Top Albums of the Year 2024, Part 2: The Near-Masterpieces

  Somewhere beneath the level of timeless masterpiece status lies a group of albums whose quality and merit deserve categorization of something like "near-masterpiece." These are albums that have either achieved a Fishermetric score of between 90.0 and 89.0 or whose high points or quality level make it remarkable enough to remain affixed in my memory.

From the Year 2024, you will find below 1 album releases deserving, in my opinion, of the "near-masterpiece" designation; the other are also quite excellent.  

 The Near-Masterpieces:

(Ratings of 90.0 to 87.50)

BIG BIG TRAIN The Likes of Us

The band's first studio album of new material since the tragic and untimely death of Dave Longdon.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Alberto Bravin / lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, brass arrangements

- Nick D'Virgilio / drums & percussion, vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, vibes, brass arrangements

- Rikard Sjöblom / guitars, organ, keyboards, vocals

- Greg Spawton / bass, bass pedals, 12-string acoustic guitar, Mellotron

- Dave Foster / guitars, vocals

- Oskar Holldorff / piano, organ, synth, keyboards, vocals, strings arrangements

- Clare Lindley / violin, vocals, string arrangements

With:

- Dave Desmond / trombone, brass arrangements

- Nick Stones / French horn

- Ben Godfrey / trumpet, piccolo trumpet

- Jon Truscott / tuba

- Brian Mullan / cello

1. "Light Left in the Day" (6:11) my first introduction to the singing voice and stylistic preferences of new lead vocalists Alberto Bravin puts him immediately in the category of Andreas Bocelli-like wannabe opera singers; he's definitely got a flare for dramatic, theatric, emotionally-packed performance. (No wonder he held a post in PFM for a spell in the 20teens.) The music that follows the first two minutes of vocal-led fare is full on bombastic stage-worthy prog--music that sounds like an impressive introductory piece (or "overture") to a West End/Broadway musical. It definitely still sounds like Big Big Train, pushing all of the requisite buttons of competency, proficiency, performative and compositional skill. Solid. Good. Nothing special or breakthrough/innovative. (8.875/10)

2. "Oblivion" (5:28) an interesting bombastic opening 45 seconds that harkens back not only to 1970s GENESIS as well as many 21st Century RPI bands turns into something that sounds more like a power song from a 1980s hair band with the one exception being the chunky bass guitar play. The shifting stylistic, sonic, and instrumental palettes throughout this song is definitely interesting. I'm especially enamored of the folk-like motif bridging the fourth and fifth minutes; not so much the 1980s hairband motif. (8.875/10)

3. "Beneath the Masts" (17:26) strings, real and synthetic, open this with a pretty, pastoral, and heart-tugging nostalgic motif that continues to morph and flow into more acoustic-based folk-tinged music--a piano and acoustic-guitar motif that Alberto begins to sing over around the 2:25 mark. After Alberto finishes his first verse, piano and strings enter into a gentle, loving conversation. Then, at 4:15, the guitar picking shifts into a different progression before being joined by the bass and drums--over which Alberto rejoins singing in a more forceful and sometimes emphatic voice (sometimes sounding like a cross between Tommy Shaw and Freddie Mercury). Stereotypic GENESIS-like NeoProg section in the seventh minute gives way to some horns in the eighth before reviving in another, still very GENESIS-like patch over which Alberto delivers a refreshingly-different vocal (one that is closer to STYX or AMBROSIA than Genesis). At 9:30 the band lights up with a requisite instrumental section. There are lots of keyboard, guitar, and even electric violin riffs and flourishes being thrown about in a very ANDY TILLISON-kind of bombastic way. At 11:48 they try a side road of more angular, off-time music, but then everybody comes together beneath the glow of the Mellotron's angel choir and Rutherfordian bass pedals. At 13:25 the instrumental palette returns to the song's opening palette of pastoral acoustic folk instruments. Alberto returns, singing once again in the more languishing storytelling approach that he used in the song's opening sections, until, that is, the crash of bombast strikes at 15:15, leading us to a predictably climactic finish. I love the richly-"orchestrated" bucolic parts as well as some of the bombast and vocal stylings. It's certainly hard to find any band in this day and age doing more competent and mature prog epics. (31.75/35)

4. "Skates On" (4:28) 12-string guitars picking GENESIS-like pre-empt the STYX/TOTO and especially QUEEN-like vocal motifs that follow. Would that I could "hear" lyrics (and, thereby, catch their meaning) this song might have more significance for me. Otherwise, it's a perfectly nice tune. (8.875/10)

5. "Miramare" (10:18) after the QUEEN-like choir vocal intro, this song sounds very much like a power ballad from a Disney musical animation film. After 90 seconds of this the full band kicks in. It's a fairly typical BBT palette making this motif: a fairly rich symphonic weave of full prog rock instrumental complement--including piano and violin and chunky bass. The vocals are good though the full choral complement and b vox sound almost AI/computer generated (or treated--or from a vocoder). Nice delicate, folk-like motif starts in the fifth minute, turning GENESIS bombastic in the sixth for an exciting almost-cinematic seventh. Too bad the keyboard sounds used in the lead sound like they come from a cheap 1990s MIDI keyboard. The next sparsely-populated (piano and violin) section feels so like something from a Disney musical or Andrew Lloyd WEBER stage musical. Then we pick back up into an instrumental break for some nice duel guitar shredding. In the end the vocalist just sounds too much like too many other British NeoProg lead singers. (17.6667/20)

6. "Love Is the Light" (6:11) another perfectly innocuous song that sounds and feels as if it comes from a group of mature song craftsmen: there is little fat, a lot of high quality grist and grit with some excellently creative seasonings delivering nourishment that will become tomorrow's feces and forgotten by the next day. (8.875/10)

7. "Bookmarks" (6:23) here, again, Alberto's gift as a stage musical leading man is on full display. He's definitely engaging, even riveting, in the spotlight. The choreography around him--both instrumentally/musically and choral performatively--are of the very highest quality: I'm certain that this is a musical that I would fully enjoy if seen in the theater. I just don't think I'd remember any of the music afterward--I'd just remember the performances and the overall emotional impression I received from the play. Still, I feel that there is some of the same quality of performer-listener conveyance achieved by the band from the English Electric albums. (9/10)

8. "Last Eleven" (7:55) great music over which Alberto delivers an awesome vocal that sounds so much like Michael Sadler's amazing vocal on SAGA's first big hit, "On the Loose." I love the musical arrangements throughout this--especially the vocal melodies and a choral arrangements--but I have to single out Greg Spawton's chunky electric bass as it has never sounded better or been more fitting that to the music and vocals of this song. This is by far my favorite song on the album. It just hits me to the core! I only wish that the final motif (beginning in the seventh minute) didn't almost lose me. (14/15)

Total Time 64:20

There is a lot to enjoy here, not much to criticise or turn one's nose up to. My musical likes--perhaps more accurately termed, my musical requirements or "needs"--just do not have much room for, or receive much nourishment from, this fare anymore. 

89.93 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of masterfully- and lovingly-performed, composed, and recorded music that may become remembered as one of the best albums the band ever did.

COMPASSIONIZER The Fellowship of the Mystery

The Compassionizer quartet is back with another difficult to categorize studio album--their fourth since 2019. The two multi-instrumentalists, founders Serghei Liubcenco and Ivan Rozmainsky (ROZ VITALIS) are again joined by two clarinetists, founding member Leonid Perevalov and three-album veteran AndRey Stefinoff. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Serghei Liubcenco / guitars, bass, rubab, drums, doira and other percussion
- Leonid Perevalov / bass clarinet
- Ivan Rozmainsky / conception, composition, spinet, synths, kalimba [7]
- AndRey Stefinoff / clarinet
with thanks to:
- Vitaly Borodin / violin [6]
- Oleg Prilutsky / trumpet
- Ksenia Vaganova / violin [5]
- Sabina Vostner / vocals, ukulele

1. "To Abound and To Suffer Need (5:16) the clarinet chamber parts are exquisite. The surf rock motif is annoying. Luckily, there is far more avant garde chamber music here than rock crap. Still, I wish there were more beefy, dynamic parts to hook my teeth into. (9/10)

2. "Avenge Not Yourselves" (4:11) I love how the spinet gives the music a Gothic Film Noire/PRESENT-type of feel. The unstable wammy-bar guitar chords and notes as well. Excellent keyboard strings and deep organ work with the multiple tracks of clarinets. Nice--but, again, where's the beef? (8.875/10)

3. "To Direct Your Hearts into the Love" (5:04) synth washes and electric guitar arpeggi give the clarinets, percussion, spinet, and wordless vocals here a nice rich expansion of space to counter the centralized and single-note melodies that the others can weave. Why do the female vocalists go uncredited? Why does the song get weaker, looser, and unstructured during the final 90 seconds? (9/10)

4. "I Feel Shine of the Day" (4:05) the band is clearly trying to offer the listener some insights into the sounds, melodies, and structures of their regional ethnic folk traditions. Ivan Rozmainsky's synth flute with Serghei Liubcenco's multiple stringed and percussion instruments works well--though, as my wife just commented, it sounds very much as if I'm listening to the musical soundtrack to a video presentation of some rural farm or village scene from their bucolic day-to-day goings-on. (8.75/10)

5. "For Them Who Shall Be Heirs of Salvation" (5:01) nice village processional music that conveys perfectly the inherent looseness and "smallness" of such an occasion. Nice use of the interwoven trumpets in the second half--quite funereal and reverent. (8.875/10)

6. "For the Invisible Things" (4:21) opening exactly where the previous song ended, solo trumpet fills the spacious skies before Serghei's metal percussives and Ivan's spinet join in. Drums and unusual stringed acoustic instruments join, but then, after a slight pause, the rhythm section turns the music into almost an Arabian night rumba. A thinness of sound occupies the third minute while we wait to see the next dynamic shift or presentation--which finally arrives at 3:02. The soundscape and effect here are strikingly similar to those of a Ben Morley MICE ON STILTS song--even something by NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA might do. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)

7. "The Fellowship of the Mystery" (21:44) another opening that seems to run straight off of the finish of the previous song. The delicate folk-like chamber weave turns KATE BUSH-like power-aggressive in the second half of the seventh minute, which continues with some inventive bass play and electric guitar riffing in the ninth minute. The dynamics soften in the next minute, revealing the bass clarinet as the lead instrument while the spinet and other tuned percussives provide the delicate faerie-like tapestry around it. Another burst of power chamber rock in the middle of the 11th minute disrupts an otherwise-bucolic faerie dance, leaving in its wake a forest of metallic percussion with kalimba and synth noises blended in with Serghei's other percussion sounds. Electric guitar and clarinet play off of each other over added sustained organ chords and the rest of the jungle march motif in the 14th and 15th minutes. In the 17th minute there is a rest next to a waterfall in which the trumpeter entertains the hikers while they refresh themselves. Then, in the 18th minute the band proceed on their way once again--this time with trumpeter and clarinetists taking turns at the point position. The path soon widens a bit, leaving room for more than one lead instrument to solo at the same time, but then the view of the broad expanse of savannah as they emerge from tropical jungle around the river canyon leaves every one a bit awed and humbled. The spinet and metallic clangs seem to celebrate the adventurers' achievement until it is finally time to lay their heads down for a good night's rest. 

     The song epic is satisfactory despite the fact that the journey it takes one on never gets more exciting than faerie sprites and the occasional appearance of a jungle fauna that might require a small burst adrenaline response as one does in a state of trailblazing vigilance. There's nothing wrong or weak here, just nothing very new or exciting: The soundtrack to a rather mundane and uneventful nature hike through safari or jungle like territories. (36/40)

Total Time 49:42

I hear a lot of what sounds like AFTER CRYING chamber work here--which I really like--yet I also hear a lot of music that sounds very rooted and unashamedly representative of Russian rural folk tradition. I like both of these. The songs are often a bit too simplistic or too romantic for a prog rock album--even Prog Folk--yet we've often talked about the creation of a Prog Chamber classification around here. Maybe this album will be the final impetus necessary for such an event!

89.75 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition of Chamber Prog to any music lover's collection--especially if you enjoy cinematic folk-oriented instrumental music.  

KARFAGEN Land of Chameleons

Prolific NeoProgger Antony Kalugin's 2024 contribution to Prog World includes myriad buyer's choices in terms of form and song inclusions. The version that I acquired on Bandcamp is not the same as that listed above in the PA database.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Antony Kalugin / keyboards, vocals
With:
- Mariya Panasenko / vocals (1,3)
- Olha Rostovska / vocals (5,6)
- Max Velychko / electric & acoustic guitars
- Konstantin Ionenko / bass
- Viktor Syrotin / drums & percussion
- Sergii Kovalov / accordion (5)
And:
- Marek Arnold / soprano saxophone (1,2,4,5)

1. "Land of Chameleons" (4:51) Antony's ROINE STOLT-like talk-sing voice is mirrored by Mariya Panasenko's beautiful, lilting (and sometimes belting) soprano (in multiple tracks) to sing this proggy THE FLOWER KINGS-like song. Professionally constructed and rendered with excellent engineering and production, I just wish the high ends of modern music weren't so muted and/or compressed. P.S. The soprano saxophone play of Marek Arnold is quite good--definitely a standout element. (8.875/10)

2. "Agora by Day" (10:04) The proggy sound palette sounds so computerized: the drums sound machine-generated, the bass muted and lacking percussiveness like a keyboard, even the rhythm guitars sound button-pushed. The keys and lead guitars are rich and well-presented though also feeling compressed on their high ends. Antony's singing again sounds like a cone-muted ROINE STOLT, but the music's chord and melodic presentations are quite engaging, even enjoyable--especially in the soft passage crossing from the fifth to the sixth minutes. I feel as if the instrumentally-complex bridge inserted at the 6:00 mark exists only to try to prove to me that these are actually human-played drums, bass, and keys. I remain fairly unconvinced. Still, the music is quite good, definitely proggy, and, though somewhat familiar, feeling new enough to satisfy my pleasure principals. The closing motif is quite satisfying--even emotional. (18/20)

3. "My Shadow" (7:49) I am really troubled by the rather-blatant and unabashed imitation of ROINE STOLT with Antony's vocals. The song is also structured and stylized to sound like some kind of 1980s power ballad--like Alannah Myles' rocked-up version of "Black Velvet"--at least until the end of the third minute when things turn more jazzy--bordering on Yacht Rock (albeit, very good Yacht Rock). I guess I shouldn't complain since there are not a lot of artists (that I know of) doing this kind of quality Classic Yacht Rock today. The good parts are quite good (the instrumental Yacht Rock passages) and the more familiar, cliched BONNIE TYLER/KIM CARNES-like parts are still pretty darn good. (13.5/15)

4. "Dios Pyros (part 2)"(3:01) a weird little electronic keyboard- and computer-generated piece for Antony's piano to solo within. (8.5/10)

5. "Into the Kaleidoscope" (11:49) a song that sounds as if Antony had been studying GLASS HAMMER's masterpiece epic from 2005's Colossus Magazine-Musea Records commissioned Odyssey: The Greatest Tale. He throws in a little Lion King/Adiemus and some sounds and elements from Anthony Phillips' 1984, and a lot of it is generating/inspiring original music, but he keeps coming back to melodic and chordal themes used in the Glass Hammer piece. The final electric piano-led motif sounds a bit like a reprise of the previous "pyros" piece. (22/25)

6. "Journey to a Shrine" (10:49) opening with some dark chords played rather incongruously with pleasant, light sound choices, the song turns into a New Age song that sounds like it came straight out of one of David Lantz & Paul Speer's albums from the late 1980s and 1990s. At the end of the second minute our perceptions are distracted for a bit by a Middle Eastern palette and melody, but within 30 seconds the music returns to the Lantz-Speer motif--until 3:55 when a piano-supported poorly-recorded wordless vocal chant from Olga Rostovska returns to a Middle Eastern-like setting, though this time feeling far more spacious and epic. The heavy multi-drum hits every 2.5 seconds adds to this slow build epic feel. In the seventh minute they switch to reverb snares and then getting muted from the 7:30 mark on--so that a searing electric guitar solo can be fully heard. There is no denying that the music is pleasant, engaging and beautiful--both the New Age theme and the proggy Middle Eastern theme--but once again I find myself unsettled by its computer manipulation and usurpation of "borrowed" sounds and themes. (18.5/20)

 

7. "2 Minutes Before the Dawn" (2:37) multiple synths and Fender Rhodes with support of bass and soprano sax and a few electric guitar chord strums. Nice. Maybe Antony should move full time into the creation and publication of New Age soundscapes: he is certainly very good at them. (9.3333/10)

Total Time 45:47

The two main issues I have with this album are the computer-polish and Antony's prepensity to rely on lifting sounds, riffs, chord progressions, even forms and styles from past masters; I know everybody does it to some extent, but Antony's lifts are so blatant that they even conjure up the exact songs that they came from. Is this intentional? Is he creating music like a circus performer: with every intention of arousing the crowd's boisterous cheers every time we recognize a familiar riff. 

Despite my high marks for each of the songs (save one) I find myself very reluctant to designate this a "masterpiece" of progressive rock music: it just feels too borrowed, too formulaic, too familiar. But, then, we must remember that there is a reason we've created a sub-genre of music called NeoProg--music that replicates the sound palettes and prog stylings of highly revered songs from the past; we do like the highlights of our past.

89.73 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of NeoProgSymph. Highly recommended for those of you who prefer to bask in the warm and nostalgic sunlight of the past. 

TOM PENAGUIN  Tom Penaguin

A young French DIY guy releases his third album of songs emulating/imitating progressive rock styles and artists from the early days. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Tom Penaguin / electric piano, synthesizer, string synthesizer, bass, drums, electric guitar, tapes
With:
- Brillant Rodrich / slowed down glassware
- Marie Le Pohon / laughter
- Ki / echoed flute
- Inkus / dog sounds

1. "The Stove Viewpoint Introduction" (2:44) layers of synthesizer-generated sounds creating a bit of a Patrick Moraz/Mike Oldfield soundscape that moves, in the third minute, into more Dave Stewart territory before bleeding into … (the next song) (4.375/5)

2. "Housefly Leg" (14:25) though I love all of the instrumental recreations of old, familiar Canterbury sounds, it is the crisp drumming that I find most impressive (and original). The second motif that occupies the third minute sounds more GENESIS-like before shifting into NEKTAR territory for the third motif. Then we're back to the original KHAN/HATFIELD/ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS sound palette for some beautiful and gentle melody making in the fifth minute. An electric guitar moves to the fore for the sixth minute to solo in a style that sounds and feels more like something from American Jazz-Rock Fusion (one of Steely Dan's virtuosi: Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Denny Dias, Dean Parks, or Walter Becker). This solo dominates well into the ninth minute with plenty of keyboard support and complementation until the nine-minute mark when Fender Rhodes and electric bass play along side some impressive drumming for a little over a minute. Then "everybody" clears out so the Fender Rhodes can support an extended bass solo--one that becomes more and more impressive (almost MAGMA-esque) as it moves into the 12th and 13th minutes. Tom has certainly become a great drummer!

      From 12:35 on the instruments are all weaving in and around each other in a very HATFIELD AND THE NORTH fashion, each virtually soloing though still maintaining some modicum of cohesion … until it stops! Pretty impressive song! Especially the layering of support for the soloists but really the drums the most. Unfortunately, I come away feeling no particular connection to any of the melodies or themes lingering in my brain; more impressed with the highly skilled imitative quality of the music. (27/30)

 

3. "Aborted Long Piece No. 2" (3:35) though the thick, heavy bass and drum play in this doesn't quite feel accurate, I do feel immediate familiarity with the Dave Stewart-like organ and Fender Rhodes play on this. It could almost fit perfectly among Egg's classic suite on their sophomore album from 1971, The Polite Force. (8.875/10)

4. "Arrival of the Great Hedgehog" (9:16) basically it's gentle Fender Rhodes and organ arpeggiations and gradual bass augmentation and expansion with eventual Moog "flute" (or Casiotone "fantasy") play over the top until the electric fuzz guitars and drums join in during the third and fourth minutes, respectively. The fifth minute is slowed down for a more Andy Latimer/Eef Albers(FOCUS)-like guitar sound to enter and slowly build into an impressive (Allan Holdsworth-like) solo (with those very impressive drums accompanying, accenting, and egging him on). All of the above guitarists would have been proud of this solo--as drummers Billy Cobham and Bill Bruford would be smiling. Great production and performance. I wish the song could have had a little more development and nuance, not just exist as a skills display piece. (17.75/20)

5. "The Stove Packed Up and Left" (7:29) definitely a Dave Stewart composition. (J/k) To my ears, this song feels like the most mature, most developed and refined. (13.75/15)

Total Time 37:29

This young man has the chops, has all the appropriate instruments to create the appropriate sound palettes, and definitely has the ear to help him recreate old style musics (EGG, KHAN, HATFIELD AND THE NORTH, CAMEL, MIKE OLDFIELD), but I believe that he still has some learning to do with regards to fine-tuning his music so that they sound less like imitations and more like originals. After three published albums, I think he is well on his way. The

89.6875 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of adroitly Canterbury-styled instrumental music. I would think that every prog lover would find something interesting and enjoyable on this album. 

PURE REASON REVOLUTION Coming Up to Consciousness

Jon Courtney returns sans founding member Chloë Alper, here replaced by the more-available and very talented Annicke Shireen. Jon also enlists the support of his producer, Bruce Soord, for guitar and effects as well as Bruce's The Pineapple Thief band-mate, Jon Sykes, and legendary journeyman Guy Pratt to cover some of the bass parts.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jon Courtney / vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, programming
- Greg Jong / vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
- Annicke Shireen / vocals
- Ravi Kesavaram / drums
With:
- Lewin Krumpschmid / Rhodes & piano
- Guy Pratt (Icehouse, Pink Floyd, Robert Palmer, / bass
- Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) / guitars
- Jon Sykes (The Pineapple Thief, Godsticks, Bruce Soord) / bass

1. "Prelude: Coming Up to Consciousness" (0:32)

2. "Dig Till You Die" (4:36) though there is a lot that sounds too borrowed from the band's debut album (specifically the pattern and sound palette of the rhythm foundation), there is enough wonderful stuff here to make this a wonderful listening experience. Vocal is too compressed. The bass, too. I love the intro. (8.875/10)

3. "Interlude 1" (0:23)
4. "Betrayal" (4:05) some nice elements that don't quite gel. (8.75/10)

5. "The Gallows" (4:36) great bass playing, great sound palette, and nice melodies--especially in the ear-candy-themed second half. A mature, well-developed, complete-feeling song. A top three song. (9.25/10)

6. "Interlude 2" (0:21)
7. "Useless Animal" (3:56) great lush vocal arrangements to some rather lackluster lyrics. A pretty solid, complete-feeling song. (8.875/10)

8. "Interlude 3" (0:12)
9. "Worship" (5:02) opens fronted some simple guitar chords being arpeggiated while Jon sings. Annicke gets some appearance time before the full band kicks in at 1:13. The band's old pedal steel guitar's presence is nice. Again, the main fault with this song is in its leaning back on old patterns, sounds, riffs, and themes. (8.75/10)

10. "Interlude 4" (0:17)
11. "Bend the Earth" (6:19) a song that feels like the most original content on the album: palette (that unusual bass sound and programmed drum sequence), chords, structure, flow, rhythm patterns--everything except the chorus motif feels new and refreshing. (9/10)

12. "Lifeless Creature" (6:10) tension filled piano arpeggios open this one before Jon enters positing an-almost whispered vocal. Then synth bass, syncopated drum machine pattern, and other tension- and atmosphere-building effects enter, creating a very interesting and highly original motif to which Jon and Annicke add much magical vocal work. After the singing is done around the 3:50 mark the tension just builds and builds. This is awesome! Love the deep bass thrums. At 5:00 the tension bursts and we come back to Jon's guitar-supported vocal--which is then joined by the full ensemble to the song's finish. The most interesting and, perhaps, the best song on the album. A top three, to be sure. (9/10)   

13. "Interlude 5" (0:38) like a hundred distorted accordions recorded and somehow warped in the taping process. (My favorite interlude.)
14. "As We Disappear" (4:49) another delightfully unique and unusual song with treated piano, bass, gently arpeggiated electric guitar, atmospheric synths, Jon's voice with Annicke's wonderful harmony support. Drums kick in around the two-minute mark. That distinctive piano, however, is the main attention-getter for me. My final top three song. (9.125/10)

Total Time 41:56

Note: Only the digital versions of the album have short interludes included as separate tracks. The physical issues don't list interludes as separate tracks, but instead incorporate them into the tracks occurring either before or after them.

While I loved Chloë Alper on The Dark Third, I never thought she was given enough of the spotlight after PRR's first album. The role and prominence given to Jon's new female counterpart, Annicke Shireen, is wonderful--and quite welcome--as Chloë's strong presence on The Dark Third is one of the reasons I fell in love with the band, music, album. The vocal arrangements, however, too often fall into the realm of "syrupy" and/or "overdone." The bass contributions are also quite welcome; nice, smooth and confident bass makes such a difference. I only wish I could find out who is performing them: which performances come from legendary journeyman Gary Pratt and which from Bruce Soord's sidekick.

89.53 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of crossover prog; an album that I really enjoy and so want to promote as a five-star masterpiece but it just falls short: so many very enjoyable songs just fall short. Highly recommended: decide for yourselves! 

MEER Wheels Within Wheels

These fairly recent newcomers to the Prog Scene display their unremitting growth and fearless instincts to explore styles and sounds that they'd not expressed before on this their third studio album release since 2015.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Johanne-Margrethe Kippersund Nesdal / lead & backing vocals
- Knut Kippersund Nesdal / lead & backing vocals, keyboards
- Eivind Strømstad / electric & acoustic guitars, electric baritone guitar, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
- Åsa Ree / violin, backing vocals
- Ingvild Nordstoga Sandvik / viola, backing vocals
- Ole Gjøstøl / acoustic grand piano, keyboards, programming, electric organ, church organ, backing vocals
- Morten Strypet / bass, backing vocals
- Mats Fjeld Lillehaug / drums & percussion, backing vocals
With:
- Andrea Brennodden Rosenlund / flute (4,9,11)
- Lars Gärtner Fremmerlid / vibraphone (8)
- Liv Elvira Kippersund Larsson / backing vocals (4)
- Signe Josefin Kippersund Larsson / backing vocals (4)
- Simon Johannes Nyqvist / backing vocals (4)

1. "Chains of Changes "(6:20) the confidence and ambivalence of the long-held opening keyboard chord of this song conveys a lot about the growth and state of increasing maturity of the band as a whole as well as of the brother and sister team in its leadership role. The song then bursts into a fairly standard-feeling crossover symphonic song in order to convey a rather compelling wish for "the good old days." Adequate power vocals from Johanne-Margrethe Kippersund Nesdal in the lead position. (8.75/10)

2. "Behave" (5:48) great sound texture with deep bass below and the power of THE REASONING or PURE REASON REVOLUTION in the choruses. Knut Kippersund Nesdal does a great job in the lead singing role while Johanne-Margrethe is even better in the background second lead position. The instrumental passage filling the fourth minute is replete with tons of potential energy, which is then realized with the wonderful final chorus. (9.3333/10)

3. "Take Me to the River" (5:05) Not the Al Green/Talking Heads song. Instead, this is a pretty and steady song with lots of space. There's almost a GEORGE MICHAEL quality to the opening piano as well as to Knut's breathy-lead male vocal performance (not so much his work on the background vocals). In the beginning of the fourth minute there is a slight pause before a guitar riff starts up that sucks the rest of the band into a high speed instrumental chase to the rest of the song. It sounds a bit like TOTO with The Brothers Johnson's famous riff from "Strawberry Letter 23" set to Ben Morley's bombastic orchestra arrangements. Nice! (8.875/10)

4. "Come to Light" (5:08) a finely crafted pop song that sounds a bit like TOTO's "Africa" in the start. Johanne-Margrethe enters singing in a very delicate, almost passive torch song vocal while the pop music instrumentation supports. Nice piano and multiple voice buildup in the third minute before more Toto chords and orchestra build for a bombastic Broadway musical choral vocal return at 3:25 (to the end). (8.75/10)

5. "Golden Circle" (4:34) plucked electric guitar chords open this one before the rock band jumps in, creating a weirdly awkward MYRATH-like kind of prog metal. Knut and Johanne-Margrethe sing the vocals side-by-side giving it a PURE REASON REVOLUTION or THE REASONING familiarity. The MYRATH synths and pulsing metal rhythm track continues to flourish beneath the powerful performances of the vocal sibling tandem. (8.875/10)

6. "To What End?" (5:34) fine BENT KNEE-like composition that draws one in from the opening notes and keeps you hooked in. Johanne-Margrethe really shows her skills as a power belter in the chorus sections. Definitely a favorite. (9/10)

7. "Today Tonight Tomorrow" (6:04) a great character showpiece for Knut as if from a huge hit Broadway musical. The comparisons I've read to Leprous' Einar Solberg and Britain's That Joe Payne are not unfounded. One of my top three songs. (9.25/10)

8. "World of Wonder" (1:32) a kind of orchestrated continuation of the previous song but adding nothing new or different (except for taking up space). (4.375/5)

9. "Mother" (5:32) again an orchestrated song for Knut to sing in his theatric form something with very tender emotion. It's not until 1:54 that bass and guitars enter and take over giving the song a very MICE ON STILTS-like sound. Johanne-Margrethe does a great job duplicating Knut's singing, a performance that cries out to be called co-lead vocal if not a duet. It's as if BEN MORLEY and COURTNEY SWAIN joined forces. Powerful. (8.875/10)

10. "Something in the Water" (5:42) opens like a prime early BENT KNEE symphonic wonder, complete with the marvellously-nuanced Courtney Swain-like lead vocal from Johanne-Margrethe Kippersund Nesdal, violins, power chords, and male background vocals. The music builds in the second half to heights crying out "Prog Metal"--very similar to Denver's OK GOODNIGHT and SOUL ENEMA/SCARDUST's Noa Gruman. Great performance from Johanne-Margrethe. (9/10)

11. "This Is the End" (9:32) heavy and metallic but very simple with vocals almost sounding forced. Again bands like MYRATH, ORPHANED LAND, SOUL ENEMA, and SCARDUST come to mind. (17.625/20)

Total Time 60:51

the craftsmanship is top notch it's just that the musical intention and goals are sometimes unclear (more uniquely their own but less proggy than their previous works). Both Johanne-Margrethe and Knut Kippersund Nesdal have really come into their own power as vocalists--and their work together is every bit as good as their individual performances.

89.31 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; Though this near-masterpiece of an album does not evoke the excitement and praises I'v e felt for Meer's previous albums, I do like and appreciate the growth these artists have achieved and I definitely support and commend the direction they've chosen. Highly recommended.

MONKEY3 Welcome to the Machine

The Swiss band's first studio album since 2019 shows them stretching out a bit as well as paying homage to Pink Floyd.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Walter / drums
- Jalil / bass
- Boris / guitar
- dB / keyboards, sounds, acoustic guitars

1. "Ignition" (10:38) prolonged space synth work to open before radio voices are heard (as if from a spaceship). at 1:29 an explosion of guitars sets off a chain reaction that leads to a hard-driving motif of heavy prog. The motif develops at the end of the third minute into a vehicle for a pretty wild electric guitar solo--which lasts about a minute before giving way to another spacious patch of lone synth and then rolling bass à la PF Animals. Drums, spacey echo-guitar strums, and Richard Wright-like synth make intermittent contributions, somewhat filling the very atmospheric soundscape over the rolling bass guitar.     (17.75/20)

2. "Collision" (6:03) percussion drums and rolling "Stranglehold" bass fills the opening minute of this while synth washes and random echoed noises flit in and out. At the 1:30 mark the lead guitar begins a rather sedate solo but then backs off for the whole band to congeal around a gentle space-synth motif before returning to the "Stranglehold" motif and some lead guitar soloing. At 2:55 everything ramps up into a metal version of the opening motif--that's when Boris really begins to rage around his fretboard--all leading up to a cool crescendo finish. A surprisingly simple yet satisfying song. (8.87510)

3. "Kali Yuga" (10:01) great sound and dynamics but it never really ever seems to come together into something with purpose or resolve. (17.75/20)

4. "Rackman" (7:13) a bombastic, slow-moving power chord progression that is actually very satisfying in a kind of Devin Townsend way. In the fourth minute the guitar power chords back off, bass and drums trodding along, so that lead guitarist can solo, but then they all come back to the hard-drivin' motif for the fifth and sixth minutes, but the guitarist then moves back and forth from power chord strumming to soloing for the remainder of the song. I think this is my favorite song on the album! (13.5/15)

5. "Collapse" (12:50) an obvious nod to PINK FLOYD--at times getting a little too close with some of its sound and instrument imitations--but, ultimately, this is a very satisfying song--one that gets better (and further away from the PF imitations) as it goes on. (22.5/25)

Total Time 46:45

89.31 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of heavy atmospheric space prog.

GRECO BASTIÁN With a Little Hell from MORE Friends

Greco Bastián, the composer with two left feet, is back, enticing another All-World list of collaborator musicians to render his sometimes-challenging compositions unto audio/digital tape.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Hey Figueroa / bass (4, 6, 7, 8)

- Gerardo Ramlop / xylophone (3, 5, 7)

- Paolo Botta (SKE, Not a Good Sign, Yugen, Camembert, Homunculus Res) / keyboards, Fx (2, 6)

- Samo Salamon / all guitar solos (5, 8)

- Armando Lagarda / rhythm guitar (1, 8)

- Antonio Garcidueñas / drums (1, 8)

- Patrick Gauthier (Heldon, Magma, Weidorje, Bébé Godzilla) / piano (3, 7)

- Miguel Saenger C. / drums (3, 7)

- Bernard Falaise / electric guitars (6, 7)

- Vincent Sicot-Vantalon (Unit Wail, Scherzoo) / keyboards, Fx (1)
- Emanuele Sterbini (Sterbus) / Bass (1)

- Shawn Persinger (Boud Deun, French TV) / electric guitar (1, 2 [2nd & 3rd Solos])
- Marc Ducret / guitar (1 [Solo])
- Ben Spees (The Mercury Tree) / electric guitar (2)
- Oliver Campbell (The Mercury Tree) / bass (2)
- Connor Reilly (The Mercury Tree) / drums (2)- Markus Reuter (Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, Sonar) / guitar (2 [1st Guitar Solo]) 

- Anthony Béard / electric guitar (3)
- Salvador Govea / keyboards (3)
- Joe Lester / bass (3)
- Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, Cetus, iNFiNiEN, John Zorn) / electric guitar (4)
- Jonathan Piña-Duluc / saxophone (4 [Solo])
- Alonzo Arjona / drums (4)
- Alan Benjamin (Advent) / electric guitar (4)
- Ed RosenBerg III / saxophone (5)
- Craig Walkner (Far Corner, Yeti Rain, Haiku Funeral) / drums (5)
- Steve Marek (Loose Lips Sinks Ships, Monobody, She Speaks In Tongues, Nnamdi) / bass (5)
- Juan Belda / keyboards, Fx (5)
- Rémi Leclerc (Miriodor, Les Projectionnistes) / drums & percussion (6)
- Håkan Almkvist / electric guitar (7)
- Ivan Rozmainsky (Roz Vitalis, RMP, Compassionizer) / keyboards, Fx (8)

1. "Kobaïan Call to War (Part 1)" (2:39) easy on the brain due to its straightforward pacing and long-held keyboard chords, but the sound palette is cacophonous, as one would expect. (4.5/5)

2. "4009, The Mezking" (6:12) a whole bunch of instruments playing this angular melody together (unless they're all MIDI-ed). I don't like the uncharacteristically murky sound quality: it's as if all of the high ends have been dimmed or muted and the low end (bass) magnified. Weird. I've heard experimental sound before, but is this intentional or just bad engineering choices? Time and stylistic shifts at the three-minute mark and again at 3:25 followed by a total clearing out at the end of the fourth minute for an electric piano, but then everybody kicks back in, including the carnival band, calliope, and kitchen sink. There is a lot to laugh at here, as there is also a lot that would make people with enochlophobia or coulraphobia run screaming (or collapse into catatonias). (8.875/10)

3. "Extitled" (7:20) this song opens with a mathematical problem being played out by the full band, first together, then in separated, from different angles, always coming back together to discuss their individual findings before venturing off again. In the second half of the third minute it would appear that the slide guitarist is on to something as he is left to go alone for a bit before everyone else rejoins--perhaps egging him on or rejoicing in his success. But then, a minute later, everyone is slogging along as if mired or depressed. At the end of the fifth minute another electric guitar, and then the bass player and pianist, are the centers of attention as everyone else looks on with bated breath. The Mellotron voice is particularly indicative of the solo minors' progresses, respectively, though the xylophone player is equally fixated. And then it just ends! To what end? What was the result? (13.25/15)

4. "Retitled" (4:21) some heavy, Crimsonian angular melody-making that, when woven together like this, make for an interesting The open-room drum sound (particularly the military-style snare) is particularly interesting as he is probably the only musician operating with any sort of freedoms, the others all restricted or constricted by rather proscribed pathways. It reminds me of watching mice running mazes. But then there is the fact that I hate this kind of drum pattern. Interesting and admirable as a composition but not very enjoyable to me. As much as I appreciate the hyper-dsiciplined approach to composition and performance that Robert Fripp and King Crimson have remained so affixed, it is not the kind of music that I would ever enjoy playing, nor that I listen to repeatedly for my own enjoyment. (8.75/10)   

5. "Blacamán, the Bad One" (5:38) now here is someone expressing themselves like humans who live by the illusion that they have freedom: guitarist Samo Salamon! The others are creating mosaics and molecules of angular forms and ruled connections (and doing it quite well, I might add!). (9/10) 

6. "Cosmetology" (7:37) Samo is loose again! And the piano and others are on the trail like bloodhounds and a police posse. The spaciousness of this one is appreciated for the way it allows my puny little brain the time to negotiate and appreciate the convoluted pathways, subways, tunnels, and airtubes that the other instruments are zombie-walking in order to try to find and catch Samo. The pursuants are pretty relentless though they do take a break every here and then (as does Samo: resting, hiding, watching, assessing the next best route to take in order to avoid capture). Occasionally a Greco song reminds me of something. The voices here remind me of any creepy Danny Elfmann-like horror film music. A tempo and motif switch in the seventh minute moves everybody into run and chase mode--including Samo, as the dogs are hot on his heels. One last ditch effort in the bogs and swamps outside of town but then he is caught! At least I had fun with this one! (Too bad for our 1984 hero, Samo). (9/10)  

7. "Clownnecticut" (5:25) this one starts out as one of the more tame, avant compositions on the album, with a fairly-simple, nearly-Japanese-Zeuhlish polyrhythmic ("Discipline"-like) structural weave (this despite the fact that there are no Japanese musicians present on this song). Even with the back-and-forth shifts into a second, slightly different, slightly more angular motif, the music remains fairly tame Zeuhlousness. At 2:45 there is one more series of shifts into a Zeuhlish style that is even more-closely aligned with the Japanese traditions of the 1990s and 2000s--and yet there also pops up the Danny ELFMANN melody and sounds in the synth horn banks toward the end. A likable song--if more due to its accessibility. (9/10)  

8. "Kobaïan Call to War (Part 2)" (2:57) screaming, wailing, modern cinematic Zeuhl. Got any movies you need scored, Tim Burton? (9/10)

Total Time 42:09

89.22 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of remarkably-accessible though quirkily-engineered, sometimes Zeuhlish, avant-garde/RIO--this one often sounding a little more human and a little less computer-generated than his previous "Friends" effort. 

RETURNED TO THE EARTH Stalagmite Steeple

The release of this British band's fifth album in nine years is some cause for celebration as their esteem in the prog community seems to only grow.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Paul Johnston / drums, guitars, keyboards
- Robin Peachey / vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Steve Peachey / keyboards

1. "Dark Morality" (7:19) the excellent PETER NICHOLLS-like singing of Robin Peachey is enveloped by the warm sounds of plodding drums, a spaced-out descending guitar-and-keyboard six-chord progression, and chugging single-note bass lines. Unfortunately, the song doesn't develop quite as dynamically or with quite the sophistication of the STEVEN WILSON sound they seem to be emulating. (13.25/15)

2. "The Final Time" (5:00) a beautiful IQ or THE PINEAPPLE THIEF-like song just sounds a little too much like all of the atmospheric IQ-like NeoProg bands that have appeared over the last 25 years. (8.875/10)

3. "Stalagmite Steeple" (9:58) gentle, atmospheric Satie-like arpeggiated piano chords cycled over and over open this song before a TIM BOWNESS-like vocal joins in singing a TIM BOWNESS-like lyric in a TIM BOWNESS or STEVEN WILSON-like style. The lyrics are almost embarrassingly recycled (from both Bowness and David Sylvian). At 2:25 heavy rock guitar chords jump in, amping up the volume--to which singer Robin Peachy rises in commensurate power and volume. A very pleasant if-familiar Dave Gilmour/BJØRN RIIS-like lead guitar solo ensues before the music backs down into a gentle, spacious, pensive motif somewhat like that of the opening (only the piano sound and order of the arpeggi has changed). Nice violin synth accompanies Robin's plaintive vocal in this section. The crystalline lead guitar returns at 6:48 with rich synth string support until 7:30 when drums, bass and guitar power notes ensue. Here Robin tries singing but is practically buried in the mix. Then we close out with some more beautiful yet emotional guitar soloing before the palette starts to break down, one instrument at a time. Actually quite well done--quite rich and engaging. I give it high marks despite its derivative constitution. (18/20) 

4. "Meaningless to Worth" (6:09) too much like PETER NICHOLS and IQ. (8.6667/10)

5. "Die for Me" (9:09) though gentle, spacious, and fairly simple, the sound here is quite rich and the composition quite well-developed and successful in generating interest and intrigue--at least until the final motif--which is played out over three minutes from 6:04 to 8:24. (18/20)

6. "The Raging Sea" (5:36) what's with all the TOM PETTY-like sound palettes infiltrating Prog World this year? Add some NeoProg synths and slow plodding rhythmic pacing and you have another Tim Bowness/NO-MAN-like piece. A pretty song with nice sound but I don't really hear anything new here (unless you can hear and relate to the lyrics--a gift I apologetically lack). (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:11

Gorgeous NeoProg soundscapes with the awesome singing of Robin Peachey sound too much like IQ and Peter Nicholls or even Bruce Soord/The Pineapple Thief.

89.02 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent collection of beautiful, atmospheric NeoProg songs for lovers of anything Peter Nicholls, Bruce Soord, or Tim Bowness have touched.

 

The Metric Rankings

1. VIIMA Väistyy Mielen Yö (92.92) 

2. PLANTOID Terrapath (92.80)

3. MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER Tarot, Part I (92.61)

4. BENT KNEE Twenty Pills Without Water (92.35)

5. MIDAS FALL Cold Waves Divide Us (92.25)

6. ARNAUD BUKWALD Orange Fuze (92.125)

7. THE ARISTOCRATS Duck  (91.5625)

8. SLIFT Ilion (91.48)

9. INNER EAR BRIGADE Perkunas (90.88)

10. CIELO DRIVE Pieces from a Broken Star (90.167)

11. BIG BIG TRAIN The Likes of Us (89.93)

12. COMPASSIONIZER The Fellowship of the Mystery  (89.75)

13. KARFAGEN Land of Chameleons (89.73)

14. TOM PENAGUIN Tom Penaguin (89.6875)

15. PURE REASON REVOLUTION Coming Up to Consciousness (89.53)

16. MEER Wheels Within Wheels  (89.31)

17. MONKEY3 Welcome to the Machine (89.31)

18. GRECO BASTIÁN With a Little Hell from MORE Friends (89.22)

19. RETURNED TO THE EARTH Stalagmite Steeple (89.02)

20. ELLESMERE Stranger Skies (88.70)

21. ALCEST Les chants de l"aurore (88.66)

22. THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN The Songs & Tales of Airoea, Book 3: Magical Chronicle (Ascension) (88.65)