2017, Part 4: Other Albums Worth Checking Out for Yourselves

MYSTERIOUS CLOUDS Panic on the Noon Meridian

Line-up: 
Dedric Moore - bass, guitars, vocals, programming, percussion, keyboards
Delaney Moor - keyboards, synths, vocals, guitars, percussion
   With
Mika Tayana - drums, percussion, keyboards, guitars
Aaron Osborne - drums, percussion, bass
Matthew Hayden - drums, percussion
Adam Davies - guitar

 Zach Bozich - keyboards, synths 

1. Clear Refection (6:21)

2. Leave The Sun By 3 (3:54)

3. Cosmic Discovery (0:59)

4. Schrif Moves Slowly At 8 (2:50)5

5. Interdivide (3:56)

6. 610 Half Life: End Of ID (4:35)

7. 7PM Dissolve (2:25)

8. Visions Of 10 (1:38)

9. 1158 Cosmic Time (2:29)

10. Panic On The Noon Meridian (2:25)

11. Holding Panic Tight (5:57)

12. In The Shadows At 1 (6:17)

Total Time 43:46

WE BELIEVE IN HYPERSPACE Purple Sea

Good ol' psychedelic rock from a new band from Switzerland. Though the main feature, the 34-minute "Purple Sea" suite is mostly instrumental. The opening section is interesting for its vocals and new sound and rhythm twists.

Line-up: 
David Zurbuchen - Vocals, Guitars, Synthesizers, Effects
Reto Maissen - Bass, Synthesizers, Effects
Andreas Rosch - Drums

Tracklist:
1. "Purple Sea (Part 1) (6:51) heavy, distorted guitar power strums followed by gentle, sensitive picked arpeggi and cymbol play with insistent kick drum rhythm turns more aggressive with return of distorted guitar strums. Nice male singing voice enters with a NEKTAR-like sound and story. Very simple and raw music, but a gifted storyteller with a pleasant voice can make such a difference! Adequate lead guitar solo though the guitarist has a lot of room for growth. Memorable song and melodies. Don't like the shift/change with a minute or so to go. (8.5/15)

2. "Purple Sea (Part 2)" (9:42) building on chord sequence, melody and sounds of the first song, the added synth explorations and slide guitar make this song quite good! And no sudden shifts or disruptions in this one. (9/20)

3. "Purple Sea (Part 3)" (3:03) plays out almost like a West Coast jam from the 1960s--in both sound and proficiency! (7.5/10)

4. "Purple Sea (Part 4)" (12:39) slowed down blues rock. A ROBIN TROWER/DEEP PURPLE adventure? I like it when the guitarist "let's go" in the third minute. From that moment on his playing seems more real, more soul/heart-driven. And you can feel the shift in the music as a whole as the bass player falls under the spell of the same soul groove. That ninth minute is magical! David is channeling someone from a higher realm! Here you go, guys! The rest of the song is, unfortunately, come down and recovery. (9/25)

5. "Purple Sea (Part 5)" (2:34) resuscitation of rhythmic pace and bass line from "(Part 3)" with a fuzzier lead guitar sound. Nice finish! (3..75/5)

6. "Morning Star" (12:41) a filler, warm up song, waste of the listeners time. (6/25)

Total Time 47:30

A band to watch? (Keep practicing, boys!)

79.17 on the Fishscales = C+/high three stars; an interesting and welcome addition to prog world.

RED SUN The Wind, The Waves, The Clouds

Instrumental (mostly) psychedelic Post Rock from Italy

Line-up:
Eno - Guitars
Fredo - Drums, Synth, Vocals (4)
Mirco - Bass
Riccardo (Da Captain Trips) - Lead Guitar (5)

1. "Artic Wind" (7:08) (8/15)
2. "Hidden Currents" (6:10) (7.5/10)
3. "The Clouds" (5:31) the best song on the album. (9/10)

4. "Holy Mountains" (5:46) spoken words and Arp synthesizer dominate this almost punk rock song. (8/10)

5. "The Jagged Coast Of Wales" (6:04) another above average song which shows this band's potential. (8.5/10)

6. "Aurora" (8:16) again there is this old, 1970s British feel to this song--construction and sound. It's nice, but the lead instrument--the Arp synth--does little to develop the song. And then when the guitar displays the chorus section you know that this song is just begging for lyrics and vocals. Could be a great song. The muted final two minutes perhaps shouldn't even be there. (16/20)

7. "Waves Of Sand" (6:18) another song that just begs for further development, for maturity, experimentation, layering, and risk. It's the seed for what could be. (6/10)

Total Time 45:13

A band with some growing to do.

78.57 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a good album that shows potential.

MACHINES DREAM Black Science

Good Neo sound though both production and composition have some growing/maturing to do.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Craig West / lead vocals, bass, producing & mixing

- Rob Coleman / lead guitar

- Brian Holmes / piano, synths

- Jake Rendell / acoustic guitar, backing vocals

- Ken Coulter / drums

With:

- Jakub Olejnik / vocals

- Jenny Gauvreau / backing vocals

- Chris Belsito / backing vocals 

- Josh Norling / sax

  

1. "Armistice Day" (1:34)

2. "Weimar" (10:41) fair though typically bombastic intro disappears for guitar arpeggi and PINK FLOYD-like vocal. Again, the intention behind this song is appreciated, it's just rendered as nothing PF, Porcupine Tree, or The Pineapple Thief hasn't already done--and here with, unfortunately, inferior sound production. The presence of a harpsichord sound excites me but nothing comes of it. Power chords, old synths, and guitar leads all sound far too familiar. (7.5/20)

3. "The Cannons Cry" (4:18) the simplicity and melodrama of this song are hard to take seriously. The best parts are the Eisenhower speech clips. (7.5/10)

4. "Heavy Water" (8:36) like an extended song from CHROMA KEY's Dead Air for Radios or a good BIG BIG TRAIN song from before 2007. (8/20)

5. "Airfield On Sunwick" (For Wojtek) (6:11) a solid song with better vocals and sound quality improved by use of heavy metal electric guitar work & sound. Probably my favorite song on the album. (8/10) 

6. "Black Science" (8:17) Too predictable, too prog-by-numbers. Like the "berimbau" sound prominent in the first half and use of sax in the second. Good second half. (8/20)

7. "UXB" (4:59) A little heavier RIVERSIDE/SYLVAN-like sound works nicely! (But, that bass! Ouch!) Another top three. (8/10)

8. "Noise To Signal" (8:47) too much; as below. (7/20)

Total time 53:23

A decent album that is cursed by overpretentious lyrics, poor unexceptional lead vocals, poor sound production (especially in the presentation of the drums sound), and often prog-by-numbers song construction and performances. Still, nice keyboard and guitar play. A band to watch!

77.14 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a decent album but overall, not worth recommending to others.

CARBON 7 The Autumn Men Empire

Totally improvised music that was recorded in one session in 2017 that really fits the Kosmisch Musik revival scene. Great drumming, solid bass play, and very creative keyboard play.

Line-up:
Dennis Bruhn- Drums
Ron Tindle- Keyboards
Chris Vreeland- Bass

1. "Florida Lee" (26:36) I like the jazzy, BRIAN AUGER-like last six minutes best. (40/50)

2. "Rube Rick" (9:57) great CAN-like groove with great drum play in second half. (16/20)

3. "Sofa Cleese" (8:28) fretless bass establishes the song over the first minute before other instruments slowly, subtly join in. Feels/sounds more like a set up for a guy trying out the variables on a new keyboard. (12/20)

4. "Home Eric" (20:48) PINK FLOYD/SANTANA-like opening with great bass and drum interplay while synth plays. In the fifth minute we hit stride and really click as keys give us some meat to latch onto. In the sixth minute, just before stagnation sets in, there is a welcome keyboard shift. Man this is great drum and bass interplay! Keys get boring again until eleventh minute. They even get rhythmic and soloistic in the fifteenth. Great bass octave shift as organ deepens its chords. Great last two minutes as the band decompresses and processes. Unfortunately, I hear lots of keyboard mistakes throughout--as if Tindle is totally unpreprared, unrehearsed, and fumbling through it. It'd have been nice if he'd have worked out some sounds and chords and solo content beforehand. (32/40) 

5. "Mark Surrealius" (31:32) more awesome bass play with solid drum support and interesting keyboard experimentation--but, again, it sounds as if that is all the keyboard player came to do: press a new sound on his Korg computer keyboard every minute or two. Some good sounds but very little technical or compositional support to the rhythm section. Cool sounds in the sixteenth minute but then nothing to transition to but beeps and buzzes. Sad! Pretty synth wash at the very end of the seventeenth minute, accompanied by a slow-softening of the rhythm section, which is then followed by a nice, catchy organ-led chord progression--which, unfortunately, devolves into some horrible soloing. Another sawing synth sound in the twenty-fifth minute that goes nowhere. Even the fast arpeggi and sliding notes at the end of the 28th minute fail to impress or engage. An attempt at "Dodo/Lurker" keyboard solo in the 29th minute?! and then another TONY BANKS-like solo right after! So sad! (48/60) 

I would take all of this music, remove the keyboard tracks, keep all of the bass and drum tracks

Total Time 97:21

76.0 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; good . . . with potential.

KSHETTRA Five Mothers

Russian drum 'n' bass jazz drivers incorporate a lot of guests and traditional folk instruments to support their hard-driving, hypnotic East-meets-West instrumental jazz. 

Line-up: 
Boris Ghas - bass, poem (5), samples (4)
Viktor Tikhonov - drums, Oxoma synth (1,5,6,7), samples (3,4,7)
  With
Ramille Mulikov - sax, trumpet, trombone
Nikolai Samarin - synth (4,5), double bass (1), mandolin (4,7), sitar (8)
Eugeniy Mikhalchenko - voice (5) 

1. "Conception" (2:01) Oxoma synth étude (3.5/5)

2. "Garura Lila" (3:55) full band, jazzy, almost uptempo "White Rabbit"-like start. Turns Latin funky. Another étude? Poor trumpet play! (7/10)

3. "Cikada" (5:43) avant jazz/attempt at KING CRIMSON rhythms? Yet, there is a straightforward melodic sense trying to be conveyed here. Nice bass-centric effort. The drumming impresses though he's no Bill Bruford. (8/10)

4. "Godzindra" (9:53) some Indian sounds and rhythm and melodic attempts. No. The heavier, non-Indian psychedelic sections are the best. Flute is all from samples. Other horns are live and quite rudimentary. (15/20)

5. "Walk Under The Moon" (13:19) atmospheric space soundtrack using the Oxoma synth. Fair. I'm not really very impressed with this synthesizer. (22.5/30)

6. "Umbra" (6:32) very solid avant jazz exploration. Probably the only song on the album that shows the band's potential. (8/10)

7. "Mechanoya (12:00) an impressive cinematic psych jazz groove with a wasted final three minutes of industrial noise. (21.5/25)

8. "Crossing (1:08) another Oxoma synth étude to bookend the album. (3.5/5)

Total time 54:31

75.61 on the Fishscales = C/three star album.

SOEN Lykaia

A multi-national band based in Sweden, this is SOEN's third album of LEPROUS/KARNIVOOL/VOTUM-like progressive metal music. Excellent sound production makes this album a joy to listen to--as do the variations in styles, yet there is something missing to bring this up to a level with the aforementioned masters of atmospheric prog metal.

Line-up: 

Joel Ekelöf - vocals

Martin Lopez (ex-Opeth) - drums and percussion

Stefan Stenberg - bass

Lars Åhlund - organ and rhodes

Marcus Jidell (Royal Hunt, Evergrey, Astrakhan) - guitars


01. "Sectarian" (5:55) vocals and heavy metal music sound very much like countrymates LEPROUS. A little too straightforward and monotonous. (7.5/10)

02. "Orison" (7:07) the sound here is very much like TOOL and then KARNIVOOL with the chorus. Nice lead guitar work--both the djenty riffing and the delicate picking. (8.5/15)

03. "Lucidity" (6:36) a kind of PINK FLOYD/AUTUMN CHORUS spacey folk mix, this is definitely a highlight for me. (9/10)

04. "Opal" (6:46) opens JUST LIKE the first song! The little multi-guitar riffs beneath the singing are rather annoying. The music and musicianship in the chorus sections are so simple. Despite the interesting guitar soloing in the fifth minute and the CY CURNIN-like singing over empty space in the sixth, this is nothing to write home about. (7.5/15)

05. "Jinn" (5:41) a nice change in the mix with the delicate sung voice more forward from the start. The music builds beneath and that works well. Nice chorus section, too. Lots of nice, interesting changes over the course of this song, including a few Middle Eastern flavors. A top three song from me. (9/10)

06. "Sister" (5:30) interesting for the heavy guitar parts contrasted with the use of a breathy, delicate singing voice--at least until the "Sister" choruses. It works. (8.5/10)

07. "Stray" (5:38) nice sounds, structures, speed, excellent guitar work and great vocal. i love the delicate interlude in the second half of the fourth minute. Another top three for me. (9/10)

08. "Paragon" (6:25) slow, spacious, yet heavy, almost bluesy, with a soft, delicate voice used again for delivery of the lyrics. Organ solo before distorted guitar chords usher in the chorus and screaming GILMOUR-esque lead guitar solo. Perhaps a little too Floydian (until the end). (8/10)

09. "Gods Acre" (8:10) another slower paced, more spacious song that sounds very much like Australia's top notch TOOL-inspired band, KARNIVOOL, only not as nuanced or sophisticated. The song plays out more like a very straightforward, four-chord stoner-rock song. Their usual break-down, soft section at the two-thirds mark is getting a little too predictable and, thus, old. (12.75/15)

Though singer Joel Ekelöf has a top notch voice--with excellent clarity, diversity, and control--his deliveries of the lyrics are a little too straightforward. I'd like to see more quirks and ticks to help me take notice, otherwise he's just a white bread version of Ian Kenny or Einar Solberg. As a matter of fact, it feels as if all of these fine musicians are playing it a little too conservatively most of the time. I hope that in the future they will break out and add some fire and idiosyncracy to their recorded songs.

75.50 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; a solid if straightforward collection of atmospheric metal.

FRENCH TV Number Twelve, Operation: MOCKINGBIRD

I have to admit to liking this one more than most of their previous catalogue. The music has simplified and rounded it's acute, often jagged, edges in favor of an almost Smooth Jazz sound and feel--almost. The problem, however, comes in the feeling I have--almost constantly--that I'm listening to outtakes and experiments of Al Di Meola, Jan Hammer, and their collaborators in the early to mid-1980s.

Line-up:
Mike Sary: bass, loops, samples
Katsumi Yoneda (TEE): guitars
Mark L. Perry: drums
Patrick Strawser (Volare): keyboards
   With
Ludo Fabre: violin
Karl Ledus: sax, fluteNico Fabre: keyboards  

1. "Ghost Zone" (2:29) synth wash-supported solo electric guitar opens the song while orchestral-like percussion play around in the background and wings. Is this a live-with-orchestra recording? (7.5/10)

2. "Noble Obelisk" (5:37) by the time the main instrument comes (electric guitar) in and the song has established its textural signatures, I am finding myself thinking of Jan Hammer, The Crusaders, and Al Di Meola. But the song never really settles into any kind of groove. As a matter of fact, you might say that by song's end I'm very confused as to what I just heard--what it's compositional purpose was. (8/10)

3. "Urgent Fury" (8:32) almost a parody of 1970s funk jazz fusion (led by such artists as the members of The Crusaders, Hubert & Ronnie Laws, Bob James, and even Jan Hammer and Al Di Meola) (15/20) 

4. "Tree Incident" (7:40) again the music of Al Di Meola in the early 1980s comes to mind as I listen to this one. It's nice, pretty, with very competent musicianship, but something just feels old and borrowed. (12.75/15)

5. "Golden Pheasant Of The Infinite Reach" (10:41) interesting synth opening is spoiled by appearance of vintage keyboards, many of which are of that inferior sound gradient that I dislike from the late 1989s and 1990s. Plus, the song never really goes anywhere--other than the more melodic parts that sound as if they might be better served as a support vehicle for a Patti Austin or Teena Marie vocal. (15/20)

6. "Nimrod Dancer" (8:33) the Latin rhythmic structure and sounds once again bring up the Al DI MEOLA sound. Violin adds a Jean-Luc Ponty presence, otherwise, this is so Al Di. (17/20)

7. "Vigilant Sentinel" (10:40) (14/20)

8. "Silent Years" (3:48) old synths attempting a "pretty" almost minor-keyed Satie-like song. Nope. (6.5/10)

Total Time 58:00

74.375 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; a good album of vintage sounding jazz fusion.

STARSABOUT Longing for Home

It sounds as if Piotr and Joanna and the boys have decided to pursue the more poppy avenue of their sound in a kind of THE CURE/THE CHURCH/BLUE NILE fashion. I have to admit to being a little disappointed--though I wish them every iota of success possible to them. They are SO talented!

Favorite songs: "Hourglass" (5:30) (8.5/10); "Blue Caress" (6:34) (8.5/10), and; "Million Light Years" (the second half) (8:38) (17/20).

HADAL SHERPA Hadal Sherpa

Instrumental space prog rock from Finland. Nice music, nice sound; lots of room to grow. Sounds a lot like very simpified CAMEL crossed with early NEKTAR and/or URIAH HEEP. 

Favorite song: "Ikaros" (7:49) (13/15)

DELUGE GRANDER Oceanarium

An album of oddly recorded instruments (everything muted, compressed, or dampened at the high end?) composed in a style that sounds like the pretentiousness of a 1970s soundtrack to a porno film. The whole time I'm listening to this album I feel as if it's 1970 and I'm sitting in a basement practice studio in Poughkeepskie, New York, or Waterloo, Iowa, listening to the local Symphony Orchestra run through a rehearsal of a locally produced rock opera that was composed in the by some local who is heavily inspired by Mike Oldfield. Weird.

Line-up: 

Dan Britton: keyboards, guitars, other instruments (1-8)

Dave Berggren- electric guitar (6)

Neil Brown-trumpet (8)

Steve Churchill-oboe (1,7)

Brett d'Anon- bass, guitars (1-8)

Brian Falkowski- saxophone (3), flute (4,5), clarinet (8)

Denis Malloy- bass clarinet (1, 2, 3, 8)

Corey Sansolo- trombone (1)

Natalie Spehar- cello (2, 4, 5, 8)

Zack Stachowski- violin (4, 5)

Though almost every song on the album has interesting and enjoyable parts, section, themes, or performances, no song is fully satisfying start to finish. Is Dan trying to have his music sound like it came from a 78 rpm recording from the 1920s?

  

1. "A Numbered Rat, A High Ledge, And A Maze Of Horizons" (11:32) opens with a bit of an ELP flare before going symphonic X-Files, Spaghetti Western, and Karda Estra. (17/20)

2. "Drifting Inner Skyline Space" (8:28) Sounds like a Sergio Leone-George Martin lovefest--until Mike Oldfield and John Barry (Midnight Cowboy) squeeze their way in. (17/20)

3. "The Blunt Sun And The Hardened Moon" (15:25) Hawkwind meets Sergio Leone. Nothing new here. (22.5/30)

4. "Finding A Valley In A Gray Area On A Map" (3:24) Unfulfilled portentousness. (7.5/10)

5. "Finding A Shipwreck In A Valley In An Ocean" (6:20) Aimless and meandering. (7/10)

6. "Tropical Detective Squadron" (14:10) Seriously?! This must be the "tension reliever"… or from the Steven King comedy soundtrack. (19.5/30)

7. "Marooned And Torn Asunder" (8:06) one of the three best songs on the album--even if it is a Mike Oldfield ripoff. (12.75/15)

8. "Water To Glass / The Ultimate Solution" (12:31) What is the point to stringing together all these odd, unusual, and incongruous themes? Showing off the disconnected wanderings of an ADHD mind? (18.75/25)

Total Time 79:56

While Dan is obviously an accomplished musician and mature composer, I wonder about his sound sensibilities as there has never been a release that he's been associated with that has what is in my opinion "good" sound. (I have my own standards, of course). What is meant when contributing artists are credited with "other instruments" and "compositional contributions" (Dan Berggren, Patrick Gaffney, and Christopher West)? Is it all composed on GarageBand?

76.88 on the Fishscales = C/3.5 stars; interesting but "unfinished"…or "unpolished."

CIRKUS Wild Dogs

135 minutes of music constructed and sounding like the quirky, moodshifting way that early GENESIS did with the poor sound quality similar to that of from Genesis to Revelation, Trespass, or BABYLON's 1979 self-titled album . . . or worse. There are some GREAT ideas here but all are either poorly or incompletely developed and embellished and are rendered horribly unto reproducible sound. The vocals are interesting for their delicacy and artistic stylings yet the singing is highly fragile, often strained and missing notes off-key. Once again, I am astounded at the music fellow listeners will give five stars. Were this music finished (polished), engineered and produced to professional standards this might be a four or 4.5 star album but, as is, this is no better than a 2.5 or three star album.

Songs worth repeated listenings:  the 80s techno-aided title song, 9. "Wild Dogs" (7:17) (12.75/15); 12. "Sanctus" (11:22) (17/20); 15. "Broken Promesses" (4:53) (8/10) and, for its choral section, 13. "Harlequins" (11:45) (20/25).

The only people I would recommend trying this album out would be people who really miss the very early music of FAMILY, GENESIS, BABYLON, and their imitators. I'd recommend bands like early MARILLION, CITIZEN CAIN, THE WATCH, CLEARLIGHT, or even THE WAITING ROOM before I'd recommend anyone going here.

2.5 stars; for 

ORION Le survivant

A melodically successful offering of poor-sounding prog-by-numbers New Age Neo Prog. 

Line-up: 
Patrick Wyrembski: acoustic guitar, vocals
Janusz Tokarz: vocals, keyboards
Michel Taran: keyboards, vocals
Alain Pierre: synth guitars, vocals
   With
Pierre-Jean Horville: guitars, composition
Paul Cribaillet: piano
Eric Halter: bass guitar, double-bass
Cédric Affre: drums
Emmanuel Della Torre: vocals

1. "Big Bang" (8:38) horrible two-chord rock with horrible sound production and cheezy rock music and lyrics. Sudden and unexpected shift at 6:00 leads to a completely different sound and style that is very nice, very pretty (though still rather simplistic/prog-by-numbers). Saved from a far worse rating by the final two and a half minutes. (15/20)

2. "Cumulostratus" (4:17) opens with New Age jazz sound coming from drums, bass, and acoustic guitar (and, soon, piano). Nice piano-guitar duet--almost Pat Metheny like--in that first minute. Very nice melodies. I don't really like this GOBI/SHASTRA-sounding nylon string guitar sound. The piano solo section gives the piano (obviously an electronically duplicated "piano" sound) a live, onstage at a piano bar sound. Again, this is pure and simply a nice tropical piano bar instrumental song. (8/10) 

3. "Peur Du Vide" (6:32) again opens with cheezy Neo-prog sounds and construction. The pseudo-metal electric guitar strums are just too cheezy and take the song down every time they enter. The DAFT-PUNK-like treated vocal is not attractive here. Like a beginner's THE BOX. Some nice subtleties within the song. The keyboard and guitar solos show that this band has some talent. If they could only improve their song composition and find a different engineer or producer. (7.5/10)

4. "Les Ravageurs" (3:38) same simple bass and drums from the previous song? Odd almost ICEHOUSE sound and structure with a kind of singing style and sound reminiscent, again, of THE BOX. (7/10)

5. "Mère Nature" (3:47) BRUCE COCKBURN did this song way better in 1977. It was called "Homme brûlant". (7/10)

6. "La Planète Des Fous" (4:28) now let the gimmicks (toy piano) and quirks begin! Over the course of the first minute I find myself waiting for the song to settle into a groove--to get past the introduction section. It never happens...not even at 2:55 when the horribly distorted guitar (are they trying to get DAVID GILMOUR's sound?) power chords seem to indicate a possible change. Cool synth sounds at the halfway point but the drums are painful! (6.5/10)

7. "Le Dernier Arbre" (6:30) piano, bass and nice drumming open this in jazzy chord progression for the first 45 seconds. Then things shift into a standard slow rock ballad pace and four-chord structure. Gentle singing and seering lead guitar work throughout are less than companionable. At 2:20 the music returns for a few seconds to the cool jazzy progression from the opening, but then it all settles back into the slow ballad format. Wish they'd spend more time exploring that jazzy opening style.(7.5/10)

8. "Le Survivant" (7:35) the title song and it sounds like a demo? Is this a joke? Is this to illustrate to us the kind of sound reproduction quality we'll have at our disposal in a post-apocalyptic world? Wow! They saved the worst for last! The tracks don't even match up with one another! I would be embarrassed if this were my released as my finished, "polished" product! At 3:40 the song shifts into a much better section--though this, again, sounds so derivative of THE BOX's sound and style. And then, quel disappointment, it plays out the same to the song's end! (9/15)

Total Time 45:25

One of the year's singularly over-hyped albums! Unbelievable! 

71.25 on the Fishscales = C-/low three star album; not something I would recommend to anyone unless they have a ton of time and want to hear everything that's available throughout the year.

LUNATIC SOUL Fractured

The programmed drums/percussives absolutely do not work for me. Nor does the new upbeat, poppy sound. Mostly repulsive. Artists are allowed to grow--I am the first in line to promote that desire and tendency. This is not the direction I would have chosen for such a genius of sound and atmosphere. What a waste of an orchestra.

Line-up: 
Mariusz Duda (Riverside) - vocals, instruments
    With
Sinfonietta Consonus Orchestra, conducted by Michał Mierzejewski (3, 6)
Marcin Odyniec - saxophone

1. "Blood On The Tightrope" (7:19)
2. "Anymore" (4:37)
3. "Crumbling Teeth And The Owl Eyes" (6:42)
4. "Red Light Escape" (5:43)
5. Fractured" (4:36)
6. "A Thousand Shards Of Heaven" (12:17) (/25)
7. "Battlefield" (9:05) (/20)
8. "Moving On" (5:14) 

Total Time 55:33

   

COMEDY OF ERRORS House of the Mind

Neo Prog of the first order with a bit too much familiarity and simpleness where and when divergence and experimentation could have made it so much more interesting. Plus, the production is flawed by sterile sounding individually-separated instruments.

Line-up:
Joe Cairney - Vocals
Jim Johnston - Keyboards
Bruce Levick - Drums
Sam McCulloch - Guitars
Mark Spalding - Guitars

1. "Tachyon" (6:21) the cheap imitation piano sound used in opening does not bode well for this album. The bouncy "Dreamer"-like piano foundation in part 2 does not inspire any more hope or confidence. We're already almost two minutes into this and it still doesn't feel ready to "start"--and yet the vocals enter in the third minute--distant multi-voiced 80s/Thomas Dolby-sounding voices melodically duplicated by a synth. By the fourth minute we at least have a little more fully developed weave established. The vocal melody just doesn't crack it. (8/10)

2. "House Of The Mind" (14:47) a decent prog epic that, unfortunately, shows little novelty or freshness. (25.5/30)

3. "A Moment's Peace" (4:15) Wow! does this belong on a New Age/Adult Easy Listening radio stream, or what? And not even a word much less lyrics despite the ABACAB set up. (7/10)

4. "One Fine Day" (2:48) Seriously! This is the finished product? This is the vocal of a professional? It sounds like a demo by some one-man garage band! (3/5)

5. "Song Of Wandering Jacomus (13:47) nice atmospheric instrumental opening for the first four minutes. The third section that begins in the fifth minute is too syrupy--even before the sappy vocals enter. The guitar and keyboard work is decent. It's just those vocals... Horrible build and peak. Too bad. This one had potential. (22.5/30)

Total Time 41:58

Bonus song (on CD): "Ever Be the Prize" (9:00) decent song. If it only didn't sound like IQ trying to be GENESIS... (8/10)

75.0 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; an acceptable addition to the Neo Prog catalog--though nothing I'm going to shout out about.

MONARCH TRAIL Sand

I'm sorry, but all I hear here is cheap, rudimentary rehashing and imitation of old songs and bands--especially the first Neo Prog bands: late 70s Genesis, Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, and Spock's Beard. The sound production is poor (especially the drums! Awful!), the melodies and solos all feel stolen and soul-less. And I've been going back to this album over and over since I first saw it last summer on Progstreaming! 

Line-up / Musicians:

Chris Lamont: Drums

Dino Verginella: Bass

Ken Baird: Keyboards, Vocals, Guitar (5)

With:

John Mamone: Guitar (3,4,7)

Kelly Kereliuk: Lead Guitar (7)

Steve Cochrane: Acoustic Guitar (7)

1. "Station Theme" (3:52) I'm listening to old IQ, right? Flashy keyboard work. (8.5/10)

2. "First Thoughts" (3:22) two minutes of voice and synth wash chords before a nylon string guitar solos. Really? Is this a joke? Are we doing a demo for the band here? Or proving our IQ chops? (7/10)

3. Back To The Start (7:11) a bad Tony Banks or Steve Hackett song from one of their solo albums. Or a demo version of a Genesis song or Genesis cover. Bass and drums are fairly solid here. But such poor sound! Even the only existing BABYLON album from 1979 is way better than this! (10.5/15)

4. "Missing" (6:29) I'm listening to 1990s Spock's Beard, right? Absolutely nothing new here; everything sounds old and used up. (8/10)

5. Charlie's Kitchen (7:43) a Vince Guaraldi jazz lounge song twisted and turned proggish with a horrible sounding non-acoustic piano. How...?! The synth soli are all stolen! Can one sue for such blatant plagiarism? (Just kidding: I know you can't.) (9/15)

6. Another Silent World (2:10) a decent synth exercise but it's only two minutes long, so not much time to screw things up. (4/5)

7. "Sand "(24:31) The first song I heard from this album. I thought I was going to play it on my radio show on several occasions but every time I would re-listen to it before broadcast I would reject it with a feeling of embarrassment and revulsion: it's just not up to my standards of sound, creativity, and originality. (37.5/50)

Total Time 55:18

The keyboard player is talented. He just needs better equipment. And way better recording/processing gear. I just cannot comprehend the praise that this album is earning!

74.28 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; not worth recommending to others.