Earlier today I searched YouTube for some suitable music to post on Sally Collyer’s Facebook timeline since it’s her birthday and all. What would be more suitable than a nice piece of footage from a Tangent gig, I thought! 🙂 And really perfect it would be if I could find a clip from the gig I attended, the one in my old hometown Kungsbacka, south of Gothenburg, Sweden. Imagine my joy when I actually found these two clips from the absolutely fantastic Monday evening, when The Tangent and Karmakanic joined forces for the last time on the short but intense tour they were out on in the last week of May and beginning of June. They started out with two gigs in Sweden, continued with three shows in Germany and The Netherlands and played, what first was meant to be the end of the tour, for an apparently ecstatic audience at Celebr8.3 in London. But, alas, the festival gig wasn’t the last, so they actually flew back to Sweden again to finish the tour at Kungsbacka Teater! Which, naturally, I’m so very happy they did! And so, watching the clips this morning made me again feel the happiness to be here, now, in this very time, being able to enjoy all the wonderful music being played by fantastic bands like The Tangent and Karmakanic. And soon, oh soon it’s time for the highly anticipated gathering of friends, also known as Big Big Train Live at King’s Hall, which probably will be The Pinnacle of my life as a music lover. 🙂
Earlier this year, a progressive rock quintet from Madrid, Pervy Perkin, put out their debut double album called “Ink,” a record that counts 16 songs at total, clocking at 2 hours and 15 minutes. Many would say that it is a risky challenge, but the band answered it with courage, and accompanied with their talent and skills crafted a release that certainly counts as one of the “hottest” albums produced by a new coming artist in 2014.
We talked with drummer/vocalist Carly Pajaron and guitarist/vocalist Dante about “Ink,” as well as many other topics.
Your debut album titled “Ink” draws influences from many different music styles. How would you describe your music to someone who didn’t hear your music before? What artists do you think have inspired you most directly?
Dante: That’s a really hard question! How would you describe a painting without showing it? I think it’s quite tricky to describe music. Anyway, I usually describe the music of Pervy Perkin as a very vast universe where all genres have their place, where each song is a totally different “planet” on itself and where everything can happen. I could say that in general every song has “Metal” filter, and a progressive one, with odd time signatures, experimentation…things that we like and use quite a lot. But that’s not the case with songs of Ink as Falling from Earth or The Tree in the Sky for example, that are quite simple.
Pervy Perkin is a five-piece band. What in particular each one of you brought to the table while working on the songs from “Ink”?
Carly: Everyone brings his own vision for a certain part of the song or the composition, with a lot of cooperation, I mean, for example, if we are stuck in some part, someone will bring an idea that will make 5 of us move on and keep the good dynamic. It can be a riff, a melody, rhythm…
Anyone can bring an idea from other instrument for example, for me that is very common being myself a drummer I focus a lot on the bigger picture of the structure for example. Alvaro can make a fantastic riff in the moment, Dante has beautiful worked ideas, and Ugo was very clever in things that should and should not enter in a song, re-use ideas to make the song an entity. And now Aks and Alex bring their own vision, it is an overwhelming experience.
Did you map out any of the elements before starting to write “Ink”?
Dante: It all turned out pretty natural, actually. We just discussed what we wanted Pervy Perkin to be, that we will accept no limitations and that we would go as big as we wanted. We had a couple of ideas for songs that we wanted to be included in Ink, but almost everything was a result of the guys joining in Carly’s basement and composing and discussing.
Breaking down the album’s structure, it’s easy to notice that each one of you have parts where your instrumental work is really good. What is your way of putting these improvised instrumentations in an entity called song?
Carly: I think that the things that make the songs from Ink unique are the different vibes that each one give the listener, and we try to give some continuity to the ideas used within a song, that’s the key to keep the music fresh, interesting, and catchy in Pervy Perkin. Each one has its own genoma.
On future releases… I think that we are going to take a step further. May God have mercy on our souls!
“Ink” is a double album, but there is not a certain concept behind it. The first CD is titled “Book of Equinox” and the second “Book of Solstice,” and together they form “Ink”. How does the album title effect the material presented on the album? Give me a snapshot of the topics you explore on these songs?
Dante: “Ink” was a title we came up with because it is an instrument to write stories, our songs. Everything can be related to that title, and our first album was definitively everything. The “Books” were established to continue with that idea, and to avoid the CD1, CD2 kind of thing.
We explore many topics: obsession in “Of Echoes” and “Reflections,” social fight in “New Dawn,” Sci-fi in “T.I.M.E. Part 3” and“Asleep in a Wormhole,” huge opera about the change in one’s life due to a horrible happening in “Morphosis,” insanity and depression in “Memories of the Water,” facing a new life stage in “The End of the Beginning,” escape from reality and denial in “S!urm,” love in “3:11 AM,” or what I call a soundscape based on a vision in “Falling from Earth.”
So, what is with the name of the band? “Pervy” is not usually a term with good connotation, how does it reflect to the overall sound of the band?
Carly: Haha, well there is nothing with the name, what do you expect when you see a name like that? People just want to know what is behind that creepy name, and anything can appear, is a connotation for un-expectation I suppose… It is just like Red Hot Chili Peppers, and their sound has evolved through the years keeping that crazy name!
You had quite a few opportunities to present your work in front of live audiences. What is the general response you guys receive?
Dante: Absolutely amazing. Every gig we do, people would say that they loved our performance. “I’m not a fan of progressive/this kind of music, but you guys and your music are amazing”. That’s something we get a lot. We improve with every gig, and we always give everything we’ve got in the concerts. We believe that a concert should never be an artist playing his music and leaving. To see that, I rather listen to the album. A concert has to be an spectacle, an experience, and we seem to achieve that. We have been called “crazy” when playing, and for me, there’s no better compliment.
Are there any plans for hitting the road and touring Europe or North America?
Carly: As soon as we can, we hope to play in every single wreckage of the world, we only need the budget to make it and people hearing us and we will give the whole of ourselves live as we always try to do!
How do you sense the future?
Dante: Really good, actually. We are doing what we can, step by step, and we are getting amazing results. Now we are focusing on presenting Ink with gigs in different parts of Spain, and promoting the album worldwide. Also we are beginning to prepare material for the second album so we keep ourselves really busy (which I love).
Thanks for having us, it’s been a pleasure, be sure to give a listen to our first album, “Ink,” and follow us in social media (we are everywhere hahaha).
A review of North Atlantic Oscillation, The Third Day (Kscope; October 2014).
Tracks: Great Plains II; Elsewhere; August; A Nice Little Place; Penrose; Do Something Useful; Wires; Pines of Eden; Dust; and When to Stop.
NAO: Sam Healy (lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Ben Martin (drums); and Chris Howard (bass). The Third Day mixed by Sam Healy. Artwork by Ross Macrae and Brendan McCarthy.
Highest recommendation.
***
What do you do with a problem like Sam Healy? Queue image of an Irishman-turned-Scotsman dancing around a high mountain top. Oh, and did I mention, he’s really, really smart? That is, really, really smart. Or, did I mention this already?
Of the many joys of editing progarchy for the past two years, one of the greatest has been getting to know a whole slew of truly creative, interesting, serious, perfectionist artists. Of those who reside at the very top of the top—at least in this editor’s not so humble opinion—sits Healy, dressed as an Austrian nun or not. His correspondence reveals that Sam always has that twinkle, that spark in his eye and soul. Though, he doesn’t believe in the latter, it’s there in abundance.
When I received a review copy of The Third Day, North Atlantic Oscillation’s latest aural ecstasy, I scratched my head, a little confused. This isn’t the first time I’ve been a bit perplexed by NAO’s music. When I first received a copy of the band’s second album, Fog Electric, I set it aside for a while as I just didn’t understand what it was trying to accomplish. When I picked it up again, months after its release, I realized how brilliant it was. It hit me over the head, truly a Eureka! moment. For some reason, it just took some time and several listens “to get it.” Now that “I get it,” I regard it as one of the finest albums I’ve heard in my almost four decades of listening to rock music.
This wasn’t the case, for whatever reason, when I first listened to NAO’s Grappling Hooks. That first album by the band grabbed me from the opening moments. I found it as enticing as possibly imaginable. What attracted me most to Grappling Hooks was the way in which Healy’s voice matched the music—and the music, Healy’s voice—so perfectly. The vocals sound like some of the best of early rock—the rock of my mom’s generation, the late 1950s—but mixed with the complicated and layered sonic delights made possible only by the most modern production and engineering. And, certainly, the unique quality of Sam’s ear. Well, the two of them.
Of course, there’s always the flow of the music as well. This matters for any band and any album, but none more so than for NAO. The secret to each of the band’s albums is figuring out the flow of the thing. Why did the band place this song next to this song? Or that song next to that song? Sometimes—in fact, quite often—NAO loves throwing in a curve ball, especially when the music pretends to change tracks. When you look at the chronometer, though, you quickly realize what you thought to be a track change was merely (and, by merely, I mean with genius) a shift in time signature or in the mood of a single piece. How often has it happened that I’ve looked down to see what the “new track” is called only to see the track information indicating there is still two or three minutes left of the piece you had thought had already flown by.
As evidence for the deep mystery and flow of each NAO album, simply check out the album cover of the forthcoming The Third Day.
NAO, The Third Day (Kscope, 2014).
What’s going on here? Pagan, zodiac, Plotinian, and Christian symbols intermixed (intermixing?) on some kind of biotechnology. Layers, of course, but with the infinite loop pointing us toward . . . well, whatever is beyond infinity. Only Buzz Lightyear and William Shatner really know. Under the DaVinci-esque biotech sundial doobob is a flat, Jonathan Ive type computer chip. Add in Hugh Syme-like characters and fonts from the previous two Rush albums, and you might—just maybe—start to understand the convoluted riddle that is a NAO album. I’m getting a bit dizzy just looking at the image.
Steady, Birzer, steady.
Well, I must admit, I was even more perplexed by The Third Day than by Fog Electric. I wanted so badly to like it when the review copy landed in my inbox. After all, I really like NAO and Sam. But, my reaction was somewhat muted. What was going on? It all sounded a bit “samey” to me (I’m having a hard time writing this now, as I’m laughing that it ever sounded “samey”; and, by the way is “samey” even a word?). As with Fog Electric, The Third Day took about a month and a number of listens for me to absorb. Now, though, I think I “get it.” In fact, it’s mind-bogglingly good.
Far from the neoterist “samey” the album is complex, musically as well as lyrically. It is brilliant, stunning, and glowing. While I like the entire album, tracks 6 through 10 are especially good. Far more than on the first two albums, NAO wears its influences a bit more openly on this album and especially with these last five songs. Elements of Radiohead and the Beatles emerge without trepidation. Whereas I thought Anathema almost mimicked Radiohead on their latest release, NAO honors them on The Third Day. If anything, the homage paid to Radiohead and the Beatles only increases my respect for the complete honesty of Healy and co.
Well, I’ve gone on long enough. My summary—buy the album as soon as you possibly can. NAO is, unquestionably, one of the most important and most interesting bands on the current scene. Sam Healy and co. are the future of our beloved genre.
Danny Manners, uprightbassplayer and keyboardist extraordinaire, is stating this as of today:
TUE 30 SEP, 10:40 – The dust settles…
We are pretty much sold out for the August 14th & 15th gigs.
An additional matinée performance on Sunday 16th August is likely: we’re in the process of deciding. Assuming we go for it, it would still be a couple of weeks before tickets went on sale. They would be available to everyone, not just this group.
A Big Big thank you from the band for your enthusiasm, and for the willingness of many people to travel long distances to see us. We had better be good after this…
Once again, apologies for the slightly chaotic way tickets became available. (King’s Place are not a regular rock venue and hence not really set up to handle pre-sales/restricted sales.) Luckily, their policy of not making balcony seats available until the stalls are filled, which might be rather annoying in itself, ensured that there were still some tickets available for people who only checked FB at the appointed hour on Monday morning.
The important thing is that the vast majority of tickets went to members of this group.
Looking forward to meeting many of you next August….
Big Big Train
Praise of Caesar or the month or both? I’m not sure. Regardless, an incredible track from an equally inspiring album and always thoughtful and masterful band. Enjoy track three from the forthcoming THE THIRD DAY.
Please would anybody who already has tickets refrain from buying more until, let’s say, 15:00 BST on Tuesday (30th). We want to give priority to anybody who wasn’t aware that we were forced to make tickets available yesterday, earlier than scheduled.
Please also would new purchasers only buy for one night – if you want to come both nights, hold off buying for the other night until 15:00 BST on Tuesday (30th). (People who will be travelling from abroad/a very long distance to the gigs excepted.) This is just to spread the love (and tickets) as fairly as we can…
We are likely to add a matinee performance on the Sunday (16th Aug 2015), but may not make a decision for a few days. King’s Place usually have a strict “no exchange” policy with regards to exchanging tickets for a different date. They may be willing to make exceptions in some cases, but you should not rely on that.
Earlier posts from Greg and myself explain why this situation has arisen, and offer our apologies…
You may have heard the news already. . . in fact, I’m guessing almost no one in the prog world has NOT heard the news. . . . but tickets for Big Big Train live, King’s Place, August 14-15, 2015, have gone on sale. To purchase your tickets, go here: http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/big-big-train.
As most of you probably know, progarchy.com started, in very large part, as an unofficial fan site for BBT, so we’re especially proud of the band and their desire to explore their music in a live setting.
[My own desire was for them to come to the U.S., but I’m happy to have them play live anywhere. I worry a bit that I might have played a role in their deciding to play in the U.K. rather than the U.S. Several years ago, I made Greg Spawton promise that if they played live in the U.S., they would do so sporting ZZTop beards as well as offering a performance of a double-length BBT blow out version of 2112. It’s quite possible that my then-forced promises are coming back to haunt me.–ed.]
Seriously, what wonderful news. Passengers (that is, the name of BBT fans on Facebook) have flooded Greg Spawton’s announcement of the sale, which he posted 20 hours ago. Considering that BBT represents the highest and best not only of the prog tradition, but of the rock and bardic traditions, the outpouring of enthusiasm from the prog world is quite understandable.
As an editor of progarchy.com, I have absolutely no right to publish this. In fact, when the four founders of progarchy created the thing–almost exactly 2 years ago–we decided to avoid as much as possible the topics of politics and religion. Each of us is a writer, and we spend way too much of our professional lives “talking” politics and religion to let either seep into our leisure activities.
But, here I am, breaking a cardinal rule.
I’m so, so sick of war. I just recently turned 47, and almost all of my adulthood has seen my own country involved in some kind of war–here, there, everywhere.
My home country, the grand republic of the United States of America? Well, we create and sell nearly 70% of the arms that exist in the world, and we have troops stationed (at various levels) in 150 out of nearly 200 countries. What began as a noble experiment has been corrupted, abused, and destroyed from our own so-called leaders. Bastards all.
In particular, I offer the nastiest gesture I can think of to the last four presidential administrations.
Greetings from Neal! I’d like to invite you to join me in a LIVE Q&A SESSION, TOMORROW (9/26/14), 10am (CST). I’ll be here: http://ow.ly/BSdbo on Radiant Record’s Facebook page eagerly waiting to hear all of your questions about Morsefest! And hopefully, will be able to provide you with some answers as well. Get your questions ready! I look forward to chatting with you about this exciting event!
For the first time ever, you can join Neal in his home town for a two-day music festival! Special guests, like Mike Portnoy, will be joining Neal in performances of the entire “One” and “Testimony 1” albums. Hear the music in the very place it was inspired! This weekend will be full of legendary status events such as:
an exclusive, free INNER CIRCLE ONLY acoustic set
VIP Meet and Greet with Neal and special guests
VIP contest of “Name that Tune” – PROG style with Mike Portnoy
special prizes… and so much more!
This is sure to be a once in a lifetime event that you do not want to miss! Make your travel plans to Nashville now for November 14-15!
Progarchy 