Other Albums from 2009 Worth Listening To
Below you will find a somewhat-ordered catalogue of the album releases from 2009. These are albums that I have determined to be good or interesting enough to recommend to you, the reader, for your own exposure, awareness, and/or exploration; these are albums that were not, in my opinion, good enough to belong on my "Masterpieces" page, but which, I thought, deserved some credit and attention.
You will find that some of the albums below are reviewed or commented upon, while many have nothing but cover, artist and title, lineup of musicians and songs list. This variance is usually due to a lack of time and a lack of willingness or desire to give each and every album the time and energy necessary to write a review. This is done without any intent of disrespect; the albums have been included because I think them worthy enough to have others try them out and form their own opinions.
MOTORPSYCHO Child of the Future (2009)
The boys from Trondheim are back with #14--and show they're still in their imitation of the classic blues-rock of the 1960s and early 1970s.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bent Sæther / vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, producer
- Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan / guitars, vocals, keyboards
- Kenneth Kapstad / drums
With:
- Lars Lien / piano (4), mixing
1. "The Ozzylot (Hidden in a Girl)" (4:30) CSN&Y (harmonized vocals), The ALLMAN BROTHERS (lead guitar work), as well as the early Doobie Brothers and Eagles come to mind while listening to this one. (8.75/10)
2. "Riding the Tiger" (5:25) U2 bass and drums with some Eric Clapton-like psychedelic lead guitar playing over the top. This definitely harkens back to the 1960s blues-rock of bands like CREAM, SPIRIT, and THE DOORS. Very impressive musicianship, but not enough melody and hook to it. (8.75/10)
3. "Whole Lotta Diana" (8:57) musically, one can definitely hear the inspiration of LED ZEPPELIN behind this one, but vocally--with the harmony vocals used throughout, one can only reflect on the BYRDS and maybe a little CSN&Y and/or THE MOODY BLUES. (17.5/20)
4. "Cornucopia (...or Satan, uh... Something)" (6:24) nice CREAM-like rocker with some interesting softer vocals and great drumming. (8.75/10)
5. "Mr. Victim" (4:17) more hard-drivin' blues rock that harbors strains of LED ZEPPELIN, CARAVAN, as well as the heaviest of the MOODY BLUES. This one suffers from some muddy engineering around the vocal tracks and the guitars. (8.66667/10)
6. "The Waiting Game" (4:57) slowing it down and thinning it out with acoustic guitars, bass, and some warbling distorted synth and electric guitar "noises" in the background. The stoned JOHN LENNON-like singing voice might not be Bent, but "Snah." Transition into BEATLES-like electric guitar chord sequencd at 2:50--a motif that becomes fully developed at the song's very end when the choir vocals sing in full BEATLES/BYRDS mode. Haunting and kinda cool. (8.75/10)
7. "Child of the Future" (5:00) sounds like ANDY PARTRIDGE singing over one of his angular, semi-irritating songscapes. An odd mix of the individual tracks for the drums, bass, guitars and vocals--sounding as if the whole thing was recorded through one single omnidirectional microphone. (8.66667/10)
Total Time: 39:30
I will say, these musicians sure are firing on all cylinders (drummer Kenneth Kapstad really shines): this album contains some of the band's best arrangements and most virtuosic performances; it's too bad it suffers from a few too many "borrowed" ideas and an overall lack of melody. Plus, I don't know what happened, but the sound engineering over the course of the last three songs becomes quite muddy with too much distortion and odd mixing.
87.29 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're a retro-lover of that hard rockin' blues-rock of the late 1960s.
OZRIC TENTACLES The Yumyum Tree
A foursome that includes Brandi as well as newcomers Vinny Shillito and Roy Brosh on bass and drums, respectively.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synthesizer, programming
- Brandi Wynne / keyboards, Fx
- Vinny Shillito / bass
- Roy Brosh / drums
With:
- Joie Hinton / synthesizers (4,8)
- Merv Pepler / percussion (4,8)
- Dominic Gibbins / darbuka (6)
1. "Magick Valley" (6:42) some very weird, non-musical synth noises sounding like an alien race of animals who possess language opens this for about a minute. When the musical part enters and congeals into full form it is a kind of house/dance version of electronically-rendered Middle Eastern sounds and melody styles. It sounds very much like some of the music I might have heard in one of the Lebanese restaurants I used to love in my graduate school years in East Lansing, Michigan. Synths are definitely the domineering thread-producers of this weave--even when Ed picks up his guitar it is so effected that it almost sounds like it, too, is a synth. (8.875/10)
2. "Oddweird" (6:14) right musicianship in a very rock-sounding style and sound. The usual exotic and tropical sounds manage to make their way into the song, of course, and the dominant bass lines and additional percussion instruments used sound near Jamaican/Caribbean--and then there is the koto in the fifth. I'm still listening for the kitchen sink. Just a transcontinental, transcultural stew that satisfies a lot of rock "needs." (8.75/10)
3. "Mooncalf" (7:41) strong bass, drum, and percussion play is not quite enough to launch this mutt of styles and sounds into the heavens. (13.33333/15)
4. "Oolong, Oolong" (5:54) nice laid-back jungle groove that supports some very pleasant solos. That first guitar slash and burn is top notch--and I love the way the rhythm section gives way to the spacemospherics and hypnotic synth strokes in that third minute. The amazing synth solo in the fourth minutes makes me now question whether or not that initial solo in the second minute was a guitar or not! (It was, but the sound duplication from the synth is astounding!) A song that really sits well with me from all perspectives: a new OT masterpiece! (9.75/10)
5. "Yum Yum Tree" (9:08) jungle noises bleeding over from the previous song are augmented by an odd synth tuned percussive, odd muted bass, and percussionist's cymbal play. This interplay of odd, andro-fabricated sounds goes on well into the third minute before new sounds are added to the weave. Then we cut back to just multi-percussives and the "talking drum" synth for a good spell before everybody else joins back in so that Ed can add his speedy flangy guitar solo to the background scenery. (This is the exact effects settings used by Todd Rundgren on the 1974 Utopia and Todd albums--especially for "The Last Ride.") I'm so glad the bass gets some lead time (in the seventh minute) where he is nicely paired with the xylophone. Not a big fan of the raunchy rock electric guitar strumming that comes next, but, luckily, it's short-lived, yielding to synth and multiple tuned percussion instruments weaving a cool semi-Gamelan (17.75/20)
6. "Plant Music" (5:28) I'm not as big of a fan of these STIVE HILLAGE driving rock songs that Ed produces. The sounds incorporated in the song--cameos and integrally--become the feature that you have to look for while the rhythm section just keeps motoring down the Autobahn. (8.666667/10)
7. "Nakuru" (5:38) Cool effected-saxophone sound being produced from some kind of MIDI-ed instrument is played like a blues saxophone solo over some gentle spacemospheric synth, percussion, and JACO PASTORIUS-like bass play. The music actually sounds like a cross between WEATHER REPORT and AL DI MEOLA's 1983 album Scenario. Nice! (8.875/10)
8. "San Pedro" (6:21) an actual chord progression coming from an electric piano-sounding keyboard! You never know how odd this phenomenon is in an OT song until it happens! Despite this foundational anomaly, the song once again creates a delivery mechanism for odd instrumental sounds (and some awesome percussion play) to make their presence known. (8.75/10)
Total Time 53:06
The weird thing about my reaction to the music on this album is how much I enjoyed the percussion parts--especially when multiple tracks were playing with and between each other. The other thing I notice as I near my completion of the OT discography is how there seem to be some "default programs" that OT uses to get songs started, rhythm section formulae that have become stable staples over which to build songs. The unfortunate part of this is that the rest of the instrumental performances on these particular songs become more of an exercise in exhausting mathematical permutations and combinations of surplus/adjunct sounds: while the synth and effects engineering can be highly creative, the overall songs end up existing while lacking in any core originality or freshness.
87.11 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very solid and respectable, if not totally refreshing, display of Ozric talent and creativity--but also containing more songs founded in patterns and styles that sound "rote" or "default" for the band. I suppose after 18 studio albums in 25 years there is bound to be a little repetition and borrowing. At least this album has far less ideas borrowed from other bands' music than some of OT's other albums.
JUDY DYBLE Talking with Strangers
Prog Folk legend Judy Dyble getting together with many of her collaborators from the past. (She was part of the British prog scene in the 1960s and early 1970s. She left music to retreat to a farm life in 1973.) She sings about the past, the times she passed on her self-imposed agrarian exile.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Judy Dyble / vocals, autoharp
With:
- Alistair Murphy / acoustic (2,3,5,6), electric & 12-string (5) guitars, organ (2,3,5,6), keyboards (2,3,5), piano (4-6), Dynatron (4), electric piano, synth, e-bow, arrangements, co-producer
- Tim Bowness / co-lead (6) & backing (1-5,7) vocals, electric guitar (7), arrangements, co-producer
- Jacqui McShee / backing vocals (2,5,7)
- Julianne Regan / backing vocals (3,7)
- Celia Humphris / backing vocals (3,7)
- Simon Nicol / acoustic guitar (1,7)
- John Gillies / acoustic guitar (5)
- Paul Robinson / electric guitar (7)
- Harry Fletcher / electric guitar (7)
- Robert Fripp / guitar & Fx (7)
- Ian McDonald / lead alto saxophone (7), flutes (3,5,7), ukulele (7)
- Laurie A'Court / tenor & alto saxophones (6,7)
- Sanchia Pattinson / oboe (7)
- Rachel Hall / violin (7)
- Mark Fletcher / bass (3,5-7)
- Pat Mastelotto / drums & percussion (3,5-7)
1. "Neverknowing" (1:42) Two guitars (Alistair Murphy and Simon Nicol [from Fairport Convention]) backing Judy. A surprisingly strong song and vocal. Tim Bowness' contribution is nice. (4.5/5)
2. "Jazzbirds" (3:05) with autoharp, guitars, full rock ensemble, and electric effects on Judy's voice, this is a more 1970s-sounding Prog Folk song. Nice but nothing very special. (8.5/10)
3. "C'est La Vie" (4:15) a perfect arrangement of instruments to surround Judy's voice with. Nice backing vocal appearance from former founding TREES vocalist, Celia Humphris and long time folk contributor Julianne Regan. My favorite song on the album. (9/10)
4. "Talking With Strangers" (3:25) A pleasant if innocuous song that, unfortunately, continuous to accentuate the frailty in Judy's aged voice. (8/10)
5. "Dreamtime" (4:19) again, a nice musical weave to support Judy's vocal, but her voice her again seems to reveal its aged fragilities. (8.5/10)
6. "Grey October Day" (6:04) lounge jazzy soundscape with piano, bass, and gently brushed drums support Judy and Tim Bowness in this traditional duet. Organ, electric guitar, and horns add some texture and tension in the second verse and behind Tim's up-close-and-personal performance. A long saxophone solo in the middle draws the song out (unnecessarily). (Laurie A'Court's contribution is much better, more appropriate in the final section.) (8.5/10)
7. "Harpsong" (19:19) a very personal song full of vignettes and various perspectives on her cumulative life story. This song is a special historical marker in that many of her esteemed and luminous musical collaborators from the 1960s came out to contribute to this. It is now even more heart-wrenching that she has died--like this song represents one glorious reunion and the ensuing party--just as may be happening in Heaven as we speak.
After the delicate and maudlin folk-rock beginning section (which houses Judy's singing of her autobiographical lyrics) we are sucked into a kind of old KING CRIMSON section before settling into a Steve REICHian percussionary bridge to return to the more saccharine vocal-supporting motif. Emotional and historic. (35/40)
Total time 42:09
Judy's voice is more fragile and unstable than it was, yet her nostalgic lyrics poignant and meaningful. Her performances are welcome and courageous. The album is most for the nostalgic feel. I have to admit a fair amount of excitement at the prospect of hearing the contributions of long-time folk diva Jacqui MacShee (John Renbourn, PENTANGLE) on a couple songs, but her presence is barely discernible.
86.32 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice contribution to the Prog Folk catalog--one that is filled with nostalgia and historical significance. A nice addition to the prog lover's music collection.
What a magnificent album to sneak out of Québec! Too bad it's taken 18 months to climb into ProgArchives' ranks and garner a little of its much deserved attention.
1. "The Overture" (6:15) is everything a prog song should be: using unusual folk instruments, shifting back and forth from delicate to power, changing tempos, complicated vocal harmonies, awesomely clear lead vocals (in their own native language!) (10/10)
2. "Incubus" (9:14) sucks you into its web with the first strands of its foundational alternating guitar arpeggios and deep, full-front bass notes. What a simple but captivating and fluid lead! Then you're hit upside the head with the spoken voice of the amazing Jean-Marc Pisapia. He's got one of those voices that commands attention--no, worship! The journey this song takes one into--like a ride through the countryside in an opened-up convertible sports car--only we're driving behind the old Iron Curtain, say, in 1969 in Czechoslovakia. Joy ride, open air but ever on edge, ever hypervigilent. An amazing song with absolutely refreshing music and vocals, tempo and mood shifts, outstanding composition and musicianship. Prog music does not get better than this! EVER! Arabian musical influences sneak in at the 5:45 mark. (20/20)
3. "L'eau, le lait, le vin . . . " (6:30) Lacks a little melody hook-line (perhaps the French lyrics are intended to be the true focus of this part of the song) before a sudden shift from light, whispery to heavy LED ZEPPELIN "In Through the Out Door" drumming at the 3:15 mark takes one by surprise--followed by a Canterbury sounding organ (Wurlitzer?) at the 4:30 mark. Fades out with street accordian. (7.5/10)
4. "Mont St. Michel" (10:47) has a church feel to it--organ and chant-like harmonized vocals--before briefly shifting attention to piano. 4:30 sees a shift to a more acoustic prog orientation like MOON SAFARI, THE MOODY BLUES, BEACH BOYS, and early PETER GABRIEL. GENESIS-like heaviness beginning at the 7:10 mark brings a real mood shift to the song--especially with a great electric guitar solo with support passage. An interesting, entertaining song that would probably be rendered higher marks were I in on the lyrical content. (Future project: brush up on my old French.) Winds down with full PINK FLOYD sound à la "Eclipse." Due to its rather extreme highs and lows, this is a tough song to rate. (16.75/20)
5. "Le chat noir" (2:12) is a little ditty that starts and ends with SATIE-esque slow, jazzy, emotional solo piano. Nearly as interesting and unpredictable as the original works of the young master. (4.5/5)
6. "Un unpénétrable mystère" (6:49) seems to feed off of the momentum of the previous song, beginning with treated piano chords and playful cymbol play before the poetic sing-speaking voice of M. Pisapia begins a upbeat monotone 'rap' over a rather jazzy, almost STYLE COUNCIL-like music. But watch out: these guys don't let you get bored or hypnotized; at 3:10 organ and true Gregorian chant-like choir takes over the singing of the lyrics. Then the sound drops out at 5:00 mark for a brief uncertainty before picking up the previous melodies on bass, background vocals, and background upper register male voice. Then it stops, only to fade the last 30 seconds in a very trip hop way. (13/15)
7. "À Bougival" (5:07) begins (and ends) with (what turns out to be) a constantly repeating four-note guitar arpeggios, two pairs of alternating piano chords and male voice before a kind of support soft-jazz combo joins in. This formula continues to cycle back and forth several times with the occasional rise and disappearance of near-Buddhist nasal voice intonations and a fully jazz-oriented section at about the 3:30 mark. Fascinating, unpredictable, and fresh! (10/10)
8. "Sous hypnose" (7:01) introduces from the opening notes a harder, heavier side of THE BOX--again with a very LED ZEPPELIN foundation to it. Enter a harmonized lead vocal followed by a bridge of an (intentionally?) 'cheezy' organ solo, repeat formula, provide a different bridge to the electric (doubled, shadowed, or midied?) guitar solo, and you have a pretty standard rock constructed song. Until a C part begins at the 4:39 mark when you have wavering keyboard, jazz electric guitar solo and vocal "ha's" accompanying the eternally playful drummer's cymbol play. Return to beginning-style heaviness for outro. (11/15)
9. "J'ai vu" (8:47) begins right where "sous hypnos" did: with another familiar-feeling LED ZEPPELIN "When the Levee Breaks"-like riff until it settles down to make way for repeating guitar arpeggios and harmonized 'spoken-sung' lead vocals. Heavy bass notes enter the play at the 3:00 minute mark as the piano gives us a little one-time jazz riff. Re-eneter the L ZEP riff at 5:00, this time with harmonized vocals accompanying/singing over to great effect--which only gets better as the song builds and progresses. The last 1:40 of the song play out in the sown-tempo 'B' mode. (15/20)
10. "Super 61" (3:54) begins with female chorus reciting the title while a kind of BURT BACHARACH bassa nova back beat establishes itself. French-style vocal scatting familiar to all who heard Francis Lai's theme to the 1966 classic, "Un homme et une femme." In the Francis Lai tradition, this is a pretty upbeat, light song with some catchy melodies (and perhaps lyrics!?). (9/10)
Overall a delightful listening experience--one that is so different, so interesting and yet melodic and of superior construction, that I will come back many times to hear many more of the subtle shifts, instrument uses, and other nuances to be found herein.
85.0 on the Fish scales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lovers music collection. Really!
IZZ is a very good neo/heavy prog group much in the vein of PORCUPINE TREE and RIVERSIDE whose discography is just below that threshold of "top tier." Often very catchy (sometimes syrupy) melodies, tagged onto dark, heavy music performed buy very accomplished musicians. The guitarist and keyboardists, in particular, are quite masterful at their respective instruments. The Darkened Room is my favorite IZZ album. Great recording engineering and production.
Album highlights: 1. "
Swallow Our Pride" (5:16) (8/10); the EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER-like classically-tinged 4. "Can't Feel the Earth, Part I" (4:39) (8/10); the female-vocal-laden, AYREON-like 6. "Can't Feel the Earth, Part II" (10:37) (9/10); 9. "
23 Minutes of Tragedy" (7:00) (9/10), and; 10. "Can't Feel the Earth, Part III" (5:08) (9/10).
Four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.
iNFiNiEN iNFiNiEN
One band for whom the term "sophomore slump" certainly applies as the promise shown in their very proggy debut album, 2006's How to Accept, remains unrealized. The band seems to have lost a little of its sense of direction, sense of identity, as the songs on this album seem to go in many directions (quite often toward Chrissie's torch song leanings) and not really ever establishing a 'comfort zone.' Chrissie's vocals and stories often feel quite misaligned with the music playing out beneath.
Five star songs: 2. "'Acquatica'" (5:57) (9/10); the emotional, RIKKIE LEE JONES-like torch song, 5. "Trivial Pursuit" (7:13) which does jump into a nice jazz-fusion section in the second half (13.5/15); the excellent, 10. "Perpetual Twilight" (9:47) sounds as if it came from either a Freddy HUBBARD album from the 70s or JANE SIBERRY's 1989 classic 'live,' in-the-studio record, Bound By The Beauty. The frenetic sections are the best. (18/20)
Four star songs: despite its cheesy start, the song 8. "Despierta" (7:55)--which is sung in Spanish--offers quite a fun and beautiful journey--especially with Chrissie's fluid, sensuous Spanish. A great language for her singing style (13/15); the absolutely gorgeous torch song vocal and music of 9. "Beauty Is Beast" (5:17) (8.5/10); 4. "Breathe Easy" (5:33) is an awesome piano-jazz lounge song in the DIANA KRALL or early BILLY JOEL tradition, but barely fits the prog bill (8.5/10); 6. "Into Pieces" (2:37) (4/5); despite some fiercely clever and well-performed music (what drumming!), the lyric/vocal of 7. "Spiritual Rats" (5:47) just doesn't fit, match, or work (8/10); 1. "Knock Knock (Disappear)" (5:57) seems to be trying to be a Turkish-Arabian Reggae song without ever really feeling like one. Too forced despite the fine displays of individual musicianship and the awesome instrumental section. (8/10), and; the incongruous, 3. "Make the Choice" (6:54) (13.25/15).
I call it a slump--mostly for its divergence from what one typically holds as "prog" roots--but this is still a collection of creative and often beautiful music that comes from a group of highly skilled, creative and committed musicians.
Solid four stars; B; a highly recommended musical adventure.
KARDA ESTRA Weird
Tales
A collection of excellent, intricately composed and as usual well-performed and recorded songs based upon themes from Gothic literature. Composer and mastermind Richard Wileman has again ping-ponged from the more positive, upbeat moods of his previous album,
The Last of the Libertine, to the darker, eerier timbres of this album--a pattern of his that even he recognizes and admits to. (The next studio album in the Karda Estra discography, the excellent
New Worlds, is quite light and upbeat--in an unprecedented almost quirky, BURT BACHARACH kind of way.) Still, this is one of the most solid, mature, deep, and alluring albums KE has ever put together. Next to
Eve this is the KE album to which I most listen--and a source of many profound listening experiences it has been! (Also a great one to play back-to-back with THE FUTURE KINGS OF ENGLAND's excellent 2011 release,
Who Is This Who Is Coming?)
Four stars, highly recommended.
GÖSTA BERLINGS SAGA Detta Har Hänt
A good album of interesting, creative, and subtlely complex songs. A lot of variety here, too. What lacks is melody and sometimes 'meaningful development'--meaning that the songs don't always unfold in pleasing or 'sensible' ways.
1. “Kontrast” (3:57) is a slow developing, very symphonically constructed--but almost in a Minimalist way--song. I love the 'live in the studio' feeling of the recording. The song is a bit too repetitive for my tastes--despite the BUCK DHARMA (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) guitar solo toward the end. (7/10)
2. “
Sorterargatan 3” (9:49) is my favorite song on the album. It opens with a 'computer/keyboard' with bowed bass carring over from the previous song. Eventually a bluesy picked electric guitar takes over and,
a little later, a tandem piano. At 2:00 there is a shift in instrumentation and feel. This shift is fully transitioned by 2:55 with driving bass and drums and very melodic harmonized guitar and keyboard arpeggios. At 3:40 guitar and then electric piano go briefly Fripp "Discipline" on us. Return to previous section of guitar & key arpeggios and then some classic rock syncopated guitar strumming. At 5:32 there is a haunting, whirling synth chord held in the background for over a minute as the song develops and morphs over the top. At 6:45 some spacey effects accompany the plucking of a distorted guitar. Drums show off a bit within a military pattern. At 8:20 the guitars and keyboards simplify and repeat as mellotron and bass--and then 'recorder'-sounding synth--melody takes lead to bare-bones end. (17.75/20)
3. “Svenska Hjärtan” (3:01) begins with rather stereotypic Russian-sounding chord progression played on an old upright 'Old West' player piano before a distored eledtiric guitar joins. Symphonic percussion effects also join in. An eery 'alien'-sounding synth takes over to the end. (8/10)
4. “Fem Trappor” (6:32) begins with spacey-industrial synth play over cymbol work until 1:15 when bass joins in and together with the drums establish the beat. Guitars join in. At 2:57 enters main theme from the guitars. By 3:25 there is a melody shift with a "toy keyboard" playing. At 4:03 the main theme returns in a 'scratchier' form. 4:27 shifts to whole new rhythm and feel--old Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett era comes to mind. (7/10)
5. “Nattkift” (5:00) starts with an electric piano intro (sounds very late-70s AMBROSIA-like). At 1:08 bass chords and slow electric piano arpeggios are quickly joined by fast arpeggios from a distorted electric guitar. Then shifts to some very bluesy guitar work--very dissonant--almost like Allan HOLDSWORTH playing ROY BUCHANAN's guitar. At 3:19 a shift into an uptempo very standard blues-rock chord progression which is soon joined by guitar and ulilean pipes mirroring the solo. At 4:22 the song backs down to a bare bones electric piano arpeggios (They never left! Were just beneath all the other sound!) and then fade. (8/10)
6. “Berslagen” (10:29) begins with another dissonant blues guitar start (FRIPP Red Era). At 0:38 the main theme is introduced playing through three different key changes. At 1:58 the picked acoutic guitar holds the melody. At 2:48 a bizarre guitar solo begins--very KING CRIMSON-like though Crimson never played quite like this. At 3:50 all instruments exit except electric keyboard playing before a quick shift to "toy" piano arpeggios. At 4:55 it is joined by bass clef electric piano chords. 5:25 seees FRIPP-ish sustained guitar solo beginning over the top of the keyboard work. At 6:05 begins the true toy piano solo/arpeggia--both hands over tremolo picked e-string note of the guitar. Enter a harmonium or accordion. At 7:55 drums reintroduce the dissonant "discipline" and now BELEW solo. At 8:48 there is a return to the harmonized melodic groove. Part STEVE HILLAGE, part MIE OLDFIELD. Interesting song. (17/20)
7. “Innilegur?” (2:51) has Middle Eastern sounding acoustic "guitar" intro. (Perhaps a very old, dilapidated guitar?) At 1:35 it develops into more Western melodic picking. At 2:03 a synth and other guitar (bowed?) join in. A brief song. (7/10)
8. “
Västarbron 05:30" (11:33) is my second favorite song from this album. It begins with a DOORS-y intro, bluesy bass/chord progression. At 1:20 the main melody is established on electric piano. At 2:25 a secondary melody enters, now accompanied by strummed acoustic guitar chord progression. Very NEIL YOUNG/CSN&Y-like. Guitar solo. At 4:20 the guitar and song sound more ALVIN LEE like with aggressive blues rock. Perhaps even BUDDY GUY. Guitar fades to background as organ and electric piano foundation return to forefront. Strings join in, but listen to that guitar shredding away far in the back left! A bit of a "Strawberry Fields Forever" feel to the swirling chaos and eeriness of the end--and that toy piano! (18/20)
78.5 on the Fish scales = four stars; highly recommended for the prog lover.
CASPIAN Tertia
I agree with snobb: full instrumental music must be very different, have great diversity and, yes, complexity (though melody is, IMHO, also important in order to 'hook' the listener). While CASPIAN does a fine--even great--job of creating classic post rock--with great production and performances, better than average melodies, and some interesting shifts in dynamics--the genre as a whole makes it rather difficult to make an entire album--especially a long (more than 60 mins.) one--of intriguing, diverse, attention-grabbing songs. I rate CASPIAN's Tertia in the upper echelon of post rock/math rock albums I've heard--with MOGWAI, MONO, APPLESEED CAST RED SPAROWES, MASERATI, and THE MERCURY PROGRAM but not quite up there with my favorites: GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT's All Is Violent, All Is Bright or MY EDUCATION's Sunrise or GIFTS FROM ENOLA's Gifts from Enola or COLLAPSE UNDER THE EMPIRE's The Sirens Sound or DATURAH's Reveries. (ULVER's Shadows of the Sun I do not really consider a post rock/math rock album--I think it is mis-categorized.) Perhaps the 'EP' format is best for these post rock/math rock bands. Still, Caspian has put out a collection of very high quality if formatted songs--many with catchy melodies and twists.
My favorites are: "Ghost of the Garden City" and "Epochs in Dmaj"--5 stars; " La Ceurva," "Vienna," and "Sycamore"--4 stars.
The album over all is 3.5 stars: Good, but not essential for the general prog lover; excellent addition to any prog rock music collection for fans of the Post Rock/Math Rock sub-genre.
SUBSIGNAL Beautiful
and Monstrous
A very nice sounding album, well constructed and delivered, Beautiful & Monstrous just doesn't have enough fresh/newness to be considered more than a 3 star, Good, but not essential album. There are plenty of good songs, nice melodies, a very good lead singer, an interesting and creative keyboard player, and very nice engineering and production?but nothing really reaches out and grabs me, sucks me in, gets my adrenaline pumping or goosebumps bumping. The music often sounds like a cross between GEOFF DOWNES-TREVOR HORN era YES/ASIA and SAGA/STYX/KANSAS--none of which are my favorite music producers--they're all good, but not great; not my cup of tea.
My favorite songs are "Walking with Ghosts" because of its 'HORN-DOWNES plays OCEANSIZE' sound; the pleasant, melodic "The Last Light of Summer;" the spacious, darkly mooded though too heavy for my tastes "Beautiful & Monstrous;" and "The Sea"--which reminds me of PORCUPINE TREE Fear of a Blank Planet", TEARS FOR FEARS The Hurting", and 21st Century (Christian) NEKTAR.
Nice work, nice album. 3.5 stars.
MONO Hymn to the
Immortal
Some may describe this album as "more of the same" from Japanese Post Rock/Math Rock maestros, Mono, and while it is similar or continuous with my favorite Mono album, 2006's
You Are There, the music is still fresh and unique enough--and the Mono approach to Post Rock/Math Rock so pleasurable--that I still can only give this album my highest recommendation. It's great--and very emotional--when given your undivided attention, but also very pleasant as beautiful background music.
Favorite selections: the melodic "Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn" (6:00) (9/10) and the spacious and delicate "Pure as Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm)" (11:26) (17.5/20).
Four stars; a wonderful aural experience.
DANTE’S PURGATORIO – THE DIVINE COMEDY, PART II
Another great collection of songs as compiled through the amazing efforts of Colossus Magazine and Musea Records, this time following hot on the heels of last year's Part I of the music inspired by and representing the telling of the story of Dante Alligheri's The Divine Comedy. Again, not my favorite Colossus/Musea production; that label belongs to 2005's Odyssey: The Greatest Tale, with 2003's Kalevala: A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic being second. Still, an awesome collection for an awesome undertaking. Thank you so much, Colossus and Musea!
My favorites here include the contributions of: FLAMBOROUGH HEAD, GROOVECTOR, MIST SEASON, NUOVA ERA, and WILLOWGLASS.
4 stars: An excellent addition to any prog lovers music collection! Really!
PINKROOM Psychosolstice
This was a surprising discovery, thanks to iTunes' "Listeners Also Bought" suggestion line. Kind of a mix of Porcupine Tree, Sylvan, tinyfish, and King Crimson, all on the heavy side. My favorites, of course, are the songs with more delicate, spacious and melodic parts like the CYNIC and FEN-like "Path of the Dying" (7:20) (13.5/15); the STEVEN WILSON-cum-KING CRIMSON-ish, "Quietus" (5:30) (8/10), and; the borderline smooth jazz instrumental, "2am" (6:26) (8/10). My favorite song on the album, though, is the polyrhythmic exercise, "Moodroom v.2" (4:36). I love the 'addition' of the trumpet, vocal samples, and cello to the otherwise KC "Discipline" clone. (10/10)
Four stars of, dare I say it, "excellent" heavy prog.(!)
This is an album labeled as "Crossover" while it is heavier and even more metallic than what "Crossover" connotes. There are some very clever guitar stylings and effects used herein. Vocalist "Drew" is quite talented and versatile. I find the unusual A-B-A-B-C-D and A-B-C-B-C-D song structures quite refreshing. Though there are weaknesses and areas that this band can improve, I do think this may be a modern day masterpiece of progressive music.
1. “Sissorlips” (5:49) starts the album out with one of the, IMHO, weaker songs on the album. Some clever guitar plaing and effects, but the 80s REO SPEEDWAGON "Roll with the Changes" vocals sound a bit too familiar . . . and dated. (6/10)
2. “
Turning Sheep Into Goats” (3:54) contains some quite melodic guitar playing--not unlike U2's EDGE--with some nice STYX-like (
Crystal Ball-
Grand Illusion era) vocals plus harmonies. At 1:20 there is a shift to a MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN-style 'chorus', then quickly back to the A section; 2:40 chorus return of Maynard, this time sustained a bit before devolving into a beautiful echo-arpeggio guitar section to fade. Great vocal. (9/10)
3. “Systematomatic” (3:42) continues rather seamlessly from the previous song, but quickly develops into the heaviest, most metallic song on the album. At 2:08 there is a shift to an early 80s rock sound (QUEEN or CHEAP TRICK). At 3:00 there is a shift to a very dreamy, eery muted guitar and distant muted vocal section to fade. (7/10)
4. “River of Glass” (4:55) is Rishloo's THE MARS VOLTA song. It starts with a beautiful yet ominous intro till 1:12 when the hard rockin music and great TMV-like vocal cut in. 2:35 sees a TMV shift into eerie floating guitar with vocals until the heavy instruments enter. At 4:10 there is another quiet "eye in the hurricane" spell before havoc is returned to end. This one could've been extended to great effect. Amazing vocal performance! (8/10)
5. “Keyhole in the Sky” (5:14) begins with a familiar CYNIC/RADIOHEAD guitar sound accompanied by another REO SPEEDWAGON-like vocal until the second verse when the vocal tones relax. This is one of those moments when you realize you are hearing a truly extraordinary singer--versatile, emotional, with excellent lyrical delivery. It's like the band has an extra instrument--and a virtuoso performing it, too. 4:00 sees a weird decay into spacey guitar and carnival keyboard with 'trumpet' soloing to end. (8/10)
6. “Downhill” (8:13) begins with a touching, emotional guitar and, soon, equally plaintive voice, to 1:20 when the band joins in with some odd AC/DC-like standard rock riffs. Then, equally weird, is the album's only appearance of piano--here taking on an unaccompanied solo. Around 4:10 the band returns with a rather drastic shift as an awesome 3-note guitar arpeggio loops ad nauseum to the song's end (four minutes!) while the other instruments and vocals shift, develop and decay, morph all over the place over the top. (8/10)
7. “Feathergun in the Garden of the Sun” (5:18) begins with a 45-second JEFF BECK-like solo guitar intro. When the band enters it is with a TOOL/MAYNARD JAMES vengence. At 2:10 another guitar arpeggio loop appears--this one heavier. Drew's vocal final shows a weakness: in the higher registers. This song is just a bit too pointless--rage against the Shoegazers?--and a bit too sprawling and rambling. (6/10)
8. “Dreamcatcher” (0:54) is a pretty little interlude of floating guitar chords. ENO would like. (8/10)
9. “
Diamond Eyes" (6:26) begins with another catchy EDGE-like guitar arpeggio loop with near immediate singing. At 0:45 there is a shift to 1:08 when an ALCEST/MY BLODDY VALENTINE-like sliding guitar strum appears. At 2:50 a space-echo guitar à la NEKTAR's ROYE ALBRIGHTON takes over--accompanied by a PINK FLOYD rolling bass line and some cymbol play. Joined by a tender, haunting vocal till 4:40 when it seems as if the band is trying to 'lift' the song into another, higher gear--to no avail--it's just a tease--until, finally, it all crescendos in the song's final 30 seconds. Awesome!! (9/10)
10. “
Katsushika” (5:00) is an amazingly complexly constructed song--with a kind of DAVID BOWIE/ THE BEATLES feel to it--especially in terms of it's unpredictable melodic twists and turns. Keys and chords shift and change quite interestingly. U2/EDGE/RADIOHEAD-like guitar play throughout. Incredible song. Great vocal. (9/10)
11. “Weevil Bride” (8:51) is, IMHO, the weakest, most disjointed and uninspired song on the album. It starts off great--beautifully--like another THE MARS VOLTA song--but then it gets too heavy--and too meanderful--for its own good. Too DEVIN TOWNSENDish. (12/20)
Some stunning music here--playful guitar and powerful vocal performances.
THIS IS NOT "CROSSOVER" MUSIC!!
I look forward to more from this band.
75.45 on the Fish scales = 3.5 stars; a nice album to try out.
IOEARTH IOEarth
IOEARTH's eponymously titled debut album is very likable and
tremendously interesting for the total lack of predictability of its musical
style from song to song. There are, in turns, strains and themes of chant,
lounge, new age, jazz, trip-hop, hypno-trance, ethnic, space-synth, theatric,
pop, and so much more! I find myself thinking of groups like ENIGMA,
MINDFLOWER, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, SYLVAN, IQ, FROST*, U2, SIMPLE MINDS,
Hogarth-era MARILLIAN, VANGELIS, CHROMA KEY, XII ALFONSO, MIKE OLDFIELD, CAMEL,
DAARGARD, DARK SANCTUARY, AYREON, ANNEKE VAN GEISBERG, DRUMS FROM SPACE, ELOY,
HAWKWIND, during the course of a single song as well as the entire album.
1. "Introduction" uses whale sounds and Yanni
piano/synth work to set up what becomes a very pretty MOSTLY AUTUMN or TARJA
song--a rather auspicious start to a supposedly "progressive rock"
album. Nice song. Simple. (7/10)
2. "Storyteller" finds us shifting moods very
drastically--not unlike Stéphane Desbiens albums--to an electric guitar rock
ballad. Steve Vai anyone? (6/10)
3. "Eeee" begins with some ominous acoustic guitar
and piano arpeggios over which a male voice(s?) sing what could pass for some
Latin chants. But wait: At 1:25 some drums and heavy electric guitar/ bass
chords intervene and even take over the song, pounding out a rhythm over which
the male vocalist changes registers to sing his Latin chant in a falsetto (More
"Climb Every Mountain" than Christian Vander). Interesting song.
Could have come out of some post-Soviet Carpathian monastery. (6/10)
4. "Interlude #1" is a collection of industrial
sounds before:
5. "Smoky Wood"--a very smooth song with trumpet
lead that Lucan Arjean could well have written (Including the chorale of female
background singers that sound very much like Anneke van Geisenberg.) Very
catchy, groovy, and artistic song. (9/10)
6. Next we're off to some OAKENFOLD Ibiza rave in "Come
with Me." Very ENIGMA-meets-IQ. Good electro-pop dance tune with a nice
guitar solo somewhat reminiscent of John Mitchell followed by an amazingly
brief section of background gospel singers à la "Still Haven't Found What
I'm Looking For" and ending with some VANGELIS at Ibiza. (6/10)
7. "Opus Ii" is a two-minute interlude of
space-synth noises which are joined by a repetitive acoustic guitar riff and
ENIGMA fem vox, bass pedals, and marching snare drums. Nice effect. (7/10)
8. "Mountains Start to Fall" employs an intriquing
combination of harp, bells, male and female choir "o's," string
section playing some Far Eastern themes, over which a Rachel Jones (THE
REASONING)-sounding vocalist sings. The song develops nicely (8/10) and then bleeds into
9. "Loops" which continues much of the rhythms and
sounds from "Mountains" while vocals give way to jazzy lead trumpet,
electric guitars, and pulsing string à la "When the Levee Breaks."
Awesome climax! (9/10)
10. "Symphony #1" sounds as if Mike Oldfield were
commissioned to play/conduct Maurice Ravel's Hungarian Dances for a Greek
dinner theater. Truly a theatric composition. (8/10) Followed then by
11. "Light and Shade" which is an up-tempo, mostly
heavy Yes Zeppelin performance from Mabool Oldfield. (7/10)
12. "Intro Reprise" is straight out of a New Age
GOVI album.
13. "Home" begins with glockespiel and a French
movie feel--even when the soulful female voice starts pleading with us
(PATRICIA KAAS-like) to take her home--followed by some siren-like
crooning--before resorting to some singing not unlike the WITHIN TEMPTATION/NIGHTWISH/ THE GATHERING groups from Northern Europe. Decent song with some real
power (in the singing). (8/10)
14. "The Creation" begins with a similar tempo as
the previous song, but high-hat, string synths soon yield to another rock
ballad for guitar soli--though with a bit of a tighter snare keeping standard
time. Then--surprise! (But then what's one more surprise for this surprising
album)--some woman chants in some Middle Eastern dialct before giving way to a
guitar solo that is extremely reminiscent of some of REO SPEEDWAGON's Gary
Richrath solo/sounds around the You Can
Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish-era. (6/10)
15. "The Sun Is Going Down" begins with a simple
electric piano chord riff before some trippy drumming and bass playing lay down
the track's dominant rhythm. Then another somewhat falsetto-Gregorian monkish
singing performance takes over despite the frequent interjection of accented
whispers, foreign female and male spoken words. Actually a very cool song--very
like a song from CHROMA KEY's Dead Air
for Radios. (8/10)
16. "Interlude #2." Buddhist harmonic chants with
keening woman. Cool. (7/10)
17. "Harmonix." Longest song on the album opens
with a CHRIS SPHEERIS-like electric guitar solo over synths and piano. At 2:15
drums and bass join in at which time the guitarist's soloing moves into the
fretboard's highest registers before giving way to/alternating with our
Falsetto Gregorian monk. Powerful female vocal in the last minute. (8/10)
18. "Take Me" slows it down with a true ballad
BRYAN ADAMS style. A female vocal yields to male (for the remainder of the
song!) over piano, harp, synths, and some programmed percussion. 1:45 sees the
rock pop element as the BRYAN ADAMS/KENNY LOGGINS comparisons become more
evident. Nice pop tune/movie anthem. (5/10)
19. "Come With Me (Reprise)" Acoustic guitar and
piano break down what had been a trip-hoppy Ibiza tune into a JONI MITCHELL
plays with GOVI mood piece. Nice late night beach music. Female vocal enters
with one minute remaining to C & W us to song's end. (4/10)
20. "Outro" closes out the album in a very
theatric way by trying to replicate the sound of a full orchestra as if over
the movie's closing credits. Fairly well accomplished; rather like ANTHONY
PHILLIPS' grandiose keyboard pieces or VANGELIS' close to the Blade Runner
soundtrack. (7/10)
Overall a very interesting and mostly pleasantly listenable
music experience which deserves to be listened to--which will make as excellent
an addition to any prog lover's collection as, say, a CHROMA KEY or XII ALFONSO
album.
MIRIODOR Avanti!
Canadians rule the world of quirk! (Quirk, Strangeness and Charm!) Miriodor's music is highly unpredictable--each and every turn is surprising and yet entertaining, and very engaging! Like YUGEN, PRESENT, UNIVERS ZERO and ART ZOYD these musicians are definitely virtuosi, unlike the artists on this list, Miriodor have much more of an open sense of humor on display in their music.
Favorite songs: the humorous, "Discipline"-like "La Roche (Meeting Point)" (9:17) (17.5/20) and "Avanti" (8:18).
Solid four star effort.
EPICA Design Your
Universe
One of my step-daughter's favorite groups (she's a fem-fronted Goth and classical music/opera geek), this album was not as well received by her as their previous releases, 2007's The Divine Conspiracy and 2009's full orchestra- and choir-accompanied live album, The Classical Conspiracy. Though their music is a bit over the top drama metal for my tastes, I must admit that the compositions are quite clever and performed at quite a high level of musicianship. Plus, Simone Simons has quite an amazing voice. Were I young and needing to expell a lot of teen angst, Goth metal would be a great outlet, and there are none better in the sub-sub-genre than Epica.
Favorite songs: "Unleashed" (5:48) (9/10) and "Martyr of the Free World" (5:03) (8/10).
Four stars for highly accomplished, complex compositions and performances.
THE CHURCH Untitled #23
Line-up / Musicians:
- Steve Kilbey / lead vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
- Marty Willson-Piper / guitar, bass, backing vocals
- Peter Koppes / guitar, keyboards, bass, backing vocals
- Tim Powles/ drums, percussion, backing vocals
With:
- Frank Kearns / 12-string guitar (2), guitar (10)
- David Trump / Electone organ (3), acoustic guitar (10)
- Jorden Brebach / guitar (7)
- Patti Hood / harp (3)
- Sophie Glasson / cello (3,8)
- Shelley Harland / backing vocals (8)
1. Cobalt Blue (4:15)
2. Deadman's Hand (4:28)
3. Pangaea (4:04)
4. Happenstance (4:24)
5. Space Saviour (5:34)
6. On Angel Street (6:18)
7. Sunken Sun (5:48)
8. Anchorage (6:27)
9. Lunar (3:25)
10. Operetta (5:45)
Total time 50:28
IL CASTELLO DI ATLANTE Capitolo 7 – Tra la Antiche mura
