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Album Reviews :: T
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Tarantula
- I (1976)
A
fairly underrated Spanish obscurity that I actually found to
be quite good. Although this album was released in 1976,
it sounds more like it should be from 1970 or '71, being very
much in an early English hard-rock/proto-progressive style.
The album is based heavily around electric guitar and Hammond
organ, although there is tons of flashy moog workouts, and of
course the all pervasive mellotron backdrop. One of the
group's highlights is without a doubt the vocalist, who has
an extremely distinctive voice and sings in a phenomenal quasi
operatic style. His vocals can be a little hard to take
at first, but come off better once they are gotten used to.
The group nicely alternates between total rock-out moments with
fuzzed guitar and organ and very cool grandiose vocal passages
backed by mellotron. Many of the more "orchestral" passages
involving the vocals have the same kind of charmingly pompous,
romantic ballad feel of the Locanda Delle Fate album, though
as a band Tarantula bears little similarity.
"Recuerdos" is
based around an extremely eccentric vocal line, which ends up
sounding like a female opera singer at points, but its not like
the dude can't hold the notes or anything, so it actually ends
up coming off quite well. Great guitar solos build into
a rousing, up-beat organ led theme. By this point it became
clear that the album was going to be a lot better than I expected.
"La Arana Y La Mosca" has a folksy, flamenco style guitar theme
backed once again by organ and 'tron, a very nice track.
"Singladura Final" is another cool song that comes off as sort
of a sappy ballad, but I can't help but get into this guys vocals.
Then, it starts to rock out big time behind a funky guitar riff.
"Lydia" highlights the acoustic guitar with more nice, flamenco
styled playing on top of a frenzied organ riff, and the closer
"Pasiajes Pintorescos" is just damn cool. An awesome syncopated
vocal part combined with solid guitar and organ themes, moving
through ballad-like territory before totally rocking out. Overall,
I find the album to be a lot of fun. A mix of Spanish
folk, hard-rock and early progressive sound. The overwrought
balladeer-like style of the vocalist only adds to the charm.
Certainly not particularly complex or ambitious, but a very
cool album to rock out to. Definitely underrated.
- Greg Northrup
[April 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Tempest
- Balance (2001)
Genre-blending is something often found in progressive rock.
The genre itself is often defined as a blend of rock with jazz
and/or classical music. Individual bands often draw from easily
identifiable multi-genre influences. Sometimes, the results
are outstanding. Other times (like the album I am about to discuss),
they are less so. Tempest meets rock with Celtic/folk music,
although it often sounds merely like Tull-meets-Dregs. The music
is heavily reliant on "Hurricane" Hurley's fiddle, with guitars
and mandolins in more of a backing role. The folk elements are
very heavy here, more so than most other so-called "folk-rock"
bands.
Mixed in with
the band's original compositions are some arrangements of traditional
songs, including the pirate romp "Captain Ward" and the old
folk song "Two Sisters". Though these arranged tunes separate
Tempest from the pack, they are also easily the weakest material
on the album. Vocalist Lief Sorbye has the uncanny ability to
be annoying. His delivery seems almost comical, reminding me
of singing from a Monkey Island game (which, incidentally, "Captain
Ward" itself reminds me of though I greatly prefer Michael
Land's soundtracks to that silliness). He also seems to be able
to make bad lyrics painfully conspicuous, undermining my best
attempts at ignoring them.
Not inconsequentially,
the two instrumental tracks on the album ("Dance of the Sand
Witches" and "Battle Mountain Breakdown") are the best moments
on the disc. Both are entertaining, up-tempo scorchers, and
while neither of them contain a whole lot of development, they
are fun little rides nonetheless.
Unfortunately,
that's as good as it gets. Tempest's folk-rock shtick wears
thin well before the end of the album. Too many of the songs
traditional or otherwise seem too similar, and the music
would not be terribly out of place in use as Disneyland "Frontierland"
muzak. While Tempest is reputed to be a sizzling live band,
this album gives all too few glimpses at that potential.
- *Legion* [April
2002]
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Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Teru's
Symphonia - Clockworked Earth (1993)
Blecch...
well for one thing there is NO excuse for looking the way these
guys do on the back cover. A straight out of the early
80s look complete with makeup and huge hair and so forth.
On the other hand, having spent time in Japan, I know that their
"pop culture" is about 5 -10 years behind the U.S., so I guess
I can understand. As for the music, this is simply acceptable
neo-symphonic with very good musicianship all around, but fairly
uninteresting compositions and songs.
At first I thought
things were going to be alot worse than they actually were,
as the opening track begins with the funky slap bass (a style
I hate) that pervades the album. When the female vocals
come in, they really sound like the kind of Japanese elevator
pop I was constantly exposed to while I lived over there.
However, over the course of the album, more interesting compositional
elements tend to come to the fore, and the keyboardist and guitarist
are actually quite good. Unfortunately, the music is extremely
vocal oriented, and though the singer does have a *technically*
sound voice, I find the phonetics of Japanese vocals difficult
to get used to, not to mention the already horrific associations
I have with the aesthetic feel of the album.
Overall this is
pretty overdone and slickly overproduced symphonic that borders
on pop and stereotypical neo-progressive, and though it has
some good moments, I really can't recommend this at all.
- Greg Northrup
[February 2001]
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Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Titus
Groan - Titus Groan (1970)
This self-titled
obscurity from Titus Groan was a pleasant surprise.
Many of the early British symphonic or proto-progressive
albums are largely a hit or miss affair, and opinions on
the internet can often be sharply divided, hardly helping
matters. Titus Groan does little to differentiate
themselves stylistically from the hordes of similar sounding
bands of the era. That said, if you're into that early
prog, vaguely psychedelic, with a dash of hard rock vibe,
you could do a lot worse than this particular album.
The band brings some interesting woodwinds like the Oboe
and Saxophone to the fore to create an interesting feel
at times. For the most part though, the band plays
fairly conventional early progressive rock, recalling the
likes of East of Eden, Still Life, or any number of other
similarly styled groups.
"It Wasn't
For You" isn't exactly a promising opener, presenting itself
as largely paint-by-numbers proto prog affair, and doesn't
really go anywhere. The album really takes off with
the 11 minute suite, "Hall of Bright Carvings", with no
shortage of inspired instrumental themes. The irreverent
melodic stomp of "Liverpool" and the haunting flute passages
of "I Can't Change" continue the winning streak. The
poppy stuff is fairly successful. "It's All Up With
Us" and "Fuschia" clearly integrate Beatles-eque harmonies
and melodic sense with an almost folky, but upbeat, feel.
The bonus tracks are an added pleasure for those of us rendered
to the CD generation, as both compete with the material
on the album proper, particularly an inspired version of
Bob Dylan's "Open the Door Homer". While a highly
enjoyable listen, the album is probably of marginal importance
in the grand scope of things, ultimately occupying little
more than a second or third tier in the early British prog
hierarchy of forgotten and undiscovered gems.
- Greg Northrup [April 2002]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Torman
Maxt - The Foolishnessof God (1998)
Torman Maxt
is a progressive metal band from California whose tasteful
melodies, chops and dynamic compositional flair really
make The Foolishness of God stand out from the
often scary legion of independently released progressive
albums. Unfortunately for me, the band takes on
a heavily Christian lyrical position, which is somewhat
ironic considering the biggest influences seem to be Rush,
Queensryche and Black Sabbath. Still, I suppose
one has to admit that early Rush is pretty fundamentalist,
just a different kind. Both bands certainly share
a philosophically overbearing lyrical approach that can
be somewhat tiresome and overdone. On top of this,
The Foolishness of God is a concept album that
has something to do with all scholars and scientists of
Earth being fools for denying God or something along those
lines. I could be wrong, I tried to tune out the
lyrics since they were making me feel particularly unholy
and hell bound. Those of you with a sensitivity
to preachy lyrics will be none to pleased to find that
the band actually samples an actual preacher on
the title track. The religious among you may find
the concept appealing, but I found the implications about
as 'progressive' as a Pat Robertson-led theocracy or Ayatollah-era
Iran.
Still, it
would be unfair to slam the band for having different
opinions than I do, especially when the music is this
good. Indeed, the Ozzy-style vocals melded with
muscular Rush guitar and bass grooves is often reminiscent
of fellow Californians Under the Sun, and I would give
an unreserved recommendation to fans of that band.
The songs are solid, melodies catchy, and the group melds
plaintive acoustic and driving electric contrasts beautifully.
A particularly pleasant surprise was the impeccable production
and gorgeous packaging which lent to the air of professionalism
to the whole thing. Although not a style I'm particularly
enamored with at this point, I can tell that this band
has that intangible "it"; a mature, developed approach
that separates them from a scene crowded with amateurs.
Fans of this style will want to give the band a shot.
Contact Torman Maxt at www.tormanmaxt.com.
- Greg
Northrup [December 2001]
David
Torn - Door X (1992)
[CD - Windham Hill - WD-1096 - 1992]
Originally
published in Reels of Dreams Unrolled No. 2, May 15th 1997
I am the only one who likes this album. No David Torn fan
I have ever met likes this album. I've even heard that there
was an Internet chat somewhere in the deep reaches of cyberspace
in which David Torn said that he doesn't like this album.
Sometimes you just can't win. After years of innovative
music making with groups such as Lonely Universe, The Everyman
Band, and a number of solo projects including Cloud About
Mercury with Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, and Mark Isham,
Guitarist David Torn had caught the attention of a major
record label. Unfortunately, it was Windham Hill Records.
The label that had been the virtual McDonalds of New Age
for years was now trying their hand at music for the masses,
and Torn ended up as their Guinea Pig.
The weakness
of Door X, and the real reason no one likes it is
that producer Steven Krause can never make up his mind as
to what he wants Torn to be. On the one hand, you have songs
like "Lion of Boaz," which feature Torn's ambient guitar
drones and chord voicings accented perfectly by Mick Karn's
fretless bass and some interesting, yet subtle drum lines
from Bill Bruford; while on the other you have "Diamond
Mansions," where a drum ostinato accompanies Torn's unsettling
voice waning on about peace and mysticism, with his guitar
coming in now and again almost as an afterthought. What
results is two separate albums fighting it out at once.
There is a certain groove to songs like "Lion of Boaz,"
the Squeeze-like danciness of "Promise," and the control
to chaos of "The Others" that is painfully vacant from "Good
Morning Mr. Wonderful," "Diamond Mansions," and "Time Bomb."
And it's not so much a vocals versus instrumentals argument,
it's based more on feel. This album flows so well when the
musicians are allowed to take control, but it happens so
rarely that it becomes frustrating waiting for something
to happen. It's very hard to listen to this album all the
way through because the songs just don't get along with
each other.
But the real
problem with this album is that David Torn has been boxed
into a set of pop songs. His strength is breaking boundaries,
not coloring within the lines, and for fans used to his
more adventurous work with looping and ambient tones, Door
X is simply trying to force his guitar style into places
where it doesn't belong. Without the freedom to use his
musical style to take the listener away from the norms they
are used to, you are left with an album of familiar sounding
songs with some great guitar solos in them. In the end,
Door X simply fails because its not much you haven't
heard before. There is a bit of appeal in the fact that
if you are a fan of his music, it's cool to hear him work
within "normal" confines as opposed to the anarchy of the
music he has been making since. So in that sense, the album
works as a sort of novelty for true fans. Maybe that's why
I like it.
If you really
want to check out the man and his music, look for other
releases, like Polytown with Terry Bozzio and Mick
Karn. But if you are already a fan, I suggest taking a listen
to this album once more with an open mind. Yes, he is being
forced to play short solos in pop songs. But some of those
solos are brilliant. It's a chance to catch a glimpse of
what these songs could be if musicians were allowed to be
what they are, and not what a record label thinks they should
be. -
Dan Luft [May 1997]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Torn
- Karn - Bozzio - Polytown (1994)
[CD - CMP 1006 - 1994]
Anyone remotely
familiar with the three musicians who play on this album
would probably assume the music within is bound to take
the listener to unconventional musical realms. One listen
proves that assumption to be entirely true, and what fantastic
realms they are!
Polytown
was recorded in 1993 and still sounds incredibly fresh 10
years later. Its unusual mixture of avant-garde rock, jazz,
ambient and ethnic music from around the world is a much
more potent and original one than similar attempts made
by lesser groups. This is not the watered down stuff some
people call "world music," nor is it commercial new age
drivel. This is an example of fine musicians translating
a myriad of influences into their own familiar idioms of
outside jazz and rock. What comes out in the end is one
of the finest and most progressive fusion albums since the
1970s.
Though some
other instruments are thrown in for color here and there,
most of Polytown consists of the basics: guitar,
bass and drums. That these musicians can do so much with
these three very familiar instruments is incredible, but
we must remember that these three men are some of the most
iconoclastic players ever in each of their fields. Mick
Karn's slinky, percussive fretless electric bass helped
propel the music of Japan well beyond what many of that
band's punk/new wave contemporaries were doing in the late
'70s and early '80s. David Torn's searing guitar solos and
highly processed looped ambience has graced numerous cutting
edge albums on labels like ECM and CMP in the '80s and '90s.
And lastly, Terry Bozzio has played with Frank Zappa, UK,
Missing Persons and Bozzio/Levin/Stevens and is renowned
for being one of the most innovative and unorthodox rock
drummers ever. The combination of these three distinctive
musical personalities is a unique and powerful one indeed.
Much of Polytown
is comprised of judicious use of atmospherics mixed with
melody and percussion that give unmistakable but subtle
nods to various kinds of music from the East. Tempos are
moderately slow and instrumentation sparse, but these three
know how to fill up the space in clever ways without sounding
self-indulgent. Torn's washes of ambient guitar are largely
responsible for filling in the aural cracks, but Karn and
Bozzio also show themselves to be very capable at keeping
things moving in a tasteful fashion as well.
The
tones and timbres heard on Polytown are anything
but standard. Karn's fretless Wal bass (the same brand used
by Geddy Lee to such unique effect on Rush's late '80s albums)
growls in the lower registers and provides an unusually
funky pop and twang in the high end. Bozzio's drum kit (which
has been known to incorporate giant bass drums and unusual
cymbals) utilizes many percussives not found in the standard
drum kit, and throughout it all, Torn's guitar swirls, floats,
echoes and emits mysterious, wavering, sustain-soaked solos.
There
is not a bad track on this album, but some certainly stand
out. "This is the Abduction Scene" is aptly named for its
intense sense of action and malevolence. Karn's frighteningly
distorted bass drives the piece while Torn provides some
of his most energetic soloing of the album. This piece seems
like a bit of a tease for being too short, but it is remarkable
for sounding a lot like what King Crimson could have been
doing around the time of Thrak had that album been more
focused. This listener is inclined to conclude Polytown
beat KC at its own game with this track and did it a year
or two earlier.
"Snail
Hair Dune" is the longest track and is notable for Torn's
remarkably smooth bent-string melodies, which go a long
way toward making this one of the most exotic sounding tracks
on the CD. Torn gets a couple of solos in which he really
gets to show off his Fripp-styled fuzz sustain combined
with an almost Holdsworthian tremolo technique.
"Red
Sleep" is a mellow, slightly less risky piece that varies
just a bit from the formula on most of the rest of the album.
It utilizes some subtle Hammond organ chords to set a relaxing
tone over which Karn plays some slow, beautiful melodies.
While the playing by each musician on this album is superb,
it seems fair to say that Karn consistently gives the most
interesting performances. He's probably one of the few players
(along with Les Claypool) to do anything really new and
interesting with the fretless bass since Jaco Pastorious
put the instrument in the spotlight in the 1970s.
Polytown
is remarkable for its consistency. The group manages to
maintain a very unique sound throughout the entire album
without being repetitive or boring. What Torn, Karn and
Bozzio created in Polytown sounds like futuristic
jazz-rock from desert climates. Even the album cover images
allude to rattlesnakes and exotic locales. While this album
will sound unique at first listen, it may take a while to
reveal its genius to most listeners. All in all, however,
it's a very convincing and engaging album that enables one's
mind to travel to places one's body may never visit.
Like
other releases from the now defunct CMP label, this album
is out of print. It does, however, turn up on Ebay very
regularly. Get it. -
Scott Hamrick [June 2003]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
La
Torre dell'Alchimista - La Torre dell'Alchimista (2001)
Although only
released a matter of weeks ago, La Torre dell'Alchimista
is easily on its way to becoming the album of the year.
The buzz around this album is growing bigger on a daily
basis. Take the sound of the Italian progressive rock renaissance
of the early 70s and mix it with today's high production
standards and you have an album destined to be a classic
in years to come. The band is comprised of keys, bass, drums
and flute, with acoustic guitar and clarinet embellishments
on selected tracks. An assault of analog keys waits behind
each twist and turn; killer hammond attacks, dashing mini-moog
lines and the occasional piano and digital synth. Easily
the highlight of the album, keyboardist Michele Mutti's
style is similar to that of the other Italian greats; powerful
and Emerson-like, yet distinctly restrained and Italian.
The prominent role of flute, and its frequent interplay
with the keys bears a strong resemblance to Hungarian symphonic
group Solaris at times.
The
album opens in prime fashion with the hammond lead intro
to "Eclisse". The band demonstrates their excellent sense
of dynamics, with bombastic organ lines trading off with
quiet flute interludes and then running synth lines leading
into powerful, emotional Italian vocals. Dark symphonic
keyboard swells are broken by bright and airy flute. "Il
Volo" slows things down with a romantic and atmospheric
ballad. Giardino's vocals conjure up the perfect, somber
mood. In stark contrast, songs like the title track and
"L'apprendista" plow foreword with furious melodicism, dropping
riffs left and right that will be stuck in your head for
days. "La Persistenza Della Memoria" provides another interlude;
a beautiful, classically influenced piano solo. The epic
"Acquario" caps off the album wonderfully, with a climax
of keyboard frenzy ending with a jazzy conclusion.
There
will probably be a major amount of hype surrounding this
album, but it easily stands on it's own. The band has a
phenomenal sense of composition that always keeps things
fluid and organic. They have an excellent sense of balancing
both the beautiful and bombastic. An instant classic that
comes with the highest of recommendations.
- Mike Prete
[July 2001]
Tortoise
- Millions
Now Living Will Never Die (1996)
This album
is looked upon as a landmark in "post-rock". Indeed, it
has inspired plenty of followers, and garnered much critical
praise (and a healthy share of backlash as well). While
possibly not worthy of it's numerous accolades, Millions
Now Living Will Never Die stands as an excellent album.
Featuring
a blend of Krautrock and jazz, with perhaps a little electronica,
Millions Now Living Will Never Die is certainly a
unique sounding album. While closer inspection may betray
some of the band's roots, the music remains fresh sounding,
even years after numerous bands have attempted to fashion
themselves in Tortoise's image.
The 21-minute
opener "Djed" harkens directly back to Neu!'s first album,
particularly "Hallogallo" (a resemblance so striking that
I was *immediately* reminded of "Djed" when I first listened
to "Hallogallo", which wasn't until the 2001 Neu!
CD re-issue). Both songs are built around very similar pulsing,
rhythmic backbones, though while Neu! rides it to the song's
completion, Tortoise eases it into a slow groove and eventually
abandons it altogether."Djed"
is certainly the heart of the album, but the remaining tracks
are not to be overlooked. The lush "Glass Museum", percussion
heavy "The Taut and Tame", and somber "Along the Banks of
Rivers" (whose ringing guitar notes never fails to remind
me of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond") are also highlights.
Though each mines different territory, common themes run
through all of the songs: guitar & vibraphone melodies,
varied percussives prone to sudden changes, and a complete
lack of vocals (if you exclude the muffled voices on "Dear
Grandma and Grandpa").
The strength
of the music, however, is something transcendent of it's
basic elements. There is often a surreal quality to the
music, as though it's not quite being directly experienced
(indeed, I see how some listeners have lost themselves in
this disc). It's ideal as late-night headphone music (which
is precisely how I'm listening to it now). Though not "progressive
rock" in the traditional sense, there are a number of bands
out there who are breaking new sonic ground, with the same
gung-ho approach to music as the pioneers of progressive
rock. Tortoise is one such band. Progressive rock fans are
encouraged to come along for the ride, and witness the next
evolution of "art rock". Oh dear, it seems that I'm adding
to the already overly-heaping praise. Oh well. Ignore the
exuberance, and just listen to this outstanding album.
- *Legion*
[April 2002]
Townscream
- Nagyvárosi Ikonok (1997)
I gotta
say, the opening to this album is one of the most exciting
I've ever heard. I mean, its just an explosion of
keyboards and locked-in, thundering drum patterns, with
some killer electronic sample cycling over the riff, driving
home the groove. Phenomenal. Townscream is the
project of former After Crying keyboardist Csaba Vedres,
and there is an expectedly significant carry over from his
former band, Vedres being the main composer during his stay.
Considering that After Crying's period with Vedres at the
helm was their most arguably their most successful, fans
of their early work would probably want to follow him to
Townscream before exploring the more inconsistent later
After Crying albums. Nagyvárosi Ikonok received
a ton of hype upon its release, and as usual there's been
backlash, but I think now that the dust has settled, it
still stands as a great album. For those familiar
with After Crying's work, Townscream is slightly heavier
and more aggressive, but also manages to work in that lush,
classically inspired After Crying feel at points.
In some ways they are even more varied, which may contribute
to complaints concerning the discontinuity of the album.
Even those unfamiliar with early After Crying should make
an effort to pursue Townscream, as I think the album stands
up very well on its own, and would possibly halt the unconscious
desire to compare the two groups.
As is usually
the case with Csaba Vedres, his biggest inspirations seem
to be King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, as well
as his incorporation of a dark classical feel. The
album moves through a number of different phases, which
sort of caused me to lose interest at various points at
first, focusing on one chunk of pieces and then sort of
zoning out. However, repeated listenings have allowed
the whole thing to sink in and make sense. The title
suite is an unequivocal masterpiece. The aforementioned
opening is utterly fantastic, but the piece doesn't really
let down as far as quality goes, though certainly the intensity
is varied throughout. It incorporates a number of
beautiful piano solos, as well as a drum solo that uses
sampled rhythms to great effect before exploding into the
suite's shuddering climax. "Minden Nap" is the first
track that really evokes early After Crying, an extremely
beautiful and melodic piece featuring vocals, acoustic guitar
and flute.
The next section
of the album was originally what sort of lost me.
"A Lazarus-Ból" through "Koldus" are extremely ELP-ish,
and very bombastic. However, the aggressive cello
and horn parts that overlay the keyboard pyrotechnics really
sunk in over time, and I've gotten to thoroughly enjoy this
section of the album as well, reminding me that there's
really nothing wrong with ELP bombast, as long as its done
well. The final section of the album starts out very
slow, as both the 9th and 10th tracks occupy around 10 minutes
of near dead air, consisting of minimalistic chanting and
sound effects. However, patience pays off as the closing
set of tunes proves utterly fantastic, rivalling the best
work of After Crying, and in very much the same style.
Stunning symphonic progressive with an overt classical air
and with all the flourish and grand instrumentation that
we've come to expect from such large scale Vedres compositions.
Nagyvárosi Ikonok requires some persistent
listening for it to all fall together. It does drag
at points, and the project could have used some tightening
up, but the album still holds up with any of the After Crying
albums. A great example of original and inspired symphonic
progressive for the 90s. Here's to hoping we'll see
some more out of Townscream in the future, though Vedres
has been apparently concentrating on solo piano work as
of late. Ah well, the next album could have been a
real classic. - Greg Northrup [July 2001]
Trace
- Birds (1975)
Trace
was a Dutch band that played extremely energetic and inspired
keyboard heavy classical rock. Their second album
is reportedly their finest, and indeed comes off like a
more light-hearted and less mechanical Emerson, Lake &
Palmer. Trace is somewhat notable for it's membership,
featuring keyboard whiz Rick van der Linden from Ekseption
and drummer Ian Mosely, later of Marillion. Though
I've heard fairly unanimous bad things about the classical
adaptations on the Ekseption album, van der Linden's playing
on Birds is phenomenal. This is high-energy,
unabashedly pompous stuff that is just a lot of fun, making
use of every kind of vintage keyboard imaginable.
The album
is made up of a bunch of short tracks and then the epic
"Birds" suite. Of the earlier tracks, "Bouree" is
a blast, kicking off the album in grand fashion and setting
the tone. The highlight of this first part of the
album is without a doubt "Opus 1065", an adaptation of a
Bach piece that is absolutely stunning. Darryl Way's
violins are used incredibly here. Definitely one of
the nicest rock adaptations of a classical piece I've ever
heard. "Penny" is a fairly boring jazz workout, and
is rather tedious as anticipation builds for the incredible
title suite. "Birds" is no disappointment. This
track has it all, as it works through it's various themes,
borrowing liberally from classical pieces throughout (don't
ask me which ones) and mixing it all with the frenetic keyboards
and general rock and roll machismo. The band also
must have saved their strongest original material for this
one as well, as there is hardly a weak point on the whole
thing. Occasionally, vocals appear for the first times
on the album, and aren't overly unpleasant despite the slight
accent. This is a keyboard album for sure though,
the clear attraction being van der Linden's generally bombastic
but electrifying playing. One of the best Dutch albums
I've heard for sure. -
Greg Northrup [March 2001]
Trespass
- In Haze of Time (2002)
No, this isn't yet another Genesis clone, but
a young trio out of Israel. If the name caused some confusion,
the music will only add to it. The opening chords bring on
the impression that we're in store for a redux of the first
Asia album, and the continuation of digital fanfare and syrupy
'big' multi-part vocal harmonies does not leave much to look
forward to. Although the track gets better and even has some
nice instrumental bits, it doesn't come off as much more than
an AOR tinged version of the Swiss band Dragonfly. I wish
these guys would make up their minds though, as by the time
we reach "Gate 15", the band has morphed its sound to a biting
jazz-rock meets symphonic styled instrumental sound reminiscent
of Supersister. Gil Stein's dexterous keyboard playing dominates,
from buzzing synth leads to grinding hammond; he's the star
of the show, recalling the great Robert Jan Stips. He also
sings, but the vocals leave much to be desired, as well as
lyrics such as "I'm in a mood to love you baby / I'm in a
mood to love you all night, long night, yeah..." Thankfully,
they don't dominate, and are usually surrounded by longer
instrumental passages, and three of the seven tracks are completely
instrumental. The occasional mellow, folky melody floats in
here and there, adding a nice, if very small bit of variety.
A very confounding and schizophrenic release that's hard to
get a handle on. The stock neo/AOR elements do nothing to
separate the band from the legions currently propagating this
style, and in no way reflects what these guys can do, as shown
by their instrumental chops. An album worthy of a listen,
but one hopes that the band will concentrate on a more direct
approach encompassing their smoking instrumental elements
in the future. -
Mike Prete [September 2002]
Triana
- El Patio (1975)
Triana were/are
the most commercially successful progressive band from Spain.
They combined indigenous flamenco and folk influences with
mid tempo soft rock leanings. I believe they are still
together in one incarnation or another, but by now the music
has taken a more commercial approach. El Patio is
the band’s debut, and like most of their fellow countrymen,
their careers didn’t begin until after most of the classic
English bands had already released their masterpieces.
"Abre la Puerta"
slowly fades in with an acoustic guitar and mellotron choir
before a crescendo into the main melody. This is a
nice build up to the vocal section and really gives one
a beautifully atmospheric feeling that he/she has been transported
to a cantina somewhere in Madrid! The nearly 10 minute
opus is probably the most up-tempo track the band has ever
attempted and ends with a relatively exciting fade out.
"Se de un Lugar" continues in much the same vein and is
nearly as addictive as the album opener. From there,
the album becomes more song oriented, but no less memorable.
I particularly like the pair of tracks that close the album;
"En el Lago" has a great melody and vocalist Jesus de la
Rosa sings with a great deal of passion and vigor.
"Recuerdos de Una Noche" ends the album on a high note and
(almost!) makes me want to dance.
There are
many things that I recommend about Triana’s El Patio.
The acoustic flamenco guitar is simply gorgeous and Jesus
de la Rosa’s keyboards are tastefully arranged, if a bit
restrained. The material is consistently excellent
throughout, though I do wish that they would take a few
more chances with regard to rhythm and structure.
Many progheads complain that Triana aren’t progressive enough,
so folks into Magma or even ELP may want to give this a
listen before buying. But if one enjoys softer progressive
bands like The Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest or even
folk music in general, I would give El Patio a big
thumbs up. -
Steve Pettengill [October 2001]
TriPod
- TriPod (2000)
[CD - private issue CD-R - 2000]
Originally
published in Reels of Dreams Unrolled
No. 14 ,
Ocober 4, 2001
TriPod. There are only three guys in the band. Get it? How
prog can a three-piece without a keyboardist be? All real
prog bands at least include a keyboardist, right? And this
band doesn't have a guitarist either! Bass, drums and saxophone,
of all things, are basically all you get on this CD, folks.
While you might expect this combination of instruments to
yield some kind of cheesy Huey Lewis type of '50s rock,
or at best, jazz, either supposition would be way off the
mark. TriPod rocks quite nicely, thank you very much. And
they don't leave out the prog either.
Many other
unknown modern prog bands have taken the (ch)easy way out
when compensating for their lack of members. They've resorted
to the use of drum machines or relied too heavily on sequencers
and computers to play their music for them. Rather than
using such crutches to attempt to reconstruct someone else's
played-out vision of progressive rock, TriPod (whether by
necessity or design) has capitalized on their situation
and crafted a unique style of progressive rock out of what
many would see as limited resources. The result is lean,
sinewy, complex rock propelled by bass riffs and decorated
by self-assured, memorable saxophone melodies.
The most distinctive
and unique element of TriPod's sound is the saxophone. Keith
Gurland's well-honed saxophone skills are always the center
of attention on this CD. That may scare some folks away,
but even those who generally don't care for horns in their
music are likely to be surprised how listenable the sax
playing on TriPod is. Gurland's playing is appropriately
daring for progressive rock, yet it is melodic and well
integrated within the each song's structure. He generally
avoids the "dirty" sound and excessiveness that can make
many saxophonists so annoying. Gurland doesn't abuse the
spotlight, though it would be easy for him to do so. His
melodies, tone and technique almost instantly call to mind
the work of one of prog rock's greatest saxophonists, David
Jackson of Van Der Graaf Generator.
The next most
important feature in TriPod's sonic palette is Clint Bahr's
12-string bass. Its sharp, distorted tone is reminiscent
of that of King's X's Doug Pinnick (a 12-string bass pioneer),
but Bahr's technique is more driven by necessity. He strums
chords and arpeggios in a rumbly, guitar-like style that
fills in the spaces left vacant by the absence of guitar
or keys. Bahr plays the Geddy Lee role by also supplying
vocals and a smattering of synth via bass pedals. The timbre
of his voice is very agreeable, sounding a little bit like
Greg Lake, but with a slightly shaky delivery in more difficult
passages .
With the possible
exception of the slightly monotonous "A Most Logical Position,"
there is not a bad song on TriPod. However, one stands above
the rest in terms of progressiveness. The two-part "Incident"
suite is the second longest song on the album at nearly
eight minutes. The first part, subtitled "Retro-Glide,"
is a mostly instrumental, fast-paced rave-up that shows
what this band can really do when they cut loose. TriPod
is a surprisingly good debut album. It deserves a proper
release, but you should buy it now to support the band.
You won't be sorry. Besides, it will be a collector's item
someday. -
Scott Hamrick [October 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
TriPod
- TriPod (2003)
[CD - Moonjune Records - 2003]
What a pleasure it is to see a new progressive band release
a debut album in 2003 that doesn't suck! Of course, TriPod
has been around for a few years, releasing an impressive demo
CD-R in 2000, but this is their first official release. The
fact that this was released on the extremely selective and
small MoonJune label (Softworks, Finisterre, Elton Dean/Mark
Hewins, DFA) should say something for the quality of this
release.
TriPod is
a three-piece band consisting of a drummer, saxophonist
and 12-string bassist/vocalist. If that sounds like a far
cry from just about any other rock band lineup (prog or
otherwise) operating these days, it's because it is. Keyboard
drenched and symphonic this ain't. Rhythmic, energetic,
stripped down and bursting with frenetic zig-zag melodies
it is. TriPod live up to their New York City heritage perfectly.
They're in your face, cultured and confident. The 14 tracks
on TriPod show a band successfully staking new musical
ground, yet never venturing into realms that are difficult
or feel contrived. The music on TriPod bridges the
gap between progressive and accessible (but not commercial)
in a surprisingly successful way.
Keith Gurland's
aggressive, wonderfully melodic sax playing combined with
hard hitting riffs and fast, angular jazz melodies makes
comparisons to Van der Graaf Generator and King Crimson
circa "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Pictures of a City"
almost unavoidable. Other than that, however, there is not
much evidence of a classic prog influence in TriPod's music.
It's almost tempting to link TriPod with bass-heavy progressive
post-punk groups like Ruins or Primus, though that doesn't
quite fit either. The short, song-oriented nature of much
of the album might put some proggers off at first, but there
is plenty of really interesting instrumental interplay that
will keep most open-minded proggers coming back until they
get it. To make it easier, there are even two improvisations
and a total of five instrumentals (two of which serve mostly
as short preludes).
This album
finds the band improving upon the sound quality and vocal
performances of their demo CD. They also add several new
songs. Unfortunately, they decided to ditch "Incident Suite,"
the best track on the demo. Still, we have some really interesting,
creepy improv with "Ghosts," high-energy, catchy rock of
"Jerome's Spotlight" and the more elaborate prog rock of
"Dance of the Kabuki" and "As the Sun."
TriPod has
done a wonderful job of establishing their uniquely gritty,
yet sophisticated signature sound and attitude on this CD.
This proves to be something of a double-edged sword, however,
as the album would have benefited from a little more variation.
The five instrumentals do serve as notable exceptions to
the rule of homogony, as they offer an optimistic peek at
what a more well-rounded TriPod will almost certainly sound
like in the future. Unfortunately, most of these instrumental
tracks are too short and often feel incomplete, so their
effect on the album as a whole is not as dramatic as it
ought to have been for the sake of variation.
When TriPod
manages to fully meld their newfound experimentalism with
their already well-crafted compositions in the context of
an individual piece, then they will have completely arrived.
It will surely be an arrival worth waiting for. Until then,
prepare yourself with this very enjoyable and ambitious
CD. -
Scott Hamrick [October 2003]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Il
Trono Dei Ricordi - Il Trono Dei Ricordi (1994)
With a very
bombastic and majestic opening, replete with all manner
of keyboards, "The King Of Memories" will have you thinking,
"is this ELP or Triumvirat"? Initial vocal similarities
reminded me vaguely of John Wetton, whose voice I highly
admire and respect but, being Italian, these guys have managed
the vocal department very well as there is an almost imperceptible
accent that can be totally ignored. Vocally, the impressions
of a Peter Gabriel wannabe are also apparent, although if
you can emulate the best so well, why complain to the manager?
Seeing that P.G. is focussing more of his attention and
efforts towards the ethno / world area of the musical spectrum,
it is comforting to see there is a competent replacement
for the type of vocal delivery we no longer witness as much
from Peter. The vocalist's style changes yet again and it
is only towards the end of the second song that you are
made aware of his Italian background.
Although
there are only four longish songs on the album, they quickly
kick things into top gear and don't let the listener go
easily. There is heaps of variety on this brilliant release
and there should be plenty to appeal to a new listener.
Once again, you can expect to be served up plenty of great
keyboard runs with a few intermittent hints at a medieval
influence. There are plenty of melodious moments to enjoy
within the songs and these are wonderfully punctuated by
some scorching lead guitar throughout. If I had to make
a comparison I would have to suggest a melding of influences
from Acqua Fragile, Maxophone, ELP and Triumvirat's 2 best
offerings. As these bands are high on my list of all time
favorites, I certainly don't mind if Il Trono Dei Ricordi
joins them on the top shelf.
The
strength of song writing on this release had me in awe of
the members' talents as I have yet to find one fault with
any of the content, despite repeated listening over a protracted
period of time. This disc has really stood the test of time
for me, a feat that few bands can achieve. After listening
to an album for ten or twelve times, I am often looking
for something new and challenging. Suffice it to say, this
has been played to death but still does the job very well.
A classic album I am sure many will enjoy if you take the
trouble to lay your hands on it. -
Greg Cummins [November 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
La
Tulipe Noire - Faded Leaves (2002)
La Tulipe
Noire’s latest album is said to be somewhat of a departure
from their earlier cloning of Marillion, although Faded
Leaves still takes a strong cue from the latter’s
dark and depressing aspects. Anguished vocals deliver
an angst-ridden performance (although with out much emotion)
over a backing of digital choir/string backing on keys,
with the lead lines on piano for the most part. Stereotypically
“big” guitar power chords alternate with a Pink Floyd-like
fluidity to provide the punch of the album. A pedestrian
rhythm section featuring big, gated drums keeps time,
and not much else.
Now playing
in a similar style to Marillion is not bad in and of itself,
and despite constant derision from many, they were certainly
one of the finest bands of the neo-prog movement, and
this style has a strong and loyal following. Unfortunately,
La Tulipe Noire does absolutely nothing to try to carve
out any kind of distinct sound. Every song here sounds
exactly the same, most extended to 7-8 minuets for no
apparent reason, and when clocking in at nearly seventy
minutes total, becomes mind numbing after only a few songs.
The band stays in the same plodding 4/4 most of the time,
rarely changing tempo at any point. Neither do they vary
any of the instrumental tones, adding to the sameness.
There is nothing wrong with playing in a simpler style,
but this kind of music depends more on it’s emotional
content, and this album comes off as rather sterile and
uninteresting. I’ve listened to Faded Leaves a
few times for this review, and I can easily say I never
want to hear it again.
- Mike Prete [October 2002]
Twelfth
Night - Live and Let Live (1984)
Despite
my general unenthusiasm for most of the groups tagged with
the "neo-progressive" label these days, I found that I can
definitely deal with many of the "first wave" British neo-prog
groups. Bands like IQ, Marillion, and now Twelfth
Night have all been easier for me to digest because of their
darker, hard-edged feel, as opposed to the light, poppy
and nausea-inducing tendencies of current bands like Landmarq
or Spock's Beard. Live and Let Live is a marathon
live album that was released by Twelfth Night in the early
80s, a very energetic performance replete with a raw, punkish
feel and a dramatic vocal performance from the late Geoff
Mann. Musically, the band falls in line with the typical
sound of the day, an aggressive, streamlined take on Genesis-y
prog, and dependent on the on-stage antics (narration, costumes)
of their frontman. Judging from this album, Twelfth
Night is certainly much more hard-edged and guitar oriented
than Marillion, though probably not as complex as IQ.
Generally, songs are oriented around electric guitar parts,
shifting from clean melodic passages to more metallic, up-tempo
affairs with significant digital synthesizer flourishes
topped Geoff Mann's eccentric and emotional vocal delivery.
If you're familiar with their peers, you should have a pretty
good idea already of whether or not this will appeal to
you.
Though
the album is definitely enjoyable, it bears some fairly
noticeable flaws, all of which should be taken in stride
considering that it is a live album. The band proudly states
in the liner notes that the album was recorded with no overdubs,
so some expected problems do of course arise. The
mix is inconsistent, instruments can often be difficult
to hear, or way too loud, and which instrument this happens
to seems to shift constantly through the course of Live
and Let Live. The vocals are often lost among
the instruments, and Geoff Mann's furiously emotional delivery
and apparent concentration on inaudible stage presence often
causes him to lose the melody a tad, or to sing to far away
from the mic. With this to consider, the album is
really damn long, and hard for me to sit through in one
sitting. The band's sound is obviously not extraordinarily
varied, and certainly gets tiresome to me. The album
is also bogged down with goofy narration concerning love
and war and what not from Geoff Mann, in songs like "We
Are Sane", "Sequences", and "Love Song". This could
be cool once in awhile, but its overdone. "The Ceiling
Speaks", "Fact and Fiction" as well as bits of "We are Sane"
and "Sequences" are pretty extraordinary however, and certainly
make this a live document worth owning for fans of those
early neo-progressive groups like Pallas, IQ and Marillion.
-
Greg Northrup [August 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
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