There weren't many, but these are my favorite Canterbury Style releases of the 2000s:
1. VIOLETA DE OUTONO Volume 7 (2007) Ever since I discovered this group with 2012's Espectro I have been in love. At the time my all-time favorite album from the classic "Canterbury Scene" was KHAN's Space Shanty and with Espectro I thought I was hearing a reincarnation of the one-off Hillage, Greenwood, Stewart & Peachy collaboration. Volume 7 only solidifies this feeling. While others note some kind of PINK FLOYD sound or feeling to them, I only hear the wonderful sounds of KHAN (and maybe a little CARAVAN). And yet, Brazil's Violeta De Outono, are a major force in and of themselves--and have been since the mid-1980s.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Fabio Golfetti / vocals, guitars, producer
- Fernando Cardoso / Hammond organ, synth, piano
- Gabriel Costa / bass
- Cláudio Souza / drums
1. "Além do Sol" (5:20) introduces us to the nostalgic sound of this band with lightly picked arpeggios on the electric guitar, Hammond organ, bass and drums. The vocalist has a bit of a STEVE HILLAGE sound to his voice--which is lightly doused in reverb and mixed into the background (as it usually is). The first instrumental solo, taking place in the third minute, goes to the Hammond, followed by the HILLAGE-like guitar in the fourth minute. Neither are anything too extraordinary but both are so perfect in further enhancing the KHAN-like nostalgia feel. If KHAN had ever continued, this is what they would have sounded like. (10/10)
2. "Caravana" (4:34) opens with a mellow vocal section using a melody line familiar from Pink Floyd's "Breathe" before amping up into a full out Canterbury jam and then returning for the end to the opening section. Great organ and guitar play with solid support from the rhythm section. Great pre-digitized sound to the recording. (10/10)
3. "Broken Legs" (3:08) a fairly straightforward pop/rock song with some jazzy rhythm guitar work, 1960s sounding vocals and slide guitar work. Could be off of an early BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST or REO SPEEDWAGON album! (7/10)
4. "Eyes Like Butterflies" (6:02) opens with organ, picked electric guitar, flanged lead guitar strums, and slow-paced drumming. The bass almost has the melody lead--sometimes distracting me from the vocal. The chorus melody is gorgeous, if understated. Piano, organ, and Southern Rock-like lead guitar riffs pop out from time to time making this song a real pleasure from the standpoint of unpredictability. Really a cool composition--again one that could have come from an early 1970s blues rock band like the ALLMAN BROTHERS. (8/10)
5. "Em Cada Instante" (5:12) great Canterburian jam in the middle. (9/10)
6. "Pequenos Seres Errantes" (7:49) opens with some sliding guitar notes floating, echoing around the soundscape in the vein of DAEVID ALLEN in the GONG pre-Radio Gnome Invisible era. As it evolves it continues to develop in the vein of a couple of the space jams from Camembert like "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" or "Tropical Fish" only with synths taking the place of the saxophones. Great song--one in which the drumming and bass also stand out for the fact that they are mixed farther into the foreground. Even the vocal sounds psychedelic-Daevid Allen-esque. Awesome song! (15/15)
7. "Ponto de Transição" (3:48) is another rather simply constructed melodic pop-rock song. The vocal has a bit of a melancholy feel to it (though I don't know its content since it's in Portuguese). Piano, bass, drums and guitar--slide for the ABACAB solo. (7/10)
8. "Fronteira" (10:19) is an awesome jazz-tinged Canterbury-styled epic with multiple instrumental jam sections featuring the HILLAGE-like guitar lead and all-pervasive presence of the almighty Hammond organ. Great drumming on this one. Some great fast-paced sections balanced by equally great slow, spacious and delicate sections. (20/20)
Total Time: 46:12
90.53 on the Fish scales = 5 stars; A-; a masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of the finest Canterbury style albums of the 21st Century. These Brazilians have mastered a sound that is, for me, one of the most engaging of all of progressive rock. And, should you find yourself liking this album, then you simply must check out 2012's masterpiece, Espectro--my favorite album of that year.
- Fernando Cardoso / Hammond organ, synth, piano
- Gabriel Costa / bass
- Cláudio Souza / drums
1. "Além do Sol" (5:20) introduces us to the nostalgic sound of this band with lightly picked arpeggios on the electric guitar, Hammond organ, bass and drums. The vocalist has a bit of a STEVE HILLAGE sound to his voice--which is lightly doused in reverb and mixed into the background (as it usually is). The first instrumental solo, taking place in the third minute, goes to the Hammond, followed by the HILLAGE-like guitar in the fourth minute. Neither are anything too extraordinary but both are so perfect in further enhancing the KHAN-like nostalgia feel. If KHAN had ever continued, this is what they would have sounded like. (10/10)
2. "Caravana" (4:34) opens with a mellow vocal section using a melody line familiar from Pink Floyd's "Breathe" before amping up into a full out Canterbury jam and then returning for the end to the opening section. Great organ and guitar play with solid support from the rhythm section. Great pre-digitized sound to the recording. (10/10)
3. "Broken Legs" (3:08) a fairly straightforward pop/rock song with some jazzy rhythm guitar work, 1960s sounding vocals and slide guitar work. Could be off of an early BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST or REO SPEEDWAGON album! (7/10)
4. "Eyes Like Butterflies" (6:02) opens with organ, picked electric guitar, flanged lead guitar strums, and slow-paced drumming. The bass almost has the melody lead--sometimes distracting me from the vocal. The chorus melody is gorgeous, if understated. Piano, organ, and Southern Rock-like lead guitar riffs pop out from time to time making this song a real pleasure from the standpoint of unpredictability. Really a cool composition--again one that could have come from an early 1970s blues rock band like the ALLMAN BROTHERS. (8/10)
5. "Em Cada Instante" (5:12) great Canterburian jam in the middle. (9/10)
6. "Pequenos Seres Errantes" (7:49) opens with some sliding guitar notes floating, echoing around the soundscape in the vein of DAEVID ALLEN in the GONG pre-Radio Gnome Invisible era. As it evolves it continues to develop in the vein of a couple of the space jams from Camembert like "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" or "Tropical Fish" only with synths taking the place of the saxophones. Great song--one in which the drumming and bass also stand out for the fact that they are mixed farther into the foreground. Even the vocal sounds psychedelic-Daevid Allen-esque. Awesome song! (15/15)
7. "Ponto de Transição" (3:48) is another rather simply constructed melodic pop-rock song. The vocal has a bit of a melancholy feel to it (though I don't know its content since it's in Portuguese). Piano, bass, drums and guitar--slide for the ABACAB solo. (7/10)
8. "Fronteira" (10:19) is an awesome jazz-tinged Canterbury-styled epic with multiple instrumental jam sections featuring the HILLAGE-like guitar lead and all-pervasive presence of the almighty Hammond organ. Great drumming on this one. Some great fast-paced sections balanced by equally great slow, spacious and delicate sections. (20/20)
Total Time: 46:12
90.53 on the Fish scales = 5 stars; A-; a masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of the finest Canterbury style albums of the 21st Century. These Brazilians have mastered a sound that is, for me, one of the most engaging of all of progressive rock. And, should you find yourself liking this album, then you simply must check out 2012's masterpiece, Espectro--my favorite album of that year.
2. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS Mild Profundities (2003)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Matt Baber / keyboards
- Joff Winks / guitar, vocals
- Paul Mallyon / drums
- Brad Waissman / bass
1. "It's Pissing Don?" (6:26) part Post Rock, part Canterbury, part neo-classical jazz, this piano/keyboard and xylophone-led song features the very solid support of chunky bass, military-styled drums and guitars. (9/10)
2. "Little Machines" (4:50) my favorite song on the album has some very catchy melodic, structural and vocal moments. (10/10)
3. "M.O.D.A.R" (4:50) ambient techno-space house music for the first two minutes, pauses for a very spacey section before reacquiring the weave of techno sounds that it opened with. MIDIed solo from lower mid-register keyboard is mixed in with all the other. Is this the soundscape the Canterbury artists of old would be experimenting with if they were still doing their stuff in the 21st Century? Interesting if not great. (7/10)
4. "Keeny Woka Phoola" (3:08) sounds much more Canterbury-ish--even the squeeky synth taking on part of the lead melody making. At 1:35 it becomes much more poppy with the "beautiful people everywhere" vocal section--kind of like a 60s song from or from one of today's retro-psychedelic groups like Tame Impala or Arcade Fire. (9/10)
5. "Earthsong [With One Sugar]" (7:03) opens with a repetitive mid-to-high pitched electro-pulse over which electric piano plays a kind of étude with two series of chord progressions. Then, at 2:25, the song shifts into rock mode with full band and a very familiar Canterbury sound and structure--like something from the debut Hatfield and the North album. Catchy bass, drums, and keyboard lines form the foundation over which guitars and multiple synth sounds contribute. The song slips back into electronica experimentalism in the fifth minute while drums and other support instruments create their own melodies which eventually merge into a fairly cohesive weave. Recordings of a domestic argument are introduced over the final minute and a half. Interesting! (13.5/15)
Total Time: 26:17
88.18 on the Fishscales = 4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music--this one in the psychedelic experimental spirit of the 1970s Canterbury artists.
- Joff Winks / guitar, vocals
- Paul Mallyon / drums
- Brad Waissman / bass
1. "It's Pissing Don?" (6:26) part Post Rock, part Canterbury, part neo-classical jazz, this piano/keyboard and xylophone-led song features the very solid support of chunky bass, military-styled drums and guitars. (9/10)
2. "Little Machines" (4:50) my favorite song on the album has some very catchy melodic, structural and vocal moments. (10/10)
3. "M.O.D.A.R" (4:50) ambient techno-space house music for the first two minutes, pauses for a very spacey section before reacquiring the weave of techno sounds that it opened with. MIDIed solo from lower mid-register keyboard is mixed in with all the other. Is this the soundscape the Canterbury artists of old would be experimenting with if they were still doing their stuff in the 21st Century? Interesting if not great. (7/10)
4. "Keeny Woka Phoola" (3:08) sounds much more Canterbury-ish--even the squeeky synth taking on part of the lead melody making. At 1:35 it becomes much more poppy with the "beautiful people everywhere" vocal section--kind of like a 60s song from or from one of today's retro-psychedelic groups like Tame Impala or Arcade Fire. (9/10)
5. "Earthsong [With One Sugar]" (7:03) opens with a repetitive mid-to-high pitched electro-pulse over which electric piano plays a kind of étude with two series of chord progressions. Then, at 2:25, the song shifts into rock mode with full band and a very familiar Canterbury sound and structure--like something from the debut Hatfield and the North album. Catchy bass, drums, and keyboard lines form the foundation over which guitars and multiple synth sounds contribute. The song slips back into electronica experimentalism in the fifth minute while drums and other support instruments create their own melodies which eventually merge into a fairly cohesive weave. Recordings of a domestic argument are introduced over the final minute and a half. Interesting! (13.5/15)
Total Time: 26:17
88.18 on the Fishscales = 4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music--this one in the psychedelic experimental spirit of the 1970s Canterbury artists.
3. THE NERVE INSTITUTE Fictions (2009/2014) Originally released in 2009 and then re-released with a slightly changed format by AltrOck Productions in 2015, Kansas City's uber-talented multi-instrumentalist, Mike Judge has created a fine collection songs that he virtually created tout seul save for a little assistance from WHITE WILLOW's Jacob Holm LUPO (on songs 2 and 8). This album is so incredibly rich, diverse, and layered that it has taken me months to get to know it, get familiar with it, and even begin to contemplate organizing my thoughts and feelings into a review. Even now, with my umptieth listen, I am still uncovering gems of sound and style within each and every song. There are so many styles woven into this album--into each song--that it's very difficult to describe. This might be considered a Canterbury style album in its melodic, almost poppy jazz rock sounds and arrangements and biting, clever lyrics, but . . . it's not really. For a one-man band I have to say the the bass play, drumming, keys, vocals, lyrics, and, especially, guitar play are all top notch. And the sound production and mixing is superlative.
Five star songs: the GONG/Canterbury-like 7. "With Joy We Espy the Sarcophagus" (6:22) (10/10); 4. "Whistling Wire" (4:39) (10/10); 1. "The Confidence-Man" (6:13) (9.5/10); 6. "Rayuela" (4:43) (9.5/10); 8. "Grimoire" (3:34) (9.5/10); 3. "Knives of Winter - Coronation Day" (7:23) (9/10);
Four star songs: 2. "City of Narrows" (6:24) (8.5/10); 5. "Knives of Summer" (10:20) (8.5/10), and; 9. "Abrazo y Caminando" (4:11) (8/10).
91.67 on the Fishscales = a five star masterpiece of progressive rock music.
Check out it's wonderfully complex and mature songs, like "The Confidence Man," "Whistling Wire," and "With Joy We Espy the Sarcophagus."
4. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS -- Double Egg With Chips And Beans (2006) The brevity of this album (19 minutes!) betrays the fact that this is already a band that is tiring of the Neo-Canterbury fun. Soon they'll be getting ready for the transition into the Neo Prog that will become their next incarnation as Sanguine Hum.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Matt Baber / keyboards
- Joff Winks / guitar, vocals
- Paul Mallyon / drums
- Joff Winks / guitar, vocals
- Paul Mallyon / drums
- Brad Waissman / bass
1. "Double Egg" (4:25) nice pop tune with quirky Canterbury-like lyrics and phrasing. (8.5/10)
2. "Son Of Cheese" (5:59) a bluesy opening with bluesy guitar betrays an odd song despite the Canterbury-esque singing and lyric. The chorus is good followed by some nice guitar, keyboard, and percussion work. Ends nicely with some cool upper octave vocalise. (8.25/10)
3. "Son Of Bassoon" (3:26) brilliant little Satie-like étude (10/10)
4. "Shatner's Bassoon" (5:19) a raunchy full-band, electrified, avant garde version of the "Son of Bassoon" étude. Works okay. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 19:09
Total Time: 19:09
88.75 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; rated down for brevity (this is an EP).
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