woke up this morning, flipped on YouTube, and stumbled upon the documentary that was filmed last year for the Neverender series of concerts, where the band performed each of its albums in their entirety on 4 consecutive nights. Really made me understand why this band has become such a big part of my life.

And still I wonder: How?

Considering where I came from musically, it’s quite a shock, really. To throw this band up there with the likes of Matthew Good and Jimmy Eat World without reservation as my undeniable top three greatest heroes and influences is remarkable, considering how different they are. Their story documented in the film only confirmed that.

The movie reminded me of why I’ve spent thousands of dollars and thrown so much into this studio I’m building. The prospect of producing music that just makes me move like Coheed’s is more exciting than ever. This time it won’t be to satisfy anyone but myself and won’t be steeped in trying to anticipate what others want to hear. I’m not saying I’m going to re-invent the wheel, per say, but I do feel the pieces are coming into place for a new chapter in my own music.