Category: 2013

Scaling The Heights Of Heavy Prog – Persona Grata’s “Reaching Places High Above”

On By Kevin WilliamsIn 2013, progressive rock musicLeave a comment

Reaching Places High Above

It’s probably a blessing and a curse that I tend to compartmentalize progressive rock into sub-genres in order to sort out what I’m hearing.  It’s likely a blessing in terms of having “signposts” of historical reference when trying to determine where a band’s music fits within the prog category, but perhaps a curse that I feel the need to shoehorn the band and music into a sub-genre in the first place, for we all know that progressive music rarely fits neatly into one “slot.”

No matter the reasoning, let’s just say that the Slovak proggers Persona Grata surprised the heck out of me with their new release, “Reaching Places High Above,” which for this prog fan fits nicely into the sub-genre where Dream Theater camps out – one that I’ll call “heavy prog” – and made this album an absolute pleasure to listen to.

“Reaching Places High Above” is at times aggressive, intricate, mellow, adventurous, and dynamic, but always progressive in scope, and a delight to listen to. Sound a bit like Dream Theater there?

It should. Listeners will be treated to a group that, like DT, fires on all cylinders with tight songwriting and arrangements, along with the technical prowess that easily puts them in a league with top-tier prog bands.  It’s worth mentioning in advance that the album is produced and mixed wonderfully, which can’t always be said for up-and-coming groups. It’s a big plus.

“Ace” preps us for the places we’ll go with some airline samples and radio dial tuning, eventually morphing into the track’s intro.  Those who may not be a fan of the two vocal wails at the beginning, fear not – it’s not indicative of what’s exclusively in store from the vocals department; singer/guitarist Martin Stavrovsky has plenty of range and, unlike some capable of wailing in prog, he doesn’t loiter in the high register all that much. The band moves from section to section in rapid pace with plenty of playing that’ll impress anyone who fancies quite a bit of playing in their prog.  However, they steer clear of what sometimes turns people off about virtuosic prog – shredding for shredding’s sake. The band does a fine job of keeping the song in check thematically and the song seems over before it starts.

“Edge Of Insanity” brings things down a notch with an intro electric guitar and flute (man, the flute sure is back in prog, innit?), moving to a first verse that features a lovely male/female harmony verse. The band then crescendoes with layers of aggressiveness for the next set of verses before heading back to the harmony vocals of the first verse. However, dust never settles on Persona Grata, for the prog returns almost as quickly, building to a heavy section of soloing.  Halfway though the track, the band pulls back to a section of acoustic guitar, flute and synth that brings us back to the feel of a couple of the early verses. They build back up to full-tilt, heavy prog, but seeing the bigger picture of arrangement, they bring it back down to reprise the intro.  Fab track.

The band then takes us on a three-instrumental, cross continental-themed musical journey starting with the brief “Istanbul,” which calls to mind elements of DT’s “Home” with sitar/guitar playing over a Tool-esque drum pattern. We’re then taken aboard the “Orient Express,” full of twists and turns in the vein of “The Dance Of Eternity” at nearly 10 minutes in length, then the band brings things to a close with the concluding “Venice” piece, done on harpsichord.

The album’s epic ender, “I Am You,” has an ambient start, then sees the band floating over an intricate, 5/4 piano part, then moving to a heavy yet cinematic feel that’s all ear candy.  Again, the band has a great ear for arrangements, never bleeding a riff to death and flowing from one section to another naturally. The song’s halfway point sees the band put the brakes on the heaviness a la Frost*, giving way to plucked strings that build into a full instrumental section. The harpsichord from “Venice” is back for part of the section and after one more “drop out” to a quiet section, the band cranks up to a fever pitch, followed by the obligatory anthemic finish, fading out to the ambient keyboards we heard at the beginning.

It seems like every year brings a surprise for me amidst the mass of prog releases; last year it was Big Big Train – truly a once-every-decade find for me – and this year has brought Persona Grata to the forefront of my new music listening.  Those bands certainly occupy two different sub-genres of prog, but neither lack in creativity. With “Reaching Places High Above,” Persona Grata have put themselves near the summit of the the heavy prog-rock peak.

More information: http://personagrataofficial.tumblr.com

Ayreon’s “The Theory of Everything” is now available

On By Thaddeus WertIn 2013, progressive rock music2 Comments

TheoryOfEverything

 

Ayreon fans can rejoice: even though the official release date for the compact disc of The Theory of Everything is November 2, the digital version is available today (October 29). You can purchase it at iTunes, but the best deal is at Amazon. For $16.99, you can order the 2-disc album and get all 42 tracks in mp3 format to listen to now. If you prefer to go digital only, the price is a mere $6.99!

‘And I’ll Scratch Yours’ – (2013) – Peter Gabriel – Tough Love required!

On By ericbfgIn 20131 Comment

In the history of Peter Gabriel’s solo career there are glittering moments of genius and other times where the ideas fell short of success or backfired.
The Womad festival of ’82, the ‘Realworld’ theme park and the development of world music through Real World have either struggled or remained unfinished.

This is probably the truth for any artist who pushes the boundaries and tries to innovate. So with a couple of albums of cover versions, first by Gabriel himself and then by celebrated international artists, singing essentially the greatest hits on both sides, this should be a moment of playing safe. The last three years from 2010’s ‘Scratch My Back’ and the release of ‘And I’ll Scratch Yours’’ (2013) have been far from straight forward and the latest release has proved that Gabriel has once again bitten off more than he could chew.

2010 release was hard to digest.
2010 release was hard to digest.

It was likely the latest release was always going to be a tough call. Gabriel’s first solo release for eight years (‘Scratch’) was a series of reinvented versions of songs by Bowie, Neil Young and Radiohead. However innovation appeared to give way to deconstruction and the results seemed to alienate a number of the participating artists. Radiohead’s reaction in particular to the minimalist, almost spoken word version of ‘Street Spirit’ was predictable. Overall it was deemed by many of Radiohead’s fans to be one of the worst pieces of music anywhere, with Shatner like comparisons. The band declined to follow up with ‘Wallflower’ on the return to new album and this was the view of Bowie, Young, and Ray Davies in regard to return participation.

The impact to the project was worsened by the slow response from bands such as Arcane Fire who remained on-board for the follow up. To lessen the delay, some of the tracks have been released via iTunes during the three year gap between albums and so this new release actually represents only half an album of new material.

With Gabriel now reliant on the artists to interpret the songs rather than his own bleak, stripped back formula there was hope that ‘And I’ll scratch yours’ would be more accessible and enjoyable. However there are areas where the production has been managed to the point where expression and looseness are lost to an inflexible rigidity. In effect Gabriel is not allowing his own back to be scratched.

David Byrne’s opening track, ‘I don’t remember’ is a difficult proposition to begin with. His overtly high vocal sounds Scissor sister like, with no real heart or commitment in the tone, even when it settles to a lower key for the chorus.

The lack of spark from the artists concerned seems to continue throughout the rest of the album, with some input feeling almost unwilling, rather like it it’s going through the motions. Bon Iver’s cover of ‘Come talk to me’ has a similar lack of drive to it and loses the focus of the song in the progress.

Laboured and clunky
Laboured and clunky

‘Shock the monkey’ comes at you like a slow distorted dirge, barely half the speed of the original. The effect of the slow pace is the loss of the quirky spirit of the original.

The pattern continues throughout, Arcade Fire seem to miss the potency of ‘Games without frontiers’ with a faithful but ultimately fainthearted showing.

It’s probably the Feist cover of ‘Don’t give up’ that shows us how empty the covers appear on this album. Drafted in as a ‘replacement’ band for the sequel, they deliver a bland version of the original that strips away all the emotional charge that made the 1986 version so powerful. An attempt at an interesting take on the Gabriel/Bush duet sees Feist, feat Timber Timbre using a reversal of roles. However the delicate vocal of Bush that offers tenderness and hope is eradicated in a performance which is a low, almost monophonic response in tone by Timber Timbre. It’s not a convincing reply to the desperation felt by Gabriel in the original, and hard to see how this would inspire anyone to keep going.

In fairness there are moments that shine briefly on the album, Randy Newman’s, ‘Big Time’ has a great delivery to it as does the cover of ‘Solsbury Hill’ by Lou Reed. The Reed version is a paradox in it alienates in a positive way. Destroying the sweetness of the original, the typical Reed trademark voice sits on top of a slow, distorted guitar that results in a grimy, low grade alternative that works. The track is bound to polarise opinion with many people unable to accept the style.

Overall it’s hard to believe that Gabriel’s ambitions for this record have been met. Describing the process of pulling the bands together for the project as similar to “Herding cats” this has been a tough process that feels laboured and clunky. His own covers on the first outing did not do him any favours when it came to completion and the lack of mutual interpretation on the albums has led to dissolved partnerships which were not filled adequately. The ideology behind the projects was sound and could have resulted in some excellent covers had things been managed better.

It does needs to be approached with open eyes as you might expect and if you felt alarm at the extent of variation in the recent Steve Hackett release -‘Genesis Revisited 2’ then you will no doubt feel a resentment to the handling of classic material on this outing. What many fans would hope for after this album is for Gabriel to return to the studio and produce a solo effort that matches the heights of the late 70’s and early 80’s, rather than a 90’s style experiment.

Track Listing:

1. “I Don’t Remember” David Byrne 3:38
2. “Come Talk to Me” Bon Iver 6:20
3. “Blood of Eden” Regina Spektor 4:39
4. “Not One of Us” Stephin Merritt 3:49
5. “Shock the Monkey” Joseph Arthur 5:49
6. “Big Time” Randy Newman 3:29
7. “Games Without Frontiers” Arcade Fire 3:22
8. “Mercy Street” Peter Gabriel feat. Elbow 5:28
9. “Mother of Violence” Brian Eno 3:00
10. “Don’t Give Up” Feist feat. Timber Timbre 5:28
11. “Solsbury Hill” Lou Reed 5:24
12. “Biko” Paul Simon 4:19

Haken’s “Pareidolia”: 11 Minutes of Prog/Metal Perfection

On By Thaddeus WertIn 2013, progressive rock music2 Comments

Last month, we posted Haken’s very entertaining “Cockroach King” video. Here’s the official video to another song from their excellent The Mountain album, the epic “Pareidolia”. Blending Indian and Greek elements (bouzoukis anyone?) with scorching guitars and tremendous vocals, Haken has come up with a prog/metal classic.

Pareidolia “is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant” (according to Wikipedia). You can watch the curling smoke and cascading light in the video and experience your very own pareidolia.

Fans of Rush, Dream Theater, Ayreon, Riverside, and Devin Townsend will be all over this album.

 

Desolation Rose: The Flower Kings’ Reflections on the Revolution in Media

On By Thaddeus WertIn 2013, progressive rock music5 Comments

Unlike Eric Perry in his earlier, excellent review, I approached the new Flower Kings album from a position of relative ignorance. I greatly admire Roine Stolt’s work with Transatlantic, but I do not have any Flower Kings in my music library. However, after listening closely to Desolation Rose the past few days, that is about to change!

21st century media provide wonderful benefits (could something like Progarchy have even existed 15 years ago?), but any technology can also be perverted into something terribly harmful. Desolation Rose is a dark and brooding jeremiad on the dangers of corrupt media and government, perpetual war and violence, and religious fanaticism. Freedom is not a given, and Desolation Rose is a dire warning to those who would trade it for “security”, whether by indiscriminately believing what governments and mainstream media tell us, or by neglecting critical thinking when it comes to the claims of deceptive religious figures. Each song segues seamlessly into the next, reinforcing the overall impact of the lyrics. It may take a few listens for them to take hold, but once they do, they are very powerful.

A sampling of some of the most memorable lines (as best I can decipher them; I do not have a lyrics booklet):

“Lies bring comfort to the king and his nation/Like fools, we just stare at the sun.” (‘Tower ONE’)

“In the silent soil of Eden lie the bones of a predator/From the sun and the stars, a dreamless penitentiary.” (‘Sleeping Bones’)

“In silent graveyards we look for saviors/A promised land beyond our prayers” (‘Desolation Road’)

“So if you follow, go look beyond the lies/A brand new kingdom will brighten up the skies/Close to the sea, the river’s getting wider/Take off the blinders, and love will take you higher” (‘Resurrected Judas’)

“We are just the silent masses/The things you need are out of fashion/And so the clock keeps ticking out of time”  (‘Silent Masses’)

“When a man is not a man, but hostage to machinery/Will they ever let you out from this dreamless penitentiary?” ‘(Last Carnivore’)

“So the state has become the offender/To the point where there’s no turning back/Now you dream of your new independence/While they tighten their grip round your neck” (‘Dark Fascist Skies’)

“We are stardust and we’re sun-kissed/We are brothers and still we’re strangers” (‘Blood of Eden’)

Just as words and phrases are repeated in the songs, musical themes recur throughout, making the album a remarkably cohesive work. The propulsive drumming of Felix Lehrmann is terrific; Tomas Bodin’s manic organ locks horns with Roine Stolt’s lead guitar and musical sparks result. Hasse Froberg’s vocals are outstanding – full of dark menace one moment, and aching lament the next.  Jonas Reingold’s bass work is as melodic and inventive as Geddy Lee’s.

Highlights are ‘Resurrected Judas’, which has a nice “Trick of the Tail”-era Genesis vibe and a graceful, loping guitar solo; the straight-ahead rocker ‘Silent Masses’, with its jaunty piano riff and nimble bass line; and ‘Last Carnivore’, which is very dark and oppressive until a key change brings relief and light. ‘Last Carnivore’ is representative of the album as a whole – from the first track, the band creates an atmosphere of conflict, darkness, and oppression which isn’t relieved until the beautiful and stately ‘Blood of Eden’ makes its appearance near the end. Hearing it is like seeing clouds part and the sun shine through after a violent thunderstorm. However, lest we think everything’s going to be fine, the ‘Silent Graveyards’ show up one last time in a musical coda that ties together the various themes masterfully. Froberg’s voice rises as if he’s framing a question, and it is unsettling to realize that ‘Dark Fascist Skies’ are always lurking around the corner.

With Desolation Rose, the Flower Kings have produced an album of extraordinary power and depth. Lyrics and music combine to pack an emotional punch that cannot be ignored. Detta är en att älska.

Take Heed – This Is Some Good Music!

On By Thaddeus WertIn 2013, progressive rock musicLeave a comment

active_heed_1

 

If you are in the mood for something fun and light, I recommend Active Heed. The band is the brainchild of Umberto Pagnini, and their new album is Visions From Realities. Stylistically, it is all over the map, and I mean that in a good way. I hear a strong ’60s folk/rock influence in songs like “FFF Flashing Fast Forward”:

While the gorgeous “The Weakness of Our Spinning” sounds like an outtake from Lindsey Buckingham:

Listening to the album in its entirety gives me the sense that I’m peeking into an artist’s sketchbook; most songs are relatively brief, and the melodies have a charming, playfully raw feel to them. Take a listen to the under-two-minute pop blast of “Awake?!”:

The band has generously posted the complete album on Soundcloud, and you can listen to it here. Visions From Realities is more evidence that we are in the midst of a historic explosion of excellent progressive music, and they certainly deserve a wide audience. It would be a shame for this gem to be missed.

 

The Unexpected Christmas Progparty, folks!!

On By Tobbe JansonIn 2013, Progarchy, UncategorizedLeave a comment

TFK Christmas Progparty

The Flower Kings are throwing a Christmas Progparty in Gothenburg!! At least one Progarchist is going to be there!! 😀 There is a party in Stockholm as well, the day before the Gothenburg ballyhoo! Ho ho ho!

Himlabacken Vol. 1!

On By Tobbe JansonIn 2013, Progarchy, progressive rock music5 Comments

So the new Moon Safari album has been out for a while! Their music really has a special place in my heart! They hail from the same town (Skellefteå) where my significant other and mother of my three children comes from.  The music is easily recognizable but yet again the boys are presenting some new ingredients to the tasty stew that is prog Moon Safari-style! A little quirkier in places and also some heavier guitar riffs (Barfly). Since I’m a sometimes rather embarrassing fanboy I’ve got problems finding anything not to like here. Perhaps that Lover’s End was a bit more consistent but then again, Himlabacken Vol. 1 is also an album filled to the brim with beautiful melodies and of course their  trademark, breathtaking vocal harmonies written by maestro Simon Åkesson. The theme of the album is about growing up. Not that it is a conceptual approach on the subject at all but more of a red thread that the lyrics refer to in different ways. It’s nicely done. A fine example is from the song Diamonds.

My uncle on my father’s side’s a farmer, he is old now but smiles just the same, spent his life working way over yonder, in the fields among the rocks and the clay / He says: ”Tell me what more is a diamond, son, than a stone in the blind man’s hand, if you’d see what I see then you too could be king with a kingdom in hand”

The title of the album refers to the small hilltop where the, then small boys and now young men in the band, went bobsleighing down in winter. A small hilltop stretching up into to the sky…a Heaven Hill.

I have seen this band perform four times now and they just get better. Last time was Friday night 13th September together with fellow Progarchist, Mr Ian Greatorex at House of Progression at the music pub The Peel (“a rather grotty place”, according to Mr G) in  London. Once again I was absolutely blown away by their performance and how they nail all the intricate harmonies live is beyond me. The band was on fire and I have never seen them better. The band stated in an update on their FB-timeline that the audience at The Peel was the loudest on their European Tour so far….no surprise with a roaring viking in the crowd. What happened during the rest of that magic weekend you can see in the video footage by another Progarchist and dear friend, Russel Clarke, here.  

Appetizer:

The Big Big Weekend 2013 – Day 1 in Video

On By russellclarkenzIn 2013, progressive rock music9 Comments

What happens when a bunch of fans of the critically-acclaimed progressive rock group Big Big Train get together in a beautiful, ancient English city?

The inaugural Big Big Weekend took place on the 14th & 15th September 2013 in Winchester, in the United Kingdom.

A celebration of the music of Big Big Train and its many ties to Winchester, the weekend was organised by the amazing Alison Henderson via the BBT Facebook page and well-attended by fans from across the world. Several members of the band (plus a few guests!) also attended, making this weekend a very special and memorable event.

This video shows the highlights of the first day – a walk around Winchester guided by Alison and Greg, followed by a traditional prog curry!

On day two we headed down to Rob Aubrey’s hallowed Aubitt Studios in Southampton for a candid and fascinating chat about about how BBT’s albums are crafted, with special focus on the rip-roaring fan favourite “Judas Unrepentant”. Stay tuned for a video of that day – coming soon!