THE SOURCE: Ayreon’s Deeply Moving 9th Album

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock2 Comments

A review of Ayreon, THE SOURCE (Mascot, 2017).  Summation: Arjen Lucassen climbs ever higher in the prog pantheon.

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On April 28, 2017, Arjen Lucassen releases the ninth studio album of his progressive rock space opera project, Ayreon.  Entitled THE SOURCE, Lucassen’s latest–to no one’s surprise–throws everything the great man possesses into it.  From heavy guitar riffs to Queen-inspired vocal melodies to Celtic folk, the album comes in at over 88 minutes long.  Quite an amazing feat, even for Arjen Anthony Lucassen.

After all, what can’t the man do?

If I tried to pretend objectivity, I’d be readily and truly accused of dishonesty.  Since I first listened to Ayreon–well over a decade ago–I was quite taken with it.  Since then, I have collected every thing that Lucassen has done–from Star One to Guilt Machine to The Gentle Storm to Ambeon to Stream of Passion to his solo work.

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Sheryl Crow on sex, beauty, and dinosaurs

On By Time LordIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Sheryl Crow has some great thoughts about the crappy pop music on the radio today over in her USA Today interview:

She reflects, “In the old days you’d sleep during the day and write and record furiously all night because there was something altruistic about making music that could save the world. Now Jeff and I are just a couple of old dudes in the studio.”

Of course it’s hard to keep all-nighter hours when you’ve got two sons to raise. For Be Myself Crow and her team had to work during school hours. Once the boys came back home, she switched to family mode, which includes acting on some of the themes addressed in her lyrics.

“I’ve turned into one of those people that young rock ‘n’ rollers hate,” she says, with a laugh. “I don’t like them turning on pop radio and hearing songs about sex — and that’s all that’s on there, 18-year-olds singing about ‘the taste of you.’ If everything is about branding and we’re branding sex as power, what does that say to little girls and little boys? What does that say about beauty?”

She sighs and smiles. “I guess I’m a dinosaur. But I like it.”

Yes fan offers free 50 year celebratory passes

On By Adam SearsIn progressive rockLeave a comment

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Ruth Zurawka is offering a free celebratory Yes pass to anyone who emails her.

Posted today on “Yes Turns 50”, a Facebook group Zurawka administrates:

“Want a FREE celebratory 50 year YES pass? Email your postal address to yesturns50@gmail.com. Passes will be shipped starting sometime in May. No cord is included. When you get yours, take a photo of you with it, post your photo here and say where in the world you’re celebrating YES! Each pass is numbered. Let’s see how many we can get out there! (Bracelets will come out later in the year for those asking!) If you live out of the US, still send me your postal address. We’ll see how much shipping would be.”

In another post, Zurawka says: “YES turns 50 in 2018! We need to make some noise to make it an extra special year for our band! Let’s talk gatherings, celebrations and other ways to observe this quinquagenarian year!

As a hardcore Yes fan for 25 years, I’m very much looking forward to receiving my pass. I wonder if it will give you access to all of Yes’ shows during their 50th year (and Yes Featuring ARW too)!  A man can dream right?

ART GRIFFIN’S SOUND CHASER – VISIONS FROM THE PRESENT

On By Paul WatsonIn progressive rock1 Comment

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“I realised a long time ago that instrumental music speaks a lot more clearly than English, Spanish, Yiddish, Swahili, any other language. Pure melody goes outside time.”

Carlos Santana

Here we are, 2017 and have to admit it’s been a long time since I last heard a new Prog instrumental album. You almost fell over them back in the 70’s. They were everywhere. You had the likes of Camel’s ‘Snow Goose‘ rubbing shoulders with Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells‘ selling over 16 million albums, thank you very much. In some ways this was rocking up Symphonic Music and then some.  Tangerine Dream were up for it and put out many an acid tripping the keyboard fantastic LP, and of course Vangelis was no slouch with his unique blending of electronic sounds on such albums such as ‘Albedo 0.39′  and ‘Opéra sauvage’ which also included Jon Anderson on harp.

Fast-forward thirty-five years or so and a handful of artists and bands are recording and releasing the odd instrumental album or three. You only have to look at Pink Floyd’s mostly instrumental 2014 album,  ‘Rattle That Lock‘ to see the interest is still there. Something Canadian multi-instrumentalist (keyboards/bass/guitar) , Art Griffin is well aware of as demonstrated by his new album recently released, ‘Visions From The Present.’ The band is known as Art Griffin’s Sound Chaser and includes some of Canada’s finest musicians such as the drummer from Saga, Steve Negus, with Victoria Yeh  on electric violin (amazing performances on this album) only equaled by Kelly Kereliuk‘s guitar work.  That’s not to say Art is far behind. Is he what? If his mind-blowing keyboard solos are anything to go by, he’s charging ahead encouraging the others to keep up!Having the likes of well respected Ken Baird throwing down the occasional keyboard solo makes it an extra bit special moment to listen to.

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Magenta – the stuff of legends

On By alisonscolumnIn progressive rockLeave a comment

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Very few prog bands have sailed through nearly two decades of music-making with flying colours quite like the Welsh Magenta.

With prog’s Captain Prolific, Rob Reed, still holding a strong and steady course at the helm, Magenta’s band of sister and brothers are united in their overwhelming desire to create some of the most mellifluous, melodic prog around.

Never afraid to steer into previously uncharted waters, Magenta’s canon of work now includes seven studio albums, the newest being We Are Legend, which is released on 27 April.

Again, this is completely new territory for a band that is now so adept at giving us memorable figures and concepts within their specific landscape, but more about that later.

I truly believed they had reached the zenith of their considerable powers when they released The Twenty Seven Club in 2013, an album depicting six musical legends- Morrison, Joplin, Hendrix, Jones, Cobain and Johnson, all of whose lives came to tragic ends at that Bermuda Triangle age of 27.

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soundstreamsunday: “Emerald” by Thin Lizzy

On By Craig BreadenIn Rock and RollLeave a comment

Thin-Lizzy-Phil-Lynot-resize-2Phil Lynott’s destiny — reimagining rock and roll as heavy Irish metal — meant that his band Thin Lizzy, like Motörhead and maybe AC/DC, had a claim to authenticity that punk couldn’t ignore.  Lizzy’s music was lean, written with a razor, and Lynott wrung from his blackness and his Irishness every possible note of rock and roll victory in a landscape that generally counted him out.  Lynott’s conversational style in song could echo Van Morrison (if with a brash sexuality Morrison could never pull off), and like the great Van could conjure specific visions of Irish traditional culture while turning them on their ear.  I can only imagine that the Clancy Brothers blanched, and Planxty swooned, at his treatment of “Whiskey in the Jar.”

“Emerald” closes Thin Lizzy’s blockbuster Jailbreak (1976), and while not the hit every metalhead thinks it should have been — that honor went to the catchy hard rock of “The Boys Are Back in Town” — as the closing track of a great set (“Jailbreak”!, “Cowboy Song”!), it templated the double-guitar attack metal was moving toward.  It’s hard to imagine K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton shrugging off “Emerald’s” twining riffs and solos, as Scott Goreham and Brian Robertson mapped a terrain in this performance where Judas Priest would go on to flourish.  Lynott’s lyric has all the Celtic warrior mysticism necessary to make fists shake and heads bang, whether your sporting a safety pin or a mullet, and as ever his impassioned singing and playing cannot be denied.  This is the metal mountain.

soundstreamsunday presents one song or live set by an artist each week, and in theory wants to be an infinite linear mix tape where the songs relate and progress as a whole. For the complete playlist, go here: soundstreamsunday archive and playlist, or check related articles by clicking on”soundstreamsunday” in the tags section above.

“We Come Together”: An excellent review of a Marillion Weekend

On By Gianna EIn progressive rock1 Comment

I came across this wonderful review of what attending a Marillion Weekend is like, when the band plays 3 nights in a row, each with a different setlist and theme.  It perfectly captures what it means to be a fan, and what a privilege it is to be at a Marillion live show (or three, if you’re lucky).  I wish I had written it myself.

“We Come Together”: Marillion Weekend in Łódż a Complete Triumph

Wishing Tim Hall (Kaylr) the Best

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment

Some of you might know that our great friend and prog ally, Tim Hall (aka Kaylr), is experiencing some serious health issues.  I’m sure he would very much appreciate our good thoughts and prayers.

On facebook, Jane Armstrong wrote that he is in Lister Ward at Royal Berks Hospital, Reading.

Our absolute best to you, Tim!

For those of you interested, please be sure to check out Tim’s website: http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/

Birzer Bandana’s First Album Reviewed

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment

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Mark Naida of Hillsdale College has written a beautiful review of Birzer Bandana’s first album, BECOMING ONE.  Thank you,  Mark!

Theology, intellectual rock, and the liberal arts — these are three main elements of the debut album by Birzer Bandana, a collaboration between progressive rock musician Dave Smith and Hillsdale College Professor of History Bradley Birzer.

Birzer provided the concept and lyrics, and Smith wrote the music for the seven-song progressive rock album “Becoming One,” which was released on Spotify, Bandcamp, and iTunes March 18.

Progressive rock seeks to combine the formal elements of classical music while also embracing the eclectic side of rock and roll music, according to music critic Lucas Biela of progarchives.com.

“Rock bands like the Rolling Stones wanted to show pure emotion in their music. Prog is a more intellectual genre that shares ideas,” Birzer said.

To read the full review, please go here: http://hillsdalecollegian.com/2017/04/birzer-bandana-ties-together-science-fiction-apocalyptic-poetry-british-prog-rock/

Two from the Elephant

On By James R TurnerIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Bad Elephant Music are picking up where they left off last year, releasing amazing music from a diverse range of artists, and with new releases coming from bands like Syncage, The Fierce and the Dead and Schnauser their schedule looks really exciting for the rest of the year. Here I have a look at two wonderfully off beat and eclectic albums that recently arrived from Elephant HQ

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Topes Sphere 2 by Orange Clocks

Bad Elephant Music BEM039

https://orangeclocks.bandcamp.com/

  1. Tope’s Sphere Intro (Original Recording) 00:342.
  2. Just Kickin’ Back 02:01
  3. Fun In The Stars 01:00
  4. 4.SOS 01:30
  5. Unknown Planet 00:55
  6.  Ambush 01:53
  7.  Sphere Malfunction 00:53
  8.  Trouble With Chode 02:12
  9. Tope’s Hope 00:30
  10.  Darkside 03:03
  11.  Magical Fields 03:45
  12.  Cogs, Brackets and Chains 00:42
  13.  Big Track 02:49
  14.  A Father’s Return 00:59
  15.  Stromp’s Stomp 00:50
  16.  Chode’s Down 00:43
  17.  March of the Psilicybins 01:37
  18.  Out of the Aether 01:05
  19.  Utopean Dream 00:55
  20.  Theme from Tope’s Sphere 02:28

running time 30:33

Is Rushdenbeat now a thing?

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