El Shalom - Frost (1976)

El Shalom were a German group from the late 70s whose only album, Frost, has surprisingly eluded reissue until just recently. The band's style sits nicely along some other later 70s underground German bands; Wind, Sahara, Subject Esq. and Novalis among them. Still, El Shalom does sound a little rougher and unpolished than many of the above, perhaps due to a grittier sounding mix and a slightly more than occasional reliance on established genre clichés. That said, for the most part El Shalom cultivates their own feel, mixing in a rough hard rock aesthetic in with moments of more traditional symphonic splendor. Particularly engaging is the keyboard work of Joachim Brands, whose ready deployment of generous doses of Moog, organ and mellotron will have symph fans salivating. The guitars of Gunter Christ take center stage on other cuts, like the raucous, catchy opener "Der Werbegnom", which is nothing if not infectious. The worst moments come when the band makes the ill-advised, yet all too common, decision to sing in English on tracks like "Princess June", "Leipzig" and the particularly twee "Birthday Song", which does lend an air of amateurish ineffectiveness to points of the album. While these moments tend to stick out on early listen, they in reality only make up minor parts of the album. More representative are the flute-led melodic flights on the morose title track, or the moog backed guitar dirges of "Alvin Zweistein". The German vocals which tend to dominate the affair are on the whole quite appealing, often reminding of the aforementioned Novalis as well as Stern Combo Meissen with their almost anthemic, sing along feel, particularly in the well developed, addictive structure of "Krieslaufkollaps".

Also included on the Garden of Delights CD issue is the bands second release, a 1978 7" that included a re-recorded version of the album cut "Birthday Song" along with three new pieces. While a second take on "Birthday Song" might seem redundant, the completeness of including the entire 7" is certainly necessary, and the other three tracks make pleasant, interesting additions. On the whole, Frost is a good album with a few obvious flaws, like the tenuous production and occasionally awkward singing, but these will be undoubtedly forgiven by fans of the above mentioned groups. - Greg Northrup [August 2002]

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England - Garden Shed (1977)

The only problem with England's magnificent Garden Shed is that it was released about five years too late. Granted, England's style is not particularly original, being not much more than supremely enjoyable amalgamation of Yes and Genesis, except that Garden Shed truly lives up to some of the strongest works by those two bands. This is phenomenal English symphonic prog, truly inspired and immaculately performed.

"Midnight Madness" opens the album in fine form, with some bright rhythmic work and vocals that sound, fittingly, like a mix of Peter Gabriel and Jon Anderson. Occasionally, the rest of the band will jump in will complementary vocal harmonies that further remind one of Yes. "All Alone" is a fairly short ballad that actually sounds extremely reminiscent of Queen. "Three Piece Suite" is a prog mini-epic running at about thirteen minutes, an extremely enjoyable track with some phenomenal sections. "Paraffinalea" has a great vocal melody and has a whimsical English feel that would not have sounded particularly out of place on Selling England by the Pound. The real gem however is the phenomenal "Poisoned Youth", the album's centerpiece as well as the most unique track on the album. The song is much darker in tone than the rest and includes utterly amazing moments scattered throughout its sixteen minutes.

Basically, if you're familiar with Yes and Genesis you know what this sounds like. It's an extremely good album, not particularly original but also not overly derivative either. Make no mistake, this does not approach the more hard-edged cloning tendencies of the neo-progressive movement, and there is none of the cheesy AOR pomp that dominates many of the modern so-called "retro" bands. Rather Garden Shed is a firmly 70s symphonic with beautifully textured arrangements. Due to the relative obscurity of this album, it's not surprising that this gem has been dubbed a true "lost classic" by many. Personally, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a classic, but it's definitely a superb late 70s release that must have gotten lost in the shuffle as progressive rock as a commercially viable entity . - Greg Northrup [February 2001]

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Eno - Another Green World (1975)

Considered by many to be the watershed album of Eno's career, Another Green World straddles the line between the glam art-rock of his pervious solo albums, his stint with Roxy Music, and the stripped down, obliquely minimalist instrumentals that would mark the beginning of his descent into ambient territory. Aligned with an all-star cast of musicians including Percy Jones, Phil Collins, Robert Fripp and John Cale, Eno alternates between the full ensemble sound of the more structured rock tunes and mostly solo work featuring overdubbed synths and guitar in instrumental soundscapes.

It's this juxtaposition that leads Another Green World to evoke a certain dream-like state. As if drifting in and out of sleep on a train, snippets of conversation with indistinguishable meaning are picked out upon waking, but one is only to be lulled back to sleep by the gentle forward motion of travel. The verdant imagery is displayed in a paradoxically aquatic way; impressionistic glimpses of a sedentary scene under the ripples of a secluded forest pond. Eno relies on warm synthesizer and guitar tones, sometimes drenched in reverb for an even more calm and soothing effect, and often contrasted by playful piano arpeggios and bouncy bass rhythms. At other times, harshly processed guitar comes crashing through the serenity.

While many of the pieces will at first feel like rough sketches for a finished product, in the end they reveal compact melodic and rhythmic structures that consistently retain their mystique, even after frequent exposure. In a way, the songs are like a series of vignettes, or a dream state in which you can only recall bits and pieces of a larger whole. - Mike Prete [November 2002]

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Eureka Farm - The View (1999)

Sometimes it's a good sign when an album gets bashed the indie press for being too proggy. Eureka Farm's The View, accused by Pitchfork's Samir Khan of lacking "mojo," is no exception -- and it doesn't even sound all particularly symphonic.  If I had to compare it to anything else, it would be Radiohead's OK Computer, although it's less technological-sounding, with its unusual timbres created by real instruments and analog keyboards rather than computers.  There's also a strong influence of psychedelia, which suggests that it might appeal to fans of indie neo-psych bands like the Olivia Tremor Control.

This is not to say that it sounds like OTC, or really all that much like Radiohead.  The general mood of the album is created mainly by its three vocalists, all of whom sing in a fairly high register, sometimes with the falsetto + vibrato combination that seems to get me every time.  Their vocal harmonies are as luxuriously sweet as the best psych-pop, and the tunes are catchy and often rather convoluted.  The chord progressions are unusual and never predictable; the instrumental sound is generally spacy and full, but always backed up by some sort of solid rhythmic core, betraying Eureka Farm's indie rock roots.  The band's arsenal of keyboards is almost invariably present somewhere in the mix, lending support to the wandering vocal melodies and slowly intertwining sax and clarinet parts.  Sometimes they come to the fore, as in the noir-jazz opening of "The Mule," or in "Quinsonnas," whose chromatic, contrapuntal organ part sounds like a cross between slowed-down circus music and the "cryptic dance" from Van Der Graaf Generator's "The Sleepwalkers."

Structurally, The View is set up in a loose arch form, with melodic, harmonic and lyrical ideas from the first few songs on the album returning in altered form in the last few.  The centerpiece is of course the longest song, "Spare," a sprawling eight-minute tour-de-force of squawking reeds, heavy drumming, complex patterns of metal-pipe percussion, constantly shifting moods, and amazingly catchy, varied tunes -- not to mention some of the most exquisitely satisfying Hammond parts you'll ever hear. For me, though, the strongest track is easily "Terraforming," which has more variety of texture than a lot of the album, as well as the perfectly-timed melodic development I associate with bands like XTC and Home.

I do have to admit, though, that this is not a perfect album by any means.  Much of it is pretty loosely constructed, which could disappoint fans of highly structured music.  Stylistically, some people might be turned off by a few places where Arman Bohm's singing takes on a more aggressive, grungey style, though it doesn't bother me personally.  Most importantly, the full texture of the album gets a bit tiresome after a while.  Combined with the fact that the last few tracks are musically related to the first few, this makes the end of the album seem less interesting than the first two thirds or so.  I sometimes wind up skipping "The Mule" and "Escalations" (though I enjoy "Scientifiction"'s pleasant sense of inevitability).  But despite these flaws, The View is worth having, so if you see it in a record store, you might want to pick it up.  Or, if the description above sounds particularly appealing, see if you can find it at GEMM or on Ebay, since it's been out of print since Loosegroove Records went out of business last year. - Alex Temple [May 2002]

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Evergrey - In Search of Truth (2001)

In Search of Truth is Swedish band Evergrey's North American debut release.  I believe it is actually their third album.  While I can't comment on the band's back catalog, I can say that this is an amazing slab of technical progressive metal.   Heavy, dark and intense, it's one of the most intriguing metal albums I've heard in a long time.

ISOT is a concept album that uses alien abduction as an allegory for loneliness and dislocation.  While the CD artwork and photographs may have you thinking you're in for an X-Files story of intrigue, the themes are actually quite human and universal.  Thankfully, the music ain't half bad either.

After a brief spoken introduction, the music kicks off in grand Symphony X style and doesn't let up for the better part of an hour.  Actually, the Symphony X comparison is only partially appropriate.  While the band does include its share of double bass drum kicking, shredding guitars and complex meter shifts, I find some unique characteristics that I haven't seen in some of the more celebrated power/prog metal outfits such as Kamelot or Stratovarius.  For one thing, there's an undercurrent of melancholy just below the surface of each song, particularly during the second half of the CD.  For a progressive metal album, it can get extremely depressing; especially if one takes out the alien abduction connotations.  Another appreciative quality in Evergrey is chief composer and singer Tom Englund.  He has a fantastic voice that is a nice change of pace from the Geoff Tate reach-for-the-stratosphere style of shrieking.  The closest comparison I can make is to Tony Martin, the latter day vocalist for Black Sabbath.  Englund has a similar passionate tone that is almost bluesy in its delivery, especially in the mellower sections of the CD.   Englund also has the good sense not to write yet another metal CD involving sword and sorcery, black magic or any of that Tolkien inspired hocus pocus.  It is an altogether tastefully composed CD.  Points must also be awarded to producer Andy La Rocque, who never lets the proceedings become too slick or overly dramatized.

I really can't point out highlights from In Search of Truth because all the songs are solid.  I will state that it will take several listens for one to become accustomed to all those complex passages.  But stick with it, because like the best progressive metal albums, such as Symphony X's V or Dream Theater's Images and Words, one will be rewarded. - Steve Pettengill [November 2001]

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Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever… (2001)

The Texas quartet Explosions in the Sky could, in some ways, be dismissed as a late comer to the now receding ‘post-rock’ movement of the mid to late 90s. However, to do so would only be at one’s disadvantage, because this little known release is easily among the very best of the style. Certainly, the band takes their cues from some of the sub-genres bigger names; co-opting the apocalyptic fervor of Godspeed You Black Emperor! at times, and, in particular, the violent ferocity of Mogwai. Like those bands, Explosions… generally begin their tunes with repetitive, ringing guitar melodies that eventually build into crashing, glorious climaxes. That, along with the typically enigmatic album and song titles, lends a sense of formula to the whole affair, and there’s some truth to that. Initial listens will undoubtedly provoke a "good, but it’s been done before" reaction.

Fortunately, there was something in this album that kept me listening, and I’m surely the better for it. Indeed, with all that said, Explosions in the Sky do a few things differently here. Firstly, they adopt a more stripped down approach than is typical of the style. Two guitars, bass, and drums are the only instruments you’ll hear on this album, meaning no vocals, no keyboards, no electronic or studio effects, and melodramatic dialogue samples (a Godspeed favorite) limited to a few, effective, moments on "Have You Been Through This Night?" Given the rather sparse instrumentation, it’s a testament to the talent of this ensemble that they are able to weave such varied compositions, which are ultimately just as emotionally charged, if not more so, than those of their predecessors.

The melodies, in particular, are uniformly fantastic, which is a fairly impressive feat for such a lengthy album. The band manages to avoid the ponderousness and overambitious approach of many of their peers, having honed a more direct, consistently engaging approach. Gentle, clean guitars will coalesce and intertwine with liquid bass lines in heart-wrenching harmony, continuously ebbing and flowing while retaining a firm grasp on the listener’s attention. Generally, the pieces will build to scorching, unimaginably intense climaxes, as on the stunning "Yasmin the Light," where thundering snare rolls burst forth beneath tumbling, churning waves of distorted guitar and bass. The evocatively titled "The Moon is Down" strings together some of the most purely beautiful passages you’ll ever hear in rock music, as gradually unfolding, effects-laden guitars and ringing harmonics texture the proceedings. By its conclusion, the piece is given wings; a lone guitar melody soars above the propulsive drums and cyclic rhythmic motifs.

Explosions in the Sky is a band that will undoubtedly be overlooked, due to the fact that their sound is so stereotypically ‘post-rock’. However, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die… is, pound for pound, one of the best and most consistent albums of that style. It is an emotional powerhouse that rewards intense listening, and is easily among my favorite albums of 2001. - Greg Northrup [December 2002]