Somewhere beneath the level of timeless masterpiece status lies a group of albums whose quality and merit deserve categorization of something like "near-masterpiece." These are albums that have either achieved a Fishermetric score of between 90.0 and 87.0 or whose high points or quality level make it remarkable enough to remain affixed in my memory.
From the Year 2006, you will find below, 9 albums and 3 EPs releases deserving, in my opinion, of the "near-masterpiece" designation.
4.5 Stars; Near-Masterpieces
(Ratings of 89.99 to 86.67)
10. KARDA ESTRA The Age of Enlightenment
Another great Karda Estra album, with one of the best pieces Richard Wileman has ever composed and performed, the four-part neo-classical suite, "The Return of John Deth" (clocking in at almost 24 minutes) (10/10), the rest is just not on the same masterpiece level as Eve, or Constellations, IMHO. One of KE's darker albums with top notch, virtuosic performances all around. Richard's acoustic guitar work stands out especially on this one, while Ileesha Bailey's vocal contributions are mixed a bit farther into the background than usual--as are the woodwinds--but it all works, it all feels--like the eery Goth chamber music it was intended to be! Man I love this group!
Other great songs: "Second Star" (7:36) (9/10); "Carmilla" (4:30) (9/10); "Bones in the Moonlight" (8:12), and "Talos" (4:27) (8/10).
90.0 on the Fish scales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
Other great songs: "Second Star" (7:36) (9/10); "Carmilla" (4:30) (9/10); "Bones in the Moonlight" (8:12), and "Talos" (4:27) (8/10).
90.0 on the Fish scales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
11. FROST* Milliontown
An awesome debut from producer/keyboardist JEM GODFREY's prog alter ego. One might consider this lineup a bit of an "all-star" band or "supergroup."
- John Mitchell / guitars, vocals
- John Boyes/ guitars
- Jem Godfrey / keyboards, alto vocals, composer & producer
- John Jowitt / bass
- Andy Edwards / drums
1. "Hyperventilate" (7:31) as nearly perfect a modern prog song as it gets; one for the ages (15/15)
2. "No Me No You" (6:06) Jem trying to be Porcupine Tree or Opeth? Nothing new or inviting here.(7.5/10)
3. "Snowman" (3:55) The Beatles doing BBC TV soundtrack music. (8/10)
4. "The Other Me" (4:51) opens sounding like an XTC song from the 1980s before the PETER GABRIEL "The Tower that Ate People" wall of sound hits 30 seconds in. As a matter of fact, until the chorus, this song sounds very much like an alternate version of "Tower"--and then picks it right back up in the instrumental section. (8.5/10)
5. "Black Light Machine" (10:06) very nice baseline weave of sounds and patterns supports another standard vocal. John Mitchell's guitar brilliance really comes shining through on this one (his three extended soli are by far the highlights of the song). (17.25/20)
6. "Milliontown" (26:35) (46.5/50) :
- a) One Underground - piano-based with distorted lead vocal.
- b) Abracadaver - heavy injection of full-on GENESIS-like NeoProg. All band members are running on high octane, giving very impressive performances on their respective instruments. I love the bass effect in the quieter vocal section in the sixth minute.
- c) The Only Survivors - a little musical simplicity invites the listener in, to relax and enjoy the melodies while storyteller and instrumentalists flash in and out. Things get heavier and thicker at the end of the tenth minute and then there is a wonderful shift into an odd time signature that the band exploits brilliantly and emphatically in quite the symphonic way. Probably the best passage on the album. Shifting dynamics over the next few minutes are awesome until we come to astripped-down BEATLES-esque passage.
- d) Core - far more subtle and nuanced with chord and individual notes and sound choices, the palette here is unusual and unearthly--until the nineteenth minute's launch into race time:
- e) The Chosen Few - while a couple instruments remain on "slow time, sustaining their notes and melodic play, the rest of the band charges, speeds, swirls, and plummets as if they're on a race against time. Another great passage. Jem Godfrey is a true keyboard wiz. (How come we've never heard of him before?) Layers of guitars are also masterfully employed. A little repeat of a motif from "Hyperventilate" occurs at the 22-minute mark, then it's off to the races again, with a few dynamic and temporal shifts
- f) Two Underground - a brief slowed- and stripped-down keyboard section to shift into the closing of the song. Man did these 27 minutes fly by quickly!
Twenty-six plus minutes of heavily-invested work: this is no one-dimensional psychedelic jam, this is a true epic with many themes and motifs, a very well-worked out labour of some excellent and very serious musicians.
Total Time: 59:04
There are some real powerful, hopeful moments of pure prog bliss here as well as many elements of heavy and crossover prog. Definitely a group to watch.
88.48 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an awesome example of the direction modern prog and Neo Prog may take--and definitely an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.
12. NEGURA BUNGET Om
Is an emotional aural ride like none other you have had. It is also a work of creative genius and instrumental and engineering virtuosity. As a matter of fact, on Om, like Dark Side of the Moon, it could be said that the recrding engineer and mixologist are as important contributors to the end product as the composers and musicians.
1. "Ceasuri Rele (intro)" (3:07) starts with a long silence before outdoor night noises creep in. At the end of the first minute a male voice whispers a couple of things, spooky Halloween-like noises flit in and out while the whispering man continues voicing his emotion-filled warnings (in a non-English language). Male chorale "aahs" and "ooos" crescendo as the whispering man seems to lose it. (9/10)
2. "Tesarul de lumini" (12:48) begins with guitars. Though this develops into, at first, a goth metal, and then a doom metal, song, the volume never goes overboard and the clarity and definition of sound never gets murky or clouded, the contributions of instruments and samples are never lost or disrespected. (8/10)
3. "Primul Om" (4:22) is more of an ambient soundtrack to some rural, gypsy scene. Interesting for a metal album. (8/10)
4. "Cunoaºterea Tãcutã" (7:11) begins with the ambiguity of crystal clear drums and synth with heavily distorted electric guitar metal strums. The doom metal growls are played off of by an almost priestly/cantor-like male church vocal. Acoustic tuned percussion play against the metal guitar while the singer growls. At 2:30 a strong tenor voice sings (sounding very much like RETROSPECTIVE's lead vocalist). At 3:03 the song's wall of sound drops off and a sophisticated weave (polyrhythmic?) of keys, guitars, tuned percussion, and bass perform for two and a half minutes before the heavy metal guitar and vocal growl return. Actually a pretty awesome, amazing finish! (10/10)
Is an emotional aural ride like none other you have had. It is also a work of creative genius and instrumental and engineering virtuosity. As a matter of fact, on Om, like Dark Side of the Moon, it could be said that the recrding engineer and mixologist are as important contributors to the end product as the composers and musicians.
1. "Ceasuri Rele (intro)" (3:07) starts with a long silence before outdoor night noises creep in. At the end of the first minute a male voice whispers a couple of things, spooky Halloween-like noises flit in and out while the whispering man continues voicing his emotion-filled warnings (in a non-English language). Male chorale "aahs" and "ooos" crescendo as the whispering man seems to lose it. (9/10)
2. "Tesarul de lumini" (12:48) begins with guitars. Though this develops into, at first, a goth metal, and then a doom metal, song, the volume never goes overboard and the clarity and definition of sound never gets murky or clouded, the contributions of instruments and samples are never lost or disrespected. (8/10)
3. "Primul Om" (4:22) is more of an ambient soundtrack to some rural, gypsy scene. Interesting for a metal album. (8/10)
4. "Cunoaºterea Tãcutã" (7:11) begins with the ambiguity of crystal clear drums and synth with heavily distorted electric guitar metal strums. The doom metal growls are played off of by an almost priestly/cantor-like male church vocal. Acoustic tuned percussion play against the metal guitar while the singer growls. At 2:30 a strong tenor voice sings (sounding very much like RETROSPECTIVE's lead vocalist). At 3:03 the song's wall of sound drops off and a sophisticated weave (polyrhythmic?) of keys, guitars, tuned percussion, and bass perform for two and a half minutes before the heavy metal guitar and vocal growl return. Actually a pretty awesome, amazing finish! (10/10)
5. "Înarborat" (6:22) begins with some sounds that I'm more familiar with in association with sacred Tibetan or Siberian shamanic musical traditions--'skin and bone' percussives and big horns. Then, at 1:40, the acoustic instruments stop and a heavy metal section begins (sounding a bit like the chords to ALICE COOPER's "School's Out"). The growl vocalist enters, the metal guitars flatten out, eventually break into two channels, each one going off on his own adventure--keying one off of the other yet not mirroring or replicating each other. Very cool! At 4:20 the guitars disappear, a monastic choir appears, and a male voice says something in a quite matter-of-fact speaking voice. Then the metal section restarts, the vocals bevome a bit more crazed, insistent, and yet diverse. Amazing song! (9/10)
6. "Dedesuptul" (6:39) starts off with metal guitars and drumming, vocal screams and growl voice. Interesting additional "cave bell" sound and guitar chord changes. Then at 1:40 an Arabian melodic theme is shifted to, bringing with it a shift in feel, change in vocal and guitar approach. By 2:30 we are back to the B section, with its growls and quick-changing strummed metal guitar chords. Enter into the background a discordant, disconnected keyboard(? or is it guitar?). At 4:50 this keyboard comes to the fore, reveals itself as a heavily treated guitar, plays some odd riffs, and then steps off to be replaced by the plodding, spooky synthesizer keyboard playing as if for the soundtrack of a murder-mystery. Odd song. (8/10)
7. "Norilor" (3:00) is an instrumental that bleeds from the previous song, "Dedesuptul," carrying forward the eery soundtrack feeling, adding some of the 'skin and bone' percussives as well as other more orchestral percussion instruments to help tell the story. (9/10)
8. "De Piatrã" (5:36) puts us back into very traditional metal--and doom metal--territory. The growls here, however, sound much more diverse, as if Tasmanian Devil, Dracula, and some imprisoned-underground Titan from Greek mythology were all in conversation. The guitar work--and vocal work--evolve into some different, less metallic, more theatric (if that's possible) styles, though the basic rhythm section pace remains quite frenetic throughout. Interesting, entertaining, just not my cup of tea. (7/10)
9. "Cel Din Urmã Vis" (10:03) (my favorite song on the album) begins with two guitars playing different arpeggios in different channels, before the rest of the rhythm section joins in at the one minute mark. As the song settles into its structure and rhythm, a very cool Trevor Horn/Fairlight CMI-like keyboard "choir" hit plays a big part in drawing the listener in. Vocal growls enter and play for a brief spell before the song shifts into a surprisingly long, very calm, misty walking-through-the-graveyard-at-midnight-on-a-misty-Halloween keyboard-led section. In the seventh minute these two sections combine--sustained choral chords, growl vocals, over the metal music. Only this song, this music, this metal, has more melody, more interest (thanks to the 'Fairlight CMI'). The song's final minute and a half pick up the pace to a much more frenetic metal pace, but the keys join in for the last thirty seconds. What a ride! (20/20)
10. "Hora Soarelui" (5:55) starts right up in heavy metal mode until the 30th second, when al switches to a very colloquial folk sound (LES NEGRESSES VERTES anyone?)--like a silly drinking song! At 1:48 it feels like it's going to evolve again, but it just gets more synth and vocal harmony support. Beautiful. Kind of TALKING HEADS-like! Love the solo by the folk string instrument (guitar variation?) during the mellow mid-section. Things pick up and rock metal out again. (10/10)
11. "Al Doilea Om (outro)" (2:03) allows the album to fade out right where it started--eery, shamanic, meditative, with lots of "Aum"-ing. (9/10)
Like I said above, this album offers a lot of unusual and interesting stuff. It is so different, so unique (in my experience), and so enjoyable that I recognized it immediately as a masterpiece of sheer genius, and I still find myself awed by it.
88.18 on the Fish scales = B+/4.5 stars, a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
13. VIIMA Ajatuksia Maailman Laidalta
Is a brilliant prog folk album from Finnish rockers. Fronted buy a female singer, Päivi Kylmänen, all the lyrics are sung in Finnish.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Päivi Kylmänen / vocals
- Kimmo Lähteenmäki / keyboards, drums
- Jarmo Kataja / bass
- Mikko Uusi-Oukari / guitars, flute
Guest musicians:
- Jankke Kuismin / bass (2, 3 & 5)
- Kimmo Lähteenmäki / keyboards, drums
- Jarmo Kataja / bass
- Mikko Uusi-Oukari / guitars, flute
Guest musicians:
- Jankke Kuismin / bass (2, 3 & 5)
- Kimmo Alho / Alto saxophone (5)
The opener, 1. "Leihonan Syksy" (6:27) aside from the female vocals, this one sounds like a dead ringer for a Finnish "Living in the Past"--until the instrumental stuff starts at the halfway point. Great mid-section with drums and Mellotron and then guitar and flute soloing. (8.75/10)
The title song (6:38) is at times a bit bland, at times a bit too folksy, but still a solid song. (9/10)
3. "Ilmalaiva Italia" (5:59) is a mellow tune with some simple but great musical support to some awesome vocal harmonies. It does thicken and become a kind of Blue Öyster Cult/Yes aggressive blues-rock in the middle, but then it settles back into the pretty mellow theme for the final 90 seconds. (8.75/10)
4. "Meri" (7:57) is great throwback to CURVED AIR's "Marie Antoinette" with great electric guitar substituting for David Cross' violin. (13.5/15)
5. "Luuttomat" (5:56) starts as a gorgeous acoustic guitar vocal & flute folk song before switching gears to electric guitar and saxophone after the opening 90 seconds. The soft, folky vocal section alternates with the NIL-like bluesy ominous music of the instrumental section twice before finishing on the soft side. (8.5/10)
The finale, 6. "Johdatus" (9:31) again shows a lot of similarities to CURVED AIR, musically, but especially in the lead vocalist's sounds and stylings. The piano-based, classically-tinged second section and the electric guitar play in the eighth minute are both highlights for me. (17.5/20)
Total Time: 42:30
88.0 on the Fish scales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Prog Folk.
14. MIDLAKE Trials of Van Occupanther
A brilliant album of quite intricate and subtly constructed songs. A songwriting style that seems common to many Midlake songs is used to great success here: that is the process of slowly adding an assortment of instruments to flit and playfully dance around the lead vocal. Quite remarkable and endearing.
1. Fan favorite "Roscoe" (4:49) is not one of my personal favorites. (8/10)
2. "Bandits" (4:04) is a multi-dimensional, multi-part song that really displays a lust for story telling through the music as well as through the lyric. Quite an intricate display of composition and performance. One of the album's best. (9/10)
3. "Head Home" (5:45) contains some of my favorite vocal arrangements that I've heard in a long time--with quite daring and unexpected changes in direction and melody. (9/10)
4. "Van Occupanther" (3:15) is augmented by some stunningly delightful flute and woodwind play thorough out the song--brilliantly offsetting the flat-toned lead vocal. It's as if the vocal is the foundation and everybody else is dancing playfully around him. Amazing! My favorite song on the album. (10/10)
5. "Young Bride" (4:56) is a brilliant song in the vein of RODDY FRAME/AZTEC CAMERA and ARCADE FIRE. Another favorite. (10/10)
6. "Branches" (5:03) slows things down and gets a little bogged down in the syrup of the lyric & lead vocal. Nice piano work and song shifts. (8/10)
7. "In This Camp" (5:44) sees Tim Smith singing in that FLEET FOXES style upper register. Again nice piano support and subtle incidentals before the song crashes into the eminently cathy chorus melody. (9/10)
8. "We Gathered in Spring" (3:33) sees the band singing in some of the tightest, most even harmonies--CROSBY, STILLS & NASH and AMERICA-like. Beautiful. (9/10)
9. "It Covers the Hillsides" (3:14) is upbeat and bouncy in a MAMAS & THE PAPAS/JOHN SEBASTIAN way. (8/10)
10. "Chasing After Deer" (2:42) is another delicately embellished song--subtle instrumental touches gathering around the solid, beautifully sung lead vocal. (8/10)
11. "You Never Arrived" (1:39) (8/10)
An imaginative display of thoughtful, playful, yet beautifully executed song craftsmanship.
87.27 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
15. UNEXPECT In a Flesh Aquarium
OMG!! What a WILD ride is this amazing album! It sounds like an super-amped up Cirque de Soleil performance of Danny Elfmann's soundtrack to Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. I can barely imagine the on-stage performance of this music! It can only be surreal and theatric! Suffice it to say that this is music unlike any other. Period. While I may not be listening to this album regularly, I can say that I will never find it boring! With all due respect: This is the kind of music, while not really my cup of tea, that makes listening for new stuff worthwhile. These guys are pushing all boundaries, going where no one is going, and keeping the progress in progressive music. Kudos galore. This is creative stuff--hugely entertaining. BIG smiles! Thank you!! A ground-breaking masterpiece on a par with Mëkanïk Dëstruktïw Kömmandöh, The Power and the Glory, Choirs of the Eye, "Supper's Ready," and Close to the Edge.
Five star songs: 1. "Chromatic Chimera" (5:52); 3. "Desert Urbania" (7:29); 4. "Summoning Scenes" (7:46); 6. "Megalomaniac Trees" (5:57); 7. "The Shiver - Another Dissonant Chord" (3:00); 8. "The Shiver - Meet Me At The Carrousel" (4:07); 9. "The Shiver - A Clown's Mindtrap" (3:41)
Four star songs: 2. "Feasting Fools" (6:17); 5. "Silence_011010701" (5:13); 10. "Psychic Jugglers" (11:10)
87.0 on the Fish scales = B/four stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
Special Mention:
iNFiNiEN How to Accept
The debut album (actually, an EP) from very lively, jazzy, and fun female-fronted, piano-based prog band from Philadelphia, iNFiNiEN. Lead singer/pianist, Chrissie Loftus, is quite talented as composer and singer, but her bandmates are quite excellent in support. Like a very seasoned jazz combo.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Justin Carney / acoustic & electric basses, mandolin, backing vocals
- Tom Cullen / drums & percussion
- Matt Hollenberg / electric & acoustic guitars
- Chrissie Loftus / vocals, piano, keyboards
With:
- Mark Gallagher / saxophone (2,3,4)
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stéphane Marcaillou / vocals, guitar, texts, compositions
- Melanie Fossier / vocals
- Bita Rezvannia-Picot / violin, vocals
- Sophie Perret / piano, voice
- Jean-Pierre Albert / drums
- Stéphan Garcia / bass
1. "Endless" (5:58) sounds like Magma, just not as tight, not as focused--and singing in English (at first: the title word)! The tempos as expressed by the bass, drums, and vocalists seem scattered all over the place, as if the band were not all on the same page. There's a little of the spirit of COS vocalist PASCALE SON in the voice of lead female, Melanie Fossier. She definitely commands attention. (7.5/10)
2. "Les potits archers" (5:55) whoops! maybe I was wrong: This band can Zeuhl! Everybody seems to gel and relax into the music here. the weaves--both musically and vocally--are absolutely stupendous (except for the way lead male Stéphane Marcaillou's voice is recorded and expressed in the overall mix). Great comportment of the classic Zeuhl tension and great build to resolution. (9.25/10)
3. "De profundis II" (8:18) four voices establish a classic Zeuhl form before transitioning about three minutes in to a jazzed up variation of the same. Violin and Melanie present a new lead melody. Amazing Zeuhl scatting from Stéphane and Melanie in the final third of this slower Magma-like composition. Stéphane must have had some Klaus Blasquiz lessons! Great drumming. (18.25/20)
5. "La merveille" (3:57) a sedate, almost dreamy weave of three female vocalists with the guitar, bass, piano, and mostly-cymbals before Stéphane enters as the lead. When Melanie takes the lead, and is then joined by her two female compatriots, the music takes on an almost 1960s pop-jazz feel and style--and the vocal feels like a lullaby or children's rhyme! Unexpected and brilliant! (9/10)
Total Time 28:30
- Justin Carney / acoustic & electric basses, mandolin, backing vocals
- Tom Cullen / drums & percussion
- Matt Hollenberg / electric & acoustic guitars
- Chrissie Loftus / vocals, piano, keyboards
With:
- Mark Gallagher / saxophone (2,3,4)
1. "Lost My Way" (6:46) plays out like a wonderful piano jazz pop song with an amazing lead vocalist in Chrissie Loftus and an awesome guitarist in Matt Hollenberg. Very impressive drumming as well. (14/15)
2. "Fighting Ghosts" (5:42) campy, cabaret-like, this song is one that digs deep into one's soul and wrenches the emotions. Amazing vocal (if slightly oddly recorded) and gorgeously spacious musical foundation. Slightly disappointing instrumental section and finish. (9/10)
3. "Divine Nature" (7:44) a rock song employing some Eastern European and Arabian elements of sound and structure. It's a little gruff and monotonous--even the instrumental section in the middle--though I love the lead guitar work in the fifth minute. And the vocal melodies never really grab hold like the previous two songs. Nice drumming throughout. (12.75/15)
4. "The Universe Continues?" (5:08) a bit in the same style and feel as song #2, "Fighting Ghosts," these songs work--mostly on the backbone of an extraordinary vocalist. Great delivery. Chrissie sings every note as if her heart and soul are completely invested. (9.5/10)
5. "Blackhole" (9:05) opens with some very unusual 'guitar'(?) chords before the band joins in with a thick foundation within which Chrissie sings a strongly musically-supported melody. Truly a heavy, dark song that just pulls you along like you're being dragged through mud, and yet, there are some magical moments (piano, vocal, chorus, guitar strums, drumming flourishes, low end bass notes) and a great ending. (18/20)
Total Time 34:32
90.36 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars rated down for brevity; a great debut album and near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.
In 2006 Robin Guthrie, the songwriter, guitar player, and production engineer genius behind THE COCTEAU TWINS, released an album, Continental, and two EPs, Everlasting and Waiting for Dawn. Separately beautiful; together they make for an amazing collection of instrumental songs--some of the best I've heard since the Treasure/Echoes in a Shallow Bay/Tiny Dynamine era of the Cocteau Twins (1984-5, an album and two EPs released within a calendar year), twenty years before (my favorite era of Cocteau Twins music: Treasure sits at #13 on my list of All-time Favorite Albums, the two EPs, Tiny Dynamine and Echoes on a Shallow Bay--which were released together on a single CD a few years later--sits at #9 ). As a matter of fact, the similarities from 1984-5 to 2006 do not end there, as it is in the dynamic mix, the balance between highs and lows, and the return of full-sounding drums (the drums after 1985 started sounding so tinny, so machine-like, and lost all of their fullness and bass), that Robin's 2006 releases bring me back to some of the favorite sounds I've ever heard in this lifetime. Each and all of these three releases does an amazing job of capturing the sonic fullness and melodic beauty of those 1984-6 releases.
I do have to admit, however, that the EP Everlasting (95.0 on the Fishscales) is my favorite of these three, but "Monument" and "As I Breathe" from Continental are stunning masterpieces. The rest from Continental and Waiting for Dawn are a bit more ambient--great ambient music, but not as stirring as the Treasure/Echoes in a Shallow Bay/Tiny Dynamine (and even 1986's Victorialand and The Moon and the Melodies--the Cocteau Twins' (and Robin's first) collaboration with HAROLD BUDD) period.
Of Everlasting's four cuts, three are absolute 1985-like masterpieces: "A Sigh Across the Ocean" (4:07) (9.5/10), "Fountain" (3:08) (10/10), and "Everlasting" (5:08) (9.75/10) with the fourth, "Bordertown" (4:35) (8.75/10) coming across as a kind of repetitive, simple and sappy Jimmy Webb-like song.
Major seventh chords rule!
Major seventh chords rule!
MAGISTER DIXIT Cellules de Crise
One of the earliest young modern ensembles to really commit to bearing the torch of Christian Vander's Zeuhl music. Too bad they gave up after this album.
- Stéphane Marcaillou / vocals, guitar, texts, compositions
- Melanie Fossier / vocals
- Bita Rezvannia-Picot / violin, vocals
- Sophie Perret / piano, voice
- Jean-Pierre Albert / drums
- Stéphan Garcia / bass
1. "Endless" (5:58) sounds like Magma, just not as tight, not as focused--and singing in English (at first: the title word)! The tempos as expressed by the bass, drums, and vocalists seem scattered all over the place, as if the band were not all on the same page. There's a little of the spirit of COS vocalist PASCALE SON in the voice of lead female, Melanie Fossier. She definitely commands attention. (7.5/10)
2. "Les potits archers" (5:55) whoops! maybe I was wrong: This band can Zeuhl! Everybody seems to gel and relax into the music here. the weaves--both musically and vocally--are absolutely stupendous (except for the way lead male Stéphane Marcaillou's voice is recorded and expressed in the overall mix). Great comportment of the classic Zeuhl tension and great build to resolution. (9.25/10)
3. "De profundis II" (8:18) four voices establish a classic Zeuhl form before transitioning about three minutes in to a jazzed up variation of the same. Violin and Melanie present a new lead melody. Amazing Zeuhl scatting from Stéphane and Melanie in the final third of this slower Magma-like composition. Stéphane must have had some Klaus Blasquiz lessons! Great drumming. (18.25/20)
4. "De profundis III" (4:22) violin and Melanie present a new complex scat pattern, repeated over and over, while instruments below jazz it up. Melanie and the drums really impress. Again, I cannot help but make the Pascale Son comparisons. (8.75/10)
5. "La merveille" (3:57) a sedate, almost dreamy weave of three female vocalists with the guitar, bass, piano, and mostly-cymbals before Stéphane enters as the lead. When Melanie takes the lead, and is then joined by her two female compatriots, the music takes on an almost 1960s pop-jazz feel and style--and the vocal feels like a lullaby or children's rhyme! Unexpected and brilliant! (9/10)
Total Time 28:30
I have been really impressed with the compositional skills of this band and equally so with their performance skills. They really pull off a truly complete and complex Zeuhl album! The weak link is the bass player: he's no Jannick Top! The rest is pretty top notch MAGMA-esque Zeuhl!
87.92 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; if you're a lover of Zeuhl music at its finest, you will love this album. Definitely an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. There is just something that, for me, is so magical about this album!
ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS Double Egg with Chips (and Beans)
An EP from Oxford, England's Canterbury revivalists, the four songs here are all joyfully, melodically rife.
An EP from Oxford, England's Canterbury revivalists, the four songs here are all joyfully, melodically rife.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Matt Baber / keyboards
- Joff Winks / guitar, vocals
- Paul Mallyon / drums
- Brad Waissman / bass
1. "Double Egg" (4:25) has a bit of a punked up Steely Dan feel to it and a rather straightforward pace and time signature. It also has vocals with a nice lyrical presentation by guitarist Joff Winks and nice vibraphone-like sound coming from the keys. (8.75/10)
2. "Son Of Cheese" (5:59) continues the Steely Dan sound with more of the Dan funk put here on display. Even Joff's vocal feels ever-so-close to that of Donald Fagan. Nice song. Nice to hear this kind of music. At 3:20 there's even a little tribute to Richard Sinclair's "underwater" vocal stylings. (8.66667/10)
3. "Son Of Bassoon" (3:26) easily the best song on the album opens as what seems to be a piano study--much in the vein of something Eric Satie, Bill Evans, or even Frédéric Chopin or John Coltrane would write/perform. Simply gorgeous. (10/10)
4. "Shatner's Bassoon" (5:19) the most avant song on the album, with odd, switching time signatures and jazzy sounds and chord progressions--at least for the first 45 seconds. Then things switch drastically into an amazingly saccharine sound--but not for long as by 1:30 the avant time sigs are back. For 20 seconds. This NATIONAL HEALTH-like back-and-forth pattern plays out over the course of the song with the third time into the B part taking on some heavily distorted electric guitar sounds flailing away. The two guitar soli in this section earn a prolonged full minute of exposition before the song finishes in the same way it starts. I'm not sure of the reason(s) for the William Shatner reference. (9/10)
Total Time: 19:09
91.04 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of progressive rock music in the Canterbury style, rated down, of course, for its severe brevity.
91.04 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of progressive rock music in the Canterbury style, rated down, of course, for its severe brevity.
The Rankings for 2006
1. SYLVAN Posthumous Silence
2. MAGYAR POSSE Random Avenger
3. KOTEBEL Omphalos
4. PURE REASON REVOLUTION The Dark Third
5. ESPERS II
6. IONA The Circling Hour
7. OZRIC TENTACLES The Floor's Too Far Away
8. OOIOO TAIGA
9. UZVA Uomo
10. KARDA ESTRA The Age of Science and Enlightenment
11. iNFiNiEN How to Accept
12. VIIMA Ajatuksia Maailman Laidalta
13. MAGISTER DIXIT Cellules de Crises
14. FROST* Milliontown
15. NEGURA BUNGET Om
16. MIDLAKE The Trials of Van Occupanther
17. UNEXPECT In a Flesh Aquarium
18. ROBIN GUTHRIE Continental and 2 EPS, Everlasting and Waiting For Dawn
18. ROBIN GUTHRIE Continental and 2 EPS, Everlasting and Waiting For Dawn
19. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS Double Eggs with Chips (and Beans)
20. RED SPAROWES Every Red Heart Shines Towards the Red Sun
21. ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE Øresund Space Collective
22. MONO You Are There
23. PAATOS Silence of Another Kind
24. NEXUS Perpetuum Karma
25. BELIEVE Hope to See Another Day
26. TO-MERA Transcendental27. RUSSIAN CIRCLES Enter
28. PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI Stati di immaggionazione
29. ESTRADASPHERE Palace of Mirrors
30. THE GATHERING Home
29. ESTRADASPHERE Palace of Mirrors
30. THE GATHERING Home
Honorable Mentions:
THE D PROJECT Shimmering Lights
OCTOBER EQUUS October Equus
No comments:
Post a Comment