The albums presented below represent a group of albums that each came highly recommended to me but failed to capture my sustained attention. Knowing that I no longer have the patience, time, or interest in forcing myself to review every album that comes my way, I offer these up as a reminder of music you may wish to check out for yourselves. This has been a difficult decision for me in that my initial intentions on becoming a music reviewer were to try to offer fair and impartial, somewhat "objective" reviews of as many of the hundreds of new album releases I hear about from each and every year of this 21st Century. I apologize to all of the wonderful music professionals who had hoped that I might review their musics.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jopheus Burtonshaw / keyboards, synthesizers, guitar & bass effects
- Rick Burtonshaw / drums
- Curtis Adamczyk / vocals
2. Dawn of Acquiescence III (7:11)
3. Inertia (5:06)
4. Where the Lack of Logic Lies (11:21)
5. The Grey Room (2:19)
6. The House Within Itself (6:41)
7. Consequences (6:09)
8. Bridge to Suffering (0:50)
9. Suffering in Serenity (6:43)
10. Alone. (5:56)
11. Mistwell (0:43)
12. Direlight (13:01)
Total Time: 72:07
Line-up / Musicians:
- Bent Sæther / lead & backing vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, Mellotron, synthesizer, piano, organ, Omnichord, percussion
- Hans Magnus Ryan / lead & backing vocals, electric lead, rhythm & slide guitars, Mellotron, synthesizer, piano
With:
- Ingvald Vassbø / drums (1,6,8-11)
- Mari Persen / strings (2)
- Reine Fiske / electric guitar (3,4)
- Olaf Olsen / drums (3,4)
- Thea Grant / vocals (8)
Disc 1 (40:49)
1. "Lucifer, Bringer of Light" (10:49) off to the races we go straight from the first frame--especially with metronomic JAKI LEIBZEIT-like drummer Ingvald Vassbø in the driver's seat. The harmonies on the team vocals are rather weak, even discordant at times. The song's chord structure is fairly straightforward with only a few interesting bridges or instrumental passages. The WHO "Baba O'Riley"-like third minute starts off interestingly but then devolves into a fairly straightforward ALLMAN BROTHERS-like guitar solo--and then slightly more interesting LYNYRD SKYNYRD-like duet/duel. This goes on until the ninth minute when the boys try to come back to a slightly-more sophisticated (and infinitely more interesting) variation on the opening theme for more vocals. (17.5/20)
2. Laird of Heimly (3:54)
3. Stanley (Tonight's the Night) (4:10)
4. The Comeback (4:32)
5. Kip Satie (2:25)
6. Balthazaar" (11:40) bug-buzz-saw playing around until Krautrock motif steps into play at the 0:56 mark (with a bass line that is a variation on the famous "Peter Gunn" riff). The team vocals are okay, melodic and smooth, I just don't know (or care) what they're singing about. Guitar solos with a variety of guitar sounds (one very Allman Brothers-like). Halfway into the song I'm finding the motif to be more annoying than hypnotic, this despite all the different guitar sounds and the addition in the sixth minute of piano chord hits. A turn given to synths for solos in the seventh minute provide a little diversion/relief but then we're right back into the rut for the next vocal section in the eighth minute. Around the eight-minute mark the band shifts a little (mostly drummer Ingvald Vassbø's drum beat and style) and then synthesized guitar takes off for the next solo (with the next sound). The eleventh minute brings us around to the final vocal section while the instrumental parts of the song show signs of cracking and, perhaps, dissolving. No such luck. And then there's the whole travesty of focusing a song about "Balthazaar" much less using the word as the exclusive occupant of the chorus's main lyric, repeated over and over. Sorry guys! This just doesn't live up to the high standards of your tremendous body of work! (17.375/20)
7. Bed of Roses (3:19)
Disc 2 (40:50)
8. Neotzar (The Second Coming)" (21:07) pretty weird and lame for the first 2:40 with piano-like guitar notes backing singer Thea Grant, but then the band kicks in with some decent cruise-drivin' music over which another lame vocal (and equally-lame background vocal) is set. The Mellotron strings work is mismatched and the guitar solos in the mid-section are just okay. At 8:15 there is a break before harp-like "heavenly" music fills a minute and more while, eventually, electric guitar plays a spacious series of mindless notes for another minute or so. In the eleventh minute some chords begin to form from behind, orchestral washes. At 12:15 some ominous and acerbic notes and chords begin amping things up until there is about 90 seconds of almost-UTOPIA/MAHAVISHNU/ZAPPA-like cacophony up to the end of the 14th minute. But then things smooth out and return to the main Motorpsycho highway though a more-subdued electric guitar continues soloing into end of the 15th minute before being rejoined by the other guitarist--who then takes over in the sixteenth. Man! It feels as if these guys have really been chompin' at the bit to have some loose solo time--even some vicious duels. Drummer Ingvald Vassbø really ups the chaos in the seventeenth minute but then things straighten out again for some piano and synth leadership--just before male vocalist steps in with a lame vocal. The final three minutes continue this piano-pounding palette while the guitarists (and vocalists--in the background) speed along toward the 21st minute in which they break it all down into bare-bones guitar and Mellotron note picking to the song's end. Interesting and sometimes exciting--especially if you're just into guitar shredding--but really not a greatly engaging or memorable song. (34.75/40)
9. Core Memory Corrupt (5:38)
10. Three Frightened Monkeys (8:41)
11. Dead of Winter (5:24)
Total Time 81:39
EYE 2 EYE Lost Horizon
French NeoProg artist moving toward the heavier side.Line-up / Musicians:
- Paul Tilley / lead vocals
- Bruno Pegues / guitars
- Philippe Benabes / keyboards
- Didier Pegues / drums, backing vocals, keyboards
With:
- Elise Bruckert / violin
- Etienne Damin / bass
- Djam Zaïdi / bass
- Valentin Gevaraise / guitars
- Nicolas Fabrigoule / piano
- Kelly Mezino / backing vocals
- Michel Cerroni / backing vocals
- Stéphane Baumgart / backing vocals
1. Garden of Eden (9:40)
2. The Letter (6:53)
3. Meadows of Silence (12:03)
4. Lost Horizon ( Ghosts Endgame) (22:45)
I - The Shoreline
II - Tempest
IIII - Sad Eyed Siren
Total Time 51:21
CROWN LANDS The Heart Is in The Body
Line-up / Musicians:
- Nicola Baigent / clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, recorder, flute
- Charlie Cawood / bass guitar, double bass, handbells, sitar
- Josh Perl / keyboards, vocals
- Sharron Fortnam / vocals
- Keepsie / drums, handbells
- Richard Larcombe / lead vocal, guitar, harmonium, harp, tin whistle, violin, cello, concertina, English border bagpipe, dulcimer
- Rhodri Marsden / piano, keyboards, bassoon, saw, recorder, tremolo guitar, percussion, theremin, vocals
With:
- Mark Cawthra / vocals (2,5,6)
- Susannah Henry / vocals (3)
- James Larcombe / hurdy gurdy (8)
- Sarah Nash / vocals (3,7)
1. "I Might Not" (5:36) (8.75/10)
2. "She Didn't Want" (5:56) (8.75/10)
3. "Weaker than Me" (5:06) (8.75/10)
4. "The Same Without" (6:39) (8.75/10)
5. "Et Tu Brute" (4:16) (I fear) I'm starting to get used to this music! (8.75/10)
6. "O Alexander" (5:36) the most stripped down yet-choral-oriented and vocal-bare of the album's songs. Still too angular and dissonant. (8.875/10)
Total Time 50:32
88.11 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of anachronistic-sounding music that will not be for everyone but it might be for you.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Brett Kull / guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Ray Weston / lead vocals, bass, backing vocals
- Chris Buzby / keyboards, backing vocals
- Jordan Perlson / drums & percussion, backing vocals
- a. Into Blue and Green
- b. The Air of Ivy Hill
- c. Emerald Garden
- d. Forever Evermore
2. Water in Our Hands, Pts. 1-4 (28:51)
Total Time 45:28
Line-up / Musicians:
- Brett Kull / guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Ray Weston / lead vocals, bass, backing vocals
- Chris Buzby / keyboards, backing vocals
- Jordan Perlson / drums & percussion, backing vocals
1. Radio Waves (7:01)
2. Silent Years (4:31)
3. Cul-de-Sacs and Tunnels (7:09)
4. Boulders on Hills (6:53)
5. Our Brilliant Next (5:47)
6. On We Blur (5:41)
7. Tiny Star (8:29)
Total Time 45:31
- Bjørn Riis / vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, composer & producer
With:
- Henrik Bergan Fossum / drums
- Arild Brøter / drums
- Kai Christoffersen / drums
1. "Illhug" (1:43) an amazing little song, emotive and evocative on so many levels. Worthy of comparisons to anything David Gilmour has ever done. (5/5)
2. "Gone" (8:34) the background floating guitars in this are amazing but the vocals and bass and drum lines to this feel so derived from the 1980s New Wave scene that Bjørn has to do a ton more to win back my respect and attention. It doesn't happen, it just never happens. (17.333/20)
3. "Panic Attack" (10:56) on this one the listener can hear how Pink Floyd has evolved but cannot escape the fact that it's still grounded in all that is (was) Pink Floyd. The guitar solo in the song's peak--the ninth minute--is great BUT it's so David Gilmour--the song so Pink Floyd-turned-heavy-à-la-Porcupine-Tree that it makes me squirm with discomfort. And then he chooses to just end it mid phrase--like a death or loss of consciousness or end of a dream. (17.375/20)
4. "She" (6:33) emotional strummed acoustic guitar with background electronic loops support Bjørn's in-your-face whisper vocal. The lyrics, however, take so frickin' long to reveal what message he's trying to convey: they're sung so spaciously, drawn out over so much time. Read or sung straight it takes me no more than 20 seconds to read them; it took Bjørn four minutes to share them with us. They're a wonderful tribute to "her"--and the plaintive wail of the electric guitar that follows is powerful and evocative--but, why? Really? (8.875/10)
Total Time 44:22
Unfortunately, the raw and fairly-untreated voice that Bjørn uses (possesses) is just not special enough to earn my praises--and his lyrics are not as compelling or poetic enough to earn acclaim or adulation.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Daniel Graham / bass, guitars, vocals
- Dylan Porper / keyboards, guitars, supporting vocals
- Jeff Matthews / drums
2. "Rules of Engagement" (5:39) sounds like a cover of late 1970s SAGA's great classic rock hit, "On the Loose." Okay song version that just feels dated and uninspired in so many ways. (8.5/10)
3. "Chain of Command" (4:13) a song that exhibits some 21st Century creativity! Definitely a step up from the two previous songs, though the chorus is quite lame: sounding like something from a filler song on a Queen or Loverboy album. (8.7/10)
6. "Parting of Ways" (6:36) back to ancient sounding constructs, soundscapes, and sonic palettes, here using a hard-driving two-beat and then some really hokey choir-delivered wordless vocals to finish the chorus. Every time I pause and then come back to this song my immediate sense is that I'm listening to something from the early 1980s. Solid performances of some rather straightforward and generic by-the-numbers song construction. (8.75/10)
7. "You're Not In" (4:39) long-held organ chord opens this, holding strong while Daniel Graham's late-1970s/early-1980s vocal enters. The song remains firmly anchored in 1980 despite three different motifs--just too many hooks and signature riffs coming straight out of music from bands like 707, Buggles, Asia, and even Olivia Newton-John(!). More nice synth work from Dylan in the instrumental section. (8.7/10)
8. "A Shout Into the Void" (6:06) a song that feels more defined/inspired by BON JOVI, REM, and even later SIMPLE MINDS. (8.7/10)
Total Time 45:45
87.32 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; a not unenjoyable romp down memory lane as retro sounds, stylings, and constructs take one back to the year 1980.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Jonas Reingold / bass, keyboards, electric guitar, vocals (2, 7), backing vocals (3, 4, 6), fretless Bbass (5)
- Krister Jonsson / lead guitar (1, 4-7)
- Göran Edman / lead vocals (6)
- Lalle Larsson / keyboard solo (1), keyboards (7)
With:
- Andy Tillison / hammond organ (1, 7), clavinet (1)
- Simon Phillips / drums and percussion (2, 4, 6)
- Jan-Olof Jonsson / acoustic guitars (2,7)
- Luke Machin / solo guitars (2), nylon-stringed acoustic guitar (2)
- John Mitchell / lead vocals (2, 5-7), vocals (3, 4), 12-string guitars (4)
- Randy McStine / lead vocals (2), guitars (3, 4), backing vocals (3, 4), 12-string acoustic guitars (4)
- Geri Schuller / piano (2, 5, 7)
- Craig Blundell / drums (3, 5)
- Dina Höblinger / backing vocals (4), lead vocals (7)
- Lelo Nika / accordion (5)
- Markus Lukastik / flute (5)
- Rob Townsend / tenor and soprano saxophone (5,7)
- Tomas Bodin / keyboards (5, 6)
- Sven Cirnski / electric guitars (6)
- Nick D'Virgilio / drums (7)
- Steve Hackett / nylon-stringed acoustic guitar (7)
- Amanda Lehmann / backing vocals (7)
- Roger King / keyboards (7)
2. "End of the Road" (10:22) (17.6667/20)
3. "Cosmic Love" (4:56) (/10)
4. "We Got the World" (7:53) (/15)
5. "All that Glitters is Not Gold" (6:38) (/10)
6. "We Gotta Lose this Ball and Chain" (6:23) (/10)
7. "Transmutation" (22:53) (40/45)
Total Time 61:38
- Dennis Binnekade / lead vocals
- Alex Ouwehand / guitar, backing vocals
- Remco van den Berg / guitar, backing vocals
- Marcel 'Mox' Guijt / keyboards
- Rob Krijgsman / bass
- Joris Bol / drums & percussion
1. Slave City (6:27)
2. The Movement (5:41)
3. Have Some Tea (11:36)
4. The Traveler (5:46)
5. Freedom of Thought (9:09)
Total Time 38:39
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ally Carter / guitars, soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, keyboards
- Tree Stewart / vocals, keyboards, flute, 12-string acoustic guitar, handSonic
- Dave Greenaway / 6 string fretless & fretted bass, electric upright bass
- Tom Jackson / drums
1. "Dancing with the Spirit" (5:50) the musicians are trying to do more over the typical rudimentary song construction, which is nice, and neither the guitar or the 90s synth strings are as domineering as many of their past compositions--there's even a few changes in motif--but the melodies and solos are not much to write home about. (I'm not much of a fan of the saxophone in general and Ally's playing here does nothing to convert me toward any new allegiances.) The song does surprise me a bit several times, which is something, and it does get better as it works past the sax soloing. (8.75/10)
2. "Under Changing Skies" (16:50) (30.625/35)
i. "Floating Clouds" - the flute and bass playing are fine, it's just the engineering treatments and dated strings synth that I have trouble tolerating. Why the band has latched onto the belief that they have to sound like they are playing their music from inside a underground cavern I do not know.
ii. "Industry" - Why the band has latched onto the belief that they have to sound like they are playing their music from inside a underground cavern I do not know. They certainly are trying to spread their sound into some new territories: this one more ominous and DAAL-like.
iii. "Flight" - the harp-like hammer dulcimer is really nice--especially paired with Dave Greenaway's fretless bass. But then that 1989 Ensoniq keyboard strings sound joins the jam. Darn!
iv. "The Reckoning" - the organ is fine but the treatment applied to Tree's voice makes her already weak vocal performance all the more distasteful, but at least the walls of sound build and Tree's voice gets buried/absorbed a little into the mix of this, the suite's longest movement. Ally's guitar shredding is a little more tasteful and not so relentless as some of this previous work, which I like. I just wish it weren't built almost exclusively on a four-chord progression with a three-chord "chorus."
i. "At the Coast in Early Morning Light" - opening with the dated 1990s synth playing a loop of three chords while being joined by saxophone cannot bode well for me. Tree takes over the lead from the sax in the second minute. She sounds lost--as if she's making it up as it goes, improvising all the way, having no clue as to what to sing, where to find notes for the melody. I feel as if I've stumbled upon a little country pub--having stopped for a pint and some pub grub--when a local group comes in to set up and play their weekly set while everyone else in the pub continues to drink and converse as if the band's presence, much less their music, is no big deal to them.
ii. "On the High Seas" - O! Joy! the 1990s synth player decides to try some random sounds, using several patent riffs to test the sounds and melody riffs while the rest of the band indulges him by practicing riffs on their own instruments (or tuning, or lining up at the bar to get a pint of their own).
iii. "An Evening Storm" - continuation of the random chaos of the High Seas.
iv. "Night Approaches" - two synth chords, back and forth. Tree sings a little. Dave plays a little (the first I've heard of him during this song). Ally picks up a sax. Tom Jackson finally has his drum kit set up, sits behind the kit to add some cymbal play. What did I just hear? Total weirdness. Not even worth the price of admission.
Total Time 45:54
86.84 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; another mixed bag of songs that shows some growth while showing continued stubborn adherence to old, dated sounds and styles.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Ciro Perrino / mellotron, eminent, solina, Oberheim oba, minimoog, ARP 2600, EMS AKS, percussion
- Enzo Cioffi / drums
- Francesco Bertone / bass, Fretless bass
- Marco Moro / flute, alto flute, bass flute
- Mauro Vero Chitarre / acoustic and electric guitars
With:
- Ines Aliprandi / lead vocals
- Marco Canepa / piano
- Mirco Rebaudo / soprano sax, alto sax, tenor Sax, baritone sax, Clarinet
- Paolo Maffi / soprano sax, alto sax, tenor Sax
- Enrico Allavena / trombone, bass tuba
- Davide Mocini / 12 strings guitar (3,6)
- Marco Fadda / percussion
2. "Roots and Leaves" (5:40) something sophisticated and jazzy! I never expected anything like this--especially after hearing all of the album's other songs. Parts of it could almost come from a LAGARTIJA album or perhaps even a NOVICENTO album. (8.875/10)
3. "Cosmic Carnival" (6:59) a little creativity and life showing in this one. (13.25/15)
4. "De Rerum Natura" (9:03) opening with piano like something from a classic classical music piece or perhaps a Broadway musical. Joined by synths the piano then takes a different turn to exhibit a new motif which is joined by guitars, flutes, and the rest of the band. The piano part throughout sounds so much like a kid practicing scales--even through the rather rough edits and splices. I like this one most for its feel of being founded in classical music--though at times it's as annoying as a theme song from a long-running television show. (8.875/10)
5. "Lilith" (6:32) interesting late-1970s/1980s techno/New Wave music that reminds me of The Buggles and Claire Hammill's "Icicle Rain" from her all-voice-generated album, Voices from 1986. (8.6667/10)
6. "El Mundo Perdido" (6:44) a percussion opening that reminds me of MICKEY HART's world music creations facilitated through his Planet Drum albums. Yes, this is definitely more befitting a 1980s World Music smooth jazz album. I was into this music from about 1984 through 1990 and would have definitely purchased an album like this back then. Nice and melodic, but now too schlocky for me. (13/15)
7. "Secret Crime" (6:25) an opening that sounds like a classically-inspired pop-jazz song using both Satie, Minimalism, Mark Isham, and Laurie Anderson for examples. Surprisingly enjoyable even if it is rather schlocky (like something from a MANHATTAN TRANSFER album). (8.875/10)
8. "Moon and Cloud Dancing" (12:01) (syrupy symphonic Prog Lite schlock. The prog-by-numbers drum play is almost sickening. (21/25)
Total Time 62:04