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Category: progressive rock music
Integrity’s Minstrel: John Bassett. Unearth (2014)
A review of John Bassett, Unearth (Stereohead Records; release date: March 31, 2014).
I’m honestly not sure if my admiration for John Bassett knows many—if any—bounds.
When we first announced progarchy’s birth in the fall of 2012, Kingbathmat’s label reached out to us immediately. As objective as I’m trained to be in my own actual day-to-day profession (though, I’ve become firmly convinced that so-called objectivity is highly overrated), it’s hard not to be grateful when someone, some band, or some label contacts us. After all, it’s automatically a profound sign of trust, though always based on a leap of faith.
As reviewers and lovers of music, we’re, of course, not for sale. Still, we are rather human. Kindness and relationships make a difference in the ways we perceive artists. In no genre of music is this more true than in prog, as the audience matters so deeply to the music—its creation and its longevity. Whatever my many faults, disloyalty isn’t one of them. As it turned out, though, I didn’t have to worry about any false motives on my part. I was not only grateful to Kingbathmat for trusting us, but I also, thank the Good Lord, really liked their music as well as their trust!
I also immediately came to like—personally—two of its members, John Bassett and Bernardo Smirnoff (who goes by many aliases and seems to be one of rock’s greatest men of mystery).
Perhaps, all four members of the band are wonderful. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if this proved true. But, I’ve not had the pleasure to meet the other two. I do know, however, John and Bernardo—at least electronically—and they’re both truly great guys. Really truly great guys. The kind of guys I would love to spend some time with—maybe over a beer and discussing a meaningful book.
So, when I heard that John was releasing a solo album, I couldn’t help but be thrilled. I was immediately curious as to what it would sound like. Another Kingbathmat album? I imagined the solo album to stand in relation to Kingbathmat’s other releases much as I think of Chris Squire’s solo album from 1975, Fish Out of Water. It’s a critical piece of Yes history. The same, I assumed, would prove true of John’s solo album.
As early reviews have come out regarding the forthcoming release, a number of reviewers have compared Unearth to much of David Gilmour’s work with Pink Floyd. I’m sure that Bassett has listened to lots of Floyd, as we all have. And though Gilmour’s work is so iconic, Bassett is simply better and more nuanced than even the best of Gilmour. Gilmour is certainly amazing, and he always has that trademark sound, recognized anywhere. But, frankly, Bassett has a better voice, more diverse talents with the guitar, and better lyrics. This isn’t meant to be a knock against Gilmour. The guy is brilliant. Bassett is just better.
I’m not sure this comparison is worthwhile or fair, though.
As I’ve had the opportunity to listen to a review copy of the album over the past several weeks—and, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it, listening to it at what one might call an addictive level—I’ve thought of many comparisons. This might be Dan Fogelberg without the sappiness. It might be Storm Corrosion without the pretension (as the ubercool David Elliott has argued, Storm Corrosion might be one of the biggest hoaxes on the prog community in years; Bassett is no hoax). It might be Opal or Mazzy Star with a male voice. It might be. . . well, we could keep going with this.
It’s worth stating this as directly as possible, though: John Bassett is his own man and his own artist. He’s the kind of guy who would, I assume, take criticism very seriously for about an hour or two. He might even feel a bit down if a truly negative review of his work came out. The next morning, though, Bassett would’ve totally forgotten whatever was written about him, and he’d do his own thing any way, whether he remembered what had been written or not.
Again, Bassett is very much his own man. It’s part of his immense charm. And, the fact he doesn’t even realize—at any level—how charming, interesting, and charismatic he is, makes him even more interesting. When I tried to tell him several months ago how important he was in the prog community (yes, I’m rather blunt and obnoxious at times—I’m sure you’re shocked), he just blew it off. “Brad, I’m just a Muppet,” he wrote me. Well, John, you are far more than a Muppet (though, I really like the Muppets, especially Animal, Sam the Eagle, and Harry the Anarchist).
So, the sum of it all? This album, Unearth, is a manifesto for being your own person, just as John is his. My best comparisons? Imagine the lyrics of a young Neil Peart without the overtly Nietzschean strain. Or imagine the lyrics of a middle-aged Neil Young, but anti-political rather than merely anti-rightest. Or imagine the social justice of Andy Tillison (a man of equally brilliant integrity). Put all of this together, and you have a John Bassett. The lyrics are not only well written, they are sung with absolute belief and integrity. Indeed, this entire album just exudes integrity. As I’ve written elsewhere, Kingbathmat “reeks of integrity.” The same, of course, is true for this solo album. Lyrically, Bassett justly rails against injustice, superficiality, betrayal, and every single form of conformism. This is a most confident and non-navel gazing individualism. The individualism of a Keats or a Thoreau.
Musically, the songs range from the sublime (this word seems to fit more than does “beauty” for Bassett’s music) and the delicate to the clever and the intricate. And, frankly, though I’m no musician, I’m as impressed with the keyboards as I am with the guitar. In the ability to pull every thing together, Bassett is a master.
I must state a dream of mine. If Kingbathmat ever released an album, a concept to be sure, that combined the drive of Kingbathmat and the pauses and reflections of Unearth, ably giving it an organic flow, the band would make an album that would not be just a great release of third-wave prog, but a worthy masterwork, an equal to the best of Genesis or Pink Floyd of Yes from the 1970s.
Please John and Bernard, think about it. I’m already eager with anticipation, just imagining what could be. . . .
***
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Progarchy HQ
Just in case you’ve ever wondered what progarchy.com HQ looks like. From the fourth floor of Delp Hall of Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan.
The beautiful, subtle flight of One Thousand Wings
Making my way through the November 2013 issue of Prog (#40) a couple of weeks ago—it takes a while for it to swim across the Pond and trudge through the heartlands to the West Coast—I came upon a short review of the album, “White Moth Black Butterfly” (WMBB henceforth), from the group One Thousand Wings. I noted that the group was headed by ex-Tesseract vocalist Dan Tompkins, whose talents I discovered last year (Tesseract’s 2012 EP, “Perspective”), and then read that the reviewer believed WMBB to be “an absolutely essential work” and, in sum: “Experimental, accessible and quite brilliant, this ranks high among this year’s progressive releases.”
Having now listened to WMBB a dozen times, I’d say the reviewer, if anything, undersells the brilliance of Tompkins’ album. And it is, really, Tompkin’s album, as he wrote nearly all the material, played most of the instruments, sang most of the vocals, and co-produced/mixed/edited as well. The One Thousand Wings Band Camp site tags WMBB with descriptives including ambient, cinematic, electronic, and experimental, and they indicate that while the album is “prog,” it is not guitar-driven, features nothing that resembles a solo, and is not really “rock” in any obvious way. While we tend to avoid needless labels here on Progarchy.com, I would suggest “ambient/folk electronica prog.” That aside, simply listen to the album on the Band Camp site.
Listening to WMBB, three other artists come to mind, the first two perhaps expected; the third likely not. Although Tompkins does not sound like Jeff Buckley, I would recommend to this album to Buckley fans, as Tompkins, first, has a tremendous and distinctive voice—clear, piercing, soothing, aching, lovely, strong, subtle, powerful—and, secondly, creates a distinct world, something Buckley did as well on “Grace” (one of my favorite albums, regardless of genre). I should note that the aforementioned “Perspective” EP includes an impressive cover of Buckley’s “Dream Brother,” which can be viewed/heard on YouTube.
Secondly, there is a fleeting whisper of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke in the mix, specifically, his 2006 solo album, “The Eraser”. That album was far more abrupt and percussive and obviously electronica-ish than WmBB, but there are echoes (even if only in my head). But while “The Eraser” has a more overtly bristling and edgy quality, WMBB is guarded, like a candle fighting against an inevitable night. If Yorke is angry and sometimes snarling, Hopkins is wounded and searching; many of the songs might simply be described as “laments”. Finally—and this is strange—I’m reminded of George Michael. Much of that is due to vocals on songs such as “Equinox”, where Hopkins sounds just like Michael—at least a younger version (not the “Symphonica” version, from what I’ve heard). Take it for what it is!
Instrumentally, WMBB is a beautiful mixture of electronica and acoustic, with deep swells, rich textures, and subtle touches and details, usually in the form of tasteful acoustic guitar or ringing piano. As for lyrics, which is something I’m always interested in, it’s hard to tell as many of them are hard to make out. But the song titles—”Ties of Grace”, “Midnight Rivers”, “Certainty”, “Omen”, “Faith”, Paradise”—suggest some heavy duty rumination, perhaps just as much metaphysical as relational. Again, highly recommended!
The Return of Kate Bush
Kate Bush, one of only a handful of female prog rock performers (and the best, in my humble opinion), is returning to the stage after a 35 year absence. Bush, who catapulted to stardom at the young age of 19 thanks to her hit song Wuthering Heights, last played live in 1979. There has been much speculation over the years as to why she has not done any tours, but the good news is that she is now finally getting back on the stage. Unfortunately for Americans such as myself, she will only be playing a series of shows in London this upcoming August and September. Here is an article from Time with more information: http://time.com/33156/kate-bush-live-shows-perform-concert/
Interview with Edgel Groves Jr. of Insideout Music (U.S.)
Excellent and insightful interview with one of the foremost rising talents of the music industry, Edge Groves, Jr. Enjoy.
Gazpacho Explains the New Album
A note from Thomas AndersonHi all connoisseurs and lovers of different music! We are in the happy position of being able to offer you the chance of indulging in the guiltiest pleasure of all for music aficionados. You can now purchase the new Gazpacho album. It is called Demon and it is a true fully fledged concept album. Here is the official info on the album: Demon is inspired by a conversation Thomas had with his father a few years ago where he spoke of a dark force moving through history. During the conversation his father recalled a business visit to Prague in the seventies where he visited the family of some of his hosts. The family lived in an old apartment, recently renovated after a fire. In the debris, an old manuscript was found. The manuscript was written by a previous resident, for which no records existed other than that his rent had been pre-paid for many years. Written over two years, the band have described Demon as the ‘most complicated and strange album Gazpacho has ever made’ and whether the manuscript is truly the work of an obsessed madman or an urban legend it has certainly provided the basis for an interesting twist on a concept album. The manuscript contained various ramblings and diagrams which formed the basis of a diary, of sorts, of the man. He claimed to have discovered the source of what he called an evil presence in the world. This presence, ‘The Demon’, was an actual intelligent will, with no mercy and a desire for bad things to happen. The author wrote as if he had lived for thousands of years stalking this presence and the manuscript contains references to outdated branches of mathematics, pagan religions unknown to the present world and an eyewitness account of the bubonic plague. So crazed were the writings that the document was donated to the Strahov Library in Prague, where it was thought it would be of interest to students of psychiatry. The thought of this mysterious figure that had lived through the ages, hunting the ‘Demon’, seemed like too good of an idea not to write about. Thomas presented the idea to the band who were just as inspired by the story, and with Jan Henrik, he started writing the lyrics based on what they thought the manuscript would reveal, drawing inspiration from previously ‘discovered’ diaries and manifests. The story is told in four parts, ending with ‘Death Room’ which are the last words of the unfinished manuscript written just before the disappearance of the unknown writer. We hope you enjoy it. Love from all of us, Gazpacho |
Rush Planning ‘Rarer’ Material for 41st Anniversary Tour
Alex says the band is planning to perform pieces that haven’t gotten much play over the years on a tour that’s in the works to celebrate the band’s 41 years making records.
Alex mentioned the tour in a March 20 Rolling Stone piece with Andy Greene, and says it’s likely to be fairly long and fan-focused.
“I think we’re probably going to lean towards making it a real sort of fan event, and really try to put something together that’s very pleasing for the fans across the board,” he says. “We want to try and play different material this time. I’ve always wanted to do some rarer Rush material, and this should be a good opportunity to do that. I also think it’s going to be a long tour.”
The band’s successful Clockwork Angels tour, which geerated about $36 million and was a top grossing tour, ended about 7 months…
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Holy Vernal Equinox! Arrivals today at Progarchy HQ.
What a load of treasures to show up at Progarchy today.
- Big Elf, INTO THE MAELSTROM (Insideout Music)
- John Wesley (with Alex Lifeson), DISCONNECT (Insideout Music)
- The Crimson Projekct, LIVE IN TOKYO (Insideout Music)
- and, Gazpacho, DEMON (Kscope)
A huge thanks to Edgel Groves, Jr.!
P.S. And, the sun is actually out and happy on this first official day of spring in Michigan. Will wonders never cease!?!?
Progarchy 