Somewhere beneath the level of timeless masterpiece status lies a group of albums whose quality and merit deserve categorization of something like "near-masterpiece." These are albums that have either achieved a Fishermetric score of between 90.0 and 87.0 or whose high points or quality level make it remarkable enough to remain affixed in my memory.
From the Year 2017, you will find below 29 albums releases deserving, in my opinion, of the "near-masterpiece" designation.
4.5 Stars; Near-Masterpieces
(Ratings of 89.9 to 87.0)
30. BENT KNEE Land Animal
Boston-based many-dimensional progressive rockers BENT KNEE are back with their fourth album. This one feels less hurried and far more mature than their previous effort, 2016's Say So. This is a band that is not only clicking on all cylindars, it is composing and playing at such a high level that it often takes many listens to hear all of the band member's contributions. That is one reason why this June release only receives my review posting in November.
Line-up / Musicians:
Chris Baum – violin, vocals
Jessica Kion – bass, vocals
Ben Levin – guitar, vocals
Courtney Swain, lead vocals, keyboards
Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth – Drums
Vince Welch – sound design, production
1. “Terror Bird” (4:11) Great opening song! Opens with a weave of staccato sounds coming from many instruments--a feature which turns out to be the foundation for all but the choruses when chords and volumes amp up. The use of strings in support in the second section and choruses is a nice effect. Courtney's voice is as dynamic and under-the-skin insistent as ever. Awesome! (9/10)
2. “Hole” (3:21) quirky and industrial, combining some 80s and 90s sound styles with an almost Oriental melodic palette. The music could even befit an animé soundtrack. But, once again, the lead vocal brings us back to Kansas. (or is it Oz?) Another instance where I am dumbounded and astounded at this band's creative expression. (8.5/10)
3. “Holy Ghost” (5:33) amazing song construction, vocal, and drumming. This band is so tight! (9/10)
4. “Insides In” (6:29) a much more sedate and smooth opening feels and sounds good for a change. Courtney opens with a bluesy/torch song vocal styling--carrying it forward into the chorus--before piano and strings bridge us back to the A section. Strings, piano, and drum incidentals are so marvellous! Such a polished, carefully planned and executed song. This band is so at their peak! I would love to hear more music like this from them.
The second half of the song has us waiting suspensefully before a seriies of dramatically-spaced and wonderfully effective monster hits from guitar, bass and drum bring us fully into the cinematic prog world--which only continues as the music ramps up to a kind of crescendo of sustained tension before collapsing into odd animal-industrial sounds. (10/10)
5. “These Hands” (5:36) opens as if bleeding over from the previous song but then deftly, easily, switches into an entirely different kind of music and song. Pizzicato strings and jazz percussion support Courtney's jazzy piano and vocal. Truly a stunning song of highly complex progressive rock music. (10/10)
6. “Land Animal” (5:13) opens with a very theatric, cinematic pomposity. Vocal chorus joins in the second round, then things quiet down for the entrance of the lead vocal. The quiet spacey "sending out a message" section in the third and fourth minutes is my favorite part. Then a strings-supported true electric lead guitar solo! (A rare thing for this band!) Nice section. (9/10)
7. “Time Deer” (4:19) a fairly straightforward rock start becomes complicated by Courtney's vocal, and the slightly off-center syncopation of the guitars, bass, strings and drums. Interesting. Courtney's vocals are so powerful that I fear that we come to take them for granted: she is always amazing and, I believe, inimitable (and this despite my deafness to lyrics and their meanings). (8.5/10)
8. “Belly Side Up” (4:15) such a different song--could come from the 1940s or 50s with its poppy effects, sharp orchestration, "old" guitar sound, and, of course, "school girl" background vocal choir. (8/10)
9. “The Well” (5:30) a song that, unfortunately, feels like we've heard it before ("Holy Ghost" and "These Hands"). Luckily, I love the sassy-seductress vocal. (A little Piaf?) The second half with its (8.5/10)
10. “Boxes” (6:00) opens like a Peter Gabriel soundscape. Awesome drum, bass, and atmospherics. Courtney's voice enters at her most seductive. The song floats along like as if we're laying in a boat looking at the night sky while riding the softly rolling waters of the lake/harbor beneath us "I made it to the twenty-first century" is such and awesome line! Percussive and tuned and computerized incidentals pepper, dot, and streak the instrumental sky between vocal sections and to the end where Gavin's rock-steady, impeccable beats play out far into the finish. What an awesome song! What an awesome end to the album! (9.5/10)
90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of truly progressive rock music from these young masters of 21st Century art.
31. ALIO DIE & AGLAIA Opera Magnetica
The most prolific studio artist in Prog Electronica and perhaps in all of Prog World (well, okay, maybe not THE most prolific [Buckethead, Tangerine Dream, John Zorn, Acid Mother Temple]), Stefano Musso released (to my knowledge) six albums in 2017, including this one, with long-time collaborator Gino Fioravanti who goes by the working name of AGLAIA. It's very difficult to find fault with any of Stefano's projects as they all succeed in transporting the listener to dream-like places, all have mood-altering effects. What's truly surprising to me is the way Stefano can vary the methods he uses to achieve such results, the instruments and effects he uses on his instruments in order to offer variety to his sound palette.
1. "Shape of the Wind" (16:00) a calm, serene, somewhat moody weave of ethereal keyboards, treated strings and percussion, the floating feeling evoked throughout is certainly in line with the song title. (27/30)
2. "One Second Before Dark" (18:12) opens with a loop of four ascending notes, slow attacking and long decaying in the mid-octave range, playing over the sounds of water lapping at a sandy beach. In the second minute the water sounds get louder--too loud for my tastes. I love the somnambulistic ENO-like loop. Other higher notes and incidentals join in during the fifth minute followed by others of lower pitch in the sixth as the water sounds fade into the distant background. With the spectrum of sound broadened, and each layer kind of meandering in their own way (even polyrhythmically [if you can call this "rhythmical"]), the song begins to unleash tension, keeping the listener alert and on the edge. In the fourteenth minute the wave sounds return, this time providing a calming effect--in opposition to the effect of the weave of multiple layers of independent instrumental streams. Brilliant! Sounds of zither strings being scraped or tuned become involved in the sixteenth minute and remain to disconcert through to the end as the music slowly fades out, down beneath the calm waves. (36/40)
3. "Wake of a Silver Water" (22:08) low key, low impact "water music" uses slow-floating drone sounds over the trinkling sounds of lapping water (and other "outdoor" percussives). I sometimes find nature sounds almost distracting rather than soothing when Stefano incorporates them. The melodic and harmonic weave created by the musical instruments is very peaceful, reminding me of sitting in the quiet courtyard outside of the Great Mosque at Cordoba (despite the water sounds). In the second half of the tenth minute another more metallic multiplicity of sound enters, thickening the sonic field. I might have liked to see/hear/feel a little more change and development over the course of its 22 minutes, but as a calming piece of background music, it doesn't get much better than this! (40.5/45)
90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of prog electronic music and a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. If you want to meditate, do yoga, dream, astral travel, or just have something nice in the background
32. AMAROK Hunt
A nice album from this Polish band which seems to aspire to emulate countrymen RIVERSIDE/Mariusz DUDA. They do so, though much more on the mellower and electronic-assisted side.
Line-up/Musicians:
Michał Wojtas: vocals (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), guitars, harmonium, keyboards, audio samples, percussions, electronic drums, theremin, low whistle
With
Paweł Kowalski: drums (1-3, 5, 6, 8), bass (2)
Marta Wojtas: wavedrum (1, 2, 6, 9)
Colin Bass (Camel): vocals (8)
Mariusz Duda (Riverside, Lunatic Soul): vocals (2)
Michał Ściwiarski (Casma): keyboards (7)
Konrad Pajek: additional backing vocal (2)
John England: lector voice (9)
Sebastian Wielądek: duduk (4)
1. "Anonymous" (6:41) Nice atmospheric music though I'm not sure I like the synthesized drums and thin sound of the lead electric guitar. All instrumental opener which actually does a very nice job of introducing the feel and sound of the rest of the album. (12.75/15)
2. "Idyll" (5:41) featuring the mellifluous voice of prog legend Mariusz Duda, the song is almost purely a vehicle for just that--which is almost enough (superlative vocal, Mariusz!). (8.5/10)
3. "Distorted Soul" (5:32) sounds like a carryover from the previous song with some computer percussion tracks and very Mariusz Duda-like vocals from Michał Wojtas. I like the odd, aliens-from-outer-space synth in the fourth minute that leads into the song's awesome crescendo. Well done! (9.5/10)
4. "Two Sides" (5:09) opens with duduk playing over layers of atmospheric synths & treated piano. Very cinematic, very much like Peter GABRIEL's soundtrack music for The Last Temptation of Christ. Awesome! (10/10)
5. "Winding Stairs" (4:34) a more-pop-oriented song in the vein of JAMES BLAKE and SAM SMITH. Interesting (and surprising) key changes/chord progressions in the guitar solo section. (8.5/10)
6. "In Closeness" (5:52) opens with soloing distorted electric guitar before Middle Eastern-like computer and manual percussion tracks join in. The soft, almost-whispered vocal alternates with the ejaculations from the distorted guitar and some simple electronic keyboard work. This song makes me feel more inclined to urge this artist (Michał Wojtas) to pursue more of a pop music approach. He really has a gift/talent for electronic percussion combining and programming. There's a little TEARS FOR FEARS, NEW ORDER, or THE THE feel in Michał's song-construction, soundscape and singing styles. I very much like it. (9/10)
7. "Unreal" (4:40) more interesting "Blade Runner"-like solo electric guitar play to open this bluesy instrumental. At the one minute mark the guitar becomes more similar to a JEFF BECK/NIKITAS KISSONAS/COLIN TENCH sound and approach. Nice work. Very mature guitar play. (9/10)
8. "Nuke" (5:48) featuring the vocals of CAMEL's Colin Bass, this one just doesn't work for me. The Hawai'ian-like lead guitar work falls short. (7.5/10)
9. "Hunt" (17:52) a musical vehicle for the contemporary journalistic report of the way our ever invasive social media affects things like human privacy, safety, and even species evolution right now, it has a feel, at first, like one of the stories similar to the HIBERNAL story soundtracks that have made their way into progworld in recent years. At the four minute mark the song morphs fully into a Berlin School electronic sequenced song like KLAUS SCHULZE and SEQUENTIA LEGENDA. It's really well done! Definitely showing this artist's dexterity and eclecticism. Not just a great song--but a really well thought out one. If it's true that keyboardist/programmer Marta Wojtas deserves credit for this one, then kudos to her! The sequencing is truly engaging and well constructed! The slide guitar work is good. Great vocal performance in the second half. (33.25/35)
Total Time 61:49
90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of atmospheric progressive rock music.
33. COSMIC TRIGGERS Homo Fractaliens
Wonderful space/psychedelia from Russia. Many times listening to this album I am reminded of early BRAINTICKET or even the mellower side of GONG.
Line-up/Musicians:
Anastasia Skabelkina: vocal, analog synth
Vladimir Skabelkin: guitar, ethnic, synth
Vladimir Kolbin: guitar
Russel Petrov: drums
Tagir Khisamov: bass
1. "Introduction" (3:31) a slow introduction into space with the sexy voice of Anastasia Skabelkina reciting poetic verse to us through a effects box. (8.5/10)
2. "Homo Fractaliens" (7:16) a more upbeat, driving piece of kosmische musik over which Anastasia gives us her best CAROLE MUIR impression. Then the song turns almost SpaceReggae! Not VESPERO, but freaky close! The guitar work is more like West Coast psychedelia. (13.5/15)
3. "Undermind" (9:32) droning sounds, notes, chords, float in and out of the soundscape with didgeridoo-like and Middle Eastern reed pipe sounds (Vladimir Skabelkin's "ethnic" instruments?) appearing and traipsing in and out over the first four minutes. This is awesome! I'm in Tibetan (or Egyptian?) heaven! Rhythmic, tribal drums pulse their way into the fabric and we are approaching hypnotic bliss! By the seven minute mark it almost seems as if the song is beginning it's fade--soundscape simplifying and emptying, as if the shamanic journeyman is walking away, walking out of town, leaving the rest of us to carry on, carry forward the healing bliss they shaman brought us. Wonderful song! (20/20)
4. "Syndicate" (9:05) a great groove over which the "wrong" guitar effect and Ray Manzarek organ weave their gentle soli for the opening four minutes. Anastasia's dreamy, trippy vocalise are in the vein of the Gilli Smyth school of psychedelic vocals. Very much like the current American band MIDDAY VEIL. (17/20)
5. "Quant Um" (4:20) and the MIDDAY VEIL party continues! Nice groove (part U2 "Boomerang," part PROPAGANDA/Trevor Horn); nice, tight weave among all of the instrumentalists. (10/10)
6. "Shutsuryoku" (6:13) monotonous bass and organ and lack of drums hold this song back from ever properly taking off. It's like it's stuck in Bar-do. (7.5/10)
Total time: 39:57
A band with a lot of promise. Though Cosmic Triggers have put together a wonderful album, I can see lots of room for growth.
90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. A short album but enough. Like a GONG album.
90.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. A short album but enough. Like a GONG album.
34. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO async (2017)
Minimalist music expression of multi-dimensional aspects of the human experience--usually all at once, Ryuichi is here offering us glimpses into the beauty and pain of his everyday life: his physical and mental challenges with aging, the calamaties in his homeland (Fukushima, etc.) as well as his own battles with cancer and an ever-isolated and limited world. In reaching back to his past--to the great masters that have moved and inspired him so--like Andrei Tarkovsky, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Chopin--and fusing them with his present: with his walks, his addled, medicated brain, the impositions of chemotherapy and COVID-19--we are privileged to be given an inside ticket into the real-life world of one of the artistic masters of our era.
1. "andata" (4:39) what sounds like a 21st Century take on a Bach funerary piece is apparently inspired by a piece by a band Ryuichi helped to work on a few years ago, Solo Andata. (9.5/10)
2. "disintegration" (5:46) haunting sounds created from a pattern of plucked piano strings inside the body of the piano. The addition of the metronomic timekeeper in the second half gives one the feeling of the urgent, unrelenting push of time while the introduction of ghost-like synth wash chords feels like the lingering, insistent presence of Death making himself known. Genius. (9/10)
3. "solari" (3:52) inspired by Tarkovsky's use of Bach music in the soundtrack of his 1972 film, "Solaris." Beautiful and pacifying. (9/10)
4. "ZURE" (5:12) familiar for being similar to the soundtrack music of The Revenant (which, of course, Ryuichi helped score). More evidence of Ryuichi's amazing plasticity: his ability, willingness, even eagerness, to continue growing, to continue experimenting with sound and with how to deliver his interpretations of sound and music's place and effect in human life (or Nature). Amazing. (9/10)
5. "walker" (4:20) one of Ryuichi's sources of solace (and strength) has been his desire to commune with Nature. Here we get a recording of his footsteps as he walks in Nature, coupled with the musical musings of his mind. One can almost feel the Maestro's thoughts. (8.75/10)
6. "stakra" (3:41) heavily treated/edited synth play. Beautiful progression of arpeggiated chords with strings and white noise static accompaniment. Must be what it's like in a brain fogged by chemo. Thank you for sharing this, Mr. Sakamoto! (9.5/10)
7. "ubi" (4:03) submarine blips and other industrial noises as if the Chopin-inspired piano player had tinnitis or was playing from within a high-class prison or a post-apocalyptic world. (9.5/10)
8. "fullmooon" (5:13) one hit of a piano chord immersed within the world's background of industrial white noise is, amazingly, enough to provide the foundation for the recitation of a literary quote by many people, each in his or her own native tongue. World Citizen, Babel, part 2. (9.25/10)
9. "async" (2:45) more picking, hitting, and plucking of the piano's strings, carriage, and body--this time quite aggressively. Like the annoyance of overwhelm. How frustrating! (8.75/10)
10. "tri" (3:29) triangle play. My least favorite. (6/10)
11. "Life, Life" (4:24) David Sylvian reading a poem of by Russian/Soviet poet laureate, Arseny Tarkovsky (Andrei's father) over Ryuichi's glammed out piano and synth play. Brilliant! So powerful! Art doesn't get much better than this, folks! (10/10)
12. "honj" (3:42) using some traditional Japanese stringed instrument--like a lap dulcimer (koto?) with rain, electronic squeals, and other incidental percussion instruments. It's nice, peaceful, yet unsettling for the feeling of being trapped by the rain. (8.75/10)
13. "ff" (5:13) Eno-esque sound manipulations. Beautiful and reassuring. Makes me love and appreciate this Game of Life! Must have been a good day for Ryuichi. (9.5/10)
14. "garden" (4:16) kind of an experimental play on an organ--fed through many sound processors. (8.75/10)
89.46 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive electronica from one of the true masters of music in the last 100 years. Ryuichi is an international treasure like very few others.
An album spoiled by only one poor song, otherwise this would (should) be considered one of the great achievements in 21st Century musical artistry.
35. CAST Power and Outcome
Virtuosic instrumental symphonic prog from these Mexican masters. Makes me want to go back into their discography since my last listen to anything by them was 2008's Originallis--which was brilliant. How can such an amazingly talented band fly so far under the Prog World radar?
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bobby Vidales / vocals
- Guadalupe Acuña / vocals
- Claudio Cordero / guitar
- Luis Alfonso Vidales / keyboards
- Roberto Izzo / violin
- Carlos Humarán / bass
- Jose Antonio Bringas / drums
1. "Rules of the Desert" (Instrumental) (11:35) the first four and a half minutes are monotonous but after that things take off and impress. Definitely has at times an "overture" feel to it. (18/20)
2. "Power and Outcome" (7:25) great start with awesome piano work and beautiful strings support. Awesome vocal, never over the top, always fully invested and in the pocket. Great synth bank supported electric guitar solo followed by beautiful violin solo in the middle instrumental section. A top three song for me. In the same vein as 1995 Polish NeoProggers COLLAGE. The violin work throughout this song is stunning--so powerful! (14.25/15)
3. "Details: a) Circle Spins (5:47) sounds as if it came from an off-Broadway musical. The whole production is very theatric, with the piano-base and solo lead vocal delivering some very poor lyrics. Way over the top. (7.5/10)
4. "Details: b) Start Again (Instrumental) (8:43) uses too many tricks of the late 1980s hair-band heavy rockers (kick drum, guitar and synth sounds, and machine gun guitar soloing). (16/20)
5. "Through Stained Glass (8:46) styled and vocaled like a 1980-ish STYX song, I must say I enjoy the melodies and chord progressions. So long as the drummer stays in support, it's very good (could be great. The repeated "chorus" of "Vaults, arches, with the windows" is the weakness.) Amazing soli and support structures, sounds, and performances. Those fourth, fifth, and sixth minutes are PURE PROG MAGIC! As good as COLLAGE ever did back in the mid-1990s.
At the six minute mark we get a shift and what feels like a switch in direction, but it's only a side road; a little mellower but just as well woven and melodically enrapturing. Violin is given full stage all too briefly in the eighth minute before the band comes back together for the full whole-band weave to end. Another top three song--one of the best prog songs I've heard this year! (19/20)
6. "Illusions and Tribulations (9:27) starts out feeling as if it's a continuation of the previous song. At the two minute mark there is a distinctive shift which ends up establishing a setup for an amazing virtuoso guitar solo--the longest one on the album. As usual, nice keyboard work throughout. (I love how often little "sneak" "glimpses" of some rather perfect and awesome organ work sneak into my ears.
At five minutes male vocal joins piano and strings "classical" aria section. Nice background vocals here, too. (18/20)
7. "The Gathering (8:16) opens, again, feeling as if a continuation of the song before, with a minute of wicked-fast keyboard, guitar, and violin mirrored riffing. The vocal that enters at the end of that minute is calm and meaningful, sung and supported instrumentally and b vox so beautifully. A shift at 2:23 into a kind of Celtic/country them with piano, organ, and amazingly fast guitar shredding is unexpected but quickly winning. What a solo! Almost two minutes worth! Eddie Van Halen would be proud! This is followed by a turn taken by the violinist--rather sedate and melodic at first, but then sneaking into Mark O'Connor or Akihisi Tsuboy territory. Another shift at 5:10--back to the wonderful second section with a reprise of the vocal structures--is sudden but works. My final top three song from this album. (19/20)
8. "Conquest" (Instrumental) (3:30) pretty instrumental with another theatric-recap feeling to it. Great melodies and soli. Probably the best theme on the album but it's one, it's short, and it's difficult to compare it to the long epics above. (9.5/10)
9. "Full Circle" (1:57) a vocal piano song that again gives this album a concept theatric feeling. Not unwelcomed as this one has more of a Renaissance/Classical music feel. Nicely done. Awesome vocal; practically flawless. (4.75/5)
10. "Dialect for the 21st Century" (5:16) a nice song, quite an intricate weave, in which the drumming is just too front and center during the first two sections. Once the third section sets up for the flaming lead guitar solo, the drummer falls into background in a perfect way. Man, he is SO good when he's there, in the background, in support, laying down the base for the instrumentalists to create their weaves over the top. (8.5/10)
Total time 70:42
The drummer is much better as a follower and time keeper. When he tries to lead and fill with his flourishes and nuances it becomes overwhelming and often detracts from the rest of the music. I also dislike when his bass drum part seems to replicate the finger play of the keyboard melodies.
89.67 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. Were it not for a few weak spots, this would surely be one of the finest albums of the year--especially as it contains five or six of the finest songs I've heard of the year and a band of some of the most virtuosic instrumentalists and songwriters in Prog World.
36. INNER EAR BRIGADE Dromology
It's been five years since the wonderful Rainbro but this little gem makes the wait all worthwhile.A little heavier and more serious this time around but the compositional skill and instrumental performances have improved a notch (amazingly!)
Line-up/Musicians:
Bill Wolter – Guitar
Chris Lauf – Drums
Stephen Wright – Electric Bass
Melody Ferris – Vocals
Ivor Holloway – Tenor, Alto, and Soprano Saxophone
Eli Wallace – Keyboards (1,2,4,5)
With
Theo Padouvas – Trumpet (1,2,4,5,6)
Andrew Vernon – Keyboards (3,6,7)
David Shaff – Trumpet (3,7)
Aharon Wheels Bolsta – Tabla (5)
1. "Dark Sleep Fortress" (6:40) opens the album with a heavier but still avant sound that is fully recognizable for people who are familiar with their previous album, Rainbro. The band is thick and tight! Forgot how much I like these horns and the voice of Melody Ferris. Nice keyboard solo and horn section work in the final two minutes. Unfortunately, the bass line here just gets too old--not enough movement and variation. (12/15)
2. "Black And White Taste" (5:56) avant in a math rock almost THINKING PLAGUE way. Almost feels like a study in whole-band (even vocal) weave using odd time signatures. I have to admit that I don't like it when Melody's voice is used in this way. Great bass, sax, and electric piano work. (8/10)
3. "Shaman Coin Toss" (6:51) nice opening with lots of fast-paced whole-band movement. Almost HAIRCUT ONE HUNDRED energy here. Melody's voice brings us back to solid ground (in a good way) before the horns and fast-play and changes take us in other directions--many! And moving so fast! This is fun! The 1960s Bay Area-style electric solo is unfortunate; turns me off. Piano section is nice, simple, a surprising twist--coupled with a softer side of Melody. FROGG CAFÉ comes to mind here. As with some of the previous album, the mid-song tempo and stylistic changes are a bit mystifying. Still, a pretty amazing composition. (13.5/15)
4. "Bobotut" (6:12) bouncy, upbeat multi-thread weave with instrument-like vocals mirrored by sax and other horns throughout. Part NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA, part Astrud & João Gilberto. Gorgeous! Maybe my favorite song on the album! (9.5/10)
5. "Dromology" (8:55) love the winding rondo weave of the separated horns on this with Melody's long drawn out singing notes. (18/20)
6. "Targa Floria" (4:22) horns, repeated electric guitar riff, and Fender Rhodes-like keys fill the opening before the horn section starts doing its magic in several weaves. This is all multi-layered instrumental jazz--a very intricate composition very tightly performed. The horns in the mid-section and second half are quite nostalgic in a BURT BACHARACH-kind of way. A top three for me. (9.5/10)
7. "Birdie In The Wall" (6:57) awesome big-band kind of opening turns into a more intricate staccato weave with Melody Ferris's smooth torch song vocal playing over the top. The second section gives this almost a SWING OUT SISTER sound. I love it! Such a great, smooth song! Definitely another top three song for me. (14.25/15)
Total Time 45:53
The further I get into the album I keep wondering why this wonderful bass player did what he did in the opening song.
89.21 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. There's a little feeling of the genius of HOMUNCULUS RES here.
37. AQUASERGE laisse ça être
Can avant jazz be pop-oriented? If it's possible, the French are the ones to accomplish it!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Benjamin Glibert / guitar, vocals
- Julien Gasc / keyboards, vocals
- Manon Glibert / clarinet & bass clarinet
- Audrey Ginestet / bass, vocals
- Julien Barbagallo / drums
With:
- Sébastien Cirotteau / trumpet
- Olivier Kelchtermans / saxes
1. "Tour du monde" (4:04) Man! I keep looking for Dave Newhouse's name in the credits for this one! It sounds so much like his MANNA/MIRAGE efforts of the past ten years! Canterbury in the direction Matching Mole took it--only with the buzz-saw organ still tagging along. (8.5/10)
2. "Virage sud (4:01) the first of the STEREOLAB-sounding songs, it's a bit simplistic and straightforward--especially as it has no vocals--though the shift in the final third is delightful. (8.75/10)
3. "Tintin on est bien mon Loulou" (6:00) dirty jazz somewhere between Humble Grumble, Homunculus Res, Panzerpappa, Camamebert, and Stereolab. I like it! (8.75/10)
4. "Si loin, si proche" (8:18) Though introduced to this song via the band's delightful video in the château du Mauvaisin, I love the playful, STEREOLAB-like joy and lightness in this version--as well as the mood and melodies as a whole. Great song! (20/20)
5. "C'est pas tout mais" (5:37) Jazzy pop music to which the male singer/voalist plays off of with delightful playfulness the tempo and mood shift at 2:30 is beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous! (9/10)
6. "L'ire est au rendez-vous" (5:39) a bit of the Gypsy sound in this one--especially in the guitars. Nice harmonies used throughout in both vocal and instrumental arrangements. I like the instrumental passages best--and the final 90 seconds. (8.5/10)
7. "Charme d'Orient" (5:28) opens up with a kind of old film noir, B-grade tongue-in-cheek spy movie feel--like something that should be behind a Lupin scene--or a Jim Jarmusch or Woody Allen comedy. Just a little too slow and monotonous for me. (8.25/10)
8. "Les yeux fermés" (6:36) industrial samples in avant garde pop jazz?! Works for me! After a protracted 90 second intro, the music shifts, revealing another soundtrack-like piece of music. This one could come from a Pink Panther film. At 3:18 a choral vocal theme is added, moving to background as male singer takes the lead. Still, this could easily be in a French film soundtrack--it has all the perfect intonations of irreverence and cool. The final 90 seconds again take on a more Stereolab-like sound and feel. (8.5/10)
Total Time 45:43
A fun album that I love in the same way I love the Homunculus Res releases: there's a joyful humor and simplicity to these rather complex composition
89.167 on the Fishscales = B+/an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collections---especially if you like the quirky avant explorations of the French youth.
38. JORDSJØ Jord
Nice instrumental symphonic folk-rock from Norway in the traditions and styles of the masters of the 1970s classics as well as countrymates ÄNGLAGÅRD (only with vocals).
Line-up/Musicians:
Håkon Oftung - Vocals, flute, guitars & keys
Kristian Frøland - Drums, percussion
Robert William Dall Frøseth - Bass (3)
1. "Over Vidda" (1:48) cool album opening with discordant, non-Western sounding flute and low and windy synth washes. (--/5)
2. "Abstraksjoner Fra Et Dunkelt Kammer" (6:50) nice retro electric guitar intro reminiscent of the work and stylings of ÄNGLAGÅRD's Jonas Engdegård. The vocals in the second minute take it out of the realm of their countrymates, but the ensuing guitar-led organ-supported instrumental section bears much resemblance. Bare bones organ with flute in the fifth minute before screeching guitar kicks us back into full gear. (13.5/15)
3. "Finske Skoger" (2:56) continued guitar lead with a folk melody seeming to be the dominant theme here. I feel like I'm listening to Greece's great CICCADA. Amazing how melodies from different (and distant) folk traditions can sound so similar. Like the TULL-like flute work. (8.5/10)
4. "Jord I" (6:24) technically and conceptually brilliant but lacking that hook or melodic element that invites the listener into the music. Could be said to be too mental, lacking emotion or soul. (9/10)
5. "Jord II" (8:27) blessed with the album's most engaging, melodic, and emotional passage in the keyboard-led mid-section (which is then repeated in a more symphonic form in the finale), this song shows the promise the band holds: to perhaps not only impress but engage. (19/20)
6. "La Meg Forsvinne!" (6:38) interesting WHITE WILLOW and WOBBLER-like song. Much more "human" and accessible if "prog-by-numbers." I like the sonic nods to EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER. (12.75/15)
7. "Postludium" (4:42) obviously a solo offering from bandleader Håkon Oftung, this keyboard-based, almost Berlin School sequencer type of prog elecronica, is a cool song, all four movements and its bridges. My favorite song on the album. (9/10)
Total time 37:45
I've been listening to this album off and on since it came out in January. My gut feeling is quite similar to that of the music of ÄNGLAGÅRD: technically and conceptually brilliant but lacking something inviting or engaging for the listener. The music could be too cerebral and not emotional enough--especially when the guitarist is the lead/dominant instrument. The keyboards offer a much more engaging sound and styling.
89.11 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of technical, symphonic progressive rock music.
1. "Veer" (6:03) Beautiful song though the second section's piano display gets a little lost and 'separated' from the main group. How awesome would this be with MIDAS FALL's Elizabeth Heaton singing over this! (9/10)
39. EYOT Innate
Refreshing new Post Rock from Serbia featuring piano-based instrumentals with roots in both classical, jazz, and Serbian folk musics.
Line-up/Musicians:
Dejan Ilijic - Piano
Sladjan Milenovic - Guitar
Milos Vojvodic - Drums
Marko Stojiljkovic - Bass
1. "Veer" (6:03) Beautiful song though the second section's piano display gets a little lost and 'separated' from the main group. How awesome would this be with MIDAS FALL's Elizabeth Heaton singing over this! (9/10)
2. "Helm" (4:46) awesome non-piano-based opening takes its time to establish its weave. When piano joins in at 0:50 mark, the song is ready to just keep cruisin'. Very jazz familiar. And great lead melody from the piano. (9/10)
3. "Mountain" (5:08) delicate, almost GEORGE WINSTON/CLAUDE DEBUSSY-like solo piano intro, no other instrument joins in until the 2:06 mark. My favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)
4. "Perun" (5:32) sounds like it could come from the soundtrack to a modern-day dystopian episode of Charlie Brown/Peanuts! (8/10)
5. "Canon Of Insolation" (4:48) opens with guitar effects before very solid Post Rock rhythm and weave establishes itself. Very nice work from all instrumentalists: great flow, restraint, and proficiency. Probably the best song on the album (as opposed to my favorite). Debussy-like piano solo in middle is my favorite part. (9.5/10)
6. "Ramonda Serbica" (7:07) great jazz opening before classical-sounding piano joins. Then distorted pedal wah electric guitar presents with its creepy fade and slide and echoed notes. Interesting. (12.75/15)
7. "Innate" (5:46) sounds very much like a jam in continuation of previous song. Very like Reine Fiske's collaborations with Ståle Storløkken's ELEPHANT9. Nice bass play. Nice ending to the album! (9/10)
7. "Innate" (5:46) sounds very much like a jam in continuation of previous song. Very like Reine Fiske's collaborations with Ståle Storløkken's ELEPHANT9. Nice bass play. Nice ending to the album! (9/10)
Total time 39:10
89.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz- and classically-tinged Post Rock progressive rock music.
40. BIG BIG TRAIN Grimspound
This band of seasoned veterans has morphed and gelled into a cohesive unit whose compositions set the standard for other symphonic prog bands of this decade.
Line-up/Musicians:
David Longdon – Vocals, Flute, Keyboards, Guitar, Banjo
Nick D’Virgilio – Drums, Vocals
Greg Spawton – Bass Guitar, Bass Pedals
Andy Poole – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Dave Gregory – Guitars
Danny Manners – Keyboards, Double Bass
Rachel Hall – Violin, Viola, Cello, Vocals
Rikard Sjöblom – Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals
With:
Judy Dyble - Vocals
1. "Brave Captain" (12:37) In my humble opinion, this is one of the best songs BBT has ever done. Where so many times before the music and the story the band is trying to tell feel over-the-top bombastic (for reasons that seem to often escape me), this time everything seems to click. Dave's vocal rendering of the story is nicely restrained. The amazingly evocative section starting at 4:12 is prog perfection. All instrumental contributions are so perfect, Nick D'Virgilo's drumming never more virtuosic and necessary.
At 7:20 a mute-effected vocal begins the rendering of the flyer's story. It's so effective that I get goosebumps and tears brimming at my eyes every damn time I listen to it. And when Dave switches out of the closet into the open air to describe the last flight! Amazing! Genius! The instrumental play out with the single phrase "brave captain of the skies" being repeated by both Dave and a choir is perfect (as is the atmospheric "air" sounds as the song fades). (24.375/25)
2. "On The Racing Line" (5:12) organ, piano, bowed double bass open this one before the band breaks into a jazzy-boogie piano-based Nick D'Virgilio instrumental race. This song definitely serves to showcase Nick's amazing drumming: so tight, so concise, so well-integrated into the song--despite its many dynamic and tempo shifts. Great use of strings in support at the end. (9.25/10)
3. "Experimental Gentlemen" (10:01) parts of this song, both melodically and instrumentally, shine as among the best work BBT have ever done. The unfortunate thing is the sometimes awkward, disjointed and inexplicable shifts from section to section (e.g. from the amazing opening/intro to the simplistic singing section at the two minute mark--if there was ever a case to cite an instance in which two entirely separate songs are suddenly and inexplicably melded together, this is one). Fortunately, the melodies and lyrics of the first singing section are engaging.
In the fifth minute, the vocals take a break and we settling into a section of very nice instrumental tapestry. But, then, suddenly, at 5:34, we're back to the "experimental gentlemen" vocal theme. The song is playing out like a Broadway reprise--like the introductory music you receive when returning from a musical play's intermission.
"The wonder of it all" is a wonderful epithet signaling another switch--to a soft, gentle, and very moving instrumental section which plays out to the song's end. (18/20)
4. "Meadowland" (3:36) with it's 12-string guitar and violin, this one opens quite nicely. Shaping up to be a little more folk-country oriented than I expected, the song continues as an instrumental until the 1:18 mark. Dave's AMERICA-like vocal enters with the strings continuing to weave around behind him sans drums (with organ--and, later, piano). Nice, mellow song. (8/10)
5. "Grimspound" (6:56) a beautiful folky song with wonderfully simple and catchy melodies from both instruments, chords, and vocal lines. I love Dave's voice so much when he is restrained and relaxed. And I LOVE his flute work. At 3:35 the band decided that a little more umph! and bombast were needed. Too bad. What should have been left alone...
Nice work from the strings (electric and otherwise) in sixth minute. I do love the choral singings of the Latin phrases at the end. (14.25/15)
6. "The Ivy Gate" (7:27) banjo is the most conspicuous instrumental presence with this one from its opening--until the warbling voice of the great Judy Dyble opens the singing telling the tale of Thomas Fisher. Constructed with ample variety and dynamics, no section, no lyric, no melody sucks me in enough to warrant repetition or research. This is a good song with just average appeal and engagement factor. (12/15)
7. "A Mead Hall In Winter" (15:20) with some very nice instrumental work--especially from the organ--and some awesome multi-voice background vocal arrangements. Again, the melodic lines employed here are simply not as engaging as the instrumental solos are impressive. (25.5/30)
8. "As The Crow Flies" (6:44) very nice, spacious song with the delightful presence of a female vocalist (Rachel Hall) singing the second lead. Flutes, piano, violin, acoustic guitars, organ, all are given ample room to be heard on this one--which is nice. (12.75/15)
Total Time 67:53
Big Big Train certainly have their own style and distinctive sound. They are very polished, very skilled musicians, and their compositional skills and instrumental arrangements are of the highest quality and grade while their sonic renderings of music are always just shy of miraculous. Where they seem to fall a little short--at least, to these ears--is in matching their music to the story that they are trying to tell (or, perhaps better put, in matching their musical expression to the significance of the historical text of their chosen "heroes"). The conundrum they present to me time after time reminds me of the story I've heard so many times about the reactions of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and Steve Hackett to first hearing the vocal story telling that Peter Gabriel had recorded over their music for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
88.66 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
41. SOUL ENEMA Of Clans and Clones and Clowns
Wonderfully diverse folk-infused Prog Metal expanding a tradition from the Middle East that includes bands like ORPHANED LAND and MYRATH, Constantin Glantz's SOUL ENEMA is a huge surprise and revelation to me. This man can write great songs melding seemlessly the electronic sounds of metal music with the traditional folk instruments of his culture. Plus, he's not afraid to push the envelope with his lyrics. And my introduction to the vocal talents of Noa Gruman is quite welcome!
Line-up/Musicians:
Noa Gruman - lead and backing vocals, choir
Yoel Genin - guitars
Constantin Glantz - keyboards, programming, vocals (2,4,5,7,8,13,14), shamisen, percussion
Michael Rosenfeld - bass guitar, sitar, violin
Dor Levin - drums
With
Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) - lead guitar (13)
Yossi Sassi (ex-Orphaned Land) - bouzoukitara (10)
Sergey Kalugin (Orgia Pravednikov) - acoustic guitar (6, 11)
Yuri Ruslanov (Orgia Pravednikov) - flute (6)
Vladimir Migutin - flute (4)
Gennady Birenberg - vocals, backing vocals (1-3, 6)
Lior Ozeri - bass (9)
Michael Glantz - child's scream (13)
1. "Omon Ra" (7:02) a great opening song for the way in which it lays out on the table all of the amazing chops this band has: metal, electronic effects, traditional Middle Eastern instruments and melodies, powerful top notch female singer, refined and adventurous compositional skills, instrumental prowess top to bottom, and, not least, their acerbic-yet-insightful lyrics. Though it's a long song, it keeps one's attention start-to-finish. The cinematic "interlude" in the sixth minute followed by the re-amped djenty guitars and great guitar/keyboard solos over the top are wonderful--making the song end even better than it started. This could be called a "perfect" prog metal song. (15/15)
2. "Cannibalissimo Ltd." (5:59) What lyrics! Bold and hilarious--but meaningful in their metaphoric sense. Plus, supported by such quirky, unexpected music (starting out like JOE JACKSON's "Cancer" before adding the metal and, later, Middle Eastern folk sounds!) Again, the song showcases the marvelous talent of lead singer Noa Gruman. She is so versatile! And the growls are perfect--humorous while not going over the top. And leader/songwriter Constantin Glantz is quite a keyboard player! (9/10)
3. "Spymania" (6:44) Yet another style used here! Almost comic book cinematic, almost Prog Cabaret! Again, I love the lyrics and their metaphoric significance. Great melodic hooks. Awesome guitar soloing and vocal work in the fourth minute. What a songwriter! (14.25/15)
4. "Breaking the Waves" (5:37) If this song is about what I think it is about, this is a song that needs radio play--needs to get out there to provoke conversations about the mistreatment of women (by men). Gorgeous and powerful! Man, can this woman sing! (9/10)
5. "The Age of Cosmic Baboon" (4:33) opening like a Middle Eastern belly dancing song, this one maintains its foundation of Middle Eastern instrumentation (with some interesting synth work woven into the mix) until the 1:50 mark when metal chords and drum hits in a syncopated time signature, take over. Crazed piano solo (know DON PULLEN) in the background, before settling into a kind of combined modern/traditional mix of the two styles. Congas and accordion and monkey squawks help fill out the final couple minutes. (8/10)
6. "In Bed With an Enemy" (5:59) piano-based metal with one of the weaker melodic and harmonic constructions on the album, it's hard for me to get into this one for the first couple minutes. Nice synth and guitar soloing in the third and final minutes. Love the flute in the third-fourth. The dynamic shift in the fourth minute is awesome (and very welcome). More of the talents of singer Noa Gruman on display in the vocals in the second half. (8/10)
7. "Last Days of Rome" (4:22) melodic metal opening with machine gun bass drum. Quickly everything cuts out and we're left cabaret piano and female vocal. When the chorus section begins at 1:23 the songs full sound comes into display. Again, the lyrics are brave and bold (and controversial?). Musically, this is not so special. Lyrically it's remarkable. (7.5/10)
8. "Dear Bollock (Was a Sensitive Man)" (3:10) opens with very Middle Eastern folk sound--instruments as well as time signatures and tempo. The tongue-in-cheek male vocal is brilliant--as are the reality-checking metal bars after each verse. I love all these Eastern instruments! And the lyrics are wonderful! Again, so bold and courageous! Kudos, Constantin, for being so brave! (9/10)
9. "Aral Sea I - Feeding Hand" (8:48) awesome bells foundation over and around which all other styles and sounds build for the first 1:50. When things quiet down to bare bones Noa enters with a serious tone to tell us the historic and legendary story of this part of the world (and its people?). The "demonic" presence in the sixth minute is a bit ambiguous, but then the amp up afterward is powerful. Plays out like a classic prog rock song. (17/20)
10. "Aral Sea II - Dustbin of History" (5:30) the presence of amazing guitarist/multi-stringed instrumentalist YOSSI SASSI on this one makes me tune in with extra attention (I love his work--both solo and with ORPHANED LAND). A cool foray through many instrumental paths, the music seems quite fitting for the story being told--especially in the way the old informs and haunts the present. As seems to be a trend with my hearing of this band, the final couple of minutes are my favorite. (8.5/10)
11. "Aral Sea III - Epilogue" (6:25) minor-keyed piano-based opening sets up an impassioned vocal from Noa Gruman--perhaps her finest performance on the album. (9/10)
12. "Octopus Song" (2:54) opens as if we're going to hear an upbeat, gentle pop song, but then the main structure kicks in and Noa sings in a middle range letting us know that she is singing seriously. Still, the song does sound a bit like something out of a Broadway stage musical. Fortunately, Noa has the voice to carry a song in the way a Broadway singer must. (9/10)
13. "Eternal Child" (5:35) piano-based, this song opens like we're about to hear a tear-jerking ballad. Noa's whispery, almost sultry voice confirms it. What a voice! Even the over-the-top NINA HAGEN-like strains at the high reaches sound and feel affected and part of the performance, while there are also moments of pure beauty. Nice guitar solo in the fourth minute. Gorgeous song though it never really goes anywhere special. (8.5/10)
14. "Of Clans and Clones and Clowns" (0:42) a spoken (whispered) poem over nature sounds which gives us insight into the reasons for choosing the themes and title of the album .
In the wonderful traditions of ORPHANED LAND and MYRATH, SOUL ENEMA gives us an amazing inside view into the Middle Eastern mind and soul. I am a fan!
88.50 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent adventure into the minds and world of a diverse, eclectic, and super-talented band.
88.50 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent adventure into the minds and world of a diverse, eclectic, and super-talented band.
42. ELDER Reflections of a Floating World
Hailing from Boston, these heavy proggers toe an almost-grungy LED ZEPPELIN line as they jam along--never less than eight minutes. The band has great ideas, great aspirations, and a great sound, however, I see room for growth: more sophistication, more diversity in singing styles (or voices), and maybe even some improvement in recording engineering (bringing things more forward in the mix.
1. "Sanctuary" (11:14) opens with a delightful chunky heaviness that is lost a little during guitar soloing--a midsection that sounds a LOT like a cross between 1970s LED ZEPPELIN and THIN LIZZY. The vocals could be a little stronger, more prominent. (17/20)
1. "Sanctuary" (11:14) opens with a delightful chunky heaviness that is lost a little during guitar soloing--a midsection that sounds a LOT like a cross between 1970s LED ZEPPELIN and THIN LIZZY. The vocals could be a little stronger, more prominent. (17/20)
2. "The Falling Veil" (11:13) opens with some gentle "get to know me" front-porch guitar picking before the song leaps into full gear in a SEVEN IMPALE and LED ZEPPELIN way. The spacious, "far away" effect on the vocal is more appropriate for this heavy rocker. I LOVE the soft, down section in the eighth minute and the Mellotron-drenched section that follows. This song just keeps better the longer it plays! Reminds me a lot of the power and talent of GHOST MEDICINE's Jared Leach. (18/20)
3. "Staving Off Truth "(10:18) beautiful opening before bursting into a djenty tour de force at 1:15. By the time the vocals join in, the song has settled into a kind of ALICE IN CHAINS sound and feel. Awesome! Another awesome down tempo section begins at the end of the fifth minute and turns into a cool YES/ALLMAN BROTHERS section thanks to the pedal steel guitar. Around 6:30 things revert back to the AinC style/sound only with a less insistent vocal, but then at 7:03 things shift into a brief two-guitar picking distant drum section before amping back up into the heavier stuff (again reminding me of a heavier THIN LIZZY). Nice drumming on display on this one! (18/20)
4. "Blind" (13:24) opens with the sound so mucked up that I thought something was wrong with my headphones' connection the first time I heard it. But after about half a minute the "joke" is played out and the rockin' groove comes forth in full force and full focus. Unexpectedly, soon after all instruments save for an "distant" electric piano and organ/synth drop out while a distant voice sings in a newsy voice. Once he finishes stating his plaintive case, the grunge returns--and eventually the singer sings--in the same voice and mix using the same melody as before--over the heavy stuff. At 4:30 there is shift into a section based on an arpeggiated riff from the electric piano. The drums shift and the rest of the band gradually join in pumping out another great multi-guitar weave of heavy prog. Nice, interesting song full of unexpected shifts and turns. The final two minutes is the real highlight with a crashing meeting of passion coming from all the instrumentalists at the same time, yielding an awesome crescendo. (27.5/30)
5. "Sonntag" (8:40) I get the Krautrock references to this song but the instrumental contributions here are a little too sparse, unchanging, and the groove not as hypnotizing as many great German songs of the 1970s. Plus, there are a couple of times that the drummer seems to loose his concentration, connection, or enthusiasm for the kind of Jaki Liebezeit beat the song really requires. (16/20)
6. "Thousand Hands" (9:37) One of my favorite prog epics of the year--thanks in no small part to some great guitar weaves, great drumming, awesome Mellotron use, catchy chord progressions and melodies, and the most fitting vocals on the album! Another song in which the second half surpasses the (awesome) first half. (19/20)
6. "Thousand Hands" (9:37) One of my favorite prog epics of the year--thanks in no small part to some great guitar weaves, great drumming, awesome Mellotron use, catchy chord progressions and melodies, and the most fitting vocals on the album! Another song in which the second half surpasses the (awesome) first half. (19/20)
Total Time 64:26
88.85 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and certainly a band with tremendous potential. Though I live their previous release, Lore, better, I am not displeased with the slight shift in direction they've taken and I can't wait to see what they do next!
43. SUBURBAN SAVAGES Kore Wa!
Formerly tr-Ond and the Suburban Savages, Kore Wa! shows this Norwegian band refining their sound into great quirky, poppy, sometimes nujazz-feeling prog. The keys to this band seem to be in the quirky synthesizer sounds and styles, exceptional bass play, solid drum play and wide diversity of song presentations (Japanese, English, instrumental, with JAGA JAGGIST, ARTHUR BROWN, Zeuhl, GENTLE GIANT, NEMO, ATOMIC APE, JOE JACKSON just a few of the styles and sounds I hear glimpses of).
Line-up/Musicians:
Trond Gjellum (Panzapapa): Drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, programming, keyboards
Anders K. Krabberød (Panzapapa): Bass guitars
Nina Hagen Kaldhol: Electric guitars, Moog guitar
Hans-Petter Alfredsen (Panzapapa): Keyboards
Mari Lesteberg: Keyboards
Thomas Meidell: Electric guitars, baritone guitar, vocals, noises
With
Ketil Einarsen (The Opium Cartel, Jaga Jazzist): Vocals, flute
1. "Fade Into Obscurity" (5:02) mid-paced jazzy rock closer to JAGA JAZZIST than JOE JACKSON with a first vocalist who sounds like the gentler side of Joe Jackson and a third who sounds like Frank Zappa! An extended albeit simple "saw" synth solo in the middle is backed by cool industrial percussion. The final third is again split between the two vocalists with some poppy "ba-ba" background vocalists. Catchy! (8.5/10)
2. "Pronk" (3:57) again, a kind of pop-Nujazz feel with odd time signatures opens with a long happy intro before some odd harmonized vocals enunciating some words in English very slowly. Creepy synth solo with cool flute runs and trills running around behind is followed by a guitar-led section. It almost sounds like Arthur Brown at the end! (8.5/10)
3. "As I Am Dying" (6:00) the opening sounds not like the Beach Boys, but... the vocal section is almost GENTLE GIANT-ish while the instrumental sections in between are very synth & organ heavy proggy. The background "aahhs" are creepy and almost comical. The song grows on you! Definitely the most proggy song on the album. The second half is great--sounding like something from a NEMO album. One of my top three. (9/10)
4. "Guzarondan" (5:29) another fave--an instrumental with some nice melodies woven together, again in the kind of Nujazz style that JAGA JAZZIST has been using for some time. (9/10)
5. "Von Two" (4:24) another song very much in the JJ Nujazz vein. Well composed and performed with some nice intricacies, nuances, shifts and melodies. The other top three. (9/10)
5. "Von Two" (4:24) another song very much in the JJ Nujazz vein. Well composed and performed with some nice intricacies, nuances, shifts and melodies. The other top three. (9/10)
6. "Kore Wa!" (4:12) opens with the establishment of a rumbling bass riff that repeats pretty much throughout the song. Soon it is joined by drums keys and guitars and spoken lyrics in Japanese! Reminds me of the sci-fi B-movie soundtrack music of American band Atomic Ape! This is awesome. Even has a Zeuhl passage (tongue-in-cheek?) at the end of the third minute and into the fourth. Quite a cool song! Smiles all the way! My favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)
7. "Docteur Mago" (8:44) another excellent instrumental more on the proggy side. Nice changes and solos and precision timing and dynamic shifts. There's even a quiet interlude in the middle! And some more UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA/SHUB-NIGGURATH stuff in the second half. (12.75/15)
Total Time 37:48
88.33 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
So what's missing? I'm not sure. Perhaps it's in the repetitive nature of the Nujazz style that I sometimes loose interest. Perhaps it's in the typically restrained and unspectacular (unemotional) soloing from the instrumentalists. The vocals (are they supposed to be tongue-in-cheek/comical) are a real entertainment highlight for me. I wish every song had some.
44. HAMADRYAD The Black Hole
A collection of songs that span quite a range of prog styles, using sounds and techniques from symphonic, metal, death metal growls, to vintage Genesis, Peter Gabriel, and Rush, this album comes as a late surprise as it was only released on December 17 of 2017. Welcome to the club!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Denis Jalbert / Guitar, Vocals
- Jean-Francois Desilets / Bass, Lead Vocals
- Jean-Francois Desilets / Bass, Lead Vocals
- Sebastien Cloutier / Keys, Vocals
- Nicolas Turcotte / Drum
1. "Peaceful Exit" (8:04) the opening section is a bit grating though it follows a kind of RUSH-like pattern, but the second (and third) instrumental section is great--with cool keys, bass, and electric guitar solo. (12.75/15)
2. "So - By Your Side" (10:32) opens as a poppy early-STEELY DAN-like tune (clavinet and rhythmic structure) before progging things up a bit. The organ in the second minute helps. As do the great drumming and lead guitar work. The singer has quite a similar voice to that of STRAWBS' founder Dave Cousins. Great slowed down final section. (17/20)
3. "Fall'n Fly" (8:43) opens with a heaviness that feels and sounds great. Then enters Jean-Fraoncios Desilets' Dave Cousins/early Peter Gabriel-like voice. Nice. The song remains heavy and insistent through four minutes as drums, metal guitar chord play, and chunky, fast-moving bass propel us on. Synth and slide guitar flourishes sneak in before a cool "underwater bass" solo and lead guitar solo play off each other for a minute. At 5:15 things get really pretty with some slowed down great synth wash chords and emotional lead guitar flourishes. Wow! I like this! Part MOONGARDEN, part CAFEINE, part RIVERSIDE. At 7:05 the pace picks back up with a cool sequence of short, quick riffs that get prolonged over about 45 seconds before Arp synth solo takes the band back into the opening pace and styling. (18/20)
4. "Dark Souls" (6:01) opens with awesome acoustic guitar tracks strumming away. Multi-voiced vocal track joins in at 0:25. At 1:06 things blow up into full-on metal music. The added lead vocal which sounds just like Peter Gabriel from "Moribund the Burgermeister" from his 1977 debut solo album, gives it a very cool sound. The band is very tight, very well integrated, throughout this section. Awesome and unexpected shifts into acoustic and back into metal and symphonic sections through proceed over the next couple of minutes before leveling out with a high-energy final minute. The best song on the album. (9.5/10)
5. "Crash" (4:53) drums and chunky bass open this song before upper octave rhythm guitar quick strums join in. A Mick Jagger-like vocal enters for the first verse, but then goes into Gabriel-treated voice for the two successive chorus sections. After the second round of the two choruses at the three minute mark, the song goes more acoustic with choral voices singing in a kind of countrified Rolling Stones/Led Zeppelin way. Interesting. (8/10)
6. "The Worst Is Yet to Come" (5:43) opens with spacey electronic keyboard sounds with picked 12-string guitar before soft doubled-up Cousins/Gabriel/UNITOPIA voice enters in a ghost-like style. The entire song proceeds like a Trespass-era GENESIS song with the softer 12-string-led dynamics and Gabriel-style subdued vocals dominating though it is well supported with things like flute and chamber strings, chunky fretless bass and great melodies. A great song; my favorite on the album. (9.5/10)
7. "Amora Demonis 2017" (7:54) excellent organ-led symphonic prog with a great heavy bass and ominous vocal performance setting up some pretty great soli from the synths, Hammond, and electric guitar. The female(?)-led group chanting in the sixth minute give it an almost Zeuhl intensity! (If that's not a woman singing it is an amazingly gifted male!)
It turns out that this is a reworking of a song the band had released 16 years before on their debut album. My third top three song for the album. Great job! (13.5/15)
Total Time 51:50
Overall a very enjoyable, very creative, and very well produced album of eclectic sounds and styles performed at a very high level of musicianship and band coherence. My only hesitation to assigning a higher rating comes from the mysterious and nagging question of Which of these Hamadryad's is the real Hamadryad?
88.25 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic and diversified progressive rock music.
45. TANGERINE DREAM Quantum Gate
2. "Roll The Seven Twice" (6:25) opens with a sequence that sounds almost disco-danceable over which several other repetitive sounds are added over the course of the first 90 seconds. It's hypnotic and yet danceable. At the two minute mark an Arp-like synth enters to take the lead before another electronic rhythm track is added to give it a definitive Euro-electronic dance groove. Various synths interject intermittent lead melodic motifs in the song's final 90 seconds. Nice. Makes me nostalgic for European dance clubs. (8.75/10)
8. "Tear Down The Grey Skies" (6:17) opens with a very cool hypnotic trance beat and sound before heavily treated sequencer joins in. Old synth leads with a slowly ascending arpeggio before developing into more variable lead melody. Cool key shift at the end of the second minute. Sound and feel shift at the 2:30 mark though the sequencer rhythm remains the same--for a while. More frequent key shifts in the lower end until a drop out at 4:20. All returns a half a minute later, with same old synth picking up where it left off. Music decays into more space-ocean wash for the final half minute. (8.75/10)
9. "Genesis Of Precious Thoughts" (9:10) a cinematic song that has a very compelling construction of spacious sections intermixed within the more hard-driving sequenced parts. Hoshiko Yamane's violin is the most consistent and driving thread throughout the first half--an element that makes it so much more engaging and emotional, but when it goes absent for the middle section, there is a noticeable let down in the level of engagement. Luckily it returns for the final minute. Nicely done! (18/20)
Total time 70:46
Definitely the closest thing I've heard to pre-1985 Tangerine Dream since 1984. Lovely to hear! And a whole album of fairly consistently high quality TD stuff at that!
88.21 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a true return to form of the great TANGERINE DREAM! Long live the immortal spirits of Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann, Klaus Schulze, and Christopher Franke!
46. CALIGULA'S HORSE In Contact
45. TANGERINE DREAM Quantum Gate
Line-up / Musicians:
- Edgar Froese / synth, guitar (6)
- Thorsten Quaeschning / synth, guitar (1-3,5,7,8), bass (3)
- Thorsten Quaeschning / synth, guitar (1-3,5,7,8), bass (3)
- Ulrich Schnauss / synth
- Hoshiko Yamane / violin (3,6-9)
1. "Sensing Elements" (13:33) containing a lot to remind listeners of the TD of old, this is one great epic; not the same as the old but definitely capturing the spirit. Very nice layering of multiple themes coming from multiple instruments with, of course, the trademark sequences. Ulrich Schnauss is a melody god. (28/30)
3. "Granular Blankets" (5:03) downtempo multi-layer rhythm track with multiple synth leads alternating over the top before marimba-like sound takes the lead. At the end of the third minute a trip-hoppy synth-drum track familiar to all who know Ulrich Schnauss' previous solo work kicks in while violin takes the lead soaring with a long sustain above the rest. Pretty cool. (8.5/10)
4. "It Is Time To Leave When Everyone Is Dancing" (6:36) The song we were all forewarned that we'd hate (because of the blatant dance-oriented tracks). Once we've moved past the long, bouncy synth intro, the Euro-disco beats kick in and a repetitive synth wash chord begins to repeat every four seconds for a very long time as very little else is really developing elsewhere. I have to admit, the repetition of that synth hit is alone quite distracting and disenchanting. Luckily it fades in the fourth minute and we subtly shift into a slightly different soundscape (with the same tempo and beat). This is, at least, much more interesting and tolerable as the weave between synths and fuzzy guitars is nice. (8.25/10)
5. "Identity Proven Matrix" (5:18) presents a very cinematic heavier-edged sound--much like the Thief soundtrack work and after (Hyperborea). There is an actual structure with melodic theme pattern here--like ABACAB. (8.25/10)
6. "Non-Locality Destination" (9:59) the only song on the album containing Edgar Froese tracks (he died just before the material for this album was created), it's spacey and slow with prominent electric guitar, but then in the third minute a sequencer rises and takes control. After a section of sequencer only, other synths and guitar tracks work their way into the weave, working up to a mini crescendo just before a searing electric guitar takes the lead and foreground at the five minute mark. I can understand the PINK FLOYD comparisons with this one. Synth washes and other synthesizer activity take over for the final VANGELIS-like three minutes. (17.25/20)
7. "Proton Bonfire" (8:25) opens with sustained, subtly shifting synth was which is soon joined by multiple-instrument space wave sequence. This is really cool! Weird muted guitar strums and mini-Moog lines (and others) enter the weave at the end of the second minute but then all fade away in the first part of the fourth minute. Composition of the rhythm track completely changes as does that of the lead instruments (no more sequencer, no more weave over the top). I am reminded of the simple, spacious songs on Vangelis' Voices album. In the sixth minute current rhythm track slowly fades leaving synth wash and electronic keys to fill the space with lushness. Very old school TD (77-79) to these ears. (17.75/20)
4. "It Is Time To Leave When Everyone Is Dancing" (6:36) The song we were all forewarned that we'd hate (because of the blatant dance-oriented tracks). Once we've moved past the long, bouncy synth intro, the Euro-disco beats kick in and a repetitive synth wash chord begins to repeat every four seconds for a very long time as very little else is really developing elsewhere. I have to admit, the repetition of that synth hit is alone quite distracting and disenchanting. Luckily it fades in the fourth minute and we subtly shift into a slightly different soundscape (with the same tempo and beat). This is, at least, much more interesting and tolerable as the weave between synths and fuzzy guitars is nice. (8.25/10)
5. "Identity Proven Matrix" (5:18) presents a very cinematic heavier-edged sound--much like the Thief soundtrack work and after (Hyperborea). There is an actual structure with melodic theme pattern here--like ABACAB. (8.25/10)
6. "Non-Locality Destination" (9:59) the only song on the album containing Edgar Froese tracks (he died just before the material for this album was created), it's spacey and slow with prominent electric guitar, but then in the third minute a sequencer rises and takes control. After a section of sequencer only, other synths and guitar tracks work their way into the weave, working up to a mini crescendo just before a searing electric guitar takes the lead and foreground at the five minute mark. I can understand the PINK FLOYD comparisons with this one. Synth washes and other synthesizer activity take over for the final VANGELIS-like three minutes. (17.25/20)
7. "Proton Bonfire" (8:25) opens with sustained, subtly shifting synth was which is soon joined by multiple-instrument space wave sequence. This is really cool! Weird muted guitar strums and mini-Moog lines (and others) enter the weave at the end of the second minute but then all fade away in the first part of the fourth minute. Composition of the rhythm track completely changes as does that of the lead instruments (no more sequencer, no more weave over the top). I am reminded of the simple, spacious songs on Vangelis' Voices album. In the sixth minute current rhythm track slowly fades leaving synth wash and electronic keys to fill the space with lushness. Very old school TD (77-79) to these ears. (17.75/20)
8. "Tear Down The Grey Skies" (6:17) opens with a very cool hypnotic trance beat and sound before heavily treated sequencer joins in. Old synth leads with a slowly ascending arpeggio before developing into more variable lead melody. Cool key shift at the end of the second minute. Sound and feel shift at the 2:30 mark though the sequencer rhythm remains the same--for a while. More frequent key shifts in the lower end until a drop out at 4:20. All returns a half a minute later, with same old synth picking up where it left off. Music decays into more space-ocean wash for the final half minute. (8.75/10)
9. "Genesis Of Precious Thoughts" (9:10) a cinematic song that has a very compelling construction of spacious sections intermixed within the more hard-driving sequenced parts. Hoshiko Yamane's violin is the most consistent and driving thread throughout the first half--an element that makes it so much more engaging and emotional, but when it goes absent for the middle section, there is a noticeable let down in the level of engagement. Luckily it returns for the final minute. Nicely done! (18/20)
Definitely the closest thing I've heard to pre-1985 Tangerine Dream since 1984. Lovely to hear! And a whole album of fairly consistently high quality TD stuff at that!
88.21 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a true return to form of the great TANGERINE DREAM! Long live the immortal spirits of Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann, Klaus Schulze, and Christopher Franke!
46. CALIGULA'S HORSE In Contact
This album definitely qualifies as one of the top three or four heavy prog/prog metal albums of the year. Though there are many segments in which the similarities to Australian band KARNIVOOL come crashing into my face, this is an extremely well produced album of well-conceived and performed songs.
Line-up / Musicians:
Sam Vallen / Guitars
Jim Grey / Vocals
Dave Couper / Bass
Josh Griffin / Drums
Adrian Goleby / Guitars
1. "Dream the Dead" (8:09) great opener--ominous metallic sounds from the opening are soon held in check for the arrival of the gorgeous vocal but they're there: lurking beneath, you can feel them waiting to pounce despite the pretty music and singing. Very KARNIVOOL-like--Karnivool at its best. (14.25/15)
2. "Will's Song (Let the Colours Run)" (4:42) opens with a fairly simple melody played over aggressive djenty guitar chords and machine gun bass drumming. Before the first minute ends, the music scales back to make room for the vocal--which is nice--soft and breathy with great, edgie melodies. The chorus bursts forth again sounding very much like KARNIVOOL--a sound that seems to carry forward into the next verse section as the singer sings in full Ian Kenny voice. Impressive guitar solo at the 2:55 mark. Again, the KARNIVOOL sounds and styles are unmistakable--especially in the chorus--but it's a great sound! (9.5/10)
3. "The Hands are the Hardest" (4:46) Before the age of metal and djent, this could have been a great techno-pop song. Great melodies. Strange that the line "love conquers all" appears in the chorus. The guitar-strum murky final minute is actually awesome! (9/10)
4. "Love Conquers All" (2:21) delicate acoustic guitar arpeggi open this one before rhythm track enters beneath. Multiple guitars set up a melody before everything cuts out, resets, and Jim's vocals start. The multi-voice-supported chorus enters with only a minute left! and then we restore the opening vocal theme for the finish. Simple, odd, pretty. (8.5/10)
5. "Songs for No One" (7:43) opens with voice that is quickly joined by the full-force of the band. Nothing held back here! Almost a "metal shoegaze" guitar sound here! The lyric and vocal, however, fails to grab me while the rest of the music in support is fairly simple--until the quiet passage beginning at 1:40. Effective; gives the listener a better appreciation for the construction of the fuller, heavier passages. At 2:30 there is another lull, this time without vocals, before power chords and drums come bursting back in. Nice variety with djent-guitar during the bridge before the second chorus. The choruses, however, just don't do it for me. Nice vocal-lead guitar handoff at the 4:10 mark--followed by a sweet guitar solo. Another lull at the end of the fifth minute, with whispery vocals and floating guitar notes, sustains itself into a beautiful gentle choral section before we fly back into the fast lane. Vocal growls shout out in the background of the next high-octane instrumental section. An interesting song with some clever highlights and mildly disappointing situations. (13.5/15)
6. "Capulet" (3:23) gorgeous, emotionally delivered upper-octave vocal supported by acoustic guitar-led trio. I like the middle octave backing of the second voice. I also like the change in upper end dynamics of the guitar and organ in the final minute. Cool! (9/10)
7. "Fill My Heart" (6:42) an edgy, aggressive song with a nice melody that is set up by a catchy chord progression. Interesting contrast between the active drums and simple guitar picking. Deep bass notes sneak in during the third minute. Ominous syncopated instrument play at the halfway point. Long high note singing reminds me of Ian Kenny from Karnivool. Blistering guitar solo in the sixth minute sets up the final repetitions of the chorus. Nice heavy prog song. (13.5/15)
8. "Inertia and the Weapon of the Wall" (2:57) theatric stage soliloquy--no doubt from some play.
9. "The Cannon's Mouth" (5:56) opens with a very chunky, djenty sound--over which lead guitarist wails intently. When the vocals enter, over a very quiet, spacious foundation of sparse music, it feels/sounds like a continuation of the previous song's thespian vocal delivery, except for the fact that the music amps up to full metal guitar chopping with the choruses. Slow, Ian Kenny-like high-voice singing at the end of the third minute. The chorus gets heavier next time around. Nice melodies. (9/10)
10. "Graves" (15:31) this prog epic contains many moments that remind me of the sounds and work of Poland's 1990s prog revivalists, COLLAGE: instrumental and vocal melodies, synth sounds and even drumming style. Still, the highs and lows and overall effect of the song is not anything that feels innovative or even refreshing; there is nothing new here. And the fact that the chorus starts each time with the familiar words and sound of KARNIVOOL's "We are" detracts and distracts. The presence of piano and sax are different (yet add nothing new or exciting). (24/30)
88.20 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
47. PSYCHIC EQUALIZER The Lonely Traveller
Wow! What a debut from classically trained pianist Hugo Selles! Piano is at the base of all compositions (even when it is absent) but the accoutrements Hugo has designed to support his keyboard are amazing! Never overloaded or ostentations, never showy or cluttered, the songs are constructed rather perfectly! Such a refreshing album! Destined to be one of my favorites from 2017!
Line-up/Musicians:
Hugo Selles - piano, keyboards, and synths
With
Quico Duret - guitar and effects
Morten Skøtt - drums
Carlos Barragán - classical guitar and voices
Nikolai Petersen - vibraphone and percussion
Katerina Anganostidou - celesta
Jan Irlind - balalaika
India Hooi - voices and hulusi
Joaquin Páli Palomares - first violin
Khalida De Ridder - second violin
Johanna Baarlink - viola
Adriana Isaku - cello and voices
Tracklist:
1. "Mezuz" (6:18) with melodies between Satie, Cicada, and Metheny, the piano-based song opens beautifully before giving way to some very basic solo play on a drum kit after 90 seconds. Piano and electric guitar slowly, gently, carefully add their notes and chords. There is a George Winston like instinct displayed in the fifth minute. Then it turns more Keith Jarrett-like. Very nice foray into simple yet-so expressive jazz piano. The key change sand instrumental shift with a minute to go is nice--with electric guitars bringing the song fully into the prog rock fold. (9/10)
2. "An Ocean Of Changes (I-IV)" (6:33) opens with electric piano/harpsichord and soft jazzy cymbol play by the drummer before sustained electric guitar soloing commences. Pretty. And very subtly nuanced. At two minutes a major shift brings us into the electrified rock domain as electric guitar chord play and drums enter. Suddenly, just after the three minute marek, everything shifts to an almost Mike Oldfield piano/tuned percussion section. Then, just as suddenly, things turn jazzy in a Claude Bolling kind of way. Piano with a lot of crazed, unrestrained guitar and drum play while the piano, too, begins to go Rachmaninoff. Then a synth makes me feel like 1970s Todd Rundgren is present. It calms down in the final minute yet continues to carry forward a very industrial-decay sound and feel to the end. Interesting! (8.5/10)
3. "The Lonely Traveller" (0:53) piano and mandolin open this one. Soft, moody, emotional. The industrial sounds from the previous song seem to appear as the instruments fade and stop.
4. "Lágrimas" (3:37) piano and cello/viola open this one. A foundation of right-hand piano arpeggi with shifting deep bass chords coming from the left serve soloing electric guitar, female vocalise, synth. String section finishes this one off quite beautifully. Very cinematic. (9/10)
5. "Adrift" (2:39) opens with rapid sequencing of celesta and piano bass play with spacey-synths entering above. Percussives and vibraphone work their way into the weave in the second minute. Nice melodies. When drums and electric guitar power chords enter at 1:40 it changes feel, but then all falls back to a kind of uptempo rallying song. Drive! Drive fast! (8.5/10)
6. "Peña Labra" (2:35) opens with strings playing a lower scale minimalist unfinished melody through their chord play. One-two-three begs for continuance, fulfillment. It's as if the question is never fully asked or the elevator never gets to the ground floor. (8/10)
7. "Flying Over The Caucasus" (3:34) an odd, discordant chord and melodic structure delivered through Fender Rhodes-sounding keyboard and then piano with very simple drumming behind. Turns out there are two keyboard tracks playing off one another. soloing electric guitar joins the old-time jazz bar music in the second minute before becoming a fixed part of the chordal mix in the background. Interesting. (8.5/10)
8. "Lovers Meet" (6:44) acoustic nylon string guitar opens while synth wash periodically fills the spacious background. Synth and organ become more permanent fixtures toward the end of the first minute. Organ and vibraphone turn creepy in second minute. At 1:30 the guitar moves up and octave and becomes more animated as brushed drums and gorgeous jazz piano accompany. Sudden appearance of super-delicate electric guitar notes give it an almost Post Rock sound and feel. Strings join in at the end of the third minute. Gorgeous electric guitar play! At 3:30 piano gets its turn in the lead as string quartet and brushes support. Nice. Way more jazz-sounding than prog or jazz fusion, but probably my favorite song on the album. I love the way the lead instruments keep shifting octaves! Really effective. A song begging for a singer to grace it with the delivery of a lyric.(10/10)
9. "A Collection Of Marbles" (3:53) another delicate, sensitive performance from all instrumentalists: hand percussionists, electric guitar, piano. Similar to the previous song. Windham Hill-like. (8.5/10)
10. "An Ocean Of Changes (V-VI)" (2:20) opens with some jazz bar piano sweeps and full-keyboard travels before hulusi joins in. At 1:18 the song shifts majorly into a full band soft-jazz-rock format with electric guitar arpeggi dominating the weave till song's end. (8.5/10)
11. "A Visit To Adelaide" (5:11) solo piano that could come from a George Winston, Burt Bacharach, or even Billy Joel interlude or outtake. So sensitive and gorgeous. As Hugo plays he gets more emotional, more dynamic, before, at the two minute mark, organ, drums and squealing electric gutiar jump in and blaze a new trail. At 3:15 all goes quite again as Hugo's piano takes up the fray again--but this time sparsely applied incidentals coming from electric guitarist and percussionist flit in and out among the gorgeous piano play. Wow! Another masterpiece! Even the bird and nature sounds at the end are so fitting and perfect. (10/10)
12. "Nørrebro" (2:48) piano bar jazz (an upright?), one more time, as ever, smolderingly emotional. Satie-esque before choir, vocalise, and organ. A bit of the Clare Tory sound here with the vocals. Nice. (8.5/10)
Total Time 47:05
88.18 on the Fishscale = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of gorgeous crossover instrumental progressive rock music.
48. BRIAN ELLIS Suspension
This mostly-solo artist really knows what he's doing! I loved 2011's Cosmic Perspective but this is way better! And such a diverse collection of trippy, jazzy, funky, proggy instrumentals! Awesome! Definitely a keeper!
Line-up/Musicians:
Brian Ellis (Astra) - All instruments except
Mike Hams - Drums (2)
Zuri Waters - Sax (7)
1. "Roadbells" (3:08) gentle solo distorted electric piano opens before being joined by other keys/vibes in a three-way weave. Old IRON BUTTERFLY-like organ (with Mellotron backing) then takes the lead. Cool! Funky EGG/BACHian end! (8.5/10)
2. "Spiral" (5:33) opens with some serious funk in the bass and drums! Multiple keys create a little repetitive weave which is then joined by electric guitar. Definitely a perfect setup for some blazing guitar soloing--but the drums and keys steal the show, that is, until the fourth minute when two (or is it three) layers of guitars come out of the gates. Reminds me of QUANTUM FANTAY or SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT. (8.5/10)
3. "Worship" (5:13) old bluesy-funky jazz with the guitars sounding like the saxophones. Amazing! Again, a very old sound and style resurrected for this song. Great ears, Brian! (Wish I could peg the 1960s-70s jazz-funk artist this reminds me of! Larry Coryell? Eumir Deodato?) (9.5/10)
4. "Seventeenth" (2:33) a piano étude (for three pianos) reminiscent of many tributes to John Coltrane and/or Bill Evans. Incredible! (There's even a little "Shaft" in there, right Brian?) (9.5/10)
5. "Emerald" (3:36) This guy can play an organ! And choose great sounds from it, too! A little Wakeman-like feel (Criminal Record or "Seahorses") to this one. Awesome! And incredible use of effects to fade. (9/10)
6. "East" (6:15) like ELECTRIC ORANGE on acid--or Courvoisier! Awesome! (10/10)
7. "Dwell" (featuring Zuri Waters on saxophone) (6:36) funky but pretty straightforward. Nice Santana-like guitar sound/styling. Like the "tuned percussion" and drums best. Really gets under your skin (in a great way) by the end! (9.5/10)
8. Night Flight (6:54) moody heavily treated electric piano (á la LED ZEPPELIN's "No Quarter") opens up the song before heavily distorted softly picked electric guitar is woven in, and then bass. As a matter of fact, the longer it plays, it reminds me a LOT of "No Quarter." Crazy synths and even heavier distortion of other instruments turns the second half into a kind of cray-cray updated end to "Space Oddity." (8/10)
Total Time 39:48
88.125 on the Fishscales = B+; 4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music though it is one of my favorite albums of the year!
49. JOHANNES LULEY Qitaro
Johannes Luley finally realizes his jazz-self while still retaining some of the melodic sensibilities of his progressive rock output with Moth Vellum and Perfect Beings. As usual, Johannes has collected a posse of top notch jazz musicians to help him fulfill his dream of producing a high-quality album of songs that seem to pay tribute to some of the giants of the 1970s Jazz-Rock Fusion movement.
Favorite songs: the brooding, dulcimer-based psychedelia of 4. "Sister Six" (5:33) (9.75/10); the amazing, full-on tribute to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, 11. "Agni Rahasya" (4:49) (9.25/10); the piano and horn PAT METHENY GROUP-like 2. "Upness" (6:27) (9/10); the gorgeous foundational music and more-plaintive solo electric guitar--more Hiram Bullock or Allan Holdsworth in style--of 8. "Faces in Reflection" (3:38) (9/10); the other, bluesier Jeff Beck (and, perhaps, Larry Coryell) tribute, 9. "Hot Sands" (3:53) (8.75/10); the schizophrenic 1970s John McLaughlin-like opener, "Doer" (5:10) (8.75/10); the William Ackerman-like acoustic 3. "Seconds" (1:42) (4.5/5); the Larry Coryell/Steve Howe-like 5. "Solilloquist" (2:58) (4.25/5), and; the dirty Jeff Beck-like guitar sound over the mellow smooth jazz of 6. "Moonlight Mesa" (4:40) (8.5/10).
Weaker, but still interesting and remarkable: the bastardized variation on "Watcher of the Skies," 7. "Red and Orange" (5:25) (8.25/10), and; the more obtuse melodies of the acoustic and electric guitar duet of 10. "White City" (3:23) (8/10)
88.0 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion--a tribute to some of the finest J-R Fusion guitarists of the all-time.
50. KARDA ESTRA Infernal Spheres
Richard Wileman has returned to some of the simpler soundscapes and melodic structures of his early work. Richard's wife and long-time collaborator Ileesha is present but used rather sparingly. The album seems to have songs representing all of Richard's moods and eras in his illustrious evolution.
Line-up/Musicians:
- Richard Wileman - acoustic, classical, electric, bass & prepared guitars, keyboards, samples, percussion, rastrophone, bouzouki, Appalachian dulcimer, zither
With:
- Jo Court - bass clarinet (6, 9, 10)
- Caron De Burgh - oboe (3, 8), cor anglais (1, 8)
- Helen Dearnley - violin (4)
- Amy Fry - clarinet (5, 9), tenor saxophone (9)
- Richard Overton - bass trombone (1, 3), tenor trombone (6, 9)
- Lauraine Phelan - trumpet (6, 9)
- Paul Sears - drums (2, 6)
- Ileesha Wileman - vocals (7, 9, 10)
1. "Prelude To A Dark Vortex" (1:52) gorgeous opener in church-like bombastics with lots of minor chords and atmospherics. So regal! (9.5/10)
2. "The Fermi Paradox" (3:19) awesome song with Paul Sears' perfectly fitting drumming. Great chord progressions and cool off-beat bass play. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)
3. "Ceres" (1:36) minor Spanish-style guitar-based song with the gorgeous oboe play of long-time collaborator Caron De Burgh. Another gem. (9.5/10)
4. "Obelisk Of Cruithne" (6:46) is a return to darker times. Mostly a solo affair, Richard uses some very odd sounds and sound combinations to keep the listener on edge. Dissonance and melodrama with little or no melody. (12/15)
5. "Anatomy Of The Heavens" (4:48) gorgeously nostalgic. Piano and clarinet shine. Haunting melodies. Problem is that it doesn't go anywhere; it's an awfully long song for such sustained simplicity. (9/10)
6. "Solar Riviera" (6:42) nice soundtrack music. Very French. The eerie "saw" synth in the background is a cool touch. The two brief interlude/breaks are also a nice touch before the transition to different sounds and drumming. I like the 'thickening' of the musical soundscape in the fourth and fifth minutes and the horns in the final third. (13.5/15)
7. "Legacy Of Theia" (4:21) It's so nice to hear Ileesha's voice! A gorgeous acoustic guitar-based song with, again, all kinds of unusual sounds and textures combining to convey the 'story'. The tinny percussion-like keyboard sounds are my favorites--and there are a lot of them here. Interesting fade/outro. (9/10)
8. "Kklak!" (3:45) pure dissonance and questionable substance. (7/10)
9. "Free Fall On Tyche" (4:51) back to some of the Burt Bacharach-like sounds that we heard on 2013's Mondo Profondo. Ileesha's vocalizations are, of course, the highlight of the song--with the horns. So nice to hear the full horn and woodwinds interacting. The bass guitar is a little monotonous but overall, this is a nice song. (9/10)
10. "Nemesis" (5:35) bass clarinet and percussion alternating with a chorus of Ileesha and organ. Interesting and often surprising but also hypnotic. (9/10)
Total Time 43:35
88.0 on the Fishscales = 4.5 stars, B+; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
51. OBIYMY DOSCHU Son (Dreams)
The music on this album is simply the best progressive rock music I've ever heard coming out of the Ukraine (or Russia for that matter). The sound engineering, sonic soundscapes, compositional maturity, confident multi-diverse instrumental performances, and incredibly strong voices are all of the best, top quality--equally to anything from Polish prog world or Steven Wilson (which makes sense since it was mixed by The Pineapple Thief's BRUCE SWOORD).
Line-up / Musicians
- Vladimir Agafonkin / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Mykola Kryvonos / bass guitar, sound producing, choir vocals (9), percussion (10)
- Aleksey Katruk / electric guitars
- Olena Nesterovska / viola
- Yaroslav Gladilin / drums, percussion
- Yevhen Dubovyk / keyboards, piano
With:
- Boris Khodorkovskiy / sax, flute
- Kyrylo Bondar / violin
- Anastasia Shypak / violin
- Andriy Aleksandrov / cello (1,2,4,5,9,10)
- Artem Zamkov / cello (1,3,4,11)
- Olga Skripova / vocals (11), backing vocals
- Sergey Grizlov / solo guitar (11)
- Aleksandra Kryvonos / choir vocals (9)
- Mykola Kryvonos / bass guitar, sound producing, choir vocals (9), percussion (10)
- Aleksey Katruk / electric guitars
- Olena Nesterovska / viola
- Yaroslav Gladilin / drums, percussion
- Yevhen Dubovyk / keyboards, piano
With:
- Boris Khodorkovskiy / sax, flute
- Kyrylo Bondar / violin
- Anastasia Shypak / violin
- Andriy Aleksandrov / cello (1,2,4,5,9,10)
- Artem Zamkov / cello (1,3,4,11)
- Olga Skripova / vocals (11), backing vocals
- Sergey Grizlov / solo guitar (11)
- Aleksandra Kryvonos / choir vocals (9)
- Maxym Homyakevych / choir vocals (9)
1. "Ostannya Myt" (The Last Moment) (8:36) ticking of a grandfather clock and cerebral violin play open this before full strings section joins in. Entry of the piano breaks through and disperses the strings so that the amazingly clean and theatric voice of Vladimir Agafonkin can sing. Wow! What a voice! In the second minute the first verse ends and the rock band jumps out and plays with power and vigor that is startling--and awesome. Then they back off and bass and drums play as the only support for Vlad's second verse. The chorus is high energy and powerful before a nice sax solo leads the instrumental section. At 4:20 things quiet down, but ominous tension remains and is augmented by sporadic and restrained contributions from many instruments while slowly building with the saxophone's soloing. At 5:50 Vlad's chorus caps off the tension with some backup singers helping out. At the seven minute mark everything relaxes, quiets, strings slowly filling, before Vlad returns and then the band amps things back into full force, full voice while the song plays out with the chorus repeating itself and then djenty guitar and wailing sax taking us through the rock outro. Awesome and startling song. For sure a top three song for me. (14.25/20)
2. "Kryla" (Wings) (10:10) pretty straightforward heavy rock drawn out over ten minutes with some nice acoustic and electric guitar work and solid singing throughout; just not enough fresh or exciting things to really grab one--though the slightly amped up middle instrumental section and following delicate guitar and flute/violin duets are nice. Also, the orchestrated crescendo in the eighth minute is nice. (15/20)
3. "Razom" (Together) (7:33) strings, acoustic guitar and violin give this a bit of a BELIEVE feel to it before a strong, theatric vocal enters. Very Broadway, even Andrew Lloyd-Weber, feel to this beautiful Phantom-like "aria." Former BELIEVE lead singer Karol Wróblewski sang in this beautiful, full-voiced, theatric style. When Vladmir Agafonkin sings like this the voice becomes the central focus of the music-especially with such an strings/orchestral support system like this one. (12.75/15)
4. "Temna Rika" (The Dark River) (11:09) opens heavy and hard, though with a pace that is not very fast, before everything settles back to acoustic guitar and some light percussion and piano play to support a more laid-back voice. Wooden flute takes over after the first verse using the same melody lines. Very pretty. Again I am reminded of some of Poland's more sensitive and mature bands and singers--such a strong, effective voice! And I love the fact that Vladimir and his support vocalist, Olga Skripova, choose to sing in their native Ukranian! Nice electrified nylon string guitar solo in the fifth and sixth minute, which is then followed by a smooth, confident electric guitar solo. A heavier section ensues immediately as Vlad and Olga sing. Tensions increase toward the end of the seventh minute before a (17/20)
5. "Nazustrich Tyshi" (Facing the Silence) (4:10) is a wonderfully constructed and performed instrumental--one that seems to be telling a powerful, probably touching story. The use of orchestration on this album is simply superb! (9.5/10)
6. "Kimnata" (The Room) (5:13) opens like a 1970s pop song with simple stripped down song structure. The vocal then enters with the same styling, but a guitar solo taking off right after the singing is a little more rockin' to fit the pop bill. Once the long guitar solo ends, the song stays up on a more energetic rock level, vocal, too. The flute solo that follows feels like an Andy Tillotson/The Tangent solo. At the four minute mark, tempo and style shift again to something more country rock-like. Interesting song. The album's weak link. (7/10)
7. "Interludiya" (Interlude) (Instrumental) (1:13) has a welcome ominous tension in it as synths, drums, low bass, and violin develop a cool texture. (5/5)
8. "Son" (Dream) (7:12) jumping right out of "Interludiya," the song has a hard-driving pace with constantly rolling bass for the first minute but then it all slows down and voice and violin give twin plaintive performances. As the song begins to climb back into sonic power in the third minute, so too does Vlad's vocal. Then, suddenly at the three minute mark, it all shifts to a more orchestra-dominated sound with a more theatric vocal. An instrumental section ensues in which electric power is woven with strings in an interesting, almost mirroring way. Nice little guitar solo closes out the fifth minute just before everything amps back up for Vlad and female background vocalists take us to the peak. Nice song but lacking any real hooks or lasting impact. (12.75/15)
9. "Zemle Moya Myla" (My Dear Land) (5:07) opens with strings before piano ends up accompanying Vlad in a truly Phantom Andrew Lloyd-Weber like, stage-like rock opera performance. The electric rock elements join in later but then recede into he mix, letting the song continue to feel like something totally from a Lloyd-Weber stage. Gorgeous. And powerful. Especially the final minute. (9/10)
10. "Novyi Pochatok" (A New Beginning) (Instrumental) (4:34) opens in a soft, delicate way that feels so familiar from so many Mirek Gil songs--which becomes even more apapros due to the seering Gil-like guitar solo playing over the first two minutes. Strings, piano, and acoustic guitar and delicate rhythm section make up the perfect support for this wonderful and emotional lead guitar work. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)
11. "Yanhol" (Angel) (7:25) synths, flute and acoustic guitar open this one before drums and bass join in to create a beautiful, delicate soundscape over which Olga Skripova gets the lead singing honors. The song builds a little but, in my opinion, this only distracts from the gorgeous sound the first verse had created. At 2:40 things shift to create a more spacious yet syncopated background over which Aleksey Katruk gets another chance to show us the wonderful melodic sense and technical skills he has on the lead guitar. At 4:45 everything quiets down again for a beautiful final two-plus minutes of music with long talk and fade out. Well done! My final top three song of the album. (14.25/15)
Total Time 72:22
Total Time 72:22
87.67 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. This is definitely an album worth checking out and a band that I will be watching anxiously for future releases.
52. DRAW THE SKY Humanity
Wonderful melodic, soprano saxophone-led, vintage keyboard-based, jazz fusion from Paris! It has been a long time since I've heard this kind of musicianship with such engaging, non-angular jazz. It reminds me of 1970s/80s WEATHER REPORT, LARRY CARLTON, Klaus Doldinger's PASSPORT and American pop-jazz bands, SPYRO GYRA and BOB JAMES.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tom Salguero / saxophone
- Renan Carriere / keyboards
- Dorian Aymard / keyboards
- Hugo Barette / guitars
- Valentin Berthouin / bass
- Guillaume Bric / drums, percussion
- Sully Doro / vocals
- Sarilou Venning / vocals
1. "Back" (15:19) opening with solo bass ostinato over which gentle Mellotron, soparano sax, electric guitar and electric piano/organ play with great delicacy. The song kicks it up a notch in terms of power and force though keeping the slow pace while electric guitar, sax, organ take turns weaving and soloing their lines. Awesome! Back to quiet, delicate at 4:10 (virtually drumless) while everybody weaves their arpeggi with and within one another. A jazzy guitar solo ensues, followed by sax and then guitar-gone-rock with distortion. At the sixth minute another section begins in which the rhythm section steadies itself while a screaming JOHN TROPEA-like guitar shreds and multiplies. Very creative! Then, at 7:30, all instruments cut out. Solo sax fills the infinite spaciousness with a plaintive, delicate solo. Mellotron-like synth wash joins in to amplify the spacey feeling. Sparsely played bass organ joins in the tenth minute. Then slow bass, drums and Fender. Still simple and spacious. The twelfth minute is where we first feel the band coming back to life--with volume, force, and staccato--ending the minute with a Fender Rhodes solo over the again-subdued rhythmists. Interesting, creative, and sensitively performed song. (27/30)
2. "Reaching The Sun" (6:08) opens like we're about to hear Bill Withers take on the lead vocals. Great groove, chords, melodies, and quirks. All signs of a mature, confident, relaxed collaboration. (8.5/10)
3. "Saturn" (6:05) gorgeous, slowed down, late-night make-out jazz. The dreamy, slowed down middle section is my favorite--followed by the sax solo support section. (9.5/10)
4. "Liwo" (6:40) another slower-paced song, this one more like a soundtrack piece for the scenes in the detective movies in which the flawed and conflicted protagonist explores his city late at night looking for clues. Really outstanding from a nostalgic point of reference. Larry Carlton-like guitar work, Will Lee bass, Zawinal, Corea or Joe Sample keys with a gentler Bruford-like drumming. There's even an appearance of Mellotrons! (10/10)
5. "Aquatic Dream" (7:41) more aggressive--especially with the guitars. (13.5/15)
6. "Aicha" (5:29) with spoken French (and a bit of English) poetry, there is a bit of a Caribbean feel to this one. (8/10)
7. "Cordoba" (6:54) nice acoustic guitar play to open this one. Reminds me of the amazing PIERRE BENSUSAN. Sax and hand percussion join in at 1:20, but it is the guitar that remains the attention-grabber. Well, done, Hugo! At 2:15 the guitar cuts out and full drum kit and bass establish a jazzy beat. Guitar, sax and sax-mirroring keys join in at the beginning of the fourth minute establishing a little SPYRO GYRA-like melody--though the drums are far more active and energetic. More guitar like this, please! Great drumming, too! (13.5/15)
8. "Humanity" (8:40) Fender Rhodes and vocals open this one--with a female singer in the lead, singing in English. A bit like a MANHATTAN TRANSFER sound. At 1:15 drums and bass and keys establish a steady, pillow-like foundation for the vocals to continue singing over. Synth solo at the end of the second minute bridges us into a more driving, heavier, section over which sax solos. Another shift occurs at 3:30 to set up a nice jazz-rock electric guitar solo a la John Tropea or Hiram Bullock. Singer returns, with both lyrics and vocalise sections. Nice. (16/20)
Sexy bass playing from Valentin Berthouin throughout. Heck! The whole band has a very warm, engaging, sexy sound! Wonderfully refreshing music! Not a bad or even sub-par song on the whole album, there are some incredibly nostalgic gems here! Well worth checking out!
87.50 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a masterful album of retro-jazz fusion though not quite a complete masterpiece of progressive rock music.
53. MIKE OLDFIELD Return to Ommadawn
Though full of new music, as opposed to some of the re-hashing send-ups Oldfield has released over the years, this one is a beautiful little reminder of just how awesome those mid-1970s albums of Mike Oldfield's were.
Line-up/Musicians:
Mike Oldfield - acoustic, classical, 12-string & electric guitars, acoustic & electric basses, mandolin, harp, bouzouki, banjo, grand piano, spinet, Farfisa organ, ARP 2600 & Solina synths, bodhran, glockenspiel, accordion (6), assorted percussions (marimba, gong, tubular bells)
1. "Return To Ommadawn (Pt.1)" (21:10) many old themes and weaves rendered anew and with great recording clarity. (36/40)
2. "Return To Ommadawn (Pt.2)" (20:57) a couple nice riffs overextened and underdeveloped. (34/40)
Total Time 42:07
87.50 on the Fishscales = 4 stars; solid B; a very good progressive rock album--a nice, fresh take on the Ommadawn style and themes with very clear recording and solid performances.
54. COLIN TENCH PROJECT Minor Masterpiece
An exceptionally well produced album of confident and masterful songcrafting which somehow comes up short--especially emotionally--when compared to last year's amazingly powerful and relevant collection of songs on Hair in a G-String (Unfinished but Sweet). Whereas that album never led me to question its inclusion within prog world, this one, I fear, had me often asking myself if the music here was truly representative of progressive rock music; Minor Masterpiece feels as if it belongs more clearly within the realms of classic rock music.
Line-up/Musicians:
Colin Tench / guitars, piano, backing voices
Peter Jones (Tiger Moth Tales, Camel, Red Bazar) / vocals
Joey Lugassy (2 time Emmy nominee & BunChakeze) / vocals
Gordo Bennett (GorMusik) / all orchestral instruments
Petri Lemmy Lindström (Corvus Stone, Progeland) / bass guitar
Joe Vitale (Joe Walsh, Barnstorm, CSN) / drums & percussion
Peter Jones (Tiger Moth Tales, Camel, Red Bazar) / vocals
Joey Lugassy (2 time Emmy nominee & BunChakeze) / vocals
Gordo Bennett (GorMusik) / all orchestral instruments
Petri Lemmy Lindström (Corvus Stone, Progeland) / bass guitar
Joe Vitale (Joe Walsh, Barnstorm, CSN) / drums & percussion
Very special guests:
- Christo Pellani (Air Supply & more) / percussion & drums
- Eddie Young / cello
- Eddie Young / cello
1. "See How She Runs" (4:46) a fairly proggy soundscape is here used to tell a story in a Beatles-kind of way--at least until 3:23 when the sound shifts to a more straight on rock to its end. Solid but nothing new here. (8/10)
2. "Darkness Falls" (2:33) I really like the pathos in the lead singer's voice for this song--it alone is very engaging--almost to the exclusion of the rest of the music and instrumental performances. (9/10)
3. "Didn't Even Wanna Do It. Did It Anyway" (7:30) the instrumental section between the vocals are the high points of this one for me. The song during the verses sound a lot like Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" verses. The orchestrated end section is great. (8.5/10)
4. "He's Gone" (1:31) another little Colin Tench lament for the loss of someone...but whom? (4/5)
5. "Waiting for Gordo" (4:01) opens as an awesome semi-orchestral (keyboard generated) soundtrack piece. More, please! (You do write awesome soundtrack-type music, Colin--going back to that first Corvus Stone album!) (9.5/10)
2. "Darkness Falls" (2:33) I really like the pathos in the lead singer's voice for this song--it alone is very engaging--almost to the exclusion of the rest of the music and instrumental performances. (9/10)
3. "Didn't Even Wanna Do It. Did It Anyway" (7:30) the instrumental section between the vocals are the high points of this one for me. The song during the verses sound a lot like Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" verses. The orchestrated end section is great. (8.5/10)
4. "He's Gone" (1:31) another little Colin Tench lament for the loss of someone...but whom? (4/5)
5. "Waiting for Gordo" (4:01) opens as an awesome semi-orchestral (keyboard generated) soundtrack piece. More, please! (You do write awesome soundtrack-type music, Colin--going back to that first Corvus Stone album!) (9.5/10)
6. "Still Solemn After all These Years" (1:51) piano, guitars, and synth-orchestra weave of pretty music--a kind of jazzy soundtrack ode. It could go on. (Maybe it does: the next song) (5/5)
7. "Gran Finale" (4:26) a Spanish-infused or even -grounded song that bristles to life in the second minute as first one and then two and even three electric guitars vie for the listener's ear. In the middle of the third minute piano and acoustic guitar take a little walk on the wild side before the electric axes jump back in to try to assert themselves. Vocalise from multiple voices try to join in. This one, too, could have jammed longer--especially to explore further that interesting infusion of vocals. Still, a CTP masterpiece. (10/10)
8. "Welcome to Your World" (4:48) a late-night friendly bar song with multiple voices, multiple instrumentalists. Could almost be an Alan Parsons Project or Jimmy Buffet song. (8.5/10)
9. "Squeaky Door Time" (3:07) a spicy Latin-infused instrumental showcasing Colin's lead guitar prowess--on both electric and acoustic! The rhythm tracks of this song are so lively and fun that it makes you want to be there watching them, dancing with them, playing the cowbell. (9/10)
10. "Under the Conker Tree" (2:51) an instrumental with multiple acoustic guitar tracks. Nice background music. (8/10)
11. "Viva Vitale" (3:11) obviously a showcase for drumming legend Joe Vitale (BARNSTORM, JOE WALSH, EAGLES, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH). The song allows for many subtle fills and flourishes while the rest of the band play a nice instrumental Latin-blues-rocker over the top--Colin again performing his wizardry on multiple tracks on multiple guitars, both acoustic and electric. I find myself listening to this one purely for the wonder and awe of trying to comprehend the planning and editing of those guitar parts. (9/5/10)
12. "Your Song is a Nightmare" (4:00) for me, the violin and multi-instrumental melodies steal the show on this one (though the vocals do a nice job of not over-performing--at least for the first half). The tongue-in-cheek self-deprecating humour can only be played out for so long. (8/10)
13. "Now Get on Your Way" (5:18) a total album-ending finale (with its repetition of the opening song's "we won't get fooled again" line), there is, unfortunately, nothing here that would have be play this one again. A little too murky with the wild, bar-room chorus feel of the vocals. (7/10)
Total time 49:53
87.50 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; a polished, great-sounding collection of rock songs of which several ensure repeated listening enjoyment.
2. “Polygondwanaland” (3:32) bass and drums open this one—the former playing up close and high on the fretboard. A lot of staccato note play in this one—from all instruments and vocalists—at least, until the mandolin and flute play in the third minute. (8.75/10)
3. “The Castle In The Air” (2:47) opens with folk rock feel while Leah Senior does her poetry reading. Then shifts into KING CRIMSON-plays bluegrass feel. Interesting interlude! (4.25/5)
4. “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” (3:33) moves the former song into more electric realms while staccato choir singing approach continues—kind of a continuous trip since the start of the second song. Space synths take over in the third minute instrumental section. (8.75/10)
5. “Inner Cell” (3:55) more delicate instrumental play woven together for support of whispered choral vocals. If one were not a lyric-conscious listener (as I am not), this could get a little monotonous. (8.5/10)
6. “Loyalty” (3:38) heavy synth arpeggio sequence flanging away while other instruments gradually join in to create a mellow groove for some mellow whispered multi-voiced vocals. A good lyric for toady’s blind allegiances to “party ideals.” (8.5/10)
7. “Horology” (2:52) with staccato instrumentation, this one sounds like counting time off. More mostly-whispered or talked multi-voice lyrics. The chorus section is almost catchy. (4.25/5)
8. “Tetrachromacy” (3:30) a slower-paced acoustic guitar-led weave over which choral voices sing their laid back lyric. At 1:15 the singing and drums get more forceful for a chorus. (8.5/10)
9. “Searching...” (3:03) very eerie synths, glass-like percussives, and hand drums provide the backdrop for some simpler, also-eerie whispered singing (with long, sustained notes!). Definitely sets a mood. (8.75/10)
10. “The Fourth Colour” (6:12) takes off from the previous song into GONG-like realms of Indian spiritualist chant music. Easily the most lively, complexly constructed song on the album (not to denigrate any of the intricate multi-instrumental weaves before—this one just has different “sections” as opposed to a total jam feel). (9/10)
Total Time 43:46
87.0 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent contribution to the space/psychedelia retro-cartography of progressive rock music.
55. MAGIC BUS Phillip The Egg
England's revivalists of the Bay Area psychedelia and Canterbury Scene have returned with another collection of one that flows and develops slowly in its complexity and dexterity over the course of the album. As a matter of fact, it seems to me upon repeated listens that the opening songs are fairly simple and pleasant and innocent while the trend progresses toward more expressions of anger and discord towards the end of the longer songs and the album itself.
I would have liked to hear more instrumental expressivity and complexity but am exceedingly happy for the input of this collection of songs that take me to a place that was much more innocent and carefree.
1. "Mystical Mountain" (8:50) a nice epic with simple Canterbury-lite (witty a la CARAVAN) approach to the vocal sections. The instrumental sections are more experimental but very subtly so. (17/20)
2. "Fading to Light" (3:36) absolutely gorgeous study in sound and space. I think the band are showing true signs of commitment to one another in diving deeply into their chemistry and technical proficiency. (10/10)
3. "Trail to Canada" (5:43) the first half is a bit innocuous but then a big shift and a rocking psychedelic second half lifts it up into memorability. (8.5/10)
4. "Zeta" (4:34) electronic psychedelia (reversed tracks) play from beginning before JEFFERSON AIRPLANE-like sound and structure establishes itself. The ethereal mid-section is interesting--perhaps a bit out of place. Nicely performed though there are a few sections that are a little drawn out with little or no development. (9/10)
5. "Distant Future" (7:11) is by far the most demanding both compositionally and of the listener--which is a good thing for this band. Discordant, edgie and syncopated, though still psychedelic--at least, until the fourth minute when a chorus temporarily gels it all together. The song returns briefly before going Fripp on us with some interesting lead guitar. I like the band's adventurousness here though it doesn't necessarily result in a beautiful or "shout about" song. (12.75/15)
6. "Kepler 226" (6:41) an instrumental that once again displays the band's cerebral commitment to technically complicated musics. (13.125/15)
7. "Kalamazoo" (3:30) a surprisingly sedate, more-acoustic-oriented approach to the band's sound. Nice but nothing extraordinary here. (8/10)
8. "Yantra Tunnels" (5:04) opens with harmonium and other Indian-sounding sounds. In the second minute Western instruments like drums and electric guitars enter and take over. This one rocks--like a good rockin' German Krautrock song from the 1970s. Even when it amps up a notch in the fourth minute it still (or even more) retains that Krautrock feel. (9/10)
87.375 on the Fishscales = B+; 4.5; an excellent submission of psychedelic Canterbury-esque music. I predict that MAGIC BUS's next album is going to be a true masterpiece!
56. SILHOUETTE The World Is Flat and Other Alternative Facts
Line-up / Musicians:
- Brian de Graeve / lead & backing vocals, 12-string guitar
- Daniel van der Weijde / electric & acoustic guitars
- Erik Laan / keyboards, bass pedals, lead & backing vocals
- Jurjen Bergsma / bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Rob van Nieuwenhuijzen / drums, percussion
With:
- Joke Laan Morsch / soprano vocals
- MarYo / backing vocals
- Chantal van den Dungen / flute
- Petruschka Schaafsma / oboe
- Ger Otten / French horn
- Sophie Zaaijer / violin
1. "March Of Peace" (5:38) solid prog-by-numbers on the heavier side of Neo Prog. Actually kind of irritating. (7.75/10)
2. "The Flow" (8:46) a tender Neo Prog ballad enhanced nicely by classical instruments (violin, oboe, flute, French horn) and female background vocalistsi Nice fusion of heavier sides of Neo Prog with the traditional acoustic instruments. Just not catchy enough with melodic or lyrical hooks. Great guitar solo near the end and wonderful neoclassical finish. (17/20)
3. "Six Feet Underground" (9:35) opens with solo barroom jazz piano. Full band enters to establish its intentions at the end of the first minute. Everything drops out for solo synth strings to support Brian de Graeve's lead vocal. Piano and 12-string guitar join before the music builds back up into full spectrum dynamics. The almost-catchy melodies and lyrics remind me of soul-less American Neo Prog-by-the-numbers band SPOCK'S BEARD. Solid music littered with too many standard and therefore predictable (almost embarrassing or laughable) prog "tricks" or "gimmicks." Plus, the plastic sound of the drum hits annoy me. (16/20)
4. "Symphony For A Perfect Moment" (17:56) is this the same band? It sounds so much more relaxed, so much smoother and melodic. The sound palette is much more like BIG BIG TRAIN or LIFESIGNS. There's a wonderful AMBROSIA-like palette to the vocal harmonies and melodies. I think the relaxed pace and warm palette suits this band much better than that of the heavier Neo Prog. Plus, the multi-voiced side of the band is quite beautiful. The band hits all of the right notes, chords, and shifts without being predictable or too repetitive. How can a band that sounded so one-dimensional in its previous three songs suddenly sound so fresh and creatively perfect? (33/35)
5. "Sakura" (2:50) nylon-stringed guitar solo with synth support. (4.5/5)
6. "Turn It Off" (5:29) opens with classical guitar and synths before Brian enters to tell his sad story. The "orchestral" music here may be entirely generated by synths (except for the guitar and voice). Oboe enters in the instrumental section to solo before the music burst into a full electric prog rock range of instruments and sound. The use of oboe and other acoustic instruments is perfect. (8.75/10)
Total time 50:14
87.0 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent (if diverse and inconsistent) Neo Prog release that would make an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.
57. KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD Polygondwananland
Another of this chameleonic and prolific Australian psychedelic bands quick releases--their fifth of six for 2017!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stu Mackenzie / vocals, acoustic (2,4,8-10) & electric (1,2,4,7,8,10) guitars, bass (1,3-7,9), synths, Mellotron (2,4), flute (1-3,5-8), glass marimba (1), percussion (9), producer
- Joe Walker / acoustic (3,5) & electric (1,3,5-7,10) guitars, bass (1,2,4, ), synths (5-7,9,10), percussion (1-3,5,7,8,10), vocals (1-8,10)
- Cook Craig / guitar (1,8,10), synths (9,10)
- Ambrose Kenny-Smith / harmonica (1,3,8,10), vocals (8,10)
- Lucas Skinner / bass (10), synth (7)
- Michael Cavanagh / drums (1-8), percussion (1-3,8,10), glass marimba (1)
- Eric Moore / -drums and percussion
- Joe Walker / acoustic (3,5) & electric (1,3,5-7,10) guitars, bass (1,2,4, ), synths (5-7,9,10), percussion (1-3,5,7,8,10), vocals (1-8,10)
- Cook Craig / guitar (1,8,10), synths (9,10)
- Ambrose Kenny-Smith / harmonica (1,3,8,10), vocals (8,10)
- Lucas Skinner / bass (10), synth (7)
- Michael Cavanagh / drums (1-8), percussion (1-3,8,10), glass marimba (1)
- Eric Moore / -drums and percussion
With:
- Leah Senior / spoken word (3)
1. “Crumbling Castle (10:44) a great groove with catchy melodies. BLACK SABBATH comes to mind. I’m most drawn to listen to the bass: he seems to be trying to fill spaces that no one else is. The multi-track drums and percussion are also fun to try to listen to. Would have liked to see a little more deviation from the original groove—there are a few teasing instances where members or spaces threaten to veer, but then everybody unfailingly returns to center—at least until the slow-motion final 90 seconds. (17.75/20)
- Leah Senior / spoken word (3)
1. “Crumbling Castle (10:44) a great groove with catchy melodies. BLACK SABBATH comes to mind. I’m most drawn to listen to the bass: he seems to be trying to fill spaces that no one else is. The multi-track drums and percussion are also fun to try to listen to. Would have liked to see a little more deviation from the original groove—there are a few teasing instances where members or spaces threaten to veer, but then everybody unfailingly returns to center—at least until the slow-motion final 90 seconds. (17.75/20)
2. “Polygondwanaland” (3:32) bass and drums open this one—the former playing up close and high on the fretboard. A lot of staccato note play in this one—from all instruments and vocalists—at least, until the mandolin and flute play in the third minute. (8.75/10)
3. “The Castle In The Air” (2:47) opens with folk rock feel while Leah Senior does her poetry reading. Then shifts into KING CRIMSON-plays bluegrass feel. Interesting interlude! (4.25/5)
4. “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” (3:33) moves the former song into more electric realms while staccato choir singing approach continues—kind of a continuous trip since the start of the second song. Space synths take over in the third minute instrumental section. (8.75/10)
5. “Inner Cell” (3:55) more delicate instrumental play woven together for support of whispered choral vocals. If one were not a lyric-conscious listener (as I am not), this could get a little monotonous. (8.5/10)
6. “Loyalty” (3:38) heavy synth arpeggio sequence flanging away while other instruments gradually join in to create a mellow groove for some mellow whispered multi-voiced vocals. A good lyric for toady’s blind allegiances to “party ideals.” (8.5/10)
7. “Horology” (2:52) with staccato instrumentation, this one sounds like counting time off. More mostly-whispered or talked multi-voice lyrics. The chorus section is almost catchy. (4.25/5)
8. “Tetrachromacy” (3:30) a slower-paced acoustic guitar-led weave over which choral voices sing their laid back lyric. At 1:15 the singing and drums get more forceful for a chorus. (8.5/10)
9. “Searching...” (3:03) very eerie synths, glass-like percussives, and hand drums provide the backdrop for some simpler, also-eerie whispered singing (with long, sustained notes!). Definitely sets a mood. (8.75/10)
10. “The Fourth Colour” (6:12) takes off from the previous song into GONG-like realms of Indian spiritualist chant music. Easily the most lively, complexly constructed song on the album (not to denigrate any of the intricate multi-instrumental weaves before—this one just has different “sections” as opposed to a total jam feel). (9/10)
Total Time 43:46
87.0 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent contribution to the space/psychedelia retro-cartography of progressive rock music.
Special Mention:
UTOPIANISTI Brutopianisti
Though I've been listening to this one and playing pieces from it on my radio show since its arrival on the music scene January first, 2017, I have had a heck of a time trying to 'rate' this unEarthly experiment into uncharted musical territory. The music contained herein is a violent, Mr. Hyde-like version of Finnish genius Markus Pajakkala's UTOPIANISTI though this is mostly him playing various woodwinds and tuned percussives.
Because I have trouble assigning ratings to songs of lengths less than two minutes, only six of the thirteen songs here would have earned ratings. Because I have so little brainpower to be able to compare and then justifiably categorize the music, I have decided to refrain from ratings altogether.
I think the album genius but it definitely pushes the limits and tolerances of all music listeners.
BRUTOPIANISTI IS:
Markus Pajakkala - modified drums, bass clarinet, soprano sax, xylophone, various flutes, additional vocals
with:
Marko Eskola - screams, growls & voices on #1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13
BRUTOPIANISTI IS:
Markus Pajakkala - modified drums, bass clarinet, soprano sax, xylophone, various flutes, additional vocals
with:
Marko Eskola - screams, growls & voices on #1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13
Sampo Salonen - throat singing on #1, 3, 5, 6, 13
Ismo Mäkinen - squeaking on #8
Anssi Solismaa - modular synths on #7, 12
Conceived, engineered & produced by Markus Pajakkala
Composed by Markus Pajakkala, with contributions from guest musicians, pure chance and Xochipilli the Hare
Lyrics by Markus Pajakkala & Marko Eskola
Composed by Markus Pajakkala, with contributions from guest musicians, pure chance and Xochipilli the Hare
Lyrics by Markus Pajakkala & Marko Eskola
1. "Gróyul Ghóul Ghò!" (01:37)
2. "Gcéme Zéle Dté" (01:46)
2. "Gcéme Zéle Dté" (01:46)
3. "Blászh" (02:57) all kinds of animalistic throat-vocal noises parade within the weave of this odd song. At the 30 second mark, the song actually shifts into a milder, more spacious form with the Muppet "Animal"-like growl-speak vocalizations continuing throughout. Then, at the two minute mark there is another shift with a wind instrument taking over. Interesting.
4. "Bhómega" (03:56) opens on a very 'world music' stage--sounding like something out of a JON HASSELL performance at one of the WOMAD festivals. But then, at the 1:20 mark, the drums and other instruments (bass clarinet and synthesized flute or sax on the lead) enter and things settle into a new pattern that feels all right with the rest of the world. Nice soloing over some steady rhythm patterns.
5. "Gabósh Dí Magá" (01:41) growls and reverb effects used on this one make it so cool! The woodwinds and drums weave is perfect support for the Kong Island--fitting song.
6. "Zigévomídá Zwógh" (01:13) the vocals on this song are the highlight as multiple styles are represented--sometimes even together! Drums are fairly tolerable on this one.
7. "Hóllò" (04:04) opens with a distant repetitive horn loop while the percussionist seems to be testing out the fullness of his drum kit. After over 75 seonds of this, and the listener wondering if the drummer will ever find his way, a long sustained low synth note enters prompting the drummer to seem to at least get "on the run." The synth begins to develop and move around while the drums continue to explore. The final 30 seconds is all synth and distorted vocalizations. I'm not sure how to even assign a rating to this one! It's unEarthly!
8. "Wóókh Ztadás" (01:14)
9. "Zwaáakh" (01:26)
10. "Zhími Bàgi Dá" (01:10)
9. "Zwaáakh" (01:26)
10. "Zhími Bàgi Dá" (01:10)
11. "Bóm Zói" (02:42) opens with drums and woodwind speeding along at breakneck speed. At the 25 seocond mark the bass clarinet slows down and establishes a rhythmic, looping riff over which drums and synth wreak havoc.
12. "Brümigá Hügu" (03:25) more wild drumming and synth effects noises with more sedate, almost melodic bass clarinet. At 1:20 the clarinet and synths become more jaded, more industrial-sounding while the percussionist continues as before. The final thirty seconds switches to metallic percussives and proto-human vocal growls.
13. "Glüf Zwagó Zigévomídá!" (03:45) xylophone, throat singing, and oddly treated/processed flute open this song. At the end of the second minute, drums, looping bass clarinet, and synth enter to support a upper octave treated flute solo. At 3:10 we enter the final section with bass clarinet, frenetic drumming, and crazed "Animal" vocals.
Total Time 30:56
I have to admit that the Muppets' "Animal"-like tribalistic beating of the drums along with their very plastic sounds leave me feeling a little raw and jaded, but the music is so interesting and, well, for lack of a better word, raw, that I can usually get past it. I wonder if Markus ever heard the Spanish band ZA!'s 2015 album Loloismo before making this album. There are some similarities.
Brutopianisti is genius and masterful but it is neither essential nor even excellent. This is not the kind of music you want to play for your mother or to impress your girlfriend--especially if you don't want to trigger their nervous breakdowns. It may truly be necessary to call this one "for collectors/fans only" though it pains me to do so, it is truly difficult to call it "good" because I'm not sure what it is good for. I like it, I'm fascinated by it, I smile at it, I have given it dozens of listens in order to try to understand and appreciate its genius, but in the end, I'm not sure how to recommend it to another. "Try it if you want to test what extremes you're able to tolerate" or "try it and see how long you can take it before you have to jump out a window." Good luck! If this is truly your cup of tea, then you are a weirder man than me.
SAMPHA Process
British Electro-pop artist SAMPHA released a stunning JAMES BLAKE-like album in early 2017 that continues to push the traditions of the electro-pop sub-genre in the same way that the aforementioned countrymate has. Definitely an album worth checking out for enthusiasts of indie/alternative pop.
Five star songs: for me, what is the most haunting, memorable song of 2017, 7. "Under" (4:43) (11/10); 2. "Blood on Me" (4:08) (9.5/10); the PRINCE-like electro-dub 7. "Reverse Faults" (4:13) (9.5/10); the heart-wrenching, 6. "Take Me Inside" (2:19) (9/10)
1. "Plastic 100ºC" (5:16) (8.5/10); the African-infused, 3. "Kora Sings" (8.5/10); 8. "Timmy's Prayer" (4:24) (8.5/10); 9. "What Shouldn't I Be?" (3:33) (8.5/10); 4. "(No One Knows Me) Like My Piano" (8/10), and; 9."Incomplete Kisses" (3:54) (8/10)
87.78 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive pop music.
DREAMSTATE LOGIC
Arizona resident Colby Sixx has released seven masterful soundscapes of the Electronic/Downtempo/Psybient/Ambient type which, if packaged together into an album, would make an amazing fully-packed single CD. So rich and engaging and trance-portive!
1. "The Last Outpost" (released 1/22/17) (9:31) (18/20)
2. "Silent Universe" (released 3/12/17) (9:42) (19/20)
3. "Edge of Eternity" (released 5/13/17) (9:38) (18.5/10)
4. "Etheric Echoes" (released 7/1/17) (9:26) (19/20)
5. "Code of Existence" (released 9/16/17) (9:25) (18/20)
6. "Beyond the Veil" (released 10/22/17) (8:57) (17/20)
7. "Infinite Spirals" (released 12/3/17) (9:15) (18/20)
SAMPHA Process
British Electro-pop artist SAMPHA released a stunning JAMES BLAKE-like album in early 2017 that continues to push the traditions of the electro-pop sub-genre in the same way that the aforementioned countrymate has. Definitely an album worth checking out for enthusiasts of indie/alternative pop.
Five star songs: for me, what is the most haunting, memorable song of 2017, 7. "Under" (4:43) (11/10); 2. "Blood on Me" (4:08) (9.5/10); the PRINCE-like electro-dub 7. "Reverse Faults" (4:13) (9.5/10); the heart-wrenching, 6. "Take Me Inside" (2:19) (9/10)
1. "Plastic 100ºC" (5:16) (8.5/10); the African-infused, 3. "Kora Sings" (8.5/10); 8. "Timmy's Prayer" (4:24) (8.5/10); 9. "What Shouldn't I Be?" (3:33) (8.5/10); 4. "(No One Knows Me) Like My Piano" (8/10), and; 9."Incomplete Kisses" (3:54) (8/10)
87.78 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive pop music.
The Rankings for 2017
1. BATTLESTATIONS Vixit
2. CICADA White Forest
3. DEMEN Nektyr
4. TREE TOPS Ghosts Don't Dance with Shoes
2. CICADA White Forest
3. DEMEN Nektyr
4. TREE TOPS Ghosts Don't Dance with Shoes
5. WESERBERGLAND Sehr Kosmish Ganz Progisch
6. FIVE-STOREY ENSEMBLE Night en Face
7. VITRAL Entre as Estrelas
8. WOBBLER From Silence to Somewhere
9. YVES POTIN/JAZZCOMPUTER.ORG Forest Stairways
10. CHEER-ACCIDENT Putting Off Death
12. BELIEVE Seven Widows
13. CAMEMBERT Negative Toe
14. ALIO DIE & LINGUA FUNGI Lento
15. THE CONTORTIONIST Clairvoyant
16. ACCORDO DEI CONTRARI Violato Intatto
17. SEAS OF MIRTH Hark! The Headland Approacheth
18. DAM KAT ALAWN
19. ALIO DIE They Grow Layers of Life Between
20. SOUP Remedies
22. ELECTRIC MOON Stardust Rituals
23. BUBBLEMATH Edit Peptide
24. SIIILK Endless Mystery
25. SHEN TEH Hide and Seek
26. KETTLESPIDER Kettlespider
27. SEQUENTIA LEGENDA Ethereal
28. KANT FREUD KAFKA Onírico
29. ANATHEMA The Optimist
30. BENT KNEE Land Animal
32. AMAROK Hunt
33. COSMIC TRIGGERS Homo Fractaliens
34. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO async
35. CAST Power and Outcome
36. INNER EAR BRIGADE Dromology
37. AQUASERGE laisse ça être
38. JORDSJØ Jord
39. EYOT Innate
40. BIG BIG TRAIN Grimspound
42. ELDER Reflections of a Floating World
43. SUBURBAN SAVAGES Kore Wa!
44. HAMADRYAD The Black Hole
45. TANGERINE DREAM Quantum Gate
46. CALIGULA'S HORSE In Contact
47. PSYCHIC EQUALIZER The Lonely Traveller
48. BRIAN ELLIS Suspension
49. JOHANNES LULEY Qitaro
50. KARDA ESTRA Infernal Spheres
Honorable Mentions:
UNAKA PRONG Adult Contemporary
EKOS Otra Dimensión
HIMMELLEGEME Myth of Earth
DRAW THE SKY HumanityROBERT JÜRJENDAL Simple Past/Lihtminevik
SILHOUETTE The World Is Flat and Other Alternative Facts
SILHOUETTE The World Is Flat and Other Alternative Facts
Special Mention:
UTOPIANISTI Brutopianisti
UTOPIANISTI Brutopianisti
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