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 87.50 or whose high points or quality level make it remarkable enough to remain affixed in my memory.
From the Year 2019, you will find below 20 albums releases deserving, in my opinion, of the "near-masterpiece" designation and one special mention.
4.5 Stars; Near-Masterpieces
(Ratings of 89.99 to 87.0)
18. ELECTRIC ASTURIAS Trinity
Line-up / Musicians:
- Satoshi Hirata / guitar
- Tei Sena / violin
- Yoshihiro Kawagoe / keyboards
- Yoh Ohyama / bass, composer & arranger, production & mixing
- Kiyotaka Tanabe / drums
1. "Closed World" (7:13) opens with some aggressive classical piano arpeggi before full rock band joins in with violin repeating the same opening sequence of arpeggi. The melodic pattern is engaging enough to keep the listener pinned while other instruments take turns soloing with variations on the main theme or, with stops and starts, going into other movements. The weaves of the three lead instruments gets clever with harmonized threads and chords. Very pleasant, clean, interesting, and engaging song start to finish with, of course, very high caliber skills in the composition and musicianship departments. (13.5/15)
2. "Wuthering Heights" (5:54) bouncy, peppy, though a little straightforward with melodies that become a little tiresome no matter how many different ways they play them. sounds like a song from GENESIS And Then There Were Three... without the lyrics, of course. (8.25/10)
2. "Wuthering Heights" (5:54) bouncy, peppy, though a little straightforward with melodies that become a little tiresome no matter how many different ways they play them. sounds like a song from GENESIS And Then There Were Three... without the lyrics, of course. (8.25/10)
3. "Skelter"(4:38) opens with a reversed piano chord á la YES 1972 before the band comes crashing through like a train out of a tunnel travelling at top speed. Great melodies from Tei Sena and support play--especially from the piano of Yoshihiro Kawagoe. The soloing skills of guitarist Satoshi Hirata are great though his lines aren't quite as melodic or emotional as Sena's. (Is it just the nature of the instrument? I think not.) (9.25/10)
4. "Crow" (8:08) sounding part classical, part jazz, and part country from the very start, this one could be a song from Edgar Meyer's Goat Rodeo or Jean-Luc Ponty's less electric albums. The weave begun at 1:29 is awesome but the rhythmic emphasis in the section beginning at 1:46 is amazing! Such skill! Such beauty! All this and the real meat of the song doesn't begin to reveal itself until 3:18 and 3:49! Great bass sound. Great whole-band weave. And then there's the awesome tension build in the second half of the sixth minute before the gentle tease and full dénouement for the seventh minute. Could've gone higher, but, still, I am happy with the gentle, gorgeous ending. Probably the best song on the album! (14.25/15)
5. "Rogus" (8:46) strings and tango-jazzy piano open this one before full band join in and electric guitar establishes the lead melody with violin playing second fiddle. The two trade variations on the melodic theme established first by the guitar over the first couple minutes as bass, piano, and drums float like waves in support. A quiet section exposes the piano for another tango-like movement as chunky bass solos in time with drums. Nice! I love the piano play! Dirty guitar enters to solo. Quite skilled and jazzy if still not as emotional as the violin or piano. There are a lot of similarities to this guitar sound and play to MIREK GIL and STEVE HACKETT. It gets better and more under your skin as the song progresses. Great song! Just love that tango-piano foundation! (18/20)
- Suite Of "Gorgon" :
4. "Crow" (8:08) sounding part classical, part jazz, and part country from the very start, this one could be a song from Edgar Meyer's Goat Rodeo or Jean-Luc Ponty's less electric albums. The weave begun at 1:29 is awesome but the rhythmic emphasis in the section beginning at 1:46 is amazing! Such skill! Such beauty! All this and the real meat of the song doesn't begin to reveal itself until 3:18 and 3:49! Great bass sound. Great whole-band weave. And then there's the awesome tension build in the second half of the sixth minute before the gentle tease and full dénouement for the seventh minute. Could've gone higher, but, still, I am happy with the gentle, gorgeous ending. Probably the best song on the album! (14.25/15)
5. "Rogus" (8:46) strings and tango-jazzy piano open this one before full band join in and electric guitar establishes the lead melody with violin playing second fiddle. The two trade variations on the melodic theme established first by the guitar over the first couple minutes as bass, piano, and drums float like waves in support. A quiet section exposes the piano for another tango-like movement as chunky bass solos in time with drums. Nice! I love the piano play! Dirty guitar enters to solo. Quite skilled and jazzy if still not as emotional as the violin or piano. There are a lot of similarities to this guitar sound and play to MIREK GIL and STEVE HACKETT. It gets better and more under your skin as the song progresses. Great song! Just love that tango-piano foundation! (18/20)
- Suite Of "Gorgon" :
6. I - Medusa (5:11) slow chord shifting church organ opens this one before bells join in. Ominous and awesome! Then about a minute in the full band jumps in with its own classical Phantom of the Opera-like theme music. Very Italian in it's dramatic set up. (Except for the organ opening, this could be either LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO or INGRANAGGI DELLA VALLE here). (8.9/10)
7. II - Sthenno (7:30) opening with heavily distorted bass, delicate cymbal play, and then violin before piano introduces the real pace and form at 0:50. The song is very chunky, very thick like WOBBLER and angular like ÄNGLAGÅRD. The dirty violin solo in the fourth minute is very wild and frenetic. The KOTEBEL-like music that follows ushers in the return of the heavily distorted bass as the violin seems to dance around it. Then, at 4:45 there is an emptying as the bass is allowed to repeat the opening section. Great complex and tightly performed symphonic prog song. (13.25/15)
8. III - Euryale (8:51) opens with some deliciously supported violin play--amazingly gorgeous melodies. The music switches to a little more chop in the second minute--including in the violin and guitar melody play. It's good, just quite as powerful as the opening section. Very nice technically-demanding weave in the fourth minute. The violin puts on a show in the fifth minute while the band beneath gets heavier and switches to minor chords for a little bit. I take it that the violin is representing Perseus and the electric guitar the gorgon. Quite a struggle! Won, of course, by the violin--which leads to a final section in which the powerful and plaintive melody of the opening section are repeated and reinforced. (18/20)
7. II - Sthenno (7:30) opening with heavily distorted bass, delicate cymbal play, and then violin before piano introduces the real pace and form at 0:50. The song is very chunky, very thick like WOBBLER and angular like ÄNGLAGÅRD. The dirty violin solo in the fourth minute is very wild and frenetic. The KOTEBEL-like music that follows ushers in the return of the heavily distorted bass as the violin seems to dance around it. Then, at 4:45 there is an emptying as the bass is allowed to repeat the opening section. Great complex and tightly performed symphonic prog song. (13.25/15)
8. III - Euryale (8:51) opens with some deliciously supported violin play--amazingly gorgeous melodies. The music switches to a little more chop in the second minute--including in the violin and guitar melody play. It's good, just quite as powerful as the opening section. Very nice technically-demanding weave in the fourth minute. The violin puts on a show in the fifth minute while the band beneath gets heavier and switches to minor chords for a little bit. I take it that the violin is representing Perseus and the electric guitar the gorgon. Quite a struggle! Won, of course, by the violin--which leads to a final section in which the powerful and plaintive melody of the opening section are repeated and reinforced. (18/20)
Total time 56:11
89.91 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of beautiful, technically skilled jazz fusion/progressive rock music.
My first question is: How, and I'm serious, HOW can someone rate this album a one star effort?!! It's not even a matter of taste, one cannot help but recognize and, hopefully, acknowledge the mastery on display here. My follow-up second question: How many one star raters can compose and play at this level of proficiency??
19. MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE Night Dreams & Wishes
Vlad Gorashchenko is back with another ride into the wild world of his own imagination and this time he has upped his game BIGLY! Production values, compositional and melodic sophistication, sound and engineering qualities have all improved dramatically! After the over-inflated reaction to the previous album, I was ready to skip this one--in the expectation of "more of the same" but, I am so glad I didn't! This one really is worth checking out, all you katzenjammers! Especially if you appreciate complex, layered symphonic prog in the vein of THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE, Arjen Lucassen's multifarious projects, the Colossus/Musea retro prog themed projects, and even Devvy Townsend's Ziltoid the Omniscient.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Vladimir Gorashchenko / keyboards, synths, acoustic and electric, 6-string & 12 string guitars, recorder, percussion, lead & backing vocals, composer, arranger & producer
With:
- Max Velychko / electric & acoustic (5) guitars, drums demos, timpani
- Enver Izmailov / guitar, e-bow
- Bogdan Gumenyuk / soprano & tenor saxes, flute
- Igor Andriyevsky / violin
- Vitaliy Leonov / violin
- Konstantin Kuleba / viola
- Sergey Petrov / cello
- Igor Zakus / fretless bass
- Dmitriy Trifonov / fretted bass
- Taras Pivlek / contrabass
- Evgeniy Selezniov / drums
- Brody Green / drums
- Alexey Gordiyenko, Vladimir Gorashchenko, Andrew Nazarenko, Eugene Sokolenko, Tamara Gorashchenko, Oksana Chernetz, Anna Danilova, Illia Yakovlev / chorus vocals
- Alexander Kotov / backing & co-lead (12) vocals
- Anastasiia Gorashchenko / female voices
- Tamara Gorashchenko / kids voices
- Anna Danilova / kids voices
1. "Intro" (3:01) a beautiful multi-instrument intro to the album, with lush key washes supporting the inputs contributions of many solo instrumental "voices." Nice start! (5/5)
2. "Overture" (5:52) introduces several of the melodic themes that recur over the course of this 78-minute suite, including one that replicates Roye Albrighton's gorgeous main theme from "Always," a song from the 2004 NEKTAR album, Evolution, and another that sounds like it comes from ELP's Tarkus. It really is an overture! (9.5/10)
3. "Night Comes - Dreams" (11:09) nice co-opting of familiar sounds. (17.5/20):
2. "Overture" (5:52) introduces several of the melodic themes that recur over the course of this 78-minute suite, including one that replicates Roye Albrighton's gorgeous main theme from "Always," a song from the 2004 NEKTAR album, Evolution, and another that sounds like it comes from ELP's Tarkus. It really is an overture! (9.5/10)
3. "Night Comes - Dreams" (11:09) nice co-opting of familiar sounds. (17.5/20):
- "Night's Creeping in Town" - classical guitar with synth wash backgrounds and flute give this a very STEVE HACKETT sound.
- "Morpheus the God of Night Dreams" - Fretless bass and a switch to steel-string guitar changes things. As Vladimir (or Alexander Kotov?) begins to sing I feel as if I am in the land of THE FLOWER KINGS. Even the two different background singers, first male and then female, do little to change this impression. Fender Rhodes finishes in the lead.
- "First Voyage with Morpheus" - echo effects give the new sound an aqueous feel--like JOHN MARTYN with his Echoplex guitar.
"Second Voyage with Morpheus" - At the 6:40 mark the electric guitar establishes a nice muted strum pattern which supports flute, acoustic guitar picking, and sustained reverse guitar soloing (á la Mr. Fripp in the Eno days).
- "Third Voyage with Morpheus" - at 8:45 a new palette still based in the Echoplex percussive strumming ushers in two competing soloing saxophones along with bass and, eventually, full drums and screaming DAVID GILMOUR The Wall-sound guitar solo.
- "Third Voyage with Morpheus" - at 8:45 a new palette still based in the Echoplex percussive strumming ushers in two competing soloing saxophones along with bass and, eventually, full drums and screaming DAVID GILMOUR The Wall-sound guitar solo.
4. "Barocco Scherzo - Fourth Voyage with Morpheus" (2:03) recorder and second flute with church organ. Nice mediæval sound to it--even the melody. (4.5/5)
5. "Childhood & School Days" (11:31) (16.5/20):
- "The Gang of Young Roosters" - opens with a little cacophonous chaos--like a school playground. What comes out of it is quite NEXUS-like--keys, prominent bass and drums, wailing electric guitars, and Hammond organ.
- "Nostalgia for Childhood" - solo piano opens this section in a PSYCHIC EQUALIZER-like way--very emotional melody lines--joined by Mellotron, whistling, and blues COLIN TENCH-lke electric guitar in the fourth minute. Nostalgic is the truth!
- "Childhood" - electrified acoustic guitar with voices reciting a nursery rhyme before transverse flute takes the lead--into kind of an IAN ANDERSON direction.
- "Time Runs Ahead" - Music picks up with full band for a very short spell before
- "Mother's Lullaby" - settling back into original form.
- "School Days" - opens with heavily beaten toms, saw-synth, full band and aggressive vocal singing about "school days." Soloing saxophone is used to fill between vocal verses & choruses. Nice EMERSONian synth solo in the second half of the ninth minute before song moves into a more jazzy dreamy section with Aarp and bass soloing. The vocals here are a bit weak--or, rather, unfitting.
- "Time Runs Ahead" - THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE-like
- "First Love" - brief innocuous finish.
6. "Insomnia" (3:44) sounds like the Canterbury-esque music used beneath the story-telling of Gilli Smyth in MOTHER GONG's Fairy Tales only without the vocals. (8.75/10)
7. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 1" (7:38) very good conveyor of drama. (13.75/15):
6. "Insomnia" (3:44) sounds like the Canterbury-esque music used beneath the story-telling of Gilli Smyth in MOTHER GONG's Fairy Tales only without the vocals. (8.75/10)
7. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 1" (7:38) very good conveyor of drama. (13.75/15):
- "Dark Kingdom" - symphonic THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE-like with loads of drama in the music.
- "The Ball in the Dark Kingdom" - an instrumental section that opens full on JETHRO TULL before shifting a little beneath the flute.
- "The Evil King" - bombastic church organ with background electric guitars screaming, this sounds quite a little like DANNY ELFMAN's Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. It's effective.
- "Evil is Spreading Around" - great guitar solo, the best section of the song.
- "Life of the Poor People" - solo classical guitar, Steve Hackett-like, then brief harpsichord before finishing with finger-picking guitar and flute.
8. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 2" (11:19) great story telling with just titles and instrumental music (19.25/20):
8. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 2" (11:19) great story telling with just titles and instrumental music (19.25/20):
- "Despair, Fear & Hesitations" - more TPE--even the melodies!
- "Uprising" - ELP all the way! Great!
- "First Battles and Small Victories" - OUTSTANDING section! Awesome keys and truly outstanding electric guitar soloing. Really captures the action and emotion.
- "The Main Battle: a) We are Winning!? b) Trapped by the King's Troops c) King's Troops are Surrounding and Defeating the Rebels" - sounds like a section of NEXUS' epic contribution to Odyssey: The Greatest Tale plus more great electric guitar soloing.
- "Revenge of the Evil King" - presents a voice narration and music not unlike Devvy's Ziltoid
- "Rebels - Prisoners and Slaves" - contains more voice narration and music similar to Devin Townsend's Ziltoid the Omniscient.
9. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 3" (9:30) a little too scattered and disjointed (17/20):
9. "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King, Part 3" (9:30) a little too scattered and disjointed (17/20):
- "Gladiators (Fight, 2ND Uprising and the Victory)" - opens with circus-like narration and fanfare before more music in drama like TPE, Odyssey, and even Arjun Lucassen
- "Hymn to Freedom" - continues before going church organ and solo convent voice
- "Gladiator's Feast" - TPE all the way
10. "Wake Up" at (5:42), thanks to morning birdsong!
Wow, do I think I'm hearing THE FLOWER KINGS circa 1999-2000! Beautiful song with gorgeous melodies throughout! Even a fretless bass! Great use of synths and choral bank background vocals. Maybe a little too close to TFK's "I Am The Sun, Part 2"?? But, still, this is as near to a perfect song as it gets! (10/10)
11. "Final / Outre" (6:27) in effect, this song opens as a continuation or variation on the previous song, but then bursts into full prog bombast around 1:15 whereupon many of the earlier themes are recapitulated. (9/10)
Total Time 77:56
11. "Final / Outre" (6:27) in effect, this song opens as a continuation or variation on the previous song, but then bursts into full prog bombast around 1:15 whereupon many of the earlier themes are recapitulated. (9/10)
Total Time 77:56
89.82 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music--hindered only by the disorder and inconsistency of the first two epics ("Night Comes - Dreams" and "Childhood & School Days") and several motifs that feel a bit over-familiar. Still: Highly recommended! A really wonderful musical rendering of a literary storyline. Vladimir Gorashchenko takes a huge step forward in terms of sound, performance and engineering quality as well as gifting us some really beautiful, memorable music!
20. STEVE HAUSCHILDT Nonlin
New to me as of this album, I am blown away by Steve's innovative and refreshing approach to a melodic multi-instrumental (and multi-dimensional) Berlin School-type of electronic music. Steve merges recognizable instruments with computer generated "noise music," arpeggiated sequences, and even ambient techno synth washes and rhythms.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Steve Hauschildt / performer, composer, co-production
With:
Line-up / Musicians:
- Steve Hauschildt / performer, composer, co-production
With:
- Lisa Kohl / cello (7)
1. "Cloudloss" (3:45) a strangely satisfying excursion into controlled chaos as layered beauty of ambient synth washes are paired up with a cacophony discordant and, at times, disturbing computer noise "music." Somehow it works. (9/10)
2. "Subtractive Skies" (6:46) hypnotic ambient techno weave of layers of synths and computer percussives, all with a steady and driving presence of a pulsing bass line--at least until the final two minutes when bass cuts out as synth flock seems to fly slowly and beautifully fly away like a thick flock of birds all flying in perfectly synchrony. (14/15)
3. "A Planet Left Behind" (3:36) pitch-warped and warbled keyboard play is soon joined and suppressed by deep bass and slow rise of muted synth washes, thus creating space for a delicate dance of synth strings. Beautifully "orchestrated." (9.5/10)
4. "Attractor B" (5:29) opens with slow pensive electric piano chords, by the third minute has become dominated by computer techno noise music. (9/10)
5. "The Nature Remaining" (2:34) echoing electric piano play over distant etheric synth washes. (4.25/5)
6. "Nonlin" (5:15) techno track and RADIOHEAD-like synth chord with busy and heavily treated bass synth performing the lead work. Interesting for the pops and glitches. (8.5/10)
7. "Reverse Culture Music" (6:09) opens sounding like a slow Gamelan song performed by Western orchestral strings under the guidance of Phillip Glass. By the second minute it has morphed into a more Western hypno-trance piece with Steve Reich and Pat Metheny's guidance. By the third minute it's feeling more like a SEQUENTIA LEGENDA song. Cool and sly flow of transformative shape-shifting. The cello use is genius! (9.5/10)
8. "The Spring In Chartreuse" (3:26) this is no spring from my experience! Maybe the opening of discordant backward notes is supposed to represent the chaos of late Winter weather, or perhaps the title is merely an afterthought, but the weave of reverse and forward arpeggi is weird and a bit unsettling. Still, nobody else that I know of is doing taking music in this direction. (8.5/10)
9. "American Spiral" (5:35) slow arpeggio of VANGELIS-like space synth notes opens this one--notes covering the entire breadth of the keyboard. At the one minute mark a blob of computer noise music in a kind of raw Kanye West "Faster, stronger" pattern enters while the space notes continue to arpeggiate slowly behind. The noise music gets quite gnarly, like the movement and noise of a creature from Ghostbusters. Weird, ending with a slow exit/escape of the alien usurper. (8.5/10)
2. "Subtractive Skies" (6:46) hypnotic ambient techno weave of layers of synths and computer percussives, all with a steady and driving presence of a pulsing bass line--at least until the final two minutes when bass cuts out as synth flock seems to fly slowly and beautifully fly away like a thick flock of birds all flying in perfectly synchrony. (14/15)
3. "A Planet Left Behind" (3:36) pitch-warped and warbled keyboard play is soon joined and suppressed by deep bass and slow rise of muted synth washes, thus creating space for a delicate dance of synth strings. Beautifully "orchestrated." (9.5/10)
4. "Attractor B" (5:29) opens with slow pensive electric piano chords, by the third minute has become dominated by computer techno noise music. (9/10)
5. "The Nature Remaining" (2:34) echoing electric piano play over distant etheric synth washes. (4.25/5)
6. "Nonlin" (5:15) techno track and RADIOHEAD-like synth chord with busy and heavily treated bass synth performing the lead work. Interesting for the pops and glitches. (8.5/10)
7. "Reverse Culture Music" (6:09) opens sounding like a slow Gamelan song performed by Western orchestral strings under the guidance of Phillip Glass. By the second minute it has morphed into a more Western hypno-trance piece with Steve Reich and Pat Metheny's guidance. By the third minute it's feeling more like a SEQUENTIA LEGENDA song. Cool and sly flow of transformative shape-shifting. The cello use is genius! (9.5/10)
8. "The Spring In Chartreuse" (3:26) this is no spring from my experience! Maybe the opening of discordant backward notes is supposed to represent the chaos of late Winter weather, or perhaps the title is merely an afterthought, but the weave of reverse and forward arpeggi is weird and a bit unsettling. Still, nobody else that I know of is doing taking music in this direction. (8.5/10)
9. "American Spiral" (5:35) slow arpeggio of VANGELIS-like space synth notes opens this one--notes covering the entire breadth of the keyboard. At the one minute mark a blob of computer noise music in a kind of raw Kanye West "Faster, stronger" pattern enters while the space notes continue to arpeggiate slowly behind. The noise music gets quite gnarly, like the movement and noise of a creature from Ghostbusters. Weird, ending with a slow exit/escape of the alien usurper. (8.5/10)
Total time 42:35
89.72 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars. I vouch for this album as a masterpiece of progressive electronic music though it only qualifies as a near-masterpiece of progressive rock.
89.52 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music that truly lives up to the "progressive" aspect of that title as this music is definitely pushing boundaries!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Simona Rigano / vocals, keyboards, synth
- Tino Nastasi / guitar
- Sofia Ferraro / sax, flute, EWI
- Edoardo Ragunì / bass, bass pedals
- Natale Russo / drums, percussion
With:
- Giovanni Alibrandi / violin
1. "Fino al Limite" (6:32) NeoProg like so many others from the 1980s, 1990s, and 21st Century. The guitars are so dated (going back to GENESIS' Wind and Wuthering). Vocalist Simona Rigano has a very comforting if cotidian voice--reminding me in the second half (when it's doubled up) of ADIEMUS' Miriam Stockley. I like the presence of the woodwinds but find myself recoiling a bit to the reminders of classic RPI bands like MUSEO ROSENBACH or IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO. (8.75/10)
2. "In Cerca d'Ali" (5:51) opens with a soprano saxophone-led passage that sounds very much like 1980s Smooth Jazz song for the Adult Contemporary audiences. When Simona starts to sing in the second motif it shifts a little into something a bit more Italian lounge-like, but the Smooth Jazz motif reappears in the sections between her vocals--until, that is, 2:33 when the music moves into a more portentous motif for instrumental soli. Ominous electric guitar and soloing Prophet-5 synth give this s different mood. Even when Simona returns for singing the song retains this more proggy element of danger, but then at the five-minute mark the violin returns and the band kind of stumbles through a closing coda. (8.7/10)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bent Sæther / bass, guitar, Mellotron, vocals
- Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan / guitar, piano, vocals
- Tomas Järmyr / drums, percussion, Mellotron, vocals
With:
- Susanna Wallumrød / vocals (2)
- Lars Horntveth / reeds (2)
- Helge Sten "Deathprod" / electronics, co-producer
1. "Psychotzar" (8:43) surprisingly simple and ragged in its construction, performance, polish, and engineering--all areas that are usually mega-strongpoints for the band. Sounds like a live jam by a 1970s hard rock band that is on its last days of a nine-month tour. (17/20)
2. "Lux Aeterna" (10:56) starts out like a sensitive acoustic guitar accompanied folk ballad. The support vocals are stupendous--as are the presence of the reeds. I even like the dirty sound of heavy distortion on the bass and guitars and Tomas Järmyr's drumming is really loose and fresh, filled with expressive nuances. He's really getting comfortable within the trio format. Great song construct; much in contrast to the previous muck up. Great final three minutes and ending. The only weakness I feel is in the vocal presentation of the lyrics: not always a great match considering the metaphysical message they seem to be trying to convey. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the reckless abandon used by the soloists in the seventh minute. Otherwise I'm a big fan of this one. (18.5/20)
21. CONSIDER THE SOURCE You Are Literally a Metaphor
Some of the strangest music I've ever heard, combining all kinds of synthesized electric guitar work and computer-glitch/noise like sounds with heavy, technically jaw-dropping stop-n-start music--and all from a trio! Some of it is like music intended as soundtrack to computer games that has gone wild and others like hyperactive traditional Middle Eastern folk-rock! And GREAT song titles!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Gabriel Marin / Guitars
- John Ferrara / Bass
- John Ferrara / Bass
- Jeff Mann / Drums, Percussion
1. "Sketches from a Blind Man" (7:29) great opening/opening song to lure listeners in: spacey eerie guitar-generated sound over chunky avant-garde bass and aggressive drums in an odd time signature. The eeirie lead guitar sound actually creates a repeatable melody that gets into your head and stays there. Lots of incidental computer-like sounds flitting in and out of the soundscapes. In the fourth minute, guitar sound drops an octave or two, tempo straightens out and bass sound and style also shift, as guitar melodies change, though also remaining engaging and interesting. The bass player is really good! Another sound change at 5:40 in guitar lead and drum-triggered bass before everybody kicks back into full octane to give one heck of a show for the final minute. (13.5/15)
2. "The One Who Knocks" (7:43) acoustic guitar (!) and high-end bass open this before drums kick in to signal shift into full song structure with chunky active bass and low-end guitar plucking. Around 0:50 there is another shift in sounds and structure with guitar producing more high end tremolo or e-bow solo melody-making. Some nice Latin chords and sounds in bridges and several sections. It's like being on a motorcycle taking a trip through some big city, witnessing the wide diversity in neighborhoods with each turn down different streets. "Trombone" sound generated by the guitar in scaled down fifth minute, shape-shifts into flugelhorn and then into MetalSantana for the sixth. Bass and drums go into wild frenzy at 6:15 to bridge to more melodic, high-powered final minute. (13.5/15)
3. "Unfulfilled and Alienated" (3:04) opens with launch into full-speed reminiscent of the classically-based power metal of Yngwie Malmsteen. The melodies are almost Gypsy/Eastern European/klezmer, the bass play just like Les Claypool. High skills on display here! (9/10)
4. "It is Known" (11:45) gentle two-note bass chord arpeggi and bare-bones drumming support another spacey guitar sound in the lead. The melodies played by the guitar in the first two minutes are very Hawaiian sounding. At the two minute mark a "chorus"/B section begins with more frenetic drum and bass play as guitar doubles up and plays a higher octave, more piercing sound for its voicing of the melody. The A-B cycle takes about 90 seconds to come around again, but then in the fifth minute the music drops into a spacious lounge-bluesy support mode as Jeff Beck-like guitar squeals and screams its slide-guitar-like swamp blues. The rhythm section intensifies a bit at the 6:00 mark before bridging into an all-out MAHAVISHNU jam. Wow! This guitarist can move! The bass player, too! Machine gun notes throughout the eighth minutes. I am totally caught by surprise and blown away! The eighth and ninth minutes see a trading off of rapid fire noodling between the bass player and the guitarist, the former at the high end of his instrument, the latter in the lower end of his. At 10:25 they come back together to support the recapitulation of the melody themes used in the first two sections to the finish. (22.5/25)
5. "They Call Him the Smiling Assassin" (7:29) opening like the introductory melding that occurs in a lot of Middle Eastern music, finally coming together at 0:35 to establish a very Middle Eastern sounding song. The instruments are playing in very syncopated, staccato, and unified fashion until a switch after 90 seconds in which the guitar begins to sound like a Middle Eastern violin. The pacing becomes almost a Wild West cadence as guitar changes and shifts his sound in ways that seem to mimic a variety of traditional Middle Eastern instruments--though, in the fourth minute he brings it all into the 21st Century with a highly synthetic sound. Then there is a quiet section in which guitar disappears and drums perform an interesting solo on "traditional" Middle Eastern percussion instruments. Then there is a wild and schizophrenic bass guitar solo in the sixth minute in which several lines (tracks?) are occurring simultaneously. More hand percussives in the seventh minute before an acoustic ME instrument rejoins and re-builds the comradery that the song opened with to the finish. (14/15)
6. "Misinterpretive Dance" (9:20) opens with an instrumental weave that displays some of the softer sounds and playing styles of the band members. Nice. Computer synth incidentals (from overdubs) begin making their appearances in the second minute as the second verse plays. Chorus in the third minute. The guitar sound and styling is quite reminiscent of some of AL DI MEOLA's Spanish-styled electric guitar sounds from early in his solo career. The music turns heavy with walls of sounds and PRIMUS-like humor in the music in third and fourth minutes before returning to a more steady jazz-metal sonic wall for the sixth. Odd rising guitar note in the seventh minute supports bass soloing before going bat-crazy in an Outer Limits synthesizer display while bass and drum frenzy. Things smooth out around 7:20 to return to the AL DI theme before shifting back into the SLEEPMAKESWAVES-like opening themes for the ninth minute and then going metal crazy in the final minute. (18/20)
7. "You Won a Goat!" (7:19) if Jeff Beck had been born in Harlem in the 1990s this is what he and his band may have sounded like. Again, Middle Easterns sounds, styles, and melodies seem prevalent here. It's as if the guitarist is trying to be both Jeff Beck, Jan Hammer, and Jean-Luc Ponty! (13.5/15)
8. "When You've Loved and Lost Like Frankie Has" (6:51) a This Is Spinal Tap reference (from the title)! The music opens like it's from a Hawaiian-Rastafarian ballad! So weird and surreal! (12/15)
9. "Enemies of magicK" (11:47) like a crazy ride inside a pinball machine! Definitely the song with the weirdest sound palette on the album. (21.75/25)
Total Time: 72:47
All stunningly performed songs with totally unpredictable flows and sound palettes, I'm just not sure I like it; I don't hate or dislike this music but my brain hurts!
2. "The One Who Knocks" (7:43) acoustic guitar (!) and high-end bass open this before drums kick in to signal shift into full song structure with chunky active bass and low-end guitar plucking. Around 0:50 there is another shift in sounds and structure with guitar producing more high end tremolo or e-bow solo melody-making. Some nice Latin chords and sounds in bridges and several sections. It's like being on a motorcycle taking a trip through some big city, witnessing the wide diversity in neighborhoods with each turn down different streets. "Trombone" sound generated by the guitar in scaled down fifth minute, shape-shifts into flugelhorn and then into MetalSantana for the sixth. Bass and drums go into wild frenzy at 6:15 to bridge to more melodic, high-powered final minute. (13.5/15)
3. "Unfulfilled and Alienated" (3:04) opens with launch into full-speed reminiscent of the classically-based power metal of Yngwie Malmsteen. The melodies are almost Gypsy/Eastern European/klezmer, the bass play just like Les Claypool. High skills on display here! (9/10)
4. "It is Known" (11:45) gentle two-note bass chord arpeggi and bare-bones drumming support another spacey guitar sound in the lead. The melodies played by the guitar in the first two minutes are very Hawaiian sounding. At the two minute mark a "chorus"/B section begins with more frenetic drum and bass play as guitar doubles up and plays a higher octave, more piercing sound for its voicing of the melody. The A-B cycle takes about 90 seconds to come around again, but then in the fifth minute the music drops into a spacious lounge-bluesy support mode as Jeff Beck-like guitar squeals and screams its slide-guitar-like swamp blues. The rhythm section intensifies a bit at the 6:00 mark before bridging into an all-out MAHAVISHNU jam. Wow! This guitarist can move! The bass player, too! Machine gun notes throughout the eighth minutes. I am totally caught by surprise and blown away! The eighth and ninth minutes see a trading off of rapid fire noodling between the bass player and the guitarist, the former at the high end of his instrument, the latter in the lower end of his. At 10:25 they come back together to support the recapitulation of the melody themes used in the first two sections to the finish. (22.5/25)
5. "They Call Him the Smiling Assassin" (7:29) opening like the introductory melding that occurs in a lot of Middle Eastern music, finally coming together at 0:35 to establish a very Middle Eastern sounding song. The instruments are playing in very syncopated, staccato, and unified fashion until a switch after 90 seconds in which the guitar begins to sound like a Middle Eastern violin. The pacing becomes almost a Wild West cadence as guitar changes and shifts his sound in ways that seem to mimic a variety of traditional Middle Eastern instruments--though, in the fourth minute he brings it all into the 21st Century with a highly synthetic sound. Then there is a quiet section in which guitar disappears and drums perform an interesting solo on "traditional" Middle Eastern percussion instruments. Then there is a wild and schizophrenic bass guitar solo in the sixth minute in which several lines (tracks?) are occurring simultaneously. More hand percussives in the seventh minute before an acoustic ME instrument rejoins and re-builds the comradery that the song opened with to the finish. (14/15)
6. "Misinterpretive Dance" (9:20) opens with an instrumental weave that displays some of the softer sounds and playing styles of the band members. Nice. Computer synth incidentals (from overdubs) begin making their appearances in the second minute as the second verse plays. Chorus in the third minute. The guitar sound and styling is quite reminiscent of some of AL DI MEOLA's Spanish-styled electric guitar sounds from early in his solo career. The music turns heavy with walls of sounds and PRIMUS-like humor in the music in third and fourth minutes before returning to a more steady jazz-metal sonic wall for the sixth. Odd rising guitar note in the seventh minute supports bass soloing before going bat-crazy in an Outer Limits synthesizer display while bass and drum frenzy. Things smooth out around 7:20 to return to the AL DI theme before shifting back into the SLEEPMAKESWAVES-like opening themes for the ninth minute and then going metal crazy in the final minute. (18/20)
7. "You Won a Goat!" (7:19) if Jeff Beck had been born in Harlem in the 1990s this is what he and his band may have sounded like. Again, Middle Easterns sounds, styles, and melodies seem prevalent here. It's as if the guitarist is trying to be both Jeff Beck, Jan Hammer, and Jean-Luc Ponty! (13.5/15)
8. "When You've Loved and Lost Like Frankie Has" (6:51) a This Is Spinal Tap reference (from the title)! The music opens like it's from a Hawaiian-Rastafarian ballad! So weird and surreal! (12/15)
9. "Enemies of magicK" (11:47) like a crazy ride inside a pinball machine! Definitely the song with the weirdest sound palette on the album. (21.75/25)
Total Time: 72:47
All stunningly performed songs with totally unpredictable flows and sound palettes, I'm just not sure I like it; I don't hate or dislike this music but my brain hurts!
89.52 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music that truly lives up to the "progressive" aspect of that title as this music is definitely pushing boundaries!
22. CONQUEROR In orbita
- Simona Rigano / vocals, keyboards, synth
- Tino Nastasi / guitar
- Sofia Ferraro / sax, flute, EWI
- Edoardo Ragunì / bass, bass pedals
- Natale Russo / drums, percussion
With:
- Giovanni Alibrandi / violin
1. "Fino al Limite" (6:32) NeoProg like so many others from the 1980s, 1990s, and 21st Century. The guitars are so dated (going back to GENESIS' Wind and Wuthering). Vocalist Simona Rigano has a very comforting if cotidian voice--reminding me in the second half (when it's doubled up) of ADIEMUS' Miriam Stockley. I like the presence of the woodwinds but find myself recoiling a bit to the reminders of classic RPI bands like MUSEO ROSENBACH or IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO. (8.75/10)
2. "In Cerca d'Ali" (5:51) opens with a soprano saxophone-led passage that sounds very much like 1980s Smooth Jazz song for the Adult Contemporary audiences. When Simona starts to sing in the second motif it shifts a little into something a bit more Italian lounge-like, but the Smooth Jazz motif reappears in the sections between her vocals--until, that is, 2:33 when the music moves into a more portentous motif for instrumental soli. Ominous electric guitar and soloing Prophet-5 synth give this s different mood. Even when Simona returns for singing the song retains this more proggy element of danger, but then at the five-minute mark the violin returns and the band kind of stumbles through a closing coda. (8.7/10)
3. "Verso un Nuovo Mondo" (8:59) pleasant and innocuous enough, nice guitar soloing--especially in the final 90 seconds--but there's really nothing very new or exciting here. (17.25/20)
4. "Kedr" (10:26) UNAKA PRONG! The opening two minutes of this song could definitely come straight off of one of the North Carolina band's first two albums: very funk jazzy. Then there is a clean break which is gradually filled with some spacious electric piano play over which Simona's reverbed voice gently sings. At the 3:00 mark we move into what could be a sedate RIVERSIDE or other Polish Heavy Prog electric guitar-dominated soundfield as Simona continues to sing. The rhythm tracks aren't very complex, but they make for a nice foundation on which Simona can sing and guitarist Tino Nastasi can wail. At 5:17 we stop in Kedr's children's garden to admire the flowers and butterflies before a CICCADA-like pastoral prog folk passage establishes itself. At 6:30 Simona rejoins to sing over the pastoral music. Man! Is this like CICCADA! Pretty but also dangerously close to being directly lifted from one of the Greek band's classic albums. In the second half of the eighth minute the music suddenly turns more insistent, CAMEL-like with some Andy Latimer electric guitar and Pete Bardens-like synth soloing going on at the same time. I like the solos but I like the drum play here even better: very creative and fitting without being over the top or too showy. If all of this band's songs were as diverse and unpredictable as this one this album would be a masterpiece! (19/20)
5. "Un Disegno Perfetto" (8:45) sounds like a RENAISSANCE for the opening minute. Soprano sax, not so much. The swinging instrumental weave beneath Simona's beautiful melodies work for me. In the third minute there is a stylistic shift into more 1980s Smooth Jazz to support Simona's voice and the sax and twangy guitar soli of the fourth minute. Then Simona returns to tie up loose ends for this motif so that the band, led by electric piano and drummer Natale Russo's tom play can usher in the next passage--which does present more of a return to the RENAISSANCE feel of the opening--especially when Simona's voice is beautifully double-up. Then, at the end of the fifth minute, there is a clear stop--as if another song is about to begin--which it does with those dated guitar arpeggi, militaristic snare play, and pastoral flute playing together--somewhat at odds with one another (though I never feel any discomforting tension: the flute and underlying keys and bass are too calming for that). As this pastoral section builds I am filled with quite the CICCADA feel (a melody from the debut album). (17.75/20)
6. "09.07 a.m." (1:24) I love the chamber feel to this--it sounds like a winds and strings presentation or overture. (5/5)
7. "Star on the Moon" (4:56) a pleasant song that sounds like a pop folk-rock song from the 1970s but leaves something to be desired in terms of being a progressive rock or even RPI song. Even Alan Parsons or Ambrosia wouldn't create something this saccharine and simple--maybe THE STARLAND VOCAL BAND. Very hypnotic melody lines. (8.5/10)
Total Time 47:53
Total Time 47:53
89.42 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a nice album that I would never consider top tier prog--or what Robert Fripp would call "musicians who can do nothing else"--because it is too imitative of others, but it is clean, clear, engaging, melodic, and well-performed (if a little dated in some of the instrumental sound choices).
23. MOTORPSYCHO The Crucible
The Norwegian trio's 22nd studio album release comes in as their shortest album since 2009, spanning a vinyl-paradigm mere 40 minutes. New drummer Tomas Järmyr (this is only his second album with the band) continues to impress while getting his groove on.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bent Sæther / bass, guitar, Mellotron, vocals
- Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan / guitar, piano, vocals
- Tomas Järmyr / drums, percussion, Mellotron, vocals
With:
- Susanna Wallumrød / vocals (2)
- Lars Horntveth / reeds (2)
- Helge Sten "Deathprod" / electronics, co-producer
1. "Psychotzar" (8:43) surprisingly simple and ragged in its construction, performance, polish, and engineering--all areas that are usually mega-strongpoints for the band. Sounds like a live jam by a 1970s hard rock band that is on its last days of a nine-month tour. (17/20)
2. "Lux Aeterna" (10:56) starts out like a sensitive acoustic guitar accompanied folk ballad. The support vocals are stupendous--as are the presence of the reeds. I even like the dirty sound of heavy distortion on the bass and guitars and Tomas Järmyr's drumming is really loose and fresh, filled with expressive nuances. He's really getting comfortable within the trio format. Great song construct; much in contrast to the previous muck up. Great final three minutes and ending. The only weakness I feel is in the vocal presentation of the lyrics: not always a great match considering the metaphysical message they seem to be trying to convey. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the reckless abandon used by the soloists in the seventh minute. Otherwise I'm a big fan of this one. (18.5/20)
3. "The Crucible" (20:52) I love this start: it's very dramatic, suspenseful. By the second minute the full band has launched their commitments to the song (all of which are considerable--especially drummer Tomas Järmyr's!). Things quiet down at 2:20 but only as a kind of rewind to restart everything and get to that same energy level while maintaining the same intensity. It doesn't take long upon reestablishing the pace and force for the guitarist to post a tasteful solo which then evolves into a kind of weave until everybody stops at 4:37 to start a brand new motif. A melodic (and, I have to admit, familiar) guitar chord progression starts up to which the bass and second guitar add their support so that the vocals can begin. Nice vocal melody line starts up, fitting nicely into the guitar chord sequence (which continues). Drums join in--again in support, nobody doing anything flashy at this point, thus allowing the vocal to have the listener's full attention. There is a subtle shift into a new melody line at the nine-minute mark while the vocals continue (shifting accordingly). At the end of that tenth minute the instrumentalists ramp up their performances, getting heavier and thickening the overall soundscape with some Mellotron. The guitar soloing in the thirteenth minute changes (guitarist #2 taking a turn?) developing into a more slide-like playing style. I'm not gonna lie: This has become kind of creepy. Choral vocals join in during the fourteenth minute, then everything stops, quiet piano, Mellotron, and lute-sounding instrument starting up a new, very quiet part--until, that is, the 15-minute mark when everybody kicks back in, creating a MOODY BLUES/"Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band" sounding instrumental passage. A rising octave arpeggio bridge in the eighteenth minute sets up a return to a previous motif for the vocals (now expressed through harmony choir) over an awesome NEKTAR/YES-like bass line. In the middle of the nineteenth minute everybody pauses, restarting with a YES "Perpetual Change"/Gates of Delirium"-like motif for the vocalists to close out the song over. (36/40)
Total Time 40:31
Total Time 40:31
89.375 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of heavy progressive rock music; something that every self-professed prog lover will probably like.
24. IAMTHEMORNING - The Bell
So lovingly crafted, it's almost too pristine and clean. The most classical-based music the duo have done. Thank goodness for Marjana's emotive, all-too-human vocal performances.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Marjana Semkina / vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (3)
- Gleb Kolyadin / grand piano, keyboards
With:
- Vlad Avy / acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Zoltan Renaldi / bass, double bass (1,2,6,9)
- Svetlana Shumkova / drums (1,5,9)
- Evan Carson / drums, percussion (2,5,9)
- Andres Izmaylov / harp (1,6,9)
- Grigory Osipov / marimba (2,9)
- Dmitry Tsepilov / saxophone (1,2)
- Ilya Leontyev / trumpet (9)
- Mr. Konin / bells, accordion, clapping
Strings Ensemble:
St.Petersburg Orchestra "1703"
1st Violins:
IIia Dyakov
Ekaterina German
Ekaterina Chernyaeva
Anastasia Litvinova
2nd Violins:
Anita Azhashkouskaya
Dmitry Kolyasnikov
Anna Melnikova
Yulia Kashshapova
Violas:
Nadezhda Savina
Dmitry Gonchar
Semyon Samsonov
Cellos:
Darya Popova
Ilya Izmaylov
1. "Freak Show" (7:09) a finely crafted song whose flaw is the way the music builds in intensity and volume as it buries Marjana's voice. The second half meets the expectations set up by the song's title.(12.5/15)
2. "Sleeping Beauty" (3:42) sounds like IAMTHEMORNING, sounds like Gleb's piano prowess, sounds like Marjana's right in her pocket. Why doesn't it grab me? (Has the band reached the limits to its potential?) (8/10)
3. "Blue Sea" (3:08) more on the delicate, acoustic side, this one really works--it let's Marjana's voice and lyrics carry the song instead of getting buried in the mix. Well done! Powerful! (9.5/10)
4. "Black and Blue" (3:58) No piano? Marjana up front and center with a floating electric background? Wow! I like this! Don't get me wrong: Gleb is a virtuoso genius, but sometimes I just want to hear Marjana do her thing--like this: a JEWEL-like performance to display her own virtuosity. Give Gleb his time in the C section or in the outro, like here; that is perfect! (10/10)
5. "Six Feet" (3:56) again I can hear Marjana! I can make out and understand her lyrics--and what powerful lyrics they are. The eerie silent film blues-jazz piano music is a perfect Edgar Allan Poe-like accompaniment to Marjana's theatric performance. Brilliant! (10/10)
6. "Ghost of a Story" (3:58) this song, unfortunately, relies on too many elements that are already familiar from previous iamthemorning songs and albums. (8/10)
7. "Song of Psyche" (3:20) (8.5/10)
8. "Lilies" (4:28) the trilling of Gleb's right-hand piano arpeggi do not mesh well with Marjana's vocal. Take out the right hand and then you'd have a cool Berthold Brecht/Kurt Weill song. But, then, you'd not have that wonderful C section piano solo. Still, the tension of two songs in one is not easily rectified. (8.5/10)
9. "Salute" (7:27) great song with fresh sounds, structures, melodies, and true progginess. (Great guitar work from iamthemorning stalwart Vlad Avy. (13.25/15)
10. "The Bell" (5:04) Simply gorgeous in every respect: melodies, dynamics, textures, performance subtleties, sound engineering, lyrical content and power. Perhaps the best song Marjana and Gleb have ever recorded. (Maybe the Best Song of the Year?) (10/10)
2. "Sleeping Beauty" (3:42) sounds like IAMTHEMORNING, sounds like Gleb's piano prowess, sounds like Marjana's right in her pocket. Why doesn't it grab me? (Has the band reached the limits to its potential?) (8/10)
3. "Blue Sea" (3:08) more on the delicate, acoustic side, this one really works--it let's Marjana's voice and lyrics carry the song instead of getting buried in the mix. Well done! Powerful! (9.5/10)
4. "Black and Blue" (3:58) No piano? Marjana up front and center with a floating electric background? Wow! I like this! Don't get me wrong: Gleb is a virtuoso genius, but sometimes I just want to hear Marjana do her thing--like this: a JEWEL-like performance to display her own virtuosity. Give Gleb his time in the C section or in the outro, like here; that is perfect! (10/10)
5. "Six Feet" (3:56) again I can hear Marjana! I can make out and understand her lyrics--and what powerful lyrics they are. The eerie silent film blues-jazz piano music is a perfect Edgar Allan Poe-like accompaniment to Marjana's theatric performance. Brilliant! (10/10)
6. "Ghost of a Story" (3:58) this song, unfortunately, relies on too many elements that are already familiar from previous iamthemorning songs and albums. (8/10)
7. "Song of Psyche" (3:20) (8.5/10)
8. "Lilies" (4:28) the trilling of Gleb's right-hand piano arpeggi do not mesh well with Marjana's vocal. Take out the right hand and then you'd have a cool Berthold Brecht/Kurt Weill song. But, then, you'd not have that wonderful C section piano solo. Still, the tension of two songs in one is not easily rectified. (8.5/10)
9. "Salute" (7:27) great song with fresh sounds, structures, melodies, and true progginess. (Great guitar work from iamthemorning stalwart Vlad Avy. (13.25/15)
10. "The Bell" (5:04) Simply gorgeous in every respect: melodies, dynamics, textures, performance subtleties, sound engineering, lyrical content and power. Perhaps the best song Marjana and Gleb have ever recorded. (Maybe the Best Song of the Year?) (10/10)
Total Time 46:10
89.32 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of classically-based crossover progressive rock music. An album that suffers, at times, from over-familiarity, yet contains some of the best songs and performances that iamthemorning has ever committed to posterity. (It's so hard to believe that an album as fine as this is not making my Year-End Top 20!)
25. DIZZY MYSTICS Wanderlost
The new ECHOLYN? or TOOL? or JACK O' THE CLOCK? or GHOST MEDICINE? With his varieties of sounds and styles, Kyle Halldorson has the skills to pave his own way into Prog World--wherever he wants to. The question is, where will he choose?
Line-up / Musicians:
- Kyle Halldorson / Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Mandolin, bongos, shakers, tambourine
- Aaron Edgar / Drums
With:
- Kelsey Halldorson / Vocals (7)
- Gerrit Delaquis / Vocals (7)
- Paula DaCosta / Vocals (7)
1. "Letter" (4:42) (8.5/10)
2. "Shindigjig" (4:43) sounds so much like Jared Leach's GHOST MEDICINE project! Add a little of CSN&Y's vocal stylings and, Wow! Are Kyle and Jared brothers from different mothers? (I'm wont to throw JACK O' THE CLOCK leader Damon Waitkus into the mix) The first of my Top Three picks. (9.25/10)
3. "Fallasophy" (5:02) is there a little MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN in this guy, too? Quite a display of instrumental skill here as well. It'd be interesting to hear Kyle play with TREE TOPS' twin guitar phenoms, Cory Smith and Adam Webb. (8.5/10)
4. "The Frequent See, Consistent Seas" (2:50) hard to categorize this one as it's such a wild and intricate weave of multiple styles. (8.5/10)
5. "The Anti-Dream" (5:09) awesome gut-punching song on the fringes of heavy metal and classic blues rock. Great guitar play on display. Great vocals. My second Top Three song. (9/10)
6. "The Scythe Pendulum Swing" (7:33) taking on a more atmospheric psychedelic approach I am here reminded of contemporary bands SANGUINE HUM, 3RDEGREE, and TREE TOPS--and even a little bit of old STEELY DAN. Great pacing and vocal stylings. A top three song for me. (14.5/15)
7. "Diamond Duller" (4:56) another song that reminds me of 3RDEGREE. Great stuff! (8.5/10)
8. "Jaunter" (5:26) early Jeff "Skunk" Baxter playing with The Dan (Steely) and some of The Allman Brothers in order to try their take on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." (Am I crazy?) Once again: great vocals. (8.5/10)
9. "Rester (Analog Chameleon)" (5:01) a more folk-bluegrass early DOOBIE BROTHERS take on 3RDEGREE or JOHN MAYER music. Nice drumming here on this very percussive/staccato song. (8.75/10)
10. "Wanderlost" (11:09) using quite a little YES style and sound (though perhaps YEZDA URFA would be a more accurate comparison), this one flows and quirks much like a Damon Waitkus composition--though the sone is also full of many instances and elements reminiscent of 2017's Antimemory by Californian one-off VANETA and even SANGUINE HUM. Great song despite it's mystifying meanderings. (17.8/20)
4. "The Frequent See, Consistent Seas" (2:50) hard to categorize this one as it's such a wild and intricate weave of multiple styles. (8.5/10)
5. "The Anti-Dream" (5:09) awesome gut-punching song on the fringes of heavy metal and classic blues rock. Great guitar play on display. Great vocals. My second Top Three song. (9/10)
6. "The Scythe Pendulum Swing" (7:33) taking on a more atmospheric psychedelic approach I am here reminded of contemporary bands SANGUINE HUM, 3RDEGREE, and TREE TOPS--and even a little bit of old STEELY DAN. Great pacing and vocal stylings. A top three song for me. (14.5/15)
7. "Diamond Duller" (4:56) another song that reminds me of 3RDEGREE. Great stuff! (8.5/10)
8. "Jaunter" (5:26) early Jeff "Skunk" Baxter playing with The Dan (Steely) and some of The Allman Brothers in order to try their take on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." (Am I crazy?) Once again: great vocals. (8.5/10)
9. "Rester (Analog Chameleon)" (5:01) a more folk-bluegrass early DOOBIE BROTHERS take on 3RDEGREE or JOHN MAYER music. Nice drumming here on this very percussive/staccato song. (8.75/10)
10. "Wanderlost" (11:09) using quite a little YES style and sound (though perhaps YEZDA URFA would be a more accurate comparison), this one flows and quirks much like a Damon Waitkus composition--though the sone is also full of many instances and elements reminiscent of 2017's Antimemory by Californian one-off VANETA and even SANGUINE HUM. Great song despite it's mystifying meanderings. (17.8/20)
Total Time 56:31
88.96 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a great, exciting collection of hard-rocking, hard-driving songs from a young new virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. You go, Kyle! ARTIST TO WATCH!
26. EX CANIX Shaman
A modernized take on the music that CAN and NEU! and even POPUL VUH, ZAO, Franco Battiato, and AREA were experimenting with in the 1970s. Sounds as if BRIAN ENO were to have produced CAN back in the day.
A modernized take on the music that CAN and NEU! and even POPUL VUH, ZAO, Franco Battiato, and AREA were experimenting with in the 1970s. Sounds as if BRIAN ENO were to have produced CAN back in the day.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Tjabbe Anstérus / percussion, hang drum
- Boch / electronics, cello, guitar, voice, bass
- Boch / electronics, cello, guitar, voice, bass
- Lars Hoffsten / drums, percussion
- Hans Bengtén / bass
1. "Juice" (4:14) rhythm-based psycho-babble/chant. A Top Three song for me. (9/10)
2. "Nights'n'Days" (4:48) bass, percussives, atmospherics, and heavily treated vocal ramblings. Throw a little DAVID SYLVIAN-JON HASSELL-sounds in there and what you have is awesome! Another Top Three song. (9.25/10)
3. "Meeting At CO" (4:57) drone like opening strums with hand drums and other percussives establish an odd-time base upon which vocal whisperings and moans enter and float around. Hypnotic STEVE JANSEN-like rhythms and HOLGER CZUKAY-like sounds! (8.75/10)
4. "When The World Breaks" (4:32) throw in a little Mississippi swamp slide guitar with some deranged-sounding vocals and you have a song! (8.25/10)
5. "Void?" (1:24) theatric scare tactics. (4.75/5)
6. "Tribunus Ultra [Hats Off To Figrin D'An]" (4:30) full on CAN with some more modern keys interspersed among the hand drums and drums. Very cool imitation! (8.75/10)
7. "Nebel" (4:32) more meditative like POPUL VUH or ENO-HASSELL collaborations. (8.25/10)
8. "Raga Muffin" (7:20) organ arpeggi open this one before bass and percussion make themselves prominent. Ultimately a pretty and very hypnotic if slightly long song. (12.5/15)
9. "Out Of The Can" (4:45) full on drums with congas, bass, and organ! A real song with a rock format! And it's awesome! Great swirling organ play, great jazzy bass lines, great drumming, and awesome "lead" from the synth and, later, the screaming electric guitar. My final Top Three song from this highly satisfying album. (9.5/10)
2. "Nights'n'Days" (4:48) bass, percussives, atmospherics, and heavily treated vocal ramblings. Throw a little DAVID SYLVIAN-JON HASSELL-sounds in there and what you have is awesome! Another Top Three song. (9.25/10)
3. "Meeting At CO" (4:57) drone like opening strums with hand drums and other percussives establish an odd-time base upon which vocal whisperings and moans enter and float around. Hypnotic STEVE JANSEN-like rhythms and HOLGER CZUKAY-like sounds! (8.75/10)
4. "When The World Breaks" (4:32) throw in a little Mississippi swamp slide guitar with some deranged-sounding vocals and you have a song! (8.25/10)
5. "Void?" (1:24) theatric scare tactics. (4.75/5)
6. "Tribunus Ultra [Hats Off To Figrin D'An]" (4:30) full on CAN with some more modern keys interspersed among the hand drums and drums. Very cool imitation! (8.75/10)
7. "Nebel" (4:32) more meditative like POPUL VUH or ENO-HASSELL collaborations. (8.25/10)
8. "Raga Muffin" (7:20) organ arpeggi open this one before bass and percussion make themselves prominent. Ultimately a pretty and very hypnotic if slightly long song. (12.5/15)
9. "Out Of The Can" (4:45) full on drums with congas, bass, and organ! A real song with a rock format! And it's awesome! Great swirling organ play, great jazzy bass lines, great drumming, and awesome "lead" from the synth and, later, the screaming electric guitar. My final Top Three song from this highly satisfying album. (9.5/10)
Total Time 41:02
88.89 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of 1970s-style Kosmische Musik and a very worthy addition to any prog lover's music collection.
27. MOTHER TURTLE Three Sides to Every Story
2019's offering from Greek prog virtuosi Mother Turtle.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Kostas Konstantinidis / guitars, guitar synth, keyboards, vocals
- George Filopelou / bass, vocals
- George Baltas / drums, vocals
1. "Zigu Zigu" (6:50) instrumental hard rock musings and playfulness. Are Kostas and the Georges secret LED ZEPPELIN wannabes? Who knew! Tight and fun. Weird segue at 4:15 into a kind of laid back section. (13.25/15)
2. "Notwatch" (14:54) opens with a very engaging blues-rock jam over which Kostas Konstantinidis does some very impressive lead guitar soloing. The chord progression used is so great--so uplifting--soundl ike it came straight out of a UNAKA PRONG song. Near the end of the sixth minute everything empties out for some spacious solo echoed (and effected) jazz guitar play. At 7:00 the lonely guitar is joined by a recording of what sounds like a Persian religious singer. Her song is quite lovely if oddly affixed within the spacey-experimental psychedelic work going on with the guitar and drummer. At 9:38 we open a door to a KING CRIMSON "Lark's Tongue"-like jam that then turns into a heavy DEEP PURPLE-like jam at the eleven-minute mark. Bass man George Filopelou has his breakout moment in the sun while metal power chords and church organ disburse their wares over some impressive At 13:10 another sideroad is taken--this one sounding like a cross between FOCUS "Hocus Pocus" and something by early Led Zeppelin (It's been a long time since I "Rock 'n; Roll"ed). What a wild, unpredictable ride! (26.75/30)
3. "A Christmas Postcard from Kim" (16:46) opening with yet another attempt at LED ZEPPELINness. At 1:35 we change our course into a more contemplative groove--something almost experimental which turns polyrhythmic and then Heavy Metal and Tech Metal HENDRIX. In the fifth minute Kostas launches into some guitar pyrotechnics while the two Georges (as well as Kostas' rhtyhm guitar work) play with their polyrhythms beneath. Very tech metal of them! Operatic female vocalese joins in for the seventh and minutes. I love the contrast between the vocal (and, later, Zeuhlish group chant vocals) over the metal textures!
Another spacious divertiment in the middle two minutes with sampled male (and, in the background, female) Arabian voices before reverting back to a more hard-rock palette. Some YES/UK/KING CRIMSON-like time syncopations around the 12-minute mark before settling into a bass-led groove for some weird ("silly") male-acting-the woman vocals strewn about. Again, the experimentations with time signatures and polyrhythms are quite constant and interesting--perhaps the main focus/intent of this song?
At 4:35 we fall, once again, into an isolation pit in which we are bathed by cymbal washes for a bit before progressing through the underground passageways with one lone torch providing our light. This last motif is, sadly, the end as the music slowly fades out despite kind of just getting started (and, of course, leaving us to our own devices to try to find ourselves out of the underground. Asie from this little disappointment, this has been a great ride; as usual, very unpredictable. I have to mark this one down a bit precisely for the odd and inexplicable/unjustifiable twists and turns taken just for a postcard. (31/35)
Total Time 38:30
While I love and appreciate the unpredictable experimental nature of these guys' directional choices, the holistic integrity of the compositions are sometimes lacking--or, rather, are unexplained and therefore, often outside my range for empathy and comprehension (though never outside my capacity for appreciation and admiration). The songs on the band's 2016 album, II, at least had purpose and made sense; for these, I feel completely clueless: as if I'm viewing a slideshow of totally random photos--and I so want to be an insider!
88.75 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. Kudos to Mother Turtle for keeping it fresh--being unafraid to travel in new directions--to try new things!
28. CHARLIE CAWOOD Blurring Into Motion
Classically-influenced instrumental acoustic folk music in the same vein as NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA, Charlie is quite the multi-instrumentalist!
Line-up / Musicians:
2. "The Stars Turn" (3:59) same as the previous song: a gentle weave of the exact same instrument palette. A little more Steve REICHian/NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA construction here. (8.67/10)
3. "Falling Into Blue" (2:36) fast-picked acoustic guitars behind Marjana Semkina singing in her lower registers. Winds, xylophone, and Marjana's background vocals join in the chorus. Strings and tuned percussion remain for the second verse. Again, this could be a quaint little NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA song. (4.25/5)
4. "Abyss of Memory" (3:05) multiple acoustic guitars with piano and vibraphone weave this one at another moderately slow pace. The melody line repeats over and over while myriad other instruments join in and create other layers and harmony threads. Interesting. (8.75/10)
5. "The Dark Within" (4:37) guitar and strings open this one like a WILLIAM ACKERMAN tune. At 0:50 piano and woodwinds join in and it gets beautiful. At 1:30 double bass and percussion and vibes are added. It actually doesn't feel as dark as it feels full of 'disappointment' though it does get a little discordant toward the end. (9/10)
6. "Blurring Into Motion" (3:29) fast-picked acoustic guitars, piano, and soon, flute, start this weave. Strings join in at the end of the first minute (including bass). (8.5/10)
7. "From Pure Air" (4:05) harp and classical guitar open this one. A very gentle, soothing, calming song. (8.75/10)
8. "A Severed Circle" (4:35) another beautiful multi-instrumental weave that once again reminds me of the NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA though also some of Jesy Chiang's CICADA compositions as well. Very nice. A top three song. (9/10)
9. "The False Mirror" (3:28) More of the same; beautiful but basically background music. (8.67/10)
10. "Flicker Out of Being" (4:27) a pleasant song in which Marjana Semkina's beautiful, ethereal voice blends in as if it were another string or wind instrument. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)
11. "Between Two Worlds" (4:48) flute and chor anglais over guitars, vibraphone and piano in another fast shifting NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA-like song. Very nicely constructed tapestry. (8.75/10)
12. "Voice of Space" (6:35) slow and brooding piano, acoustic guitar, harp and vibes with secondary instruments providing chord accents every sixth whole note. Reminds me of many Pat Metheny song openings. Flute and winds take over lead melody over the top while celeste does another line in the middle. Strings eventually join in, thickening the weave. Another top three for me. (9.25/10)
Total time: 50:47
From the ashes of UNITOPIA, Mark Trueack marches on with his messages of human potential and spiritual possibility through melodic Neo Prog. In this current format, Mark seeks out collaborations from some of the all-stars of Prog and turns out stunningly beautiful and poignant musical compositions. A special shout out to the added value brought by Steve Unruh.
Planetary Overload, Part 1 - Loss is constructed and performed like an amazingly well-produced sound recording of an original cast performance of a stage musical on climate change.
Classically-influenced instrumental acoustic folk music in the same vein as NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA, Charlie is quite the multi-instrumentalist!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Charlie Cawood / acoustic, electric and classical guitars, acoustic bass, bass VI, handclaps
With:
- Marjana Semkina / vocals (3, 10)
- Alice Barron / violin
- Georgia Hannant / violin
- Maddie Cutter / cello
- Robyn Hemmings / double bass
- Julie Groves / flute, piccolo
- Emily Suzanne Shapiro / clarinet
- Ben Marshall / cor anglais
- Thomas Stone / contrabassoon
- Lucy Brown / French horn
- Nathaniel Dye / trombone
- Maria Moraru / piano, celeste
- Elen Evans / harp
- Beibei Wang / vibraphone
- Catherine Ring / glockenspiel
- Evan Carson / bodhran, percussion
- Steve Holmes / minimoog, bass synth
With:
- Marjana Semkina / vocals (3, 10)
- Alice Barron / violin
- Georgia Hannant / violin
- Maddie Cutter / cello
- Robyn Hemmings / double bass
- Julie Groves / flute, piccolo
- Emily Suzanne Shapiro / clarinet
- Ben Marshall / cor anglais
- Thomas Stone / contrabassoon
- Lucy Brown / French horn
- Nathaniel Dye / trombone
- Maria Moraru / piano, celeste
- Elen Evans / harp
- Beibei Wang / vibraphone
- Catherine Ring / glockenspiel
- Evan Carson / bodhran, percussion
- Steve Holmes / minimoog, bass synth
1. "Dance of Time" (5:03) nice, gentle multi-thread weave of guitars, tuned percussion, flutes, and strings. (8.67/10)
2. "The Stars Turn" (3:59) same as the previous song: a gentle weave of the exact same instrument palette. A little more Steve REICHian/NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA construction here. (8.67/10)
3. "Falling Into Blue" (2:36) fast-picked acoustic guitars behind Marjana Semkina singing in her lower registers. Winds, xylophone, and Marjana's background vocals join in the chorus. Strings and tuned percussion remain for the second verse. Again, this could be a quaint little NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA song. (4.25/5)
4. "Abyss of Memory" (3:05) multiple acoustic guitars with piano and vibraphone weave this one at another moderately slow pace. The melody line repeats over and over while myriad other instruments join in and create other layers and harmony threads. Interesting. (8.75/10)
5. "The Dark Within" (4:37) guitar and strings open this one like a WILLIAM ACKERMAN tune. At 0:50 piano and woodwinds join in and it gets beautiful. At 1:30 double bass and percussion and vibes are added. It actually doesn't feel as dark as it feels full of 'disappointment' though it does get a little discordant toward the end. (9/10)
6. "Blurring Into Motion" (3:29) fast-picked acoustic guitars, piano, and soon, flute, start this weave. Strings join in at the end of the first minute (including bass). (8.5/10)
7. "From Pure Air" (4:05) harp and classical guitar open this one. A very gentle, soothing, calming song. (8.75/10)
8. "A Severed Circle" (4:35) another beautiful multi-instrumental weave that once again reminds me of the NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA though also some of Jesy Chiang's CICADA compositions as well. Very nice. A top three song. (9/10)
9. "The False Mirror" (3:28) More of the same; beautiful but basically background music. (8.67/10)
10. "Flicker Out of Being" (4:27) a pleasant song in which Marjana Semkina's beautiful, ethereal voice blends in as if it were another string or wind instrument. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)
11. "Between Two Worlds" (4:48) flute and chor anglais over guitars, vibraphone and piano in another fast shifting NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA-like song. Very nicely constructed tapestry. (8.75/10)
12. "Voice of Space" (6:35) slow and brooding piano, acoustic guitar, harp and vibes with secondary instruments providing chord accents every sixth whole note. Reminds me of many Pat Metheny song openings. Flute and winds take over lead melody over the top while celeste does another line in the middle. Strings eventually join in, thickening the weave. Another top three for me. (9.25/10)
Total time: 50:47
While the music here is beautiful--often calming or even soothing--and the compositions quite intricate and harmonically sophisticate, there is too much a "sameness" of the music and too often a lack of fully engaging melodies.
88.70 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; wonderful contribution of neo-chamber jazzy folk music of the mostly-acoustic kind; an excellent addition to any prog lover's
29. RETROSPECTIVE Latent Advidity
A nice return to form for these heavy proggers from Leszno (Poland). Like French band Children in Paradise (Dam Kat), they display a great command of how simple heavy prog can be. Plus they come up with great melodies.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jakub Roszak / lead vocal
- Beata Łagoda / keyboard, backing vocal
- Maciej Klimek / guitar
- Łukasz Marszałek / bass guitar
- Robert Kusik / drums
1. "Intro" (0:49) atmospherics with clock ticking. (4.5/5)
2. "Still There" (6:07) great opening chord--sound and sequence. Vocals in verse and chorus are quite engaging. Nice guitar solo in the second and third minutes. Great background vocals and SAGA-like finale. (9.25/10)
3. "Loneliness" (5:13) another great opening with female lead vocal stepping in from the start. Jakub Roszak provides some awesome background and harmony vocals. Great FLOCK OF SEAGULLS guitar to support the bridge between the first two verses (which becomes the foundation for the chorus later). Great song design and construction. (8.75/10)
4. "The Seed Has Been Sown" (7:32) a song that takes some surprising twists and turns--turning more spacious just when you expect the power chords, vocals going artsy when you expect metal screams. The song final pulses with the expected heaviness during the "C" instrumental part in support of the guitar solo but then turns very quiet with pregnant latency for a brief delicate vocal before another soaring, emotional guitar solo takes us to the end. (13.5/15)
5. "Stop for a While" (5:53) opens with gravelly voice of Jakub Roszak singing plaintively with only the support of a piano. Spacious electric guitar notes take over for the second verse before the full band kicks in with something cool. Great drumming here! Synth washes and background vocals support the next verse as Jakub sings in a higher octave. I really love this more-spacious version of Retrospective! Final verses are sung with equal vocal weight given to Jakub and Beata. It's a love song! Nice! Great finish with synths, steady bass and drums and sensitive guitar solo followed by Jakub and Beata repeating their shared story once more. Beautiful! (9.25/10)
6. "In the Middle of the Forest" (6:50) solid SYLVAN/LIZARD-esque song. (13/15)
7. "Programmed Fear" (5:24) opens with a little VOTUM-like sound (guitar arpeggi) but the near-militaristic drumming is a bit off-putting. Again, excellent vocal work on all layers. (8.5/10)
8. "What Will Be Next?" (10:41) A good, solid, engaging heavy prog epic. Great vocal harmonies in the final couple minutes. Great finish! (17.5/20)
88.68 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock on the heavy side. I swear: I'd rather listen to Retrospective than Riverside.
30. UNITED PROGRESSIVE FRATERNITY Planetary Overload, Part 1 - Loss
From the ashes of UNITOPIA, Mark Trueack marches on with his messages of human potential and spiritual possibility through melodic Neo Prog. In this current format, Mark seeks out collaborations from some of the all-stars of Prog and turns out stunningly beautiful and poignant musical compositions. A special shout out to the added value brought by Steve Unruh.
Planetary Overload, Part 1 - Loss is constructed and performed like an amazingly well-produced sound recording of an original cast performance of a stage musical on climate change.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Mark Trueack / vocals, composer, co-producer
- Steve Unruh / violin, guitars (electric, acoustic 12-string, slide), sitar, mandolin, flute, keyboards, congas, kalimba, floor tom, tabla, percussion, composer, co-producer
- Christophe Lebled / keyboards, piano, synths, soundscapes
- Cornel Wilczek / orchestration & conductor
- Matthew Atherton / synth, soundscapes, vocals
- Marek Arnold / sax
- Daniel Mash / bass
- Mark Franco / fretted & fretless basses
- Joe Toscano / drums, drum programming, vocals
With:
- Jon Davison / lead vocals (1,11)
- Lisa Wetton / vocals (1,3,10,11)
- Hasse Fröberg / vocals (5)
- Grace Bawden / soprano vocals (12)
- Angus Keay / guitar (2)
- Ettore Salati / electric & acoustic guitars and arrangements (3)
- Matt Williams / electric & acoustic guitars, bass, synth & vocals (7)
- Valentine Halembakov / guitar (9)
- Steve Hackett / nylon-string acoustic guitar (11)
- Michel St-Père / guitar (11)
- George Perdikis / guitar (8,10)
- Angelo Racz / keyboards (3)
- Raf Azaria / piano & synth solos and slide & electric guitars (3,4,12)
- Nick Magnus / keyboards & soundscapes (5,10,11)
- Alex Grata / piano, synthesizers, loops, electric & acoustic guitars and vocals (9)
- Gordo Bennett / keyboards & arrangements (11)
- Charlie Cawood / oud, saz, bouzouki, dulcimer, zither,sax, bass, guitar, pipa & liuqin (3,9)
- Marc Papeghin / French horn (11)
- Clive Hodson / alto sax, trombone, trumpet & flugelhorn (2,3,7,10)
- Brendon Darby / trumpet, digital trumpet & flugelhorn (2,3,8,10)
- Guillermo Cides / Chapman stick (2,12)
- Colin Edwin / fretless bass & soundscapes (5)
- Jerry Marotta / drums (2)
- David Hopgood / drums (7)
- Hans Jörg Schmitz / drums (5)
- Phill Sokha / drums (9)
- Jesús Gancedo García / drums (11,12)
- Satish Kumar / narration (1)
- Dr. James E. Hansen / narration (1,2)
- Sir David Attenborough / narration (1,5)
- Mark Maslin / narration (1,7)
- Dr. Jane Goodall / narration (1,10)
- Alanna Mitchell / narration (6)
- David Suzuki / narration (7)
- James Lovelock / narration (8)
- Little Brodie Byrne / spoken word (9)
- ?Ghost Girls? / haunting voices (9)
- Steve Unruh / violin, guitars (electric, acoustic 12-string, slide), sitar, mandolin, flute, keyboards, congas, kalimba, floor tom, tabla, percussion, composer, co-producer
- Christophe Lebled / keyboards, piano, synths, soundscapes
- Cornel Wilczek / orchestration & conductor
- Matthew Atherton / synth, soundscapes, vocals
- Marek Arnold / sax
- Daniel Mash / bass
- Mark Franco / fretted & fretless basses
- Joe Toscano / drums, drum programming, vocals
With:
- Jon Davison / lead vocals (1,11)
- Lisa Wetton / vocals (1,3,10,11)
- Hasse Fröberg / vocals (5)
- Grace Bawden / soprano vocals (12)
- Angus Keay / guitar (2)
- Ettore Salati / electric & acoustic guitars and arrangements (3)
- Matt Williams / electric & acoustic guitars, bass, synth & vocals (7)
- Valentine Halembakov / guitar (9)
- Steve Hackett / nylon-string acoustic guitar (11)
- Michel St-Père / guitar (11)
- George Perdikis / guitar (8,10)
- Angelo Racz / keyboards (3)
- Raf Azaria / piano & synth solos and slide & electric guitars (3,4,12)
- Nick Magnus / keyboards & soundscapes (5,10,11)
- Alex Grata / piano, synthesizers, loops, electric & acoustic guitars and vocals (9)
- Gordo Bennett / keyboards & arrangements (11)
- Charlie Cawood / oud, saz, bouzouki, dulcimer, zither,sax, bass, guitar, pipa & liuqin (3,9)
- Marc Papeghin / French horn (11)
- Clive Hodson / alto sax, trombone, trumpet & flugelhorn (2,3,7,10)
- Brendon Darby / trumpet, digital trumpet & flugelhorn (2,3,8,10)
- Guillermo Cides / Chapman stick (2,12)
- Colin Edwin / fretless bass & soundscapes (5)
- Jerry Marotta / drums (2)
- David Hopgood / drums (7)
- Hans Jörg Schmitz / drums (5)
- Phill Sokha / drums (9)
- Jesús Gancedo García / drums (11,12)
- Satish Kumar / narration (1)
- Dr. James E. Hansen / narration (1,2)
- Sir David Attenborough / narration (1,5)
- Mark Maslin / narration (1,7)
- Dr. Jane Goodall / narration (1,10)
- Alanna Mitchell / narration (6)
- David Suzuki / narration (7)
- James Lovelock / narration (8)
- Little Brodie Byrne / spoken word (9)
- ?Ghost Girls? / haunting voices (9)
- Dr. Cary Fowler / spoken word (11)
"- Phase I - Dawning On Us" :
1. "Loss (Anthem)" (3:25) droning instruments and voices, as if Nature were gathering for an early morning ritual or celebration. All kinds of comments by world scientists and elders are clipped over this introductory overture. By the second minute there is a congealing of instruments; by the third there is a wonderful layering of voices singing among the flutes, strings, harps, guitars, percussives, and violin. Has a refreshing JON ANDERSON Olias of Sunhillow feel to it. (9.5/10)
2. "What Happens Now" (4:04) a jazzy, cinematic (think "James Bond") backdrop to a multi-voiced rock opera about the realities of and human awakening to climate change. Powerful, masterfully engineered, just not the catchiest music. Feels as if it belongs on a stage with a full cast of actor/singer/dancers. (Is this possible, Mark?) (8.5/10)
3. "Cruel Times" (8:05) slow, steady, emotive pit orchestra music to support the important plaintive message of the singer. In the second half, the music goes on a walkabout to support the very jazzy soli of piano, violin, and multiple synths. Nice bass play beneath. A nice performance from a big chunk of the all-stars. Again, it all feels so theatric--as if it's all meant to be spread out over 90 minutes and accompanied by acting and choreographed dancing among professional sets, lighting, and costumes. (12/15)
4. "What Are We Doing To Ourselves" (3:19) berimbau, oud, bazouki, dulcimer and other instruments from various world folk traditions (thanks! Charlie Cawood!) participate in this atmospheric piece. Not unlike a nice early ALAN PARSONS PROJECT song. (10/10)
"- Phase II - Destraction and Destruction" :
5. "Stop-Time" (6:56) raw, raunchy rock'n'roll in the order of URIAH HEEP with some awesome clavinet (is that you Nick Magnus?) and guitar chord play arranged with vocal bursts often expressed during complete stops from the instrumental music. The multi-voice staging is brilliant--but so meant to be seen, on a theatrical stage! Great "dulcimer" solo in the fifth minute. Nice performances by guests Nick Magnus, Hasse Fröberg and Colin Edwin among others. (12.5/15)
6. "One More" (2:37) pensive guitar arpeggi with intermittent violins, fretless bass, and mandolin contributions behind Mark's succinctly voiced lyric. Brilliant voice clips spliced into the end. (4.5/5)
7. "Mercenaries" (6:48) again, theatric stage craft at its finest. I just want to see the play! Great contributions from the musicians--especially Steve Unruh. The frenzied, chaotic second half is sheer brilliance. What I'd give to see the stage presentation of this one--the lights, sets, costumes, and choreography. Not a fan of the "in the dead of the night" choral section in the sixth minute, but am very impressed by the guitarist. (Matt Williams?) (13/15)
8. "What If" (1:44) pensive performances from guitars, muted trumpets, and lead singer, Mark Trueack. (4.25/5)
9. "Forgive Me, My Son" (7:46) with kalimba and hand drums and other Sahara-area instruments providing the PETER GABRIEL sound--as well as Mark's vocal approach! (13.5/15)
"- Phase III - Growing" :
10. "Dying To Be Reborn" (5:19) Mark singing with a single acoustic guitar opens this one, but not for long as the full band jumps in before the end of 30 seconds. Really nice guitar and sitar work as fast moving chords of orchestral hits travel and build in the background. Then multi-voice "ba-ba-pas" with sitar and horns preempt a rock anthemic support for a great electric guitar solo. This ends and we return to the opening structure and palette (with a little more Nick Magnus magic added in the background). (8.5/10)
11. "Seeds For Life" (19:33) another Trueack song who's message may be more important, more beautiful than the music. Brilliant concept, wonderful construction, thank you! (Special thanks to the wonderful contributions on classical guitar by Steve Hackett.) (36/40)
12. "Loss To Lost" (5:15) opens with ocean sounds before dramatic piano, flutes and sitar float and flit in the mix. At 0:50 the music transitions into the body with a slightly Latin-based rhythm driving the rock instruments. Nice contributions from unusual world instruments--percussive and stringed. The vocalise of soprano Grace Bawden playing off of the subtle piano and violin work is really cool. A beautifully conceived, constructed, and performed song. My final top three song. (9.5/10)
Total time 74:51
If you're into rock opera, music theater, or musical stage craft of the importance and relevance of something like Hamilton or Jesus Christ Superstar you'll love this album. Also, if you look at that list of all-stars making their very real and integral contributions to this album, you will expect to think that you're in for some quality performances and exciting music--and you will be right! Check it out! Pick it up! You won't regret it!
88.59 on the Fishscales = B=/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of gorgeous progressive rock with a very important message for our current world.
31. JORDSJØ Nattfiolen
A band I've been following since their first Jord releases. I was highly critical of their initial releases due to their lack of maturity both as songwriters, instrumentalists, and cohesive band mates. This album displays how far they have come--as well as how hard they've worked. I'm so glad they took criticism well and continued to persevere cuz it's really paid off.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Håkon Oftung / vocals, guitar, flute, Hammond M100, Mellotron, Clavinet D6, ARP Pro Soloist
- Kristian Frøland / drums, triangle, percussion
With:
- Vilde Mertensen Storesund / backing vocals
- Ståle Langhelle / ARP Pro Soloist synth (2)
- Geir Opdal / Bucha Music Easel synth (7)
- Christian Meaas Svendsen / double bass (5)
- Håkon Knutzen / percussion, mixing
1. "Ouverture" (1:19) flute-driven acoustic instrumental (4/5)
2. "Stifinner" (7:52) opens with proggy bombast but the band is not rhythmically tight! Acoustic guitar sets tone for next section. Flutes, bass, drums, and organ join in before vocals and fuzzy electric guitars can enter. Lyrics, sung in Swedish, are adequate with a nice melody. There's a little 60s psychedelia in here, as well--in both sound and tension. The instrumental section in the third and fourth minutes has some amazing chord progressions with very nice soli over the top. Things slow down while a swirling organ arpeggio keeps things moving as flutes, fuzz guitar, bass, and percussive rhythm guitar add their flourishes and riffs. This morphs into a more whole-band section with some cohering power chords, but then acoustic guitars, bass and flute take over in a very beautiful, delicate section. The final minute has drums, spoken word, and a kind of GENESIS Trespass/Nursery Cryme ending. Nicely crafted; these guys have really matured. (13.5/15)
3. "Solens Sirkulære Sang" (7:39) opens feeling very much as if it could come from GENESIS' album Trespass but then moves into KING CRIMSON "Moonchild" territory. Despite the delicate instruments used by this band, they do a very convincing job of portending a deep and heavy mood. (12.75/15)
4. "Septemberbål" (1:49) a folk instrumental on some kind of lute-like instrument with some sounds and stylings that feel as though they came from the Late Mediæval or Renaissance worlds. (5/5)
5. "Mine Templer II" (6:29) flute over jazz guitar accompaniment is soon joined by piano, double bass, organ, and, later, drums. Suddenly at the 0:50 mark a fuzz guitar chord introduces an ominously heavier section--one that feels quite VDGG or DISCIPLINE-like. Piano trills, Stephen Stills-like guitar flourishes, and Hugh Banton-like organ play with multi-voice vocals. The fourth minute ends with a thicker whole-band theme before lapsing back into the ominous main theme. All instruments seem to take a turn offering their tasteful soli until it finally fades with Stills-guitar and Hammond. (14/15)
6. "Til Våren" (9:02) some CAMEL, YES, and GENESIS sounds and styles are melded into this one. When the music quiets down to allow for the singing to start it feels very much like WOBBLER. The music flows in the common A-B-A-C-A-B format with slight and over variations within each repetition of a section. The harmonized vocal sections happen to be my favorite parts of this one (which are, unfortunately, the "B" sections). (17/20)
7. "Ulvenatt" (5:45) feels like a smooth jazz remake of a pop ballad: it's pretty and melodic and bluesy but not the prog I gravitate to (more like CAMEL or some of FOCUS' old ballads). (8.25/10)
2. "Stifinner" (7:52) opens with proggy bombast but the band is not rhythmically tight! Acoustic guitar sets tone for next section. Flutes, bass, drums, and organ join in before vocals and fuzzy electric guitars can enter. Lyrics, sung in Swedish, are adequate with a nice melody. There's a little 60s psychedelia in here, as well--in both sound and tension. The instrumental section in the third and fourth minutes has some amazing chord progressions with very nice soli over the top. Things slow down while a swirling organ arpeggio keeps things moving as flutes, fuzz guitar, bass, and percussive rhythm guitar add their flourishes and riffs. This morphs into a more whole-band section with some cohering power chords, but then acoustic guitars, bass and flute take over in a very beautiful, delicate section. The final minute has drums, spoken word, and a kind of GENESIS Trespass/Nursery Cryme ending. Nicely crafted; these guys have really matured. (13.5/15)
3. "Solens Sirkulære Sang" (7:39) opens feeling very much as if it could come from GENESIS' album Trespass but then moves into KING CRIMSON "Moonchild" territory. Despite the delicate instruments used by this band, they do a very convincing job of portending a deep and heavy mood. (12.75/15)
4. "Septemberbål" (1:49) a folk instrumental on some kind of lute-like instrument with some sounds and stylings that feel as though they came from the Late Mediæval or Renaissance worlds. (5/5)
5. "Mine Templer II" (6:29) flute over jazz guitar accompaniment is soon joined by piano, double bass, organ, and, later, drums. Suddenly at the 0:50 mark a fuzz guitar chord introduces an ominously heavier section--one that feels quite VDGG or DISCIPLINE-like. Piano trills, Stephen Stills-like guitar flourishes, and Hugh Banton-like organ play with multi-voice vocals. The fourth minute ends with a thicker whole-band theme before lapsing back into the ominous main theme. All instruments seem to take a turn offering their tasteful soli until it finally fades with Stills-guitar and Hammond. (14/15)
6. "Til Våren" (9:02) some CAMEL, YES, and GENESIS sounds and styles are melded into this one. When the music quiets down to allow for the singing to start it feels very much like WOBBLER. The music flows in the common A-B-A-C-A-B format with slight and over variations within each repetition of a section. The harmonized vocal sections happen to be my favorite parts of this one (which are, unfortunately, the "B" sections). (17/20)
7. "Ulvenatt" (5:45) feels like a smooth jazz remake of a pop ballad: it's pretty and melodic and bluesy but not the prog I gravitate to (more like CAMEL or some of FOCUS' old ballads). (8.25/10)
Total time 39:55
Nicely crafted music--intricately constructed songs all. These guys have really matured.
88.23 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of intricately composed and performed prog music.
32. BIG BIG TRAIN - Grand Tour
Despite the departure of founding member Andy Poole Big Big Train have crafted one of the best albums I've heard from them since 2008's The Difference Machine. The return of a more frequent use of a more acoustic, folk-tinged sound combined with a diminished influx of bombast, pretense and Anglo-centricity makes this a much more enjoyable listening experience for me than much of the Dave Longdon-era BBT output.
Line-up / Musicians:
- David Longdon / lead & backing vocals, flute, guitar, mandolin, keyboard, percussion, co-producer
- Dave Gregory / electric & 12-string guitars
- Rikard Sjöblom / keyboards, electric & 12-string guitars, accordion, backing vocals
- Danny Manners / keyboards, double bass
- Rachel Hall / violin, viola, cello, backing vocals, string arrangements
- Greg Spawton / bass, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, brass arrangements, co-producer
- Nick D'Virgilio / drums, percussion, keyboard, guitar, backing vocals
With:
- John Hinchey / string arrangements
- Rick Wentworth / conductor
- Everton Nelson / violin, concertmaster
- Emil Chakalov, Richard George, Kathy Gowers, Oliver Heath, Ian Humphries, Martyn Jackson, Oli Langford, Kate Robinson, Nicky Sweeney / violin
- Max Baillie / viola
- Fiona Bonds / viola
- Jake Walker / viola
- Ian Burdge / cello
- Chris Allan / cello
- Tony Woollard / cello
- Paul Kimber / double bass
- Richard Pryce / double bass
- Dave Desmond / trombone, brass arrangements
- Ben Godfrey / cornet, trumpet
- Jon Truscott / tuba
- John Storey / euphonium
- Nick Stones / French horn
1. "Novum Organum" (2:33) sounds like glockenspiel, kalimba, and other hand percussives before piano joins in. Singer Dave Longdon soon enters. At least we try. (4.5/5)
2. "Alive" (4:31) opens sounding just like RUSH's "Subdivisions." A real upbeat, uptempo song to get your blood pumping. (8.75/10)
3. "The Florentine" (8:14) a folk rock opening with mostly acoustic instrumentation and strummed acoustic guitars fills out into a kind of Southern rock-tinged jam in the vein of THE OUTLAWS before coming round to a more majesterial STRAWBS-like finish. (13/15)
4. "Roman Stone" (13:33) (25.5/30):
- Part 1: Foundation
- Part 2: Rise
- Part 3: Ne Plus Ultra
- Part 4: Fall
- Part 5: Legacy
5. "Pantheon" (6:08) opens like an ANDREW LLOYD WEBER instrumental overture or bridge song before the real song slowly establishes itself, layer by layer, over the full length of the second minute. Surprisingly, it remains an instrumental, though stepping out of its original theatric clothing. (8.5/10)
6. "Theodora in Green and Gold" (5:38) piano-based opening allows Dave Longdon to sing one of his more emotive vocals in a lower, slightly softer register. One of my favorite vocals from Dave since his debut on the The Underfall Yard album. Some nice key and dynamic shifts also make this a top three song from me--including a lead vocal part for (I assume) Nick D'Virgilo in the second half. (9.25/10)
7. "Ariel" (14:28) (26.75/30):
- Part 1: Come Unto These Yellow Sands
- Part 2: Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs
- Part 3: New Place
- Part 4: O! There are Spirits of the Air
- Part 5: Music, When Soft Voices Die
- Part 6: Casa Magni, 1822
- Part 7: Approach, My Ariel, Come
- Part 8: Coda: The Triumph of Life
8. "Voyager" (14:03) (27.32/30)
- Part 1: On the Ocean 8.75
- Part 2: The Farthest Shore 9.25
- Part 3: The Pillars of Hercules 9
- Part 4: Further Beyond 9.5
- Part 5: Grand Finale 8.75
- Part 6: The Space Between the Stars 9.25
- Part 7: Homecoming 10
9. "Homesong" (5:12) opens as another folk song like something by IONA before the cool, driving piano, bass, and drums rhythm track settles into play. Horns and other instruments enter during the second verse to enrich the palette while also somewhat drowning out the cool rhythm theme. Electric guitar and violin trade solo flourishes beneath and within the music--even when Dave is singing. It's unusual to have Dave's lead voice mixed this far back into the music. I like it. More like the old BBT. (8.75/10)
Total Time 74:20
88.213 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and, overall, one of my favorite Big Big Train releases.
2. "Alive" (4:31) opens sounding just like RUSH's "Subdivisions." A real upbeat, uptempo song to get your blood pumping. (8.75/10)
3. "The Florentine" (8:14) a folk rock opening with mostly acoustic instrumentation and strummed acoustic guitars fills out into a kind of Southern rock-tinged jam in the vein of THE OUTLAWS before coming round to a more majesterial STRAWBS-like finish. (13/15)
4. "Roman Stone" (13:33) (25.5/30):
- Part 1: Foundation
- Part 2: Rise
- Part 3: Ne Plus Ultra
- Part 4: Fall
- Part 5: Legacy
5. "Pantheon" (6:08) opens like an ANDREW LLOYD WEBER instrumental overture or bridge song before the real song slowly establishes itself, layer by layer, over the full length of the second minute. Surprisingly, it remains an instrumental, though stepping out of its original theatric clothing. (8.5/10)
6. "Theodora in Green and Gold" (5:38) piano-based opening allows Dave Longdon to sing one of his more emotive vocals in a lower, slightly softer register. One of my favorite vocals from Dave since his debut on the The Underfall Yard album. Some nice key and dynamic shifts also make this a top three song from me--including a lead vocal part for (I assume) Nick D'Virgilo in the second half. (9.25/10)
7. "Ariel" (14:28) (26.75/30):
- Part 1: Come Unto These Yellow Sands
- Part 2: Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs
- Part 3: New Place
- Part 4: O! There are Spirits of the Air
- Part 5: Music, When Soft Voices Die
- Part 6: Casa Magni, 1822
- Part 7: Approach, My Ariel, Come
- Part 8: Coda: The Triumph of Life
8. "Voyager" (14:03) (27.32/30)
- Part 1: On the Ocean 8.75
- Part 2: The Farthest Shore 9.25
- Part 3: The Pillars of Hercules 9
- Part 4: Further Beyond 9.5
- Part 5: Grand Finale 8.75
- Part 6: The Space Between the Stars 9.25
- Part 7: Homecoming 10
9. "Homesong" (5:12) opens as another folk song like something by IONA before the cool, driving piano, bass, and drums rhythm track settles into play. Horns and other instruments enter during the second verse to enrich the palette while also somewhat drowning out the cool rhythm theme. Electric guitar and violin trade solo flourishes beneath and within the music--even when Dave is singing. It's unusual to have Dave's lead voice mixed this far back into the music. I like it. More like the old BBT. (8.75/10)
Total Time 74:20
88.213 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and, overall, one of my favorite Big Big Train releases.
33. THANK YOU SCIENTIST Terraformer
How is this not the runaway Best Progressive Rock Album of 2019? My theory is that it's because of the band's machine gun approach to instrument playing: it numbs the brain of the listener into a state of cowering apathy.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Salvatore Marrano / vocals
- Tom Monda / guitars, producer
- Ben Karas / violin
- Joe Gullace / trumpet
- Sam Greenfield / saxophone
- Cody McCorry / bass
- Joe Fadem / drums
1. "Wrinkle" (2:32) What an opener! So positive and upbeat! Reminds me of something from a MONOBODY or TREE TOPS album. (4.75/5)
2. "FXMLDR" (7:56) incredibly catchy melodies within a very complex, fast moving jazz tune. Reminds me of 3RDEGREE or MOTH VELLUM or very early RUSH ("Fly by Night")--or how bout if early RUSH and early KANSAS had merged! The very complex instrumental performances are so clean and tight! (14.5/15)
3. "Swarm" (6:25) Though the horns are smooth and melodic, this is the first song whose metal qualities make it a little grating to these ears. The chord, horn, and vocal melody lines are quite pleasant, it's just the pace and rapid-fire notes from drums, bass, rhythm guitar, and violin--excellently performed but just a bit overwhelming for my sensitive nervous system to accommodate--that is, until the smooth section in the fifth minute. Still, I cannot deny the amazingness of this song. (9/10)
4. "Son of a Serpent" (8:06) led by the stunning vocals of JOHANNES LULEY- and JOFF WILKS-sound-a-like Salvatore Marrano there is a fresh creativity to this song that is in its ability to bridge heavy and metal prog sounds and pacing (machine gun bass drumming, djenty fast-changing guitar chord sequences, chunky virtuosic bass). (14/15)
5. "Birdwatching" (3:41) very soft and scaled down in comparison to other songs. The vocal is central and delicate though very strong. I love the bass chords, the simpler yet insistent drums and the spacey keys. (8.75/10)
6. "Everyday Ghosts" (10:03) opens with some more sensitive though intricate instrumental displays, morphing into a bit of a Spanish sound as the horns come together, but then things turn a different direction to establish another quirky, spasmodic drive through some MOTH VELLUM-like territory (though always a little harsher and with more fast-paced charts from each of the instruments in the weave). Were it not for the fast technical speed of the instruments this might even be a kind of Journey-like classic rock song. As it is, it sounds a lot like a song from contemporaries FREDDEGREDDE or PERFECT BEINGS. (17/20)
7. "Chromology" (9:49) such virtuosic performances throughout the length of this frenetically paced frenzy of crazy weaves. Every single instrument in this ten-minute instrumental is on such a wild and yet tightly scripted contribution to the overall fabric, yet beautiful melodies are flying at us in the form of both single lines as well as those shaped by the amazing chord sequences. Despite all of these amazing displays, both individually and collectively, Cody McCorry's bass play steals this one! (And I am amazed by the way he is recorded so cleanly, so "visibly," so perfectly in the mix!) Definitely a "big band jazz" feel to this one. (18/20)
8. "Geronimo" (6:15) again JOHANNES LULEY comes to mind in this more sensitive song. A little sappy. More like a BIG BAD WOLF pop-jazz song. (8.25/10)
9. "Life of Vermin" (8:11) a trend here: the quality of the songs remain high the ability to suck me in and keep my attention seem to be diminishing as I move down the album's song list (except for "Chromology"). This one is creating the same effect on me that Rush albums do: can't keep me interested, inaccessible. It's a good song with excellent performances, just not a great song, not a fresh or refreshing arrangement. My theory is that my increasing boredom and inattentiveness is the result of the Franz Josef effect: "Too many notes!" My brain has become numb from being pulverized by too many notes! (12/15)
10. "Shatner's Lament" (1:13) a kind of horn-led jazzy Broadway interlude. (4.25/5)
11. "Anchor" (9:56) this sounds like a great song from a KLONE, VOLA, or even PLINI album. (17.5/20)
12. "New Moon" (2:01) floating, lilting on an old wind up clock, Sebastian sings about the effects of the new moon. (4.25/5)
13. "Terraformer" (8:07) is a song in which the horns are doubling up on notes within the chords being played by the rest of the rhythm section, thus, the song has a much more tech-metal feel to it than some of the others. The vocals here sound as if they come straight out of one of AC-DC's classic albums. Awesome guitar solo in the seventh minute. The band tightens up for the final minute into more of a classic rock spectrum--at least until that final instrumental 20 seconds. (13.125/15)
2. "FXMLDR" (7:56) incredibly catchy melodies within a very complex, fast moving jazz tune. Reminds me of 3RDEGREE or MOTH VELLUM or very early RUSH ("Fly by Night")--or how bout if early RUSH and early KANSAS had merged! The very complex instrumental performances are so clean and tight! (14.5/15)
3. "Swarm" (6:25) Though the horns are smooth and melodic, this is the first song whose metal qualities make it a little grating to these ears. The chord, horn, and vocal melody lines are quite pleasant, it's just the pace and rapid-fire notes from drums, bass, rhythm guitar, and violin--excellently performed but just a bit overwhelming for my sensitive nervous system to accommodate--that is, until the smooth section in the fifth minute. Still, I cannot deny the amazingness of this song. (9/10)
4. "Son of a Serpent" (8:06) led by the stunning vocals of JOHANNES LULEY- and JOFF WILKS-sound-a-like Salvatore Marrano there is a fresh creativity to this song that is in its ability to bridge heavy and metal prog sounds and pacing (machine gun bass drumming, djenty fast-changing guitar chord sequences, chunky virtuosic bass). (14/15)
5. "Birdwatching" (3:41) very soft and scaled down in comparison to other songs. The vocal is central and delicate though very strong. I love the bass chords, the simpler yet insistent drums and the spacey keys. (8.75/10)
6. "Everyday Ghosts" (10:03) opens with some more sensitive though intricate instrumental displays, morphing into a bit of a Spanish sound as the horns come together, but then things turn a different direction to establish another quirky, spasmodic drive through some MOTH VELLUM-like territory (though always a little harsher and with more fast-paced charts from each of the instruments in the weave). Were it not for the fast technical speed of the instruments this might even be a kind of Journey-like classic rock song. As it is, it sounds a lot like a song from contemporaries FREDDEGREDDE or PERFECT BEINGS. (17/20)
7. "Chromology" (9:49) such virtuosic performances throughout the length of this frenetically paced frenzy of crazy weaves. Every single instrument in this ten-minute instrumental is on such a wild and yet tightly scripted contribution to the overall fabric, yet beautiful melodies are flying at us in the form of both single lines as well as those shaped by the amazing chord sequences. Despite all of these amazing displays, both individually and collectively, Cody McCorry's bass play steals this one! (And I am amazed by the way he is recorded so cleanly, so "visibly," so perfectly in the mix!) Definitely a "big band jazz" feel to this one. (18/20)
8. "Geronimo" (6:15) again JOHANNES LULEY comes to mind in this more sensitive song. A little sappy. More like a BIG BAD WOLF pop-jazz song. (8.25/10)
9. "Life of Vermin" (8:11) a trend here: the quality of the songs remain high the ability to suck me in and keep my attention seem to be diminishing as I move down the album's song list (except for "Chromology"). This one is creating the same effect on me that Rush albums do: can't keep me interested, inaccessible. It's a good song with excellent performances, just not a great song, not a fresh or refreshing arrangement. My theory is that my increasing boredom and inattentiveness is the result of the Franz Josef effect: "Too many notes!" My brain has become numb from being pulverized by too many notes! (12/15)
10. "Shatner's Lament" (1:13) a kind of horn-led jazzy Broadway interlude. (4.25/5)
11. "Anchor" (9:56) this sounds like a great song from a KLONE, VOLA, or even PLINI album. (17.5/20)
12. "New Moon" (2:01) floating, lilting on an old wind up clock, Sebastian sings about the effects of the new moon. (4.25/5)
13. "Terraformer" (8:07) is a song in which the horns are doubling up on notes within the chords being played by the rest of the rhythm section, thus, the song has a much more tech-metal feel to it than some of the others. The vocals here sound as if they come straight out of one of AC-DC's classic albums. Awesome guitar solo in the seventh minute. The band tightens up for the final minute into more of a classic rock spectrum--at least until that final instrumental 20 seconds. (13.125/15)
Total Time 82:15
88.11 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece and an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. I think the lesson I've learned thanks to this album is that no matter how excellent are the musicians and how clever and technical the song constructs, a brain can only take so much of being constantly peppered by such an onslaught of notes.
34. A FORMAL HORSE Here Comes A Man From The Council With A Flamethrower
Interesting and mostly delightful indie prog punk from Angleterre. I am reminded of THE CARDIACS, FACTOR BURZACO, INNER EAR BRIGADE, HUMBLE GRUMBLE, PINGVINORKESTERN, BLONDIE, THE SMITHS, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, LENA LOVICH, TRACEY THORN, and a whole bunch of late 1970s and 1980s artists of a type of music that I was not into (short, guitar and lyric-based witty protest songs).
Line-up / Musicians:
- Hayley McDonnell / vocals
- Benjamin Short / guitars, vocals
- Russell Mann / bass
- Mike Stringfellow / drums
1. "Magazine Zooey Deschanel" (2:08) Nice lyric. (8.5/10)
2. "Bird" (2:35) Nice lyric. (8.5/10)
3. "I Just Called to Say I Like You" (3:49) Awesome vocalise. A top three song for me. (9.5/10)
4. "Petroleum" (2:55) (8.75/10)
5. "Boarded Doors in Bedford Place" (1:19) sounds like Tracey Thorn! (4.5/5)
6. "Bee" (3:40) like a PINGVINORKESTERN or INNER EAR BRIGADE song. (8.5/10)
7. "Last Track on Side Fun" (3:40) (8.25/10)
8. "Coda" (1:46) (4/5)
9. "Lonely Doe Young Doe" (3:47) a more sensitive, almost operatic side of Hayley. (a song about "roadkill"?!) Gets quite heavy in the instrumental mid-section. Another top three. (9/10)
10. "Here Comes a Man from the Council with a Flamethrower" (2:05) (8.25/10)
11. "Unison One" (1:56) an instrumental exercise in staying together in odd and syncopated time signatures. (4.5/5)
12. "Commons" (3:22) sounds like a previous song. Great vocal with nice vocal harmonies from the background vocalists. My third top three song. (9.25/10)
13. "Cherub" (2:07) an old-style, full-length 1960s pop song. Could be a BEATLES song. (9/10)
14. "Unison 3" (3:58) more odd tempoed, syncopated rhythm play in a complex, high-powered instrumental. Nice team work! (8.75/10)
15. "Boarded Doors Reprise" (0:48) not very similar to the first. (4.25/5)
16. "Anyway" (3:25) children's playground voices open this one before guitar and metallic guitar riffs establish the song structure and pace. Hayley singing in her lower registers. What a remarkable voice. Not unlike k.d. lang. Love the "scor-PIon" shift of voice into operatic soprano. (9/10)
Total Time: 43:34
2. "Bird" (2:35) Nice lyric. (8.5/10)
3. "I Just Called to Say I Like You" (3:49) Awesome vocalise. A top three song for me. (9.5/10)
4. "Petroleum" (2:55) (8.75/10)
5. "Boarded Doors in Bedford Place" (1:19) sounds like Tracey Thorn! (4.5/5)
6. "Bee" (3:40) like a PINGVINORKESTERN or INNER EAR BRIGADE song. (8.5/10)
7. "Last Track on Side Fun" (3:40) (8.25/10)
8. "Coda" (1:46) (4/5)
9. "Lonely Doe Young Doe" (3:47) a more sensitive, almost operatic side of Hayley. (a song about "roadkill"?!) Gets quite heavy in the instrumental mid-section. Another top three. (9/10)
10. "Here Comes a Man from the Council with a Flamethrower" (2:05) (8.25/10)
11. "Unison One" (1:56) an instrumental exercise in staying together in odd and syncopated time signatures. (4.5/5)
12. "Commons" (3:22) sounds like a previous song. Great vocal with nice vocal harmonies from the background vocalists. My third top three song. (9.25/10)
13. "Cherub" (2:07) an old-style, full-length 1960s pop song. Could be a BEATLES song. (9/10)
14. "Unison 3" (3:58) more odd tempoed, syncopated rhythm play in a complex, high-powered instrumental. Nice team work! (8.75/10)
15. "Boarded Doors Reprise" (0:48) not very similar to the first. (4.25/5)
16. "Anyway" (3:25) children's playground voices open this one before guitar and metallic guitar riffs establish the song structure and pace. Hayley singing in her lower registers. What a remarkable voice. Not unlike k.d. lang. Love the "scor-PIon" shift of voice into operatic soprano. (9/10)
Total Time: 43:34
87.86 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music of a kind of Indie Prog Punk variation.
This is an album that really grows on you as you listen to it--especially with repeated listens. Hayley McDonnell is an extremely talented singer, storyteller, and lyricist (unless someone else is writing the lyrics that she's singing.)
P.S. If you like this you will probably LOVE Inner Ear Brigade, Pingvinorkestern, and Ut Gret.
35. DEVIN TOWNSEND Empath
I have to admit that I lood forward to every Devin Townsend album despite the fact that I rarely come away wanting to hear them again. I just appreciate this guy's unique genius and unpredictable chameleonic eclecticism. What a talent.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Devin Townsend / vocals, guitar, bass, synth, computer, orchestrations, co-producer, mixing
With:
- Rayne Townsend / vocals
- Elliot Desgagnés / death metal vocals (2-5,7,10)
- Ché Aimee Dorval / vocals (2)
- Adam Getgood / vocals (5)
- Josefa Torres / vocals (5)
- Chad Kroeger / vocals (6)
- Jess Vaira / vocals (8)
- Anneke Van Giersbergen / vocals (6,10,bonus 2)
- The Elektra Women's Choir / chorus vocals (2-5,7-10)
- Moma Edmundson /choir director
- Mike Keneally / guitar & keyboards (2,7,8,10), vocals (8), co-producer
- Shaun Verreault / pedal steel guitar
- Ryan Dhale / guitar & keyboards (8)
- Scott Reinson / guitar & keyboards (8)
- Steve Vai / guitar solo (10)
- Callum Marinho / whistle (10)
- Nathan Navarro / bass
- Anup Sastry / drums
- Morgan Ågren / drums
- Sam Paulicelli / drums
- The Lords Of The Sound / orchestra
- Erik Severinsen / arrangements, vocals (8)
- Niels Bye Nielsen / orchestrations
- Ron Getgood / spoken voice (5)
1. "Castaway" (2:29) spacious echo guitar--to Hawaii and beyond! With the joinder of the angelic choir for the final minute, this must be suggesting that we have arrived at Heaven. (4.5/5)
2. "Genesis" (6:06) where this song begins and "Castaway" ends is unsure, but I'm filled with a kind of ecstatic religiosity as I listen to this (aren't I?). Weird timelessness to this: it has moments that seem to span all of my six decades. You sure you weren't channeling EDGE OF SANITY (Crimson) when you created this, Devy? (8.25/10)
3. "Spirits will Collide" (4:40) This is the first song I heard from Empath. My reaction was similar to the one I had when I first heard Kirk Franklin's "Stomp!" and The Nu Nation Project in the late 1990s: someone taking church/religious music into a (refreshing) new direction. A church choir! (Is Devvy a Christian rocker?) With hard-drivin' rock/metal. I'm also reminded of the Christian thrash metal song from the 1990s in which the lead singer screamed one word, "repent," the entire song. This is not those songs or artists, but the one-track, one-dimensionality of this song does remind me of songs like those. (7.75/10)
4. "Evermore" (5:30) contains some very interesting dynamics, styles, transitions, and messages but, to these ears/mind it's too disjointed and all-over the place; there's not enough coherence and directness here to make a point. (7.75/10)
5. "Sprite" (6:37) Devy's contribution to fairy tales (in the UTOPIA "Singring" tradition). Dull and one-dimensional for over half of the song, then, after it goes church-religious, too weird (though I do like the Tangerine Dream-like fairy-travels bit in sixth minute). Devy's really stretching himself with the Celtic sprite in the beginning to the Gollum finish. (8.25/10)
6. "Hear Me" (6:30) sounds like cartoon music. Until the women's choir joins in. Then Devy takes over and it really is loony toons. The chorus is decent. The group skill to keep in time is insane (unless it's all auto-synced.) The song actually works because of the contrast of extremes. (8.75/10)
7. "Why?" (4:59) opens like a BBC theme song. Boy, Devy has a gorgeous voice. I truly wish he would sing more like this--give Josh Grobin and Roy Orbison a run for their money. LOL! (9/10)
8. "Borderlands" (11:03) a wild hodge-podge of styles melded into "one" while, thankfully, staying away from the freneticism of thrash/doom styles. I LOVE the centre section (ending with "it's tragic, it's love"). (18/20)
9. "Requiem" (2:47) an interlude into heavenly clouds and eternal light. Again, this talented dude could compose music for any genre he likes! GORGEOUS cinematic choir piece! (5/5)
10. "Singularity" (23:33) an excellent song with great movement, great stylistic shifts and development, brilliant use of his choir and, believe it or not, less thrash metal walls of sound than I'm used to hearing on a Devin song. My one beef with this (and many of Devvy's songs) is that we get sensitive, angelic pre-pubescent- and Josh Grobin-like vocals alternated with Ziltoid growls, doom metal guitars, and machine gun bass drumming: Is Devy all tongue-in-cheek--is he just laughing as he makes this music and laughing at us for taking it seriously?
Nice to hear him shredding in refreshing ways in the "Silicon Scientists" section. Nice to hear the uplifting feel and message of the final "Here Comes the Sun" section. (45.5/50):
- Part 1 - Adrift (4.75/5) 2. "Genesis" (6:06) where this song begins and "Castaway" ends is unsure, but I'm filled with a kind of ecstatic religiosity as I listen to this (aren't I?). Weird timelessness to this: it has moments that seem to span all of my six decades. You sure you weren't channeling EDGE OF SANITY (Crimson) when you created this, Devy? (8.25/10)
3. "Spirits will Collide" (4:40) This is the first song I heard from Empath. My reaction was similar to the one I had when I first heard Kirk Franklin's "Stomp!" and The Nu Nation Project in the late 1990s: someone taking church/religious music into a (refreshing) new direction. A church choir! (Is Devvy a Christian rocker?) With hard-drivin' rock/metal. I'm also reminded of the Christian thrash metal song from the 1990s in which the lead singer screamed one word, "repent," the entire song. This is not those songs or artists, but the one-track, one-dimensionality of this song does remind me of songs like those. (7.75/10)
4. "Evermore" (5:30) contains some very interesting dynamics, styles, transitions, and messages but, to these ears/mind it's too disjointed and all-over the place; there's not enough coherence and directness here to make a point. (7.75/10)
5. "Sprite" (6:37) Devy's contribution to fairy tales (in the UTOPIA "Singring" tradition). Dull and one-dimensional for over half of the song, then, after it goes church-religious, too weird (though I do like the Tangerine Dream-like fairy-travels bit in sixth minute). Devy's really stretching himself with the Celtic sprite in the beginning to the Gollum finish. (8.25/10)
6. "Hear Me" (6:30) sounds like cartoon music. Until the women's choir joins in. Then Devy takes over and it really is loony toons. The chorus is decent. The group skill to keep in time is insane (unless it's all auto-synced.) The song actually works because of the contrast of extremes. (8.75/10)
7. "Why?" (4:59) opens like a BBC theme song. Boy, Devy has a gorgeous voice. I truly wish he would sing more like this--give Josh Grobin and Roy Orbison a run for their money. LOL! (9/10)
8. "Borderlands" (11:03) a wild hodge-podge of styles melded into "one" while, thankfully, staying away from the freneticism of thrash/doom styles. I LOVE the centre section (ending with "it's tragic, it's love"). (18/20)
9. "Requiem" (2:47) an interlude into heavenly clouds and eternal light. Again, this talented dude could compose music for any genre he likes! GORGEOUS cinematic choir piece! (5/5)
10. "Singularity" (23:33) an excellent song with great movement, great stylistic shifts and development, brilliant use of his choir and, believe it or not, less thrash metal walls of sound than I'm used to hearing on a Devin song. My one beef with this (and many of Devvy's songs) is that we get sensitive, angelic pre-pubescent- and Josh Grobin-like vocals alternated with Ziltoid growls, doom metal guitars, and machine gun bass drumming: Is Devy all tongue-in-cheek--is he just laughing as he makes this music and laughing at us for taking it seriously?
Nice to hear him shredding in refreshing ways in the "Silicon Scientists" section. Nice to hear the uplifting feel and message of the final "Here Comes the Sun" section. (45.5/50):
- Part 2 - I Am I (5/5)
- Part 3 - There Be Monsters (9/10)
- Part 4 - Curious Gods (8/10)
- Part 5 - Silicon Scientists (9.75/10)
- Part 6 - Here Comes the Sun (9/10)
Total Time 74:08
Devin Townsend is a genius: he is uber-creative, mega-talented, warped, and totally unique. It this is an album that I'll want to revisit. I like it!
Devin Townsend is a genius: he is uber-creative, mega-talented, warped, and totally unique. It this is an album that I'll want to revisit. I like it!
87.68 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
36. AIDAN BAKER The Forever Tapes
A Canadian ex-pat living in Berlin, Germany, Aidan has obviously soaked up some of the rhythmic history flowing in his new homeland's Kosmische Wasser cuz he does some pretty good CAN channelling here.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Aidan Baker / guitars, bass, keyboards, drum machine, vocals
1. "Night Drive" (5:09) part CAN, part LANDBERK, part early SIMPLE MINDS, part LOBOTOMY BROTHERS, this one has some real familiarity to it--though I know it is original. Not great musicianship on display. I like the whispered "ghost vocals" that enter in the fourth minute. (8/10)
2. "Fragmentary Beings" (4:05) interesting four-instrument weave on which several of the tracks have trouble staying synched up with the others. I wonder if Aidan has ever heard any West Indian Girl or PerPLeXa music. (8.66667/10)
3. "In the Meadow" (4:52) sounds so much like something by Robert Schurgin/Jonathan Wald's PeRPLeXa, though there are also definite elements of BARK PSYCHOSIS, STEVE JANSEN, and even his brother, DAVID SYLVIAN. Cool psychedelic groove. (9/10)
4. "Becoming Impulse" (4:03) more CAN-like foundational stuff with interesting ancillary percussives and synth pulsing like something from a 1980s TALKING HEADS album. Aidan's soft singing enters in the third minute. The words can be made out: they're almost like the incantation for a spell. (8.75/10)
5. "Climbing into Light" (5:02) angelic synth sounds and synth washes and indecipherable whisper samples all woven together with a deep bass line and distant snare drumming open this one before Aidan's distant echo-"ghost vocals" enter to sing a children's self-medicating bedtime nursery rhyme. Very cool soundscape which all, sadly, starts to fade out at the end of the fourth minute(!). (8.875/10)
6. "In & Out of Darkness" (6:38) like a variation of the previous song's theme, opens with expanding and contracting Farfisa organ chords while more distant "ghost vocal" whispers provide a constant river in the middle/background. Electric piano enters to give the song some more structure while the voices rise and fall, move forward and backward in the mix, giving the feeling that they are moving around, even threatening to "break the fourth wall": come out of the sound box. The long organ outro is rather Eno-esque. (8.75/10)
7. "Anglev" (4:39) Sounds A LOT like the music from NEON HEART's debut album--especially "Dagar försvinner" and "Till dig ännu en gång"--both of which I LOVE. Unfortunately, there is very little variation or development once the full palette of instruments is gathered. (8.875/10)
8. "Synaptic Firing" (4:30) and Jaki and Holger firing, too! Nice CAN-like groove. (9/10)
9. "Lurking in Some Corner" (6:15) here channelling a little MARK HOLLIS via computer, sampler, and a Massive Attack/Bark Psychosis filter. (8.875/10)
10. "Lost Keys" (5:42) nice groove over which Aidan lays down some nice space-guitar and ghost vocals.Something goes horribly wrong (intentionally) with the timing of the multi-tracks third minute and never really gets rectified. I like the ALIO DIE finish. (8.75/10)
Total Time 50:55
I sense some of the genius of ROBERT JAMES (West Indian Girl), GRAHAM SUTTON (Bark Psychosis), KEVIN SHIELDS (My Bloody Valentine), DAVID SYLVIAN, HOLGER CZUKAY, REINE FISKE, in the music on this album. Some of the songs are quite simple or flawed in one aspect of musicianship or another, giving the impression that Aidan was rushing--trying to finish or get on to the next idea or track--as if they didn't/don't matter!?!?!???
87.59 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent contribution of experimental/modern electronic Krautrock. I just wish Aidan had spent a little more time with these pieces to either develop them further or at least to polish them.
37. ROBERT JAN STIPS - SUPERSISTER PROJEKT 2019 - Restis Repus
RJS is the founder and key composer, keyboard player, and singer of the early Canterbury band, SUPERSISTER. Once he left the band around 1974 (to join GOLDEN EARRING--after their world-wide hit album, Moontan with the monster hit, "Radar Love") here, in 2019, RJS reveals a collection of songs that are either holdovers from that early 1970s period of his life or recent compositions that demonstrate how deeply the SUPERSISTER spirit has held steadfast within him. Refreshing in their upbeat, fun, and beautiful melodies, they remind one of how special those 1971-73 Supersister albums were
Line-up / Musicians:
Robert Jan Stips (The Nits) / Keyboards,Vocals (3,8)
With:
Peter Calicher / Keyboards (7,9)
Bart Wijtman / Bass (1,2,4,9,10)
Rinus Gerritsen / Bass (5-7,11)
Bart van Gorp / Bass Trombone (1,4-7,9-11)
Cesar Zuiderwijk / Drums (5,7,10,11)
Leon Klaasse / Drums (2)
Marco Vrolijk / Drums (4)
Rob Wijtman / Drums (6)
Rob Kloet (The Nits) / Drums (1,9,10)
Henk Hofstede (The Nits) / Vocals (1,10)
Joke Geraets (The Nits) / Vocals (1,10)
Freek de Jonge / Narrator (10)
Junior Huigen / Trombone (1,4-7,11)
Marieke Brokamp / Violin (1,4-7,9-11)
Thijs Kramer / Violin (4-7,9-11)
1. "I Am You Are Me / Transmitter" (4:44) (10/10)
2. "Memories Are New IV" (3:26) (8.5/10)
3. "For You And For Nobody Else" (7:59) (12.5/15)
4. "Sister Talk 1" (0:44) (4/5)
5. "Max Eco" (3:00) (8.25/10)
6. "Hope To See You There Again" (5:28) cool song that plays out like a cinematically emotional Post Rock song. (9.25/10)
7. "Yellow Days" (4:31) (10/10)
8. "Sister Talk 2" (0:35) (4.25/5)
9. "Next Door Movie" (3:12) another nice soundtrack song (8.5/10)
10. "Cuckoo" (3:58) live one room stage recording? Too goofy--though I like Robert Jan's narrative in the second minute. (7/10)
11. "Hope To See You Again" (1:24) (5/5)
Total Time 39:01
87.25 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a welcome contribution from one of the early leaders of the Canterbury sound and a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.
38. THE ANCESTRY PROGRAM Tomorrow
Heavy Neo Prog perhaps in the vein of countrymates SYLVAN but, to these ears, more like now-defunct Aussie proggers, UNITOPIA and some of Arjun Lucassen's AYREON albums. This year's satisfier of my need for djenty guitars with beautiful atmospheric synth-washed melodies and GREAT vocals.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Andy Lind / drums, keys, vox
- Thomas Burlefinger / keyboards, guitars, basses
- Mani Gruber / guitars, keys, vox
- Ben Knabe / voices
1. "Intro" (1:16)
1. "Intro" (1:16)
2. "Silver Laughter" (8:46) wonderfully engaging music and vocals bouncing from melodic symphonic sounds to heavy guitar riffs, this is Neo Prog at its best--like UNITOPIA taken to the A Level. I love the multiple ways the engineering staff chooses to treat and locate lead singer Ben Knabe's voice throughout. (18.5/20)
3. "Pun Intended" (7:24) opens with some funny-punny lyrics and music. There's a little QUEEN-meets-THE CLASH feel to this until it turns into a nice DEVIN TOWNSEND piece with the chorus. The clavinet-supported Jeff-Beck-like instrumental guitar section in the fourth minute is unexpected--as is the death metal screams that follow. Even Yes and KANSAS' "Carry on Your Wayward Son" are conjured up several times in this complex, convoluted song. Interesting, refreshing, and, ultimately, entertaining if not thoroughly engaging. (13/15)
4. "Another Way To Fly" (6:27) opens with some great bass-grounded Neo Prog sound like Nick Beggs or IQ before synth-support and treated vocal enters in the second half of the second minute. In fact, there is quite a little similarity to the sound of LIFESIGNS' debut album on this song. Great chorus (that I can't stop humming long after the album has finished). (9/10)
5. "Easy For Us" (10:01) more UNITOPIA sounds in the one minute intro. I love the delicately fingered electric guitar! Great bass with multi-layered guitar soundscape over which another awesome Ben Knabe vocal performance occurs. There's even a little DOVES sound here (in the chorus) just before the song goes (briefly) screamin' heavy. The instrumental section that follows has some very nice understated guitar and synth soli. I also love the gentle and prolonged end section. (18.5/20)
6. "More To This" (9:27) solid but lacking in development (too lyric-dependent for me) and having a poor chorus. (15.34/20)
7. "Tomorrow" (11:12) opens like a DOVES song, gorgeous multi-vocal weave over organ until at lead vocal pops up right in front of us at 1:12. Chunky intermittent bass riffs appear as synths washes fill the background until guitar arpeggi at 2:11 signal an amping up--which occurs big time ten seconds later. Powerful though the vocal melodies are not engaging to me (nor are they quite fitting with the music). Perhaps the mix of the instrumentation is too big, too forward, making the vocals seem really small and distant. (17/20)
3. "Pun Intended" (7:24) opens with some funny-punny lyrics and music. There's a little QUEEN-meets-THE CLASH feel to this until it turns into a nice DEVIN TOWNSEND piece with the chorus. The clavinet-supported Jeff-Beck-like instrumental guitar section in the fourth minute is unexpected--as is the death metal screams that follow. Even Yes and KANSAS' "Carry on Your Wayward Son" are conjured up several times in this complex, convoluted song. Interesting, refreshing, and, ultimately, entertaining if not thoroughly engaging. (13/15)
4. "Another Way To Fly" (6:27) opens with some great bass-grounded Neo Prog sound like Nick Beggs or IQ before synth-support and treated vocal enters in the second half of the second minute. In fact, there is quite a little similarity to the sound of LIFESIGNS' debut album on this song. Great chorus (that I can't stop humming long after the album has finished). (9/10)
5. "Easy For Us" (10:01) more UNITOPIA sounds in the one minute intro. I love the delicately fingered electric guitar! Great bass with multi-layered guitar soundscape over which another awesome Ben Knabe vocal performance occurs. There's even a little DOVES sound here (in the chorus) just before the song goes (briefly) screamin' heavy. The instrumental section that follows has some very nice understated guitar and synth soli. I also love the gentle and prolonged end section. (18.5/20)
6. "More To This" (9:27) solid but lacking in development (too lyric-dependent for me) and having a poor chorus. (15.34/20)
7. "Tomorrow" (11:12) opens like a DOVES song, gorgeous multi-vocal weave over organ until at lead vocal pops up right in front of us at 1:12. Chunky intermittent bass riffs appear as synths washes fill the background until guitar arpeggi at 2:11 signal an amping up--which occurs big time ten seconds later. Powerful though the vocal melodies are not engaging to me (nor are they quite fitting with the music). Perhaps the mix of the instrumentation is too big, too forward, making the vocals seem really small and distant. (17/20)
Total Time 43:21
86.98 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice Neo Prog contribution to the Prog catalogue. It's as if UNITOPIA went on break and came back better than ever!
39. OPETH In Cauda Venenum
As my esteemed colleague siLLy puPPy stated in his review of this same album, the OPETH sound has never been one to draw me into the fold of Opeth lovers (or haters, for that matter). I totally respect and admire Mikael Åkerfeldt's tremendous talent and commitment to progressive rock music--it's on a par with that of prolific stalwarts STEVE HACKETT, STEVEN WILSON, and ROINE STOLT. And I completely recognize the masterful performance skills of all musicians involved, I'm just not drawn back to any Opeth music--songs, albums, periods, or styles. It all washes over me--wows me while I listen, but then I'm done, I leave and move on.
"Heart in Hand" is the standout song for me. It's awesome! It kicks some ass and haunts me like the ear-candy of Terry Jacks or ABBA. I happen to like the Swedish version better because I can't understand a word the singer is singing which plays perfectly into my disability of only hearing voices as other contributors to the overall weave of music--as creators of threads of linear melody making, just like another instrument. (I cannot sing the entire lyric of any song--even my favorite songs from childhood--because I do not have a compartment in my brain for the comprehension of their meanings). Still, the heavy first half and the gorgeous sensitive second work for me! Some of the others feel/sound like other OXYGEN radio play bands or like Grunge era classics, Jimmy Page acoustic stuff. I also like the subtle intricacies throughout "Continuum."
As my esteemed colleague siLLy puPPy stated in his review of this same album, the OPETH sound has never been one to draw me into the fold of Opeth lovers (or haters, for that matter). I totally respect and admire Mikael Åkerfeldt's tremendous talent and commitment to progressive rock music--it's on a par with that of prolific stalwarts STEVE HACKETT, STEVEN WILSON, and ROINE STOLT. And I completely recognize the masterful performance skills of all musicians involved, I'm just not drawn back to any Opeth music--songs, albums, periods, or styles. It all washes over me--wows me while I listen, but then I'm done, I leave and move on.
"Heart in Hand" is the standout song for me. It's awesome! It kicks some ass and haunts me like the ear-candy of Terry Jacks or ABBA. I happen to like the Swedish version better because I can't understand a word the singer is singing which plays perfectly into my disability of only hearing voices as other contributors to the overall weave of music--as creators of threads of linear melody making, just like another instrument. (I cannot sing the entire lyric of any song--even my favorite songs from childhood--because I do not have a compartment in my brain for the comprehension of their meanings). Still, the heavy first half and the gorgeous sensitive second work for me! Some of the others feel/sound like other OXYGEN radio play bands or like Grunge era classics, Jimmy Page acoustic stuff. I also like the subtle intricacies throughout "Continuum."
The hard-drivin'/heavy vs. soft/delicate interplay is okay once or twice but in every song (sauf the opener)? Not even Pearl Jam can get away with that! There are no bad songs, not even any "bad" sections of songs--I even enjoy/smile at the forays into new and unusual musical styles Mikael has the band explore (á la GINO VANELLI-like "Garroter").
1. Garden Of Earthly Delights (3:29) (7.5/10)
2. Dignity (6:37) (8.75/10)
3. Heart In Hand (8:30) (19/20)
4. Next Of Kin (7:10) (12.75/15)
5. Lovelorn Crime (6:34) (8.25/10)
6. Charlatan (5:29) (8.5/10)
7. Universal Truth (7:22) (12.25/15)
8. The Garroter (6:44) (13/15)
9. Continuum (7:23) (13.5/15)
10. All Things Will Pass (8:31 (8.25/20)
All in all this album sounds like a more complicated, more mature form of early 1970s URIAH HEEP.
86.96 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection despite the Jeckyll and Hyde musical circles it leads one in.
Special Mentions:
DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS American Love Call
A recent phenom that has seemingly reluctantly risen out of the cornfields of Bloomington, Indiana, this is one of those "retro" bands (or more recently called "soul revival") that has taken the classic artists and sounds that inspire them beyond the art of imitation; they have created fucking gorgeous, timeless music that is all their own--and I, a Detroit born, soul/R&B loving music lover am so glad they have! More power to Durand and Aaron and the band!
The Rankings for 2019
1. TIRILL Said the Sun to the Moon
2. THIEVES' KITCHEN Genius Loci
2. THIEVES' KITCHEN Genius Loci
3. MONKEY3 Spheres
4. JAMBINAI Onde
5. THE TEA CLUB If / When
6. SEVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR The? Lie
7. BLACK MIDI Schlagenheim
8. SONAR with DAVID TORN Tranceportation Vol. 1
9.
THE LOOMINGS Hey, Weirdo!
10. MELTING CLOCK Destiniazioni
11. THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE Mother's Tales
12. HAMMOCK Silencia
13. BENT KNEE You Know What They Mean
14. KARFAGEN Echoes from Within The Dragon's Island
15. ARNAUD BUKWALD La marmite cosmique V
16. MONO Nowhere, Now Here
17. STEVE UNRUH Precipice
18. FUZZ PUDDLE Speciecide
19. FLY PAN AM C'est ça
20. ELECTRIC ASTURIAS Trinity
21. MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE Night Dreams & Wishes
22. STEVE HAUSCHILDT Nonlin
23. MOTORPSYCHO The Crucible
24. CONSIDER THE SOURCE You Are Literally a Metaphor
25. CONQUEROR In orbita
26. IAMTHEMORNING The Bell
27. DIZZY MYSTICS Wanderlost
28. EX CANIX Shaman
29. MOTHER TURTLE Three Sides to Every Story
30. CHARLIE CAWOOD Blurring Into Motion
31. RETROSPECTIVE Latent Advidity
32. UNITED PROGRESSIVE FRATERNITY Planetary Overload, Part 1 - Loss
33. JORDSJØ Nattfiolen
34. BIG BIG TRAIN Grand Tour
35. THANK YOU SCIENTIST Terraformer
36. FORMAL HORSE Here Comes a Man from the Council with a Flamethrower
37. DEVIN TOWNSEND Empath
38. AIDAN BAKER The Forever Tapes
39. ROBERT JAN STIPS - SUPERSISTER PROJEKT 2019 - Restis Repus
40. THE ANCESTRY PROGRAM Tomorrow
Honorable Mentions:
OPETH In Cauda Venenum
DIAGONAL Arc
IQ Resistance
ALIO DIE & INDALASKA Tempus Fugit
Special Mention:
DE LORIANS De Lorians
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