More progressive rock album releases from 2023. These are albums that are well worth your investment of time while not, in my opinion, belonging in the masterpiece discussion. Some of these releases were interesting enough to inspire me to write reviews, some only earned song ratings, many are included because they've been listened to, judged "worthy" of serving notice, but just couldn't get me excited or engaged enough to warrant the effort of a full review. I apologize. But, as I said, I chose to include them because I deem them interesting enough for you, my readers, to know about them and know that I recommend that you might listen to them yourselves in order to form your own opinions. Lord knows I am well aware that there are as many different musical preferences as there are humans; I do think that I know music that might interest others.
Despite releasing only four albums over their 25-year career, the much-loved band of MAGMA spawn's first album since 2008 and the first since the untimely and unexpected death of guitarist-extraordinaire James MacGaw has somehow almost flown completely under the radar.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Emmanuel Borghi / keyboards
- Bruno Ruder / keyboards
- Philippe Bussonnet / bass
- Daniel Jeand'heur / drums
2. "Mérovée" (11:13) now here we have some excellent bass and drum work straight out of the gate! The keys are the things that take some time to step up. At the 90-seecond mark the music stops for a weird electronic keyboard exchange for about 30 seconds before stepping back into the opening motif. Another round of this and I'm really starting to get annoyed at the way the keys are holding the rhythm section back; the synth/keyboard play is almost childlike--a waste of tape and my time. Even the jazzy detuned and distorted Fender Rhodes solo in the seventh, eighth, and ninth minutes feels like their shooting for the novelty market, not trying to produce cohesive, engaging music. Meanwhile, Philippe Bussonnet and Daniel Jeand'heur do their best to remain happy in their own little world, playing of one another beautifully regardless of the keyboardists activities. The rhythm section speeds up the tempo for the final 90 seconds--which actually helps bring the keys into better alignment. Still, a very disappointing song. (17/20)
3. "Don't Ask Me" (7:14) jazz-rock fusion music within which the lead synth tries to replace/replicate the missing guitar. (Great syncopated drum play, btw.) This is actually a good thing as their sound and product has a more JAN HAMMER feel and quality to it. At 2:15 the rhythm section takes a turn down to Funky Town as one of the keyboard artists takes on an even more JAN HAMMER. Great Joe ZAWINUL-like Fender Rhodes chord play in support of his keyboard partner. In the fifth minute the Fender takes a turn in the lead and does a great Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock job. (I just love the drummer's sound palette: would love to see his set up. I think it's the Bill Bruford-like snare sound.) If the band put forth more songs like this one I think I'd be a more enthusiastic fan. (14.25/15)
4. "Mustang" (12:04) this song never really brings me in until the cool section with the "guitar" arpeggi begins at 4:25. Now that they have my attention, the band shifts into an odd and very simplistic bass and drum track within/over which the "guitar" keys try to weave some magic. It only really gets good when that "guitar" arpeggi takes the center of the weave. In the eighth minute drummer Daniel Jeand'heur finally starts to flourish, going off script to embellish and add to the mix, but then he comes back into the fold for the tenth minute's synthesizer duel (which has a boring bass line beneath it driving the song forward). At the 10-minute mark the music stops, resets with a return to the synth"guitar" arpeggio, and the full band rejoins to carry us to the finish line with power and singular intention. (21.75/25)
5. "Mustang Coda" (3:33) water flowing, hi-hat cymbal time keeping, "underwater" bass soloing. Interesting. More of a demo/étude than deserving of a fully-published song credit. (8/10)
Total Time 43:30
Total Time 43:30
I've never been a huge fan of this band: I like their output but it's never really stuck with me the way the jazz-rock fusion of Return To Forever, Chick Corea, Mahavishnu Orchestra, or Weather Report or the Zeuhl of Magma or Jannick Top did.
87.41 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; some very interesting musical experimentation coming from some amazing musicians; though the music on this album does not always have all its cylinders firing, there is much promise here: I'm glad to see the band is touring as I do hope that they continue to explore new pathways and, eventually, record new music; I think that they still have something absolutely amazing to come out of their collaboration.
OVERHEAD Telepathic Minds
- Alex Keskitalo / vocals, flute
- Jaakko Kettunen / guitars
- Ville Sjöblom / drums
- Janne Katalkin / bass
- Jere Saarainen / keyboards
CD 1 (44:55)
1. "War to End All Wars" (8:43) bombastic opening is quite reminiscent of a lot of other NeoProg bands' songs. Settling down into guitar and synth support for the vocal entry is classic prog-by-numbers. I like the chunky bass being so forward in the mix. The drums sound nice but are perhaps mixed a bit too forward. Nice melodies--quite similar to The Flower Kings or RPWL. Odd little pseudo-1980s-metal instrumental passage in the sixth, seventh, and eighth minutes displaying proficiency but lacking any originality. (17.5/20)
2. "Ghosts from the Future" (12:41) I mean, it's competent music and musicianship--and contains plenty of bombast and drama--it's just that the song lacks interesting things like hooks and melodies. The flute and choral vocals are about the only things aside from the STEVEN WILSON-like final 90 seconds. (21.5/25) :
- i) Endless Sleep
- ii) Last Chance to Bail
3. "Sail Across the Universe" (8:22) unremarkable 1980s-influenced heavy prog using rather mundane vocabulary (in English) to try to express some grand/profound ideas. Nothing very memorable here. (16.75/20)
4. "The Pilot's Not Fit to Fly" (9:19) blues-rock that sounds like ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION or CHRIS REA. Even the melodies and guitar play sound like the above-mentioned artists. Very pleasant Yacht Rock. (17.333/20)
5. "Sleep Tight Sweetheart" (5:50) some IZZ/GRAND STAND-like music with a Steven Wilson/David Gilmour vocal over the top. Both are a little too simplistic and derivative to garner any attention or praise. Not much instrumental flash or prowess on display. Good sound, though. (8.75/10)
CD 2 (44:10)
6. "Telepathic Minds" (17:18) one of my other top three songs. (32.125/35) :
- i) Hypnotized - very nice, genuinely emotional vocal performance (9.5/10)
- ii) Random Honesty - nice transition into a more 1980s heavy pop sound. Well composed (with all the hooks required of a good radio-friendly song) and recorded. (9/10)
- iii) Telepathic Minds - opens with some guitar riffing announcing a kind of GUNS 'N' ROSES energy before moving into a Peter SCHILLING-sounding vocal. Forward-driving without being too aggressive or clichéd. (9.25/10)
- iv) Back in Time - an instrumental journey taking off from the final "back in time" lyric from the previous section but then turning quite syrupy soft (with a pseudo-jazzy Fender Rhodes foundation!) power ballad. Nice bluesy guitar solo over the Hammond organ in the middle, but, overall, this is just a little too syrupy for me. (8.875/10)
- v) Reprise: Home Again - a reprise of pretty much all of the suite's themes--like an overture! (4.5/5)
CD 2 (44:10)
6. "Telepathic Minds" (17:18) one of my other top three songs. (32.125/35) :
- i) Hypnotized - very nice, genuinely emotional vocal performance (9.5/10)
- ii) Random Honesty - nice transition into a more 1980s heavy pop sound. Well composed (with all the hooks required of a good radio-friendly song) and recorded. (9/10)
- iii) Telepathic Minds - opens with some guitar riffing announcing a kind of GUNS 'N' ROSES energy before moving into a Peter SCHILLING-sounding vocal. Forward-driving without being too aggressive or clichéd. (9.25/10)
- iv) Back in Time - an instrumental journey taking off from the final "back in time" lyric from the previous section but then turning quite syrupy soft (with a pseudo-jazzy Fender Rhodes foundation!) power ballad. Nice bluesy guitar solo over the Hammond organ in the middle, but, overall, this is just a little too syrupy for me. (8.875/10)
- v) Reprise: Home Again - a reprise of pretty much all of the suite's themes--like an overture! (4.5/5)
7. "Tuesday That Never Came" (4:04) I like the opening--especially the breathy vocal that Alex uses but also the layers of delicate guitar play. When the band moves into a heavier, plodding variation of the same theme at 2:08 I find myself at first annoyed but then, with consistency and repetition it all becomes comfortable and enjoyable. I must say, Alex's "backed off" vocal approach feels much more "real" and heart-felt--even vulnerable. A top three song. (9/10)
8. "Planet of Disorder" (7:18) heavy jungle rhythms with breathy flute open this one. When the vocal joins in there's an effect on Alex's voice that, for some reason, make me feel I'm in a room between a SYLVAN and KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD. One of the more engaging chorus motifs on the album help keep me interested--as does the interesting background synth play throughout the verses. The metal lead guitar flourishes could be dropped. There is a very pleasant, even pretty, pastoral flute and acoustic guitar section in the fourth and fifth minutes before the band returns to the NeoProg patterns from the rhythm section. Weird muffled guitar solo in the sixth minute is almost drowned out by being mixed so far back in the sonic field. (13.125/15)
9. "Sheep Stay Silent" (7:45) interesting opening sound like a mix of electronic sequencing, LINKIN PARK, and STEVEN WILSON which eventually moves into a more METALLICA/SW slow chugging with some weird Caroline ballad lyrics. (12.75/15)
10. "Almost Always Near the End" (7:45) This song feels like an awkward, almost forced blending of incompatible sounds and styles never really drawing me in (as much as I try). It does have a nice SYLVAN-like ending, though. (12.75/15)
Total Time 89:05
Total Time 89:05
I've had this album since it came out in April but have found it quite a challenge to A) feel interested enough to listen to it start to finish and B) find the time (or desire) to want give it that kind of attention. 90 minutes is a lot of time to dedicate to listening to music (unless you're really loving the music).
87.34 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice contribution of varied though 80s power rock-oriented progressive rock music. Check it out for yourselves.
MONARCH TRAIL Four Sides
The fourth studio album release from Canadian Ken Baird (and company) since 2013.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ken Baird / piano, keyboards, vocals, guitars (1,5), recorder, Penny whistle
- Chris Lamont / drums
- Dino Verginella / bass
With:
- Kelly Kereliuk / guitar (3)
- Steve Cochrane / guitars (4)
1. "The Oldest of Trees" (22:39) what starts out as a kind Prog Lite I AND THOU-like piece turns into something that sounds like an early-form of an ELP song before turning TONY BANKS-GENESIS in the tenth minute and beyond. Too bad the lead vocalist isn't more developed/adept cuz some of the constructs of the song's motifs are quite nice (though some are fairly weak for their simplicity). The seventeenth minute bursts into a passage that sounds as if it comes off of one of IQ's 1980s releases. Again: too bad about the weak vocal. (39.25/45)
2. "Eris" (19:46) opening with three minutes of wind, followed by three full minutes of spacey synths before Vangelis-like organ takes over in the seventh minute. Finally, it's showing some promise--even as the synth-organ becomes the lone instrument in the soundscape. Reminds me a lot of 1970s VANGELIS. At the 11-minute mark Ken's concerto for a Space Age is usurped by a fast-paced passage full of bass and drums to go with the Emersonian barrage of keyboards (organs, mostly). The music slows down in the fifteenth minute--maybe to make room for the piano that enters to become the dominant keyboard. The music builds to a proggy crescendo before slipping into a calmer synth-directed motif at the 16-minute mark. Nice transition with some really nicely synched drum and bass work to accompany the synth lead work. Unfortunately, this lead melody work gets a bit stale after the second or third run through. (34.75/40)
3. "Twenty K" (17:06) Sounds like practice/demo sessions or outtakes from Wind and Wuthering. (30.5/35)
4. "Moon to Follow" (9:37) a nice song that feels as if it bridges the individual styles of Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. (17.75/20)
5. "Afterthought" (4:21) almost classical piano played alone at first before being joined by electric bass and drums and then full complement of synths. This reminds me of some of the earliest New Age artists of the 1980s like Michael Jones and David Lantz (and even Vangelis). Nice composition despite sounding a bit dated and New Age-y. (8.75/10)
Total Time 73:29
Gentle, pleasant, melodic, simple second-tier NeoProg. Sounds like practice/demo sessions or outtakes from Wind and Wuthering. I will say that Ken and his band are improving in all aspects of music making: sophistication, composition, recording and sound engineering, as well as creating songs that are interesting and engaging from all perspectives.
87.33333 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; many prog lover's are going to love this; to my mind, I still see a lot of room for improvement for this band--in multiple areas--though I will admit this is a great improvement over the band's first two albums (2014's Skye and 2017's Sand.)
P.S. Finally: Some album art that I find attractive.
LA BOCCA DELLA VERITÀ [Un]connected
A band that burst onto the scene in 2016 with their stunning album, Avenoth, has returned with a sophomore effort (seven years later).
Lineup / Musicians:
- Guglielmo Mariotti - Bass (Rickenbacker and Mariotti), synthesizer (Moog Minitaur)- Fabrizio Marziani - Lead & backing vocals, classical guitar, acoustic guitar
- Jimmy Box - Organ (Hammond), Mellotron, keyboards, backing vocals
- Massimo Di Paola - Piano, keyboards, backing vocals
With:
- Marco Vincini - Lead vocals (tracks 5, 8); backing vocals (4, 7.III, 10)
- Valerio Fisik - Music director, backing vocals (7.III, 10)
- Angelo Cappiello - Voice supervisor, backing vocals (7.III, 10, 11)
- Roberto Bucci - Electric guitar, backing vocals (3)
- Alessandro Inolti - Drums (4)
- Ilaria Monteleone - Lead & backing vocals (9)
- Filippo Marcheggiani - Guitar (10)
2. "Winter in our mind" (5:00) The best song on the album. (9.25/10)
3. "Hikkomori Humanity" (5:57) interesting musical expression/interpretation for such a sad topic. (8.75/10)
4. "I'm Gonna buy something" (6:30) the first half of this song sounds like something out of the 1970s Hard Rock bands (or New Jersey band 3RDegree), while the second half transitions into full PINK FLOYD bombast. A song that splits allegiances. (8.75/10)
5. "Lullaby of the ancient world" (2:36) acoustic guitar-based with multiple voices beautifully interacting with multiple lyrical lines being subtly woven together. A highlight. (4.75/5)
6. "Blind Trust" (6:05) organ-based prog that could have come straight out of the 1970s. (8.75/10)
7. "Liquid Suite" (15:30) too old-school and simple, a real disappointment (and waste of my time). (24/30)
8. "[un]connected" (6:03) opens with plug-in electrified nylon string guitar soloing. He is joined by vocalist Marco Vincini to sing a plaintive power ballad like song. The supporting synth strings is artful but, ultimately, disappointing for the dated sound of its source instrument. (8.75/10)
9. "Returned (The Last Farewell)" (6:29) other than the deep thrumming of Guglielmo Mariotti's Tony Levin-like bass, this song keeps conjuring up reminders of the music and artist behind I AND THOU's wonderful 2014 one-off, Speak--except for the voice--the vocalist is much more aligned with the lead singer of Moogarden. My final top three song. (9/10)
10. "Cryogenic Hope" (5:24) far more angular and stoccato prog than the previous several songs despite Fabrizio's beautiful melodies in the choruses. I like all of the theatric samples and layers incorporated to give this a very UNITOPIA/ANCESTRY PROGRAM social commentary aspect. (8.875/10)
11. "Like a Amphibious" (4:44) A bit of an odd, unresolved open-ended Nice Hackett-like guitar solo to close out. (8.66667/10)
Total Time 70:48
After bursting onto the scene in 2016 with the amazing Avenoth, I can only ask: What happened? This new album is so inconsistent, so scattered and disjointed, so half-hearted and unoriginal that it feels as if the band maybe should have stayed home and not even put the effort forward--at least not until everybody is truly stoked for the new material (which none of this feels: it all feels old and recycled, used and tired). Too bad since this is one album and band that I think everyone was looking forward to hearing.
87.13 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; for me this is quite a step down from the amazing production of Avenoth, but the songs and story here are still of a caliber superior to most prog bands and albums of the day.
DAMANEK Making Shore
Guy Manning is back and he's got a great band of collaborators as well as a great sound, thanks to the ROLI Seaboard keyboard.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Guy Manning / lead & backing vocals, keyboards, bouzouki, mandolin, acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, composer & arranger
- Marek Arnold / saxophones, Seaboard
- Sean Timms / keyboards, guitar, backing vocals, programming, arranger, production & mixing
With:
- Brody Thomas Green / drums (all except 5)
- Cam Blokland / electric guitars
- Ralf Dietsch / additional electric guitars (6)
- Jonathan Barrett / fretless bass (3,5)
- Nick Sinclair / bass (all except 3,5)
- Riley Nixon-Burns / trumpet (2,6,10,12)
- Linda Pirie / flute & piccolo (8)
- Julie King / backing vocals
- Kevin Currie / backing vocals
- Amanda Timms / backing vocals
Line-up / Musicians:
- Guy Manning / lead & backing vocals, keyboards, bouzouki, mandolin, acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, composer & arranger
- Marek Arnold / saxophones, Seaboard
- Sean Timms / keyboards, guitar, backing vocals, programming, arranger, production & mixing
With:
- Brody Thomas Green / drums (all except 5)
- Cam Blokland / electric guitars
- Ralf Dietsch / additional electric guitars (6)
- Jonathan Barrett / fretless bass (3,5)
- Nick Sinclair / bass (all except 3,5)
- Riley Nixon-Burns / trumpet (2,6,10,12)
- Linda Pirie / flute & piccolo (8)
- Julie King / backing vocals
- Kevin Currie / backing vocals
- Amanda Timms / backing vocals
- Part 1:
1. "A Mountain of Sky" (7:15) From the amazingly pristine sound delivery of the opening song I can tell that I'm in for an audiophilic listening experience. But then the full musical soundscape kicks in and I am put off by the sound(s) used to record the drums. They sound so plastic--so fake and robotically over-sanitized! I love the multi-tracking of the saxophones in the fifth and sixth minutes but then hate the sudden switch to Reggae-mode at 5:38. The vocal performance is quite nice--from Guy and within the full choral arrangement. (13.25/15)
2. "Back2Back" (5:59) from the very opening of this one I am deposited into the 1980s--a lost Gary Katz production of some music for Donald Fagen/Steely Dan, Rosie Vela, or Love And Money. (Even the excellent bass is Tony Levin like.) Surprisingly good! (8.75/10)
3. "Noon Day Candles" (6:33) more amazing sound production of nice instrumental performances beneath a kind of lackluster and weak vocal arrangement. Still, a very nice message in the song's lyrics and some really nice music, textures, and instrumental performances. (8.75/10)
4. "Americana" (4:55) Wow! This could come straight off of a STEELY DAN album! It sounds great (like the Gaucho album). The vocal delivery sounds so much like that of ROBBIE ROBERTSON from his amazing 1987 self-titled solo album. Great sound but not my favorite song. (8.5/10)
5. "I Deep Blue (Sea Songs Pt. 1)" (4:23) nostalgic shlapp. Pleasant as an overall listening experience but nothing of what I'd consider "progressive rock music"; this is like a diversionary off-beat piece used to deliver back story or secondary threads to a stage musical. (8.667/10)
6. "Reflections on Copper" (5:02) more 1980s Steely Dan! Despite it's initially irritating simplicity, it's such a pleasant listening experience! (8.667/10)
7. "Crown of Thrones (Sea Songs Pt. 2)" (6:04) another "old" sounding song--one whose musical base and vocal delivery feel quite at odds with one another. (8.33/10)
- Part 2:
8. "Oculus Overture" (9:07) a Broadway show tune! From the new West Side Story! What great sound production! It's like you're there in the orchestra pit with the musicians! And it's an overture: nine minutes of instrumental work! (17.5/20)
- Part 2:
8. "Oculus Overture" (9:07) a Broadway show tune! From the new West Side Story! What great sound production! It's like you're there in the orchestra pit with the musicians! And it's an overture: nine minutes of instrumental work! (17.5/20)
9. "Act I: Spot the Difference?" (4:31) I get it: This "Part 2" is really a collection of songs that make up a musical! "Oculus"! The most confident, relaxed, and IAN ANDERSON-like Guy's voice has sounded on the whole album. A very well constructed prog song. Stylistically, Guy and Peter Jones (TIGER MOTH TALES) have a lot of common musical knowledge that they draw from. (8.875/10)
10. "Act II: The Corridor" (4:25) the story continues--and continues to keep me interested and engaged. The "Caribbean Queen" rhythm track is easy to overlook because of the storytelling. (8.75/10)
11. "Act III: Passive Ghost" (6:28) more music befitting a West End stage production. I've got to hand it to Guy: his bard-like lyrics are quite poetic, quite compelling (and this from me: a music listener who rarely hears lyrics). (8.667/10)
12. "Act IV: A Welcoming Hand" (7:17) a very simple, spacious musical foundation is very quickly, nicely filled by a weave of multiple layers of completely separate saxophone melodies. Very cool! Another great delivery of beautiful storytelling--one fit for live stage performance. It has more than a little AL STEWART feel to it. (13.25/15)
Total Time 71:59
So often during my listening to this album was I filled with a nostalgic feeling that I was listening to a Gary Katz product--like some new STEELY DAN material; this album of eclectic if old stage-worthy jazz-pop is so beautifully engineered that the lush listening experience alone is worth your time. I just wish the music wasn't so rooted in 1970s standard rock forms and constructs--especially the ultra-simplistic multi-keyboard chord progressions. Also, during the first "part", Guy's very nicely controlled voice sounds a bit frail, a bit old.
The second disc's Oculus suite is a far more satisfying listening experience than "Part 1" because the music seems to all run together with an integrated fullness as well as a cohesive purpose. Would that the listening experience of the first seven songs be as flowing and uniform as the last five. At the same time, I can say without equivocation that this is my favorite album I've ever heard by Guy Manning. Also, after several listenings, it has also proceeded to deliver increased enjoyment with increased familiarity. (I've always loved Gary Katz' sound production as well as stage musicals.)
87.11 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any music lover's collection--definitely one amazing display of sound production!
THE RYSZARD KRAMARSKI PROJECT Odyssey 9999
A Polish artist that I've only just become aware of despite the fact that he's been active in Prog World since the 1990s (as founder of both FRAMAURO, in 1996, and MILLENIUM in 1999), this is Ryszard's seventh studio release under the Project format since 2016!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ryszard Kramarski / keyboards, acoustic & electric guitars
- Marcin Kruczek / guitars
- Krzysztof Wyrwa / bass, fretless
- Grzegorz Fieber / drums (2, 3, 5, 7)
With:
- Stuart Nicholson / vocal (1, 8)
- Ania Batko / vocal (2, 5)
- Marek Smelkowski / vocal (4, 6)
- Łukasz Gałęziowski / vocal (3, 7)
- Piotr Płonka / guitar solo (3 first solo,5 first solo)
- Grzegorz Bauer / drums (1, 4, 6, 8)
- Łukasz Płatek / tenor saxophone (1, 8)
1. "Twelve Spaceships" (7:20) intriguing opening: almost cinematic, but then it coagulates into what sounds like a clone of IQ (with some awkward compression of lead singer Stuart Nicholson (GALAHAD)'s voice); where's the magic? It drags! It's formulaic! And, where's the passion? the enthusiasm? The DAVE GILMOUR imitation guitar solo in the sixth minute is weak and the sax that follows feels second row (unimaginative). (12.75/15)
- Ryszard Kramarski / keyboards, acoustic & electric guitars
- Marcin Kruczek / guitars
- Krzysztof Wyrwa / bass, fretless
- Grzegorz Fieber / drums (2, 3, 5, 7)
With:
- Stuart Nicholson / vocal (1, 8)
- Ania Batko / vocal (2, 5)
- Marek Smelkowski / vocal (4, 6)
- Łukasz Gałęziowski / vocal (3, 7)
- Piotr Płonka / guitar solo (3 first solo,5 first solo)
- Grzegorz Bauer / drums (1, 4, 6, 8)
- Łukasz Płatek / tenor saxophone (1, 8)
1. "Twelve Spaceships" (7:20) intriguing opening: almost cinematic, but then it coagulates into what sounds like a clone of IQ (with some awkward compression of lead singer Stuart Nicholson (GALAHAD)'s voice); where's the magic? It drags! It's formulaic! And, where's the passion? the enthusiasm? The DAVE GILMOUR imitation guitar solo in the sixth minute is weak and the sax that follows feels second row (unimaginative). (12.75/15)
2. "Penelope" (4:40) delicate piano and shamisen (?) provide a pensive, emotional fabric upon which Ania Batko sings. It's a very powerful, very emotional vocal--one that starts out sounding very much like the delicate side of KATE BUSH but then becomes more PAT BENETAR-strong with the more forceful phrases. Fretless bass and drums join in while Ania amps up and then Ryszard delivers a top notch electric guitar solo. Ania closes out the song with a return to the delicate, soft, Kate Bush-like voice of the opening. A beautiful, almost perfect song. (9.5/10)
3. "Cyclops Cave" (5:30) opens with a nice even-keeled classic rock foundation over which guest Piotr Płonka (MILLENIUM) solos on an electric guitar for the first minute. Vocalist of Millenium lead vocalist and long-time contributor to Ryszard's solo project, Łukasz Gałęziowski, enters to sing in a standard 1980s classic rock voice. Hammond organ solo over piano and rock rhythm section before coming back for the singing motif. Łukasz' voice is strong but fairly locked into a one-note monotone for much of the song. Ryszard gets the guitar solo in the third instrumental passage--which pretty much closes out the song. (8.66667/10)
4. "The Curse of Circe" (6:10) a fairly steady musical form over which another Millenium singer, Marek Smelkowski sings. Marek has a more variable approach to singing than his bandmate Łukasz Gall--more rock and metal-flexible--but a slightly thinner voice. Still, he does a nice job on what turns out to be a solid yet uneventful song. (Words/lyrics don't click with me. Sorry!) (8.66667/10)
5. "The Killing Songs of Sirens" (6:50) Female vocalist Ania Batko graces us with her presence over this heavier yet equally-straightforward rock song. Ania's vocalise over the muted guitar chord play between verses is quite lovely--my favorite parts of the song. Unfortunately, the melody lines given to Ania's vocal are almost as dull and soporific as the music beneath. Yet another replication of a David Gilmour guitar solo in the sixth and seventh minutes only serves to rankle me. (13.125/15)
6. "Calypso Nymph" (5:15) another plodder given to Marek Smelkowski to sing over. Some nice extended bluesy guitar soloing in the third minute. Again, I wish word comprehension came more naturally to me (and these singers have excellent command of my own native English language!) In the end, it's just another set of nice, clear performances of what sounds like a 1980s rock ballad. (8.5/10)
7. "Ithaca" (5:00) Łukasz "Gall" is back for the lead vocal on this one. For some reason some of the instrumental sounds here (acoustic guitar, synths, Tony Levin-like bass, piano, sax) give this song a more delectable, interesting palette to my ears. Łukasz' voice sounds a little more vulnerable here--which feels good: gives him a more human element with which to connect. Hitting a higher range at the end of the some of the verses makes him sound as close to Peter Nicholls as Stuart Nicholson does. (Why is the IQ sound--and especially the Peter Nicholls voice sound--so attractive to so many bands?) (8.75/10)
8. "Odysseus" (7:04) Gently chord-played piano and strummed acoustic guitar are soon joined by the rhythm section and a bombastic saxophone solo. Entering in the second minute, Stu Nicholson's treated voice sounds a bit more vulnerable and interesting here than on "Twelve Spaceships" though he still tends to sing as if he comes from the PETER NICHOLLS school of NeoProg vocals: almost monotone. I resent the use of the melody lines (and musical chord progression to match) from Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" for the lead singer's melody and phrasing during the verses. And then, to rub salt into the wound, Ryszard's guitar solo note choices are also borrowed from the same song (though here slipping and sliding into many of David Gilmour's sounds and tricks--especially from "Comfortably Numb"). (12.75/15)
Total Time 47:49
I mean, it's good, solid rock, but it's nothing new or exciting and often feels "borrowed" or perhaps (to give Ryszard some credit) bled over from rote muscle memory (from many years of knowing and practicing Dave Gilmour's music and guitar solos).
88.46 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; I have no doubt that this would be a nice addition to any NeoProg lover's music collection.
88.46 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; I have no doubt that this would be a nice addition to any NeoProg lover's music collection.
The band's first studio album in ten years shows the band relying completely on atmospheric synths, full orchestra, and the virtuosic voice of their angelic leader.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jón Birgisson / vocals, synthesizer (1,4-7,10)
- Georg Hólm / bass, synthesizer (1)
- Kjartan Sveinsson / piano, synthesizer (1,3-5,10), harpsichord (6), hurdy-gurdy, vibraphone (7)
With the London Contemporary Orchestra:
- Robert Ames / orchestra conductor (1-8,10)
- Ólafur Ólafsson / percussion (1,7,9,10)
- Ingi Erlendsson / trombone & tuba (4,10)
- Helgi Jónsson / trombone (4,10)
- Eirikur Ólafsson / trumpet (4,10)
- Snorri Sigurðarson / trumpet (4,10)
- María Sigfúsdóttir / violin (4,10)
2. "Blóðberg" (7:16) nice meditative float. (13.125/15)
3. "Skel" (4:58) more angel-hosted slow walking. (8.75/10)
4. "Klettur" (6:31) nice cinematic low end opening--with tympanic tribal drum driving the way. Definitely a top three for me. (9/10)
5. "Mór" (5:47) big orchestral song with early crescendo and long, drawn out postlude. (8.75/10)
6. "Andrá" (4:07) Jónsi's low-register dirge slowly builds with orchestra support for two minutes before yielding to a gently picked nylon string guitar. At first it's alone, but then Jónsi returns and the orchestra swells around them. Interesting. (8.75/10)
7. "Gold" (5:13) piano, synth textures, and distant, ethereal Jónsi vocalizations are topped by Jónsi's clear (though heavily effected) up-front vocal dominating the soundscape. Slow, steady beat from a low percussive in straight walking time as Jónsi, synthscape, & strings swirl heavenly like water flowing upward. Another top three song. (8.875/10)
8. "Ylur" (5:55) 45 seconds of atmospheric cave-guitar chords before Jónsi joins in. Nice music for a nice vocal--virtuosic. My other top three song. (8.875/10)
9. "Fall" (3:27) effected-electric piano, playing a sequence of chords, spaciously, over and over. Jónsi joins in to sing within the chords, in time with the chords' syncopation. Again, very professional vocal. (8.666667/10)
10. "8" (9:41) more PETER GABRIEL-like slow treated piano chord progressions with light strings and Jónsi's protracted vocalizations. The second half of the song devolves into a kind of HAROLD BUDD funeral dirge heard as if coming from a different room in the same funeral home. (17/20)
Total Time 56:34
87.21 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice, peaceful, almost meditative journey into the pre-Gates of St. Peter clouds and sky. Nice if you're a fan or collector or contemplative; not sure if there's anything here for the prog or Post Rock lover who's looking for something fresh or innovative.
YAAROTH Man in the Wood
- Dan Bell / bass, guitar, vocals
- Samuel Nells / drums (2,3,5)
With:
- Will Hoback / session drums (4)
1. "Ancient Sea Town" (1:05) sounds of a row boat working its way through the marsh are added violin-like synth work. Doesn't really fit with the song that it bleeds into.
2. "The Subterranean Stench" (7:58) surprisingly heavy BLACK SABBATH-like psychedelic guitar-hero metal over which Dan's almost operatic voice sings. There is really nothing here that warrants any praise or notice, just an interested "hmph!" (12.5/15)
3. "God of Panic" (9:56) though this song opens with some very pastoral-sounding Prog Folk with some very nice acoustic guitar work and gentle singing, the second half bursts into some abrasive, very heavy, BLACK SABBATH-like music within/over which Dan's singing voice, style, & melodic sensibility sounds very much like The Smiths' MORRISSEY. And then the final two minutes finds the music and pacing falling into a very dark, near-death metal (more like the Goth Metal of FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM). I have to admit, as retro as this sounds--and as weirdly incongruous as the mélange sounds and feels--I really like it. (18/20)
4. "They Seek Baryba" (8:52) picks up where "God of Panic" left off, with a slow, heavy, plodding FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM sounding musical motif over which Dan's near-Morrissey voice dirges. At 2:45 the heavy music dissipates and we're left with a kind of Mr. Rogers electric piano accompanying Dan's tender, near operatic voice. At the end of the fifth minute this tender passage ends as another slow, plodding Goth metal passage opens with more Robert Smith/Morrissey vocal stylings rendered over the top. Dan sounds so religiously ecstatic as he sings this stuff. It's quite remarkable (and unusual). At the end of the eighth minute the singing ends but the fuzzy electric guitar continues to recreate the long, drawn out vocal melody to the song's end. (17.5/20)
5. "Cassap" (13:23) If I didn't know differently, I would have guessed that this was some lost proto-prog song from the late 1960s psychedelic rock years--Ultimate Spinach meets The Collectors and Spirit and Vanilla Fudge or even Blue Cheer--like British band Diagonal did in 2008 with their debut album. Dan's Morissey-imitative vocal performance makes it interesting, of course. (26/30)
Total Time 41:14
Interesting retro psychedelic heavy prog that sounds as if it could come from the late 1960s or early 1970s.
87.06 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.
NEON HEART Söderat
Line-up / Musicians:
- Magnus Norden / drums
- Johnny Karlsson Kern / bass, vocals
- Bjorn Wallgren / guitar
- Petter Karnekull / electronic viola
- Daniel Borgegard Alga / saxophone, flute
1. "Vart tog du vägen" (5:45) singer Johny Karlsson Kern seems to be channeling David Byrne's voice (8.75/10)
2. "Tiden" (3:50) could be a punk rock song from the late 1970s or early 1980s--as if David Byrne sang the lead vocals over an early BERLIN song. (8.6667/10)
3. "Jagar dig" (7:44) driving, hypnotic rhythm track (using two ostinato bass notes and 4/4 straight time) over which electric viola and self-echoed electric guitar solo. At the end of the fourth minute the heavily-treated viola gets a turn, creating very spacey/synth-like sounds over which Johnny begins to croon. At 5:55 there is an actually shift in the dynamic of the rhythm section, as if they're shifting into a slightly higher gear (while never really changing pace). Soon after Johnny stops crooning and flute and crazed viola take turns soloing ... to the end. (13/15)
4. "Cirkeln" (8:06) the first interesting, non-Krautrock song opening has drums, percussion, guitar, bass, and flute "hits" being thrown into a linear pile. At the one-minute mark everybody lines up to create a gentle, forward-moving song. The flute, viola, guitar, and bass play on this one are the best on the album: very creative and nonconformist. Definitely the best bass playing on the album. Though it does drag on a bit, this is definitely my favorite song on the album. (14/15)
5. "Brättom" (12:29) despite containing the most interesting drumming on the album, the first five minutes of this song is rendered almost unlistenable by the amateurish play of the annoying mosquito-sounding lead guitar. Not even the pleasant flute and creative viola play can save this one. But, at the five-minute mark Johnny enters with a song in his voice and everything stops and shifts into a totally different rhythm pattern. As Johnny stops singing at the end of the eighth minute sustained airy flute notes, pizzicato violin arpeggi and more (but better) mosquito guitar interplay makes for a pleasant and engaging weave (though it's the drumming and subtly shifting viola arpeggi that attract most of my attention). Thank goodness for that shift at 5:00 or else this would have been a very lowly rated song. (21.75/25)
CD2 (37:23)
1. "Inte mer" (7:16) a pleasant enough jam to get into--with interesting interplay from flute, electric guitar and electric viola, but it turns out to be more like something long and drawn out from OZRIC TENTACLES than their previous stuff. (13/15)
2. "Utan nånting på dig" (5:55) a cappella voce opens this before tumbling into a plodding blues-rock form. Voice and electric guitar trade outputs just as a blues song would do while the rhythm section uphold a loose near-Reggae pattern. Everything just sounds so rudimentary and cheesy: especially the first guitar, bass, and drumming. (8.6667/10)
3. "Då väntar jag" (6:41) going after a 1960s California Surf Rock vibe with this one, there's just not anything else to make it more interesting than that. (8/10)
4. "Led mig hårifrän" (7:41) opening with another rhythm pattern from the bass and drums that plays ad nauseam beneath Johnny's same-same vocals. There is more scratchy viola and sax here to make things a little more interesting. Why they didn't do more of this over the course of the album I do not know. (13.125/15)
5. "Söderut" (9:52) repeating vocal sample, cymbal play, and a repeating progression of sustained bass chords open this one before Johnny joins in with a brief introductory delivery of lyrics. After that, the band moves into an interesting minimalist rhythm pattern over which viola, electric guitar, and saxophone have a free-for-all. At the five minute mark everything backs off except the rhythm section so that guitar can take the center but by the end of the sixth minute the other two soloists (sax and viola) have resumed adding their dissonant flourishes here and there. It's a great groove from the rhythm section, and the interplay of the three soloists is interesting, but, unfortunately, there's nothing special to come of it except hypnotic numbness. (17.25/20)
Total Time 75:17
Unfortunately, I don't see/hear a lot of growth since their last album--their self-titled 2020 debut, which I love and which I keep songs like "Dagarna försvann/Dagar försvinner" and "Till dig ännu en gång" in my regular rotation of playlists to this day. The music from that album was so refreshing because no one else had been doing anything like that (that I'd heard) for decades, but Söderat has so few surprises that each song quickly fades into background music as I listen. In my opinion, the band has devolved into more of a jam band than an experimental NeoKrautrock band.
87.04 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; an interesting contribution to Prog World of NeoKrautrock that, unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of the band's previous effort. Still, recommended for any fans of Krautrock music: you may find it far more interesting and enjoyable than I.
87.04 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; an interesting contribution to Prog World of NeoKrautrock that, unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of the band's previous effort. Still, recommended for any fans of Krautrock music: you may find it far more interesting and enjoyable than I.
A band from Austin, Texas, that was formed in the early 2000s that is new to me (I've not gone back to listen to their two previous album releases).
Line-up / Musicians:
- Brett Cosby / guitars
- Mick Peters / Chapman Stick, bass, pedals, vocals
- Ted Thomas / drums & percussion, vocals
- Bob Villwock / keyboards
With:
- Thad Miller / keyboards (2)
1. "Timeline" (8:57) are these guys for real? The music, individual musicianship is so rudimentary, and the lyrics among the silliest, most forced rhymes I've ever heard. This would be fine if it were 1966 and prog had not already been defined and populated by many jazz- and classically-trained virtuosi of their instruments, but this is unacceptible for serious prog musicians. Either this was a very old song the band had been rejecting or hiding since their early days and the decided to haphazardly throw together in order to have enough material for this album, or they were in a real hurry to throw something together at the last minute for filler. (If the latter is the case, I'm surprised the band didn't throw it at the end of the album.) (16.75/20)
2. "Alternate Life" (12:02) at least this one has a true prog feel (and flow) to it. (21.75/25)
3. "Where the Time Goes" (5:32) some jazzy shifts in this one beneath the wailing solo lead electric guitar! Nice! All the while it's Brett Cosby's mesmerizing guitar play that keeps one attending. And no vocals with banal lyrics. This is nice. They're improving! (8.875/10)
4. "The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon" (7:11) Great title. Why go the ELP route (with the Hammond leading the way) I don't know. The vocals are well-intended (and the lyrics actually better than that embarrassing opener) and the guitar leads excellent, but the rest of the music is a bit lackluster--dragging along as the singer conveys his story (Armando's plight). The GENESIS/ANT PHILLIPS interlude in the fourth and fifth minutes is pretty--and it works very well when the music returns to the main motif at 4:45. There are hints of modern IQ, old Gabriel-era Genesis, and even ancient 1960s proto-prog in this. In the end, I like it. (13.5/15)
5. "The King of Istanbul" (10:35) With this song it becomes obvious to me that the singer of the song is the lyricist for this singer, the same as that of the opening song, here displays the same obsession with rhyming--no matter what the result--sometimes multiple times within the same phrase or sentence! It's just too much! The guitar work, as always, is wonderful, the keyboards, bass, and drums perform well as supporters, the song is constructed with some epic qualities--including multiple gear and directional shifts with distinctly different motifs, it's just that vocal performance--with its ludicrous lyrical content--that drags the song down. (17/20)
6. "Warmth and Darkness" (7:32) an attempt at a ORION or HEMINA-like Sci-Fi radio-teleplay. I like this ANDY TILLISON-like vocalist (ChapmanStick player Mick Peters) so much better than the other. He might be a little melodramatic, but his bombast is less offensive than the rhyme-obsessed lyrical mess of the other. A nice tune for the conveyance of a little dramatic fantasy. (13.25/15)
7. "Count All the Days" (16:33) This one feels as if it should be cohesive and coherent, but it's not. The multi-layered vocal is just too muddled--distractingly so--and disharmonious with the music; it's literally as if the singing tracks were done in one studio ignorant and irrespective of the music it was supposed to fit. The space-atmospheric section between 5:13 and 8:40 feels a duplicate of the Jon Anderson harp and Rick Wakeman organ interlude in the middle of YES' "Awaken"; it's nice but, unfortunately, we're brought out of it with a Peter Nichols/IQ motif that (like most IQ music) bores me to tears. In the thirteenth minute some synth and guitar play liven things up, but fail to convince the rhythm section to shift gears or change direction until the very end of the thirteenth minute (that's five minutes of IQ-ness! Yuch!) Mellotron bridge (again) into the "Awaken" harp motif (again) only this time Mick Peters enters singing in a very pleasant lower register--and the backing/harmonizing vocals that soon accompany do not deter or distract because the music beneath remains so thin and atmospheric. The buildup in the final minute, however, threatens to replicate the over-stimulation of the the opening section. I like a lot of the ideas here, even though the musical motifs are rather tame, and the subject matter and mood captured is quite cool; if only those vocals didn't clog up the works! (26.25/30)
Total Time 68:22
Total Time 68:22
Reading more of the band's history and bio, I'm saddened for the lack of consistency in the compositional (and performance) competency of this collection of songs. There are some great ideas, nicely worked out, but then there are others that feel as if they got back up "B" or "C"-listers to fill in during the studio time. What happened. I only hope that if and when I go back to listen to the band's previous two albums I hear and feel progress in the band's development, that songs like "Timeline" prove to be the exception and never the rule. Also, having been a ChapmanStick player myself, I must say that I am none too impressed with Mick Peters skill on that cherished and powerful instrument. Fortunately, he more than makes up for it in the conceptual and vocal departments. Also, mega kudos to guitarist Brett Crosby for consistently saving many songs whenever he soloed. Thanks, Dude! You kept me going!
86.94 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting set of musical ideas that every prog lover would probably enjoy experiencing; definitely a band to pay attention to for future growth.
The German band's 15th studio release since its 1972 debut--six in the 21st Century.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Peter Wolbrandt / guitars
- Jan Fride / drums, congas
- Hellmut Hattler / bass, vocals
Martin Kasper: Keyboards, vocoder
Johannes Pappert: Saxophones on „Norwegen Dia (Acoustic Version)"
Ingo Bischof: Keys on „Aus allen Wolken“
Juergen Schlachter: Add ons and percussion
Siyou: Background vocals
2. "Rainy May" (3:36) vocals! (8.66667/10)
3. "Überstürzter Aufbruch" (4:45) nice drumming as well as electric guitar solos in the third and fourth minutes. REminds me a lot of the MANNA / MIRAGE albums Dave Newhouse has been putting out over the past ten years. (8.75/10)
4. "Weit und Breit" (4:19) pleasant enough but not very exciting. (8.66667/10)
5. "Twisted" (4:57) more singing over pretty straightforward near-pop rock music. (8.5/10)
6. "Norwegen Dia" (5:04) like a remake of a ROLLING STONES song ("Satisfaction") or Tom PETTY. Cool mid-section: groove, rhythm gtr and lead synths. (8.75/10)
7. "A Skyful of Veils" (4:26) nice, fairly original song, but still in a raw, "unfinished" state. (8.7/10)
8. "Plain Vanilla" (4:38) I thought (with no little excitement and anticipation) this was going to be an homage to the pair of Focus songs, "Soft Vanilla" and "Hard Vanilla" from 1975's Mother Focus, but it's not. Still it is one of the more polished albeit bluesy songs on the album with multiple layers of interesting things going on at once. (8.75/10)
9. "Bikinian Rhapsody" (4:10) definitely dreamy, island-like music. Could've/should've been developed more. (8.7/10)
10. "Aus allen Wolken" (4:08) The main melody in the chorus sections (coming from the fretless bass) sounds so much like THE POLICE's "Wrapped Around Your Finger." (8.75/10)
11. "Norwegen Dia" (Acoustic Version) (5:07) another song using an old Smooth Jazz Pop remake/cover melody line. (8.6666667/10)
Total Time 51:24
An album that sounds like a bunch of old guys getting together occasionally to jam, occasionally liking one of their jams well enough to process, produce, and release it. The work of both the drummer and the bass player are quite solid and often interesting.
86.87 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a very pleasant easy-listening album that many older prog lovers may love but, for all intents and purposes, offers nothing new or exciting to the lexicon of progressive rock music.
Italian band lead by imaginative keyboard master Francesco Carella and his faithful side-kick, drummer Giuseppe Quarta.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Francesco Carella / vocals, keyboards, synth bass, acoustic guitar, Rhodes piano
- Giuseppe Quarta / drums
With:
- Richard Sinclair / vocals & bass (3)
- Marco Ancona / electric guitar (2)
- Pietro Sansonetti / electric guitar (7)
- Francesco del Prete / violin (8)
- Roberto Gagliardi / soprano saxophone (2)
- Santi Spanna / spoken words (4)
1. "Migrazioni" (6:59) an oddly-engineered (or is it just a collection of odd instrumental sound choices?) song that feels so straightforward with its themes "borrowed" that it feels stagnant and inert. (13.125/15)
2. "Frequenze Solari" (3:44) old blues rock--like "La Grange." Well performed though it sounds like a live stage performance in a small club. (8.5/10)
3. "Poker" (5:08) sedate blues rock with some interesting multi-voice vocalise interplay over the Fender Rhodes piano and rock instrumentation. At 1:29 the song switches direction and style, cruising down a road out into the countryside as synth and vocalise steal the show up front. Richard Sinclair being Richard Sinclair (even in his 70s!). Back to the blues rock theme for the final minute. (8.6667/10)
4. "Bronx" (4:57) more blues rock forms with a cinematic 1960s detective noir bent and some excellently weird instrumental sound choices. Unfortunately, it loses me in the fourth minute when it goes RPI lite. A top three song. (8.75/10)
5. "L'ultima Battaglia" (7:30) organ and droning hum and military drumming support an interesting SEVEN REIZH-like vocal opening. But then, in the second minute, it morphs into a simple mosaic to support a Wurlitzer-sounding keyboard and saw-synth weave. Franco's wordless vocals mix into the weave in the fifth minute as the organ solos. Interesting. At the five minute mark it's like a switch is thrown and the music goes into celebratory march mode. Well-composed but under-developed and a bit too filled with predictable/expected musical clichés. Still, a top three. (13.125/15)
6. "Androgino" (5:18) simple PINK FLOYD-like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts V1-IX" soundscape with some laid back vocals over the top. Nice chorus section. Interesting; inoffensive, but irritating for its "stolen"/overly familiar foundation. (8.6667/10)
7. "Road Roller" (3:04) A raucous, chaotic 60s rock opening turns into a smoky bar room blues tune. Again, the band is obviously going for a cinematic soundtrack feel. (8.6667/10)
8. "Nostalgie" (3:17) with film noir narration to open this one, the Fender Rhodes and violin interplay is actually quite interesting and pleasing. I'll give Francesco credit: he is a very smooth and creative keyboard player. The presence of a skilled violinist casts aspersions on the rest of his instrumental support: it's just too simplistic and vanilla. (8.66667/10)
Total Time 39:57
Total Time 39:57
A very nice album of run-of-the-mill prog--even if it does occasionally sound like soulless prog-by-the-numbers with electronically-created music. Leader and composer-keyboard wizard Francesco Carella puts together a fine package but there's so much more that could have been developed and polished.
86.85 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a nice addition of keyboard-oriented retro blues-prog to most prog lover's music collection--especially if you're into the blues-rock of the late 1960s.
Devonshire's most consistent band releases their fifth studio album in ten years.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Alan Carter / guitars, tenor & soprano saxophones, keyboards
- Tree Stewart / keyboards, vocals, flute, ROLI Seaboard
- Dave Greenaway / 6-string fretless & fretted basses
- Tom Jackson / drums
1. "Out of Time" (23:13) (40.25/45) :
- i. A Moment in Time - arpeggiating piano chord progression and synth strings open this and are soon joined by Aly Carter's searing electric guitar and gentle drum and bass play before Tree Stewart's weirdly distant voice sings. Tree hits some lovely high notes in the second half of the third minute. (8.875/10)
- ii. Temporal Disruption - hard rockin' motif takes over over which Aly and Tree continue to perform in styles and with sounds as before. At 4:25 Dave Greenaway's bass takes center stage as organ and drums steadily support. Electric piano solos in a bluesy-jazz way in the sixth minute. The motif is tied up nicely in the first half of the seventh minute before the music returns to a gentler, more familiar The Emerald Dawn motif for Aly to return to his searing electric guitar sound & play. Tree's electric piano play is a little annoying for remaining in a higher octave for her recurrent and repetitive arpeggi. (8.875/10)
- iii. Ouroboros Affronted - At the nine minute mark, gentle, spacious synth washes and note play provide transition and support to nice tribal percussion pattern. Tree sings as if from a distance something quite ethereal and hypnotic over the next 90 seconds before a horrible sax sound enters to echo Tree's vocal melody. The tenor sax then moves into a solo over the same tribal dream music as drummer Tom Jackson begins to take a few liberties with some tasteful accents and flourishes. In the fourteenth minute Tree's synth sound tries to duplicate and duel with Aly's sax before taking over with a solo that uses an Egyptian-sounding melody style. Interesting. At 15:45 Aly tries to take over the Egyptian melody with his electric guitar before ramping it up with the rest of the band into the more high-powered next section. (9/10)
- iv. Temporal Reconciliation - a return to a faster, more energetic rock 'n' roll motif over/within which both Aly (guitar) and Tree (synth) solo together--seeming to try to stay together in a mutually supportive melodic progression (which is tighter than I'm capable of describing though both quite individualistic). (4.5/5)
- v. A Moment in Time Recalled - slowing down to arpeggiated piano chords over which Tree sings about making time last forever. At 20:10 the pace quickens though the instruments remain constant. Aly's signatory guitar makes a brief appearance between Tree's vocals--which pleasantly hit those high notes again in the 22nd minute. (I just wish there wasn't such a weird effect on her voice--as if it's being recorded in the basement of a large beer storage cellar.) This section of the suite is definitely like a song within a song--and could stand alone quite easily. (9/10)
- ii. Temporal Disruption - hard rockin' motif takes over over which Aly and Tree continue to perform in styles and with sounds as before. At 4:25 Dave Greenaway's bass takes center stage as organ and drums steadily support. Electric piano solos in a bluesy-jazz way in the sixth minute. The motif is tied up nicely in the first half of the seventh minute before the music returns to a gentler, more familiar The Emerald Dawn motif for Aly to return to his searing electric guitar sound & play. Tree's electric piano play is a little annoying for remaining in a higher octave for her recurrent and repetitive arpeggi. (8.875/10)
- iii. Ouroboros Affronted - At the nine minute mark, gentle, spacious synth washes and note play provide transition and support to nice tribal percussion pattern. Tree sings as if from a distance something quite ethereal and hypnotic over the next 90 seconds before a horrible sax sound enters to echo Tree's vocal melody. The tenor sax then moves into a solo over the same tribal dream music as drummer Tom Jackson begins to take a few liberties with some tasteful accents and flourishes. In the fourteenth minute Tree's synth sound tries to duplicate and duel with Aly's sax before taking over with a solo that uses an Egyptian-sounding melody style. Interesting. At 15:45 Aly tries to take over the Egyptian melody with his electric guitar before ramping it up with the rest of the band into the more high-powered next section. (9/10)
- iv. Temporal Reconciliation - a return to a faster, more energetic rock 'n' roll motif over/within which both Aly (guitar) and Tree (synth) solo together--seeming to try to stay together in a mutually supportive melodic progression (which is tighter than I'm capable of describing though both quite individualistic). (4.5/5)
- v. A Moment in Time Recalled - slowing down to arpeggiated piano chords over which Tree sings about making time last forever. At 20:10 the pace quickens though the instruments remain constant. Aly's signatory guitar makes a brief appearance between Tree's vocals--which pleasantly hit those high notes again in the 22nd minute. (I just wish there wasn't such a weird effect on her voice--as if it's being recorded in the basement of a large beer storage cellar.) This section of the suite is definitely like a song within a song--and could stand alone quite easily. (9/10)
2. "Timeless" (including "The Eternal River" & "Janus Divided") (14:42) Great groove to start. By now, this, their fifth album, I've actually gotten used to the effect they stubbornly insist on using on Aly's saxophone. The motif with the six-note guitar riff "solo" in the fourth and fifth minute is so boring: just a very standard chord progression that the whole band performs in tandem while Aly plays that riff in key. Then the long drawn-out poorly cinematic passage over which Tree sings (in her weirdly-effected/engineered voice) feels like something from a cheap old video game soundtrack. At 8:35 they kick into an actually cool jazz motif with flute in the lead over the jazzy bass and drums and thick Mellotron-like wave chords. Nice drumming from Tom Jackson. At 10:15 there is another shift, this time into a nice solid groove from the rhythm section over which Aly injects his Andrew Latimer/Mike Oldfield-imitative guitar (with its odd sound). At least the bass and drums are interesting and enjoyable. At the 12-minute mark there is another shift, this time into a very CAN-like rhythm pattern over which synths and oddly-effected soprano saxophone play. After a minute and a half of this the rhythm section doubles their time while remaining glued to their two chord commitment as sax continues to solo. All stops at the 14-minute mark to allow a long, slow sound decay. (25/30)
3. "The March of Time" (including "The Time Weaver") (8:17) Military drums establish the rhythmic foundation over which effected fretless bass plays wildly and synths add their stringy lines. At 2:30 things shift into a cooler, more complex prog rhythm pattern (again: nice drumming) over which the bass and keys continue to play some mildly interesting CAMEL-esque lines and riffs. The bass really makes a mark starting at the end of the fourth minute--and the drums remain tight and interesting. The soloing instrument over the top finally makes an impact in the fifth and sixth minutes with some odd portamento slides. At the end of the sixth minute the music reverts to what sounds and feels like an old/standard go-to form over which both Aly's searing guitar and Tree's repeating vocalizations play out to the song's finish.(17.25/20)
Total Time 46:12
Another band that has remained quite consistent from its start (over ten years ago)--almost stubbornly so. The sounds they've latched onto from the engineering booth have never sat well with me--and this album may, in fact, present the most grating sound rendering of their five-album career--some part due to the remarkably simple and repetitive constructs they use in forming their songs. While I thought I was hearing improvements with 2021's To Touch the Sky, all ground gained seems now lost in a landslide of disappointing regression. I swear, at times I keep thinking that I could make better of this music than they've allowed to be publicly marketed. If it weren't for the first suite (which makes up half of the album) this might be considered a total flop by me.
The band knows of my complaints with regards to their sound choices--and have been steadfast in defense of them. Though I like and appreciate their overall sound and style, the little things that I've noted continue to go against my own preferences. Thus, my less-than effusive review.
86.84 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a good but ultimately disappointing album that I've rated down for being the band's fifth album of the sameness.
GIANT SKY II
This Norwegian band of newcomers' debut release in 2021 was one of my top 5 favorite albums for that year. Led by SOUP founder/leader, Erlend Aastad Viken, they return with more of the same sound--69 minutes of it--on this, their sophomore release.
Erlend Aastad Viken (SOUP) / Vocals, guitars, acoustic guitars, drums (3, 6, 12), synthesizers, banjo, pianos, percussion, effects and everything else
With:
Ivan Ushakov / Flutes
Jonas Viken / Strings
Vegard Bjerkan / Church organs, synth arpeggio (4 intro)
Charlotte Stav / Vocals (3, 9 outro, 10, 11)
Hanne Mjøen / Vocals (3)
Marina Skanche / Vocals (1, 2, 6, 9, 13), Guitars (2, 3), Erhu (10)
Andreas Kjøl Berg / Drums (2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10)
Hans Magnus Ryan / Guitars (2, 9, 12)
Eckhart Tolle / Voice (5)
Liv Brox / Strings (9 outro)
Myrtoula Røe / Vocals (9 outro),
Hans Magnus Ryan / Vocals (9, 11)
Oskar Holldorff / Vocals (10)
Espen Berge (SOUP) / Drums (11, 12, 13)
Rhys Marsh / Lapsteel (13)
Erlend Solli Aune / Bass and piano (10 outtro)
CD1:
1. "Origin Of The Species (Part 1-6)" (2:19) a little murky even if it is supposed to represent God's first six days of Creation. (4/5)
2. "Imposter" (4:23) strumming acoustic guitars and unfiltered snare hits give the start of this one a MOTORPSYCHO/THE AMAZING feel. The presence of Marina Skanche's female vocals in the "B" part is nice--a nice counterbalance to the fuzzy-frenzied "A" part. Interesting. But feeling rushed or unfinished. (8.75/10)
3. "Speak Through Walls" (7:21) two female vocalists presenting a psych folk front. This is nice in a Damon Waitkus or Hands Of The Heron way. Room-miked upright piano takes over in the third minute with flutes and tuned percussives helping out (no vocals). At 3:20 female vocals rejoin as church organ bass pedals accompany. Violins supplant vocals in fifth minute before pulsing scratchy guitar, drum and bass rhythm tracks take over. Does Erlend consciously intend for the sound quality of these songs to be so scratchy and murky? If so, very weird. Near-screaming male vocal enters in the seventh minute to make some point to the song's rather abrupt finish. Nice first half; disappointing second. (13.25/15)
4. "Space Farrier" (6:08) a kind of space-techno neo-electronic instrumental reminiscent of some of the extended jams of the band's debut album though in a higher octave range. (8.7/10)
5. "The Present" (3:38) spacey formless electronica over which, eventually, in the third minute, a recording of Eckhart Tolle speaking is played. The importance of staying present. (8.4/10)
6. "To The Pensieve" (5:53) piano, synths, and dirge-like drum beat over which Erlend and marina sing. A rather dull vocal over some rather unexciting music. More Sigur Rós or Coldplay or Jack O' The Clock or Bon Iver than prog. (4.666667/10)
7. "Dispatch of Species" (2:58) like something from Hans Zimmer's Interstellar soundtrack: the soundtrack to a wordless funereal montage. (4/5)
CD2:
8. "Curbing Lights" (2:00) like an intro or overture to a cheap sci-fi series on Syfy. Not engineered very well. (4.25/5)
8. "Curbing Lights" (2:00) like an intro or overture to a cheap sci-fi series on Syfy. Not engineered very well. (4.25/5)
9. "I Am The Night" (10:21) pretty but sounds too much like their album from last years. Nice instrumental passage in the fourth, fifth, and sixth minutes with multiple instruments providing gorgeously beautiful threads to the weave, but then it's all destroyed at 5:34 by a sustained crash of chaos, distortion, and dissonance that lasts for two painful minutes. The slowly ebbing sound of post-apocalyptic decay lasts for another minute before a solo "Sunshine Superman"-like solo bass line enters. 20-seconds later some SIGUR RÓS-like reverse strings joins in, swamping the bass and coercing it into becoming a cello as electric piano single notes notes and reverse-vocals take us out. Despite the great two minutes, this song is just too jagged and An interesting listening experience but nothing I'll return to unless I want to play it for someone else as an example of a cinematic expression of the Apocalypse or going though a blackhole. (17.5/20)
10. "Birds With Borders" (7:04) more folk-feeling acoustic guitar-founded music that sounds like something off of one of Damon Waitkus' JACK O' THE CLOCK albums. Erlend and Charlotte Stav take turns with the vocals, solo Erlend alternating with collective-choral approach, over and over, throughout the song, giving it a very BON IVER feel. Synths and Marina 's erhu provide interesting support during the choral sections. An extended lone acoustic guitar section in the fifth minute is culminated with 4:30 the burst of full rock band with chorus vocals which is then followed by flute and synth solos over the expanded rock BON IVER/ARCADE FIRE-like music. Nice. I like the sparse sections. The choral vocal and expanded band sections again feel murky/overloaded. (13.3333/15)
11. "Tables Turn" (6:18) opens with full band exposing their intentions, but then everything steps back to leave piano and chorus to present the song in its lyrical form. At 1:52 Erlend steps up to lead a full-band counterpoint to the previous perspective established by the mostly female chorus. Again I am reminded of the quirky music of ARCADE FIRE circa 2004. (I honestly don't know any of their music from the last 19 years.) An extended mostly-instrumental section of scattered, spacey strings and synths ensues, kind of capped off by Erlend's attempt at more persuasion. Very interesting. (8.875/10)
12. "King In Yellow" (3:53) acoustic guitars (and heavily-treated drum kit) with destabilized synth soloing over the top. We heard this tactic (to perfection) on the precious album. Here everything feels a bit out synch with so many differing yet-dramatic effects being employed (or not) on each and every one of the other instruments. It kind of feels as if 1970s Richard Wright, 1960s Syd Barrett, and 1940s Roy Haynes were all jamming together. (8.75/10)
13. "Seeds" (6:48) very gentle piano-based duet between Erlend and Marina Skanche that sounds remarkably like MEW's 2003 classic, "Symmetry." The other instruments that are very gradually added to the soundscape are very effective, very At 3:27 the unstable chorused- and delayed-synth saw enters and pretty much dominates as some kind of Shields distortion clouds up the background to simulate the roar of a rocket launch as heard from ground zero. Too bad. I really wish I understood Erlend's intentions when murking up all of these soundscapes with the static-distortion he keeps using. (13/15)
Total: 68'54''
Total: 68'54''
This album brings me to present the case that perhaps side-project bands should be rare and otherwise their sound can become pigeon-holed, predictable, and monotonous. To my mind, this album is nowhere near as cohesive and polished as the previous one. On the contrary, the tracks of heavily distorted sounds employed on almost every song here render much of the music here as scratchy, murky, or outright cacophonous and acrid.
86.77 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a disappointing, less proggy, more art-indie rock collection of songs that will please some prog lovers while grate and disenchant others. Good luck finding your joy!
COMEDY OF ERRORS Threnody for a Dead Queen
Back for their sixth studio album release since 2010, Comedy Of Errors' stalwart lineup produces another impeccably engineered collection of smooth prog songs. I would think this album would only serve to increase the quintet's fan base.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Joe Cairney / vocals
- Sam McCulloch / guitars
- Mark Spalding / guitars
- Jim Johnston / keyboards
- Bruce Levick / drums- Sam McCulloch / guitars
- Mark Spalding / guitars
- Jim Johnston / keyboards
1. "Summer Lies Beyond" (15:27) checks all the requisites for a solid if mellow NeoProg classic. I like its spaciousness and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT I Robot-era sound, but dislike some of the engineering choices that leave it feeling a bit stark and remote. Still, the final five minutes and finish may make up for any sonic deficiencies. (27/30)
2. "The Seventh Seal" (14:10) I do not like the effects used on Joe Cairney's voice. Though his Geddy Lee vocal similarities are here matched by the song's RUSH-like musical sound palette, there is also a STYX/ALAN PARSONS PROJECT syrupyness to it as well--especially the longer the song goes on. Actually, this could very well have been a cutting floor outtake from one of the BUGGLES or ART IN AMERICA albums. (26/30)
3. "We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On (3:02) a pleasant, dreamy, atmospheric instrumental that suffers from some of the same engineering choices I've already noted. (It sounds like a 1980s New Age piece.) (4.375/5)
4. "Jane (Came Out of the Blue)" (4:00) Joe's voice is a little pitchy over this rather simplistic, pop-oriented construct. This is simply not up to par with modern prog song standards--more like a demo for an OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS piece. (8/10)
5. "Through the Veil" (3:33) a fairly obvious attempt at a replication of STEVEN WILSON's "Perfect Life" only left as a one-dimensional instrumental. The violin isn't even a violin! It's a sound generated from a cheap computer keyboard! (4.125/5)
6. "Threnody for a Dead Queen" (12:28) a nicely hypnotic three-minute electronic intro that reminds me a lot of something TANGERINE DREAM or TORTOISE might have done for a movie soundtrack is augmented in the fourth minute by bass and drums, propelling the main theme forward though causing no shift in direction or pacing, but then everybody seems to fade into the ether leaving only a weave of keyboard generated (sequenced?) tuned percussives mixed with space atmospherics. What strikes me as odd is that a threnody is defined as a "wailing ode, song, hymn, or poem of mourning composed and performed as a memorial to a dead person" and yet nothing in this song feels sad or funereal, and there aren't even any voices, lyrics, or singing until the tenth minute! The vocal point that joins the party in the tenth minute feels totally as if it came out of one of JON ANDERSON's spiritually-expressive solo albums. While I like the music--and song--I always find myself a bit confused as I try to match the music with the title. (22/25)
7. "And Our Little Life Is Rounded with a Sleep" (3:09) another instrumental filler. At least this one has multiple motifs worked into its three minutes--and the sound feels cleaner, better engineered. (8.6667/10)
8. "Funeral Dance" (3:09) an oddly ironic electronic attempt at an ancient/mediæval sound. It sounds okay but would never fly at a Renaissance Faire. Maybe it would work at an Emerson, Lake and Palmer tribute band competition. And, to knock it all off, this seems to have come from a performance before a live audience! Go figure! (8.25/10)
Total Time 58:58
Total Time 58:58
I've not felt as engaged and attached to any previous Comedy Of Errors release as I have with this one, and yet the engineering and production choices as well as the repeated use of half-baked instrumental fillers between the epics leaves me with a sour taste. It's similar to my reaction to Andrew Marshall's WILLOWGLASS releases: I love the sounds and ideas of the songs but feel as if they could have all been further developed and polished As a matter of fact, the album as a whole feels more like three fully-worked out (but perhaps not-fully-polished) epics with a bunch of partially-realized ideas included for the expressed purpose of reaching the proper length for a CD release.
86.73 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; an enticing-sounding album of prog lite that feels under-realized and/or prematurely released, which, ultimately, I find to be rather disappointing--especially from veterans--(veterans whose skills I know to be far superior to this).
Manchester proggers release their sixth studio album since their 2004 debut. My question is: Is this a band that still wants to be a part of Prog World?
Line-up / Musicians:
- Sel Balamir / vocals, guitar, bass
- Matt Brobin / drums
With:
- Tam Ali / vocals (2)
- Holy Ghost International Mystery Singers / vocals (6)
1. "Two Way Mirror" (5:32) Prog metal lite fuzzy three-chord rock opening over which Sel Balamir joins in with his voice mixed a little too far back in the mix (especially too far back when there is this kind of un boring, repetitive music as the foundation). There are moments of Steven Wilson- (or Sanguine Hum)-like beauty or magic, but overall this is just too much milk toast. (8.6/10)
2. "Sweet Perfume" (6:22) trying to go back to Black Sabbath? It's kind of hard with the Joff Winks/Sanguine Hum effect on Sel's pretty voice. Attempts at some microtonal guitar sounds with occasional/intermittent high-pitch guitar flourishes make this interesting, but the Sabbath-like chord progressions and walls of fuzzy sound mire this a swimmer trying to swim through the mud. In the end of the fifth minute the guitar mud disappears and we're left with a very cool Porcupine Tree-like finish. (8.7/10)
3. "Hologram" (6:51) What it might sound like if you took Focus' Eff Elbers song, "Orion," and put it on a RUSH rhythm track and then let Joff Winks sing over it. (13.125/15)
4. "Tundra" (3:52) such a simple, endlessly repetitive song construct. What is Sel even singing about?(8.5/10)
5. "Let Me Drive" (7:04) again, the music constructed here is so incredibly simplistic that I question Sel and Matt's allegiance to the Progressive Rock world that got them here. Maybe Sel just wants to be a writer of pop songs? (13/15)
6. "Gargantuan (Part 1)" (6:49) Very Steven Wilson-like without the musical/compositional complexity of some of Steven's more sophisticated stuff, more on the simplistic pop-oriented side of his more recent releases. (13.125/15)
Total Time 36:30
Total Time 36:30
I don't know what happened to these guys, but they suck at short songs. I think, like Joff Winks and the Antique Seeking Nuns guys over in Oxford when they turned Sanguine Hum, Sel and friends decided they wanted to be lyrics-oriented songwriters more than prog rockers.
86.7333 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a possible addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you like the direction Steven Wilson has taken in recent years.
Frenchman Ludovic Briand presents us with his second collaborative effort with piano/keyboard virtuoso Julien Boursin--again based on the spiritual journey of one fictional protagonist named "Walter."
- Ludovic Briand / lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion
- Julien Boursin / piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards
Guests & session musicians:
- François Gomez / bass (3, 4, 6, 9, 11)
- Serge Arèse / bass (2, 5, 7, 8, 12)
- Phillipe Jardin / percussion (1, 5, 7, 10)
- Christophe Briand / drums, percussion, lead & backing vocals (8)
- Caroline Stenger / violin, cello (5, 6)
- Akram Sedkaoui / backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11)
- Kent Sparling / backing vocals (3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11)
1. "Passage" (2:12) (4.25/5)
2. "Bad Neighborhood" (5:53) (8.66667/10)
3. "Stuck Under" (4:57) (8.6667/10)
4. "Son Of Someone" (4:43) (8.6667/10)
5. "The End Of Me" (6:17) one of the better songs on the album. (8.75/10)
6. "I'm Not Supposed To Be Here" (5:12) a song that reminds me of one of PETER JONES' collaborations with the late great COLIN TENCH … or something by a high-quality Christian Rock band (Jars of Clay or Neal Morse). (8.75/10)
7. "Unvirtual Reality" (4:57) a very solid album-oriented prog rock. A top three song. (8.75/10)
8. "Pleased To Meet Me" (5:37) sounds like a Christian Rock variation of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."(8.6667/10)
9. "Father Of The Future" (3:40) a Toto/Guy Manning song? (8.5/10)
10. "Mother Of Silence" (2:19) (4.375/5)
11. "Work Of Art" (4:56) (8.5/10)
12. "Portal" (4:42) an average song that is lit by some flashy instrumental performances. (8.75/10)
Total time 55:25
Excellent musicianship throughout an album of somewhat dull or lackluster old-style "classic rock"-style songs. I'm reminded more of Foreigner, Styx, Toto, Ambrosia, or Journey than any artist in Prog World (except for maybe Guy Manning and some of Peter Jones' songs). I really admire and enjoy the interplay of the technically skilled leaders of the band: both Julien and Ludovic are masters of their instruments. Ig uess I'm not much of a fan of the lead vocals--or their lyrics (which, I swear, sound as if they come from a Christian Rock album)--which remind me a lot of both Peter Jones and Guy Manning.
I understand being so inspired by one's spiritual path as to want to write songs about it (something Jon Anderson and Van Morrison have made careers doing), but sometimes it just feels too sappy or syrupy (for my ears)--or preachy for my tastes. I am happy for Ludovic and his growth and experience, and I wish him all the best for continued progress, I'm just not sure the medium or style he has chosen is the best fit.
86.63 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; an album of solid musicianship and excellent, if familiar, compositions that many prog lovers are going to find wondrous and rewarding.
ARABS IN ASPIC The Magic of Sin
Only the band's seventh studio album release in 20 years, they're re-trying an all-epic format with just three songs as they did on 2017's fairly highly-acclaimed Syndenes Magi. Go Trondheim!
- Jostein Smeby / guitars, vocals
- Stig Jørgensen / organ, vocals
- Erik Paulsen / bass, vocals
- Eskil Nyhus / drums, cymbal
- Alessandro G. Elide / percussion, gong
1. "The Magic of Sin" (12:16) reminds me of some early classic blues rock band (or Brighton's DIAGONAL) re-working PINK FLOYD's "Time" (not including the Breathe reprise). (21.25/25)
2. "Down in Darkness Pt 2" (9:33) some pretty tedious and monotonous vocal lines (both lead and beckground) (sorry if the words are supposed to be interesting enough in and of themselves: they aren't) drive the first six minutes of this before the instrumentalists get their chance to entertain us. The band does a much better job with guitars and keys providing some pretty interesting sound expressions both within musical structures and as the music decays into chaos at the end. (17.33333/20)
3. "Down in Darkness Pt 3" (20:20) more classic-sounding blues rock jamming--sounding something like a cross between Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Thin Lizzy, only not quite as dynamic or sophisticated. The added percussion track in the thirteenth minute is just weird--followed by an over-extended space/FX passage (meant to impress exactly who? Come on: This is the 21st Century!) After over three minutes of suffering, the drums and organ try to push through the murk of the cyber-jam but are then pushed back into the MOTORPSYCHO Doldrums/Gyre/Flotsam. At the 18-minute mark the band emerges as if out of the bowels of the Earth as a laid-back folk rock band singing some kind of optimistic pop sing-a-long. (It's nice but so incongruous with the rest of the song/album--hard to rectify and then assign a rating to). (35/40)
Total Time 42:09
More often than not the music throughout this album plods along like a blues rock band experimenting about without goals or direction back in the 1960s. I imagine that even Led Zeppelin could run astray if their musical jams were to go on for over ten minutes or more (which may be why no one remembers "In My Time of Dying" or "Achilles Last Stand").
86.57 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; for fans/completionists only--or those prog lovers who can't get enough of the sounds and experimentation of the 1960s.
The third of Stefano Musso's three 2023 releases.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stefano Musso / Drones and loops, psaltery, zither, carillon, shruti box, khen, rattles and bells, field recordings.
With:
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stefano Musso / Drones and loops, psaltery, zither, carillon, shruti box, khen, rattles and bells, field recordings.
With:
- Marika Oliva / keyboards on track 3
1. "Contemplative fields" (34:02) engaging and memorable LARAAJI/ENO-like meditative background music despite its massive length. (63/70)
2. "Sedimented dreams" (20:37) (34/40)
3. "Yearning in beauty" (5:37) (8.5/10)
4. "Expansion of gratitude" (12:39) (20/25)
Total Time 72:55
2. "Sedimented dreams" (20:37) (34/40)
3. "Yearning in beauty" (5:37) (8.5/10)
4. "Expansion of gratitude" (12:39) (20/25)
Total Time 72:55
86.55 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; not one of Stefano's best despite one great song.
GALAHAD The Long Goodbye
The British stalwart's 15th full-length studio release since their 1991 debut and fourth of the 2020s.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stu Nicholson / vocals
- Lee Abraham / guitars
- Dean Baker / keyboards
- Mark Spencer / bass
- Spencer Luckman / drums & percussion
1. "Behind the Veil of a Smile" (6:19) Maybe it's in the lyrics, but I hear nothing new or exciting here. Nice sound and musicianship. (8.5/10)
2. "Everything's Changed" (7:39) interesting 1990s synth sounds in the intro. Stu's vocal opens sounding like Michael Stadler. Quite the hokey chorus--both musically and lyrically--but its melody remains after the song is over. The "Turn Me Loose" bass lines are a bit distractting. Nothing new or exciting here. Nice sound and musicianship.(12.75/15)
3. "Shadow in the Corner" (5:28) interesting percussion-led intro morphs in the second minute into something that sounds like a blending of THE WHO ("Eminence Front") and THE PET SHOP BOYS. The chorus reminds me even more of the style and affect of the lead singer of The Pet Shop boys. Nice lead guitar work in the fifth minute. (8.7/10)
4. "The Righteous and the Damned" (8:37) the a cappella isolation of Stu's voice really exposes one to hear the age of his voice: he's still got great control and style but the strength and clarity of his pitch selection seems to have weakened.
The European folk ethnic instruments that the band chooses to accompany Stu for the 1:20 to 2:30 section is interesting. After this, the music turns all "compressed heavy" (with a two-chord kind of foundation) while Stu continues to present the music in an ethnic (Klezmer? MYRATH?) style. Nice drumming from Spencer Luckman. With just voice, drums, and distant power chords (mirrored exactly by the keyboards) the music just seems too thin--like it's missing something. Interesting and unusual song. (17.25/20)
5. "The Long Goodbye" (12:58) The chorus sounds like something straight off of NEW ORDER's 1993 album, Chemical. This is definitely the most interesting and dynamically creative song on the album (despite its New Order familiarity). Aside from the borrowed New Order melodies (especially in the choruses), I hear a rather blatant PETER NICHOLLS delivery of the vocals in the verses. The song crescendoes way too early with a soulless guitar solo followed by group choral singing of the song's title and some orchestra strings to take us out at the very end. I mean, it checks all the boxes, but without much authentic-sounding vim or vigor. (22/25)
- CD bonus tracks:
6. "Darker Days" (7:45) an effectively kinetic foundation kicks off from the opening gate containing the perfect amount of space in the midrange for the vocal presentation of a story. Reminds me very much of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (now and then)--especially the guitar solo near the end--as well as a Peter Nicholls IQ performance. (13.125/15)
7. "Open Water" (4:08) Stu singing in a STEVE HOGARTH voice on one of Marillion's subdued songscapes. He's a little pitchy here and there, and there's not much else to this song besides the acoustic guitar work and vocal. (8.5/10)
Total Time 52:54
There are a lot of ballad-like deliveries of Stu Nicholson's vocals on this album: simplified progscapes that serve more to convey his stories/lyrics--which means there is not a lot of fluff, flourish, and nuance within the music below Stu's voice; this means that this is a very lyrics-oriented and message driven album, which is never my strong suit. Aside from a couple guitar solos (on "The Long Goodbye" and "Darker Days") and some klezmer-like instrument choices (on "The Righeous and the Damned"), there's a sad lack of much going on in the music/instrument department here--downright woeful in the keys department.
86.50 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a disappointing and rather lackluster product from one of Britain's long-standing stalwarts of "second wave" Prog (what we've come to call "NeoProg"). Good, but nowhere near essential.
FRAMAURO Alea Iacta Est
Ryszard Kramarski founded Framauro back in the late 1990s and then Millenium. While he gave his all to Millenium (17 studio album releases since 1998), he let Framauro (more of a solo project) sleep until 2022. This is his second release since then.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ryszard Kramarski / vocals, keyboards, acoustic & electric guitars
With:
- Marcin Kruczek / guitars
- Krzysztof Wyrwa / bass, fretless bass
- Grzegorz Fieber / drums
- Michał Kramarski / vocals (1)
1. "Like Father Like Son (Part 1 Father / Part 2 Son)" (7:48) a blues-rocker that, in my opinion, has more in common with classic rock bands like THE ROLLING STONES, TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS, JACKSON BROWN, DIRE STRAITS, SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS, and BONNIE RAIT and than prog. A good classic blues rock song. (13/15)
2. "My Beloved Songs (Records from My Shelf Part 2") (5:50) a slow, blues-guitar-driven song that reminds me of something from CORVUS STONE/COLIN TENCH. (8.6667/10)
3. "Dogs & Cats" (9:00) all the standard late-1970s prog/classic rock instruments are present (even a keyboard-generated bass). A bit of a lame subject matter--especially for prog. (17.25/20)
4. "Painter of Our Souls" (8:25) despite nothavoing the right voice, this one plays almost exactly like a PETER NICHOLLS-led IQ song (with some PINK FLOYD bombast in the chorus). (17.25/20)
5. "Lost in Music" (5:40) pretty piano opening precedes a CAMEL-esque set up and sound. This is Ryszard's ode to his beloved muse, Music. Nice job--with some nice quirk in the fourth minute. (8.75/10)
6. "Alea Iacta Est (The Die Is Cast)" (9:01) despite the "classical" piano opening, this is a blues rocker that reminds me a lot of both ROYE ALBRIGHTON (NEKTAR)'s 21st Century musical production and ELOY's releases from the late 1970s and early 1980s. (17.25/20)
Total Time 45:44
Bluesy prog rock that reminds me of the German Prog/Pop scene in the second half of the 1970s--the blues-rock Pink Floyd imitators like The Eloy, Anyone's Daughter, and even Nektar (and, later, IQ). This may be a collaborative product but it sounds very much like a one-man show.
86.49 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you like the bluesier side of prog.
THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN The Songs & Tales of Airoea, Book 2: Ocean Traveller (Metamorphosis)
The Norwegian celebration of the past continues.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo / vocals, guitars, bass, synth, organ, glockenspiel, percussion
- Henrik Harmer / drums & percussion, synth, backing vocals
- Regin Meyer / flute, organ, piano, backing vocals
- Jon Andre Nilsen / bass, backing vocals
- Thomas Hagen Kaldhol / guitars, mandolin, electronics & sound effects, backing vocals
- Aleksandra Morozova / vocals
With:
- Lars Fredrik Frøislie / keyboards, organ, Mellotron, piano, synth
- Kristoffer Momrak / synth
- Håkon Oftung / organ, clavinet, Mellotron, strings, electric piano, synth
1. "Over Westwinds" (3:59) a very complex vocal weave in which the singers quite often (and quite surprisingly) feel/sound quite pitchy--as if they really aren't skilled enough pull it off. Perhaps they shouldn't have. Kerry Minnear and the GG vocalists might have been able to do it. (8.66667/10)
2. "Orias & the Underwater City" (8:37) there is so much of the early WOBBLER sound here--especially in the vocal melodies and arrangements--yet the music is surprisingly sparse and simple. Kind of hard to accept/tolerate the old 1970s drum machine and ancient synth/Wurlitzer organ sounds that take over at 4:45. The Underwater City must be from The Buggles' lost soundtrack from the 1964 marionette television show, Stingray or, later, The Thunderbirds. Weird. (17.33333/20)
3. "Ocean Traveller" (6:22) another surprisingly simple song construct that reminds me, for the first minute, of some HARRY NILSSON music and then, after the one-minute mark, some early (and still simple--demo-like) YES harmony vocals. It's cute, quaint, and likable but hardly cutting edge. Unfortunately, the YES-imitation hardly works (the music is just too simplistic; Yes were never this rudimentary). Plus, the lyrics are a bit silly. (8.4/10)
4. "Lady of Waves" (5:38) more exceedingly simple instrumental work provides the opening and then foundation for the singing part of this one. The lyrics again are simple and almost silly: dancing and laughing "tenderly." (?!?!?) The meaty fifth minute offers some more serious instrumental action but never on the level of the great Wobbler stuff. (8.5/10)
5. "Green Refreshments" (7:09) gentle flute, bass, and two picked guitar chords precede a burst into Mellotron-supported "Knife"dom before returning to the bucolic opening theme. This cycle repeats twice before the music skirts down a more open, straightforward path of anachronistic prog rock (sound palettes from 1967-69)--and then some more equally ancient side-paths from there (think old MOODY BLUES, old JETHRO TULL, old YARDBIRDS, old BLACK SABBATH). (13/15)
6. "The Grand Reef" (7:25) opens with a very muddy/murky dynamic JETHRO TULL imitation, alternating for a couple rounds with a brief little more gentle prog folk dittie until the song finally bursts into full form with a very WOBBLER Rites at Dawn sound and feel. The fifth minute goes psychedelic with flutes, synths, guitars all swirling like a continuous roundabout--this particular motif playing out for a good two minutes before coming back to the original JTULL motif and then finishing with the WOBBLER Rites at Dawn vocal motif. Not bad! I wish there were more like this one. (13.25/15)
Total Time 39:10
Replication of the old sounds and styles of the hallowed "Classic Era" is all well and good--it feels good to hear it (and to recognize it)--and it is quite admirable to see a band accomplish such replication/imitation with such skill and fullness--but, for me, what keeps me interested in continuing the deepening and broadening my prog awareness is the artistic exploration of the new: it is the progression of musical forms that artists can (and, I think should) be focused on. This is not that kind of album.
The subject matter of the album's "ocean traveller" concept are quite simplistic, even if you consider that this could be a product of some kind of psychedelic trip or communal "collective consciousness" event.
86.4375 on the Fishscales = B-/3.5 stars; a fair contribution of retro prog to any "prog origins"-loving music lover but nothing much to write home about if you're looking for something to push the envelopes of new and innovative music.
MONIKA ROSCHER BIGBAND Witchy Activities and the Maple Death
Composer/multi-instrumentalist Monika Roscher, from München, Bavaria, has created a quirky world through her "big band" lineup. The music contained in this album reminds me of the music of Kavus Torabi/Knifeworld, Major Parkinson, Pingvinorkestern, Shen Teh, Julia Holter, Björk, Annette Peacock, and The Buggles all conveyed with the humorous spirit of another great German chanteuse: Nina Hagen.
The band on 2, 9, 10, 11:
Trumpets:
- Felix Blum (lead solo on 9)
- Angela Avetisyan
- Vincent Eberle
- John-Dennis Renken (solo on 9)
Alto/Flute: Julian Schunter
Alto/Soprano: Steffen Dix
Tenor/Flute: Jasmin Gundermann
Tenor/Flute: Michael Schreiber
Baritone/Bass clarinet: Heiko Liszta
Trombones:
- Alistair Duncan
- Lukas Bamesreiter
- Christine Müller
- Jakob Grimm
Electronics: Hannes Dieterle
Drums: Tom Friedrich (solo on 9)
Bass: Ferdinand Roscher (solo on 9)
Piano: Josef Reßle (solo on 2)
Guitars/Vocals/Conducting: Monika Roscher (guitar solo on 11)
The band on 1, 3-8, 12, 13, 14, 15:
Trumpets:
- Felix Blum
- Angela Avetisyan (solo on 3)
- Vincent Eberle (solo on 13)
- Felix Ecke
Trombones:
- Alistair Duncan (solo on 1)
- Christoph Müller
- Christine Müller
- Jakob Grimm (solo on 3)
- Lukas Bamesreiter (solo on 15)
Alto/Flute: Julian Schunter (alto solo on 6, 14)
Alto/Soprano sax: Jan Kiesewetter (sopr. solo on 14)
Tenor/Flute: Jasmin Gundermann (fl. solo on 7)
Tenor/Flute/Didgeridoo: Michael Schreiber (tenor solo on 12)
Baritone/Bass clarinet: Sebastian Nagler (bari solo on 1, 3)
Electronics: Hannes Dieterle, Tahpir, Alex Vičar
Drums: Tom Friedrich
Bass: Ferdinand Roscher
Piano: Josef Reßle (solo on 7)
Guitars/Vocals/Conducting: Monika Roscher (guitar solo on 12, 15)
1. "8 Prinzessinnen" (9:04) a song that uses very syncopated staccato beat patterns throughout, opens up with some techno sounds and BUGGLES The Age of Plastic-like vocal treatments to multiple voices. (I realize that some more attuned music listeners would probably claim more credit to KRAFTWERK than Horn & Down.) In the third minute Monika takes over the vocals alone (and without the robot-affect treatments) while the percussive music continues (though thinning). 1980 BUGGLES and Drama-era YES come to mind with this musical style despite the frequent presence of horns and winds. Interesting how the composition maintains that syncopated staccato form throughout, start to finish as it is a rare thing. (17.3333/20)
2. "Firebird" (4:53) a heavier soundscape from the get go gives the first 90 seconds of this song a little more similarity to PROPAGANDA's 1980s material, but the delicate and spacious little vocal interludes feel more like something recent like A FORMAL HORSE or FUNIN. The instrumental music traversing the four-minute mark is my favorite part. A top three song for me. (8.875/10)
3. "Witches Brew" suite:
- The Summoning (3:09) complex jazzy-pop à la Kavus Torabi's KNIFEWORLD's music. Turns techno-acid jazz at the two-minute mark with some excellent trumpet and trombone solos over the LAURIE ANDERSON-like music. (9/10)
- Moon Is Melting (1:37) definitely some quirky JULIA HOLTER-like music--even if it is a little stronger and/or more aggressive. (4.375/5)
- The Brew (0:18) a fast-driving horn interlude linking Moon Is Melting to The Woods.
- The Woods (3:07) a BJÖRK/MÉLENAIE GERBER almost-spoken monotone vocal delivery over some very syncopated yet mesmerizing music. Nice composition with some excellent sax in the middle. (8.875/10)
- Dance of the Sleepy Spirits (1:51) a piano and flute-led slow and lazy and very much set in a theatric cabaret style instrumental. (4.33333/5)
- Return of the Witches (2:30) back to the staccato syncopation style--and--surprise!--another instrumental--to close out the suite!!!! (4.375/5)
9. "Creatures of the Dawn" (7:32) (13.375/15)
10. "Queen of Spaces" (4:29) synth-pop Vienna-coffee house Tchaikovsky. Cabaret! (8.75/10)
11. "Starlight Nightcrash" (5:23) a very interesting vocal performance that seems to meld the styles of Julia Holter and Björk. (8.875/10)
12. "A Taste of the Apocalypse" (5:21) great Latin-horns with synth pop cabaret music over which Monika performs another staccato-style Julia Holter-like vocal. (8.875/10)
13. "The Leading Expert of Loneliness" (4:05) gentler, subtler, though still complex soft cabaret jazz soundscape supports Monika's Björk/Julia Holter-like vocal as well as some fine trumpet and guitar play. A very interesting and multi-layered song. I think it's slowed-down format allows me easier access to the many layers. A top three for me. (8.875/10)
14. "Direct Connection" (6:12) Opening with a saloon-like piano based music, the band drops out to allow Monika's slow, solo monotone delivery to flow in its jumpy way as a few horns, synth percussives, and other incidentals play rather quitely, sedately--as if tuning or free-flowing without any regard for Monika's presence much less lyric. By now Monika's staccato, almost-talking Julia Holter-style vocals are getting a little old. The simpler, sparse "tired circus" music in the opening four minutes here gives even more attention to Monika's often-monotone vocal delivery. The music finally starts to pick up and gain a more frenetic delivery old-style European cabaret jazz lounge complexity in the fifth minute--reminding me a lot of Gabor Vörös and Tom Theun's HUMBLE GRUMBLE music--sans vocals, which makes it interesting. (8.75/10)
15. "Unbewegte Sternenmeere" (4:46) slow and moody--like it belongs in a dark underground Beat club--especially as it is sung in German. At 2:55 the music takes a turn toward more techno-pop over which Monika plays a nice blues-rock guitar lead. Again, the comparisons to Nina Hagen and her theatric affectation. (8.875/10)
released May 5, 2023
released May 5, 2023
Overall, I really enjoy the cabaret-influenced Latin jazz-inflected synth pop music created here by Monika and her "bigband." Monika's vocal stylings and lyrical approaches fit well in a kind of Julia Holter way but that style can grow a bit old over the course of an entire album. I think the Witches Brew Suite offers a far more interesting offering to prog lovers than say songs 10-12 (though I may be wrong).
86.2847 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting if slightly monotonous collection of complex and innovative songs. This is definitely a band/artist that I will looking forward to for future growth and development.
86.2847 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting if slightly monotonous collection of complex and innovative songs. This is definitely a band/artist that I will looking forward to for future growth and development.
BUILT FOR THE FUTURE 2084: The Heretic
The third studio album release from this San Antonia band notes a slight shift in song delivery style: this sounds like 1980s Aussie New Wave Synth-Pop!
Line-up / Musicians:
- Kenny Bissett / lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Patric Farrell / guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
- David Peña / guitars
- Lalo / drums
- Pete Fithian / keyboards
- Patric Farrell / guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
- David Peña / guitars
- Lalo / drums
- Pete Fithian / keyboards
1. "Memory Machines" (5:47) two-chord ABABCB Aussie Techno-pop with some tinges of CURE-ishness. (8.4/10)
2. "The Thought Police" (5:28) rather flat 2-chord pop sounding very much like ICEHOUSE or some other Aussie New Wave band from the 1980s. (8.25/10)
3. "Argot" (7:42) heavier four-chord pseudo-prog that ends up sounding like darker FLOCK OF SEAGULLS. Far too long and drawn out with nothing dynamic or exciting to add to the main palette or mood. (13/15)
4. "Proletariat" (6:05) plodding but effective in the way PINK FLOYD can be and FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM is. There is much in this drawn out song that begs comparison to both The Talking Head's "The Overload" and The Cure's Disintegration vibe. A top three song. (9/10)
5. "Supernational" (6:12) more techno-popped prog in the vein of 1980s artists ICEHOUSE, MIDNIGHT OIL, and THE CHURCH (who are, coincidentally, all Australian). Once again the sound reproduction alone is almost enough--plus, it's one of the more tightly formed songs on the album. (8.66667/10)
6. "Diaspora" (6:11) more melody-oriented heavy prog lite. I commend the band for being able to work the word "diaspora" into a song lyric in a clever way. (8.66667/10)
7. "Zeit" (6:04) three-chord rock with great sound engineering and 1980s Australian vocals. (8.66667/10)
8. "The Collective" (5:18) ALAN PARSONS PROJECT-like mood, sound, vocals, lyrical theme, and music. (8.4/10)
9. "Heretic" (5:21) THE CURE 1987! Though the vocalist is more in line with DEPECHE MODE or NEW ORDER or ICEHOUSE. (8.66667/10)
10. "101" (10:03) a little Brian Eno in this vocal, the music is more akin to that of the Australian New Wave/Techno Pop (as well as Talking Heads' "The Overload"). The heavy section in the fifth minute is different but still so rudimentary! It has no soul! (17.25/20)
Total Time 64:11
Incredible sound reproduction of incredibly simplistic, rudimentary techno-pop rock songs. I like the concept--and the lyrics are actually pretty decent (not hokey), but the music lacks any kind of sophistication that might connote prog-worthy musicianship. The use of voice/radio/television/film samples throughout are a plus in that they offer a thread to cohesively unite the songs into one continuous story. None of this is unpleasant to listen to, on the contrary: it's very pretty, easy to get into music, it's just not proggy enough--has far more in common with 1980s techno-pop.
86.25 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; rated up for engineering and clever, well-thought-out, and lyrically commendable concept. A clean, excellently-engineered and cleverly contrived concept album of 1980s-sounding techno/synth-pop that every prog lover should judge for themselves. Most of you--especially nostalgia-buffs--will probably love this.
ALIO DIE Transcendental geometries
The second of Stefano Musso's three 2023 releases.
- Alio Die / drones, loops, zither, rattles and bells, field recordings
With:
- Arborescence (Jean Patier) / additional synth drones and bowed guitar (1,2, 3, 4)
- Marika Oliva / keyboards (4)
1. "Suspended pathways" (19:15) innocuous background music; cinematic enough for a documentary of unoccupied barren landscapes. The soundscape thickens a bit in the 14th minute, but that's about as exciting as it gets. (33/40)
2. "Ascending ladder" (7:32) one of the most engaging, heart-wrenching songs I've heard from Stefano in a long time. (15/15)
3. "Incantatory landscapes" (18:34) dull and boring in a kind of "haven't we heard this one about a 100 times before, Stefano?" while lacking any engaging melody or riff. (32/40)
4. "Contemplative fly" (12:44) a little brighter and more-than-one-dimensional that the two long ones. (22/25)
5. "Enchanted signs" (11:50) a sound palette more similar to the creepy/titillating musics on Stefano's 2015 collaboration with Lorenzo Montaná--my favorite progressive electronic album of all-time, Hologrphaic Codex. Could happily grace a soundtrack for one of my Hallowe'en or Devil's Night shows. A great mesmeric. (23/25)
Total Time 69:55
86.21 on the Fishscales = / stars; despite three great mesmerics the lows of this one drag it down, otherwise this would be an Alio Die album that I'd highly recommend.
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